Nichiren

thumb|Daimoku (Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo) written by Nichiren

was a Japanese Buddhist monk and philosopher of the Kamakura period. His teachings form the basis of Nichiren Buddhism, a unique branch of Japanese Mahayana Buddhism based on the Lotus Sutra.

Nichiren Nichiren advocated the faithful recitation of the title of the Lotus Sutra, Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō, as the only effective path to Buddhahood in this very life, a path which he saw as accessible to all people regardless of class, education or ability. Nichiren held that Shakyamuni and all other Buddhist deities were manifestations of the Original Eternal Buddha (本仏 Honbutsu) of the Lotus Sutra, which he equated with the Lotus Sutra itself and its title. He also declared that believers of the Lotus Sutra must propagate it even though this would lead to many difficulties and even persecution, which Nichiren understood as a way of "reading" the Lotus Sutra with one's very body. Nichiren believed that the spread of the Lotus Sutra teachings would lead to the creation of a Pure Land on earth.

Nichiren was a prolific writer and his biography, temperament, and the evolution of his beliefs has been gleaned primarily from his writings. and designated six senior disciples, which later led to much disagreement after his death. Nichiren's harsh critiques of the Buddhist establishment led to many persecutions against him and his followers. He was exiled twice and some of his followers were imprisoned or killed. The title was also later conferred by the Emperor Taishō in 1922.

Nichiren Buddhism today includes more than forty different officially registered organizations, some of which have significant international presence. These include traditional temple schools such as Nichiren-shū sects and Nichiren Shōshū, as well as modern lay movements such as Soka Gakkai, Risshō Kōsei Kai, Reiyūkai, Kenshōkai, Honmon Butsuryū-shū, Kempon Hokke, and Shōshinkai among many others. Each group has varying views of Nichiren's teachings, some being more exclusivist than the others.

Life

The main narrative of Nichiren's life has been constructed from extant letters and treatises he wrote, counted in one collection as 523 complete writings and 248 fragments. Aside from historical documents stored in the repositories of various Nichiren sects, the first extensive non-religious biographical account of Nichiren did not appear until more than 200 years after his death.

Nichiren is most well known for his promotion of Lotus Sutra devotion over and above all other Buddhist scriptures and teachings. He held that reciting the title of the Lotus Sutra (with the formula Nam(u)-myoho-renge-kyo) encompassed all Buddhist teachings, and thus it could lead to enlightenment in this life.

Nichiren remains a controversial figure among scholars who cast him as either a fervent nationalist or a social reformer with a transnational religious vision. Critical scholars have used words such as intolerant, nationalistic, militaristic, and self-righteous to portray him. On the other hand, Nichiren has been presented as a revolutionary, a classic reformer, Nichiren is often compared to other religious figures who shared similar rebellious and revolutionary drives to reform degeneration in their respective societies or schools.

Birth

According to the lunar Chinese calendar, Nichiren was born on 16th of the second month in 1222, which is 6 April in the Gregorian calendar.<!--conflicts with jawiki-->

Nichiren was born in the village of Kominato (today part of the city of Kamogawa), Nagase District, Awa Province (within present-day Chiba Prefecture). Accounts of his lineage vary. Nichiren described himself as "the son of a Sendara (Skt: chandala, despised outcast), "a son born of the lowly people living on a rocky strand of the out-of-the-way sea," and "the son of a sea-diver." In contrast, Hōnen, Shinran, Dōgen, and Eisai, the other founders of religious schools who predated Nichiren, were all born in the Kyoto region and came from noble or samurai backgrounds. Although his writings reflect a fierce pride of his lowly birth, followers after his death began to ascribe to him a more noble lineage, perhaps to attract more adherents. Some have claimed his father was a rōnin, a manorial functionary (shokan), or a political refugee. The exact site of Nichiren's birth is believed to be currently submerged off the shore from present-day near a temple in Kominato that commemorates his birth.

He later left Seichō-ji for Kamakura where he studied Pure Land Buddhism, a school that stressed salvation through the invocation of the name Amitābha (Japanese Amida), a practiced called nembutsu. He also studied Zen which had been growing in popularity in both Kamakura and Kyoto. He next traveled to Mount Hiei, the center of Japanese Tendai Buddhism, where he scrutinized the school's original doctrines, including Pure Land and Tendai Esoteric Buddhism. In the final stage of this twenty-year period he traveled to Mount Kōya, the center of Shingon esoteric Buddhism, and to Nara where he studied its six established schools, especially the Ritsu sect which emphasized strict monastic discipline.

Declaration of the Lotus Sutra

According to one of his letters, Nichiren returned to Seicho-ji Temple on 28 April 1253 to lecture on the supremacy of the Lotus Sutra.

At the same event, according to his own account and subsequent hagiography, he changed his name to Nichiren, an abbreviation of and .

At his lecture, it is construed, Nichiren vehemently attacked Honen, the founder of Pure Land Buddhism, and its practice of chanting the Nembutsu. It is likely he also denounced the nembutsu teachings found at Seicho-ji.

The most renowned of these works, considered his first major treatise, was the , "On Securing the Peace of the Land through the Propagation of True Buddhism."

Using a dialectic form well-established in China and Japan, the treatise is a 10-segment fictional dialogue between a Buddhist wise man, presumably Nichiren, and a visitor who together lament the tragedies that have beleaguered the nation. The wise man answers the guest's questions and, after a heated exchange, gradually leads him to enthusiastically embrace the vision of a country grounded firmly on the ideals of the Lotus Sutra. In this writing Nichiren displays a skill in using analogy, anecdote, and detail to persuasively appeal to an individual's unique psychology, experiences, and level of understanding. or the ravings of a fanatic.

His claims drew the ire of the influential religious figures of the time and their followers, especially the Shingon priest . In September 1271, after a fiery exchange of letters between the two, Nichiren was arrested by a band of soldiers and tried by , the deputy chief of the Hojo clan's Board of Retainers. Nichiren considered this as his second remonstration to the government. Modern scholars have proposed alternative narratives for this story and question its historicity. or "outgrowing the provisional and revealing the essential."

Second banishment and exile

thumb|Nichiren in the Snow at Tsukahara, Sado Province

Nichiren was then exiled to a second location, on Sado Island in the Sea of Japan. Upon arriving, he was dispatched to a small dilapidated temple located in a graveyard. Nichiren was accompanied by a few disciples and in the first winter they endured terrible cold, food deprivation, and threats from local inhabitants. Initially, Nichiren's urgent concern was to rally his followers in Kamakura. The tactics of the bakufu suppression of the Nichiren community included exile, imprisonment, land confiscation, or ousting from clan membership. Apparently a majority of his disciples abandoned their faith and others questioned why they and Nichiren were facing such adversity in light of the Lotus Sutras promise of "peace and security in the present life." and the . The former text discusses the practice of daimoku as a form of "mind contemplation" (kanjin 観心), which is the appropriate practice for the Age of Dharma Decline. Nichiren led a widespread movement of followers in Kanto and Sado mainly through his prolific letter-writing. During the so-called "Atsuhara affair" of 1279 when governmental attacks were aimed at Nichiren's followers rather than himself, Nichiren's letters reveal an assertive and well-informed leader who provided detailed instructions through a sophisticated network of disciples serving as liaisons between Minobu and other affected areas in Japan. He also showed the ability to provide a compelling narrative of events that gave his followers a broad perspective of what was unfolding.

More than half of the extant letters of Nichiren were written during his years at Minobu. Some consisted of moving letters to followers expressing appreciation for their assistance, counseling on personal matters, and explaining his teachings in more understandable terms. Two of his works from this period, the and the constitute, along with his Risshō Ankoku Ron ("On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land"), Kaimoku Shō ("The Opening of the Eyes"), and Kanjin no Honzon Shō ("The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind"), what is commonly regarded as his five major writings.

During his years at Minobu Nichiren intensified his attacks on that had been incorporated into the Japanese Tendai school. It becomes clear at this point that he understood that he was creating his own form of Lotus Buddhism. Nichiren and his disciples completed the in 1281. In the 19th century this structure burned down to be replaced by a new structure completed in the second half of the Meiji era.

While at Minobu Nichiren also inscribed numerous Mandala Gohonzon for bestowal upon specific disciples and lay believers. Nichiren Shoshu believers claim that after the execution of the three Atsuhara farmers he inscribed the Dai Gohonzon on 12 October 1279, a Gohonzon specifically addressed to all humanity. This assertion has been disputed by other schools as historically and textually incorrect.

His disciples left Ikegami with Nichiren's ashes on 21 October, reaching back to Minobu on 25 October.

• Nichiren Shu sects claims his tomb is sited, as per his request, at Kuon-ji on Mount Minobu where his ashes remain.

Teachings

thumb|Print illustration of Nichiren and a disciple, by [[Tsukioka Yoshitoshi.]]

Nichiren's teachings developed over the course of his career and their evolution can be seen through the study of his writings as well as in the annotations he made in his personal copy of the Lotus Sutra, the so-called Chū-hokekyō. According to Anesaki, Nichiren, upon his arrival at Minobu, quickly turned his attention to consolidating his teachings toward their perpetuation. The scope of his thinking was outlined in an essay , considered by Nikkō Shōnin as one of Nichiren's ten major writings. Nichiren also set a precedent for Buddhist activism centuries before its emergence in other Buddhist schools. He held adamantly that his teachings would permit a nation to right itself and ultimately lead to world peace.

Some of his religious thinking was derived from the Tendai tradition and the works of Chinese Tiantai masters Zhiyi and Zhanran, as well as from new perspectives that were products of Kamakura Buddhism. According to various Mahayana sutras, during the age of decline, most of the Buddha's teachings would be lost or lose their efficacy. Nichiren held that since Japan had entered Mappō, teachings like nembutsu, Zen and esoteric practices were no longer effective – only Lotus Sutra practices were effective. For Nichiren, the activities of the Japanese elite had caused the current state of chaos. Nichiren argued that the various protective deities had abandoned Japan because the court and the people had turned away from the true Dharma of the Lotus Sutra to false teachings. Thus, if the government and the people turned to the true Dharma, society would transform into an ideal world in which peace and wisdom prevail and "the wind will not thrash the branches nor the rain fall hard enough to break clods."

Five Principles

Nichiren also taught Five Principles (gogi) or five criteria for evaluating Buddhist teachings and establishing the supremacy of the Lotus Sutra as the highest and best teaching for Japan at his time. The five are:

• The teaching (kyō) - Following the Tiantai classification system, Nichiren sees the Lotus as part of the last teaching period of the Buddha and as the real true (jitsu) teaching, while all other teachings are provisional (gon). He cites Tiantai masters like Zhiyi, and the Lotus Sutra itself and points to its teachings on the one vehicle and the eternal immanent nature of the Buddha to prove this.
• The innate capacity (ki) of the people - Nichiren held that people of the Final Dharma Age lack good roots (honmi uzen). Thus, they first need to encounter the Lotus Sutra to plant these good roots. Nichiren rejects the view of Hōnen that the Lotus is too profound for beings of the Final Age. Nichiren cites Zhanran who writes "the more true the teaching, the lower the stage [of the practitioners it can bring to enlightenment]". Thus, Nichiren argues that faith in the Lotus Sutra can save all types of people, even the most ignorant or lowly.
• The time (ji), which refers to the Final Dharma Age. Nichiren believed that the Lotus Sutra was the right sutra for the Final Age, and that the daimoku was the right teaching for this time, being easy and accessible to all.
• The land or country (koku) - As Stone writes "following earlier Tendai thinkers such as Saichō, Annen, and Genshin, Nichiren argued that the country of Japan is related exclusively to the Lotus Sutra."
• The sequence of Dharma propagation (kyōhō rufu no zengo), which means that one should not teach an inferior or provisional teaching in a place where a superior teaching has already been taught.

Buddhahood and the mutual inclusion of all realms

thumb|Japanese illustration depicting the mutual inclusion of the [[ten realms within the mind (xin, 心) of a fetus.]]

Nichiren stressed the idea that the Buddha's Pure Land is immanent in this present world (shaba soku jakkōdo) and that all beings have the innate potential to attain Buddhahood in this very body (sokushin jōbutsu), though this can only be achieved by relying on the Lotus Sutra. Nichiren was influenced by earlier ideas taught by Kūkai and Saichō, who had taught the possibility of becoming a Buddha in this life and the belief all beings are "originally enlightened" (hongaku). However, he also saw his own teaching of ichinen sanzen as different and as going beyond that which was taught by Zhiyi. This is because Nichiren held that his teaching of the "true ichinen sanzen" was based on the latter half of the Lotus Sutra (the origin teaching), instead of on second chapter. For Nichiren this is "the doctrine of original cause (hon’in) and original effect (honga). The nine realms are inherent in the beginningless Buddha realm; the Buddha realm inheres in the beginningless nine realms." This teaching "demolishes" all views of gradual training.

Single-minded devotion to the Lotus Sutra

Nichiren held that this teaching of the interfusion of all reality, the ultimate meaning of the Lotus Sutra, could now be realized solely through devotion to the sutra, especially by the practice of faithfully chanting the title of the sutra (daimoku). This allowed one to contemplate one's mind (kanjin) and to attain the fruit of Buddhahood in this life.

According to Nichiren, Buddhahood would manifest when a person faithfully chants the sutra's title and shares it with others, at whatever the cost.</blockquote>Nichiren emphasized the importance of faith, practice, and study. Faith meant embracing the Lotus Sutra, something that needed to be continually deepened. "To accept (ju) [faith in the sutra] is easy," he explained to a follower, "to uphold it (ji) is difficult. But the realization of Buddhahood lies in upholding [faith]." This could only be manifested by the practice of chanting the daimoku as well as teaching others to do the same, and study.

Consequently, Nichiren consistently and vehemently objected to the perspective of the Pure Land School that stressed an other-worldly aspiration to some Pure Land outside of this world. Behind his assertion is the concept of the nonduality of the subjective realm (the individual) and the objective realm (the land that the individual inhabits) which indicates that when the individual taps into Buddhahood, his or her present world becomes peaceful and harmonious. For Nichiren the widespread propagation of the Lotus Sutra and consequent world peace ("kosen-rufu") was achievable and inevitable. He thus tasked his future followers with a mandate to accomplish it.

While Nichiren critiqued Hōnen's Pure Land tradition for sidelining the Lotus Sutra, he was also influenced by it. Hōnen had introduced the concept of focusing on a single practice over all others (which was to be nembutsu). This practice was revolutionary because it was simple and accessible to all. It also minimalized the elitist and monopolistic role of the Buddhist establishment. Nichiren appropriated the structure of a universally accessible single practice but substituted the nembutsu with the recitation of the daimoku (Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō), while also affirming that this practice could lead to Buddhahood in this life, instead of just leading to birth in a Pure Land. Nichiren held that these three Dharmas are the concrete manifestations of "the actualization of ichinen sanzen" (ji no ichinen sanzen) specific to the Age of Dharma Decline.

According to Nichiren, practicing the Three Secret Dharmas results in the "Three Proofs" which verify their validity. The first proof is "documentary," whether the religion's fundamental texts, here the writings of Nichiren, make a lucid case for the eminence of the religion. "Theoretical proof" is an intellectual standard of whether a religion's teachings reasonably clarify the mysteries of life and death. "Actual proof," deemed the most important by Nichiren, demonstrates the validity of the teaching through the actual improvements and experiences which manifest in the daily life of practitioners.

Daimoku

thumb|Nichiren depicted calming a storm by chanting the daimoku.

Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō, the daimoku ("the title" of the Lotus Sutra preceded by "Namu", meaning "homage to"), is both the essence of the Lotus Sutra Dharma and the means to discover that truth, i.e. the interconnected unity of self, others and environment with Buddhahood itself. Nichiren sees this as the only truly effective practice, the superior Buddhist practice for this time. Thus, according to Nichiren, "it is better to be a leper who chants Nam(u) Myōhō Renge Kyō than be a chief abbot of the Tendai school."

Furthermore, the daimoku is also said to contain the Buddha's enlightenment and all his spiritual powers.</blockquote>Like other Tendai figures of his time, Nichiren held that the Lotus Sutra taught the unity of the cause (skillful means) and the effect (Buddhahood). Nichiren held that the term Renge (Dharma Flower) represents how the cause and the effect (practice and Buddhahood) are one. This is symbolized by the lotus flower because its blossoms and seed pods grow at the same time.</blockquote>For Nichiren, Buddhahood is immanently accessible through the daimoku. Nichiren also saw the daimoku as granting worldly benefits, such as healing and protection from harm.

According to Stone, the logic of this mandala is influenced by Esoteric Buddhist yogas, in which the yogi visualizes their unity with the Buddha realm. Nichiren also made a "great vow" that he and all his followers would create the conditions for a peaceful Dharmic nation. This is described in the Lotus Sutra as kosen-rufu (lit. "to extensively declare and spread [the Lotus Sutra] far and wide"). In earlier Japanese Buddhism the concept of "nation" was equated with Imperial rule and peace with political stability. Nichiren's teachings embraced a new view which held that "nation" referred to the land and the people. Nichiren was unique among his contemporaries in charging the actual government in power (the bakufu), as responsible for peace and for the thriving of Dharma. For Nichiren, all human beings were equal in the eyes of the Buddha and all were responsible for the state of their nation. Furthermore, enlightenment is not restricted to one's inner life, but is actualized by making efforts toward the transformation of nation and society.

Because of this, Nichiren saw himself as responsible for saving the Japanese nation, which he believed could only be accomplished by spreading the teaching of the Lotus Sutra. In addition to formalized religious debates, the Kamakura period was marked by flourishing and competitive oral religious discourse. Temples competed for the patronage of elites through oratorical sermonizing and temple lecturers (kōshi) faced pressure to attract crowds. Sermonizing spread from within the confines of temples to homes and the streets as wandering mendicants (shidōso, hijiri, or inja) preached to both the educated and illiterate in exchange for alms. In order to teach principles of faith preachers incorporated colorful storytelling, music, vaudeville, and drama—which later evolved into Noh.

A predominant topic of debate in Kamakura Buddhism was the concept of rebuking "slander of the Dharma", a topic found in the Lotus Sutra. Thus, Nichiren's critiques of other sects must be understood in the context of a time in which religious polemics were common. The first target of his polemics was Hōnen's Pure Land teaching which had by now become very popular. Nichiren's detailed rationale is most famously articulated in his first major work, the