Introduction to Nichiren Shu
Nichiren Shu is a Mahayana Buddhist school founded by the prophet and reformist, Nichiren Daishonin (1222-1282) who adhered to the doctrine that the Lotus Sutra (Saddharma Pundarika Sutra) represents the embodiment of the genuine teachings of Sakyamuni Buddha, the founder of Buddhism and the saviour of this world. The spirit of the Buddha is to guide all beings towards the path of enlightenment in such a way that all can attain Buddhahood and become liberated from the continuous cycle of suffering. This objective is naturally, also the motivation behind Nichiren Shu and the base of our faith and observance of Buddhist practice.
The Nichiren Shu school was formed when for the first time, Nichiren Daishonin recited the devotion to the sacred Lotus Sutra, Namu Myoho Renge Kyo, on 28 April 1253. In fact, next year in 2002, will witness the 750th anniversary of our founding.
Nichiren Shu's Head Temple Kuonji on Mount Minobu
Nichiren Daishonin, the Great Bodhisattva and messenger of the Buddha Sakyamuni, guides us in the cultivation of the Buddha nature which each and everyone of us inheritantly possesses and teaches us how to obtain a quality of life consistent to the eternal truths preached by the Buddha.
While all sutras are very important because they contain the words and teachings of the Buddha, the principle point of reference for Nichiren Shu, whether it be from a standpoint of faith, daily practice or study, is the Lotus Sutra. This sutra represents not only the culmination of more than 40 years of the Buddha's preaching, but the heart and soul of his teachings and enlightenment. Nichiren Daishonin made reference to this in 1278 when he wrote in his work, the Zuiji Gosho, that "the Lotus Sutra is truly the teaching of Sakyamuni Buddha because it was preached from the bottom of his heart, on exactly how he had become enlightened."
Naturally, we study also the sacred writings of Nichiren Daishonin which teach us the significance of the Lotus Sutra, and also how we too can obtain and maintain a pure faith in the sutra in order that we may be emancipated from the eternal cycle of suffering and obtain the same quality of life, wisdom, tranquillity and compassion of the Eternal Master, Sakyamuni Buddha.
We make a vow to both Sakyamuni Buddha and Nichiren Daishonin who teach us to generate peace inside ourselves and in every corner throughout the world, treasuring respect and compassion for all beings while propagating the teachings and spirit of the Lotus Sutra.
The original site of Kuonji, the residence of Nichiren Daishonin on Mt. Minobu
The Head Temple of Nichiren Shu, Kuonji, is situated on Mt. Minobu and was personally founded by Nichiren Daishonin in 1274. Kuonji is surrounded by high mountains and the Japanese alps in the southern area of Yamanashi Prefecture in the Central Japan. Not far away, can also be found the very famous Mt. Fuji.
Nichiren Shu possesses 5,300 temples throughout Japan, 12 on the North American continent (the United States and Canada), 6 in the Hawaiian islands, 4 in other Asian countries (Sri Lanka, India and South Korea) and 3 in Europe (the United Kingdom, Germany and Belgium). The administrative headquarters of Nichiren Shu is located with the grand complex of Ikegami Honmonji Temple in Tokyo, another of Nichiren Shu's major temples.
The Gate of the Two Guardians at Ikegami Honmonji Temple, Tokyo
In Italy, we have a modest but constantly growing Buddhist Community where everyone is always welcome. The believers are located all throughout Italy, but with a current major concentration in Roma and the Tuscany region. The opening of our Sangha was formally initiated in 2001. We do not yet have a temple in Italy, however, we are working with the hopes of building our first temple in our country in the not-too-distant future so that we may propagate the Dharma throughout Italy and deepen our own faith and comprehension of Buddhism together, as a large family of priests and believers.
A few of the Nichiren Shu believers of Roma
This has been a brief profile of Nichiren Shu and Nichiren Shu Italia. We invite you to view the other pages on this website so that you may better know us and the faith and practice of Buddhism in a more ample manner. We can not forget, however, to express our sincere feelings of appreciation to you for having visited our modest homepage. We invite you also to visit us again and again to review our website because this homepage is constantly being updated and many new articles are continually being added. Thank you, once more for taking the time to come and see us.
Gassho
