Misplaced Pages

#165834

24-628: The interpretations of each item are different by each school of Nichiren's teachings, such as Nichiren Shu sects, Nichiren Shoshu sects, Soka Gakkai branches. ・ Shakyamuni Buddha is none other than the embodiment of the Eternal Buddha: (The table is summarized from the texts by each sect) ・ The collections of Nichiren's writings by each sect ・Nichikan (1725). Rokkan-shō (Six-Volume Writings) ・Montgomery, Daniel (1991). Fire In The Lotus . London: Mand ala (HarperCollins). ・ Masatoshi Ueki (1992). Sanju-Hiden-Sho-Ronko (A study on

48-615: A "religious organization consisting of about 5,000 temples, 8,000 ministers and 3.8 million members worldwide." The sect does not believe in the Dai-Gohonzon revered in Nichiren Shoshu to be superior to other Gohonzons , and rejects the claim that it was truly inscribed by Nichiren as fraudulent. Although the Dai Gohonzon in itself is a valid Mandala Gohonzon, this concept of a super Gohonzon that empowers all

72-704: A Lotus Sutra lecture series in Japan in 1110 C.E., a tale was told of an illiterate monk in Sui-dynasty China who was instructed to chant from dawn to night the daimoku mantra " Namu Ichijō Myōhō Renge Kyō " as a way to honor the Lotus Sutra as the One Vehicle teaching of the Buddha since he could not read the sutra. The monk upon suicide plunged into hell then recited " Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō ", which

96-636: A believer: In addition, other popular forms of Buddhist silent meditation ( Shōdai-gyō ), singing of hymnal praises, the artistic copying of the Odaimoku ( Shakyō ), and the study of fundamental Buddhist concepts such as the Four Noble Truths , Threefold Training , Noble Eightfold Path and Taking Refuge taught by Shakyamuni Buddha are also used as supporting practices in the sect. Nichiren Shū issues calligraphic Gohonzons to its members, but statue arrangements may also be used to represent

120-454: Is an homage to the Lotus Sutra. In Nichiren's writings, he frequently quotes passages from the Lotus Sutra in which the Buddha declared it to be his highest teaching. These passages include: "I have preached various sutras and among those sutras the Lotus is the foremost!", "Among all the sutras, it holds the highest place," and "This sutra is king of the sutras." Before Nichiren's time, during

144-539: Is held by Nichiren Buddhists, as well as practitioners of the Tiantai and corresponding Japanese Tendai schools, to be the culmination of Shakyamuni Buddha 's fifty years of teaching. However, followers of Nichiren Buddhism consider Myōhō Renge Kyō to be the name of the ultimate law permeating the universe, in unison with human life which can manifest realization, sometimes termed as "Buddha Wisdom" or "attaining Buddhahood", through select Buddhist practices. Namu

168-649: Is highly selective about which Gosho writings it deems authentic. Many Gosho writings accepted by Nichiren Shōshū are not accepted as genuine by Nichiren Shū on grounds that scholars have not verified their authenticity. This dispute arises over the veracity of various disputed writings to be truly authored by Nichiren. The sect does not reject the alleged oral transmissions (including the Ongi Kuden ) citing "pastoral value" but cannot be definitively asserted as Nichiren's own teachings. The sect upholds five kinds of practices: There are two type of practices expected of

192-525: Is used in Buddhism as a prefix expressing taking refuge in a Buddha or similar object of veneration. Among varying Nichiren sects, the phonetic use of Nam versus Namu is a linguistic but not a dogmatic issue, due to common contractions and u is devoiced in many varieties of Japanese words. In this mantra, the Japanese drop the "u" sound when chanting at a fast pace, but write "Namu", seeing as it

216-510: The Ikegami Honmon-ji where Nichiren died. Accordingly, many of Nichiren's most important personal artifacts and writings, also considered to be National Treasures of Japan , are within their safekeeping. The sect is also known for its more open and tolerant views of other Buddhist traditions, even mixing or incorporating various mixed Buddhist beliefs and Shinto practices into their own Nichiren Buddhist aesthetics, most notably

240-600: The Gohonzon . In Nichiren Shū, the following may be used as the Gohonzon : All fully ordained Nichiren Shū ministers are able to inscribe and consecrate mandalas, but in practice few of them do. They usually bestow a copy of a Nichiren inscribed mandala, called the Shutei Gohonzon , upon their members. Holidays observed in Nichiren Shū: Nichiren Shū first spread overseas with Japanese immigrants to

264-681: The Japanese title of the Lotus Sūtra . The mantra is referred to as Daimoku ( 題目 ) or, in honorific form, O-daimoku ( お題目 ) meaning title and was first publicly declared by the Japanese Buddhist priest Nichiren on 28 April 1253 atop Mount Kiyosumi, now memorialized by Seichō-ji temple in Kamogawa, Chiba prefecture, Japan . The practice of prolonged chanting is referred to as Shōdai ( 唱題 ). Believers claim that

SECTION 10

#1732779682166

288-930: The Shakyamuni Buddha of Chapter 16 of the Lotus Sutra as the Eternal Buddha while Nichiren is regarded as the Jogyo Bodhisattva that possesses the mission in Chapter 21 as the "votary messenger" to uphold the true Dharma in the Latter Day of the Law . The sect designates Shakyamuni as the "Original Buddha" and he alone occupies the central role in Nichiren Shū; Nichiren—referred to as Nichiren Shōnin ("Saint Nichiren")—is

312-491: The Dai-Gohonzon alone has some kind of unique mystic power that no other Gohonzon possesses. The Dai-Gohonzon and our own Gohonzon are equal. The sect regards Nichiren as Visistacaritra and teaches that Shakyamuni Buddha is special because he was the original Buddha in recorded human history that demonstrated an exemplary model for the pursuit of Buddhism by his followers and disciples. Accordingly, Nichiren Shu shares

336-566: The Sanju-Hiden-Sho) [in Japanese]. Kokoku-Shoin, Tokyo. ・Zuiei Itou (1992). Sandai hihou bonjouji no keiryoubunkengaku teki shin kenkyu [in Japanese]. Osaki haku-hou. No. 148 ・Fumihiko Sueki (1999). Nichiren's Problematic Works. Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, Vol. 26( 3/4), pp. 261–280 Nichiren-sh%C5%AB Nichiren Shū ( 日蓮宗 , School of Nichiren ) is a combination of several schools ranging from four of

360-744: The United States, then to the Kingdom of Hawaii, Brazil and other locations in the latter half of the 19th century and the early 20th century. Presently, there are Nichiren Shū temples and Sanghas in the United States, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, much of South America, India, Korea, Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan), and Europe. Nichiren Shū also ordains non-Japanese and non-Japanese speaking men and women, and continues to expand its presence overseas. Nichiren Shū maintains relations with other Nichiren schools and non-Nichiren schools. In 2010, Nichiren Shū described itself as

384-543: The doctrine of The Three Great Hidden Dharmas (also known as "The Three Great Secret Laws "), but still differs them on the meaning: Daimoku Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō ( 南無妙法蓮華経 ) are Japanese words chanted within all forms of Nichiren Buddhism . In English , they mean "Devotion to the Mystic Law of the Lotus Sutra" or "Glory to the Dharma of the Lotus Sutra". The words 'Myōhō Renge Kyō' refer to

408-687: The mantra in his Ongi Kuden , a transcription of his lectures about the Lotus Sutra, Namu ( 南無 ) is a transliteration into Japanese of the Sanskrit namas , and Myōhō Renge Kyō is the Sino-Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese title of the Lotus Sutra (hence, Daimoku , which is a Japanese word meaning 'title'), in the translation by Kumārajīva . Nichiren gives a detailed interpretation of each character (see Ongi kuden#The meaning of Nam(u) Myōhō Renge Kyō ) in this text. The Lotus Sutra

432-521: The original Nichiren Buddhist schools that date back to Nichiren 's original disciples, and part of the fifth: The school is often referred to as the Minobu Sect due to its prominence within the Mount Minobu area. The school's head temple, Kuon-ji , is located on Mount Minobu where Nichiren lived in seclusion and where he asked to be buried. Another significant temple of the sect is

456-411: The others blatantly contradicted Nichiren Daishonin's teachings and, consequently, created a great feeling of mistrust with other temples of Nikko. Nichiren Shu shares similar teachings of Soka Gakkai which states the following: First, the power of any Gohonzon, including the Dai-Gohonzon, can be tapped only through the power of faith. In other words, we should be clear that it is wrong to think that

480-639: The purpose of chanting is to reduce suffering by eradicating negative karma along with reducing karmic punishments both from previous and present lifetimes, with the goal of attaining perfect and complete awakening . While the Tendai monks Saicho (767-822) and Genshin (942-1017) have been said by some to have originated the Daimoku , the Buddhist priest Nichiren (1222-1282) is known today as its greatest propagator for popularizing it in Japan. The mantra

504-580: The saint who refocused attention on Shakyamuni by rebuking other Buddhist schools for solely emphasizing other buddhas or esoteric practices or for neglecting or deriding the Lotus Sutra. Nichiren Shu regards Nichiren's own writings—called Gosho or Goibun (御 遺 文) as commentaries or guides to the doctrines of Buddhism. They include the Five Major Writings of Nichiren in which he establishes doctrine, belief, and practice, as well as many pastoral letters he wrote to his followers. The sect

SECTION 20

#1732779682166

528-567: The use of various religious statues, the red stamping practice of Shuin for novelty, esoteric combinations of Buddhist fortune-telling folk practices and Shinto magic rituals, as well as the tolerant photography and lax distribution of the calligraphic Gohonzon . Nichiren Shū does not believe Nichiren designated a single successor, as taught for instance by Nichiren Shōshū , instead they maintain that he designated six senior disciples of equal ranking to succeed him. The Six Senior Disciples designated by Nichiren were: Nichiren Shū designates

552-473: Was a Tendai monk, may have reappropriated the chant down to Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō , and Nichiren Buddhists are responsible for its wide popularity and usage all over the world today. The Japanese Buddhist priest Nichiren was a known advocate of this recitation, claiming it is the exclusive method to happiness and salvation suited for the Third Age of Buddhism . According to varying believers, Nichiren cited

576-458: Was heard by Yama who subsequently sent the monk back to life. The Kūkan (Contemplation of Emptiness), a text attributed to the Tendai monk Genshin , advocates for those who aspire to Amitabha's Pure Land to recite " Namu Amida Butsu, Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō, Namu Kanzeon Bosatsu, " which can be interpreted as honoring correspondingly the three jewels of Buddhism. Nichiren, who himself

#165834