NICHIREN BUDDHISM

Nichiren (1222-1282) began as a Japanese Tendai monk.  He believed that the Lotus Sutra contained all the true teachings of the Buddha.  He also believed that the other sects of Buddhism in Japan, Shingon, Pure Land, and Zen in particular, were corrupted and no longer taught the true dharma.  Nichiren felt that it was his mission in life to prepare the way for true Buddhism to spread throughout the world.

By its focus on the Lotus Sutra, Nichiren Buddhism holds that all people have an innate Buddha-nature and are therefore inherently capable of attaining enlightenment in their current form and present lifetime.

Nichiren Buddhism includes:

Daimoku.  Daily chanting of the mantra Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, or sometimes Namu Myoho Renge Kyo.  This chant may be repeated for a fixed number of times, keeping count with a mala, or rosary.  The chant may also be for a fixed amount of time.

Gohonzon.  The use of a mandala created by Nichiren that represents Buddha-nature and which is an object of veneration.  The Gohonzon often is inscribed on a hanging scroll and kept in the center of an altar.

Gongyo.  The chanting of some part of the Lotus Sutra in a formal service.  The precise sections of the sutra that are chanted vary by sect.

Kaidan.  The establishing of a sacred place of ordination or a seat of institutional authority.  The precise meaning of kaidan in Nichiren Buddhism is a point of doctrinal disagreement.  Kaidan might be the place from which true Buddhism will spread to the world, which could be all of Japan, or it might be wherever in the world Nichiren Buddhism is sincerely practiced. 

Today a number of schools of Buddhism are based on Nichiren's teaching, the most prominent of which are:  Nichiren Shu, Rissho-kosei-kai, and Soka Gakki.