On the Similarities Between the SGI Doctrinal Text and Professor Miyata’s Paper

Issue 1.

Lately, on social media, there have been discussions suggesting that The Book on the Doctrinal Foundation of the SGI, published immediately after President Daisaku Ikeda’s passing, closely resembles several papers written by Professor Koichi Miyata. I also share this impression.

Mr. Suda, former Vice Leader of the SGI Study Department, makes the following claim in his Letter to President Harada regarding the “Teaching Outline”: “I have heard that the main individuals behind the creation of the Teaching Outline were Mr. Miyata and Mr. Kanno, both professors emeritus at Soka University. From their standpoint as researchers, however, they have shown a marked tendency to defer to the Minobu sect of Nichiren Buddhism, which represents the mainstream of academic Nichiren studies, seemingly out of fear of criticism from that sect. As a result, the entire Teaching Outline can be seen as having been assimilated to the doctrines of the Minobu sect.” On the other hand, the SGI Men’s Division Doctrinal Office officially denied any involvement of Professors Miyata and Kanno, stating on the Seikyo Shimbun website that “this claim is factually incorrect, and neither Professor Miyata nor Professor Kanno were members of the publication committee.” (Reference: Seikyo Online) In response, I conducted a careful comparative analysis of The Book on the Doctrinal Foundation of the SGI and Professor Miyata’s papers, employing not only a close textual reading but also the analytical functions of a natural language processing AI (ChatGPT) to ensure objectivity. The results revealed a level of similarity far beyond my expectations—one that can hardly be overlooked.

SGI is a large religious organization with approximately twelve million members in Japan and around the world, and The Book on the Doctrinal Foundation of the SGI appears to have become the organization’s core doctrinal text following President Ikeda’s passing. In this regard, Suda, in his Letter to President Harada regarding the “Teaching Outline”, points out that “Even now, it seems that the ‘Teaching Outline’ is being followed in articles in the Soka Shimpo and Seikyo Shimbun newspapers, as well as in the commentary on The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind, and I think that this is a dangerous situation.” Therefore, this issue is of considerable importance for the future of the SGI’s doctrinal study.

At the same time, it should be emphasized that the purpose of this paper is not to criticize any individual personally, but rather to ensure the accuracy and scholarly transparency of doctrinal materials.To maintain the credibility of SGI’s doctrinal studies, it is increasingly necessary to clarify bibliographical sources and secure philosophical consistency in future publications.

Professor Koichi Miyata, “The Structure and Issues of Udana Nichiko’s Honzon Ryakuben” (2017–2018, pp. 38–39)

“The passage ‘The doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life is found in only one place, hidden in the depths of the “Life Span” chapter of the essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra’ (WND I: 30) can be interpreted, from the overall context, to mean that the doctrine of the true “three thousand realms in a single moment of life” is hidden in the text of the “Life Span” chapter—that is, in the passage revealing enlightenment countless kalpas ago.” The Book on the Doctrinal Foundation of the SGI (Kyōgaku Yōkō, 2023, p. 70) “The great sage Nichiren states in The Opening of the Eyes, ‘The doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life is found in only one place, hidden in the depths of the “Life Span” chapter of the essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra’ (WND I: 30). He perceived that, at the very depths of the chapter The Life Span of the Thus Come One, which expounds enlightenment countless kalpas ago, the essential doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life in the Lotus Sutra is revealed.” Commentary The Book on the Doctrinal Foundation of the SGI makes no reference to Miyata’s paper. Yet both the book and Miyata’s interpretation share a distinctive view: that the passage describing “enlightenment countless kalpas ago” conceals the doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life. In the Book on the Doctrinal Foundation of the SGI, this interpretation is presented as if it were Nichiren’s own insight, raising serious concerns regarding the proper attribution of scholarly authority. In this respect, the book may be seen as raising a significant issue of academic integrity. Incidentally, the traditional SGI interpretation—found in the third President Daisaku Ikeda’s works such as The Lecture on the Orally Transmitted Teachings II (pp. 32–33)—is that this doctrine is concealed in the passage “Originally I practiced the bodhisattva way” (Burton Watson, The Lotus Sutra, p. 268) in the Life Span chapter. From this perspective, The Book on the Doctrinal Foundation represents a problematic departure from that established tradition.

In this respect, Suda, former Vice Leader of the SGI Study Department (2024, p. 53), criticizes this book, stating that “Although The Book on the Doctrinal Foundation was published immediately after Ikeda’s passing and claims to have been supervised by him, its content significantly deviates from Ikeda’s ideological framework during his lifetime. Thus, the assertion that the book was under Ikeda’s supervision can be seen as an attempt to misuse his name rather than a genuine reflection of his doctrinal stance.”

Furthermore, in his paper, Professor Miyata rejects the traditional interpretation that locates the doctrine in the passage “Originally I practiced the bodhisattva way” (Burton Watson, The Lotus Sutra, p. 268) and offers his own alternative view. The following section examines the possibility that this reinterpretation found its way into The Book on the Doctrinal Foundation of the SGI.

Reference

Ikeda, D. (1968) Gogikuden Kōgi [Lecture on the Oral Transmission of the Teachings, vol. 2]. Tokyo: Soka Gakkai.

Miyata, K. (2017–2018). The Structure and Issues of Udana Nichiko’s Honzon Ryakuben. Available at: http://hw001.spaaqs.ne.jp/miya33x/honzonryakuben.pdf [Accessed 24 October 2025].

Nakamura, M. (2025) Kyôgaku Yōkō to Moto Sōka Daigaku Kyōju no Ronbun no Hikaku Kensō [A Comparative Examination of the Book on the Doctrinal Foundation of SGI and Papers by Former Soka University Professors]. Available at: https://jikatsu.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/4f92b9e0e1e7f83a456ee2c6d262748b.pdf [Accessed 24 October 2025].

Soka Gakkai. (1999). The Writing of Nichiren Daishonin. Tokyo: Soka Gakkai.

Soka Gakkai (2023) Kyōgaku Yōkō [The Book on the Doctrinal Foundation of SGI]. Tokyo: Soka Gakkai. Available at: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4412017028 (Accessed: 24 October 2025).

SGI Study Department (2024). “The Teaching Outline” is the Culmination of the Soka Renaissance. Available at: https://www.seikyoonline.com/article/603E8EF7E9B96D20AF2920005F5C1C6B [Accessed 10 October 2025].

Suda, H. (2024). Letter to President Harada regarding the “Teaching Outline”, 12 September 2024. file_20240930-185744.pdf [Accessed 24 October 2025].

Suda, H. (2024). A Critique of the Book on Doctrinal Foundation of Soka Gakkai from the Perspective of Buddhist History: In Light of Nichiren Buddhism as the Global Religion Taught by SGI President Daisaku Ikeda. Available at: https://jikatsu.net/download/1st-english-edition-a-critique-of-the-book-on-doctrinal-foundation-of-soka-gakkai-from-the-perspective-of-buddhist-history/

Watson, B. (1993). The Lotus Sutra. New York: Columbia University Press.