Name: ___________________________ Division:_____

Section A: “Life of Nichiren Daishonin” and “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo”

Instruction: Encircle the letter with the correct answer.

1. On April 28, 1253, Nichiren Daishonin declared his teaching and chanted (a. Namu Amida
Butsu b. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo) for the first time and propagate it in the Latter Day of the
Law.

2. Choose the best explanation about Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

a.) Nam-myoho-renge-kyo exists in all human beings regardless of any differences.
b.) Nam-myoho-renge-kyo exists only in the life of selected individuals.

3. Choose the best answer for our attitude or mindset while chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
a.) We chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as if asking for the supernatural powers outside of
our lives.
b.) We should chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with the belief that this great Law actually
exists within our lives.

4. Nichiren Daishonin established his teaching because he had wanted all people to attain the
supreme life state of the Buddha regardless of any differences existing between us. His
purpose in life was fulfilled when (a. Komatsubara Persecution b. Atsuhara Persecution)
occurred in which ordinary farmers demonstrated the same commitment for kosen-rufu as
his own.

5. One of the most significant persecutions that the Daishonin had undergone was
(a. Tatsunokuchi Persecution b. Matsubagayatsu Persecution) because he was able to cast
off his transient being as an ordinary person, and reveal his true identity.

Section B: “The Ten Worlds”

Instructions: Write the letter with the correct answer on the blank before the number. For
statements number 6 to 8, select your answer in the Box A.
Box A
_____6. It strives to attain the same state of
A. World of Buddhas (Buddhahood)
enlightenment of the Buddha and also try to lead others to
B. World of Voice-hearers (Learning)
that same life condition through spreading the Buddha’s
teachings. C. World of Bodhisattvas
(Bodhisattva)
_____7. It is the life state of learning and attained a
partial awakening through hearing the Buddha’s teachings.

_____8. It is the enlightened or supremely noble state of life which the person has awakened to
the Mystic Law, the fundamental Law that pervades the entire universe.
Instructions: Write the letter with the correct answer on the blank before the number. For
statements number 9 to 15, select your answer in the Box B.

Page 1 of 6
_____9. It is the life state of heaven which is
regarded of joy experienced when we fulfill our
desires like new job, cars, and big houses through
effort.
_____10. It is the life state in which a person
obsessed with personal superiority or self-importance,
a tendency to always compare oneself with others
and want to be better than them.
Box B
D. World of Caused-Awakened Ones
(Realization)
E. World of Human Beings (Humanity)
F. World of Asuras (Anger)
G. World of Heavenly Beings (Heaven)
H. World of Animals (Animality)
I. World of Hell
J. World of Hungry Spirits (Hunger)

_____11. It is a life state attained by those who gain partial awakening through their own
observation and effort. It is also called the realm of self-awakened ones.

_____12. It is the life state of human beings that is calm, composed state in which people
maintain their characteristic human qualities.

_____13. It is a life state characterized by relentless craving and the suffering arising from
such craving going unsatisfied.

_____14. It is the lowest life state, a state in which one is imprisoned by suffering and
completely lacking in freedom.

_____15. It is a life state characterized by foolishness in the sense of being moved by impulse
rather than reason and being concerned only with immediate benefit and gratification. H

Section C: “Faith, Practice, and Study” and “Attaining Buddhahood in this Lifetime”
Instruction: Encircle the letter with the correct answer.

16. Our Buddhist practice has two practices which compared to the two wheels of a cart. What
are these practices that we must do to advance kosen-rufu?
a.) Practice for almsgiving and practice for meditation
b.) Practice for oneself and practice for others

17. “Faith” is the most basic element of our Buddhist practice. But what does it mean by
“having faith”?
a.) To be dependent upon the beneficial powers of Buddhist gods and goddesses
b.) To have a deep conviction in the Gohonzon as the sole object of devotion

18. Second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda taught that there are two kinds of happiness:
a.) False happiness and True happiness
b.) Relative happiness and Absolute happiness

Page 2 of 6
Section D: “Faith for Overcoming Obstacles”
Instruction: Encircle the letter with the correct answer.

19. Choose the correct combination of the “three obstacles” from the “Three Obstacles and
Four Devils.”
a.) Obstacle of earthly desires, obstacle of karma, and obstacle of retribution
b.) Obstacle of karma, obstacle of temptation, and obstacle of distraction

20. Among the “four devils,” the most formidable of all is the “hindrance of the devil king.”
Choose the correct explanation of this hindrance.
a.) It is a demon king who resides in the underground world and brings with him in the
afterlife all those who committed crimes.
b.) It is the innate human tendency called “fundamental ignorance or darkness” that
leads us not to believe in or trust our own potentials.

21. What are the three powerful enemies that hinder the votary of the Lotus Sutra and its
practitioners to achieve the goal of kosen-rufu?
a.) Greed, anger, and ignorance
b.) Arrogant lay people, arrogant priests, and arrogant false sages

Section E: “History of the Soka Gakkai / SGI”

Instruction: Encircle the letter with the correct answer.

22. Which of the following statement is correct?

a.) On May 3, 1951, Josei Toda became the third president of the Soka Gakkai.
b.) On May 3, 1960, Daisaku Ikeda became the third president of the Soka Gakkai.

23. Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and Josei Toda, the two educators established the Soka Kyoiku
Gakkai on which Mr. Makiguchi became the founding president. When was the
organization founded?
a.) July 3, 1945
b.) November 18, 1930

24. What is the meaning of “Soka Gakkai”?

a.) Value Creation Society
b.) Public School

25. On March 16, 1958, Toda Sensei entrusted the accomplishment of kosen-rufu with the
youth division. This day is commemorated every year by all SGI members as _____.
a. Day of the Youth
b. Kosen-rufu Day

Page 3 of 6
26. In 1963, President Ikeda began writing his first novel, which details President Toda’s
struggle to reconstruct the Soka Gakkai and foundation of kosen-rufu in Japan. Then, in
1993, President Ikeda wrote its sequel that chronicles his journey for the realization of
worldwide kosen-rufu.
What are the titles of these novels that we, SGI members, read and apply in our daily life?
a.) The Human Revolution and The New Human Revolution
b.) Pag-Asa Publication

27. Since 1983, President Ikeda submitted a lengthy composition or writings to the United
Nations annually, offering perspectives and detailed suggestions on global issues such as
nuclear abolition, human rights and environmental protection, and strengthening the
United Nations? What are these writings?
a.) Peace Proposals
b.) Writings of Nichiren Daishonin

28. When and where was Soka Gakkai International (SGI) founded?
a.) January 26, 1975, Guam
b.) November 30, 1930, Hawaii

Section F: “Soka Spirit”

Instruction: Encircle the letter with the correct answer.

29. On “On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land”, it states “Rather than
offering up ten thousand prayers for remedy, it would be better simply to outlaw this one
evil”? Who is “this one evil”?
a.) Hungry spirit
b.) Ryokan of the True Word School

30. The Nichiren Shoshu priesthood’s doctrine of the supremacy or infallibility of its high
priest, that the high priest must be followed despite any error, runs counter to the statement
of Nikko Shonin in his “Twenty Six Admonitions”: “Do not follow even the high priest if
he goes against _________ and propounds his own views.”
a.) The law of the land
b.) The Buddha’s Law

Section G: “Gosho”

Passage 1: "The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra"

“My disciples, form your ranks and follow me, and surpass even Mahakashyapa or Ananda,
(32) ! If you quail before the threats of the ruler of this little island country [and
abandon your faith], how will you face the even more terrible anger of Yama, the lord of hell?
If, while calling yourselves the (33) , you give way to fear, you will be the most
despicable of persons!” (WND-1, Vol. 1, 765)

Instructions: Encircle the letter with the correct answer.

Page 4 of 6
31. Choose the correct answer for the meaning of the underlined phrase.
a.) Blindly following whatever our mentor instructs us is the way of mentor and disciple.
b.) It’s important for us to have the same resolve for kosen-rufu as our mentor.

32. Choose the correct answer for the first box.

a.) Honen or Ryokan
b.) T’ient’ai or Dengyo

33. Choose the correct answer for the second box.

a.) Buddha’s messengers
b.) Emperor’s messengers

34. Of the above Gosho passage, the Daishonin urges his disciples to never “give way to fear”.
What does the Daishonin wants to convey to us as his disciples?
a.) We should never give way to cowardice and persevere in our faith.
b.) To feel fear and doubtful is normal in our Buddhist practice.

35. In the title of the Gosho passage, who is the votary of the Lotus Sutra? (*)
a.) Nichiren Daishonin
b.) Hojo Tokimune

Passage 2: "The Three Kinds of Treasures"

“Live so that all the people of Kamakura will say in your praise that Nakatsukasa Saburō
Saemon-no-jō is diligent in the service of his lord, in the service of Buddhism, and in his
concern for other people. More valuable than treasures in a storehouse are the treasures of the
body, and the treasures of the heart are the most valuable of all.”(WND-1, Vol. 1, 851)

Instructions: Encircle the letter with the correct answer.

36. Choose the correct answer for the meaning of the underlined sentence.
a.) Winning trust from others as a “good citizen” is indeed the actual proof of our
Buddhist practice.
b.) We should always be conscious of what others need and please other people.
Instructions: Write the letter with the correct answer on the blank after the phase.

In our daily life in this modern world, the three kinds of treasure could be interpreted:
37. “our relationship with people at our workplace a.) Treasures in a
or in our society” ____ storehouse
b.) Treasures of the
38. “the joy we experience in our kosen-rufu activity” ____ body
39. “the material wealth that we have” ____ c.) Treasures of the
heart
40. Who is the recipient of the Gosho passage above?
a.) Shijo Kingo
Page 5 of 6
 b.) Abutsubo
Section H: “True or False”
Instruction: Write "T" when the statement is true and write "F" if it is false on the blank before
the number.

_____41. The submission of "On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land"
to the retired regent was the first official remonstration of Nichiren Daishonin with the
government.

_____42. The Soka Gakkai has its origin in the mentor-disciple relationship that existed
between the organization’s first president, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, and its second president,
Josei Toda.

_____43. Presidents Makiguchi and Toda refused to accept the Shinto Talisman and resolutely
upheld Nichiren's spirit to protect the correct teaching of Buddhism despite the persecutions
they would be facing from the militarist government.

_____44. On September 8, 1957, President Makiguchi passionately and publicly condemned

all use of nuclear weapons, calling for their immediate abolition. This declaration became the
starting point of peace movements of Soka Gakkai.

_____45. Being jealous at the Soka Gakkai and President Ikeda, the Nichiren Shoshu
priesthood sent an order to excommunicate the Soka Gakkai in November 1991. This is one of
the five cardinal sins in Buddhism called "causing disunity in the Buddhist practitioners."

_____46. The correct practice of Nichiren Buddhism encompasses both practice for ourselves
and others, that is, to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with faith in the Gohonzon while also
teaching others about the benefit of faith in the Gohonzon.

_____47. In the Gosho, “The Three Kinds of Treasure”, the material wealth is the most
important among the treasures that we gain from practicing Nichiren Buddhism because they
are visible and convincing results of actual proof that other people should observe.

_____48. The equality of all people is fundamental tenet of the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren
Buddhism. However, the priests in Nikken Sect are more knowledgeable in Buddhist teachings
that is why they should be respected as superior than common people.

_____49. In the Gosho, “The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra”, mentions that the great
wish of the Buddha is to enable all living beings to attain Buddhahood and will come true only
through the struggles of the mentor and disciple.

_____50. President Ikeda constantly encourages the youth around the world to share the same
responsibility he has, to build an everlasting foundation for peace grounded in the most
humane Buddhist principles.

-Nothing Follows-

Page 6 of 6