Nichiren Buddhism is a branch of Mahāyāna Buddhism that evolved from the revolutionary theories developed by a Japanese monk, Nichiren (1222-1282), who lived in the Kamakura era (1185-1333), one of the most turbolent periods of Japanese history characterized by violent natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunami, two full-scale invasions by Mongol armies and domestic strife. After studying many years, Nichiren concluded that Japan was suffering such agonies beacuse of the propagation of false buddhist teachings and that salvation for mankind and for Japan could only be achieved through absolute faith in the Lotus Sūtra, which he believed to be the greatest teaching of the historic Buddha that reveals that all people inherently posses the Buddha nature: he predicted that only when people return to the efficacy of this “sacred” scripture, Japan would prosper and enter in a new period of peace and harmony.

In Nichiren Buddhism the Lotus Sūtra is the highest valid scripture that can bring man to salvation: everyone can become a Buddha in this lifetime simply having faith in its title, also called daimoku, that is nam myōhō renge kyō, literally “I devote myself to the Lotus Sūtra of the Wanderful Law”. Fundamentally it’s the practice of chanting the daimoku in front of the gohonzon, an object of worship that is a scroll inscribed with Chinese and Sanskrit characters by Nichiren himself in the XIII Century. By chanting the daimoku in front of the gohonzon, by the recitation of two key chapters of the Lotus Sūtra and by studying and teaching others buddhism principles, one’s inherent buddhahood can be revealed, positive causes can be attained and a human revolution that lead to the realization of a happy and harmonious society in this world can start. In this way man will develop a state of life in which desires are completely fulfilled and good fortune and happiness are always present: this is the state of Buddhahood.

Nichiren Buddhism has survived up to the present but it is not a single buddhist school: it began to branch into different temples and schools after Nichiren’s death because of different interpretations of his teachings. Today, one of the largest buddhist movements in the world that follows the Lotus Sūtra based teachings of the Japanese priest is the Sōka Gakkai with its more than 12 millions of members around the world.

The Sōka Gakkai was founded in 1930 by Tsunesaburō Makiguchi, a reformist educator, author and philosopher inspired by Nichiren Buddhism, dedicated to reform the Japanese educational system. Together with Jōsei Toda, who will be the second President of the movement, he developed the Sōka Gakkai into an organization focusing on the propagation of buddhism as a means to reform society: Nichiren Buddhism, with its emphasis on the transformation of society through the transformation of the individual, was perfect to achieve the social reform that they had been trying to accomplish throughout their educational efforts.

Toda was succeeded in 1960 as President by Daisaku Ikeda, who is still in charge: he built an international movement travelling all over the world and founded many institutions promoting solidarity and peace, culture and arts, research and education, human rights and cultural exchanges. Actually Sōka Gakkai is one of the largest buddhist movements in countries such as America, Europe, Asia and Oceania and the number of its members seems to continue rising.

Text by Beatrice Violani