Nichiren Buddhism (日蓮系諸宗派: Nichiren-kei sho shūha) is a branch of Buddhism based on the teachings of the 13th century Japanese monk Nichiren (1222–1282). Nichiren Buddhism is a comprehensive term covering several major schools and many sub-schools, as well as several of Japan's new religions. Various forms of Nichiren Buddhism have had great influence among certain sections of Japanese society at different times in the country's history, such as among the merchants of Kyoto in Japan's middle ages and among some ultranationalists during the pre-World War II era. Nichiren Buddhism is generally noted for its focus on the Lotus Sutra and an attendant belief that all people have an innate Buddha nature and are therefore inherently capable of attaining enlightenment in their current form and present lifetime. It is also noted for positioning itself in opposition to other forms of Japanese Buddhism—in particular the Zen, Pure Land, esoteric Shingon, and Ritsu schools, which Nichiren saw as deviating from the orthodoxy of Mahayana Buddhism. An evangelical streak is evinced by some schools' practice of chakubuku, efforts to convert others by refuting their current beliefs and convincing them of the validity of Nichiren's teachings. Nichiren Buddhists believe that the spread of Nichiren's teachings and their effect on practitioners' lives will eventually bring about a peaceful, just, and prosperous society. The Avataṃsaka SÅ«tra (Chinese 華嚴經; pinyin hua yan jing) is one of the most influential scriptures in East Asian Buddhism. ... The Lotus Sutra or Sutra on the White Lotus of the Sublime Dharma (Sanskrit: Saddharma PuṇḍarÄ«ka SÅ«tra; 妙法蓮華經 Chinese: MiàofÇŽ Liánhuā JÄ«ng; Japanese: Myōhō Renge Kyō; Korean: Myobeomnyeonhwagyeong) is one of the most popular and influential Mahāyāna sutras in East Asia and... Perfection of Wisdom is a translation of the Sanskrit term prajñā pāramitā (Hanzi. ... The Heart of Perfect Wisdom Sutra or Heart Sutra or Essence of Wisdom Sutra (Sanskrit: प्रज्ञापारमिताहृदयसूत्र Prajñāpāramitā Hridaya SÅ«tra; Chinese: 般若波羅蜜多心經, BōrÄ›bōluómìduō XÄ«njÄ«ng; Japanese: 般若心経, Hannya Shingyō; Korean: Pannya Shimgyŏng) is a well-known Mahāyāna Buddhist sutra that is very... The Infinite Life Sutra, or Larger Pure Land Sutra, is a Mahayana Buddhist text associated with Pure Land Buddhism. ... This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ... (12th century - 13th century - 14th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 to 1300. ... St. ... Nichiren (日蓮) (February 16, 1222 – October 13, 1282), born Zennichimaro (善日麿), later Zeshō-bō Renchō (是生房蓮長), and finally Nichiren (日蓮), was a Buddhist monk of 13th century Japan. ... Centuries: 12th century - 13th century - 14th century Decades: 1170s 1180s 1190s 1200s 1210s - 1220s - 1230s 1240s 1250s 1260s 1270s Years: 1217 1218 1219 1220 1221 1222 1223 1224 1225 1226 1227 See also: 1222 state leaders Events Foundation of the University of Padua Completion of the Cistercian convent in Alcobaca... For broader historical context, see 1280s and 13th century. ... ShinshÅ«kyō ) is a term used in Japan to describe new religious movements. ... Kyoto )   is a city in the central part of the island of HonshÅ«, Japan. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The Lotus Sutra or Sutra on the White Lotus of the Sublime Dharma (Sanskrit: Saddharma PuṇḍarÄ«ka SÅ«tra; 妙法蓮華經 Chinese: MiàofÇŽ Liánhuā JÄ«ng; Japanese: Myōhō Renge Kyō; Korean: Myobeomnyeonhwagyeong) is one of the most popular and influential Mahāyāna sutras in East Asia and... Buddha-nature (originally in Sanskrit, Buddha-dhatu - Buddha Element, Buddha-Principle) is a doctrine important for many schools of Mahayana Buddhism. ... ( Sanskrit: ; Pali: निब्बान Nibbāna; Vietnamese: Niết bàn; Chinese: 涅槃; Mandarin Pinyin: nièpán, Cantonese: nihppùhn; Japanese: nehan ); Korean: ì—´ë°˜, yeolbhan; Thai: nibpan นิพพาน), is a Sanskrit word that literally means to cease blowing (as when a candle flame ceases to flicker) and/or extinguishing (that is, of the passions). ... Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism notable for its emphasis on practice and experiential wisdom—particularly as realized in the form of meditation known as zazen—in the attainment of awakening. ... The Buddha Amitabha, 13th century, Kamakura, Japan. ... A mandala used in Vajrayana Buddhist practices. ... Shingon (真言宗) is a major school of Japanese Buddhism, and the most important school of Vajrayana Buddhism outside of the Himalayan region. ... The Buddha in Kamakura (1252). ... Look up Evangelical in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The term streak is used in several ways: Streaking, the act of running around nude in public places. ... Proselytism is the practice of attempting to convert people to another opinion, usually another religion. ...

The founder, Nichiren

From the age of 16 until 32, Nichiren studied in numerous temples in Japan, especially Mt. Hiei (Enryakuji) and Mt. Kōya, in his day the Japanese centers of Buddhist study, in the Kyoto–Nara area. He eventually concluded that the highest teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha (563?-483?BC) were to be found in the Lotus Sutra. The mantra he expounded on 28 April 1253, Nam-Myōhō-Renge-Kyō, expresses his devotion to that body of teachings. During his lifetime Nichiren stridently believed that the contemporary teachings of Buddhism taught by other sects (particularly Nembutsu, Zen, Shingon, and Ritsu^[1]) were mistaken in their interpretations of the correct path to enlightenment and therefore refuted them publicly and vociferously. In doing so, he provoked the ire of the country's rulers as well as the priests of the sects he criticized and was subjected to persecution, including an attempted beheading and at least two exiles. Some Nichiren schools see the attempted beheading incident as marking a turning point in Nichiren's teaching, since he began to inscribe Gohonzon and wrote a number of major doctrinal treatises during his subsequent three-year exile on Sado Island in the Japan Sea. After a pardon and his return from exile, Nichiren moved to Mt. Minobu in today's Yamanashi Prefecture, where he and his disciples built a temple, Kuonji. Nichiren spent most of the rest of his life here training disciples and looking after lay believers. Mount Hiei (Jp. ... Enryakuji (延暦寺), a monastery on Mount Hiei (比叡山) overlooking Kyoto, was founded during the late eighth and early ninth centuries by Saicho (最澄: 767-822 AD), also known as Dengyo Daishi (傳教大師), who introduced the Tendai (天台; Chinese tian1 tai2) sect... Konpon Daito, the central point of Mt. ... Kyoto )   is a city in the central part of the island of HonshÅ«, Japan. ... Nara ) is the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. ... Standing Buddha sculpture, ancient region of Gandhara, northern Pakistan, 1st century CE, Musée Guimet. ... The Lotus Sutra or Sutra on the White Lotus of the Sublime Dharma (Sanskrit: Saddharma PuṇḍarÄ«ka SÅ«tra; 妙法蓮華經 Chinese: MiàofÇŽ Liánhuā JÄ«ng; Japanese: Myōhō Renge Kyō; Korean: Myobeomnyeonhwagyeong) is one of the most popular and influential Mahāyāna sutras in East Asia and... In Tibet, many Buddhists carve mantras into rocks as a form of devotion. ... April 28 is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For broader historical context, see 1250s and 13th century. ... Nam Myōhō Renge Kyō (南無妙法蓮華経, also transliterated Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō) is a mantra, which is recited as part of the practice of Nichiren Buddhism. ... Nianfo (念佛. Chinese pinyin nian fo; Japanese: nembutsu; Korean: yeombul), literally mindfulness of the Buddha. ... Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism notable for its emphasis on practice and experiential wisdom—particularly as realized in the form of meditation known as zazen—in the attainment of awakening. ... Shingon (真言宗) is a major school of Japanese Buddhism, and the most important school of Vajrayana Buddhism outside of the Himalayan region. ... The Buddha in Kamakura (1252). ... Gohonzon (ご本尊 or 御本尊) refers to the object of devotion in many forms of Japanese Buddhism. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Sado, Niigata. ... Minobu (身延町; -chou) is a town located in Minamikoma District, Yamanashi, Japan. ... Yamanashi (山梨市 Yamanashishi) is a city located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. ...

Schools

Today, Nichiren Buddhism is not a single denomination (see following lists). It began to branch into different schools within several years of Nichiren's passing, before which Nichiren had named six senior priests (rokurōsō) whom he wanted to transmit his teachings to future generations: Nisshō (日昭), Nichirō (日朗), Nikō (日向), Nitchō (日頂), Nichiji (日持), and Nikkō (日興). Each started a lineage of schools, but Nichiji eventually travelled to the Asian continent (ca. 1295) and was never heard from again, and Nitchō later in life (1302) rejoined and became a follower of Nikkō.^[2] Nikkō (日興) (1246-1333), also known as Nikkō Shōnin, is the founder of a major branch of Nichiren Buddhism that includes the present-day Nichiren Shoshu school of Japanese Buddhism. ... Events Mongol leader Ghazan Khan is converted to Islam, ending a line of Tantric Buddhist leaders. ... Events July 11 - Battle of the Golden Spurs (Guldensporenslag in Dutch), major victory of Flanders over the French occupier. ...

The reasons for the splits are numerous, entangled, and subject to different interpretations depending on which school is telling the story; suffice it to say that the senior priests had different understandings of what Nichiren's lifetime of teaching was about. Although the former five remained loosely affiliated to varying degrees, the last—Nikkō—made a clean break by leaving Kuon-ji in 1289. He had come to the conclusion that Nikō and the others were embarking on paths to heresy that he could not stem. For broader historical context, see 1280s and 13th century. ...

Kuon-ji eventually became the central temple of today's Nichiren Shu, one of the two largest branches and the one encompassing the numerous minor schools of the Minobu branch into which most of the schools started by Nisshō, Nichirō, and Nichiji have been subsumed. The other dominant branch is centered at Taiseki-ji, the head temple of today's Nichiren Shoshu school. Taiseki-ji, which Nikkō founded in 1290 after leaving Kuon-ji, was the starting point for the other schools of the Kōmon-ha (興門派, kō from Nikkō) or Fuji-ha (富士派, from the locality) branch. Nichiren Shu (日蓮宗, lit. ... Taisekiji tatchÅ« in early April Taiseki-ji (大石寺; full name, 多宝富士大日蓮華山大石寺: Tahō Fuji Dainichirenge-zan Taiseki-ji) is the head temple (総本山: sōhonzan) of the Nichiren Shoshu school of the Nichiren branch of Japanese Buddhism. ... Nichiren ShōshÅ« (日蓮正宗) is a branch of Nichiren Buddhism based on the teachings of the 13th century Japanese monk Nichiren (1222–1282). ...

Other traditional Nichiren schools include several sub-schools that call themselves just Hokke Shū, the Honmon Butsuryū Shū, and the Kempon Hokke Shū. Several of Japan's new religions are also sub-sects of or otherwise based on one or another of the traditional Nichiren schools. The Reiyūkai, Risshō Kōsei Kai, and Nipponzan Myōhōji Sangha stem from one or another of the Kuon-ji/Minobu branch schools, whereas Shōshinkai, and Kenshōkai are breakaways from the Nichiren Shoshu school (Soka Gakkai, has mistakenly been taken as such, wich is untrue, since both organizations were never actually jointed.) ShinshÅ«kyō ) are new religious movements in Japan. ... Soka Gakkai International or SGI is the umbrella organization for affiliate lay organizations in over 190 countries practicing a form of the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin. ...

Major Nichiren Buddhist schools

The following lists are from the Japanese Wikipedia article on Nichiren Buddhism.

Traditional schools and their head temples

Head temple names are given in Roman letters only when the reading could be confirmed. Japanese characters preceded by "ja:" link to articles in the Japanese Wikipedia.

• Nichiren Shōshū: Sōhonzan Taiseki-ji ja:日蓮正宗 総本山ja:大石寺
• Nichiren Shū: Sozan Minobuzan Kuon-ji ja:日蓮宗 祖山身延山ja:久遠寺
• Honmon Butsuryū Shū ja:本門佛立宗 大本山宥清寺
• Kempon Hokke Shu: Sōhonzan Myōman-ji ja:顕本法華宗 総本山妙満寺
• Hokkeshū, Honmon Ryū 法華宗（本門流）大本山光長寺・鷲山寺・本興寺･本能寺
• Hokkeshū, Jinmon Ryū 法華宗（陣門流）総本山本成寺
• Hokkeshū, Shinmon Ryū 法華宗（真門流）総本山本隆寺
• Honmon Hokke Shū: Daihonzan Myōren-ji 本門法華宗 大本山妙蓮寺
• Nichiren Honshū: Honzan Yōbō-ji ja:日蓮本宗 本山ja:要法寺
• Nichiren Shū Fuju-Fuse-ha: Sozan Myōkaku-ji ja:日蓮宗不受不施派 祖山妙覚寺
• Nichiren Hokke Shū 日蓮法華宗 大本山正福寺
• Hokke Nichiren Shū 法華日蓮宗 総本山宝龍寺
• Hompa Nichiren Shū 本派日蓮宗 総本山宗祖寺
• Honke Nichiren Shū (Hyōgo) 本化日蓮宗（兵庫） 総本山妙見寺
• Fuju-Fuse Nichiren Kōmon Shū 不受不施日蓮講門宗 本山本覚寺
• Honke Nichiren Shū (Kyōto) 本化日蓮宗（京都）本山石塔寺
• Shōbō Hokke Shū 正法法華宗 本山大教寺
• Honmon Kyōō Shū 本門経王宗 本山日宏寺
• Nichiren Kōmon Shū 日蓮講門宗

Nichiren ShōshÅ« (日蓮正宗) is a branch of Nichiren Buddhism based on the teachings of the 13th century Japanese monk Nichiren (1222–1282). ... Taisekiji tatchÅ« in early April Taiseki-ji (大石寺; full name, 多宝富士大日蓮華山大石寺: Tahō Fuji Dainichirenge-zan Taiseki-ji) is the head temple (総本山: sōhonzan) of the Nichiren Shoshu school of the Nichiren branch of Japanese Buddhism. ... Nichiren Shu (日蓮宗, lit. ...

Non-traditional schools

• Reiyūkai ja:霊友会
• Risshō Kōsei Kai ja:立正佼成会
• Nipponzan Myōhōji ja:日本山妙法寺
• Kokuchukai|Kokuchūkai ja:国柱会 (also 國柱会)
• Shōshinkai ja:正信会
• Fuji Taisekiji Kenshōkai (also, just Kenshōkai) ja:富士大石寺顕正会
• Honmon Shoshu|Honmon Shōshū 本門正宗

Rissho Kosei Kai is a Japanese Buddhist movement of lay people. ... . Nipponzan Myōhōji is a neo-religious movement to emerge fron the Nichiren sect of Japanese Buddism (founded 1947) The community reveres the Lotus-Sūtra (jap. ... ...

Lay organizations

• Sōka Gakkai ja:創価学会 (also, Soka Gakkai International (SGI))
  Note: Though many sources (e.g., Britannica online; Illustrated, p. 1443; Cambridge, p. 175; Iwanami, p. 679) characterize Sōka Gakkai as one of Japan’s new religions or as a lay-followers organization of Nichiren Shoshu (to which it has not been affiliated since the early 1990s). Sōka Gakkai and its constituent organizations position themselves as lay organizations whose purpose is to support practitioners of Nichiren Buddhism.

Soka Gakkai International or SGI is the umbrella organization for affiliate lay organizations in over 190 countries practicing a form of the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin. ... Soka Gakkai International (International Value-Creation Society; also, SGI) is the international umbrella organization for Soka Gakkai-affiliated lay organizations in over 190 countries. ... Shinshūkyō ) are new religious movements in Japan. ...

Doctrine and practices

Much of Nichiren Buddhist doctrine is, at least on the surface, a further development or adaptation of Tendai (Chinese: Tiantai) thought, especially as passed down from Saichō (also known as Dengyō; 767–822). For example, as in Tendai but in contrast to many other Buddhist schools, most Nichiren Buddhists believe that personal enlightenment can be achieved in this world within the practitioner's current lifetime (即身成仏: sokushin jōbutsu). Markedly different from Tendai and any other Buddhist lineage is the Nichiren Buddhists' practice of chanting daimoku, the repeated recitation of the mantra (phrase) Nam-Myōhō-Renge-Kyō, in some denominations also pronounced Namu-Myōhō-Renge-Kyō. Most Nichiren schools also recite the Lotus Sutra (in Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese text) to varying degrees in their respective versions of the often daily or twice-daily gongyō service. Other details of Nichiren Buddhist practice can differ widely depending on the school. Some recite the whole Lotus Sutra, while others recite only certain chapters, parts of chapters, or verses. Some worship Buddhist statues or images and the Gohonzon, a mandala Nichiren provided for his followers during his lifetime; others worship only statues or images of various types; whereas yet others venerate only a particular Gohonzon and transcriptions of it. Some schools (chiefly those stemming from Kuon-ji) keep Shinto shrines in their temple compounds and permit or encourage worship of indigenous Japanese deities, while those stemming from Taiseki-ji tend to be very strict about their prohibition against worship of anything other than the Gohonzon or even the mixing of doctrines from other schools. Some schools are virulently nationalistic; others are not and are further strictly pacifist. Further, Nichiren Shoshu and other schools stemming from the priest Nikkō consider Nichiren to be the True (or Original) Buddha, whereas Nichiren Shu and the others descendant from the other six senior priests see him as a saint, great teacher, or prophet. Tendai (Japanese: 天台宗, Tendai-shÅ«) is a Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism, a descendant of the Chinese Tiantai or Lotus Sutra school. ... Tiantai (天台宗, Wade-Giles: Tien Tai) is one of the thirteen schools of Buddhism in China and Japan, also called the Lotus Sutra School because of its emphasis on the supremacy of that scripture. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Gongyō (勤行) literally means assiduous practice. ... Gohonzon (ご本尊 or 御本尊) refers to the object of devotion in many forms of Japanese Buddhism. ... Buddhist mandala Mandala (Sanskrit circle, completion) is a term used to refer to various objects. ... Shinto ) is the native religion of Japan and was once its state religion. ... Nikkō (日興) (1246-1333), also known as Nikkō Shōnin, is the founder of a major branch of Nichiren Buddhism that includes the present-day Nichiren Shoshu school of Japanese Buddhism. ...

To understand these differences, readers are urged to look for information on the particular school or schools in which they have an interest.

Nichiren's writings

Nichiren was a prolific writer. His personal communications and writings to his followers as well as numerous treatises detail his view of the correct form of practice for the Latter Day of the Law (Mappō); lay out his views on other Buddhist schools, particularly those of influence during his lifetime; and elucidate his interpretations of Buddhist teachings that preceded his. These writings are collectively known as Gosho (go is an honorific prefix designating respect; sho means writings) in some schools and go-ibun ("left-behind writings") in others. Over 700 of them, some complete and some only in fragments, have been passed down through the centuries in compilations, as copies, and even many in the original. Some are also available in English translation, most notably in Letters of Nichiren and Selected Writings of Nichiren in the Translations from the Asian Classics series from Columbia University Press; more-sectarian translations of some of his writings are also available. Several Buddhist terms and concepts lack direct translations into English that cover the breadth of the original term. ...

See also: Tendai and Tiantai Tendai (Japanese: 天台宗, Tendai-shū) is a Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism, a descendant of the Chinese Tiantai or Lotus Sutra school. ... Tiantai (天台宗, Wade-Giles: Tien Tai) is one of the thirteen schools of Buddhism in China and Japan, also called the Lotus Sutra School because of its emphasis on the supremacy of that scripture. ...

Sources and references

English

• A Dictionary of Buddhist Terms and Concepts. Nichiren Shoshu International Center, 1983
• Selected Writings of Nichiren. Burton Watson et al., trans.; Philip B. Yampolsky, ed. Columbia University Press, 1990
• Letters of Nichiren. Burton Watson et al., trans.; Philip B. Yampolsky, ed. Columbia University Press, 1996
  Full disclosure statement: Although Soka Gakkai retains the copyrights on the foregoing three works and financed their publication, they show some deviation from similar works published under Soka Gakkai's own name.
• The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Japan. Paul Bowring and Peter Kornicki, eds. Cambridge University Press, 1993. ISBN 0-521-40352-9 (Referred to in text as Cambridge.)
• Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. Kondansha, 1993, ISBN 4-06-205938-X; CD-ROM version, 1999. (Referred to in text as Illustrated.)
• The Doctrines and Practice of Nichiren Shoshu. Nichiren Shoshu Overseas Bureau, 2002
• The Soka Gakkai Dictionary of Buddhism. Soka Gakkai, 2002, ISBN 4-412-01205-0

Japanese

• Nichiren Shōshū yōgi (日蓮正宗要義; "The essential tenets of Nichiren Shoshu"). Taiseki-ji, 1978, rev. ed. 1999
• Shimpan Bukkyō Tetsugaku Daijiten (新版 仏教哲学大辞典: "Grand dictionary of Buddhist philosophy, rev. ed."). Seikyo Shimbunsha, 1985. No ISBN.
• Nichiren Shōshū-shi no kisoteki kenkyū (日蓮正宗史の基礎的研究; "A study of fundaments of Nichiren Shoshu history"). (Rev.) Yamaguchi Handō. Sankibo Bussho-rin, 1993. ISBN 4-7963-0763-X
• Iwanami Nihonshi Jiten (岩波 日本史辞典: "Iwanami dictionary of Japanese history"). Iwanami Shoten, 1999. ISBN 4-00-080093-0 (Referred to in text as Iwanami.)
• Nichiren Shōshū Nyūmon (日蓮正宗入門; "Introduction to Nichiren Shoshu"). Taiseki-ji, 2002
• Kyōgaku Yōgo Kaisetsu Shū (教学解説用語集; "Glossary of Nichiren Shoshu Buddhist terms"). Rev. Kyōdō Enoki, comp. Watō Henshūshitsu, 2006.

Footnotes

1. ^ cf. "four dictums" (四箇の格言 shika no kakugen) entries in The Soka Gakkai Dictionary of Buddhism, p. 215, and Kyōgaku Yōgo Kaisetsu Shū, p. 54
2. ^ Shimpan Bukkyō Tetsugaku Daijiten, p. 1368

External links

• Kempon Hokke Shu U.S. site
• Nichiren Shoshu's English website
• Nichiren Shu official website
• Soka Gakkai International
• Self-proclaimed Hokkekyo-shu discussion board
• Digitized copy of a Gohonzon inscribed by Nichiren
• Another Nichiren Buddhist discussion board
• E-Sangha Nichiren Buddhism Forum
• ReligionFacts.com on Nichiren Buddhism Contains some inaccuracies; e.g., the photo of an altar is not of a Nichiren Shoshu one.