Nichiren Daishonin was born in a small fishing village in Awa, Japan, to a poor family. He was
born on Feb. 16, 1222. His childhood name was Zennichi-maro. At the age of 12 he entered a nearby Buddhist temple where he studied many things. After becoming a priest at the age of 16, he went to several other temples to continue his studies.
His goal was to understand how Buddhism could help people attain enlightenment. After much studying, he was sure that the Lotus Sutra was the most important subject of Shakyamuni’s teachings.
Early on the morning of April 28, 1253, the 32-yearold priest climbed to the top of a hill at Kasagamori, which had a clear view of the Pacific Ocean. There, as the sun rose, he greeted it with the first invocation of the Supreme Law: Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Before heaven and Earth, with the sun as his witness, he had proclaimed the correct practice for people of the modern era.
From that moment, he started to teach the people that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the only law that can save the people and make them happy. At this time, he changed his name to Nichiren, which means “Sun Lotus.”
During the ensuing years, the Daishonin encountered many life-threatening persecutions, including his first exile for which he was later pardoned. The greatest of these persecutions
was an attempt to execute him on the beach at Tatsunokuchi one night in 1271. As the executioner was about to behead him, a meteor lit up the sky, terrifying the soldiers. Then he was exiled to an island called Sado.
The Daishonin, as he recounted later, passed over "mountains beyond mountains," and now before him lay "waves upon waves" of raging sea, a sea that he had never before seen. Beyond that lay Sado Island, cold and forbidding, waiting to swallow him in an exile from which none of his enemies ever expected him to return.
During the exile at Sado, he completed several letters (called Gosho), including "The Opening of the Eyes" and "Heritage of the Ultimate Law." He was living in a small shack and only had a few supplies to support him throughout the winter. He had to fix holes in his shack.
Why did he encounter so many persecutions? Because he had the strong will and compassion to help every human being to realize that they, too, have a Buddha nature. Despite the difficulties, he never stopped his effort, and he became stronger as he faced each obstacle and set an example for his followers.
His life ended after he wrote a paper called "Document of Entrusting Minobu-san." That was the
last thing the Daishonin wrote. Early on the morning of Oct. 13, 1282, he took his last breath. It was three years and one day after he inscribed the Dai-Gohonzon (Oct. 12, 1279), so that all people could be happy.
(Based on Living Buddhism, December 1997)
born on Feb. 16, 1222. His childhood name was Zennichi-maro. At the age of 12 he entered a nearby Buddhist temple where he studied many things. After becoming a priest at the age of 16, he went to several other temples to continue his studies.
His goal was to understand how Buddhism could help people attain enlightenment. After much studying, he was sure that the Lotus Sutra was the most important subject of Shakyamuni’s teachings.
Early on the morning of April 28, 1253, the 32-yearold priest climbed to the top of a hill at Kasagamori, which had a clear view of the Pacific Ocean. There, as the sun rose, he greeted it with the first invocation of the Supreme Law: Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Before heaven and Earth, with the sun as his witness, he had proclaimed the correct practice for people of the modern era.
From that moment, he started to teach the people that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the only law that can save the people and make them happy. At this time, he changed his name to Nichiren, which means “Sun Lotus.”
During the ensuing years, the Daishonin encountered many life-threatening persecutions, including his first exile for which he was later pardoned. The greatest of these persecutions
was an attempt to execute him on the beach at Tatsunokuchi one night in 1271. As the executioner was about to behead him, a meteor lit up the sky, terrifying the soldiers. Then he was exiled to an island called Sado.
The Daishonin, as he recounted later, passed over "mountains beyond mountains," and now before him lay "waves upon waves" of raging sea, a sea that he had never before seen. Beyond that lay Sado Island, cold and forbidding, waiting to swallow him in an exile from which none of his enemies ever expected him to return.
During the exile at Sado, he completed several letters (called Gosho), including "The Opening of the Eyes" and "Heritage of the Ultimate Law." He was living in a small shack and only had a few supplies to support him throughout the winter. He had to fix holes in his shack.
Why did he encounter so many persecutions? Because he had the strong will and compassion to help every human being to realize that they, too, have a Buddha nature. Despite the difficulties, he never stopped his effort, and he became stronger as he faced each obstacle and set an example for his followers.
His life ended after he wrote a paper called "Document of Entrusting Minobu-san." That was the
last thing the Daishonin wrote. Early on the morning of Oct. 13, 1282, he took his last breath. It was three years and one day after he inscribed the Dai-Gohonzon (Oct. 12, 1279), so that all people could be happy.
(Based on Living Buddhism, December 1997)
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