ONCE UPON A TIME....

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF NICHIREN BUDDHISM (1253)

(From http://www.sgi.org )

April 28 marks the anniversary of the establishment of Nichiren Buddhism on April 28, 1253.

The Japanese monk Nichiren first invoked the chant "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" (literally "I devote myself to the wonderful law of the Lotus Sutra") on April 28, 1253, at Seichoji Temple in what is today Chiba Prefecture, where he had first studied Buddhism as a young boy.

He was 32 at the time, and extensive study of the Buddhist sutras had clarified for him that the Lotus Sutra was the vehicle that would lead all people directly to attain enlightenment, or Buddhahood in this present lifetime. It was at this time that he changed his name to Nichiren, meaning "sun lotus." This indicates that he attained enlightenment as a result of his own efforts.

Nichiren knew he would meet opposition, as there was great attachment at that time to the practice of Nembutsu, which encouraged people to believe that they could be reborn in a Pure Land after death. By declaring that the practice of the Lotus Sutra would enable people to manifest the Buddha nature in this lifetime, he was challenging the fundamental mindset of the time; that ordinary people were powerless to affect change.

He describes how, "At first, when I alone chanted the daimoku [Nam-myoho-renge-kyo], those who saw me, met me, or heard me covered their ears, glared at me with furious eyes, contorted their mouths, clenched their fists, and ground their teeth." Starting from the first day he declared his teaching, Nichiren was repeatedly threatened and attacked, risking his own life in an effort to help people discover the true message of Buddhism--that each person possesses limitless potential within their lives.

Despite being exiled twice and nearly killed on several occasions, Nichiren lived to the age of 61, dying peacefully. Transmission of his teachings and the fulfillment of his vision of peace founded on respect for the sanctity of life has been the guiding inspiration for the first three Soka Gakkai presidents and is the central pillar of SGI members' activities worldwide.

WHO IS WHO

TSUNESABURO MAKIGUCHI

Tsunesaburo Makiguchi (1871-1944) was a reformist educator, author and philosopher. His educational ideas, and his theory of value-creation (soka), which underlies his pedagogy, are explored in his 1930 work Soka Kyoikugaku Taikei (The Theory of Value-Creating Pedagogy). Makiguchi's views completely contradicted the logic of the militarist government, which sought to use education to mold obedient, unquestioning servants of the state. As a teacher known for his warmth and consideration, he strove to introduce a more humanistic, student-centered approach to education. He fiercely opposed corrupt educational practices and was forced into early retirement as a result. In 1943, Makiguchi and Josei Toda (his closet disciple) were arrested and imprisoned. In 1944 Makiguchi died in prison of malnutrition, refusing to the end to compromise his beliefs.

Josei Toda was released from prison in July 1945, just weeks before the end of the war. Toda went on to rebuild the organization he and Makiguchi had founded, renaming it the Soka Gakkai.

More information  http://www.tmakiguchi.org/

THIS IS A VERY RECOMENDABLE WEBSITE

BBC religion section talks about nichiren daishonin buddhism. Very interesting !!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/subdivisions/nichiren_1.shtml

BUT...WHAT IS...

BUDDHADHOOD

Buddhahood is a dynamic state that is difficult to describe. We can partially describe it as a state of perfect freedom, in which we are enlightened to the ultimate truth of life. It is characterized by infinite compassion and boundless wisdom. In this state, we can resolve harmoniously what appear from the standpoint of the nine worlds to be insoluble contradictions. A Buddhist sutra describes the attributes of the Buddha's life as a true self, perfect freedom from karmic bonds throughout eternity, a life purified of illusion, and absolute happiness.

BUT...WHAT IS...

BODHISATTVA

BODHISATTVA is a condition in which one not only aspires for personal enlightenment but devotes oneself to relieving the sufferings of others through compassionate and altruistic actions. Even this state can have a negative aspect, however, the tendency towards self-sacrifice and acting but merely from a sense of duty and with resentment.

BUT...WHAT IS...

REALISATION

REALISATION (or Absorption) is a state in which one discovers a partial truth through one's own observations, efforts and concentration. The worlds of Learning and Realization are closely related. People in these states can become arrogant and self-centered.

BUT...WHAT IS...

LEARNING

In the learning state (also called coice-hearers) we seek the truth through the teachings or experience of others.

BUT...WHAT IS...

THE GOHOZON

The object of devotion in Nichiren Buddhism, called the Gohonzon, takes the form of a scroll inscribed with Chinese and Sanskrit characters. SGI members receive their own Gohonzon that they enshrine in their homes and which they focus on when they chant.

The significance of the Gohonzon lies not in the literal meaning of the characters, but in the fact that it is was created by Nichiren as the physical embodiment, in the form of a mandala, of the eternal and intrinsic law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. The phrase "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo Nichiren" is written in bold characters down the center of the scroll.

Nichiren inscribed a Gohonzon for the happiness of all humanity on October 12, 1279, in this case with the letters carved into wood. In doing so, it was his sole purpose to help any person, regardless of gender, race or status, experience the same enlightened state of being that he had attained.

The Gohonzon is an embodiment of the Buddha state that exists within every one of us. However, for most of us, this state remains an unrealized potential; it is latent but needs to be "activated." Through daily practice in front of the Gohonzon we can reveal that latent Buddha nature. The Gohonzon is in a sense like a spiritual exercise machine--through using it we develop our lives; simply possessing it is not enough.

Nichiren encourages us, "when you chant myoho and recite renge, you must summon up deep faith that Myoho-renge-kyo is your life itself". Nichiren teaches us, in other words, that one's life is the greatest treasure.

Our inner life-condition changes constantly as we come into contact with different external stimuli: people, the weather, a piece of music, the color of the walls. . . all create some kind of influence on us. A painting can cause the viewer to feel enraptured, calm or disgusted, and a letter can cause joy or shock and dismay. The Gohonzon is the stimulus that helps us draw forth this most enlightened state of life, perceive the Buddha state as the true nature of our life, and live in harmony with our environment.

To convey his message, Nichiren based the graphic image of the Gohonzon on a scene from the Lotus Sutra and on the theory of the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds, which expresses that the world of Buddhahood exists as a potentiality in any given moment or life-condition of an individual. In other words, the world of Buddhahood does not lie outside of one's daily existence or being--it is inherent in one's life.

The large characters "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" down the center of the Gohonzon depict this realization. To the left and right of "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo," written in smaller characters, are various figures that represent the Ten Worlds in the life of the Buddha. Nichiren graphically indicated that all ten worlds are illuminated by Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, or the Mystic Law, and are contained within the world of Buddhahood and vice versa.

Simply stated, all beings are Buddhas. It is just a matter of awakening to this realization and living in a way that manifests this truth. In Nichiren Buddhism, chanting to the Gohonzon and taking action for the sake of others is the way to achieve this.

BUT...WHAT IS...

HEAVEN

This is a state of intense joy stemming, for example, from the fulfillment of some desire, a sense of  physical well-being, or inner contentment. Though intense, the joy experienced in this state is short-lived and also vulnerable to external influences.

BUT...WHAT IS...

NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO

The invocation of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo was established by Nichiren Daishonin on April 28, 1253. Having studied widely among all the Buddhist sutras, he had concluded that the Lotus Sutra contains the ultimate truth of Buddhism: that everyone without exception has the potential to attain Buddhahood. The title of the Lotus Sutra in its Japanese translation is Myoho-renge-kyo. But to Nichiren, Myoho-renge-kyo was far more than the title of a Buddhist text, it was the expression, in words, of the Law of life which all Buddhist teachings in one way or another seek to clarify. What follows is a brief and unavoidably limited explanation of some of the key concepts expressed by this phrase.

NAM

The word nam derives from Sanskrit. A close translation of its meaning is "to devote oneself." Nichiren established the practice of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as a means to enable all people to put their lives in harmony or rhythm with the law of life, or Dharma. In the original Sanskrit, nam indicates the elements of action and attitude, and refers therefore to the correct action one needs to take and the attitude one needs to develop in order to attain Buddhahood in this lifetime.

MYOHO

Myoho literally means the Mystic Law, and expresses the relationship between the life inherent in the universe and the many different ways this life expresses itself. Myo refers to the very essence of life, which is "invisible" and beyond intellectual understanding. This essence always expresses itself in a tangible form (ho) that can be apprehended by the senses. Phenomena (ho) are changeable, but pervading all such phenomena is a constant reality known as myo.

RENGE

Renge means lotus flower. The lotus blooms and produces seeds at the same time, and thus represents the simultaneity of cause and effect. The circumstances and quality of our individual lives are determined by the causes and effects, both good and bad, that we accumulate (through our thoughts, words and actions) at each moment. This is called our "karma." The law of cause and effect explains that we each have personal responsibility for our own destiny. We create our destiny and we can change it. The most powerful cause we can make is to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo; the effect of Buddhahood is simultaneously created in the depths of our life and will definitely manifest in time.

The lotus flower grows and blooms in a muddy pond, and yet remains pristine and free from any defilement, symbolizing the emergence of Buddhahood from within the life of an ordinary person.

KYO

Kyo literally means sutra, the voice or teaching of a Buddha. In this sense, it also means sound, rhythm or vibration. Also, the Chinese character for kyo originally meant the warp in a piece of woven cloth, symbolizing the continuity of life throughout past, present and future. In a broad sense, kyo conveys the concept that all things in the universe are a manifestation of the Mystic Law.

BUT...WHAT IS....

HUMANITY

This is a flat, passive state of life, from which we can easily shift into the lower four worlds. While we may generally behave in a humane fashion in this state, we are highly vulnerable to strong external influences.

BUT...WHAT IS...

ANGER

In this next state, awareness of ego emerges, but is a selfish, greedy, distorted ego, determined to best others at all costs and seeing everything as a potential threat to itself. In this state we value only ourselves and tend to hold others in contempt. We are strongly attached to the idea of our own superiority and cannot bear to admit that anyone exceeds us in anything.

BUT...WHAT IS...

ANIMALITY

Animality is a condition governed by instinct,, in which one has no sense of reason or morality, and lives only for the present. Someone in this state fears the strong and despises and dominates the weak.

BUT...WHAT IS...

HUNGER

Hunger is the state of being controlled by insatiable desire for money, power, status or whatever. While desires are inherent in any of the Ten Worlds, in this state we are at the mercy of our cravings and cannot control them.

BUT...WHAT IS...

HELL

This is a state of suffering and despair, in which we perceive we have no freedom of action. It is characterized by the impulse to destroy ourselves and everything around us.

BUT...WHAT IS...

TEN WORLDS

Ten distinct realms or categories of beings referred to in Buddhist scriptures. 

From the lowest to the highest, the realms of (1) hell, (2) hungry spirits, (3) animals, (4) asuras, (5) human beings, (6) heavenly beings, (7) voice-hearers, (8) cause-awakened ones, (9) bodhisattvas, and (10) Buddhas. 

The Ten Worlds were viewed originally as distinct physical locations, each with its own particular inhabitants. The Lotus Sutra, however, teaches that each of the Ten Worlds contains all ten within it, making it possible to interpret them as potential states of life inherent in each individual being. In other words, from the standpoint of the Lotus Sutra, the Ten Worlds indicates ten potential states or conditions that a person can manifest or experience. The mutual possession of the Ten Worlds is a component principle of three thousand realms in a single moment of life, which T'ient'ai (538-597) set forth in Great Concentration and Insight.

BUT...WHAT IS....

GOSHO

The individual and collected writings of Nichiren (1222-1282).

 

Gosho literally means honorable writings; go is an honorific prefix, and sho means writings. In general the word is used in Japanese as an honorific for certain books and writings, particularly for those of the founders and patriarchs of some Buddhist schools. Nikko, Nichiren's successor, used the word gosho to refer to Nichiren's works and made efforts to collect, copy, and preserve them as sacred texts. As a result, a remarkable number of Nichiren's works have been passed down to the present, and many are extant in his own hand. In terms of content, the Gosho may be divided into four groups: (1) treatises setting forth doctrine, (2) writings remonstrating with government authorities, (3) letters offering advice, encouragement, or consolation to believers, or written in answer to questions (many in this category also include expressions of gratitude for offerings and support received), and (4) written records of Nichiren's oral teachings, including his lectures on the Lotus Sutra.

WHO IS WHO

T'IEN-T'AI, MIAO-LO AND DENGYO

Three men are credited for spreading the LOTUS SUTRA throughout East Asia: T'ien-T'ai, Mia-lo and Dengyo.

T'ien-T'ai founded the Chinese Buddhist school that upheld the Lotus Sutra as Shakyamuni's highest teaching by classifying all of the Buddhist sutras. Mia-lo, revered as a restorer of the T'ien-T'ai school, wrote invaluable commentaries. Dengyo followed in the T'ien-T'ai tradition in Japan and laid the groundwork for Nichiren's emergence in the thirteenth century.

WHO IS WHO.....

NICHIREN DAISHONIN

Nichiren was born in 1222 in Japan, a time rife with social unrest and natural disasters. The common people, especially, suffered enormously. Nichiren wondered why the Buddhist teachings had lost their power to enable people to lead happy, empowered lives. While a young priest, he set out to find an answer to the suffering and chaos that surrounded him. His intensive study of the Buddhist sutras convinced him that the Lotus Sutra contained the essence of the Buddha's enlightenment and that it held the key to transforming people's suffering and enabling society to flourish.

The Lotus Sutra affirms that all people, regardless of gender, capacity or social standing, inherently possess the qualities of a Buddha, and are therefore equally worthy of the utmost respect.
Based on his study of the sutra Nichiren established the invocation (chant) of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as a universal practice to enable people to manifest the Buddhahood inherent in their lives and gain the strength and wisdom to challenge and overcome any adverse circumstances. Nichiren saw the Lotus Sutra as a vehicle for people's empowerment—stressing that everyone can attain enlightenment and enjoy happiness while they are alive.
Nichiren was critical of the established schools of Buddhism that relied on state patronage and merely served the interests of the powerful while encouraging passivity in the suffering masses. He called the feudal authorities to task, insisting that the leaders bear responsibility for the suffering of the population and act to remedy it. His stance, that the state exists for the sake of the people, was revolutionary for its time.
Nichiren's claims invited an onslaught of often-violent persecutions from the military government and the established Buddhist schools. Throughout, he refused to compromise his principles to appease those in authority.
Nichiren's legacy lies in his unrelenting struggle for people's happiness and the desire to transform society into one which respects the dignity and potential of each individual life.

BUT....WHAT IS....

THE LOTUS SUTRA

The Lotus Sutra is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential sutras, or sacred scriptures, of Buddhism. It is highly valued in the Mahayana tradition, which spread throughout East Asia.

Its key message is that Buddhahood--a condition of absolute happiness, freedom from fear and from all illusions--is inherent in all life. The development of this inner life state enables all people to overcome their problems and live a fulfilled and active life, fully engaged with others and with society. Rather than stressing impermanence and the consequent need to eliminate earthly desires and attachments, the Lotus Sutra asserts the ultimate reality of the Buddha nature inherent in all life. It is therefore a teaching which profoundly affirms the realities of daily life, and which naturally encourages an active engagement with others and with the whole of human society.

The Lotus Sutra is also unique among the teachings of Shakyamuni in that it makes the attainment of enlightenment a possibility open to all people, without distinction based on gender, race, social standing or education. In this way, it is seen to be a full expression of Shakyamuni's compassionate intention of opening the way to enlightenment to all people.

Six Chinese translations are recorded as having been made of the Lotus Sutra (Skt Saddharma-pun-darika-sutra; Chin Miao-fa-lien-hua-ching; Jpn Myoho-renge-kyo). Among these, the fifth-century translation of Kumarajiva (344-413), the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law, is considered to be particularly outstanding and is the basis of the teachings that spread in China and Japan.

The Chinese Buddhist teacher T'ient'ai (538-597) divided the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law into two parts: the first 14 chapters, which he called the theoretical teaching, and the latter 14 chapters, which he called the essential teaching. The theoretical teaching records the preaching of the historical Shakyamuni who is depicted as having first attained enlightenment during this lifetime in India. In the essential teaching, he discards his transient role as the historical Shakyamuni and reveals his true, eternally enlightened identity. The most important doctrine in the essential teaching, T'ient'ai says, is the revelation of this originally and eternally enlightened nature in the depths of Shakyamuni Buddha's life.

Almost 2,000 years after Shakyamuni's death, a 13th-century Japanese priest called Nichiren Daishonin distilled the profound theory of the Lotus Sutra into a practice which could enable every individual to reveal their Buddhahood, or highest state of life, in the midst of day-to-day reality.

WHO IS WHO.....

SHAKYAMUNI

Buddhism originates in the teachings of Shakyamuni (Gautama Siddartha), who was born in what is now Nepal some 2,500 years ago.

Shakyamuni was born a prince, but from a young age he became aware of and was profoundly troubled by the problem of human suffering. He became increasingly possessed by a longing to abandon the secular world and go out in search of a solution to the inherent sufferings of life. Buddhist scriptures describe four encounters which served to awaken in him an awareness of four sufferings common to all people--birth, aging, sickness and death--and a desire to seek their solution. Eventually he renounced his princely status and embarked on a spiritual quest to understand how human suffering could be overcome.

For several years, he subjected himself to ascetic disciplines but found it impossible to reach emancipation through such self-mortification, and eventually rejected these practices. Then, near the city of Gaya, he seated himself under a pipal tree and entered meditation. There he attained an awakening, or enlightenment, to the true nature of life and all things. It was because of this enlightenment that he came to be called Buddha, or "Awakened One." After his awakening, Shakyamuni is said to have remained for a while beneath the tree, rejoicing in his emancipation yet troubled by the knowledge of how difficult it would be to communicate what he had realized to others. At length, however, he resolved to do so, so that the way to liberation from the sufferings of birth and death would be open to all people.

According to tradition, Shakyamuni then traveled widely throughout the Indian subcontinent sharing his enlightened wisdom, promoting peace and teaching people how to unleash the great potential of their lives. His compassionate intention was to enable all people to attain the same awakened state of life that he had attained.

It is thought that Shakyamuni died at age 80. Following his death, his teachings were recorded by his disciples in the form of sutras and spread throughout Asia, giving rise to a number of distinct schools of Buddhism, generally characterized by an emphasis on peace and compassion.