Nichiren Shōshū

Nichiren Shōshū (日蓮正宗) is a branch of Nichiren Buddhism based on the teachings of the 13th-century Japanese monk Nichiren (1222–1282). Nichiren Shōshū claims Nichiren as its founder through his disciple Nikkō (1246–1333), the founder of the school's Head Temple Taiseki-ji. It has adherents throughout the world, with the largest concentrations in Indonesia and Japan^[1] and many more in Taiwan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Ghana, the Philippines, Europe, and North, Central, and South America.^{[citation needed]}

Overview

File:Taisekiji Hoanden.JPG

The Hōandō (奉安堂) at Taiseki-ji (2009). Taiseki-ji is the head temple for Nichiren Shōshū.

Nichiren Shōshū is a school of Mahayana Buddhism. Its head temple, the Taiseki-ji, is located on the lower slopes of Mount Fuji in Japan. It claims to have a substantial international membership.^[2] The denomination is sometimes referred to as "The Fuji School", deriving from Taiseki-ji's location.^{[citation needed]}

Taiseki-ji is visited regularly by Nichiren Shōshū believers from around the world who come to chant to the Dai-Gohonzon, which was described by Nichiren as "the essence of my Buddahood written in Sumi Ink". Unlike other Mahayana Buddhist practices, Nichiren expounded the Lotus Sutra and chanting Nam-myōhō-renge-kyō as a way for anyone to obtain Enlightenment. Previous to Nichiren's teachings in medieval Japan, only men could become enlightened through study and esoteric means.^{[clarification needed]}^{[citation needed]}

Nichiren Shōshū has over 700 local temples and temple-like facilities in Japan. Additionally, there are 22 overseas temples - six in the United States, nine in Taiwan, two in Indonesia - as well as temples in Brazil, France, Ghana, Singapore, and Spain. There are 10 propagation centers - two propagation centers in South Korea as well as others in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Panama, Philippines, and Taiwan.^[3] In 2002 Nichiren Shōshū had approximately 350,000 believers in Japan and approximately 600,000 in other countries.^[4]

Nichiren Shōshū claims a direct lineage of successive High Priests from Nikkō, who they believe was chosen by Nichiren to carry on the propagation of his Buddhist practice in the Latter Day of the Law. This direct transmission of the Law is set forth in Nichiren's "One Hundred and Six Articles".

Nichiren Shōshū is currently led by the Sixty-Eighth High Priest, Nichinyo Shōnin (1935–). Nichiren Shōshū priests distinguish themselves from those of most other schools by wearing only white and grey robes and a white surplice, as they believe Nichiren did. The colour of the robes symbolises the way that the lotus flower grows straight and true through the mud. Since the Meiji Era, Nichiren Shōshū priests, like those of many other Japanese Buddhist sects, have been permitted to marry.

Believers are organized in temple-based congregations known as Hokkekō. Most attend services at a local temple or in private homes when no temple is nearby. Services are usually officiated by a priest, but lay leaders sometimes fill in when no priest is available. When they gather, believers frequently study Nichiren Shōshū teachings, particularly the various writings of Nichiren, called Gosho.

Basic Doctrines

Much of Nichiren Shōshū's underlying teachings are extensions of Tendai (天台, Chinese: Tiantai; Korean: Cheontae) thought. They include much of its worldview and its rationale for criticism of Buddhist schools that do not acknowledge the Lotus Sutra to be Buddhism's highest teaching, as stated by Buddha Shakyamuni. For example, Nichiren Shōshū doctrine extends Tendai's classification of the Buddhist sutras into five time periods and eight categories (五時八教: goji-hakkyō), its theory of 3,000 interpenetrating realms within a single life-moment (一念三千: Ichinen Sanzen), and its view of the Three Truths (三諦: Santai).

Nichiren Shōshū holds that in revealing and propagating his teachings, Nichiren was fulfilling a prophecy made by the Buddha Shakyamuni (Siddhartha Gautama; 563?–483? BC).^{[citation needed]}

Nichiren Shōshū teaches that Nichiren Daishōnin is the True Buddha^{[clarification needed]} and that his Dharma, or Mystic Law (Myōhō: mystic in the sense of profound, sublime, or unfathomable), is the True Buddha's ultimate teaching. Nichiren Shōshū's belief of Nichiren Daishōnin being the True Buddha is its reason for referring to him as Nichiren Daishōnin ("Great Sage Nichiren").

Practise

Nichiren Shōshū teaches that personal enlightenment can be achieved in one's present form and lifetime (即身成仏 sokushin jōbutsu). Chanting Nam-Myōhō-Renge-Kyō is central to their practice. Only by chanting Nam-myōhō-renge-kyō to the Gohonzon a person is believed to change, or expiate, bad karma and achieve enlightenment. In this process, the individual chooses to lead others to an enlightened state of being.

Nam-Myōhō-Renge-Kyō is called the Daimoku (題目: "the prayer of the Nichiren sect"^[5]), since it comprises Nam and the Japanese title of the Lotus Sutra, Myōhō-Renge-Kyō. It can be understood as a sort of invocation meaning "I submit myself (or "dedicate, commit my life") to the Mystic Law containing the Cause and Effect of the enlightenment of all Buddhas." The believer's practice (gyōriki: power of practice) and faith (shinriki: power of faith) are believed to call forth the power of the Buddha (butsuriki) and the power of the Dharma (Law) inherent in the Gohonzon (hōriki). This practice and faith are thought to expiate the believer's "negative karma", and bring forth a higher life condition.

The daily practice of Nichiren Shōshū believers consists of affirming and renewing their faith by performing gongyō twice daily, once in the morning and once in the evening. Gongyō entails chanting a portion of Chapter 2 (Expedient Means) and all of Chapter 16 (Life Span of the Thus Come One) of the Lotus Sutra and chanting Nam-Myōhō-Renge-Kyō to the Gohonzon, while focusing on the Chinese character 妙 [J. myō] (Eng. Mystic; Wonderful), the second character of the Daimoku.

Morning gongyō consists of a series of five sutra recitations followed by silently recited, prescribed prayers. Evening gongyō encompasses only three sutra recitations and the second, third, and fifth of the same silent prayers. This practice, particularly when shared with others, is regarded as the “true cause” for attaining enlightenment.

The logic behind this is that through thoughts, words, and deeds, every being creates causes, and every cause is to have an effect. Good causes produce positive effects; bad causes, negative ones (see karma). This law of causality is the universal principle underlying all visible and invisible phenomena and events in one's physical and spiritual daily life. Nichiren Shōshū believers strive to elevate their "life condition" by acting in accordance with this law in their day-to-day lives and by sharing their faith and practice with others, believing their Buddhist practice to be the ultimate good cause for effecting changes in life and attaining enlightenment, and achieving peace in the world.

Object of Worship

Transcriptions of the Dai-Gohonzon, made by successive High Priests of Nichiren Shōshū, are called Gohonzon^[6] ('go', honorific prefix indicating respect). Most Gohonzons in temples are wood tablets in which the inscription is carved (the tablets are coated with black urushi with gilded characters). Gohonzons enshrined in temples, and other similar facilities, are personally inscribed by one of the successive High Priests.

Individual believers may make a request to receive a personal Gohonzon to their local temple Chief priest. These Gohonzons are facsimiles printed on paper and presented as a small scroll, about 7” by 15”. The local Chief priest sends all requests to the Head Temple. As these requests are granted, Gohonzons are then delivered to the recipient’s local priest and he bestows them on the individual members. In this ritual, the recipient vows to sincerely believe in Nichiren's teachings and to practice and uphold the Gohonzon of the Three Great Secret Laws.

Regardless of their type, all Gohonzons issued by Nichiren Shōshū have been consecrated by one of the successive High Priests in a ceremony conducted in the Hoando. It is believed that this ceremony endows the Gohonzon with the same enlightened property of the Dai-Gohonzon, thus giving it the same power.

The difference between a Nichiren Shōshū Gohonzon, granted to lay believers by the Priesthood, and all others is that they are the only ones specifically sanctioned and issued by Nichiren Shōshū.

Personal Gohonzons are enshrined in a Butsudan (altar). Home altars generally include a candle, a bell, incense, a vessel containing water and an offering of fresh evergreens and fruit.

Unauthorized reproduction of the Gohonzon is prohibited to believers. Upon death the Gohonzon must be returned to a Nichiren Shōshū Temple.

Dai-Gohonzon

The Dai Gohonzon is a mandala believed by Nichiren Shōshū to have been inscribed by Nichiren in Chinese and Sanskrit characters on October 12, 1279. Its essence is believed to have been “hidden in the depths of the text” (文底秘沈: montei hichin) of Shakyamuni's Lotus Sutra, remaining secret until Nichiren revealed it and gave it a physical form. The most important part of the inscription is the line down its center, which reads Na-mu-myō-hō-ren-ge-kyō Nichi-ren. This signifies that the Law of Nam-myōhō-renge-kyō and the identity of the Original True Buddha, who proclaimed it, are one. They are two facets of a single entity (ninpō-ikka: "oneness of the Person and the Law"). Hence the Dai-Gohonzon is revered as representative of Nichiren and his enlightenment. Every Nichiren Shōshū temple and household possesses a transcription (Gohonzon) of the Dai-Gohonzon.

The Dai-Gohonzon is enshrined in the Hoando (sanctuary) (kaidan; often called an "ordination platform" in other Buddhist schools) at Taiseki-ji. Kaidan can also refer to any place where a Gohonzon is enshrined.

High Priests

1st Nichiren Daishonin October 12, 1282
2nd Nikko Shonin February 7, 1333
3rd Nichimoku Shonin November 15, 1333
4th Nichido Shonin February 26, 1341
5th Nichigyo Shonin August 13, 1369
6th Nichiji Shonin June 4, 1406
7th Nichi a Shonin March 10, 1407
8th Nichi-ei Shonin August 4, 1419
9th Nichiu Shonin September 29, 1482
10th Nichijo Shonin November 20, 1472
11th Nittei Shonin April 7, 1472
12th Nitchin Shonin June 24, 1527
13th Nichi-in Shonin July 6, 1589
14th Nisshu Shonin August 17, 1617
15th Nissho Shonin April 7, 1622
16th Nichiju Shonin February 21, 1632
17th Nissei Shonin November 5, 1638
18th Nichi-ei Shonin March 7, 1683
19th Nisshun Shonin November 12, 1669
20th Nitten Shonin September 21, 1686
21st Nichinin Shonin September 4, 1680
22nd Nisshun Shonin October 29, 1691
23rd Nikkei Shonin November 14, 1707
24th Nichi-ei Shonin February 24, 1715
25th Nichiyu Shonin December 28, 1729
26th Nichikan Shonin August 19, 1726
27th Nichiyo Shonin June 4, 1723
28th Nissho Shonin August 25, 1734
29th Nitto Shonin December 1, 1737
30th Nitchu Shonin October 11, 1743
31st Nichi-in Shonin June 14, 1769
32nd Nikkyo Shonin August 12, 1757
33rd Nichigen Shonin February 26, 1778
34th Nisshin Shonin July 26, 1765
35th Nichi-on Shonin July 3, 1774
36th Nikken Shonin October 3, 1791
37th Nippo Shonin May 26, 1803
38th Nittai Shonin February 20, 1785
39th Nichijun Shonin July 30, 1801
40th Nichinin Shonin August 25, 1795
41st Nichimon Shonin August 14, 1796
42nd Nichigon Shonin July 11, 1797
43rd Nisso Shonin December 3, 1805
44th Nissen Shonin January 7, 1822
45th Nichirei Shonin May 8, 1808
46th Nitcho Shonin January 27, 1817
47th Nisshu Shonin September 22, 1816
48th Nichiryo Shonin May 29, 1851
49th Nisso Shonin May 8, 1830
50th Nichijo Shonin May 1, 1836
51st Nichi-ei Shonin July 9, 1877
52nd Nichiden Shonin June 24, 1890
53rd Nichijo Shonin June 25, 1892
54th Nichi-in Shonin June 2, 1880
55th Nippu Shonin March 4, 1919
56th Nichi-o Shonin June 15, 1922
57th Nissho Shonin August 18, 1923
58th Nitchu Shonin January 26, 1928
59th Nichiko Shonin November 23, 1957
60th Nichikai Shonin November 21, 1943
61st Nichiryu Shonin March 24, 1947
62nd Nikkyo Shonin June 17, 1945
63rd Nichiman Shonin January 7, 1951
64th Nissho Shonin October 14, 1957
65th Nichijun Shonin November 17, 1959
66th Nittatsu Shonin July 22, 1979
67th Nikken Shonin Current Retired High Priest
68th Nichinyo Shonin Current High Priest

Offshoots

In 1974, a lay group called Myōshinkō was expelled from Shōshū after holding a public protest against Soka Gakkai. This group later changed its name to Fuji Taiseki-ji Kenshōkai, reflecting its devotion to the Gohonzon at Taiseki-ji even without the support of Shōshū. Kenshōkai is described as one of the fastest growing denominations of Buddhism in Japan,.^[7]

In 1980, a group of Shōshū priests and supporters called Shōshinkai were expelled from Shōshū for questioning the legitimacy of the new head abbot Nikken and for criticising Soka Gakkai's influence on temple affairs. At the time, Soka Gakkai supported Nikken's claim as the rightful successor of Nittatsu Hosoi as high priest. Shōshinkai continues to refer to itself as the true Nichiren Shōshū.

After WWII, under the leadership of Sōka Gakkai second president Josei Toda, Sōka Gakkai emerged as a lay organization affiliated with and based on the teachings of Nichiren Shōshū. Later development between the two organizations, however, revealed a sequence of doctrinal conflicts, one of which led to the resignation of Daisaku Ikeda, the third president of Sōka Gakkai, in 1979 from his post.^[8]

These and other conflicts resulted in a complete disassociation of the two sides after Nichiren Shōshū excommunicated the leaders of the Sōka Gakkai and stripped it of its status as a lay organization of Nichiren Shōshū in 1991.^[9]^[10] In 1997, Nichiren Shoshu excommunicated all SGI members. Outside observers describe the dispute as being a process where Sōka Gakkai "began a decisive transformation from an organization run by Ikeda to a group dedicated to Ikeda".^[11] Other observers view the issue of "authority" as the central point of the conflict: "The priesthood claims that it is the sole custodian of religious authority and dogma, while the Soka Gakkai leadership argues that the sacred writings of Nichiren, not the priesthood, represent the ultimate source of authority, and that any individual with deep faith in Nichiren’s teachings can attain enlightenment without the assistance of a priest” ^[12]

References

^ Nichiren Shoshu Myokan-ko official website
^ Nichiren Shoshu Myokan-ko official website
^ Nichiren Shoshu Temples
^ Nichiren Shoshu Myokan-ko official website
^ Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary, Kenkyusha Limited, Tokyo 1991, ISBN 4-7674-2015-6
^ Gohonzon by Nittatsu Shonin
^ Stone, Jacqueline (2012). "The Sin of "Slandering the True Dharma"". Sins and Sinners: Perspectives from Asian Religions. Brill. p. 147. ISBN 9004229469.
^ Daisaku Ikeda biography
^ Sōka Gakkai point of view
^ Nichiren Shōshū point of view
^ Levi McLaughlin, Did Aum Change Everything? What Soka Gakkai Before, During, and After the Aum Shinrikyo Affair Tells Us About the Persistent “Otherness” of New Religions in Japan, Japanese Journal of Religious Studies Vol 39 (1), 51-75, 2012. Archived from the original
^ D. Metraux, "The dispute between the Sōka Gakkai and the Nichiren Shōshū priesthood: A lay revolution against a conservative clergy", Japanese Journal of Religious Studies. Vol 19 (4), p. 326, 1992. Archived from the original

External links

Official websites

[1] Nichiren Shoshu Myokan-ko official website

[2] Nichiren Shoshu Myokan-ko official website

[3] Nichiren Shoshu Temples

[4] Nichiren Shoshu Myokan-ko official website

[5] Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary, Kenkyusha Limited, Tokyo 1991, ISBN 4-7674-2015-6

[6] Gohonzon by Nittatsu Shonin

[7] Stone, Jacqueline (2012). "The Sin of "Slandering the True Dharma"". Sins and Sinners: Perspectives from Asian Religions. Brill. p. 147. ISBN 9004229469.

[8] Daisaku Ikeda biography

[9] Sōka Gakkai point of view

[10] Nichiren Shōshū point of view

[11] Levi McLaughlin, Did Aum Change Everything? What Soka Gakkai Before, During, and After the Aum Shinrikyo Affair Tells Us About the Persistent “Otherness” of New Religions in Japan, Japanese Journal of Religious Studies Vol 39 (1), 51-75, 2012. Archived from the original

[12] D. Metraux, "The dispute between the Sōka Gakkai and the Nichiren Shōshū priesthood: A lay revolution against a conservative clergy", Japanese Journal of Religious Studies. Vol 19 (4), p. 326, 1992. Archived from the original

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