Nichiren - Development of Nichiren's Teachings

Development of Nichiren's Teachings

The Kamakura period of 13th century Japan, in which Nichiren was born - was characterised by natural disasters, internal strife and confusion within Mahayana schools about whether: "...the world had further entered a period of decline" referring to the Latter Day of the Law. Nichiren attributed the turmoil in society to the invalid teachings of the Buddhist schools of his time, including the Tendai sect in which he was ordained: "It is better to be a leper who chants Nam-myōhō-renge-kyō than be a chief abbot of the Tendai school". Setting out to declare his own teachings of Buddhism, Nichiren started at the age of 32 by denouncing all Mahayana schools of his time and by declaring the correct teaching as the Universal Dharma (Nam-Myōhō-Renge-Kyō) and chanting as the only path for personal and social salvation. At the age of 51, Nichiren inscribed the Object of Veneration in Buddhism, the Gohonzon,"never before known" as he described it. Other contributions to Buddhism were the teaching of The Five Guides of Propagation, The doctrine of the Three Great Secret Dharmas and the teaching of The Three Proofs for verification of the validity of Buddhist doctrines. There is a difference between Nichiren teachings and almost all schools of Mahayana Buddhism regarding the understanding of the Latter day of the Law, Mappō. Mahayana teaches that the current age is that of decline of Shakyamauni's Buddhism and that a Future Buddha will appear to start Buddhism anew. Nichiren, on the other hand, confirms that the teachings of the Lotus Sutra will flourish for all eternity, and that the Bodhisattvas of the Earth will propagate Buddhism in the future.

Nichiren criticized other Buddhist schools for their manipulations of the populace for political and religious control. Citing Buddhist sutras and commentaries, Nichiren argued that the Buddhist teachings were being distorted for their own gain.

Nichiren stated his crticism clearly, in his Risshō Ankoku Ron (立正安国論?): "Treatise On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land", his first major treatise and the first of three remonstrations with government authorities.

After Nichiren's death, his teachings were interpreted in different ways. As a result, Nichiren Buddhism encompasses several major branches and schools, each with its own doctrine and set of interpretations of Nichiren's teachings.See Nichiren Buddhism.