Buddhist sect to go back to original teachings to end bickering
Buddhist sect to go back to original teachings to end bickering
JAKARTA (JP): The Nichiren Shoshu Buddhist will reaffirm its resolution to stick to its original religious teachings when it convenes a grand synod later this month, members say.
"The grand synod is expected to put the sect back on its original track as a religious body to prevent further internal conflict," Rusdi Rukmarata of the Buddhist Center said.
Over the last couple of years, he said, Nichiren Shoshu Indonesia (NSI) has been given a rough time by its members.
The situation worsened last month when a group of members debased a ceremony, which was attended by government officials and senior lay persons, and digressed from the sect's original teachings.
"We realized after the incident that the internal conflicts stemmed not only from organizational problems, but were also caused by differences in understanding religious teachings," he said.
Karaniya Dharmasaputra from the Buddhist Center said the grand synod was also expected to come up with solid resolutions which would help strengthen the faith of followers.
"This way, NSI will not be just another organization," he pointed out.
He said the synod would also resolve to elect a new leader, settle plans to construct the first NSI temple in the country, establish a training center for priests and invite foreign instructors.
Rusdi said that a patron of NSI, K. Senosoenoto, has already declined running for the organization's top post, saying that she prefers to supervise NSI from within the ranks of the body.
Rusdi said that the future elected leader will have to be someone from the younger generation who is well-informed on the current world situation and could thus anticipate social and cultural changes.
Unlike other countries where followers are headed by a monk or bhiksu from Japan -- where the teachings originated -- NSI is supervised by a lay person approved by the sect's central, or international, leaders.
Senosoenoto and her late husband were the only ones in the country given the responsibility of conveying the teachings of Nichiren Shoshu in its pure and original form to followers in Indonesia.
Krisno Abianto Soekarno, secretary of the NSI Foundation predicted that while the grand synod would make few changes to the organizational aspects of NSI, a lot of work would be done on the religious side.
He said the exact date of the grand synod will be decided upon later.(pwn)