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 Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2006 5:37 pm
I am very interested on Nichiren Buddhism and am hoping to find someone who would be able to tell me more on it!
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Posted: Mon Mar 13, 2006 9:17 am
All that I know of Nichiren Buddhism is that the Lotus Sutra is of the utmost importance to the sect. To the point where Nichiren said that chanting the name of the Lotus Sutra alone would solve many of society's problems.
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Posted: Tue Mar 21, 2006 9:09 am
I went to one of their World Peace Prayers once, and found the difference between the Nichiren and the rest of the Buddhist world to be... interesting, to say the least. They reminded of Christians the way they were pressuring people of other branches of Buddhism to conform to theirs. They told my father that other types of Buddhism weren't "The True Way" and that Dogen Zenji was a "heretic". They are very emotionally attached to their faith, and they seem to think that chanting can solve every problem in the world. confused
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Posted: Tue Mar 21, 2006 9:52 am
[ Message temporarily off-line ]
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Akanishi Makoto Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Mar 24, 2006 7:13 am
I'm a "Nichiren heretic" (ie independent-minded, liberal Nichiren Buddhist). Basically, the Lotus Sutra is the most revered scripture for the Nichiren Buddhists. Our mantra (which we call daimoku) is "Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo" meaning "Hail to the the Lotus Sutra" or "Hail to the Mystic Law of The Sutra". A common concept in Nichiren Buddhism is the attainment of Buddha-hood in one's current lifetime. Quote: I went to one of their World Peace Prayers once, and found the difference between the Nichiren and the rest of the Buddhist world to be... interesting, to say the least. They reminded of Christians the way they were pressuring people of other branches of Buddhism to conform to theirs. They told my father that other types of Buddhism weren't "The True Way" and that Dogen Zenji was a "heretic". They are very emotionally attached to their faith, and they seem to think that chanting can solve every problem in the world. I must apologize for the "zealous evangelism" of some Nichiren Buddhists. However, we must remember that there'll always be ignorant people in every religion and that includes various sects of Buddhism. As for the chanting, it's for self-empowerment. Really!
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Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 6:54 am
Just out of curiousity, is the chant 'Nam Myoho Renge Kyo' actual meditation, like some of the chanting meditations of Tibetan Buddhism?
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Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 9:19 pm
Gokunama Just out of curiousity, is the chant 'Nam Myoho Renge Kyo' actual meditation, like some of the chanting meditations of Tibetan Buddhism? Technically, chanting is a form of meditation therefore "Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo" is also used for meditation. On a side note, I like to chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo mentally while meditating.
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Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2006 6:33 am
Gohlico Gokunama Just out of curiousity, is the chant 'Nam Myoho Renge Kyo' actual meditation, like some of the chanting meditations of Tibetan Buddhism? Technically, chanting is a form of meditation therefore "Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo" is also used for meditation. On a side note, I like to chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo mentally while meditating. What I meant is that in a lot of meditations, concentration is stressed, for example, some attempt to maintain complete concentration on the feeling of the breath at the nostrils, or others focus complete attention on an image or even a point on the wall. Maintained and complete concentration are stressed in even some of the chanting meditations, as one is to completely focus on the sound of the chants. Is maintained complete concentration the goal of Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo? Just curious, as most people refer to the chant of Nichiren Buddhism (especially Sokka Gakai) here in Japan as a prayer, and they say it isn't a meditation (although a lot of Japanese do not seem to know a lot about any of the religions).
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Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2006 8:40 am
Gokunama Gohlico Gokunama Just out of curiousity, is the chant 'Nam Myoho Renge Kyo' actual meditation, like some of the chanting meditations of Tibetan Buddhism? Technically, chanting is a form of meditation therefore "Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo" is also used for meditation. On a side note, I like to chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo mentally while meditating. What I meant is that in a lot of meditations, concentration is stressed, for example, some attempt to maintain complete concentration on the feeling of the breath at the nostrils, or others focus complete attention on an image or even a point on the wall. Maintained and complete concentration are stressed in even some of the chanting meditations, as one is to completely focus on the sound of the chants. Is maintained complete concentration the goal of Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo? Just curious, as most people refer to the chant of Nichiren Buddhism (especially Sokka Gakai) here in Japan as a prayer, and they say it isn't a meditation (although a lot of Japanese do not seem to know a lot about any of the religions). Although Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo can be used for meditation (at least in my case), maintaining complete concentration is not the main goal. However, focusing and nurturing on the buddha-nature throught the chant is very vital. Yes it's true that most followers refer to it as a prayer (I even use it for prayers) but it's much more than that.
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Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2006 10:51 am
Gohlico Although Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo can be used for meditation (at least in my case), maintaining complete concentration is not the main goal. However, focusing and nurturing on the buddha-nature throught the chant is very vital. Yes it's true that most followers refer to it as a prayer (I even use it for prayers) but it's much more than that. Thanks for the clarification. How exactly do you focus and nurture Buddha-nature though the chant?
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Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 7:25 pm
Long ago in China, there was a Buddhist school called T'ien-T'ai. This school or sect is dedicated to the Lotus Sutra which is said to be the king of sutras and it contains the ultimate teachings of the Buddha. It is said that whoever recites or writes copies of the Lotus Sutra will achieve buddha-hood. T'ien-T'ai sent monks to Japan and the Japanese branch of T'ien-T'ai was called Tendai. Nichiren was a Tendai monk who founded a new way to venerate the Lotus Sutra and nurture the buddha-nature. That way was to chant Nam(u)-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, meaning (although there are different versions depending which Nichiren school) "Hail to the Lotus Sutra."
If you're not satisfied with my answer, it's best that you ask a more experienced Nichiren Buddhist. I've only been one since two years ago and I still have a lot to learn.
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Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2006 3:41 am
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Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2006 6:02 am
It's auspicious that you would post that just as I have been listening to chanting of "Myoho Renge Kyo" that I downloaded from BuddhaNet. whee
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