This study series covers Soka Spirit topics to be presented by a youth or student division member at Soka 2030 meetings on the last Sunday of each month.
Today, many people put time and effort into trying to appear admirable or refined. In Buddhism, however, what matters most is what’s in our hearts and how we take action based on that—not how we might look to others.
At times, what seems pure or correct on the surface can actually lead people away from the heart of Buddhist practice.
The story of Devadatta clearly shows this point. It teaches that the key to correct practice is not outer formality but inner sincerity. In Nichiren Buddhism, substance is found in challenging our lives through faith, practice and study, while seeking the mentor’s heart and advancing kosen-rufu.
The Story of Devadatta
Devadatta was Shakyamuni Buddha’s younger cousin. He was intelligent and capable and at first practiced earnestly. But over time, he became consumed by jealousy and ambition.
In Shakyamuni’s later years, Devadatta tried to take control of the Buddhist Order. In front of other disciples, he proposed that Shakyamuni retire and allow him to lead, but Shakyamuni rejected the idea.
Devadatta’s gravest offense was his effort to sow division within the Buddhist community. Seeking to appear more rigorous than Shakyamuni, he advocated five strict monastic rules: living only in the forest, depending only on alms, wearing rag robes, sleeping under trees and abstaining from eating meat and fish. While these practices may have seemed noble, Shakyamuni rejected them, because Buddhism is not about displaying austerity, but enabling all people to reveal their Buddha nature and establish genuine happiness.
This is what made Devadatta dangerous. His actions looked principled. Yet, they were driven by the desire to separate people from the Buddha and disrupt the harmonious community of practitioners. Although some 500 disciples followed Devadatta, they later returned after hearing Shakyamuni’s trusted disciples clarify the correct teaching.
Never Neglect Our Inner Struggle
So how do we avoid being fooled by appearances or a desire to look a certain way? Nichiren Buddhism teaches that the real battle is within. We chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo not to seem spiritual or perfect, but to challenge fear, arrogance, doubt and laziness in our own hearts. Seeking a mentor in faith who guides us in practicing Buddhism correctly also helps us recognize and overcome our negative tendencies. In light of Devadatta’s story, Ikeda Sensei says:
Devadatta saw only that Shakyamuni was widely respected; he did not attempt to understand Shakyamuni’s heart. Shakyamuni, unbeknownst to others, must have agonized day and night over the question of how to lead people to happiness and make them aware of the treasure of their own lives. How he must have struggled to gain self-mastery! What continuous and painstaking efforts he must have made! But Devadatta did not try to understand Shakyamuni’s difficult ordeal.
Why couldn’t he see this? Most likely it’s because he had given up his own internal struggle. If we perceive our inner evil but neglect efforts to conquer it, then our lives are instantaneously stained with evil. In that sense, a good person is someone who struggles against evil. It is by fighting the evil around us that we eradicate evil within our lives and so purify them. That is the path of human revolution. (The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, vol. 3, p. 76)
As Buddhist practitioners today, seeking the mentor does not mean imitating outward behavior or acting overly formal. It means sharing the mentor’s same vow, compassion and determination to lead people to happiness.
In Nichiren Buddhism, we find substance through taking action: chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, studying Buddhism and encouraging others.
No matter how traditional or impressive something may seem, it cannot change our lives if it lacks compassion, faith and a vow for kosen-rufu. Soka Gakkai members have consistently applied Buddhism to our daily lives while helping the person in front of us create a life of fulfillment and joy.
When we focus on substance over formality, we can protect the correct teaching and build lives of genuine victory. The oneness of mentor and disciple is not about appearances but about inheriting the same spirit to strive for our own happiness and the happiness of others.
June 12, 2026 World Tribune, p. 10
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