What is Nichiren Buddhism?

Nichiren Buddhism is a group of Japanese Mahayana traditions based on the teachings of the monk Nichiren, who lived from 1222 to 1282. Its central practice is chanting the phrase Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, an expression of devotion to the Lotus Sutra.

Who was Nichiren?

Nichiren was ordained young in the Tendai school, which held the Lotus Sutra in high regard. After years of study, he concluded that the Lotus Sutra contained the Buddha's highest teaching and that it should be the basis of practice for his time. He began teaching this publicly in 1253.

He lived in a period of disasters and unrest in Japan, and he urged the authorities to base the country on the Lotus Sutra. His outspoken views led to conflict, and he was exiled twice. He wrote many letters and treatises, which his followers still study.

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo

The phrase Myoho-renge-kyo is the Japanese reading of the title of the Lotus Sutra, "the Sutra of the Lotus of the Wonderful Dharma". Nam (or Namu) means devotion or taking refuge. Nichiren taught that chanting the title embodies the whole sutra and that anyone can practise it.

Many practitioners chant it daily, often together with passages from the Lotus Sutra. They usually chant before a scroll called the Gohonzon, on which the phrase is inscribed in calligraphy along with other names from the sutra.

Key ideas

Nichiren Buddhism draws on the Lotus Sutra's teaching that all beings can awaken, in this very life. Practitioners often speak of revealing their buddha-nature through chanting and through their actions. There is a strong emphasis on bringing the practice into daily life and society.

Nichiren organisations today

After Nichiren's death his followers formed several lineages, and today there are a number of Nichiren organisations. They include temple-based schools such as Nichiren Shū and Nichiren Shōshū, and lay movements such as Soka Gakkai International and Risshō Kōsei Kai. They differ in their interpretation of Nichiren's teachings, in their institutions and in details of practice.

Nichiren Buddhism has spread well beyond Japan and has members in many countries, including Australia. If you are curious, it is worth reading about each organisation directly to understand its own approach.