Nichiren Shōshū

Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism
日蓮正宗
Taisekiji Head Temple, Fujinomiya, Japan
Classification	Nichiren Buddhism
Scripture	Lotus Sutra Gosho writings of Nichiren
Theology	Hokke Buddhism
Polity	Hokkeko
High Priest	Nichi Nyo Shonin
Buddhist temple	732
Liturgy	Liturgy of Nichiren Shoshu
Headquarters	Base of Mount Fuji
Founder	Nikko Shonin
Origin	1290 Minobu, Yamanashi, later transferred to Taisekiji
Members	550,000 lay members
Official website	Nichiren Shoshu Website

Part of a series on
Buddhism
History Timeline Gautama Buddha Councils Later Buddhists
Dharma Concepts Four Noble Truths Five Aggregates Impermanence Suffering Non-self Dependent Origination Middle Way Emptiness Karma Rebirth Saṃsāra Cosmology
Buddhist texts Buddhavacana Tripiṭaka Mahayana Sutras Pāli Canon Tibetan canon Chinese canon
Practices Three Jewels Buddhist Paths to liberation Morality Perfections Meditation Philosophical reasoning Mindfulness Wisdom Compassion Aids to Enlightenment Monasticism Laity
Nirvāṇa Four Stages Arhat Buddha Bodhisattva
Traditions Theravāda Pāli Mahāyāna Hinayana Chinese Vajrayāna Tibetan Navayana Newar
Buddhism by country Bhutan Cambodia China India Japan Korea Laos Mongolia Myanmar Russia Sri Lanka Taiwan Thailand Tibet Vietnam
Outline Buddhism portal

Nichiren Shōshū (日蓮正宗 English: Orthodox School of Nichiren) is a branch of Nichiren Buddhism based on the teachings of the 13th-century Japanese Buddhist priest Nichiren (1222–1282). Nichiren Shōshū claims Nichiren as its founder through his disciple Nikko Shonin (1246–1333), the founder of the school's Head Temple Taiseki-ji, located at the base of Mount Fuji. Nichiren Shōshū has adherents around the world, with the largest concentration in Japan. The Myohoji Temple located in Los Angeles, California serves as the organization's headquarters within the United States.

The main object of worship and veneration by its believers is the Dai Gohonzon, presently enshrined in Hoando building located in Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture while the official logo used is the round crane (Japanese: Tsuru-no-Maru). Both its leadership and adherents ascribe a uniquely honorific title to Nichiren, as the Dai-Shonin (Great Teacher) while maintaining that the sole legitimate successor to both his ministry and legacy is Nikko Shonin alone and the successive high priests of Nichiren Shōshū. The current High Priest of the sect is Nichinyo Shonin, who ascended the position in 2005.

Overview

Nichiren Shōshū is a school rooted in Mahayana Buddhism. Its original name is Nichiren School (Shu) of the Fuji area, branch of Taisekiji Temple. After the Meiji restoration, it was designated its own name as Nichiren Shoshu in 1912. Its head temple, the Taiseki-ji, is located on the lower slopes of Mount Fuji in Japan. 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 regardless of one's position in life, condition of circumstances, gender and occupational role as well as not necessarily waiting to be reincarnated into another future existence.

Nichiren Shōshū claims over 700 local temples and additional temple-like (propagation centers) facilities in Japan.. It also claims 22 overseas official temples - six in the United States, two in Indonesia (Jakarta and Bogor), as well as temples in Brazil, France, Ghana, Singapore, the Philippines and Spain, and 10 propagation centers - two propagation centers in South Korea (Seoul and Busan) as well as others in Argentina (Buenos Aires), Brazil (Rio de Janeiro), Hong Kong, Malaysia (Klang), and nine official temples and one propagation building in Taiwan. In 2002, Nichiren Shōshū claimed approximately 350,000 registered believers in Japan and approximately 200,000 registered in overseas countries.

Nichiren Shōshū claims a direct lineage of successive High Priests from Nikko Shonin called Yuijo Ichinen Kechimyaku Sojo who they believe was chosen by Nichiren to carry on the propagation of his Buddhist practice in the Latter Day of the Law, which is a focus that distinguishes the Nichiren school in general. This direct transmission of the Law is set forth in the following Nichiren documents: ^[1]

1. The Law that Nichiren propagated throughout his life (Nichiren ichi-go guho fu-zo-ku-sho)
2. The Ikegami Transfer Document (Minobu-San-Fu-Zo-Ku-sho)
3. The 106 Articles of Nichiren Shōshū (Hya-Ku-Rokka-Sho)

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 vestment robes and a white surplice, as they believe Nichiren did. The colour of the robes symbolizes the way that the lotus flower grows straight and true through the mud. Since the Meiji period, Nichiren Shōshū priests, like other Japanese Buddhist sects, have been permitted to marry.

Hokkeko

A group of Hokkeko members of Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism during gongyo services in Nagano, Japan.

Lay believers are organized in temple-based congregations known as Hokkekō groups, designed to encourage solidarity among fellow members to study the Nichiren Shoshu doctrines and plan one's Tozan pilgrimage to the head temple in Japan. 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. A leader in a local group or district is called Koto while a widely held position on a grander scale was once called So-Koto, now expired and no longer used.. The present Dai-Koto of the Hokkeko Federation is Koichiro Hoshino.

Crest

The circular crane bird, used as the official logo of Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism.

The official symbol of Nichiren Shōshū is the crane bird (Tsuru). More specifically, the posture of the crane is in a circular position (Tsuru-no-Maru). The crane, being a longstanding symbol of prowess and longevity is attributed to Nichiren, who is viewed as a Buddha for the latter age. Pious beliefs also recount the pairing of two cranes, one having an open beak while the other closed, symbolically representing the "Master and Disciple" relationship. Another notable meaning often used is the phrase "Yui Butsu Yo Butsu Nai No Kujin" which references the 2nd chapter of the Lotus Sutra, emphasizing that Buddhahood and the true nature of all phenomena can only be fully understood between already enlightened beings. Pious legends attribute that Nichiren took on this crest after seeing cranes take flight sometime after the Atsuhara persecution.

Formerly, Nichiren used the Mandarin Tachibana Orange flower as his crest which he inherited from his ancestral parents. After the Atsuhara persecution, he adopted the Japanese Tsuru crane bird which Nikko Shonin also adopted on when he left Mount Minobu and moved to Taisekiji Sohonzan.

Another symbol is the eight wheel of Noble Eightfold Path called Rimbo (Treasure Ring) used by all Buddhist sects, as well as the tortoise crest for Nikko Shonin, who is considered by the school to be the sole and legitimate successor to Nichiren. The pine, plum and bamboo combination crest is also present in the temple altars, representing Nichimoku Shonin.

Doctrine

Goryeo-Illustrated manuscript of the Lotus Sutra from Gwangdeoksa Buddhist temple in Cheonan, Korea.

Buddhist prayer Juzu prayer beads with white cords and balls are the only color permitted in Nichiren Shoshu practice.

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 which they believe was stated by Buddha Shakyamuni.

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). In addition, the school holds that in revealing and propagating his teachings, Nichiren was fulfilling a prophecy made by the Buddha Shakyamuni (Siddhartha Gautama; 563?–483? BC) in the 21st chapter of the Lotus Sutra which states the following:

Like the rays of the sun and the moon that dispel the darkness of phenomena, this person will practice in the world, dispel the darkness of all humanity and lead immeasurable numbers of bodhisattvas to finally attain the one vehicle.

1. (Namu Butsu) Nichiren Shōshū teaches that Nichiren is the True Buddha of the modern age corresponding to the present Buddhist age and on for eternity—for this reason by referring to him as Nichiren Daishōnin ("Great Sage Nichiren").
2. (Namu Ho) The Dharma, or Mystic Law (Myōhō: mystic in the sense of profound, sublime, or unfathomable), is the True Buddha's ultimate teaching, crystallized in Nam Myōhō Renge Kyō.
3. (Namu So) The Sangha refers to the collective of Nichiren Shōshū priests who serve to protect and preserve the doctrines and dogma of Nichiren Shōshū.

Daily practice

A set of Ihai spirit tablets offered for the deceased in a Nichiren Shoshu Imaji Temple in Nagano, Japan.

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 is a person 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"^[2]), 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 Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō|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. A rin copper bell is used to announce prayers for the Buddhist protection gods of Shoten Zenjin as well as to announce the dead relatives prayed for during Gongyo services.

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.

The Dai-Gohonzon

Early photograph of the Dai-Gohonzon at Taiseki-ji, printed by historian Kumada Ijō's. From the 1913 book, Nichiren Shōnin, 8th edition, pp. 375.

The Dai Gohonzon (Formally: Dai-Gohonzon of the High Sanctuary of Essential Teachings) is a calligraphic mandala inscribed with Sanskrit and Chinese characters on a plank of Japanese camphorwood and the supreme object of veneration for the Shōshū school. The Shōshū school claims that Nichiren inscribed it on 12 October 1279 (Japanese: Koan).

The religious importance of this item is that it proclaims the ninpō-ikka or "unity of the Person and the Buddhist Law" and the Dai Gohonzon is revered as the personification of Nichiren himself. Every Nichiren Shōshū temple and household possesses a gohonzon that is a transcription of the Dai Gohonzon.

The Dai Gohonzon is enshrined at the Hoando building within the Taiseki-ji Grand Main Temple complex grounds at the foot of Mount Fuji, which is the headquarters of the Shōshū school. The image was previously enshrined in the Shohondo modern-style building at exactly the same site, which was ultimately destroyed in 1998, replacing a more traditional style building.

Nichiren Shōshū adherents are not daily exposed to view the Dai-Gohonzon except on major events held as holidays by the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood, who remain as both owners and custodians until today. Accordingly, the temple priesthood will only expose the image for constant public veneration once Kosen-rufu is achieved, maintaining the beliefs of Nichiren Shōshū as the primal religion in the world. Contrary to most Gohonzons, it is not enshrined with Shikimi Japanese evergreen leaves, only brass Lotus flowers plated in 24 karat gold. The image is approximately the size of a modern wooden door, with wider sides and is made in black glossy finish, styled with golden calligraphy.

As Supreme object of main worship

Fenghuangs on the Taiseki-ji main entrance of the Dai-Gohonzon sanctuary.

Transcriptions of the Dai Gohonzon, made by successive High Priests of Nichiren Shōshū, are called gohonzon (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 and have gilded characters. Gohonzons enshrined in temples and other similar facilities are personally inscribed by one of the successive High Priests.

In Nichiren Shoshu, the second recitation of the Lotus Sutra is offered and dedicated in honor of the Dai-Gohonzon. Out of the five authorised prayers by Nichiren Shoshu, the second silent prayer is considered the most auspicious and most significant.

I (name), express my sincere devotion to the Dai Gohonzon—the Soul of the Juryo Chapter of the Essential Teachings and the Supreme Law concealed within its depths, the fusion of the Realm of Original Infinite Law and the inherent Wisdom within the Buddha of Kuon Ganjo, the manifestation of the Buddha of Intrinsic Perfect Wisdom—the Eternal Co–existence of the Ten Worlds, the entity of Ichi-nen-San-Zen, the Oneness of the Person and the Mystic Law, and the Supreme Object of Worship of the Most High Sanctuary. I also express my deep and heartfelt gratitude for its Beneficence, and pray that it's profound Benevolent Power may ever more widely prevail.

— Dai-Moku San-Sho 3x times.

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, measuring approximately 7" x 15" inches. 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.

Religious practices

Two Japanese artisans making Juzu Buddhist prayer beads used in the Nichiren Shoshu school. The ordinary five strand in white cords, tasseled version for priests. Dated 1 September 1914, from the collection of Elstner Hilton, Portland, Oregon.

Offerings of fruit on a Butsudan altar

Buddhist piety and religiosity is a highly held virtue in Nichiren Shōshū Buddhism. Visitors who enter the temple may consider becoming a member by accepting the Gojukai ceremony which the lay believer accepts the precepts of Nichiren Shōshū and vow to defend and venerate the Dai-Gohonzon in their present existence and future existences if reincarnated once again. Nichiren Shoshu claims this tradition from the 25th chapter of the Lotus Sutra dedicated to the goddess Kannon, where the Shakyamuni Buddha passes his vow to the Jogyo Bodhisattva and his "infinite followers" all the merits of the Seven Jewels of the Treasure Tower.

For former members which have not been active, they are allowed to receive the Kankai or reaffirmation vows. Special Gokuyo or monetary offering is suggested depending on religious services such as the following:

Donations to a Nichiren Shōshū temple is highly regarded as a personal issue and is therefore always contained in small white envelopes labeled Gokuyo offering with a checklist that labels the purpose of ones donation. In addition, monetary donations from non-members is also trivialized and strongly prohibited.

The difference between a Nichiren Shōshū gohonzon granted to lay believers by the priesthood and all other types is that they are the only ones specifically sanctioned and issued by Nichiren Shōshū. The following gohonzons are issued if deemed worthy of the lay believer upon application:

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 building of Taisekiji temple. It is believed that this ceremony endows a gohonzon with the same enlightened property of the Dai Gohonzon, thus giving it the same power. Upon death, the gohonzon must be returned to a Nichiren Shōshū temple. Unauthorized reproduction or photography of the gohonzon is prohibited to believers.

Regarding Honzon scrolls used by Soka Gakkai, the temple requires that former SGI members return their Honzon back to their former organization before becoming a full–fledged member, since they deem the image a counterfeit copy that brings no auspicious benefits nor sanction from the high temple.

Juzu or Buddhist prayer beads may be used in various bead colors and material providing that they are in the 5 structure used by Nichiren Shōshū, while the cords and dangling Pom-Pom ornaments are strictly in white color. The long tasseled Juzu beads are reserved for priests, who use them to officiate special ritualized blessings which have also come to represent their primary role in priestly service. Juzu sold at the temple bookstore are automatically shipped every week from Tozan pilgrimages from Japan and have automatically received the eye-opening ceremony. Members who choose to purchase Juzu outside of the temple may still use them providing that they have received the eye-opening ceremony performed by ones local priest. The rubbing of Juzu prayer beads is prohibited during both Gongyo and Shodai services.

No statues or other religious images are used or allowed in an altar of a Nichiren Shōshū believer, while photographs of relatives and friends are also discouraged from the main altar as they form possible distraction during Gongyo prayers. Instead, a Kakocho memorial booklet is granted to a member by the Nichiren Shōshū temple priest that is held by a paperweight commonly inscribed with the names of alive or deceased relatives being prayed for. Only a Nichiren Shōshū priest may inscribe names within the book, and members are required to provide both the anniversary death and birth to the temple for further remembrances.

Religious pilgrimages are referred to as Tozan where a lay believer makes an offering to a "Temple Stay" which includes food, board and lodging for a consecutive amount of days in the Taisekiji temple. A group Tozan pilgrimage is less costly than a personal pilgrimage, where the lay believer will shoulder all the cost. Members get to tour the Taisekiji temple grounds and if permitting be able to witness the Dai Gohonzon or the various ceremonies carried throughout the calendar. The visitation, but not participation of services of other Nichiren Shu historical temples is also permitted, especially for pious purposes in wanting to see the historical artifacts related to Nichiren which many are held under the custody of the Nichiren Shu sect.

Personal gohonzons are enshrined in a butsudan altar. Not all butsudan shrines are required to have doors, but a white cloth is required to cover an open butsudan if not being used. Home altars generally include a candle, a rin copper bell, incense, a vessel containing water and an offering of fresh evergreens and fruit, sometimes wine or cooked rice depending on special occasions. Food offerings are allowed to be consumed by lay believers. The most popular offerings left by lay believers in Nichiren Shōshū high altars are various fruits and sacks of rice.

List of High Priests

The 65th High Priest Nichijun Shonin officiating the Gongyo prayers in October 1959 at the Jozai-ji temple in Ikebukuro, Toshima, Japan.

• The dates denote the date of death of each high priest.

Expelled lay and priestly groups

In chronological order, the following groups were previously associated with Nichiren Shoshu, later expelled from the Buddhist sect, respectively in years 1974 (Kenshokai), 1980 (Shoshinkai), and 1991 (Soka Gakkai):

Opposing views

The Shohondo hall of the Taiseki-ji temple. Constructed in 1972, demolished in 1998.

Various criticisms of Nichiren Shoshu are often published by its former lay organization, the Soka Gakkai. In its dissenting group Soka Spirit that questions and opposes Nichiren Shoshu doctrines, the Soka Gakkai rejects both the priestly authority of the High Priest of Taisekiji and the intermediary role of the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood as relevant or necessary in practicing Buddhism for a contemporary age.^[20]

Former practitioners often cite the orthodox beliefs of Nichiren Shoshu that places great emphasis in religious piety and religious ceremonies that prohibit tolerance for other cultures and foreign religious values under an atmosphere of orthodoxy. Chief among this is the prohibition of members to attend other religious venues, the purchase of buddhist religious articles outside of the Taisekiji vicinity. Most significant is the alleged monopoly of Nichiren Buddhism through the devotional Tozan pilgrimages to the Dai Gohonzon.^[21] The donations, while voluntary, are granted for Toba memorial tablets, Kakocho ancestral books and the overwhelming Japanese conservative customs and mannerisms associated with Buddhist practice.^[22]

Furthermore, allegations of accepting Ofuda and Omamori Shinto talismans during the Second World War to support the Japanese Emperor Showa's patriotic war effort to maintain immunity from persecution was supposedly contradictory to its doctrinal beliefs to reject other religions, though both the temple priesthood and Tsunesaburo Makiguchi in his writings at the time did lend support for the world war effort as dictated by the Japanese Emperor. The first talisman dedicated to the solar goddess Amaterasu-Omikami enshrined at the Dai-Kyakuden Hall was installed by the Japanese Imperial Army.^[23]

The most prominent of this criticisms is the posterior elevation of the High Priest of Nichiren Shoshu as the sole inheritor of the enlightened entity of the Buddha called the "Living Essence" or the Heritage of the Law, referring to its doctrinal office of Taisekiji while the Soka Gakkai claims to be the inheritor of Heritage of the Faith without any distinct priestly lineage. A longstanding negative sentiment is crystallized in the destruction of the Sho-hondo and other Soka Gakkai funded buildings which came from the member donations during the 1970s. In addition, the alleged manipulation of Nichiren's writings called Gosho by either abbreviating or manipulating its interpretative meaning to suit a hierarchical sentiment is criticised against the priesthood and its school.

Outside researchers such as author Daniel Metraux view the issue of perceived authority as the central point of the conflict:

The priesthood claims that it is the sole custodian of religious authority and preservation of dogma, while the Soka Gakkai leadership claims that the scriptural 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 Nichiren Shōshū priest.^[24]

According to Ian Reader, another researcher of Japanese religious studies, "it is clear that there has been corrupt and scandalous behavior on both sides."^[25]

See also

• Nichiren Shū

References

Further reading

External links