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Nichiren (16 February 1222 – 13 October 1282) was a Japanese Buddhist priest and philosopher of the Kamakura period. His teachings form the basis of Nichiren Buddhism, a branch of Mahayana Buddhism.
- Japanese
- Kiyozumi-dera Temple (Seichō-ji), Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei
- 16 February 1222, Kominato village, Awa province, Japan
- Buddhism
Nichiren Buddhism ( Japanese: 日蓮仏教 ), also known as Hokkeshū ( Japanese: 法華宗, meaning Lotus Sect ), is a branch of Mahayana Buddhism based on the teachings of the 13th-century Japanese Buddhist priest Nichiren (1222–1282) and is one of the Kamakura period schools.
- Overview
- Early years and spiritual quest
- Nichiren’s doctrine
- Exile
- Legacy
Nichiren, (born February 16, 1222, Kominato, Japan—died November 14, 1282, Ikegami), militant Japanese Buddhist prophet who contributed significantly to the adaptation of Buddhism to the Japanese mentality and who remains one of the most controversial and influential figures in Japanese Buddhist history. After an exhaustive study of the various for...
Nichiren, the son of a fisherman, was born in a village on the Pacific coast of the present Bōsō Peninsula in eastern Japan. When he was 11 years old, he entered the Buddhist monastery of Kiyosumi-dera, near Kominato, and after four years of novitiate received the Buddhist orders. Buddhism in Japan had become more and more doctrinally confused, and the identity of the various sects was based more on institutional aspects than on doctrinal tenets. Though the monastery of Kiyosumi-dera officially belonged to the Tendai sect (which was centred on the Lotus Sutra text and realization of the universal Buddha-nature), the doctrine practiced there was a mixture of different Buddhist schools; it had a strong emphasis on Shingon, an esoteric school that emphasized an elaborate symbolic ritual as a means of arousing an immediate sense of the all-pervading presence of the Buddha.
The young monk was too intense and too sincere in his quest for the true doctrine of the Buddha to be satisfied with such prevailing confusion of doctrine. Soon his central spiritual problem was to find, through the maze of scriptures and doctrines, the authentic teaching that the historical Buddha, Gautama, had preached for the salvation of humankind. So he undertook a thorough study of all the major Buddhist schools existing in Japan.
In 1233 he went to Kamakura, where he studied Amidism—a pietistic school that stressed salvation through the invocation of Amitabha (Amida), the Buddha of infinite compassion—under the guidance of a renowned master. After having persuaded himself that Amidism was not the true Buddhist doctrine, he passed to the study of Zen Buddhism, which had become popular in Kamakura and Kyōto. He then went to Mount Hiei, the cradle of Japanese Tendai Buddhism, where he found the original purity of the Tendai doctrine corrupted by the introduction and acceptance of other doctrines, especially Amidism and esoteric Buddhism. To eliminate any possible doubts, Nichiren decided to spend some time at Mount Kōya, the centre of esoteric Buddhism, and also in Nara, Japan’s ancient capital, where he studied the Ritsu sect, which emphasized strict monastic discipline and ordination.
By 1253, 20 years after his quest had begun, Nichiren had reached his final conclusion: the true Buddhism was to be found in the Lotus Sutra, and all other Buddhist doctrines were only temporary and provisional steps used by the historical Buddha as a pedagogical method to lead people to the full and final doctrine contained in the Lotus Sutra. Moreover, the Buddha himself had decreed that this doctrine was to be preached during the age of mappō (the “latter law”)—the last, degenerate period after his death, the present age—and that a teacher would then appear to preach this true and final doctrine.
In the spring of 1253, Nichiren returned to Kiyosumi-dera, where he proclaimed his faith before his old master and his fellow monks, adding that all other forms of Buddhism should be banished, for they were false and were misleading the people. Neither the monks of Kiyosumi-dera nor the feudal lord of the region accepted his doctrine, and their angry reaction was such that he had to escape to save his life.
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Expelled from his monastery, Nichiren lived in a little hut in Kamakura and spent his days preaching his doctrine at the busiest crossroads of the city. His constant attacks against all other sects of Buddhism attracted an ever-increasing hostility and finally open persecution from Buddhist institutions and from the authorities. The country was at the time afflicted by epidemics, earthquakes, and internal strife. Reflecting on this sad situation, Nichiren is said to have read once again all the Buddhist scriptures and in 1260 published a short tract, Risshō ankoku ron (“The Establishment of Righteousness and the Pacification of the Country”), in which he stated that the deplorable state of the country was due to the people’s refusal to follow true Buddhism and their support of false sects. The only salvation was for the authorities and the people of Japan to accept Nichiren’s doctrine as the national faith and banish all the other sects. If this was not done, Nichiren claimed, the state of the country would become even worse, and Japan would be invaded by a foreign power. The military government in Kamakura reacted to this prophetic admonition by exiling the monk to a deserted place in the Izu-hantō, in the present Shizuoka prefecture, in June 1261. He was pardoned in 1263, but upon his return to Kamakura Nichiren renewed his attacks.
Again the authorities and the older Buddhist sects were enraged by the extraordinary audacity of this troublesome monk, and in 1271 Nichiren was arrested and condemned to death. The death penalty was commuted at the last moment, and, instead of being executed, Nichiren was exiled to the island of Sado, in the Sea of Japan, where in 1272 he wrote his systematic work Kaimokushō (“The Opening of the Eyes”).
According to Nichiren’s account and the belief of his adherents, he was saved from execution by a miraculous intervention that struck the sword from the executioner’s hand. While the fiery monk was in exile, a second and a third Mongol embassy arrived, threatening an invasion if Japan persisted in its refusal to become a vassal nation. Nichiren’s prophecy and the pressure of his influential friends in Kamakura moved the government, and an edict of pardon was issued in the spring of 1274. In May Nichiren arrived in Kamakura, where he met with high government officials and reiterated his stern requests. Though this time the authorities treated him with deference and respect, they still refused to comply with his demands.
Full of indignation, Nichiren left Kamakura in June and with a small number of disciples retired to a solitary place on Mount Minobu, in the present Yamanashi prefecture. There he spent his last years instructing his followers and writing. Among the main works of this period are the “Selection of the Time,” a synthetic exposition of his philosophy of history, and “In Recompense of Indebtedness,” in which a good life is seen as one of practical gratitude toward one’s parents, all creatures, one’s sovereign, and the Buddha.
The hardships and persecutions endured for so many years began to take their toll, and Nichiren’s state of health grew worse and worse. His final illness was probably a cancer of the intestinal tract. In the fall of 1282 he left his hermitage at Minobu and took residence in the mansion of one of his disciples in the district of Ikegami (in what is now Tokyo), where he died.
Nichiren is perhaps the most controversial figure in the history of Japanese Buddhism. Incapable of accepting any compromise, he described himself as a most intractable character. Yet letters he wrote to his disciples and friends reveal how loving, understanding, and even delicate he could be. He dearly loved Japan and wanted it to fulfill its miss...
Nichiren (1222–82) was a Japanese priest who established the form of Buddhism embraced by the Soka Gakkai. He proclaimed the Lotus Sutra as the essence of Buddhism and the source of the Mystic Law, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, to liberate all people from suffering.
Learn about Nichiren Buddhism, a Mahayana school founded by a 13th-century Japanese priest who emphasized the Lotus Sutra. Explore the core practices, beliefs, and history of this tradition and its modern offshoots.
Nichiren Buddhism, school of Japanese Buddhism named after its founder, the 13th-century militant prophet and saint Nichiren. It is one of the largest schools of Japanese Buddhism.
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In the course of his studies, Nichiren arrived at some key conclusions, which may be summarized as follows: (1) The Lotus Sutra is supreme among all the sutras that Shakyamuni expounded. (2) The Wonderful Law to which Nichiren awakened is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the core teaching of the Lotus Sutra.
