is a combination of several schools ranging from four of the original

Nichiren Buddhist Nichiren Buddhism ( ja, 日蓮仏教), also known as Hokkeshū ( ja, 法華宗, meaning ''Lotus Sect'') is a branch of Mahayana Buddhism based on the teachings of the 13th-century Japanese Buddhist priest Nichiren (1222–1282) and is one of ...

schools that date back to Nichiren's original disciples, and part of the fifth:

Overview

The school is often referred to as the ''Minobu Sect'' due to their prominence within the Mount Minobu area. The school's head temple,

Kuon-ji is a major Buddhist temple in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. Founded by Nichiren in 1281 it is today the head temple of Nichiren Shū. While the Ikegami Honmon-ji in Tokyo is also the Nichiren sect's administrative centre, Kuon-ji today plays an ...

, is located on Mount

Minobu is a town located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 11,674 in 5447 households, and a population density of 39 persons per km2. The total area of the town is . Geography Minobu is in south-central Yamanash ...

where Nichiren lived in seclusion and where he asked to be buried. Another significant temple of sect is the ''

Ikegami Honmon-ji is a temple of the Nichiren Shū south of Tokyo, erected where Nichiren is said to have died. Also Nichiren's disciple Nikkō spent the rest of his life at this temple. The temple grounds also include Nichiren Shū's administrative headqu ...

'' where Nichiren died. Accordingly, many of Nichiren's most important personal artifacts and writings preserved, also considered to be

National Treasures of Japan Some of the National Treasures of Japan A is the most precious of Japan's Tangible Cultural Properties, as determined and designated by the Agency for Cultural Affairs (a special body of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science ...

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 Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

beliefs and

Shinto Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shint ...

practices into their own Nichiren Buddhist aesthetics, most notably the use of various religious statues, the red stamping practice of Shuin for novelty,

esoteric Western esotericism, also known as esotericism, esoterism, and sometimes the Western mystery tradition, is a term scholars use to categorise a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas ...

combinations of Buddhist fortune-telling folk practices and Shinto magic rituals, as well as the tolerant photography and lax distribution of the calligraphic ''

Gohonzon is a generic term for a venerated religious object in Japanese Buddhism. It may take the form of a scroll or statuary. The term typically refers to the mainstream use of venerated objects within Nichiren Buddhism, referring to the calligr ...

''. Nichiren Shū does not believe Nichiren designated a single successor, as taught for instance by

Nichiren Shōshū is a branch of Nichiren Buddhism based on the traditionalist teachings of the 13th century Japanese Buddhist priest Nichiren (1222–1282), claiming him as its founder through his senior disciple Nikko Shonin (1246–1333), the founder of ...

, instead they maintain that he designated six senior disciples of equal ranking to succeed him. The ''Six Senior Disciples'' designated by Nichiren were: * Nissho (1221–1323) * Nichiro (1245–1320) * Nikkō (1246–1333) * Mimbu Nikō (1253–1314) * Nitchō (1252–1317) * Nichiji (1250–unknown) Nichiren Shū designates the

Shakyamuni Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in ...

of Chapter 16 of the

Lotus Sutra The ''Lotus Sūtra'' ( zh, 妙法蓮華經; sa, सद्धर्मपुण्डरीकसूत्रम्, translit=Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtram, lit=Sūtra on the White Lotus of the True Dharma, italic=) is one of the most influ ...

as the Eternal Buddha while Nichiren is regarded as the Jogyo Bodhisattva possesses the mission in Chapter 21 Nichiren Shonin
/ref> as the "votary messenger" to uphold the true

Dharma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...

in the Latter Day of the Law. Minobu kuonji hondo naijin

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 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 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.

Practices and beliefs

The sect upholds five kinds of practices: # Receiving and keeping the Sutra both mentally and physically # Reading the Sutra visually # Reciting the Sutra orally # Explaining the Sutra to others # Copying the Sutra as a pious act There are two type of practices expected of a believer: # Primary practice — Chantin
Odaimoku
to an object of devotion. # Secondary practice — The recitation of Chapter 2 and 16 of the

, or any other chapter of the Lotus Sutra as desired. 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 In Buddhism, the Four Noble Truths (Sanskrit: ; pi, cattāri ariyasaccāni; "The four Arya satyas") are "the truths of the Noble Ones", the truths or realities for the "spiritually worthy ones". Four Noble Truths: BUDDHIST PHILOSOPHY Encycl ...

, Threefold Training, Noble Eightfold Path and Refuge (Buddhism), Taking Refuge taught by

are also used as supporting practices in the sect.

Object of worship

Nichiren Shū issues calligraphic ''Gohonzons'' to its members, but statue arrangements may also be used to represent the ''Gohonzon''. In Nichiren Shū, the following may be used as the ''Gohonzon'': * A statue of the

as the Eternal Buddha, sometimes flanked by the Four Bodhisattvas of the Earth * A stupa with ''Namu-myōhō-renge-kyō'' inscribed on it, flanked by the Buddhas Shakyamuni and Prabhutaratna Buddha * A single inscription of the Odaimoku (''Ippen Shudai'') * The ''Rin-metsu'' ''gohonzon'' of Nichiren, now claimed as the Shutei Gohonzon of Nichiren Shu 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

Holidays observed in Nichiren Shū: * 15 February — Nirvana Day; death anniversary of Shakyamuni Buddha * 16 February — Nichiren's birthday * 21 March — Higan Equinox festival * 8 April —

Buddha's Birthday Buddha's Birthday (also known as Buddha Jayanti, also known as his day of enlightenment – Buddha Purnima, Buddha Pournami) is a Buddhist festival that is celebrated in most of East Asia and South Asia commemorating the birth of the Prince ...

* 13–15 July and August — Urabon ancestry festival * 13 October — death anniversary of Nichiren (Oeshiki) * 8 December —

Bodhi Day Bodhi Day is the Buddhist holiday that commemorates the day that Gautama Buddha (Shakyamuni) is said to have attained enlightenment, also known as ''bodhi'' in Sanskrit and Pali. According to tradition, Siddhartha had recently forsaken years of ...

Nichiren Shū temples of historic importance

* Hokekyo-ji, temple safekeeping the original of the ''Rissho Ankoku Ron'', one of Nichiren's most important writings *

, founded on the site where Nichiren passed and was cremated *

, founded by Nichiren * Kyōnin-ji, marks the site where Nichiren was attacked in 1281 * Ryūkō-ji, marks the site where Nichiren was to be executed * Seichō-ji, originally a temple of the Tendai-shū and later Shingon-shū; converted into a temple of the Nichiren-shū in 1949 as it played an important role in Nichiren-Buddhism * Tanjō-ji, near the site of Nichiren's parental home (the original site is under sea level today)

Nichiren Shū today

Nichiren Shū first spread overseas with Japanese immigrants to 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 a "religious organization consisting of about 5,000 temples, 8,000 ministers and 3.8 million members worldwide."

Differences and similarities with other Nichiren schools

Gohonzon

The sect does not believe in the '' Dai-Gohonzon'' revered in

Nichiren Shoshu Nichiren (16 February 1222 – 13 October 1282) was a Japanese Buddhist priest and philosopher of the Kamakura period. Nichiren declared that the Lotus Sutra alone contains the highest truth of Buddhist teachings suited for the Third Age o ...

to be superior to other ''Gohonzons'', and rejects the claim that it was truly inscribed by Nichiren as fraudulent.

View of Nichiren

Nichiren Shu shares similar teachings of

Soka Gakkai is a Japanese Buddhist religious movement based on the teachings of the 13th-century Japanese priest Nichiren as taught by its first three presidents Tsunesaburō Makiguchi, Jōsei Toda, and Daisaku Ikeda. It is the largest of the Japane ...

which states the following: 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. * The sect rejects the Nichiren Shōshū claim that Nichiren was the "Original Buddha of Kuon Ganjo" from a timeless past. * It also rejects the belief of

which views Nichiren as simply an ordinary mortal person who attained Buddhahood. * Nichiren Shu disputes the claim of Nichiren Shōshū designating

Nikkō Shōnin , Buddhist name , was one of the six senior disciples of Nichiren and was the former Chief Priest of Kuon-ji temple in Mount Minobu, Japan. Various Nichiren sects in Japan claim to have been founded by Nikkō, the most prominent being Nichiren ...

as the sole legitimate successor to Nichiren, claiming it is based on fake documents and invented doctrines. * The sect does not have a general consensus on the authenticity of some of the writings claimed to be from Nichiren, rendering them as

apocryphal Apocrypha are works, usually written, of unknown authorship or of doubtful origin. The word ''apocryphal'' (ἀπόκρυφος) was first applied to writings which were kept secret because they were the vehicles of esoteric knowledge considered ...

within Nichiren Shū.

Three Great Hidden Dharmas

Accordingly, Nichiren Shu shares the doctrine of ''The Three Great Hidden Dharmas'' (also known as "The Three Great Secret Laws"), but still differs them on the meaning: # "Odaimoku" — (The sectarian pronunciation of "

Namu Myoho Renge Kyo Namu or NAMU may refer to: *The North American Monetary Union *Namu, British Columbia, a town in Canada *Namu Atoll, an atoll in the Pacific Ocean *Namu doll, a type of Pullip doll *Yang Erche Namu, a Chinese singer and writer of Mosuo ethnicity * ...

"), its meaning and intent. #

— (as Sources of Doctrine) which chapters are used, recited and revered as valid. # "Kaidan" — (defined platform for practice), its meaning and intent.Lotus Seeds: The Essence of Nichiren Shu Buddhism, San Jose, CA: Nichiren Buddhist Temple of San Jose, 2000. , page 72

References

External links

Nichiren Shu

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

Nichiren Shu Brasil

Nichiren Shu In Indonesia

Namu Myoho Renge Kyo

Nichiren Sangha, website in English and Spanish

{{Authority control Nichiren Buddhism Buddhism articles needing expert attention