Category Archives: Books

Miracles, Books

Miraculous Tales of the Lotus Sutra from Ancient Japan

Available on Amazon

The Dainihonkoku Hokekyō of Priest Chingen

Translated and annotated by Yoshiko Kurata Dykstra

From the flyleaf:

This is the first Western language translation of Hokkegenki, a Buddhist tale collection of eleventh century Japan.

The Lotus Sūtra (Hokekyō) is one of the most influential and popular sūtras among Mahāyāna Buddhists in East Asia. The sūtra propagates veneration and faith among believers not only in the compassionate bodhisattvas but also in the sūtra itself. In China popular devotion to the Lotus Sūtra appears to date back to the T’ang dynasty.

Belief in the Hokekyō, the Japanese name of the scripture, has been widespread in Japan since the time of Prince Shōtoku who desired to establish a united nation for all sentient beings as taught in the sūtra. In 741, Emperor Shōmu ordered that each province was to build a seven-storied pagoda in which ten copies of the Hokekyō were to be preserved.

Devotion to the Hokekyō was often mentioned in various writings of the Nara and the Heian Periods. The Hokkegenki written by Chingen tersely depicts the faith and dedication of the contemporary Hokekyō devotees.

The 129 short-biographical and legendary tales of the Hokkegenki are all thematically unified in homage to the Hokekyō but are abundant in motifs and fantastic elements including celestial beings, demons, hungry ghosts, animals and supernatural creatures such as dragons. The Hokkegenki tales provide students of intellectual history with most precious primary sources about the spiritual life of the time, and those of literature with fine examples of the avadāna Buddhist narratives.

For my purposes, further elaboration is required.

The book was written between 1040 and 1044 by a monk named Chingen of Yokawa on Mount Hiei. He was, in other words, a Tendai monk, and the stories reflect the Tendai religion of those days, with its Pure Land and Shingon influences that Nichiren would, 200 years later, rail against.

As example of the Pure Land influence, here’s a quote from the story about the death of Jikaku, who followed Dengyō on Mount Hiei:

As his last days approached, Jikaku concluded his instructions to his disciples, washed his hands and mouth, and donned a clean robe. With a stately demeanor, he said to Priest Reiyū, “Scores of great priests have come and have formed a line. Quickly burn incense and scatter flowers!”

“But we have no guests now,” replied Reiyū.

However, Jikaku, with increased respect and fervent faith, sat facing the west with clasped hands, and told Priest Enjun to recite and pay his respects to the Hokekyō which preaches the great and fair knowledge of Amida. (Page 34)

The same story by Chingen explains, “In the fourteenth year of Shōwa [848], Jikaku returned to Japan [from China]. It is said that Jikaku’s efforts were responsible for half of the transmission of the Law to Japan. He introduced the Invocation of Amida’s Name, the Hokke Repentance Rites, the Kanjō Consecration Rites, and the Shari Relics Meeting.”

Here’s an example of Lotus-Shingon influence:

Genkai, a resident priest of the Komatsudera Temple of Shinden District of Mutsu Province, had a wife and children, but was later separated from them. He recited a copy of the Hokekyō during the day, and repeated the Daibucchō-Incantations seven times at night.

One night, Genkai dreamed that wings had sprouted from his sides and that he was flying towards the west. After crossing thousands of countries, he finally arrived at the place named the Seven Jewels. As he examined himself, he found that the Daibucchō-lncantations formed his left wing while the eight rolls of the Hokekyō constituted his right wing. As he looked around, he saw jeweled trees and edifices which were shining with a delicate radiance. A holy priest approached and said to Genkai, “You have come to the outskirts of the paradise where you should be welcome three years later.” Genkai listened to the priest respectfully and flew back home, just as before.

At his place, his disciples who thought Genkai had already died were grieving deeply. As Genkai regained consciousness, he recited the Hokekyō and the Shingon incantations more fervently. Three years later, Genkai learned the time of his death and finally passed away. (Page 42)

While Nichiren’s later letters criticized Shingon, his early letters included supportive references to the “Lotus-Shingon temples” and his Mandalas include Fudo Myo-o and Aizen Myo-o, two deities of Shingon esoteric Buddhism. Fudo Myo-o features in some of these stories.

In choosing what to include here, I have ignored the Pure Land and Shingon stories and the two stories that advocate self-immolation as a practice.

I have included a couple of stories with indirect reference to life in a Pure Land. When reading those, keep in mind Nichiren’s explanation:

The Pure Lands preached in the pre-Lotus expedient sūtras are mere substitutes tentatively shown by replicas of Śākyamuni Buddha, the Eternal True Buddha. In fact, they all are lands of impurity. Therefore, when the true Pure Land was decided in “The Life Span of the Buddha” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra, the essence of which consists of chapters on the “Expedients” and “The Life Span of the Buddha,” it was declared that this Sahā World is the true Pure Land of the Tranquil Light.

As for the question why, the Lotus Sūtra also recommends the Tuṣita Heaven, the Realm of Peace and Sustenance (Pure Land of the Buddha of Infinite Life), and Pure Lands all over the universe, it is merely that designations of the Pure Lands, such as Tuṣita Heaven and Realm of Peace and Sustenance, preached in the pre-Lotus sūtras are used without modification to name the Pure Lands to be established in this world. It is like names of the three vehicles (śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha, and bodhisattva) mentioned in the Lotus Sūtra, which does not actually preach three different teachings; it preaches the sole teaching leading to Buddhahood. It is stated in the Lotus Sūtra, chapter 23, that those who practice this sūtra “will immediately be reborn in the World of Happiness.” In the Annotations on the Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 10, Grand Master Miao-lê interprets: “This does not mean the Pure Land of the Buddha of Infinite Life preached in the Sūtra of Meditation on the Buddha of Infinite Life.” His interpretation is the same as stated above.

Shugo Kokka-ron, Treatise on Protecting the Nation, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Pages 68-69
Source

Finally, these stories speak of monks who chant hundreds of thousands of repetitions of the Lotus Sūtra. When considering these feats, keep in mind Nichiren’s advice:

You should know that the merit of the Lotus Sūtra is the same whether you chant the whole eight scrolls or just one scroll, one chapter, one stanza, one phrase, one character, or the daimoku.

Gassui Gasho, A Letter on Menstruation, Nyonin Gosho, Letters Addressed to Female Followers, Page 28
Source

Nichiren wrote often about how Japan was a land of the Lotus Sūtra. These stories offer a glimpse into that history.

 
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Blog, Books, LS Biography

The Lotus Sutra: A Biography

I was introduced to Donald S. Lopez Jr.’s book, The Lotus Sutra: A Biography, through a review published in the Summer 2017 issue of Buddhadharma: The Practitioner’s Quarterly that I found on LionsRoar.com.

Paul L. Swanson’s review concludes: “In short, this book is a biography of a book, one that admits in its final pages that one cannot ultimately answer the question of what that book really is. It is a challenge that Lopez leaves with the reader.”

That was enough to prompt me to purchase the University of Michigan professor’s contribution to Princeton University Press’ Lives of Great Religious Books, “a series of short volumes that recount the complex and fascinating histories of important religious texts from around the world.”

And, having read Lopez’s book, I think Swanson missed the point Lopez makes at the conclusion. Here’s what he says:

But where, in the end, is the Lotus Sūtra? It is a text marked with fissures and cracks, like the earth split by a rising stūpa, like the earth rent by bodhisattvas emerging from beneath the soil. Is it a fractured whole, or is it assembled fragments? Perhaps it is a puzzle that can never be put back together, leaving just its name. Nichiren wrote, “Now in the Final Dharma age, neither the Lotus Sūtra nor the other sūtras are of use. Namu-myōhō-renge-kyō alone is valid.” We recall that in Nichiren Shōshū, the dharma in the three jewels is not the Lotus Sūtra; it is the three great secret doctrines: the honzon, the daimoku, and the kaidan.

And so the Lotus Sūtra that we have been seeking seems to have disappeared. Perhaps it was never there. This text that seemed to lack any particular doctrine, this text that never seemed to begin, has become a source of short phrases (such as kōsen rufu, “wide propagation”) invested with meanings that would have been incomprehensible to its authors, as is so often the case with sacred texts. Among some of its modern adherents, we are left with something as vague (though laudable) as world peace.

Perhaps we have become those strange beings mentioned in Chapter Seven, called lokāntarika, “those between the worlds.” Perhaps it is time to return to the text, to live in the darkness of the fissures that seem to scar it. By returning to the text, by reading the Lotus Sūtra (as the sūtra itself exhorts us to do), by exploring its cracks and fissures, those of us who, in the words of the sūtra, have been living in “the dark places between the worlds, where the rays of the sun and the moon have been unable to penetrate”, may recognize each other as the many different readers of the many different readings of the Lotus Sūtra and say to each other, “How is it possible that sentient beings have suddenly appeared here?”

“By returning to the text, by reading the Lotus Sūtra…” That’s the only message worthy of concluding a “biography” of the Lotus Sūtra.

As a postscript I want to delve into Lopez’s quote from Chapter 7: The Parable of the Magic City. I did not recognize it at first since in Senchu Murano’s English translation of the Lotus Sūtra it looks like this:

The Buddha said to the bhikṣus:

“When Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence Buddha attained Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi, five hundred billion Buddha-worlds in each of the ten quarters quaked in the six ways, and all those worlds, including those intercepted from the brilliant rays of light of the sun and the moon by the neighboring worlds, were illumined [by great rays of light], and the living beings of those worlds were able to see each other for the first time. They said to each other, ‘How did you appear so suddenly?’

Lopez’s quote comes from Leon Hurvitz’s “Lotus Blossom of the Fine Dharma,” which is an English translation of Kumārajīva’s Chinese with additional material taken directly from Sanskrit. This is the same portion of Chapter 7:

The Buddha declared to the bhiksus: “When the buddha Victorious Through Great Penetrating Knowledge attained anuttasamyaksambodhi, in each of the ten directions five hundred myriads of millions of buddha worlds trembled in six different ways, and in the intervals between those lands, dark and obscure places that the glorious light of the sun and moon could not illuminate were all very bright. The living beings within them were all enabled to see one another, and all said: ‘Why has this place suddenly produced living beings?’

Making explicit that the universe without a Buddha is “dark and obscure” – the intervals between Buddha worlds – helps reveal what enlightenment means for the universe.

I am currently on my 39th trip through Senchu Murano’s English translation. I’m looking forward to taking up Hurvitz’s “Lotus Blossom of the Fine Dharma” for a cycle or two and gaining further insight “by returning to the text, by reading the Lotus Sūtra.”

original, Books

Original Enlightenment and the Transformation of Medieval Japanese Buddhism

orig_enlightenment_bookcoverFrom Amazon

Original enlightenment thought (hongaku shiso) dominated Buddhist intellectual circles throughout Japan’s medieval period. Enlightenment, this discourse claims, is neither a goal to be achieved nor a potential to be realized but the true status of all things. Every animate and inanimate object manifests the primordially enlightened Buddha just as it is. Seen in its true aspect, every activity of daily life—eating, sleeping, even one’s deluded thinking—is the Buddha’s conduct. Emerging from within the powerful Tendai School, ideas of original enlightenment were appropriated by a number of Buddhist traditions and influenced nascent theories about the kami (local deities) as well as medieval aesthetics and the literary and performing arts.

Scholars and commentators have long recognized the historical importance of original enlightenment thought but differ heatedly over how it is to be understood. Some tout it as the pinnacle of the Buddhist philosophy of absolute non-dualism. Others claim to find in it the paradigmatic expression of a timeless Japanese spirituality. According other readings, it represents a dangerous anti-nomianism that undermined observance of moral precepts, precipitated a decline in Buddhist scholarship, and denied the need for religious discipline. Still others denounce it as an authoritarian ideology that, by sacralizing the given order, has in effect legitimized hierarchy and discriminative social practices. Often the acceptance or rejection of original enlightenment thought is seen as the fault line along which traditional Buddhist institutions are to be differentiated from the new Buddhist movements (Zen, Pure Land, and Nichiren) that arose during Japan’s medieval period.

Jacqueline Stone’s groundbreaking study moves beyond the treatment of the original enlightenment doctrine as abstract philosophy to explore its historical dimension. Drawing on a wealth of medieval primary sources and modern Japanese scholarship, it places this discourse in its ritual, institutional, and social contexts, illuminating its importance to the maintenance of traditions of lineage and the secret transmission of knowledge that characterized several medieval Japanese elite culture. It sheds new light on interpretive strategies employed in pre-modern Japanese Buddhist texts, an area that hitherto has received a little attention. Through these and other lines of investigation, Stone problematizes entrenched notions of “corruption” in the medieval Buddhist establishment. Using the examples of Tendai and Nichiren Buddhism and their interactions throughout the medieval period, she calls into question both overly facile distinctions between “old” and “new” Buddhism and the long-standing scholarly assumptions that have perpetuated them. This study marks a significant contribution to ongoing debates over definitions of Buddhism in the Kamakura era (1185–1333), long regarded as a formative period in Japanese religion and culture. Stone argues that “original enlightenment thought” represents a substantial rethinking of Buddhist enlightenment that cuts across the distinction between “old” and “new” institutions and was particularly characteristic of the medieval period.

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For a discussion of Nichiren’s writings and the question of authenticity, see this Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 1999 article by Sueki Fumihiko, Nichiren’s Problematic Works.

Profound, Books

The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra: Tien-tai Philosophy of Buddhism

ProfoundMeaningBookCover
Available at Amazon
From the publisher’s book description:

This book makes an initial investigation into T’ien-t’ai Chih-i’s masterpiece The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra (Hsuan-i) in an endeavor to unravel his systematic approach to elaborating Buddhism and his Buddhist philosophy in religious salvation. This book is divided into two volumes. Volume one concentrates on the uniqueness of the Hsuan-i and Chih-i’s achievements in the Hsuan-i. As the embodiment of Chin-i’s own philosophy, the coherent and integrated nature of his text fully displays his perfect and harmonizing philosophy. Closely related to the first volume is the second volume of this book. In order to make the assessment of Chih-i’s system, thoughts and achievements comprehensible in the context of the Hsuan-i, volume two launches an unprecedented exploration of this gigantic text Hsuan-i, giving a delineation of the whole work by outlining, explaining and analyzing its complicated structure, its rich content, and its sophisticated theories. The textual study of this book brings into light a new perspective of understanding the depth of Chih-i’s philosophy, and contributes to the field of study of T’ien-t’ai Buddhism.

 
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The Beginnings of Buddhism

Available for purchase from NBIC.
From the Preface by Kōgen Mizuno:

In the eighteen chapters of this book, I give an account of basic Buddhism, centered on the life of Śākyamuni, the historical Buddha, and the primitive teachings of his time. The book is not an ordered, doctrinal presentation but a blend of what I have to say about the teachings and of material concerning the life of Śākyamuni taken from the oldest and most reliable sources. Though I did not intend to write a detailed biography, I have made use of the historical evidence considered most correct.

The oldest extant Buddhist classics – the Agama sutras and the Vinaya-pitaka – were not written as biographies of Śākyamuni and contain only a fragmentary exposition of his words, actions, teachings, and discussion. These works, which cover a period of more than forty years, deal less with the life of Śākyamuni than with correct revelations of his teachings and, although not compiled with the intention of producing scholarly, historically factual records, contain fairly detailed accounts of the first two or three years of activity after Śākyamuni attained enlightenment and of the events of the period of about a year surrounding his entrance into nirvana.

The writing of biographies of Śākyamuni did not begin until several centuries after his death. There are about ten kinds of such biographies, all of which show him as a superhuman being for whom nothing was impossible. They reveal his greatness but fail to give a picture of his true humanity and go too far in the effort to create a powerful impression.

Attempts on the part of later writers to make Śākyamuni seem supernatural led Western scholars to assume that he had never existed as an actual human being but was a fiction invented on the basis of ancient Indian sun myths. In order to obtain an impression of Śākyamuni as a living human being and to understand his true greatness, it is essential to rely on the unembellished accounts found in the oldest historical sources. Though fragmentary and incomplete, this material gives a clearer, more vital picture than accounts compiled in later periods.

A true picture of Śākyamuni and the religion he founded is of maximum importance today for the following reasons. Śākyamuni is ranked as one of the four great sages of the world, together with Socrates, Jesus Christ, and Confucius. Buddhism itself ranks with Islam and Christianity as one of the world’s three great religions. People of learning and culture in both the East and the West who attempt to interpret the issue impartially agree that, of the four great sages, Śākyamuni had the most harmonious and outstanding personality. Furthermore, cultural leaders throughout the world insist that, in terms of rationality and of inspiring peace and a spirit of generosity, either Buddhism or something similar to it is the ideal kind of religion for the future of all mankind.

 
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Some Books On Buddhism Are More Equal Than Others

Gotama Buddha: A Biography Based on the Most Reliable Texts
NBIC Book Store

“Gotama Buddha: A Biography Based on the Most Reliable Texts” by Hajime Nakamura is sold by the Nichiren Buddhist International Center under the heading “General Buddhism.”

If the point of the book wasn’t clear in the subhead – A Biography Based on the Most Reliable Texts – the author makes his intent in writing this book explicit when he opens his Preface with:

“My central concern in this volume is to elucidate how Gotama Buddha, or Sakyamuni, the historical figure revered as the teacher of humankind, lived his life and taught his doctrine.”

Having read this book, I’m at a loss to understand why the official Nichiren Shu organization tasked with the promotion of Nichiren Buddhism in the English-speaking world would find this book appropriate.

Keeping in mind that all Nichiren Buddhists view the Lotus Sūtra as Śākyamuni’s great vehicle capable of carrying everyone to the other shore, why does a Nichiren organization promote a book that has this to say of Mahāyāna Buddhists:

“In one sense Buddhism is a ‘founded religion,’ and in another sense it is not. Mahāyāna Buddhists rely on the one who teaches the Dharma, whether it be the bodhisattva Maitreya, Buddha Amitābha, or some other figure. They do not rely on Śākyamuni the individual. It was on this philosophical foundation that Mahāyāna Buddhism was able to declare its orthodoxy as the Buddha’s teaching.”

Page 261

The Lotus Sūtra does not rely on Śākyamuni, the individual?

The NBIC Book Store’s other offering in this category, The Beginnings of Buddhism by Kōgen Mizuno, is a much better exploration of early Buddhist teachings.

There were a few tidbits in “Gotama Buddha: A Biography Based on the Most Reliable Texts” that I felt merited keeping.

The Mahābodhi Society built a large modern temple at Sārnāth, called the Mūlagandha-kutī Vihāra, in 1931. Just coincidentally that’s the same year five families in Sacramento founded their Nichiren Church. In addition, a Japanese artist, Kōsetsu Nousu,  was invited to paint the murals depicting the life of the Buddha. This task required four years.

This is the description of the interior of the temple:

The central part of the temple enshrines relics discovered in Taxila. The innermost altar contains a replica of the fifth-century statue of the seated Buddha delivering his first discourse discovered in Sārnāth. (The original is in the Archaeological Museum in Sārnāth.) It is surrounded by banners and offerings of flowers and candles. There are also relics from Mirpur Khas and Nāgārjunakovda. Placed below the pedestal of the statue to the left is a long, narrow plaque inscribed with the words “Homage to the Lotus Sutra.” 

Page 268

Namu Myoho Renge Kyo, indeed.

Also of interest was this quote:

[The naga king Muchalinda sheltered the Buddha from rain for seven days while he was deep in meditation. When the storm had passed the naga] appeared in the form of a youth, venerating the Blessed One with the palms of his hands together and standing before him. Then the Blessed One, understanding the meaning of it, recited the following verse of uplift: “His solitude is happy, he who is content, who has heard the teachings, who has seen the Truth. Happy is freedom from malice toward others and self-restraint toward all living beings. Happy it is to be rid of all creed toward the world and to transcend all desires. The greatest happiness is control of the pride that comes of the thought ‘I am!’ ”

Page 222

Two points of interest. First is the “verse to uplift” itself. Reading these are what make such books interesting. The second point is the idea of a naga as a deity in the form of a cobra, with a great hood that shielded the Buddha from the rain. The Sanskrit means “serpent” but, as I’ve read before, the Chinese, not knowing what to make of this idea, transformed the naga into dragons. Of course, that gets picked up Japan. Nichiren, in discussing the Dragon King’s Daughter, says, “The Buddha helped a small snake, who was actually a daughter of the dragon king, attain Buddhahood with her present body.” (Sennichi-ama Gozen Gohenji, A Reply to My Lady Nun Sennici, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Pages 146-147)

Finally is the discussion of Śākyamuni’s visit home and his response when his father, the king, chides him for embarrassing his family by begging:

“Your lineage, O King, is the lineage of kings, but ours is that of the buddhas, extending from Dīpaṃkara and Koṇḍan͂n͂a down to Kassapa. These, and thousands of other buddhas, have begged for alms and lived on their alms alone.” And standing in the middle of the road, he recited this verse:

“Rouse yourself! Be not idle!
Follow the Good Way!
One who acts correctly rests in ease
In this world and the next.”

When Gotama had finished reciting that verse, the king attained the first stage of the sage. He attained the second stage on hearing this verse:

“Follow the Good Way!
Do not that which is evil!
One who acts correctly rests in ease
In this world and the next.”

Books, Summer Writings

Summer Writings

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From the Forward
It has been a wish of mine to publish these wonderful teachings of our lineage of Nichiren Shu Buddhism for a long time, in order to disseminate their wisdom throughout the world. They are very special to me, because they are from the many newsletters that I collected during my Buddhist education at the Toronto Nichiren Buddhist Temple under my teacher Kanto Tsukamoto Shonin, who was the head priest of that Temple for over 10 years. I carried this collection of newsletters with me when I moved from Buffalo to Seattle, waiting for the right opportunity and support to bring this project to fruition. So indeed, this is a happy event.

Tsukamoto Shonin’s teachings are wonderful, because he reveals to us a very simple but profound insight into our daily lives, through many stories and allegories. Through each story he shares his very personal and emotional experience of life, with an awareness which has allowed people, despite cultural and language differences, to relate with the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren Buddhism. Tsukamoto Shonin became a Kaikyoshi early in Nichiren Shu’s activities outside Japan, in order spread the teachings of Nichiren Shu Buddhism across the ocean to English speaking people. This was at a very important time in our propagation efforts, and began the movement towards establishing Nichiren Shu Buddhism outside of Japanese ethnic communities.

With Gassho
Kanjin Cederman Shonin
Head Priest
Seattle Choeizan Enkyoji Nichiren Buddhist Temple

Contents

  • Gratitude
  • King of Hell, “Emma-san”
  • Matsubagayatsu Persecution
  • My Unexplainable Experience
  • Reasons for holding Memorial Services
  • View of Hell
  • “What is Karma?”
  • Urabon-e

 
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Books, Awakening to the Lotus

Awakening to the Lotus

An Introduction to Nichiren Shu

Awakening to the Lotus bookcover
This book is available for purchase at Nichiren-Shu.org

From NBIC website:

One of the most important and widely practiced forms of Japanese Buddhism, Nichiren Shu is also one of the least known outside of Japan. The few books available in the West are either college-level texts or direct translations of works that assume some prior knowledge of this uniquely Japanese school of Buddhism.

Awakening to the Lotus finally explains Nichiren Shu in terms that everyone from the most basic beginner to those with previous experience of Nichiren Buddhist schools can understand. Examining the foundation, the teaching, the practice, and the beliefs of Nichiren Shu, this book can serve both as a handbook for those just beginning to practice Buddhism and as an information resource for those who simply want to learn more about this fascinating school.

Beginning with the basics of general Buddhism, Awakening to the Lotus quickly focuses in on the specific doctrines and teachings of Nichiren Shu. Ceremonies, special events, personal practice, the Lotus Sutra, and the teachings of the founder of the school, Nichiren Shonin, are all covered fully in easy to understand language.

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Questions and Answers on Nichiren Buddhism

Questions and Answers book cover
Download PDF copy of book
From the Preface by Senchu Murano
Senchu Murano

Nichiren Buddhism is one of the most outstanding religions in Japan. It is a collective name for all the Daimoku-chanting denominations: Nichiren Shu, Nichiren Shoshu, Nichiren Honshu, Kempon Hokke Shu, Hokke Shu Jimmon Ryu, Hokke Shu Hommon Ryu, Hokke Shu Shimmon Ryu, Hommon Hokke Shu, Hommon Butsuryu Shu, Nichiren Shu Fujufuse Ha, Fujufuse Nichiren Komon Shu, and many new religions whose names end with “Kai”. Although all these organizations are independent of each other administratively, they are one in that they center around the personality of the founder Nichiren (1222-1282).

Born as son of a petty officer of a manor in the Province of Awa (Chiba-ken), Nichiren studied at the Hieizan Buddhist Institute under the patronage of the owner of the manor. He was a good writer. He had a vast knowledge of the history of Japan, China, and the neighboring countries including Western Turkistan. He contributed to the study of the history of Japan by recording several events which were not described in any documents other than Nichiren’s writings. He was persecuted oftentimes because he bitterly criticized the chanting of the Nembutsu. But he was loved and respected by commoners. Within a few years after the proclamation of his new faith, he collected votaries numerous enough to make the Government careful of his faithful followers, who were misconstrued as dissidents to the Government.

Nichiren attempted to restore the dignity of Sakyamuni Buddha, who was almost forgotten under the popularity of other Buddhas and Bodhisattvas such as Amida, Dainichi, Yakushi, Kannon, and so forth. According to the Lotus Sutra, Shakamuni is the Original Buddha, all the other Buddhas being his emanations. Shakamuni also is the Eternal Buddha, who is still now expounding the Dharma to save us.

I have had many chances to make contact with my friends overseas. They ask me many questions. Some of the questions are not asked in Japan because we take the matters just for granted. Thanks to the questioners abroad, I could re-study many things to prepare for my answers. The Lotus Sutra begins with the question asked by Maitreya Bodhisattva. There are many Maitreyas in the world. We must listen to them, understand what they want to know, and study the points in the light of the Lotus Sutra and the Gosho of Nichiren.

Here I have collected some questions and answers on Nichiren Buddhism from the letters exchanged between various persons abroad and myself. I shall be very glad if this collection will be able to conduce to the right understanding of Nichiren Buddhism.

Senchu Murano
Kamakura, Japan
1998

Questioners (Alphabetical order)

  • Simon Continente, Faithful Follower of Nichiren Shonin in England.
  • Stephanie Maltz, Faithful Follower of Nichiren Shonin in the U.S.
  • Daniel B. Montgomery, Author of Fire in the Lotus: The Dynamic Buddhism of Nichiren (London, 1991 ).
  • Senkei K. Pieters, Nichiren Buddhist Temple Hokkeji, Moorslede, Belgium.

Only portions of the book will be posted here. A PDF copy of the entire book can be downloaded here

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Dancing In The Garden Of The Lotus Sutra

book coverFrom the author’s Preface

Margaret Cram-Howie and Rev. Kanjin Cederman

The steps along the path in this book are loosely based on the principles I extracted from The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. I started my recovery journey in the rooms of AA. The primary difference between the twelve steps as presented in this book and the official twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous is that there is no mention of a god of any understanding in the steps along the path presented in this book. I never believed in an external god of any description and this was problematic for me in making sense of the steps. I hear from many others in recovery that the issue of the word “god” in the twelve-step programs is a problem for them too. For some, this problem keeps them away from recovery programs. It is my hope that this book will be of help to those addicts who want the principles of recovery without committing to a god.

I met several teachers/mentors along the way. I studied with Marshall Rosenberg and learned the gentleness and wisdom of Nonviolent Communication. I studied with Dr. Deepak Chopra and became a certified meditation teacher with The Chopra Center. I blossomed in the garden of the Lotus Sutra, studying and practicing with my Buddhist minister, my sensei Reverend Kanjin Cederman. It is in the beautiful stories, parables, and teachings of Nichiren Shu Buddhism that I find the fullness of life. It is my hope that by sharing my path, you may also find a passage out of addiction and into joyfulness.

See blog post reviewing book