The Nichiren Shoshu document criticised me for saying things I never said and was an attempt to brand me with the labels of slanderer of the Law and slanderer of the high priest.

A few months later, in mid-December 1990, that a document from the Nichiren Shoshu Administrative Office titled “Questions Regarding the Speech of Honorary President Ikeda at the 35th Headquarters Leaders Meeting” was delivered to the Soka Gakkai Headquarters.

Among other things, the document claimed that singing “Ode to Joy,” the Ninth Symphony’s choral section, was slander of the Law; it was tantamount to praising non-Buddhist teachings, to venerating Christianity. The priesthood took exception to the fact that I had suggested at the meeting in question that we put on a large scale choral performance of “Ode to Joy” in the future.

The Nichiren Shoshu document criticised me for saying things I never said and was an attempt to brand me with the labels of slanderer of the Law and slanderer of the high priest. We sought to discuss these claims with the priesthood, but the cowardly priests hid and refused to come forth to talk. Then, at the end of 1990, under the pretext of revising Nichiren Shoshu’s regulations, they eliminated the position of head of all Nichiren Shoshu lay organisations, the post I held, and effectively dismissed me.