Nichiren

Nichiren (1222–1282) was a Japanese Buddhist monk who taught exclusive devotion to the Lotus Sutra and founded a Buddhist movement that bears his name.

Lotus Sutra: A Mahayana Buddhist scripture that presents the Buddha’s teaching as universal and ultimately unified. Nichiren treated this scripture as the Buddha’s highest teaching and the basis of his movement.
Gohonzon: A mandala used as an object of devotion in Nichiren Buddhist traditions. Nichiren’s mandalas gave visual form to the assembly and reality described in the Lotus Sutra.
Kamakura period: A period of Japanese history from 1185 to 1333, when the shogunate based at Kamakura held political power. Nichiren preached during this era of military government, social strain, and expanding Buddhist movements.
Nikkō Shōnin: A close disciple of Nichiren who later founded the lineage associated with Taiseki-ji. Nikkō preserved a distinct institutional succession after Nichiren’s death.
Nichiren Buddhism: A family of Japanese Buddhist schools rooted in Nichiren’s devotion to the Lotus Sutra. The movement Nichiren founded later divided into institutions with differing interpretations of his legacy.
Mappō: The Buddhist doctrine that the age of the Buddha’s true teaching has declined into a period of spiritual difficulty. Nichiren saw his era as Mappō, when the Lotus Sutra offered the effective path to awakening.
Shakubuku: A forceful method of Buddhist propagation that challenges teachings regarded as mistaken. Nichiren advocated this approach to persuade people to abandon rival Buddhist doctrines.
Hōjō Tokiyori: The fifth regent of the Kamakura shogunate, who governed Japan from 1246 to 1256. Nichiren addressed a memorial on religious policy to Tokiyori’s government in 1260.
Shijō Kingo: A samurai retainer and lay follower of Nichiren who received letters advising him through personal and political trials. His correspondence shows how Nichiren guided supporters facing pressure to abandon the movement.
Nichiren-shū: A Japanese Buddhist school formed from several Nichiren lineages and centered institutionally at Minobu. It represents a major institutional tradition that developed from Nichiren’s teachings.

Linked from 9 pages