Study Nichiren’s writings alongside practice

Read Nichiren’s letters and treatises slowly, as the second of the “two ways of practice and study.”

Why it works

In a letter from his Sado exile, Nichiren told a follower to exert himself “in the two ways of practice and study. Without practice and study, there can be no Buddhism… Both practice and study arise from faith.” Nichiren Shū opens its own description of practice with a passage from Nichiren to the same effect, and Soka Gakkai members study his writings, which they call the Gosho, to deepen their faith. Habito and Stone note that Nichiren left 498 writings, 115 of which survive in his own hand, including doctrinal essays and many letters to his followers. Reading the letters shows how he applied the Lotus Sūtra to the particular lives of the people he wrote to, which chanting alone does not show.

How to do it

1. Start with a short letter, such as On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime or Happiness in This World, and read the background note on who it was written to.
2. Read it slowly, twice, and copy out one sentence that you want to carry into the week.
3. Note which translation you are reading. Soka Gakkai publishes The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Nichiren Shū publishes the Writings of Nichiren Shonin, and the BDK series includes translations of three major treatises.
4. Take questions to a study group or teacher in your community rather than settling them alone.
5. When you are ready, read one of the major treatises, such as the Risshō ankoku ron or the Kanjin honzon shō, with commentary.

Evidence

The “practice and study” passage is in The True Aspect of All Phenomena (1273), and Nichiren Shū’s practice page opens with a passage from Nichiren to the same effect. Soka Gakkai’s description of daily practice includes study of the Gosho. The number of writings, the autographs and the problem of apocrypha are set out in Habito and Stone’s introduction to a special issue of the Japanese Journal of Religious Studies. Stone’s book examines original enlightenment thought, whose place in Nichiren’s teaching has long been debated. This is textual and scholarly support. (anecdotal)

Scholars have long recognised that the Nichiren collection contains some works probably written by later disciples. Which texts count as authentic can change how Nichiren is read, and the schools differ on this. Translations also carry each publisher’s terminology. Not studied in research.

Sources

• Nichiren. The True Aspect of All Phenomena (1273). In The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. I, pp. 383–388. Tokyo: Soka Gakkai (Nichiren Buddhism Library).
• Nichiren Shu. Our Practice: Five Practices of the Dharma Teacher in the Lotus Sutra. Nichiren Shu Portal, English edition.
• Soka Gakkai. Daily Practice. Soka Gakkai (global) official website.
• Habito, R. L. F., & Stone, J. I. (1999). Revisiting Nichiren: Editors’ introduction. Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, 26(3–4), 223–238.
• Stone, J. I. (1999). Original Enlightenment and the Transformation of Medieval Japanese Buddhism. Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press.
• Nichiren. On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime (1255). In The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. I, pp. 3–5. Tokyo: Soka Gakkai (translation published in the Nichiren Buddhism Library).
• Nichiren. Happiness in This World (1276), reply to Shijō Kingo. In The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. I, pp. 681–682. Tokyo: Soka Gakkai (Nichiren Buddhism Library).

Common mistake

Treating one translation’s vocabulary, or one school’s commentary, as if it were simply what Nichiren said. The same letter can read quite differently depending on whose translation and notes you use.

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