Nichiren Shonin
30 Jun 2013
Good morning, everybody!
How are you? You all are looking good.
Today, I will talk about Nichiren Shonin, history of Buddhism in Japan and others. It is said that in 532 or 538, Buddhism came to Japan as art from Korea. Then, Buddhism was accepted as religion. The nobles believed in Buddhism because they wanted it to protect and keep the country peaceful. Buddhism was a religion of the aristocracy and monks were government employees. Buddhism did not spread to the people during this time.
As you know, there are 84,000 sutras. As time went by, many people were confused about which sutra was the best one among them. Buddhist groups in Japan were established based on which sutra they thought was the best. These groups were more academic than religious. In 1192, when the aristocracy fell and the shogunate, samurai government, was established, Buddhism became a religion for the people. At that time, I believe, they became priests instead of monks because they were more likely to live in town and could spread their faith to the people everyday. And Buddhism became more religious in Japan.
Our founder, Nichiren Shonin, was born on February 16, 1222. After studying for 20 years, Nichiren Shonin realized that the best teaching of Shakyamuni Buddha was the Lotus Sutra and on April 28, 1253, at the age of 31, he proclaimed his new faith. He also changed his name to Nichiren from his birth name. Nichi means the sun and Ren means the lotus. The sun and the lotus are from the Lotus Sutra, as stated in chapter XXI, "Just as the light of the sun and the moon eliminates all darkness", and as stated in chapter XV, "They are not defiled by worldliness just as the lotus flower is not defiled by water". He said that nothing was brighter than the sun and the moon. Nothing was purer than the lotus. He said in his letter that he wished to be like the sun, the moon and the lotus. That's why he named himself 'Nichiren'. Shonin means reverend. He devoted himself to the Lotus Sutra although he had to face many difficulties. He passed away on Oct. 13, 1282, at the age of 60.
Let me tell you a little about European history in those days. The reign of King Henry III of England was almost the same as Nichiren Shonin's lifetime. King Henry III ruled England from 1216 through 1272. And, in 1215, the Magna Carta was signed. In 1233, Cambridge University was established. In 1245, Westminster Abbey was rebuilt as its present abbey. As you know, the most successful Scholastic was St. Thomas Aquinas. He lived during the same period as Nichiren Shonin. St. Thomas Aquinas was born 3 years after Nichiren Shonin and he passed away 8 years before Nichiren Shonin.
Thank you very much indeed.