Dear Mikael,

Mikael Aktor wrote:

> Talking about Buddhist stand on other religions, do any of
> you know if the Japanese concepts of shakubuku and shoju
> (proselytizing by confrontation and proselytizing by
> example) have a history going back to Sanskrit or Pali
> concepts? In other words, do these concepts only exist
> within Nichiren Buddhism, do they flow around in other
> Mahayaana schools or do they even go back to Theravaada
> concepts?

Soka Gakkai trace them to the Pali terms niggaha and
paggaha. I don't know if these are terms that Nichiren
himself had in mind or if it's just a modern attempt to
concoct some Indian Buddhist antecedents. Either is
possible; Nichiren does seem to have acquired a very
thorough knowledge of the Tripi.taka during his time as a
Tendai monk, and since niggaha and paggaha are fairly basic
Vinaya terms it's not unlikely he would have met with them
in the translations of non-Theravaadin Vinaya texts. On
the other hand, I tend to take with a pinch of salt anything
Soka Gakkai have to say about Indian Buddhism.

Either way, shakubuku and shoju don't really bear much
resemblance to niggaha and paggaha in their Vinaya sense. I
suppose shakubuku does bear some resemblance to niggaha as
it is used in the Mahaparinibbaana Sutta, where the Buddha
tells Maara that he will not pass away until he has
disciples who are capable of teaching the Dhamma after
thoroughly refuting any rival doctrines that are presented to
them:

na taavaaha.m, paapima, parinibbaayissaami, yaava
me bhikkhuu na saavakaa bhavissanti viyattaa
viniitaa visaaradaa bahussutaa dhammadharaa
dhammaanudhammappa.tipannaa saamiicippa.tipannaa
anudhammacaarino, saka.m aacariyaka.m uggahetvaa
aacikkhissanti desessanti pa~n~napessanti
pa.t.thapessanti vivarissanti vibhajissanti
uttaanii karissanti, uppanna.m parappavaada.m
sahadhammena suniggahita.m niggahetvaa
sappaa.tihaariya.m dhamma.m desessantii ti.
(DN. ii. 104-5)

Best wishes,

Dhammanando