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Many have asked me how was Tozan? Going on Tozan is a part of our
Nichiren Shoshu Buddhist practice, which is a 750-year-old tradition in
Nichiren Shoshu. Many Nichiren Shoshu writings give guidance regarding
going on Tozan. On August 14, 1998 an SGI member wrote me to ask me not
to go on Tozan because Nichiren Shoshu decided to tear the building named
"Sho Hondo" down. I will copy what I wrote to the SGI member in 1998;
Twenty-six high Priest Nichikan Shonin instructs "that if a person
has faith, they are to go on Tozan and directly worship the Dai-
Gohonzon". The Lotus Sutra reads "With Love in their hearts for
him, they yearn to see the Buddha." In the Gosho " Letter to the
Mother of Otsu Gozen Gosho the Daishons says " One's
determination is shown by how far one travels. Gozen's mother
Lady Nichimyo traveled from Kamakura to Sado to visit the
Daishonin. The spirit to go on Tozan is the spirit of Nichiren
Shoshu and is a 750 year tradition."

In Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism the spirit to visit the temple or go on Tozan is
our Buddhist practice. This practice is not about prestige or trying to impress
the Priest by showing up at the head Temple but making a pilgrimage to the
Head Temple is an expression of our Buddhist Faith.

Prior to going to Tozan I had many mixed emotions about how I would feel
about going to Tozan. My last Tozan was August of 1998 in February of 1998 I
traveled to Ghana for their Temple opening and a few months I was back in
Ghana for their first year anniversary celebration. A few months later I
sponsored my Wife and my then six month old son to come to Tozan and my
son received Gojakai or the Buddhist acceptance ceremony at the our Head
Temple. My wife at that time had prayed for our son to become a Nichiren
Shoshu Priest. The issue of our son becoming a Nichiren Shoshu Priest is a
dissertation just by itself. My former Nichiren Shoshu Priest insulted my wife
and myself thinking that we were out to gain prestige by us having a non
Japanese Priest. Before the Nichiren Shoshu temple was built in Ghana and
while my wife was pregnant our former Priest indicated that our son could be
the first African or African/American Priest at the Ghana Temple.

The Ghana temple opened in 1998 and my son was born in 1998 given 15 years
to start training we then imagined that our son would enter the Nichiren Shoshu
Priesthood about the year 2013 or 2015. In light of the present circumstances
in Nichiren Shoshu I no longer desire for my son to be a Nichiren Shoshu
Priest.

Although I respect Nichiren Shoshu I would want my son to be an
African/American Nichiren Shoshu Priest and not a Japanese Nichiren Shoshu
Priest. Many may ask how could an African/American become a Japanese? It
is very simple one could be an African/American on the outside but a Japanese
on the inside.