{"id":400,"date":"2019-12-01T19:56:03","date_gmt":"2019-12-01T19:56:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/transnationalhistory.net\/world\/?p=400"},"modified":"2019-12-01T19:56:03","modified_gmt":"2019-12-01T19:56:03","slug":"action-and-pain-nichiren-and-the-bodhisattvas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/transnationalhistory.net\/world\/2019\/12\/action-and-pain-nichiren-and-the-bodhisattvas\/","title":{"rendered":"Action and Pain: Nichiren and the Bodhisattvas"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Japan during the 13<\/span>th<\/span> Century a new form of Buddhism began to emerge. Led by a single man, this new form of Buddhism would, at first, seem inconsequential, yet centuries later would appear to have great impact upon the world. This, of course, is <\/span>Nichiren<\/span> Buddhism. Founded by the monk <\/span>Nichiren<\/span> (1222-1282), this sect of Buddhism is dedicated to a text known as the Lotus Sutra, through which <\/span>Nichiren<\/span> and his followers believed enlightenment lay.1<\/a><\/sup><\/span><\/span> The focus of this piece is not the concepts of the Lotus Sutra, but rather the forms of the Bodhisattva\u2019s from which <\/span>Nichiren<\/span> took personal inspiration from and on whose <\/span>ways<\/span> he based his teachings and lifestyle around: the Bodhisattva of Superb Action and the Bodhisattva Ever-Abused, as well as how his successors and students model themselves after such examples.2<\/a><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n

Nichiren<\/span> was inspired by <\/span>both of these<\/span> figures. For the former, <\/span>Nichiren<\/span> was attracted to the man\u2019s actions and stalwart pioneering of Buddhism and propagating the Perfect Truth.3<\/a><\/sup><\/span> For the later, <\/span>Nichiren<\/span> was attracted to the suffering that the Bodhisattvas underwent due to his beliefs. Through this, <\/span>Nichiren<\/span> crafted his own beliefs in Buddhism \u2013 one must never waver in their faith and must suffer abuses of some nature \u2013 whether they be physical, spiritual, mental, emotional, or verbal \u2013 in order to truly understand the words of the Lotus Sutra and be able to properly spread the teachings of Buddha.3<\/a><\/sup><\/span> In fact, <\/span>Nichiren<\/span> himself often believed himself to be reincarnations of the two Bodhisattva\u2019s, and often tried to perceive his own suffering through them.3<\/a><\/sup><\/span> This belief was due to <\/span>Nichiren\u2019s<\/span> actions: he spoke out against the established sects of the time as well as being rather outspoken against the rulers of Japan who had become patrons of these \u201cheretical\u201d sects.4<\/a><\/sup><\/span> These actions caused <\/span>Nichiren<\/span> to be arrested \u2013 where he was supposedly saved from execution by a bolt of lightning from the heavens \u2013 and eventually he was banished to an island in the Sea of Japan.5<\/a><\/sup><\/span> But this did not deter <\/span>Nichiren<\/span>, who continued to write and convey his faith to his followers and students in hopes they would follow in the footsteps of the Bodhisattvas and his own.4<\/a><\/sup><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As mentioned above <\/span>Nichiren<\/span> encouraged his students to imitate the Bodhisattvas\u2019 ideals of perseverance and self-sacrifice, as he believed that every student should be ready to give their life for the cause.6<\/a><\/sup><\/span> One of his students, <\/span>Nichije<\/span> (1250-?), helped <\/span>Nichiren<\/span> in writing down the elder man\u2019s teachings, and even following him in his exile, thus living some form of suffering (abuse).6<\/a><\/sup> <\/span>Nichije<\/span> also followed the ideals of the Bodhisattva of Superb Action by going on missions throughout Japan (Hokkaido) and eventually making his way to Siberia to spread the teachings of <\/span>Nichiren<\/span>.6<\/a><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n

Another student of <\/span>Nichiren\u2019s<\/span> teachings, Nisshin (1407-1488), operated out of Kyushu before making his way to Kyoto.6<\/a><\/sup><\/span>\u00a0While in Kyoto Nisshin spoke out against the shogun in his acts as a street-corner evangelist.6<\/a><\/sup><\/span> He openly challenged the shogun to prosecute the other Buddhist sects and pledge his loyalty and faith to the Lotus Sutra.6<\/a><\/sup><\/span> Because of this, Nisshin was thrown in jail and tortured by the shogun\u2019s men in order to cease and desist.6<\/a><\/sup><\/span>\u00a0When he did not, a pot was jammed over his head so as to keep him from talking, thus giving him the <\/span>name \u201dpot<\/span>-wearer\u201d (<\/span>nabe-kaburi<\/span>).6<\/a><\/sup><\/span> As such, Nisshin lived his life by way of both Bodhisattvas \u2013 with his work in Kyushu and Kyoto being signs of Superb Action and his imprisonment, torture, and head accessory being a source of Ever-Abused.6<\/a><\/sup><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The final notable follower of <\/span>Nichiren<\/span> and the Lotus Sutra was Nichio (1565-1630).7<\/a><\/sup><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Nichio<\/span> was uncompromising as he led a sect of <\/span>Nichiren<\/span> Buddhism \u2013 called the <\/span>Fuju<\/span>-fuse.7<\/a><\/sup><\/span>\u00a0Nichio was so outspoken and uncompromising that when the Buddhist sects were called by <\/span>Hideyoshi<\/span> Toyotomi<\/span> for a festival of celebration, Nichio refused to allow the <\/span>Fuju<\/span>-fuse to attend.7<\/a><\/sup><\/span>\u00a0Later, when the shogun <\/span>Ieyasu<\/span> Tokugawa unified Japan, Nichio again refused to send the <\/span>Fuju<\/span>-fuse for a celebration.7<\/a><\/sup><\/span>\u00a0Due to this, Tokugawa exiled Nichio and began to persecute the <\/span>Fuju<\/span>-fuse, though the group was able to survive to the 20th Century.7<\/a><\/sup><\/span> In this way, Nichio was able to imitate the lifestyle of the Bodhisattvas of Ever-Abused.\u00a0<\/span>((Ibid, p.295))<\/span><\/p>\n

To reiterate, <\/span>Nichiren<\/span> and his followers believed that one of the best ways to achieve enlightenment and successfully spread the word of the Lotus Sutra was to follow in the paths of the Bodhisattvas of <\/span>Ever-Abused<\/span> and Superb Action. <\/span>Nichiren<\/span> and those who believed in the Lotus Sutra were able to follow these paths, as detailed above.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

  1. Bary, William Theodore De, <\/span><\/span>Sources of Japanese Tradition: Vol. 1: From Earliest Times to 1600<\/span><\/span> (Columbia University Press, 2002), p.292<\/span><\/span> [↩<\/a>]<\/span><\/li>
  2. Bary, Sources of Japanese Tradition, p.293 [↩<\/a>]<\/span><\/li>
  3. Ibid, p.293 [↩<\/a>]<\/span> [↩<\/a>]<\/span> [↩<\/a>]<\/span><\/li>
  4. Ibid, pp.293-294 [↩<\/a>]<\/span> [↩<\/a>]<\/span><\/li>
  5. Ibid. p.294 [↩<\/a>]<\/span><\/li>
  6. Ibid, pp.294-295 [↩<\/a>]<\/span> [↩<\/a>]<\/span> [↩<\/a>]<\/span> [↩<\/a>]<\/span> [↩<\/a>]<\/span> [↩<\/a>]<\/span> [↩<\/a>]<\/span> [↩<\/a>]<\/span> [↩<\/a>]<\/span><\/li>
  7. Ibid, p.295 [↩<\/a>]<\/span> [↩<\/a>]<\/span> [↩<\/a>]<\/span> [↩<\/a>]<\/span> [↩<\/a>]<\/span><\/li><\/ol>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    In Japan during the 13th Century a new form of Buddhism began to emerge. Led by a single man, this new form of Buddhism would, at first, seem inconsequential, yet centuries later would appear to have great impact upon the world. This, of course, is Nichiren Buddhism. Founded by the monk Nichiren (1222-1282), this sect … Continue reading “Action and Pain: Nichiren and the Bodhisattvas”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-400","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/transnationalhistory.net\/world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/400","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/transnationalhistory.net\/world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/transnationalhistory.net\/world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/transnationalhistory.net\/world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/transnationalhistory.net\/world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=400"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/transnationalhistory.net\/world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/400\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":402,"href":"https:\/\/transnationalhistory.net\/world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/400\/revisions\/402"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/transnationalhistory.net\/world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=400"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/transnationalhistory.net\/world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=400"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/transnationalhistory.net\/world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}