Introduction On Nichiren Buddhism

Nichiren Buddhism Practice: An Introduction

People beginning to practice Nichiren Buddhism generally start by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo (also known as "daimoku") for a few minutes, morning and evening if possible.

Buddhism is practical, and beginners are often encouraged to try chanting for a certain period of time, to get a feel for the practice and see what changes they notice, such as increased hope or energy, or improved relations with others. It is helpful to have support from a friend, or a local SGI group, in order to find answers to questions that arise.

How long to chant for is a matter of personal choice. When people first start to practice often they begin by chanting for 5 or 10 minutes at a time. The most important thing is to try to make this a regular part of one's daily routine, if possible, morning and evening. Continuing is a constant challenge but one that reaps positive rewards. Often when facing obstacles, people will chant in a fully focused way in order to see themselves and their situation clearly.

Chanting has been likened to charging a battery, so the more highly charged it is, the more energy one has to expend. It is important to remember however that chanting is not magic. It fills us with hope, strength and energy so that we can take the right action to resolve our problems. It is natural to chant for people we know who are suffering from illness or other problems in life.

Who is Nichiren Daishonin?

SGI members follow the teachings of Nichiren, a Buddhist monk who lived in 13th-century Japan. Nichiren was the son of a fisherman, born in 1222, a time rife with social unrest and natural disasters. The ordinary people, especially, suffered enormously. Nichiren wondered why the teachings of Buddhism had lost their power to enable people to lead happy, empowered lives. 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 Buddha nature inherent in their own 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 in this world. He first chanted Nam-myoho-renge-kyo on April 28, 1253, and later inscribed the mandala of the Gohonzon (the object of devotion to enable people to perceive the enlightened life state of the Buddha in graphic form).

Persecution

A 1,000 year-old tree at Seicho-ji temple where the young Nichiren studied Buddhism

Nichiren was critical of the established schools of Buddhism that relied on state patronage and 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.
In 1260, in the wake of a series of devastating natural disasters, Nichiren wrote his most famous tract, the "Rissho Ankoku Ron" (On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land). He presented this treatise to the highest political authorities of Japan and urged them to sponsor a public debate with representatives of other schools of Buddhism. The call for public debate--which Nichiren would repeat throughout his life--was ignored, and he was banished to the Izu Peninsula.
The years that followed brought further banishment, and ultimately an attempt to execute him on the beach of Tatsunokuchi near Kamakura, seat of the military government. By his account, moments before the executioner's sword was to fall, a luminous object--perhaps a meteor--traversed the sky with such brilliance that the terrified officials called off the execution. Nichiren was banished to Sado Island where, amidst extreme deprivation, he continued to share his teachings and write treatises and letters.
Following a pardon, Nichiren returned to Kamakura and then retreated to Mount Minobu, where he wrote copiously to clarify his interpretation of the Lotus Sutra and to encourage his individual followers--both men and women--who often wrote to him for advice. He also focused on training his successors.
During this period, converts to Nichiren's teachings were harassed and attacked, and three were executed in 1279. The fact that these peasant followers remained steadfast in the face of persecution inspired in Nichiren the confidence that his teachings would be maintained and practiced after his own passing. Where he had to date inscribed Gohonzon for individual believers, he now inscribed a mandala explicitly dedicated to the happiness and enlightenment of all humankind. Nichiren died of old age three years later.
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. Today, SGI members throughout the world chant to the Gohonzon he established and study his letters and treatises to deepen their understanding of how to apply Buddhism to the challenges of daily life.

Study and SGI Meetings

Daily study is also vital to getting the most out of one's Buddhist practice. The study material available on this website provides a good beginning. People starting to practice are encouraged to join local SGI meetings in order to ask questions and receive support and encouragement from others who have more experience of applying Buddhism to the challenges of daily life.

The SGI Directory provides lists of national level websites from which local contacts can be established, as well as a list of SGI centers around the world which can be visited.

SGI President Daisaku Ikeda on chanting daimoku:

"Being human, it's quite natural for our minds to wander, for all sorts of thoughts and memories to surface. [. . .] There is no set form or pattern for how we should pray. Buddhism emphasizes being natural. Therefore, simply chant earnestly without pretense or artifice, just as you are. In time, as your faith develops, you'll naturally find it easier to focus your mind when you chant.

"It's natural for prayers to center on your own desires and dreams. [. . .] By chanting very naturally, without affectation or reservation, for what you seek most of all, you'll gradually come to develop a higher and more expansive life-condition. Of course, it's perfectly fine as well to chant with the resolve to become a bigger-hearted person or for the welfare of your friends and for kosen-rufu-the happiness and flourishing of all humankind."

Excerpted from Discussions on Youth (SGI-USA, 1998)


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, Nichiren, a 13th-century Japanese priest, 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.
The concluding words of the 16th chapter of the Lotus Sutra, recited daily by members of the SGI, encapsulate the Buddha's compassionate concern:

"At all times I think to myself:

How can I cause living beings

to gain entry into the unsurpassed way

and quickly acquire the body of a Buddha?"

What is Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo

"When deluded, one is called an ordinary being, but when enlightened, one is called a Buddha. This is similar to a tarnished mirror that will shine like a jewel when polished. A mind now clouded by the illusions of the innate darkness of life is like a tarnished mirror, but when polished, it is sure to become like a clear mirror, reflecting the essential nature of phenomena and the true aspect of reality. Arouse deep faith, and diligently polish your mirror day and night. How should you polish it? Only by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, p.4).
Nichiren (1222-82) established the chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as the way to awaken one's Buddha nature and tap into the deepest levels of our existence, on which our own lives and that of the universe are one. He first taught the invocation of the phrase to a small group at Seicho-ji temple in Awa province, Japan, on April 28, 1253.
Myoho-renge-kyo is the name of the Lotus Sutra in Japanese pronunciation of classical Chinese characters, and so the literal meaning of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is "I devote myself to the Lotus Sutra." As the following explanation shows, there are deeper levels of meaning attached to each element of the phrase.

Nam

Nam derives from the Sanskrit word namu, meaning "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, namu 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--the underlying truth or principle which governs the mysterious workings of the universe and our life from moment to moment. 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. Myo also means to open, to revive, and to be fully endowed with the qualities we need to develop our lives.

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 affirms that we each have personal responsibility for our own destiny. We create our destiny and we have the power to change it. The most powerful positive 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 in the midst of the struggles of day-to-day existence.

 

Kyo

Kyo literally means sutra, the voice or teaching of a Buddha. In this sense, it also means sound, rhythm or vibration. In a broad sense, kyo conveys the concept that all things in the universe are a manifestation of the Mystic Law.

Read More: The Meaning of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo

 The Core Buddhist Principles:-

Human Revolution

A process of inner transformation and of bringing forth one's full positive human potential.

Interconnectedness

The interconnectedness of life and the idea that nothing exists in isolation, independent of other life.

Compassion

Altruistic action that seeks to relieve living beings from suffering and help them attain absolute happiness.

Wisdom

That which directs knowledge toward good--toward the creation of value.

Creating Value

The positive aspects of reality generated when we creatively engage with the challenges of daily life.

Treasuring Diversity

An attitude of fundamental respect toward all cultures and every individual, treasuring our differences.

For more information on Buddhist Principles and Concept, please visit:- http://www.sgi.org/buddhism/buddhist-concepts.html




*Information references: www.sgi.org and www.sgi-usa.org
  Pictures from google images courtesy of wikipedia, other independant sites.
  Prayers and meeting pictures are by the blogger.