Page 18

When I got off of the plane everything was still smooth sailing. The Japanese
people are so orderly and courteous. Also the Japanese have systems in
place that make things work very, very efficiently. I along sailed through
Japanese Immigration, I got my bags and took a few steps and took a luxury
shuttle bus to the ANA hotel that my Nichiren Shoshu Priest had scheduled
for us to reside on Thursday August 16, 2001. Japan to an outsider is almost
storybook everything is so clean and efficient and Japanese are very, very
courteous.

Japanese are not like the brothers and they have a totally different rhythm
than that of Black people or White people. While the brothers will give you
some skin and grin", a Japanese will look at you like you are fool if you stick
your hand out trying to get a Japanese to give you a five hand slap. The
Japanese will give you a bow looking at never closing their eyes or taking
their eyes off you; as if they are saying "Brother I am checking you out.

If you ever arrange to go to a Nichiren Shoshu Tozan expect everything to be
arranged and organized to the finest detail. Nichiren Shoshu offers the best
arrangements that a Japanese system can offer. It is simply amazing how the
Nichiren Shoshu head temple can accommodate thousands of believers
worldwide not only to visit the temple but to accommodate members to sleep
at the temple. When one goes on Tozan to the Nichiren Shoshu Temple you
really, really become a part of and engrossed into the spirit of Nichiren
Shoshu. The Nichiren Shoshu Temple grounds are a living monument to spirit
of the "True Buddha" Nichiren Daishonin. It is simply incredible how
Nichiren Shoshu have maintained the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin for 750
years. The Nichiren Shoshu Head Temple Taisekiji is a living museum and
the simple cause of being on the temple grounds invokes a sense of
spirituality. Many of the things that you read about in the Gosho you can
meet. One example is visiting the home of Nanjo Tokimitsu or visiting the
shrine of the Ausuhara persecution. While walking on the temple ground Alan
Billups took me to a rock that it is said that Nikko Shonin use to o preach at.

On this website I have many, many letters that I had written to my SGI
friends informing them just how wonderful it was to go on Tozan at the
Nichiren Shoshu Temple. In 1996 after attending my first Tozan I realized
that the SGI Buddhist organization purposely kelp members at a distance
from Nichiren Shoshu. Also the SGI purposely made it difficult for members
to attend Tozan. If you compare the price of going to Tozan now and the price
of going with the SGI you would know that the SGI costs were double the cost
of attending Tozan today.

In short Nichiren Shoshu members are fortunate to have the type of support
system that allows them to come to the head temple. If not for the system I
personally would find it difficult to come to Tozan. During my stay at the
Nichiren Shoshu temple my heart welled up with respect and gratitude for
effort and dedication of the Nichiren Shoshu for maintaining such profound
teachings for posterity. Because of the wonderful Nichiren Shoshu system we
have the opportunity to leave the mundane world and isolate ourselves at the
serene temple environment that is simply breath taking.