Nichiren Shu
Encyclopedia
Nichiren Shū is the name of a confederation of several Nichiren Buddhist
schools that go back to Nichiren
's original disciples. The Nichiren Shū first spread overseas with Japanese immigrants to the United States, the then Kingdom of Hawaii, Brazil and other locations in the latter half of the 19th century and the early 20th century.
Nichiren Shū does not accept Nichiren Shōshū's claim that Nichiren designated Nikkō
his sole successor, though Nikkō lineages are a part of the Nichiren Shū confederation of lineages. Doctrinally, Nichiren Shū states that the Buddha
to take refuge in is the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha of the 16th chapter of the Lotus Sutra
. Nichiren is regarded as the appearance in this world of Superior Practice Bodhisattva
who is given the mission in chapter 21 of the Lotus Sutra to uphold the true Dharma
in the age after the historical Shakyamuni Buddha's passing.
as a Bodhisattva
and not as a Buddha as Nichiren Shōshū does. Consequently, it does not regard other sects of Buddhism as false by default. Instead, Nichiren is seen as the votary of the Lotus Sutra fulfilling its prophecy in acting as the appearance of Bodhisattva Jōgyō ("Superior Practice"), who leads all bodhisattvas in propagating the Lotus Sutra. Shakyamuni Buddha is regarded as the Eternal Buddha as preached in the 16th chapter of the Lotus Sutra. Nichiren Shū places Nichiren in a high position as the messenger of the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha or Original Buddha, but does not regard him as more important than Shakyamuni. The Original Buddha occupies the central role in Nichiren Shū; Nichiren—referred to as Nichiren Shōnin ("Saint Nichiren")—is 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.
This can be seen in the emphasis of training in Nichiren Shū. The Lotus Sutra is paramount in study and in practice, and Nichiren's writings—called Gosho (御書) or Goibun (御遺文)—are seen as commentaries or guides to the doctrines of Buddhism. They include the Five Major Writings of Nichiren in which he establish doctrine, belief, and practice, as well as many pastoral letters he wrote to his followers. The Nichiren Shū is currently in the process of translating many of the writings of Nichiren Shonin into English using the extant documents from Nichiren's life or copies known to have been made by his original disciples. In total there will be 7 volumes published through the University of Hawaii Press.
Nichiren wrote frequently, and readers can verify or correct their understanding of the doctrines of Nichiren Buddhism through his surviving works. Unlike Nichiren Shōshū, Nichiren Shū is far more selective about which Gosho it deems authentic. Many Gosho that are accepted by the Nichiren Shoshu are not accepted as genuine by Nichiren Shū on grounds that scholars have not verified their authenticity. The primary reason for this dispute arises over an inability to verify those various disputed writings as actually having been authored by Nichiren Shonin. This does not mean those gosho or alleged oral transmissions (like the Ongi Kuden) are rejected, but it does mean that they are viewed as secondary to authenticated materials and it is admitted that while they might have pastoral value they can not be definitively asserted as Nichiren's own teaching.
Another difference of Nichiren Shū is the positioning in its doctrine and practices of the Odaimoku (the mantra
Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō) and of the mandala
or Gohonzon
. Nichiren Shū views these as the summit of the Dharma, but does not ignore other Buddhist practices. Forms of silent meditation (shōdai-gyō), artistic copying of the Odaimoku (shakyō), and the study of fundamental Buddhist concepts such as the Four Noble Truths
and Taking Refuge are used as supporting practices in Nichiren Shū.
The calligraphic mandalas used by Nichiren Shū members are either prints of one of Nichiren's extant mandalas, or they are inscribed by Nichiren Shū clergy. 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. Nichiren Shū also does not accept the Dai-Gohonzon of Nichiren Shōshū, as there is no evidence that Nichiren created any wooden mandala or asked anyone to do so on his behalf. There is also no evidence that Nichiren ever designated any mandala as having more importance than the others or as being in any way necessary for practice.
In Japanese society, Nichiren Shū is more mainstream than Nichiren Shōshū in that it continues to have relationships with non-Nichiren Buddhist traditions. It is a confederation of the lineages of all those disciples of Nichiren who left lineages and its temples include Kuon-ji
on Mt. Minobu and Ikegami Honmon-ji
(where Nichiren died) and its temples have many of Nichiren’s most important personal artifacts and writings (which are considered national treasures in Japan) in their safekeeping. Nichiren Shū has also ordained non-Japanese ministers and continues to expand its presence overseas. 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 Buddhism
Nichiren Buddhism is a branch of Mahāyāna Buddhism based on the teachings of the 13th century Japanese monk Nichiren...
schools that go back to Nichiren
Nichiren
Nichiren was a Buddhist monk who lived during the Kamakura period in Japan. Nichiren taught devotion to the Lotus Sutra, entitled Myōhō-Renge-Kyō in Japanese, as the exclusive means to attain enlightenment and the chanting of Nam-Myōhō-Renge-Kyō as the essential practice of the teaching...
's original disciples. The Nichiren Shū first spread overseas with Japanese immigrants to the United States, the then Kingdom of Hawaii, Brazil and other locations in the latter half of the 19th century and the early 20th century.
Nichiren Shū does not accept Nichiren Shōshū's claim that Nichiren designated Nikkō
Nikko (priest)
Nikkō , 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. His full Buddhist name was Hawaki-bō Byakuren Ajari Nikkō ....
his sole successor, though Nikkō lineages are a part of the Nichiren Shū confederation of lineages. Doctrinally, Nichiren Shū states that the Buddha
Buddha
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
to take refuge in is the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha of the 16th chapter of the Lotus Sutra
Lotus Sutra
The Lotus Sūtra is one of the most popular and influential Mahāyāna sūtras, and the basis on which the Tiantai and Nichiren sects of Buddhism were established.-Title:...
. Nichiren is regarded as the appearance in this world of Superior Practice Bodhisattva
Visistacaritra
Viśiṣṭacāritra or Bodhisattva Superior Practices , is a bodhisattva mentioned in the 15th, 21st, and 22nd chapters of the Lotus Sutra. He is one of the four great perfected bodhisattvas who attends Shakyamuni Buddha and protects the Lotus Sutra and its devotees...
who is given the mission in chapter 21 of the Lotus Sutra to uphold the true Dharma
Dharma
Dharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...
in the age after the historical Shakyamuni Buddha's passing.
Overview of Nichiren Shū
Nichiren Shū regards NichirenNichiren
Nichiren was a Buddhist monk who lived during the Kamakura period in Japan. Nichiren taught devotion to the Lotus Sutra, entitled Myōhō-Renge-Kyō in Japanese, as the exclusive means to attain enlightenment and the chanting of Nam-Myōhō-Renge-Kyō as the essential practice of the teaching...
as a Bodhisattva
Bodhisattva
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is either an enlightened existence or an enlightenment-being or, given the variant Sanskrit spelling satva rather than sattva, "heroic-minded one for enlightenment ." The Pali term has sometimes been translated as "wisdom-being," although in modern publications, and...
and not as a Buddha as Nichiren Shōshū does. Consequently, it does not regard other sects of Buddhism as false by default. Instead, Nichiren is seen as the votary of the Lotus Sutra fulfilling its prophecy in acting as the appearance of Bodhisattva Jōgyō ("Superior Practice"), who leads all bodhisattvas in propagating the Lotus Sutra. Shakyamuni Buddha is regarded as the Eternal Buddha as preached in the 16th chapter of the Lotus Sutra. Nichiren Shū places Nichiren in a high position as the messenger of the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha or Original Buddha, but does not regard him as more important than Shakyamuni. The Original Buddha occupies the central role in Nichiren Shū; Nichiren—referred to as Nichiren Shōnin ("Saint Nichiren")—is 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.
This can be seen in the emphasis of training in Nichiren Shū. The Lotus Sutra is paramount in study and in practice, and Nichiren's writings—called Gosho (御書) or Goibun (御遺文)—are seen as commentaries or guides to the doctrines of Buddhism. They include the Five Major Writings of Nichiren in which he establish doctrine, belief, and practice, as well as many pastoral letters he wrote to his followers. The Nichiren Shū is currently in the process of translating many of the writings of Nichiren Shonin into English using the extant documents from Nichiren's life or copies known to have been made by his original disciples. In total there will be 7 volumes published through the University of Hawaii Press.
Nichiren wrote frequently, and readers can verify or correct their understanding of the doctrines of Nichiren Buddhism through his surviving works. Unlike Nichiren Shōshū, Nichiren Shū is far more selective about which Gosho it deems authentic. Many Gosho that are accepted by the Nichiren Shoshu are not accepted as genuine by Nichiren Shū on grounds that scholars have not verified their authenticity. The primary reason for this dispute arises over an inability to verify those various disputed writings as actually having been authored by Nichiren Shonin. This does not mean those gosho or alleged oral transmissions (like the Ongi Kuden) are rejected, but it does mean that they are viewed as secondary to authenticated materials and it is admitted that while they might have pastoral value they can not be definitively asserted as Nichiren's own teaching.
Another difference of Nichiren Shū is the positioning in its doctrine and practices of the Odaimoku (the mantra
Mantra
A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating transformation"...
Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō) and of the mandala
Mandala
Maṇḍala is a Sanskrit word that means "circle". In the Buddhist and Hindu religious traditions their sacred art often takes a mandala form. The basic form of most Hindu and Buddhist mandalas is a square with four gates containing a circle with a center point...
or Gohonzon
Gohonzon
Gohonzon , is the object of devotion in many forms of Japanese Buddhism. In Japanese, go is an honorific prefix indicating respect and honzon means object of fundamental respect, veneration, or devotion...
. Nichiren Shū views these as the summit of the Dharma, but does not ignore other Buddhist practices. Forms of silent meditation (shōdai-gyō), artistic copying of the Odaimoku (shakyō), and the study of fundamental Buddhist concepts such as the Four Noble Truths
Four Noble Truths
The Four Noble Truths are an important principle in Buddhism, classically taught by the Buddha in the Dharmacakra Pravartana Sūtra....
and Taking Refuge are used as supporting practices in Nichiren Shū.
The calligraphic mandalas used by Nichiren Shū members are either prints of one of Nichiren's extant mandalas, or they are inscribed by Nichiren Shū clergy. 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. Nichiren Shū also does not accept the Dai-Gohonzon of Nichiren Shōshū, as there is no evidence that Nichiren created any wooden mandala or asked anyone to do so on his behalf. There is also no evidence that Nichiren ever designated any mandala as having more importance than the others or as being in any way necessary for practice.
In Japanese society, Nichiren Shū is more mainstream than Nichiren Shōshū in that it continues to have relationships with non-Nichiren Buddhist traditions. It is a confederation of the lineages of all those disciples of Nichiren who left lineages and its temples include Kuon-ji
Kuonji
Kuon-ji is a major temple in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. It is the head temple of the Buddhist sect, Nichiren Shu. Locally it is referred to as the Minobu-san Temple, after the mountain upon which it is built....
on Mt. Minobu and Ikegami Honmon-ji
Ikegami Honmon-ji
is a Buddhist temple in the south of Tokyo, erected where Nichiren is said to have died.A short walk from Ikegami Station or Nishi-Magome Station , Ikegami Honmon-ji contains a number of buildings, most of which have been reconstructed since the bombing of 15 March 1945...
(where Nichiren died) and its temples have many of Nichiren’s most important personal artifacts and writings (which are considered national treasures in Japan) in their safekeeping. Nichiren Shū has also ordained non-Japanese ministers and continues to expand its presence overseas. 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.
External links
- Nichiren Buddhist International Center
- Nichiren-shū Yahoo group moderated by one of the North American Nichiren-shū ministers
- Copy of a Gohonzon inscribed by Nichiren
- Website of one of Nichiren-shū's North American ministers
- Nichiren Buddhist Sangha of Greater New England
- Nichiren-shū in Italy and Europe, website in Italian, English, French and Spanish
- Nichiren-shū in the UK
- Templo Nichiren Shu do Brasil
- Nichiren Shu In Indonesia
- Namu Myoho Renge Kyo