The Life of Nichiren
The Life of Nichiren
Nichiren was born in 1222 Japan, a country that was rife with conflicts and calamaties that took a heavy toll on the ordinary people.
Witnessing people’s struggles and sufferings since his childhood, Nichiren prayed - when he entered the priesthood at the age of 12 - to be “the wisest person in the country” to be able to lead people to enlightenment.
For the next 20 years he studied various forms of Buddhism, conducting also his own research. Nichiren became convinced that the key to transforming people’s sufferings and enabling society to flourich lay in the Lotus Sutra, which teachings are condensed in its title : Myoho-Renge-Kyo.
Deaclaring the teaching of “the direct path to enlightenment”
At the age of 32, Nichiren declared (on the 28th April 1253 in a lecture at Secho-Ji temple) - that the correct Buddhist practice in this age is using one’s voice in chanting the phrase Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo.
Chanting resonates with the inner field of enlightenment (Buddhanature) leading to experiencing the mind of wisdom, compassion and empowerment to take action to transform hardships and overcome sufferings.
Persecutions
Nichiren was critical of the established schools of Buddhism that relied on state patronage, serving in effect the interest of the powerful, while being passive towards the sufferings of the masses. He called the feudal authorities to task, insisting that the leaders bear responsibility for the sufferings of the population and for action to remedy it. His stance that the state exists for the sake of the people was revolutionary for its time.
Nichiren’s claims invited an onslaught of often-violent persecutions from the military government and from the established Buddhist schools. Throughout, he refused to compromise his principles to appease those in authority.
The numerous persecutions he endured, including ambush and exile, revealed his great lifeforce and undefeated spirit of his state of Buddhahood. Nichiren used all opportunities to compassionately help ordinary people in their daily struggle, writing to them letters of encouragement and explanation of Buddhist teachings.
The Object of Devotion
At the age of 49, after a failed attempt on his life, Nichiren was exiled to Sado, an island-prison with extremely harsh conditions. With a remarkable strength and dedication, however, Nichiren transformed his exile into an opportunity to write the most profound of his writings on enlightenment to the Law of Life, and introduced the concept of mandala as the Object of Devotion.
The Object of Devotion (used for focus in the Buddhist practice) was until then considered to be a statue of the person of the Buddha. Nichiren explained that a mandala encoding the teachings of the Buddha - as described in the Lotus Sutra - was the valid Object of Respect and Devotion for the current period of Buddhist practice.
At the age of 51, Nichiren inscribed the mandala he called Gohonzon: the object of fundamental respect and devotion. The Gohonzon encodes the life-state of Buddhahood - a state that is inherent in the life of every person. Chanting towards the Gohonzon activates this inner state of enlightenment.
Training successors
The government authorities, which sent Nichiren to Sado exile, suddenly pardoned him, when his earlier prediction of a foreign invasion of the country took place (through the Mongol attack on Japan). Acknowledging his concern for the people and in a move of recognition, the governemt offerd to build him a temple - but he refused the offer and decided to retire to Mount Minobu, where he spent the last years of his life in training disciples and lecturing on Buddhism.
Departure
After a glourious life, which changed the history of Buddhism, Nichiren passed away at the age of 60, surrounded by his closest disciples in the morning of 13 October 1282.
Most of his written and orally transmitted teachings were preserved by his immediate follower, Nikko Shonin, and survived over the years to be in the custody of his followers, the ordinary people of Soka Buddhist Movement, which has translated and spread his teachings worldwide.
Statue of Nichiren at Seicho-Ji temple.