A Handbook for Members of the Nichiren Sect

The Nichiren Sect is based on the Lotus Sutra, which is the supreme teachings of Sakyamuni Buddha. The founder of the sect is Nichiren Shonin, who put into practice the teachings of the Lotus Sutra. We believe in the teachings of the Lotus Sutra and our Founder, Nichiren Shonin, and try to spread the teachings as the means of bringing happiness to all people, maintaining peace in society and realizing the Buddha land. Only the Nichiren Sect has traditionally maintained these goals for the past seven hundred years.

Kuon Temple on Mt. Minobu, our Founder's temple, is the focal point of our faith. The Nichiren Sect Headquarters (Shūmin) in Tokyo is the organizational and business center. We, ministers and lay members, are making concerted efforts to live in this modern age according to the teachings of the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren Shonin. Our faith does not differentiate ministers from lay followers. The ministers' base of activities is in a temple, church, or association, where they are responsible for personal and social dissemination of our faith, for studying the teachings of the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren Shonin, and for conducting Buddhist ceremonies. While living a secular life, lay members are responsible for working hard at their faith and training, and practicing the teachings. In this way we spread the true and wonderful aspects of the teachings. Only with unity and cooperation between ministers and lay members can we strengthen the faith in Nichiren Buddhism. Our creed has been listed on a previous page. The way we should act is described in this handbook. Therefore, we should always carry it with us and consult it as we strive to strengthen our faith, practice training, and learn the teachings of the Buddha.

Sakyamuni Buddha put His heart into expounding the Lotus Sutra (Saddharmapuṇḍarika Sutra). Ile revealed the spirit of the Lotus Sutra to us in the world. What is written in the Lotus Sutra may appear to us as just a number of characters, but each one of those characters is in fact the Buddha Himself and His voice addressing us. Therefore, Nichiren Shonin taught us that those who believe in the Lotus Sutra uphold the Buddha Himself.

The two most important points of the Lotus Sutra, the ultimate words of the Buddha, are that (1) everyone can become a Buddha (nijō sabutsu), and (2) the life of the Buddha is eternal through past, present and future, and He is always trying to help us obtain Buddhahood (kuon jitsujō).

Nichiren Shonin also says that the Lotus Sutra is the essence of the Buddha's whole teachings, and the "Jigage" (verse section at the end of chapter 16) is the heart of the Lotus Sutra. Chapter 16, "On the Eternal Life of the Buddha," of the Lotus Sutra expounds that (1) the Buddha has always been and will always be with us, from time immemorial up to the eternal future, and that (2) the Buddha is always trying to save the suffering people of this decadent world and to help them to obtain Buddhahood. It also says, "When the people become devout, upright and gentle, and wish to see me with all their hearts even at the cost of their lives, I will appear on Mt. Sacred Eagle with my disciples. I am always here (Mt. Sacred Eagle), and though I sometimes appeared to be dead as a means of expedience,
I have never actually died. Whenever there are those who respect me, believe in me, and wish to see me, I will appear before them and talk to them," The Buddha says that He deeply cares for you and me and He hopes to save us all, Nichiren Shonin interpreted the Lotus Sutra as if the Buddha, as expounded in the 16th chapter, spoke to him directly.

In the 16th chapter of the Lotus Sutra, especially in the verse section, the Buddha declares that without exception we will all be saved and attain Buddhahood and that He tries to show the way of the Buddha to everyone. He lists the merits of those who feel really happy listening to the words of the Lotus Sutra and try to receive and uphold each word of it. The Lotus Sutra says, “Although numerous difficulties and persecutions may befall those who uphold and propagate the Lotus Sutra, they should endure them with the belief that everyone can attain Buddhahood. They should explain this to others. This is indeed the duty of the practitioners of the Lotus Sutra." Our Founder, Nichiren Shonin, firmly believed that Buddha's spirit lies in the Lotus Sutra and it is crystalized in the Odaimoku or Sacred Title of "Namu Myoho Renge-kyo." The Bodhisattva Jōgyō was entrusted with the task of disseminating the Odaimoku to the people of the Latter Age of Decadence.

Realizing that he was the Bodhisattva Jōgyō, Nichiren Shonin took up the duty of spreading the Lotus Sutra. The Bodhisattva Jōgyō is the leader of many bodhisattvas who rose from the earth — meaning that he is the leader appearing from the masses of common people. Nichiren Shonin went beyond self-pride and, like the Bodhisattva Jōgyō, he vowed to teach the Lotus Sutra to the people in order to save them. We, members of the Nichiren Sect, look up to Nichiren Shonin as Buddha's messenger — practitioner of the Lotus Sutra who believed himself to be the Bodhisattva Jōgyō.

Thus we will be saved by upholding the Odaimoku or Sacred Title which is the life of the Eternal Buddha whose spirit lies in the Lotus Sutra. We will be saved by believing in the Lotus Sutra as practiced by Nichiren Shonin who spread the Sacred Title despite persecutions and sufferings and hoped to spread peace throughout the country by establishing righteousness.

It is important to keep the following rules in mind in order to have correct faith in the Lotus Sutra:

• • As stated above it is important to believe in and recite "Namu Myoho Renge-kyo." In other words, according to the directions of Nichiren Shonin, the messenger of Sakyamuni Buddha, we should keep the Lotus Sutra as our mirror and recite the Odaimoku from our hearts as we live our daily lives.
  • We must realize that the Lotus Sutra is preached for us who suffer and are in trouble while living in the Latter Age of Declining Law (Mappō). We recite the Odaimoku in order to germinate our Buddha nature and nourish it. Wondering whether a life motivated only by greed for position, honor, and wealth is worth living, we search for solutions to the inequality of human beings, to the sufferings of man such as sickness and pain, to troubled relationships among humans in society and at homes and to the fear and sadness of death. This is where the Lotus Sutra and the teachings of Nichiren Shonin offer a solution. Nichiren Shonin said that "myō" of "Namu Myoho Rengekyo" means revival. It means that we live our daily lives rigorously according to the Buddha.
  • We live in this modern age. In the time when pollution, traffic accidents, and war threaten man, we must proclaim the teachings of the Lotus Sutra, which brings peace and happiness. Nichiren Shonin directly observed sufferings, pains and sadness of people and tried to find solutions for them by means of the Odaimoku. The Lotus Sutra says, "He who always suffers will eventually obtain enlightenment." It teaches us that instead of ignoring sufferings and sadness of life, we should face the sad reality squarely, and that without shrinking away from difficulties we should live without fear of death and humbly accept the salvation of the Buddha.
  • We should know that the Lotus Sutra should be spread all over the world starting from Japan. We pray and endeavor to bring about the time when not only all the Japanese people but also people of the entire world recite the Odaimoku. Then everyone in society will live in peace and happiness. We believe it is our duty to spread the Lotus Sutra and create the Pure Land of the Buddha out of this defiled world so that all may live in peace and happiness. Just as the lotus blossoms in a muddy pond and lends beauty to the surroundings, we, believers of the Lotus Sutra, should live in this way to eliminate darkness from this defiled world. Nichiren Shonin meant this when he said, "I will become the pillar of Japan."

Our faith is to obtain the world of peace and tranquility by reciting the Odaimoku while facing the Gohonzon. The Gohonzon is the Eternal Buddha who embraces us with His rays of wisdom and compassion when we put our complete faith in Him. The Gohonzon as shown in chapter 16 of the Lotus Sutra is the relationship between the Eternal Buddha Sakyamuni who is calling us and is trying to save us all on the one hand and we who pray with all our hearts to be saved and to help others to be saved on the other hand. Therefore, we revere Sakyamuni Buddha as the •Gohonzon. The Omandara represents the enlightenment of the Eternal Buddha Sakyamuni and the very heart of the Buddha, and therefore it is a graphic representation of Sakyamuni Buddha's spirit itself. We, members of the Nichiren Great Omandara Gohonzon Nichiren Shonin Sect, must enshrine the passed away in front of this Gohonzon. Great Omandara and pray to it.

Our basic form of prayer is the recitation of the Odaimoku. In response to Buddha's calling and guidance we pray and place our complete faith in Him, and we receive the benefits of Buddha's accumulation of good karma.

The Odaimoku is the foundation of the Nichiren Sect. The basis of the Nichiren Sect lies in reciting the Odaimoku in the morning and in the evening. In addition, the Nichiren Sect Headquarters urge you to recite the Odaimoku at eight o'clock each morning facing in the direction of Mt. Minobu. This is the "Prayer for the Protection of the Dharma." It is important to practice this.

Such peace and tranquility in which we recite the Odaimoku to the Gohonzon is the manifestation of our faith. Then we are embraced by the Buddha and we become united with Him.

We must try to bring about the dissemination of the Lotus Sutra in the whole world in which everyone will recite the Odaimoku. The main means of strengthening our faith and training in our daily lives is through the recitation of the Odaimoku. In addition we may practice reading, reciting, explaining and writing of the Lotus Sutra as auxiliary means. From this Printed form of Gohonzon daily life of faith emerges the way of life in which we wish for the righteousness and happiness eliminating anti-Buddhist wrongdoing, idleness, and injustice. We also spread this spirit to other people so we all endeavor toward this goal. This is the way of the Bodhisattva.

To obtain Buddhahood does not mean to die. It means to live a strong, righteous, and pure life with the recitation of the Odaimoku. A sincere life with faith and training of the Lotus Sutra itself is obtaining Buddhahood. In other words, obtaining Buddhahood does not mean to assume a particular form or state. It means most sincere devotion to the Eternal Buddha, upholding His teachings, and the recitation of the Odaimoku itself.

When one believes that he is saved by the Buddha and is being allowed to live in Buddha's Pure Land, he can obtain eternal peace of mind. When one renounces himself before the Buddha, eliminates all evil thoughts and greediness, and obediently believe in the Buddha, this is the life of prayer. It is based on strict self-examination and compassion and wisdom which seeks humanistic ways of living.

Faith cannot be forced upon others, nor can we make someone believe through force. It is wrong to resort to intimidation and force, saying it is shakubuku, a means of spreading the Lotus Sutra.

Shakubuku is a strict way of spreading Buddhism to awaken religious feeling in others so that they would be converted. On the other hand, shōju is a gentle way of persuasion according to the individual and circumstance. To resort to shakubuku as a way of persuasion, the person must strictly discipline himself first. By observing the life of our Founder, who risked his life to spread the teachings of the Buddha in order to repent and redeem his bad karma in his previous lives, we should know there are two ways of spreading the Lotus Sutra. Nichiren Shonin said, "Whether we should use the method of shakubuku or shōju depends on the circumstances."

There can be no religion without prayer. In a broad sense, all religion is prayer. When Nichiren Shonin talked about "Prayer from Heart," he must have emphasized this relationship between the two.

Prayer is the expression of heart which yearns for the attainment of Buddhahood for oneself as well as others because of his great spirit of compassion. It is diametrically opposed and contradictory to this if one, swayed by a selfish heart, prays out of selfish desire or greed. In the Nichiren Sect there is a traditional method of prayer called kitō, but it also must be, as we said above, the expression of inner truth born out of great compassion. In other words kitō must be based on the prayer of the Bodhisattva who seeks the attainment of Buddhahood not only for himself but for all others as well.

However, the so-called kitō usually means prayer for the accomplishment of a particular wish in life. Nichiren Shonin talked about "prayer for this life" in one of his writings, and it is a fact that he prayed for the recovery of Itō Hachirōzaemon, of his own mother, of the wife of Lord Toki and of Nanjō Tokimitsu. These were prayers for the betterment of life in the past, present, and future.

Divine favors, visible and invisible, granted in response to prayer, must promote his own faith as well as that of others and help all people obtain Buddhahood.

• All men are Buddha's children and they are all equal before Him. They all have Buddha nature and can become Buddhas. The actions of Jöfukyö Bosatsu, who, despite all kinds of obstructions, went around paying respects to others saying, "I re spect you because you qan become Buddha," represent the absolute trust in humanity and the spirit of deep humanism.
• We should not judge a man by his outward appearances such as position, wealth, or occupation he holds. Instead we should judge a man by his personality, asking whether or not he is reliable, whether or not he is self-conceited and self-centered. A man who is strongly self-centered, selfish, and self-conceited does not have an inclination towards mutual help, compromise, and cooperation; and he does not share joys nor sympathize with the sorrows of others. He is strongly egotistic and has no inclination of self-reflection and self-improvement. A reliable man treats others the way he treats himself. He would keep his promise; he would put a cover on a borrowed book; he would sincerely, not superficially, give counsel to others; and he would esteem mutual trust highly.
• A man who possesses a beautiful heart, does not need any superficial makeup because his inner beauty shines out. He radiates a feeling of trust, does not hide himself in the shell of egotism, and he has the courage to do right. "Be the master of the heart, do not follow the desires of the heart," said Nichiren Shonin.

• Just as we say, “You can meet the Buddha in hell," we can be of a great help to someone who is suffering from sorrow and trouble by offering words of encouragement and condolence. We have to think of others as we think of ourselves and have a tender, thoughtful heart of compassion.

  By experiencing sufferings of life, we can have a deep and broad understanding of man's problems. It is of utmost importance for us to find the meanings of these experiences in life reflected in the mirror of teachings of the Buddha and our Founder and to live a life of continuous self-examination and empathize with other's happiness and sorrow. Nichiren Shonin expressed this when he said, "The real reason why Sakyamuni Buddha came to this world is to teach people how to live" and "All people's sufferings are sufferings of Nichiren alone." 

  Life is full of suffering although the type of suffering may differ according to the time and place. Be a sympathetic listener to other people's troubles and console them. Such a person can also share the happiness and joys of others. It is easy to say, "I am sorry," or “I am happy for you," but it is difficult to really feel it from one's heart.

• A couple who love each other live in their own large world. To a man who is in love even the scorching sun seems to be a ray of blessing for him. For the sake of his sweetheart he can "go for broke" and jump into the abyss of love. This is love in a narrow sense.

  Sakyamuni Buddha declared, "Above and below the heaven, I alone am to be respected." Today we tend to consider this to be a self-conceited statement, but it expresses Sakyamuni Buddha's great love and compassion to save all people. Sakyamuni Buddha is always in this defiled world, and He is always calling us to come to Him to be saved. This is His love for us. 

  The Lotus Sutra is the crystallization of Sakyamuni Buddha's love and compassion for us. When we simply yearn for the Buddha, this world, no matter how defiled it is, is the Pure Land where Sakyamuni Buddha appears and lives with us. 

  In response to Sakyamuni Buddha's compassion and love, if we long for Him intensely, even at the risk of our lives, then this is the faith in the Lotus Sutra and the heart of the Odaimoku. A person with such a faith can discover in other people a heart which can be trusted as we trust Sakyamuni Buddha.

• Love between persons is as fragile as glass. Man has to be separated from his loved one sooner or later, and here lies suffering. However, he can overcome such suffering through faith, and he can become a man who can understand the depth of man's heart and his tears. If he thinks it is hopeless, then it is hopeless. Be courageous and admit failure as failure, sadness as sadness and stand up to start all over again. Sakyamuni Buddha is always calling the sick man, who rejects love, and tells him the value of love and to love others wholeheartedly and courageously. A man who knows true love can perceive the Buddha's heart of compassion.

It is said, "No happiness, no suffering; no suffering, no happiness; life is like a rope intertwining happiness and suffering."

Man experiences happiness, suffering, joy and sorrow numerous times in life. He hopes to be young forever, but time passes year after year and he gets older. He hopes to be healthy, but sickness erodes his body and mind. He has to part from his loved ones eventually. As man is born, he eventually has to die. No matter how advanced science is, and no matter how modern man's life is, he cannot escape from this cold fact. This is life! Indeed life is full of sufferings. How should one live a life which is full of sorrowful, heart-rending, and grief-stricken sufferings? Should he merely drown his grief by singing, 'Does man drink because he wants to cry? Or does he drink for a sigh of relief?" Should he merely spend day after day, hiding himself in the shell of egoism saying, "It cannot be helped"? Isn't there any way to overcome the fear, hopelessness, sadness, and grief which cause people to cry endlessly? Isn't there any hope and salvation for a man who lives in this world of love, hate, and constant threat of death? Here we find the need for faith. A heart which is not overcome by suffering, sorrow, trouble, and death is indeed faith. This strong and courageous heart could be nurtured to a certain degree through experiences during several decades of life. It could also be taught by books or by wise sayings. Sometimes unexpectedly it comes to our mind at such times as the death of close friends. However, these experiences are incomplete and usually temporary. We want to gain energy to live a fresh life by holding a firm direction. That is a direction, which is not an intuition or a momentary feeling, but one which is imprinted in the mind whenever and under whatever circumstances may occur.

By having faith in Buddhism especially the Lotus Sutra, which is composed of Buddha's wisdom and compassion encompassed by a long history of all His past lives, we gain a heart which does not hesitate or shrink away. This is a man's earnest and right way of life. This is the "seeking of the way (gudō)." The way has been shown by the Buddha, and we must apply His way in this modern society as He showed us.

• Nichiren Shonin taught us, 'Though evils are many, they can never triumph over even one good." Our Founder, who relentlessly insisted on his righteousness and severely criticized his religious opponents, was the most gentle and warm-hearted man towards the poor and troubled. It is our duty to show within our own selves, our family, and society that the right wins over the wicked even in this age filled with evils. The family is an important place for us to achieve this.
• Husband and Wife: In pre-war Japan a family was a "home" itself. Today this "home" has disintegrated as the master of a home has lost his authority as a patriarch, and husband and wife have be come equal partners. The smooth daily life of husband, wife, and children have taken precedence over family traditions. It is hoped that a home will be a place to relax without worrying about other people's feelings, and a marriage has become the place where two persons living together can be relaxed without concerning themselves about others. We might say that it is the general trend today that a married couple has no ideals. Nevertheless, a married couple should recognize each other's shortcomings and help compensate for them. It is important for a married couple to continue to strive for improvement during the uneventful daily life and always to have a fresh outlook despite the passing years. If a couple has this binding tie, they can have enthusiasm to overcome jointly whatever difficulties confront them. This effort for self-improvement is based on "wish to seek the way (gudō-shin)" the way a couple can trust each other, find the meaning of life and live an ideal life.

  Man degenerates when he stops seeking ideals. A couple in love cannot see each other's faults; and marriage is a combination of two imperfect persons. Marriage is based on an uneasy feeling that a couple may have to be separated sometime; for some reason. By striving to seek the way, the couple can find the ideal life and form the eternal bond. A husband and wife, together should strive to strengthen their faith and improve themselves as humans.

  A couple is like a bird with a pair of wings; when one wing is injured a bird cannot fly. They may get injured, or tired because of warm weather. Then they need to help and encourage each other. This heart of mutual help and encouragement is an important bond between husband and wife.

  Nichiren Shonin said, "A man is like the wings of a bird, and a woman, the body; how can a bird fly when its wings and body do not work together?" He also stated, "When the husband is happy, the wife should be happy, too." and "There is always a woman who is helping the man in his work." These are words encouraging the wife. Our Founder clearly recognized the importance of a woman's role. Instead of passively accepting the "family religion," a couple should have their own religion and strengthen their bondage through a common faith in the Lotus Sutra.

• Wife and Mother-in-law: The relationship between a wife and her mother-in-law is still a troublesome family problem even today. Formerly, when marriage was between families, the position of the mother-in-law was absolute in relation to the daughter-in-law. Today it is a relationship between two equals. To a wife, her mother-in-law is merely her husband's mother.To a mother-in-law, her daughter-in-law is the person to whom she had to give up her son whom she had raised, going through much trouble. The mother-in-law had suffered difficulties under the family system of the pre-war era. She endured those sufferings, looking forward solely for her son to grow up. The daughter-in-law even seems to her to be a person who stole the fruits of her labor. Never-the-less, the mother-in-law should be content with her son and his wife sharing a happy life as the crowning glory of her own efforts. She should try not to let her daughter-in-law experience the same hardship which she had endured under the family system, and she should be generous enough to assist her daughter-in-law to help her husband.

  The daughter-in-law should not ignore her mother-in-law as merely a product of an older generation. Instead she should have a big heart and gain from the experiences of her mother-in-law as she is a senior citizen who lived through various hardships, who belongs to the same sex, and who lives close to her. As the saying goes, "Even a chance meeting is due to the karma of a previous life." We should not take lightly this wonderous meeting, daughter-in-law and mother-in-law relationship. Sometimes one of them might become sick and troubled; other times they may quarrel and feelings may be hurt. However, if both have compassion and consideration for each other, they may be able to bridge the gap. If there is a common bridge that would cover the gap between the two, such as the teachings of the Buddha and Nichiren Shonin, then daughter-in-law and mother-in-law are both the Buddha's children and disciples, and as such they can trust each other and build up the spirit of mutual help.

  Toki Jōnin's wife took care of her 90-year-old mother-in-law. Nichiren Shonin heard of this and wrote to her, "Lord Toki said, 'although it was sad that my mother passed away, the fact that her last moments were very peaceful and that my wife took such good care of her made me so happy that I will never forget this.' "

• Parents and Children: Children do not think of parents as much as parents think of them. However, obligation to parents cannot be forced upon children. Instead children should realize by themselves what they owe to parents.Parents must recognize the individuality of each child and help him grow. If parents impose their own ideas upon their children, however, they may feel that parental love is merely a burden to them. Parents really find life worth living for the growth of their children. It demands continuous hardship on part of parents, who sacrifice almost all of their life for the sake of their children. It springs out of a heart which is similar to a selfless and earnest prayer. Instead of transferring their lost dream on to their children's shoulders and making various demands on them, parents should have a generous heart and watch and protect children so they can grow up to be adults who possess the spirit of independence and a beautiful character like that of the Buddha. As an old saying goes, "There is no treasure more precious than children." This is real parental love.

  Parents are people whose mere existence make children feel secure. There need not be flattery between them. Children must know the effort parents have made to raise them and they have to repay the favor to these indispensable people. It does not mean to follow parents blindly, but it means to become an individual who can give parents real happiness.

  Our Founder, Nichiren Shonin, often reminisced of the days when he gathered seaweed (nori, wakame) with his parents, longed for his native place, and desired for salvation for his parents. However, just as the Buddha became a monk despite the objection of His parents, Nichiren Shonin considered the propagation of Buddhism to be the foundation of filial piety.

  This is based on an admonishment of the Shinji Kangyō, which says, "He who forgets the kindness he received in order to obtain Buddhahood is one who truly repays the kindness." The relationship between parents and children is not merely a biological relationship in which parents gave birth to children. When parents are respectable and show children the right way of life, the relationship between parents and children based on reason and love begins.

  To our Founder, the right relationship between parents and children centers around the True Faith (Lotus Sutra). He said that it is truly a filial act for children to advise parents to follow the True Faith when parents oppose it.

• Brothers and Sisters: It is said that brothers and sisters are the beginning of no relation. It means that the natural relationship by blood is sometimes overcome by reality. There are many instances of bad relationship between brothers and sisters although they maintain very good relationship with friends. It is because the relationship between brothers and sisters remained merely relationship by blood and was not heightened to relationship by heart. If there is a relationship by heart they will understand each other just by looking without words passing between them.If there is understanding by heart they will help each other, console and cooperate with each other.

  The Ikegami brothers were fervent believers of the Lotus Sutra and followers of our Founder. When their father, who was a believer of the Amida Buddha, demanded that the brothers change their faith, the elder brother resolutely refused to do so and consequently was disowned by his father. The younger brother, having been drawn by parental love, seemed ready to change his mind. Then our Founder reminded them of the importance of the bond between brothers saying that cooperation between two brothers is like "two wings of a bird or two eyes of a man."

  Nichiren Shonin also asked their wives to encourage their husbands saying that ultimately women would control men while seeming to be controlled by them and that husband and wife are supposed to help each other.

  "It is true filial piety for you two brothers to help each other and, with the cooperation of your wives, try to convert your father," wrote Nichiren Shonin.

  Nichiren Shonin meant that just as husband and wife were inseparable, so were brothers. He demanded the cooperation between the two brothers for the common purpose of holding on to righteousness despite the difference of character and profession. He warned them that the sufferings they endured on account of their father was the test of their strength in faith, and that therefore if they could no longer endure hardship and gave up the faith in the Lotus Sutra following the wishes of their father, not only themselves but also their parents would suffer in hell, and together they would regret this. Thus was made clear the relationship between parents and children, between brothers and sisters, and between husband and wife.

• Self: It is said, "Peach and chestnut trees take three years, persimmon trees take eight years, Daruma sat for nine years against the wall, and it will take me my whole life." Man has to continue to make effort throughout his life. Youth does not refer only to age, but it refers to a man of fresh outlook who always seeks the truth and absorbs knowledge and improves himself. Our Founder lived his life with continuous study and self-examination supported by his faith.

  "Strive hard" was indeed the last words of Sakyamuni Buddha. A man can continue to have a fresh outlook when he believes in the true teaching and practices it, striving to read many books to broaden his outlook.@Our Founder admonished us to accumulate the treasure of the heart when he said, "The treasure of the heart is worth much more than the treasure of the body."

• Teacher and Student: Today the relation between teacher and student is in chaos. The relationship between teacher and student can exist only when there is a common bond and common cause between those who teach and those who receive instructions. Our Founder, who vehemently attacked his religious opponents, was truly warmhearted towards his disciples and followers. He encouraged, scolded and warmly instructed people who kept faith under difficult situations.

  He expressed his grief without reservation over the death of his disciples. Only because there was mutual respect and love based on the true teachings between Nichiren and his disciples that there was a man like Shijō Kingo who wanted to die together with him when our Founder was about to be beheaded at Tatsunokuchi. Our Founder said, “If your lordship should go to hell because of your deep sins, I shall accompany you to the same hell even if Sakyamuni Buddha wants to make me a Buddha."

  A woman named Nichimyō-ama took a small child with her to visit Nichiren Shonin at Sado. An old woman called Sennichi-ama sent her husband and child all the way from Sado Island to Minobu.@Our Founder, as a teacher, continues to live agelessly. Let us live our life with the teaching of our Founder and his life as a support and guiding light.

• Behavior at Work: Our Founder said, "Consider your work to be the practice of the Lotus Sutra." We have to make use of the True Faith at our working place. Faith does not exist outside of where we work and live. We should not forget our faith even at work.

  We have to do our work voluntarily and we need courage to say what should be said. Our Founder said, "If you do not tell your master what is the right teaching, you are as guilty as your master for slandering the right teaching." It means that it is important to live with righteousness till the end. It is a criticism of apple polishing and ingratiating oneself to one's superior.

  It is important for us to have deep in our heart such courage to say what is right and such an urge for righteousness which cannot be suppressed. It is indeed desirable for us to find our work worthwhile.

  In speaking up for what is right, one must be tactful under given circumstances, and be respectful and sincere. The superior should endeavor to bring up, help, encourage and promote the subordinate. It is not good enough for him to be easy-going, give favors or be kind. A small good deed may be good, but it may undermine the large good deed and may cause the downfall into the world of evil. A person cannot obtain Buddhahood unless he chastises the evil. When he speaks up for righteousness, he must keep his composure and use gentle words even if he is scolded. First of all he has to reject self-conceitedness and selfishness and cooperate and help each other. This is the way a man should live and is in accordance with the teachings of the Buddha. Our Founder said, "To obtain one's objective, the cooperation of three forces of sutra, practitioner, and followers are needed." He said this because he considers it important to have an organized system of spreading faith in a cooperative way.

• Our daily life in the modern age is surrounded by uncertainty and fear. There are constant traffic accidents, rising price of commodities, air and water pollution, and health hazards caused by industrial wastes. In looking back, we can recall fear of wars such as atomic and hydrogen bombs, air raids, and hardships during the war. Even today there is one war after another in various parts of the world; it is a long way to peace, and it is still impossible for us today to free ourselves from a sense of fear and uneasiness of life.

  Today each person's heart is full of egoism and he does not make an effort to improve society. It is important to have a strong desire to protect human life and nature and to improve happiness and peace for the people. We have to think of other people's sufferings as our own. It is out of this spirit that the Nichiren Sect insists on opposition to war, remembrance of the war dead, help to victims of air raids and industrial pollutions, prohibition of nuclear bombs and weapons, and preservation of peace.

• It is said the teachings of our Founder begins and ends with “Spreading Peace throughout the Country by Establishing Righteousness (Rissho Ankoku)." It means the realization of both individual happiness and peace in society, establishment of the True Faith by saving the suffering people, and spreading happiness and peace by establishing the True Faith.

  Our Founder closely observed sufferings, sadness, lamentations of those involved in calamities and wars. In his "Buddha-eyes" he saw the historical and real sufferings and felt that the true Buddha's salvation must be in the reality of this society.

  A poet, Kenji Miyazawa, who was a devoted believer of the Lotus Sutra, expressed this when he said, "There will be no individual happiness until the whole world becomes happy."

  The spirit of "spreading peace throughout the country by establishing the True Faith" is based on the real vehicle, and it had its roots in the teaching that unless this life is peaceful there will be no peace in the next life. Therefore let us bring about peace in this life in order to help the next life.

  Our Founder did not think it good that only the individual be saved, but he was convinced that people who live in society are saved only when the whole society is saved. The World Peace Movement through the Establishment of Righteousness of the Nichiren Sect is based on this spirit. Likewise based is its insistence on individual members not to be satisfied with individual salvation, but instead to look at the reality of society and to make an effort to bring about peace and happiness in society.

Those who follow the teachings of our Founder and believe and put into practice Sakyamuni Buddha's Lotus Sutra must first of all recite the Odaimoku as the primary means of training. Recitation of the Odaimoku is the focal point of our training and is therefore called "primary training (shōgyō). " Reading and recitation of the Lotus Sutra are auxiliary to this "primary training," and they are practiced, having been inspired by it. They are therefore called "auxiliary training (jogyō). "

The Odaimoku means "Namu Myōhō Renge-kyō (Lotus Sutra)." "Namu" means devotion, to obey, to vow at the risk of one's life and to revere. The Lotus Sutra is the essence of the teachings of the Buddha; it is like the heart of a man.

The Odaimoku was transmitted from Sakyamuni Buddha to a group of bodhisattvas, headed by the Bodhisattva Jōgyō, who emerged from the earth as leaders of the masses. The Buddha charged them with the duties of bringing about the salvation of the suffering people in the Latter Age of the Declining Law, when struggles would be abundant and the teachings of the Buddha would have disappeared.

Declaring, "I am the 'Father of the World' who would save everyone from various sufferings," Sakyamuni Buddha hoped to enlighten everyone just as He Himself was enlightened. The Odaimoku is the "good medicine" which He prepared the best way He could for all the suffering people to take.

Our Founder said, " 'Namu Myōhō Renge-kyō' is not only the essence of Sakyamuni Buddha's teachings but also the heart of the Lotus Sutra; it is not merely the title of the scripture. Therefore, each one of the letters represents the Buddha, and those who uphold the Lotus Sutra uphold the Buddha. Believe me, those who see the letters of the Lotus Sutra see the living Buddha.”

Sakyamuni Buddha is our master, teacher, and parent; we are His children. Parental love compassion of Sakyamuni Buddha, who felt pity for His children and tried to save them, took the form of the Odaimoku, and He gave it to us.

By inheriting and reciting the Odaimoku which was handed down from our "parent," we can identify our lives with the eternal life of Sakyamuni Buddha.

For this purpose we have to yearn obediently for the parental love of the Buddha, hold it in reverence, and hold on to it even at the risk of our lives.

Thus, the Odaimoku is the calling of our hearts for the Buddha, admiring Him, renewing the vows to Him, and expressing our respect and obedience to Him. When the voice of the Odaimoku uttered by the Buddha who desires to save us and that of us who want to be saved become one, we are one with the Buddha. This is indeed the state of obtaining Buddhahood. Our Founder explained it:

Merits accumulated by Sakyamuni Buddha, who had gone through the way of a Bodhisattva and who had guided people to salvation as the Enlightened One, are all put into the five letters of "Myō-Hō-Ren-Ge-Kyō." When we uphold the five letters, therefore, merits of Sakyamuni Buddha will automatically be transferred to us, the body of the Buddha will become our flesh, and indeed we are united with Him.

The reason why our Founder recited "Namu Myoho Renge-kyo (Adoration to the Lotus Sutra)" instead of ''Adoration to Sakyamuni Buddha" is because he believed that all the merits that the Buddha had accumulated are the Lotus Sutra itself.

He believed that the attainment of Buddhahood by Sakyamuni Buddha after years of training and practices proved the correctness of the Lotus Sutra by a concrete example, and that therefore the Buddha resided in this sutra. Of course, Sakyamuni Buddha and the Lotus Sutra are inseparable, therefore, this is the reason why our Founder recited "Namu Myōhō Renge-kyō."

Our Founder actually saw the living Buddha in the letters of the Lotus Sutra and believed that the heart of the Buddha was the Lotus Sutra.

• We practice the recitation of the Odaimoku in order to uphold the jewel of the Lotus Sutra, which the Buddha gave us and placed around our necks. Our Founder said, "It is easy to receive the Lotus Sutra but difficult to uphold it; Buddhahood, therefore, lies in upholding it." A man's heart is fickle and changeable. To uphold and recite the Odaimoku with a gentle and upright heart, "wishing to see the Buddha with all his heart, even at the cost of his life," is to tread the path of the Buddha. The recitation of the Odaimoku is prayer.
• In order to "uphold" the Lotus Sutra, it is essential for us to recite the Odaimoku without lax, patiently, incessantly, and always with a fresh feeling. We must not stop reciting the Odaimoku shortly after trying earnestly for a while. Our faith should not be "like fire;" but it should be "like water," and we must continue to uphold the Lotus Sutra with a courageous heart "like that of King Lion" who does not shirk away from difficulties and give up.
• Upholding the Odaimoku is a heart of faith. As we can not sow the seed in a paddy field without water, we can not sow the seed of the Buddha in our hearts without faith. Even if we understand Buddhism deeply, we cannot obtain Buddhahood without believing in the eternity of the Buddha.

  “Faith is the mother of attaining Buddhahood," Recitation of the Odaimoku is faith itself. Practice of the Odaimoku chanting is to keep on strengthening this faith.

• In reciting the Odaimoku we must trust the judgement of the Buddha. We do not recite the Odaimoku unilaterally by ourselves, but the Buddha also recites the Odaimoku when we do. Therefore, we should not regard it as a means of fulfilling selfish desire and reciting it one-sidedly hoping to gain interests and advantages.

  When we recite the Odaimoku, however, our mind and body gradually will be pure, and the Buddha will help us.

  While reciting the Odaimoku daily and making efforts to see the Buddha with all our hearts, we will be able to unite ourselves with the Buddha in heart.

• There is no difference in the Odaimoku recited by people of different social status, social honor, social wealth, age, or sex. The Odaimoku recited by our Founder is the same as the Odaimoku recited by us with our hearts.
• The merit of the Odaimoku chanting is great. It is important to recite the Odaimoku from the heart even once.

  We have to continue reciting the Odaimoku with this feeling.

• Recitation of the Odaimoku is an act of the Bodhisattva for salvation of self as well as others. The Odaimoku recited with a sincere prayer for the attainment of Buddhahood will eventually become the Odaimoku recited with prayer for deeper and wider reading, learning and spreading of the Lotus Sutra, and for endeavoring to realize the Buddha land in this Buddhaless age and to bring about peace and happiness to the people. If we indulge in the recitation of the Odaimoku for selfish purposes, we are making a mistake.
• The practice of the Odaimoku recitation (Shōdai-gyō) is to stamp this spirit of the Odaimoku upon our hearts, to uphold it with our hands, with our mouths, and with our bodies. Thus we must put our bodies, mouths, and hearts in our Odaimoku recitation.

• In reading the sutra we have to adjust our clothing, calm our mind and remind ourselves that the sutra is edifying the Buddha's teachings, and that each letter represents the Buddha's body, voice, and heart.
• In reading the sutra, we have to read each letter clearly and with a ringing voice. We them not too fast nor too slow, and with as much serenity as possible.
• We have to read the sutra with our voice coming out deep from the stomach. A voice which sounds like it was coming out of the top of the head or forced out is not desirable. Read the sutra with a pure voice like that of the Buddha.
• We can memorize the sutra by repeating it many times.

  Committing the sutra to memory means to uphold all the time the Buddha's heart through our words. It is desirable, therefore, that we try to hold the sutra in our hands, and perceive its meanings through its letters.

• In the morning and evening services we recite the Lotus Sutra and the Odaimoku. In addition we read "Devotion (Unzō)," "Writing of our Founder (Gomyōhan)," "Prayer (Ekō)" and others.

1. Prelude (Kaikyō-ge)
2. Chapter 2, Expedience (Hōben-bon)
3. Chapter 16, The Duration of the Life of the Tathagata (Nyorai Juryō-hon), Gatha (Jiga-ge)
4. Chapter 21, The Supernatural Powers of the Tathagatas (Nyorai Jinriki-hon), Gatha (Jinriki-ge)
5. The Coming of the Buddhas (Yokuryō-shū)
6. The Difficulty of Retaining the Sutra (Hōtō-ge)

• Recitation of the Odaimoku by all family members each morning
• Order of services is as follows:

  Bow with hands in gasshō (Requesting Buddhas to present themselves)
  Prelude
  Chapter 2 Expedience
  Chapter 16 — Gatha
  Writings of our Founder or Devotion
  Recitation of the Odaimoku
  Difficulty of Retaining the Sutra
  Prayer
  Four Great Vows
  Bow (Requesting Buddhas to return to their realms)
  Odaimoku , reciting it three times

  This order could be abbreviated to recitation of Chapter 16 — Gatha and the Odaimoku, or it could be supplemented by "Yokuryo Shū," Chapter 21 — Gatha, and others.

About Prayer (Ekō)
Ekō is our vow that we deeply devote ourselves to the teachings of the Buddha and live according to them. At the same time it is to give the merits of our recitation of the sutra and the Odaimoku to all souls including our ancestors. These merits eventually will return to us by way of the Buddha. We pray that we do not retain the results of the good merits that we accumulated for ourselves but make use of them to save other suffering people.

Practice of Charity (fuse) means to serve others in everything with no strings attached.

Eyes are the windows of the heart

We can brighten and soften the hearts of other people by looking at them with gentle eyes.

Smiling Face

When we are happy in our hearts we have a smile on our face. Our Founder said, "One should smile at parents at least once a day."

Work hard serving people

The Japanese term "arigatai" means that it is difficult to exist, and it expresses our gratitude for being alive.

We must offer a part of our money and property for the people and the Dharma

We should not be a member of a temple, church or association merely in name. Instead, we should take an active role such as donating money according to our ability and promoting the growth of our temple, church, or association. Especially we should try to strengthen the Temple Protection Association (gojikai); the spiritual and economical organization for the maintenance of a temple. It is also worthwhile to donate furniture and altar decorations in memory of time deceased.

Let us strive to save people as much as possible by spreading the faith.

When the temple, church or association has a meeting for Odaimoku recitation and sutra chanting, a seminar (to study the writings of Nichiren Shonin, Buddhism, or current problems), or a group discussion on personal problems and worries, we should attend them as much as possible.

Let us try to visit our Founder's temple and the grave of our Founder on Mt. Minobu. Let us also try to visit those temples build at the places where Nichiren Shonin had visited as well as temples of historical significance.

We must read the Nichiren-shū Newspaper, through which we get to know correctly the happenings within the Nichiren Sect and its teachings. As members of the Nichiren Sect let us try actively to participate in events of the Nichiren Sect as well as those of our own temple.

Nirvana Day (February 15)

Sakyamuni Buddha entered Nirvana, that is, He passed away in the forest of Sala trees at Kusinagara (120 miles northeast of Benares). Nirvana Day is Buddha's Memorial Day, and it is the day for us to renew our vows to uphold the teachings of the Buddha who tried to save all forever. Although the Buddha is no longer with us, His teachings are alive, They guide and encourage us.

Birthday of Our Founder (February 16)

Nichiren Shonin was born in 1222 in Kominato in Awa Province which is Chiba Prefecture today. Tradition says that when he was born, a well sprung up in his front yard and the lotus bloomed. This is the day when we learn from the life of our Founder and renew our vow to continue his work. The sources of his energetic power lay in his strong realization that the "Spirit of Sakyamuni Buddha resides in my head," and that he had the important duty as a messenger of the Buddha. Therefore, by celebrating the birth of a strong Buddhist messenger, we can also become strong children of the Buddha.

Higan

Higan service is held in the week of the spring and autumn equinoxes. This, together with Urabon, is an important annual Buddhist event for us. To leave this shore (this world) for the yonder shore (the Buddha land) means to leave this world of illusion for the world of enlightenment. This is the day for us to reflect on our daily life, vow to follow the path of the Buddha, and observe memorial services for our ancestors.

Birthday of the Buddha (April 8)

It is also called the Flower Festival and Pouring Sweet Tea Celebration. This is the day we celebrate the birth of the Buddha. Buddha was born to Queen Maya as a Prince of Kapilavatsu in India 2,000 and several hundred years ago in the Lumbini Flower Garden at the foothills of the Himalaya Mountains. It is said that as soon as He was born He pointed to heaven and earth and said, "I alone am to be respected." At that moment a dragon descended from heaven and poured sweet tea. From this legend came the custom of pouring sweet tea on the statue of the infant Buddha. This prince grew up to become Sakyamuni Buddha, who saved the suffering and worried people of the entire world. This is the day we express our gratitude for the beginning of Buddhism in which we believe.

Service Commemorating the Establishment of the Nichiren Sect (April 28)

On April 28, 1253, the thirty-two year old Nichiren Shonin proclaimed the faith in the Lotus Sutra at Asahigamori on top of Mt. Kiyosumi. Facing the rising sun above the Pacific Ocean he recited the Odaimoku “Namu Myoho Renge-kyo” for the first time in a resounding voice.

This is the memorable day of proclamation of a new religious sect by our Founder, the Buddha's messenger who overcame various difficulties in spreading the Odaimoku and bringing salvation to the people. This is the day for us to resolve our Founder's faith as our own. After the proclamation our Founder went to Kamakura, the capital of the shogunate, and fervently began spreading his religion.

Service Commemorating our Founder's Exile to Izu Peninsula (May 12)

The shogunate officials arrested Nichiren Shonin on May 12, 1261, the year following the Matsubagayatsu Incident, and exiled him to Izu Peninsula aboard a boat which departed from Yuigahama. Fisherman Yasaburō, who saved Nichiren Shonin from dying on an off-shore rock (Cutting Board Rock), exemplifies one of his devout followers.

Our Founder gained firm belief that he had "read the Lotus Sutra by body" through this persecution. We vow on this day that the religious satisfaction and firm belief which our Founder gained through this difficulty will renew our faith and enrich our lives.

Urabon Service (July 15, sometimes on August 15)

In most cases the Urabon Service is held together with the Segaki Service (Service for the Hungry Souls). The Urabon Service originates with the Venerable Mokuren, one of the Ten Great Disciples of the Buddha, who saved his mother from the World of Hunger. By means of giving various offerings to "hungry souls," paying homage to graves, and having ministers chant sutras, we pray that our ancestors' souls be saved from sufferings and enjoy a peaceful life in the land of the Buddha.

It is important for us to think anew of our relationships to our ancestors, parents, and brothers and sisters, and to try to repay their favors to us. We prepare a temporary altar for the departed souls during the period between the 13th and 15th of July or August, and meet and see off souls with a bon fire.

During this period a monk recites the sutra in front of the temporary altar for the repose of the departed souls. We should have a memorial service for our ancestors, and with the merits of doing so, we renew our sense of gratitude and enrich our lives.

Service for Hungry Souls (Segaki)

This is a service for all souls, related or non-related. This is a day when we reflect upon ourselves, who are dependent on all the people, and strive for the attainment of Buddhahood through the merits of charity.

Service Commemorating the Persecution at Matsubagayatsu (August 27)

On July 16, 1260, at the age of 38, our Founder presented his essay, "Treatise on Spread Peace Throughout the Country by Establishing Righteousness" to Hōjō Tokiyori and admonished the Kamakura Shogunate. During the night of August 27, a mob attacked Nichiren Shonin's humble residence at the Matsubagayatsu section of Kamakura. According to a legend, a group of white monkeys led him into the mountain behind the house and saved him. In commemorating this day we vow to face problems and live courageously.

Service Commemorating the Tatsunokuchi Persecution (September 12)

For over ten years after our Founder presented the "Treatise on Spread Peace Throughout the Country by Establishing Righteousness" to remonstrate against the shogunate, he never changed his insistence despite numerous persecutions. Finally in 1271 when he was 49 years old, Nichiren Shonin was arrested by the shogunate, which unsuccessfully attempted to execute him at Tatsunokuchi (present day Katase of Fujisawa City, where Ryūkō Temple stands). Miraculously Nichiren Shonin escaped the execution. In October he was exiled to the island of Sado where he spent two and a half years until he was pardoned. His disciple Nichirō, too, was arrested and put in a cave jail at the Yadoya family residence at the Hase section of Kamakura. As Nichiren Shonin said of the incident that he had "died and was reborn" at Tatsunokuchi, so should we reflect upon our dally life, and with fresh determination firmly resolve to carry through things even at the cost of our lives.

Service Commemorating the Excile to Sado Island (October 10)

Our Founder was exiled to Sado after his life was spared at Tatsunokuchi. While enduring hardships in the midst of unfavorable weather of snow and wind, he strengthened his faith in the Lotus Sutra and reaffirmed his awareness of being a reincarnation of the Bodhisattva Jōgyō. We should all remember this and strive to strengthen our own faith on this day.

Oeshiki

Memorial Day Service of Our Founder (October 13)

At about eight o'clock in the morning of October 13, 1282, our Founder passed away at the residence of Ikegami Munenaka, closing the life of an eventful 60 years. We believe that although our Founder passed away, he is still guiding us today. We express our most sincere gratitude to him on this day. At the same time we, members of the Nichiren Sect, make effort in recitation of the Odaimoku and in promotion of faith in the Lotus Sutra, and vow to realize the wishes of our Founder.

On the eve of the Memorial Day Hommon Temple of Ikegami, Tokyo, observes the Founder's Memorial Service with a grand scale parade of " ten thousand" lanterns. Members of the Nichiren Sect should exert themselves to attend the Founder's Memorial Service at temples they belong to, reflect upon his virtues and influences, and express their most sincere gratitude to him.

Service Commemorating the Komatsubara Persecution (November 11)

After returning from exile at Izu Peninsula in 1264, Nichiren Shonin briefly visited his parents in Awa Province (in present day Chiba Prefecture). A certain local steward Tōjō Kagenobu attacked his party at Komatsubara and inflicted a sword cut on the forehead of Nichiren Shonin. His disciple, Monk Kyōnin, and a lay follower Kudō Yoshitaka, sacrificed their lives. As we remember the event, we should further reflect upon ourselves and resolve to protect the Dharma.

Bodhi Day (December 8)

This is the memorable day on which the Buddha, having left home in order to find a solution to the sufferings and worries of human life, experienced and knew the emptiness of various ascetic practices, won over numerous temptations, and finally sat in meditation under a bodhi tree to attain enlightenment — the right way of thinking and behavior.

We should realize that the tenets of the Buddha's enlightenment were written down become sutras and the essence is the Lotus Sutra. While celebrating this day, therefore, we should resolve to uphold the faith in the Buddha and the Lotus Sutra.

1. Arrangement of the Family Altar
   • The Gohonzon must be enshrined in the family altar. It can be obtained from your temple by request. When you enshrine a statue of the Founder in the altar it should be placed directly below the Gohonzon. Also, when you enshrine the Gohonzon or the statue of our Founder for the first time in the altar, you should invite your minister to come to your residence to perform the "eye-opening" ceremony.
   • The family altar is the place where we put the name tablets (ihai) of our ancestors and perform services for them; it is the place where we hope that our ancestors' souls are protected and saved by the teachings of the Buddha and our Founder; it is also the place where we express our daily gratitude to the Buddha, our Founder, and our ancestors.
   • The ancestral name tablets and booklet (ihai and kakochō) must be placed on a level lower on both sides in front of the Gohonzon and the statue of Nichiren Shonin.
   •  Service to the family altar.
     • Let us always keep our family altar orderly and clean.
     • The simpler the vase, candle holder, and incense burner, the better they are.
     • Light the candle and burn the incense to offer light and fragrance.
     • Colorful flowers or just foliage (greenery) must always be fresh and alive.
     • Before the family partakes of their meal, cooked rice and a cup of tea or water should be offered. You may also offer fruits or cakes.
2. Arrangement and service to the family altar must be performed daily without fail, The Buddha, our Founder, and ancestors must be treated as being alive; they must not be treated as inanimate objects.
3. We sit in front of the family altar, hold our hands in gasshō, bow and recite the Odaimoku or the Lotus Sutra.
   • We vow to live according to the teachings of the Buddha and our Founder.
   • We express our most sincere gratitude to our ancestors.
   • We vow to build a cheerful and happy family, be healthy, and work hard.
   • We pray that we may live a safe day again today.
   • We report to the ancestors that we lived a day safely today and express our gratitude for that.
4. Let us have our birthday party and initiation ceremony in front of the family altar, and let us report them to our temple and ancestors.

   Our Founder expressed his great joy at the birth of children. He blessed them by heart and compared them with the "flowers blooming in a spring field."

   He said, "Children of the parents who believe in the Lotus Sutra succeed the seed of the Lotus Sutra. " To him joy of birth and growth of a child were to be celebrated because they were the sowing and nurturing of a seed of a faith.

Nichiren Shonin was born on February 16, 1222 at Kominato in Chiba Prefecture, nearby present-day Tanjō Temple. It was about 750 years ago. The Nichiren Sect celebrated its 750th anniversary of his birth on a grand scale in order to show its gratitude to its Founder.

Nichiren said about himself, "I am a son of a seaman of a remote corner of the ocean at the village of Tōjō in the province of Awa." He was raised as a son of a fisherman in a place where waves of the Pacific Ocean splashed. He also said that he was born of a serf family. (Serf here refers to the lowest class of the four-class caste system in India, sudra.) In this way Nichiren Shonin, who was born the son of a fisherman, proudly called himself a "son of the common people." It revealed his desire to be with the common people and save them. This desire led him to the realization that he was a reincarnation of the Bodhisattva Jögyö who had come from the common people and had spread the Lotus Sutra. We need to realize that when Nichiren Shonin declared this, it was a time when people discriminated against other people according to their social status.

The founders of most other sects were all of aristocratic or warrior background and were born in cultural centers such as Kyoto. In contrast, Nichiren Shonin was born in a remote countryside in an eastern province. He preferred the vigorous culture of warriors and commoners to the effeminate aristocratic culture. He spoke in "rural dialect" which is the language of the common people because he had the heart of a commoner. It was also because Nichiren Shonin lived through the time of great change from a society of aristocracy to a society of warrior and common people.

Named Zennichimaro, he grew up healthy and strong. Zennichimaro entered nearby Seichō Temple at the age of 11 to study under Master Dōzen. At the age of 15 he was ordained and became a full-fledged minister named Renchō.

Young Nichiren Shonin vowed to obtain Buddhahood in order to save his parents. He began to question, "Why are there eight to ten sects of Buddhism, while the Buddhism expounded by Sakyamuni Buddha is one?" In order to solve this question he prayed to the Bodhisattva Kokuzō, enshrined in Seichō Temple, beseeching, "Please make me the wisest man in Japan. " He was given the "Pearl of Wisdom as large as a morning star." The "man of wisdom" here does not mean a knowledgeable man, but one who has Buddha's wisdom. Encouraged by this, Nichiren Shonin left Seichō Temple at about the age of 17 and went to Kamakura, the political center of Japan. Furthermore, he went to Onjō Temple of Kyoto, cultural center of Japan, Mt. Kōya (Headquarters of Shingon Buddhism), Shitennō Temple of Osaka, and finally Mt. Hiei, supreme center of Buddhist study of that time, in order to discover what true Buddhism was.

Proclamation of the Establishment of a New Buddhist Sect

Finally, at the age of 31, Nichiren Shonin concluded that the Lotus Sutra is indeed the true teaching of the Buddha. Nichiren Shonin was convinced that it was his duty to carry out the will of Sakyamuni Buddha by spreading and preaching the Lotus Sutra in this defiled and disturbed world even at the cost of his life.

The Lotus Sutra had been transmitted in Japan starting at the time of Prince Shōtoku and Saichō (Dengyo Daishi), and it has been regarded as the most important sutra by Buddhists. However, all but Nichiren Shonin interpreted the Lotus Sutra in a difficult and scholarly way. Saying that the Lotus Sutra was important but so was the devotion to Amida Buddha, they recited "Odaimoku in the morning and Nembutsu (Namu Amida-butsu) in the evening." Others slandered the Lotus Sutra saying that it was not the supreme sutra, or that it was too difficult and therefore the Nembutsu was better, or it was merely a finger pointing to the moon. (The moon refers to Enlightenment.)

It is Nichiren Shonin who determined to rectify such a wrong interpretation of the Lotus Sutra and to spread it according to the teachings of Sakyamuni Buddha in order to save people in this disturbed society. The so-called Nichiren's "Four Criticism" (of Nembutsu—Amida, Zen Meditation, Shingon True Word, and Ritsu — Discipline schools of Buddhism) started from this conviction. It was only natural that not only Nichiren Shonin but also his parents, brothers and sisters, and his master were all persecuted if he carried out his conviction at the time when misinterpretation of Buddhism was widespread.

Nichiren Shonin sometimes did not know what to do and he thought that he was being driven up a wall. Nevertheless, it was the Buddha's commandment that moved him. The commandment of the Buddha says that one should rely on the Dharma, not on the person; and that the final source of authority lay in the Lotus Sutra, in which the teachings of the Buddha were expounded perfectly, not in other imperfect sutras. Thus he determined wholeheartedly to put his faith in the teachings of the Buddha and spreading of the Lotus Sutra. Even if it meant his death, he concluded, it would be better than going to hell in the next life by contradicting the commandment of Sakyamuni Buddha. The initial resolution of Nichiren Shonin, who had vowed to study Buddhism and attain Buddhahood in order to save his benefactors, helped him decide at this critical point to declare to spread the Lotus Sutra.

Nichiren Shonin returned to Seichō Temple, and on April 28, 1253, he firmly declared the righteousness of the faith in the Lotus Sutra to the priest Jōen and a small audience, who had gathered in the southern side of the Jibutsu Hall. It was indeed the declaration of the Lotus Sutra and of the establishment of a new Nichiren Sect, inheriting the true spirit of Sakyamuni Buddha as expounded in the Lotus Sutra.

It should be noted that Nichiren Shonin then preached to a small number of people. At first it was Nichiren Shonin alone who recited the Odaimoku, but he said that gradually people joined him by twos and threes.

His first steps began with the heart of a stern king of lions in order to overcome his solitariness. He was firmly convinced that "since followers of Nichiren are united in one heart, they will accomplish the great task of spreading the Lotus Sutra even if their numbers are small."

Deep in the bottom of Nichiren's heart, wisdom and compassion took root to save the suffering people. The truth begins with a few and will be made evident. Such a hard beginning became immediately clear.

Tōjō Kagenobu and others who believed in Amida Buddha chased Nichiren Shonin out of Mt. Seichō. This was Nichiren's personal experience of the Lotus Sutra which says that those who believe in the Lotus Sutra may be persecuted. To him it was a proof for the correctness of the Lotus Sutra.

At the same time that he issued the proclamation establishing the new sect, he renamed himself from Renchō to Nichiren. As he said, "The name of Nichiren represents my comprehension of the Buddha's teachings. “Nichi" was taken from the Buddha's work that as the sun and the moon eliminate darkness, similarly the Bodhisattva Jōgyō who spread the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Age of the Declining Law eliminates darkness from this defiled world. "Ren" was also taken from the Buddha's words that as the lotus flowers bloom in a muddy pond without being contaminated, similarly the Bodhisattva Jōgyō spread the Lotus Sutra, 'To be as bright as the sun and as pure as the lotus blossom" was Nichiren's ideals, and he incorporated them into his name.

Meanwhile Nichiren Shonin went to Kamakura, built a hamlet at the Matsubagayatsu section of the city as a base of his activities, and began to preach the Lotus Sutra. He gathered a group of "Daishi-kō" to pay homage to the Great Teacher Tendai (Chih-i) and taught his book Maka shikan expounding the practice of Buddhism based on the Lotus Sutra. It was a religious gathering among Nichiren Shonin and his disciples and followers. In addition to this he went out and preached the Lotus Sutra at street corners of Kamakura, criticizing other Buddhist schools.

Several years later, abundant storms, earthquakes, famines and epidemics occurred in the period between 1257 and 1259. Many people died of starvation, and their skeletons were left on the streets. There were numerous bandits and endless murders. A great comet frightened the people as a bad omen, increasing fear through. out the society.

Thirty-six-year-old Nichiren Shonin, observing the calamities which brought about social crises and hardships of the people, went to Jissō Temple of Iwamoto to read various Buddhist scriptures in order to find the causes of the calamities and what to do about them. Three years later on May 26, 1260, he completed the "Treatise on Spreading Peace throughout the Country by Establishing Righteousness," and he presented it to former Regent Hōjō Tokiyori on July 16 of the same year.

The "Treatise on Spreading Peace throughout the Country by Establishing Righteousness" was written in a vigorous classic Chinese style, and it consisted of nine questions and answers. It began as a guest described how many suffered and died from the endless calamities and wondered why those calamities did not come to an end. The master of the house agreed with him and then answered the question saying, "It is due to the protective deities having left the land because the people contradicted the True Faith. They believe in the wrong teachings, especially in Hōnen Shonin's teachings of Nembutsu which abandons Sakyamuni Buddha, giving up salvation in this world and praying for the next life."

The master continued, "When all who believe in the wrong religion change their minds and convert themselves to the Lotus Sutra, the true vehicle, this whole world becomes the Buddha land where there will be no disasters." The guest was impressed with the explanation and promised to make efforts for the peace and happiness of the world.

It means that by establishing faith in the Lotus Sutra, the leading spirit of Buddhism, it is possible to create the land of the Buddha. It also means that the attempt to spread peace in the country itself is the development and establishment of the Lotus faith. The Buddhist world of that time did not clearly recognize the crisis in society and only tried to eliminate the crisis by prayer or spells at the request of the shogunate. Some were satisfied to find their own salvation. It is indeed wonderful to find Nichiren Shonin who, while living in such a society, tried to get hold of peace in society and peace of mind in individuals and never ceased to admonish the governmental authority of the time.

With the "eyes of the Buddha" he saw the reality of society and the people and tried to establish the true Buddhism in it. It is Nichiren Shonin alone, no one before or after him, who attempted to do this. Another important point about the "Treatise on Spreading Peace throughout the Country by Establishing Righteousness" was his predictions that not only calamities but also wars from within and from outside will befall the country. Nichiren Shonin predicted this according to the Buddha, who said that in the Latter Age of the Declining Law "the True Faith disappears and warfare starts." His predictions came true as internal disturbances of Hōjō Tokisuke took place and the Mongol invasions of Japan caused a national crisis.

Nichiren Shonin maintained that Buddha's salvation does not end with individual salvation, but individual salvation should be obtained through the attainment of Buddhahood by the whole society and all people in it. According to him unless the world which we live in becomes peaceful and safe, our next life will not become better. This could only be achieved by putting into practice the "spreading peace throughout the country by establishment of the True Faith."

Practicing the Lotus Sutra

In the evening of August 27, 1260, forty days after Nichiren Shonin presented his "Treatise on Spreading Peace throughout the Country by Establishing Righteousness," followers of Amida Buddha, with the consent of the de-facto ruler, Hōjō Shigetoki, mobbed Nichiren's hamlet at Matsubagayatsu, set fire to it, and tried to kill him. Nichiren Shonin narrowly escaped death. He went and stayed with the Toki family at Shimofusa Province (in Chiba Prefecture). For six months he preached there, converting local warriors such as Soya Kyōshin and Ota Jōmyō.

The burning of Matsubagayatsu hamlet did not weaken his conviction, which was rather strengthened by it. He gladly accepted the burning as a proof of his reading the Lotus Sutra by body when he said, "In the Latter Age of the Declining Law there appears a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra without fail. His strong faith will be glad to meet great persecutions. If there are no great persecutions, he is not a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra. " The Kamakura Shogunate did not condone him when Nichiren Shonin came back to Kamakura.

Failing to kill Nichiren Shonin by burning his hamlet at Matsubagayatsu, Hōjō Shigetoki and his son Nagatoki unreasonably exiled Nichiren Shonin to Izu Peninsula. It was May 12, 1261. He meditated in Izu and formulated the five conditions for spreading the Lotus Sutra. He felt happier that he "read" the Lotus Sutra by his body.

He was exiled because he spread the Lotus Sutra. To him it meant that he was reading and practicing the Lotus Sutra twenty-four hours a day — all the time, whether he was awake or asleep, whether he was walking or standing still. Is there any greater happiness for a human being than this? He wrote, "My happiness is beyond expression because the Buddha in the Lotus Sutra said that whoever spreads it would be met with various persecutions."

Nichiren Shonin continued to say that the master of the country who punished him as well as those who slandered him were in fact his benefactors because they caused him to "read" the Lotus Sutra by body. However, he also felt, "when I think of those who exiled me, I can not help but feel sorry for them because they will all go to hell and receive punishment for slandering the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra. I am really sorry that I was born in this country, causing many to commit such a grave crime." What a deep religious feeling he possessed!

While staying in Izu for 21 months Nichiren Shonin converted fisherman Yasaburo and his wife, who helped him immediately after he was exiled. He expressed his gratitude to them when he said, "Is it that my parents were reborn to the place called Itö Kawana of
Izu, or is it that Sakyamuni Buddha was reborn there to help me?" Moreover, because Steward Ito Tomotaka showed ''a little faith," Nichiren Shonin prayed to the Lotus Sutra and various heavenly deities to cure the sickness of Tomotaka. Nichiren Shonin kept throughout his life the standing statue of Sakyamuni Buddha which Tomotaka presented to him on this occasion.

When Nichiren Shonin was released from his exile, he proceeded with the peace and righteousness movement, admonishing the rulers without compromise. After the two great persecutions of an attempted assassination and exile he felt that his death was imminent if he insisted on the peace and righteousness. Therefore, he decided to see his native place in Awa Province once more in August 1264.

After a long absence he met his dear mother and his teacher who had reared him, but as a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra he felt that his native place was also full of sufferings and mistakes. His mother was ill in bed. Nichiren Shonin recited the Lotus Sutra, praying for his mother's recovery. She recovered and lived for four more years.

His teacher Dōzen told him that he had made five statues of
Amida Buddha. Nichiren Shonin advised his master: "Sakyamuni Buddha is our father, while Amida Buddha is our uncle. To carve five statues of our uncle while not carving even one statue of our father is nothing but unfilial." His attitude toward his master was based on his conviction that even gentle words which cause harm to a person were a lie, and that harsh words which help people were true words. It is said that after this incident his master accepted the Lotus Sutra. and carved a statue of Sakyamuni Buddha. It was due to Nichiren's strong advice.

While Nichiren was preaching at Renge Temple of Hanabusa, Tōjō Kagenobu and other followers of Amida Buddha ambushed and tried to kill Nichiren Shonin at Komatsubara on November 11, 1264. Arrows fell like rain, swords flashed like lightning. His disciple Kyōnin was killed, and two others were seriously wounded. Nichiren Shonin was also wounded, but escaped. Kudō Yoshitaka who rushed to rescue him was also killed.

Thus Nichiren Shonin who was persecuted by sword and sticks because of the Lotus Sutra. He bravely declared, "Only I, Nichiren, read the Lotus Sutra (by body). This is indeed putting into practice the words of the Lotus Sutra: 'I do not love my life; I only love the supreme way!' Therefore Nichiren is the prime practitioner of the Lotus Sutra in Japan."

On January 18, 1268, three years after the persecution of Komatsubara, a letter from the Mongol emperor, who had conquered Central Asia, Eastern Europe and Korea, arrived. An unprecedented national crisis faced Japan. The prediction which Nichiren Shonin had made in the "Treatise on Spreading Peace throughout the Country by Establishing Righteousness" that there would be internal disturbance as well as invasion from the outside, came true.

Nichiren Shonin wrote a letter to the shogunate reminding it of the reason for writing the essay on the peace and righteousness. He remonstrated it again, advising it to stop praying for the subjugation of Mongols and convert itself to the Lotus Sutra. He further wrote eleven letters to high officials in the shogunate government as well as to important Buddhist leaders and sought public debates, declaring that the wrong faith was responsible for the foreign threat and that the right faith must be spread. To this there was a behind the scene maneuvering. Abbot Ryōkan of Gokuraku Temple, who was known as the foremost discipline master, worked among high officials of the shogunate as well as Buddhist leaders for the purpose of murdering, exiling or imprisoning Nichiren Shonin and his disciples.

Defeated in prayer for rain and foiled to achieve the purpose in public petition to the authority, Ryōkan and his friends worked behind the scene against Nichiren Shonin. They were the "three great enemies" mentioned in chapter thirteen of the Lotus Sutra. On September 10, Nichiren Shonin met Taira Saemon-no-jō. Pointing out the-fact that his prediction came true, he requested an arrangement for a public debate with other sects of Buddhism as well as the reconsideration of the official attitude towards religion. The shogunate did not listen to Nichiren Shonin, instead it got so angry that Taira Saemon-no-jō himself led the soldiers to arrest Nichiren Shonin.

Nichiren roared and said of this arrest, "Gentlemen, oh, how interesting! Look at that madman Taira Saemon-no-jō; he is now cutting down the pillar of Japan." One of the arresting officials, Shōubō, snatched the fifth scroll of the Lotus Sutra which Nichiren Shonin was holding and struck his face with it. "Nichiren felt unexpectedly happy. I felt that I was tortured just as chapter 20 (The Never Despising Bodhisattva) and chapter 13 (The Encouragement of Keeping Tllis Sutra) described." He felt that Buddha's prediction Of the Lotus Sutra came true and his happiness grew stronger when he declared, "How lucky I am to sacrifice my life for the sake of the Lotus Sutra! "

In broad daylight Nichiren Shonin was put on horseback and led through the town of Kamakura to Tatsunokuchi. Ostensibly he was to be sent to the island of Sado, but in reality the shogunate officials intended to behead him for no other reason than "the great crime of merely spreading the Lotus Sutra.”

In front of Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine Nichiren Shonin scolded the deity and said, "The Great Bodhisattva Hachiman! Are you really a deity? You made a vow to the Buddha that you would protect the Lotus Sutra. Why do you not protect me? If you are afraid of my eyes, you had better carry out your vow to the Buddha." He called Shijō Kingo and told him, "I will be beheaded tonight. This is what I have been hoping these several years." When Kingo cried saying, "They will kill you now!" Nichiren Shonin remonstrated, "How indiscreet you are. You should laugh at a happy occasion like this."

It was Nichiren Shonin's unwavering faith in the Lotus Sutra for which he was willing to give up his life and for which he wished to be remembered. He said, "I am overwhelmed with joy," for sacrificing his life for the Lotus Sutra. Because of the strong faith of Nichiren Shonin, a miracle occurred in which "a ball of fire, round like a moon, flew from the direction of Enoshima and caused the soldiers to fall on the ground." As a result they could not execute him.

After the attempted execution at Tatsunokuchi, which could be said to be the greatest of the four great persecutions, Nichiren Shonin expressed his repentance of his past sins and determination to sacrifice his life if necessary by saying, "Nichiren, a practitioner Of the Lotus Sutra, was executed at Tatsunokuchi. Tatsunokuchi of Sagami Province is indeed where I sacrificed my life. It is nothing less than the land of the Buddha because I sacrificed my life there for the sake of the Lotus Sutra" and "I received these great calamities because I vehemently reprimanded the sacrilegiousness of the land. It must be to repay my great sins in the past lives by means of protecting the Dharma in this life."

Disciples and followers of Nichiren Shonin, too, were persecuted and almost annihilated. Some of them were converted to other sects while others insisted on more gentle means of persuasion, saying, “Nichiren Shonin is our master but he is too outspoken." "Nine hundred ninety-nine out of one thousand" of his disciples and followers left him, but there were some disciples who clung to the faith in the Lotus Sutra despite the oppressions and imprisonment.

Nichiren Shonin encouraged such disciples saying that they had "read" the Lotus Sutra by heart and body as well as by mouth.

About a month after Tatsunokuchi, Nichiren Shonin was in the custody of Honma Shigetsura of Echi (present-day Atsugi City, Kanagawa Prefecture). Departing Echi on October 10, he was exiled to Sado. Arriving at Teradomari of Echigo Province (Niigata Prefecture) on October 21, he waited for the good wind until October 28th when he arrived at Sado Island.

Nichiren felt so happy in Sado when he realized that he was "reading" the Lotus Sutra by heart and body exactly as predicted in the Lotus Sutra that "profane and despicable words" and "swords, sticks and stones" would befall the practitioner of the sutra. At the same time Nichiren Shonin thought of those disciples who had been imprisoned.

Nichiren Shonin in Sado

Tsukahara on the island of Sado is the place where corpses were thrown away. Winter winds were bitter cold and snow was deep, while clothing was not warm enough and there was not much to eat. Nichiren Shonin's shelter was a six-foot square hut, standing in the midst of a tall grass field (material for thatched roof). Its walls were crumbling, rain poured in as though he were outside without shelter, and there was not even one floor mat. When he awoke in the morning everything was covered with snow, and all he could hear during the day and night was the sound of wind. People said that Sado was an island for exiled people who never returned alive. No one visited him and there hardly was sunshine, Nichiren Shonin grasped the Lotus Sutra and recited "Namu Myoho Renge-kyo" alone, and at night he pointed out the mistakes of other sects and preached to the moon and stars.

We can imagine the severity of the persecutions which fell upon Nichiren Shonin who was trying to spread the Lotus Sutra. However, he experienced religious happiness as he said, “I do not regret the exile because it is a small suffering in this life. I feel very happy because it promises me a great joy in the future life.”

Thus the unwavering practitioner of the Lotus Sutra was not at all discouraged. He defeated in public debate the challenging followers of Amida Buddha and converted them to the Lotus Sutra. To Honma Shigetsura he predicted the coming of internal disturbance at Kamakura. This prediction came true and astonished Shigetsura, who asked for his help, vowing, "I will never say 'Namu Amida-butsu' again." Nichiren Shonin on the island of Sado thought of Kamakura and felt sorry for the suffering people when he requested, "Please make a list of the war dead in Kyoto and Kamakura and send it to me."

While in exile on Sado Island Nichiren Shonin wrote in February 1272, the "Opening the Eyes" in two scrolls, intended to be the guide for his disciples and followers in the time of crisis. He poured into it the totality of his faith in the Lotus Sutra and his realization of being the leader of the people in the Latter Age of the Declining Law.

The "Opening the Eyes" which was written with the intention of "leaving behind the meaning of Nichiren's life," made clear what our Founder considered "the most important thing in life to be." In response to the doubts set forth by his wavering followers Nichiren Shonin forcefully explained in this treatise how he spread the Lotus Sutra for the past twenty years, what were the meanings of the persecutions he suffered, and what were his duties and vows as the successor to the Bodhisattva Jōgyō. He declared in it:

Nichiren was beheaded (at Tatsunokuchi), and Nichiren of today is a new Nichiren. The gāthā in the thirteenth chapter of the Lotus Sutra is the Buddha's prediction and the crystal clear mirror which foretold the state of the present day Japan in the Latter Age of the Declining Law.

In the "Opening the Eyes" Nichiren Shonin answered his own question whether or not he was really the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra; if so, why did he not enjoy the protection of various deities? " He made such points as (1) the ultimate salvation of man lay in Buddhism, especially in the Lotus Sutra; (2) the two most important teachings of the Lotus Sutra were that "Everyone can obtain Buddhahood," and that "the Buddha has always and forever been here, trying to help us obtain Buddhahood;" (3) the teaching of the Lotus Sutra would reveal itself in the Latter Age of the Declining Law; and (4) the Bodhisattva Jögyö would be responsible for its dissemination. The reasons why he met so many persecutions, he said, was that the wrong faiths had chased various protective deities out of the land. Nichiren Shonin felt that he himself perfectly matched the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra whom the Buddha said would encounter various persecutions. Thus he reached the conclusion that Nichiren who was personally experiencing the teachings of Sakyamuni Buddha, our master, teacher, and parent, must be the master, teacher, and parent of the people in the Latter Age of the Declining Law, namely the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra. He re soundingly declared:

After all this, though the protective deities abandon me, and though various difficulties befall me, I am glad to risk my life. … In any event to abandon the Lotus Sutra would cause one to fall into hell. I have made a vow. Even if someone says that he would make me the ruler of Japan on the condition that I give up the Lotus Sutra and rely upon the Amida Sutra for my salvation in the next life, even if someone threatens me saying that he will execute my parents if I do not say "Namu Amida-butsu," no matter how many other great difficulties fall upon me, I will not submit to them until a man of wisdom defeats me by reason. Other difficulties are like dust in the wind. I will never break my vow that I will become the pillar of Japan, I will become the eyes of Japan, and I will become the great vessel of Japan.

The more often the difficulties fell upon Nichiren Shonin, the happier he was because they proved the correctness of the Lotus Sutra. To him they would also cancel the bad karma of the sacrilegious acts of his previous lives, and would promise great happiness in future life. Nichiren felt everybody's suffering to be his own.

The happiness which surrounded Nichiren Shonin was the world of peaceful mind, which he expressed in the above three vows (pillar, eyes, and vessel of Japan). While the "Opening the Eyes" expressed Nichiren's state of mind as a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra, the "Spiritual Introspection of the Supreme Beings," which he finished writing on April 25, 1273 at Ichinosawa on Sado, revealed his confession of faith.

Nichiren considered the writing of "Spiritual Introspection of the Supreme Beings" to be the "high point of his life." He revealed in it the subject of worship (Gohonzon) which should truly save human beings at the beginning of the Latter Age of the Declining Law, two thousand years after the death of Sakyamuni Buddha.

Nichiren Shonin told us in this writing that all the merits that Sakyamuni Buddha accumulated before he became a Buddha and the merit of being a Buddha were all put into the Odaimoku, and that those of us who uphold this Odaimoku will become united with the Buddha and obtain eternal life like the Buddha himself. He writes:

For those who do not know the theology of the "three thousand realms in one mind," Buddha in His great compassion wrapped this jewel inside the Odaimoku and placed it around the neck of naive people of the Latter Age.

Thus Nichiren Shonin revealed the Gohonzon in which the Eternal Buddha, together with the Buddhas of the ten directions and the Bodhisattva Jōgyō and other Bodhisattvas who emerged from the earth as well as various deities, resides in the Eternal Pure Land and always guides the people in the Latter Age of the Declining Law. When we recite ''Namu Myoho Renge-kyo," we will be embraced by the rays of the Gohonzon which represents the Eternal Buddha of chapter 16, and we shall enter the world of the Mandala in which our lives will be identified with that of the Buddha.

On July 8, 1273, three months after the completion of ''Spiritual introspection of the Supreme Beings," Nichiren Shonin drew a diagram depicting the theology he had expounded in it. This is the Mandala Gohonzon which he revealed in graphic representation on Sado for the first time.

Thus Nichiren Shonin, while living in hardship, revealed the most important theology of his life in Sado. At the same time he expressed his gratitude for the help rendered by Abutsubō and his wife Sennichi-ama, as he said, "I wonder if you are the reincarnation of my dear mother reborn in Sado." His gratitude for the service of the couple was such that when he departed Sado on March 13, 1274 after being pardoned, he wrote, "It was hard living on Sado, but I felt as though my shaved hair were pulled back and my steps had gone backwards instead of forwards."

Nichiren Shonin arrived at Kamakura on March 26, 1274. On April 8th he met Taira Saemon, who asked him, "When will the great Mongol Empire attack us?" Nichiren Shonin replied, "Certainly this year." He insisted on prohibition of not only the Zen and Amida schools but also the Shingon school saying, "You should not rely on Shingon. If you do, you will ruin the country." This was the third criticism of the government by Nichiren Shonin, who said, "I have three honors." As he wrote, "When one is born in a royal domain, he may be forced to obey the ruler in body but not in heart," in the same way Nichiren Shonin never submitted himself to the threat of masters of a small island kingdom. It was a spiritual victory of faith in the Lotus Sutra.

The shogunate officials tried to induce Nichiren Shonin by offering the managerial position of Aizen Temple, but Nichiren Shonin declined it. In view of an old proverb that says, One should retire in the mountain and forests if he warns the country three times without success," and also for the purpose of establishing a firm foundation for the dissemination of the Lotus Sutra for ten thousand years to come, he left for Mt. Minobu in the province of Kai (Yamanashi Prefecture)

Nichiren Shonin at Mt. Minobu

On May 17, 1274, Nichiren Shonin entered Mt. Minobu, where he endeavored for education of disciples, preaching to followers, and giving guidance on how to live the life of faith in the Lotus Sutra for the purpose of disseminating it and realizing peace through righteousness.

Mt. Minobu, where Nichiren Shonin built his last residence, was in the domain of his follower Hakii Sanenaga. It was surrounded by four steep mountains, Tenshi-no-dake to the east, Takatori-no-dake to the south, Shichimen-zan to the west, and Minobu-no-mine in the north, which stand like four walls. It was full of lush grasses, piles of large stones in its valley, and no one lived or visited there. Spring flowers bloomed in summer and autumn fruits ripened in the winter. It was always raining in the mountain, and the snow was deep; it was biting cold in the winter and scorching hot in the summer. In four years the pillars of his temporary hut decayed and its walls fell so that as Nichiren said, "without light at night I can read the holy scriptures under the shining moon, and I do not have to roll back the sutra because winds blow it back." In addition to the extreme cold he was "in a continuous state of hunger due to lack of food." Nichiren Shonin described the hardship, "Please imagine a hut which looks like leaves arranged under a tree in the mountain which I began living in during this time of famine."

On November 24, 1281, the "first temple of the Lotus Sutra in the world" was built, Many people gathered for the dedication, and a prayer meeting for Great Master T'ien T 'ai (Tendai Daishi-kō) was held. Followers sometimes sent various gifts to Nichiren Shonin. When a gift of a wadded silk kimono arrived, he expressed his gratitude by saying, "Do you know I had only simple clothes with thin cotton which made my body cold like stone? If I had not received this wadded silk kimono which you generously presented the other day, I would have died of cold." Other gifts included rice, wheat, salt, miso, potatoes, rice cake, and sake. Nichiren Shonin offered these gifts on the altar of the Lotus Sutra.

He shed tears and expressed gratitude for the gifts by his followers. He also did not conceal his sorrow at the death of his followers.
His disciples began to gather around him. There were "at least forty disciples, sometimes as many as sixty." One purpose of his going to Mt. Minobu was to educate disciples in order to place the lineage of faith in the Lotus Sutra on a permanent basis. They read the Lotus Sutra twenty-four hours a day and discussed Maka shikan (Theological Writings on the Lotus Sutra by T'ien T'ai) from morning to evening. They reduced the hours of sleep and rest in order to concentrate on training and study daily.

Nichiren Shonin insisted on "Concentrate on training and study. There would be no Buddhism without training and study. You should carry out the two and encourage others to do the same. Training and study should arise from faith." He respectfully placed the holy scriptures of Sakyamuni Buddha on the altar, collected essays of various schools of Buddhism, continued to study them, and he taught his disciples theology. He also personally preached to his followers, while worrying about the Mongol conquest of Japan. As Nichiren Shonin clearly told Taira Saemon-no-jō that the Mongols would invade Japan within the year, they indeed invaded Tsukushi Province in Kyushu in October 1274. All the people, together with the shogunate and the imperial court, were astonished when the sad report of defeat of Iki and Tsushima Islands reached them. The shogunate sent reinforcements to Kyushu. At the same time it joined the imperial court in ordering shrines and temples to conduct special prayers for subjugating the enemies.

This was indeed the realization of Nichiren Shonin's predictions, made in the essay on peace and righteousness, of an internal disturbance and an invasion from the outside. The prediction of an internal disturbance came true in the rebellion of Hōjō Tokisuke, and that of foreign invasion in the unprecedented invasions of Japan by the Mongols. It strengthened first of all his consciousness of being the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra. At the same time it made him shed tears at the thought of the Japanese people being subject to a foreign conqueror. Finally Nichiren Shonin firmly believed that the sad reality (of foreign conquest) would eventually lead to the dissemination of the Lotus Sutra and to the conversion of Japan from the land of sacrilegiousness to the land of True Faith.

Nichiren Shonin's description of the miserable conditions of those people who were subjected to the Mongol conquest is very vivid. The following description of the Mongol War by Nichiren Shonin, which could be said to be a witness of a war record, shows the high quality of literary and religious value:

How could I consider it none of my business when in October 1174 residents of Iki and Tsushima Islands perished at once? How great were the griefs of the soldiers who were sent to defend the strange coasts against the invaders, giving up old parents, young children, new wives, and loving homes? When they saw the clouds, they imagined they saw war banners of the enemy; when they saw fishing boats, they were frightened and thought they were battleships. They went up the mountain once or twice a day and saddled their horses three or four times at night to watch for the enemy. They felt as though they were living in a World of Endless Fighting (shura-dō).

For Nichiren Shonin the sadness of national defeat led to the happiness of disseminating the Lotus Sutra. To him, blind obedience to the national policies was not loyalty at all; true loyalty to him was to pray for the realization of a nation guided by the spirit of the Lotus Sutra.

Nichiren Shonin's interpretation of the Mongol Invasions of Japan was subjective as well as religious, in that he maintained that "they were caused by Nichiren's missionary activities to spread the Lotus Sutra; the 'deities Bonten and Taishaku sent the Mongols to Japan to crush those who had slandered the True Faith." Nichiren Shonin was indeed, "the first holy man in the entire world" who appeared in Japan at the very time when the Lotus Sutra, the great True Faith, should spread there.

It was in the "Selection of Time" that Nichiren Shonin declared the righteousness of his spreading the Lotus Sutra, and the victory of his convictions. Written on June 10, 1275, Nichiren Shonin, while keeping the Mongol threat in mind, declared in it, "The way of studying Buddhism depends on the time." He maintained that the persecutions he met and his predictions which came true proved that he was the man whom the Buddha predicted. Nichiren Shonin also said that the history of Buddhism which the Buddha described in the Lotus Sutra was proven by Nichiren Shonin. Nichiren Shonin chose this history, which made him conscious of his mission to disseminate the Lotus Sutra.

Nichiren Shonin experienced a feeling of deep happiness and joy when he realized that although he is a human with a great deal of "three poisons (greed, anger, and stupidity)," he could only be the Buddha's messenger since he recited the Odaimoku and encouraged others to join him.

On March 16, 1276 his old master Dōzen died. Nichiren Shonin deeply grieved and wrote two scrolls of "Recompense of Indebtedness." In this he said that the reason why he sought the way was to obtain Buddhahood and to save his parents and his teacher. He maintained that in seeking the way of the Buddha he contradicted his parents and master and came to the conclusion that all the Buddhist schools were opposed to the heart of the Buddha, and that only the Lotus Sutra clearly showed the true heart of the Buddha and His Enlightenment. In order to save his parents and master, he continued, he followed the Lotus Sutra and endured various persecutions, studied Buddhism of India, China and Japan, pointing out the mistakes of other sects. He especially pointed out the esotericism of Tendai and Shingon to be the most sacrilegious and responsible for national calamities. He Said that all the merits of spreading the Lotus Sutra through persecutions and difficulties were dedicated to his parents and master. He explained the merits of reciting the Odaimoku and said that the merits of spreading the Gohonzon and Odaimoku and establishing the Ordination Platform (Kaidan) were all dedicated to his master Dōzen.

Nichiren Shonin maintained that it was the true repayment of favors for a man to attain Buddhahood and improve personalities as a human being. To him, sacrifice of his life for the sake of the Lotus Sutra was the repayment of favors to Sakyamuni Buddha, and his criticism of the Japanese government for slandering the true faith was to pay back the favors of the country as well as all the people. He declared that it was due to his master's favors that Nichiren Shonin was able to do that, and therefore all the merits he accumulated were all dedicated to his master. It was characteristic of Nichiren Shonin's religion that he knew the favors he had received, accumulated merits to repay those favors, and thus did his best in repaying favors.

Death of Nichiren Shonin

The health of robust Nichiren Shonin, who was able to endure three national criticisms and four persecutions, the wind and snow Of Sado Island, and the lack of food at Mt. Minobu, began to show the effects starting about January of 1279, He recovered his health temporarily after taking medicine prescribed by Shijō Kingo, but due to the long rainy season in the summer of the year and the heavy snow in the winter his health began to decline again.

On September 8, 1282, Nichiren Shonin, riding on a fawn-colored horse and accompanied by his followers, started out from Mt. Minobu where he had lived for eight' years. He had in mind to visit his native place as well as to regain his health at Hitachi Spa in Tochigi Prefecture. On September 18, he arrived at the residence of Ikegami Munenaka of the Ikegami section in Musashi Province (Tokyo) where he died. On October 13 Nichiren Shonin, surrounded by his many disciples and followers, closed his sixty years of eventful life in front of the Great Omandala of his own calligraphy and the statue of Sakyamuni Buddha which he carried all the time. Tradition says that the earth trembled and the cherry trees blossomed at once, covering the entire mountain.

His will said, "Please build my grave on Mt. Minobu, where my heart resides forever."

Article 1: Tradition

The Nichiren Sect is the orthodox Buddhist organization which disseminates the true Buddhism established and expounded by Nichiren Shonin, reincarnation of the Bodhisattva Jōgyō whom the Eternal and True Teacher, Sakyamuni Buddha, entrusted to spread His long cherished Lotus Sutra in the Latter Age of the Declining Law.

(Explanatory note)

The Nichiren Sect is the religious organization with the right history and traditions. It was founded by Nichiren Shonin who correctly understood the true teachings of Sakyamuni Buddha and who recited the Odaimoku of the Lotus Sutra in order to spread the Buddha's true teachings.

Sakyamuni Buddha is the original Buddha (the Eternal and Always existing Buddha as expounded in chapter 16 of the Lotus Sutra). Because of His great compassion, He is everywhere and is always trying to help us achieve Buddhahood and stretching out His hands toward us for our salvation. However, we, the unenlightened, cannot easily see Him and understand His heart of compassion. Therefore Sakyamuni Buddha granted us through Nichiren Shonin the Lotus Sutra, the true teachings in which His true identity and great compassion were revealed.

Considering it difficult to hand down and spread the Lotus Sutra in the latter age of decadence (the Latter Age of the Declining Law beyond the two thousand year period since the death of Sakyamuni Buddha), when the people would be wicked and true Buddhism would be lost, the Buddha entrusted the work to His original disciples, the Bodhisattva Jōgyō and others. Nichiren Shonin had a strong conviction that he himself was a personification or reincarnation of the Bodhisattva Jōgyō. He founded the Nichiren Sect on his firm belief that the Lotus Sutra would rectify the basis of Buddhism and give life to all teachings of the Buddha and that it is the Buddha's supreme Commandment for him, Nichiren Shonin, the reincarnation of the Bodhisattva Jōgyō, to spread the Lotus Sutra. Therefore the Nichiren Sect spread the true Buddhism based on the Buddha's will and teachings of the Lotus Sutra. It is a religious organization which exists in factual history, as well as true Buddhist traditions, which make all people realize that they are in fact Buddhas and make the society pure, bright, correct and peaceful.

Article 2: Doctrine

The doctrine of the Nichiren Sect is based on the Three Great Sacred Laws (San-dai-hihō) comprising of the Gohonzon expounded in the Honmon section of the Lotus Sutra as the main object of worship, the Odaimoku of Honmon as the essential means of faith and training, and the Sacred Platform (kaidan) of Honmon as the supreme discipline to be upheld. Our goal is to put the Lotus Sutra into practice and convert all ideologies into the "Wonderful Law" in order to obtain Buddhahood in this life and to realize the Buddha land in this world.

(Explanatory note)

Although the Nichiren Sect was founded by Nichiren Shonin, we can say the true founder was Sakyamuni Buddha because it is based on the doctrine of the Lotus Sutra. The meaning of the term "doctrine (shūshi)" is said to be "the master, that which is revered, and that which is solely respected." However, Nichiren Shonin wrote (in the "Shūku Jusshō-sō"), "When the Buddha established His doctrine, the teaching of the Lotus was supreme." It means that the religious organization based on the Lotus Sutra is the doctrine of Sakyamuni Buddha, and that therefore it is the religious organization to be most respected. In other words, the Nichiren Sect is the religious organization which upholds the true intention of Sakyamuni Buddha.

The Lotus Sutra is divided into two sections of Shakumon and Honmon. In Shakumon it is explained that all in the ten realms can obtain Buddhahood because they all have Buddha nature, that is, they have the basic seed; whereas in honmon the basis of Buddha's enlightenment is discussed and also the depth of Buddha's compassion is explained. Therefore when we read the Lotus Sutra with the focus on Shakumon, we see the possibility of attaining Buddhahood (cultivation of Buddha nature); and when we read the Lotus Sutra with the focus on Honmon, we see various activities of the Buddha for the salvation of people, that is, great and profound compassion of the Buddha to save all beings. Nichiren Shonin was primarily concerned with this doctrine of Honmon because he believed that the people in the Latter Age of the Declining Law were wicked in nature, sinful, and had little wisdom, and that therefore their best way for salvation was to trust the Buddha's great compassion and ask Him for salvation. He presented to us the doctrine of Honmon in the form of the Three Great Sacred Laws. This is the doctrine of the Nichiren Sect — Gohonzon of Honmon, the Odaimoku of Honmon, and the Sacred Platform of Honmon.

"The Gohonzon of Honmon as the main subject of worship."

Therefore, the Buddha to whom we bow in gassho and devote ourselves is the Eternal True Master Sakyamuni Buddha, who is always showing us His great compassion of saving and making everyone a Buddha. This is the correct Gohonzon of Honmon. Through the Omandara, wooden statues, or pictures which represent the Buddha, we correctly devote ourselves to this Gohonzon of Honmon.

"The Odaimoku of Honmon as the essential means of faith and training"

Next in order for us to devote ourselves truly to the Gohonzon of Honmon, it is important for us to practice ourselves as well as to help others practice "Namu Myoho Renge-kyo;" which is the content of enlightenment of the True Buddha. There are many ways of devotion, such as reading or recitation of the sutra, and understanding or copying of the sutra, but in the end recitation and upholding of “Namu Myoho Renge-kyo" is the means of training which enables us to live with firm faith. Therefore this "Namu Myoho Renge-kyo," which is the enlightenment of the True Buddha, is the important teaching which could be said to be the essence of faith and training given to us by the Buddha.

"The Sacred Platform of Honmon as the supreme discipline to be upheld"

Furthermore, we have to recite, practice, and uphold the Lotus Sutra. To uphold the Lotus Sutra is to observe the commandments, and the place where we uphold the Lotus Sutra will become the Sacred Platform. When all the people uphold the Lotus Sutra, however, there would be a Sacred Platform where qualified discipline masters may give Buddhist commandments in order to perpetuate the true Dharma. Aiming at such a goal, for us to uphold firmly the Lotus Sutra, which is difficult to do, is a step towards the establishment of the true Sacred Platform of Honmon. In other words, we reach the state in which all people live in peace, therefore it could be said that the ultimate Sacred Platform of Honmon is for all the people to uphold the Lotus Sutra.

These are the Three Great Sacred Laws, and by practicing these the people in the Latter Age of the Declining Law can obtain the enlightenment of the Buddha. This is exactly the doctrine of Nichiren Shonin. Thus the Nichiren Sect is working towards the realization of goals of practicing the teaching of the Lotus Sutra in life, rectifying all the ideologies by teachings of the Lotus Sutra, finding Buddha nature in our own selves, freeing ourselves from all illusions, and converting the whole world where we live into a paradise of peace.

Article 3: Original Vow

The original vow of the Nichiren Sect is to keep in mind the meaning of the Lotus Sutra, which dictates a willingness to sacrifice one's life, to comply with our Founder's commandment of unity of mind among his disciples and followers, to uphold faith centered around our Founder's temple in Minobu, and to strive to achieve our Founder's wish of converting all to the "Wonderful Law.”

(Explanatory note)

The original vow we should have, a vow of the heart, a fundamental vow. All members of the Nichiren Sect vow to unite themselves in one and strive to achieve the wishes of Nichiren Shonin. He devoted his whole life to spreading the Lotus Sutra in order to lead all people of the Latter Age of the Declining Law to the faith of the Lotus Sutra so that, thanks to the great compassion Of the Buddha, they may be able to find Buddha nature in their own minds and be able to lead their lives according to the True Faith.

To accomplish this purpose we have to keep in mind and try to put into practice the teachings of the Lotus Sutra, which says that in order to see the true meaning of life we have to free ourselves from attachment to life, put utmost faith in the Lotus Sutra, and strive to see the Buddha from the bottom of the heart. We also have to keep in mind and put into practice our Founder's commandment that nothing can be accomplished unless all believers of the Lotus Sutra unite themselves in one heart. It is important therefore for us to respect and revere Mt. Minobu, where the soul of Nichiren Shonin, who gave us our faith, forever resides. We must firmly believe that we always live with our Founder, under the protection of his great compassion.

(A section concerning membership and organizational structure has been skipped.)

Summary

Buddhism is the teachings of the Buddha; at the same time it must be the teachings which lead us to Buddhahood. It is the Lotus Sutra that explains the possibility of all creatures to obtain Buddhahood and the great compassion of the Buddha who helps them realize their goal.

Sakyamuni Buddha chose the Bodhisattva Jōgyō to be the man who could spread this Lotus Sutra, the supreme teaching in the future. Meanwhile the Latter Age of the Declining Law (the wicked society two thousand years after the death of the Buddha) has come. Nichiren Shonin, who was born about 750 years ago, firmly believed after studying Buddhism that the Lotus Sutra was Sakyamuni Buddha's true intention. He decided to spread it, and for that reason he encountered various persecutions. He proved by his own experiences that what was said in the Lotus Sutra especially in chapter 13 — the prediction that those who spread the Lotus Sutra would meet frequent persecutions was true, and he realized that he was the reincarnation of the Bodhisattva Jōgyō, an original disciple of the Eternal Buddha. Based on this realization, Nichiren Shonin continued to spread the Lotus Sutra at the risk of his life and devoted his entire life to the movement of converting all the people to the Wonderful Law. It is this Nichiren Shonin who founded our Nichiren Sect.

Since then all the disciples and followers of Nichiren Shonin who live with his faith are trying to achieve the goals of the great Nichiren Shonin who wished to convert all the people to the Lotus Sutra and the entire world to the pure land of peace. Complying with the commandments of the Lotus Sutra and our Founder to value the teachings over life and to achieve the unity of mind among the disciples and followers, they engaged in activities upholding the True Faith and saving humanity. They kept the tradition of spreading the Lotus Sutra either by means of gentle persuasion or by strict debate.

This is the general meaning of traditions, doctrines and original vows of the Nichiren Sect as shown in its Charter.

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A word about dates from the translator, Kyotsu Hori, of the Nichiren Mission of Hawaii, January 1978:

Translation of dates and years is only approximate. For instance, the date of Nichiren Shonin's birth is, to be strict, the 16th day of the second month, the first year of the Jōō era, which I translated as February 16, 1222. Needless to say, however, the 16th day of the second month is not exactly February 16, and the first year of the Jōō era does not exactly coincide with 1222.

Year Events

1222

Birth of Nichiren on February 16 at Kominato in Chiba Prefecture. Childhood name Zennichimaro.

1233

Went to Seichō Temple on May 12 and took vow before the Bodhisattva Kokuzō.

1237

Ordained by Master Dōzen and took the name of Zeshōbō Renchō.

1238

Studied Zen and Amida Sects at Kamakura.

1242

Returned to Seichō Temple; wrote "Kaitai Sokushin Jōbutsu," and started to study at Mt. Hiei.

1243

Studied at Mt. Hiei; resided at Endon Temple of Tōtō Mudōjidani Seihōgadake and Jōkō Temple of Yokogawa.

1247

Beginning around this time he studied for several years at the seven great temples of Nara as well as Mt. Kōya and Shitennō Temple.

1251

Studied at Tō Temple.

1253

Came down from Mt. Hiei. Returned to Seichō Temple. On April 28 at Asahigamori at Mt. Kiyozumi, he recited "Namu Myoho Renge-kyo" for the first time and proclaimed a new religion. Preached at Shobutsu-dō. Chased by Steward Tōjō Kagenobu from Mt. Kiyozumi. Went to Kamakura and built a hamlet at the Nagoshi section, in which he read the Lotus Sutra and recited the Odaimoku. Nisshō and Toki Jyōnin became disciples.

1254

Started street corner preaching at the Komachi section and other places of Kamakura. Nichirō became his disciple.

1256

About this time and for several years a series of natural calamities occurred and epidemics spread. Shijō Yorimoto, Ikegami brothers, Kudō Yoshitaka became disciples.

1258

Left Kamakura for Jissō Temple of Iwamoto, Shizuoka Prefecture, to read Tripitaka (all the sacred scriptures of Buddhism). Hakii Sanenaga was converted.

1260

Returned to Kamakura to write the "Treatise on Spreading Peace Throughout the Country by Establishing Righteousness." On July 16 presented it to Hōjō Tokiyori through the good office of lay monk Yadoya (First national remonstration). Nikkō became his disciple in 1259. On August 27, a mob attacked his hamlet at Matsubagayatsu at night; Nichiren Shonin escaped the attack and went to the residence of Toki family at Nakayama, Chiba Prefecture. Ota Noriaki, Soya Kyōshin, Nanjō Hyōe Shichirō became disciples. Khubilai became the Khan of Mongolia.

1261

Returned to Kamakura, Arrested on May 12 and exiled to ltō by shogunate officials. Prayed for the recovery of sickly ltō Tomotaka, who presented him with a statue of Sakyamuni Buddha.

1262

Wrote "Shion-shō," "Kyōki Jikoku-shō" in Izu. Shinran died on January 16.

1263

On February 22, pardoned from exile in Izu. Returned to Kamakura. Nichiji became a disciple.

1264

Returned to native place in Awa Province in August. He prayed for his seriously sick mother, who recovered. On November 11, persecution at Komatsubara in Tōjō Village of Chiba Prefecture.

1266

Wrote "Hokke Daimoku-shō."

1267

Nichiren in Kamakura. Mother died on August 15. Ryōkan became the abbot of Gokuraku Temple.

1268

On January 18, letter from the Mongol Emperor, advising Japan to become its tributary nation, arrived. On November 11, sent letter to eleven important persons demanding public debate. Repeated demand for public debate many times. Mongol emissary arrived at Dazaifu.

1269

In December made copies of the "Treatise on Spreading Peace Throughout the Country by Establishing Righteousness." Mongol emissary arrived at Tsushima.

1271

On September 12, persecution at Tatsunokuchi. Shogunate official Taira no Saemon-no-jō Yoritsuna arrested Nichiren and tried unsuccessfully to kill him. On November 28, exiled to Sado. Nichirō and others imprisoned. Abutsubō, Sennichi-ama became disciples. Mongol emissary with the emperor's letter arrived at northern Kyushu.

1272

In February wrote essay the "Opening the Eyes" at Tsukahara, Sado Island. Mongol emissary arrived again.

1273

In April, finished "The Spiritual Introspection of Supreme Beings." In July, for the first time he made Gohonzon of Great Mandala.

1274

Pardoned from the Sado exile in February. Returned to
Kamakura in March and met Taira Yoritsuna and warned in vain the shogunate of the Mongol invasion. Left Kamakura on May 15 and went to Mt. Minobu. For nine years he lived there. Wrote many essays. In October, the first Mongol invasion occurred.

1275

Wrote "Senji-shō," etc. Hōjō Tokimune killed the five Mongol emissaries at Tatsunokuchi.

1276

"Essay on the Recompense of Indebtedness" and "Seichōji Taishū-chū" were written. Master Dōzen died.

1279

Atsubara Persecution. (Persecution which took place at Atsubara in Shizuoka Prefecture in which three persons including Atsubara Jinshirō sacrificed their lives).

1281

Second Mongol Invasion. In November, Kuon Temple's Great Hall was built.

1282

On September 8, departed from Minobu to go to a hot spring spa in Hitachi Province for health. On the way, September 18, he reached the residence of Ikegami Munenaka of Musashi Province. Died October 13. Ashes returned on October 25 to Minobu.

1283

In May, ashes were enshrined at grave in Mt. Minobu.

Page 118-120

Below is a PDF file containing the music and lyrics included in the Shingyō Hikkei. This video is a performance of the first song, Tachiwataru. The words are from a poem by Nichiren.

Download PDF copy of the Nichiren songbook.

At eight o'clock every morning we, members of the Nichiren Sect, wherever we are and whatever we are doing, should direct our hearts towards Lord Sakyamuni Buddha and Nichiren Shonin, who reside on Mt. Minobu, and recite the Odaimoku and say a prayer for the protection of the Dharma.

Let us all practice this prayer and encourage our neighbors to join us.

The way you recite the Odaimoku is up to you. It may be voiced or silent; it may be said three times or ten times. The point is for everybody, no matter where he lives, to say a prayer at the same time in one mind.

Page 130

Let us recite this grace before and after eating food

(Before eating)

The rays of the sun, moon, and stars which nourish our bodies, and the five grains of the earth which nurture our spirits are all the gifts of the Eternal Buddha. Even a drop of water or a grain of rice is nothing but the result of meritorious work and hard labor. May this meal help us to maintain the health in body and mind and to uphold the teachings of the Buddha to repay the Four Favors*, and to perform the pure conduct of serving others. Namu Myoho Renge-kyo. Itadaki masu

(After eating)

Recite Odaimoku three times Gochisō-sama deshita.

* Four Favors:

1. To the three treasures: Buddha, Dharma, and Sanga.
2. To one's parents and ancestors.
3. To the country and society one lives in.
4. To all of mankind.

Page 131