Nichiren Buddhism (Nichiren-kei sho shuha) 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 Buddhism and an
evangelical streak as evinced by some schools' practice of
shakubuku, 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 practioners' lives will eventually
bring about a peaceful, just, and prosperous society.
Contents
1 The founder, Nichiren
2 Schools
2.1 Major Nichiren Buddhist schools
2.1.1 Traditional schools and their head temples
2.1.2 Non-traditional ("new religions")
2.1.3 Lay organizations
3 Doctrine and practices
4 Nichiren's writings
1 The founder, Nichiren
From the age of 16 until 32, Nichiren studied in numerous temples
in Japan, especially Mt. Hiei (Enryakuji) and Mt. Koya, in his day
the Japanese centers of Buddhist study, in the Kyoto-Nara area. He
eventually concluded that the highest teachings of Sakyamuni Buddha
(563?-483?BC) were to be found in the Lotus Sutra. The mantra he
expounded on 28 April 1253, Namu-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, 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 Shingon, Nembutsu, and Zen)
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.
2 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 (rokuroso) whom he wanted to transmit his
teachings to future generations: Nissho, Nichiro, Niko, Nitcho,
Nichiji, and Nikko. Each started a lineage of schools, but Nichiji
eventually travelled to the Asian continent (ca. 1295) and was
never heard from again, and Nitcho later in life (1302) rejoined
and became a follower of Nikko.
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-Nikko-made a clean break by leaving Kuon-ji in
1289. He had come to the conclusion that Niko and the others were
embarking on paths to heresy that he could not stem.
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 Nissho, Nichiro, 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 Nikko
founded in 1290 after leaving Kuon-ji, was the starting point for
the other schools of the Komon-ha (ko from Nikko) or Fuji-ha (from
the locality) branch.
Other traditional Nichiren schools include several sub-schools that
call themselves just Hokke Shu, the Honmon Butsuryu Shu, and the
Kempon Hokke Shu. Several of Japan's new religions are also
sub-sects of or otherwise based on one or another of the
traditional Nichiren schools. The Reiyukai, Rissho Kosei Kai, and
Nipponzan Myohoji Sangha stem from one or another of the
Kuon-ji/Minobu branch schools, whereas Soka Gakkai, Shoshinkai, and
Kenshokai are breakaways from the Nichiren Shoshu school.
2.1 Major Nichiren Buddhist schools
2.1.1 Traditional schools and their head temples
Head temple names are given in roman letters only when the reading
could be confirmed.
Nichiren Shu: Sozan Minobuzan Kuon-ji
Nichiren Shoshu: Sohonzan Taiseki-ji
Honmon Butsuryu Shu
Kempon Hokke Shu: Sohonzan Myoman-ji
Hokkeshu, Honmon Ryu
Hokkeshu, Jinmon Ryu
Hokkeshu, Shinmon Ryu
Honmon Hokke Shu: Daihonzan Myoren-ji
Nichiren Honshu: Honzan Yobo-ji
Nichiren Shu Fuju-Fuse-ha: Sozan Myokaku-ji
Nichiren Hokke Shu
Hokke Nichiren Shu
Hompa Nichiren Shu
Honke Nichiren Shu (Hyogo)
Fuju-Fuse Nichiren Komon Shu
Honke Nichiren Shu (Kyoto)
Shobo Hokke Shu
Honmon Kyoo Shu
Nichiren Komon Shu
2.1.2 Non-traditional ("new religions")
Reiyukai
Rissho Kosei Kai
Nipponzan Myohoji
Kokuchukai
Shoshinkai
Fuji Taisekiji Kenshokai (also, just Kenshokai)
Honmon Shoshu
2.1.3 Lay organizations
Soka Gakkai
Soka Gakkai International (SGI)
Though most sources (e.g., Britannica online; Illustrated, p. 1443;
Cambridge, p. 175; Iwanami, p. 679) characterize Soka Gakkai as one
of Japan's new religions or as a lay organization of Nichiren
Shoshu, it is no longer affiliated with the latter. SGI and its
constituent organizations position themselves as lay organizations
whose purpose is to support practitioners of Nichiren
Buddhism.
3 Doctrine and practices
Much of Nichiren Buddhist doctrine is, at least on the surface, a
further development or adaptation of Tendai (Chinese: Tiantai,
Tien-tai) thought, especially as passed down from Saicho (also
known as Dengyo; 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 sokushin jobutsu).
Markedly different from Tendai and any other Buddhist lineage is
the Nichiren Buddhists' practice of chanting daimoku, the repeated
recitation of the mantra (phrase) Namu-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, in some
denominations also pronounced Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo. 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 gongyo 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 Nikko 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.
To understand these differences, readers are urged to look for
information on the particular school or schools in which they have
an interest.
4 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
(Mappo); 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.
[Source : Nichiren Buddhism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nichiren_Buddhism]
