Nichiren Buddhism
| SGI members follow the teachings of Nichiren, a Buddhist monk who lived in 13th century Japan. Nichiren asserted that every individual has the potential to become enlightened in his or her present lifetime. Buddhist practice is a vehicle of individual empowerment. Each person has within the power to overcome life's inevitable challenges, to live a life of value and become a positive influence in one's community, society and the world. Origins in India Nichiren's philosophy is rooted in the teachings of Shakyamuni (Gautama Siddartha), the historical founder of Buddhism who lived in India some 2,500 years ago. His teachings were recorded as sutras and spread throughout Asia, giving rise to a number of distinct schools of Buddhism. Accessible to All Nichiren lived in Japan during a tumultuous time of social unrest and natural disasters. The common people, especially, suffered enormously in this harsh feudal society. Appalled by this state of affairs, Nichiren, while a young priest, set out to find the solution to the suffering that surrounded him. After intensive study of the Buddhist sutras, he realized that the essence of the Buddha's enlightenment, and the means to bring an end to suffering and social turmoil, was found in the Lotus Sutra. This sutra affirms that all people, regardless of gender, capacity or social standing, inherently possess the qualities of a Buddha, and are therefore equally worthy of the utmost respect. Based on his study of the sutra he established the invocation of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as a universal practice for tapping and manifesting the life-condition of Buddhahood latent in one's own life. SGI members believe that exerting oneself in both faith and practice--including taking action in reality based on wisdom and compassion--is the means by which one is able to realize one's Buddhahood.Nichiren strongly believed that the true aim of Buddhism is to enable people living in the real world and facing real problems to become empowered and change their lives and society for the better. Nichiren Buddhism is a philosophy that respects the fundamental dignity of all life and stresses the profound connection between one's own happiness and the happiness of others. "In general, Buddhism is viewed as a static religion, epitomized by the image of a meditating or sitting Buddha, but the true image is one of a dynamic, walking Buddhist, an active Buddhist. The true Buddhist is a stranger to rest, continuously taking action to lead people to happiness and make them free." Daisaku Ikeda Copied and pasted from http://www.sgi.org |
