At the end of the last chapter, we were able to see that the heirs of Nichiren Daishōnin have divided themselves into two factions, respectively designated Itchi-ha or Concordance Current, which makes no distinction between the different chapters of the Lotus Sutra, and Shōretsu-ha or Hierarchy Current, which, for its part, confers supremacy on the original doctrine of the Lotus Sutra (i.e., its second half) over the ephemeral doctrine (i.e., its first half).

In the present case, we propose to examine two schools of the Hierarchy faction, considering the fundamental Buddha to be Shakyamuni.

 

Kenpon Hokke shū (顕本法華宗= School revealing the Fundamental (Buddha) of the Lotus Sutra)

This school venerates Shakyamuni as the fundamental Buddha, Nichiren Daishōnin as the founder of their belief, and Genmyō Nichijū (1314-1392), who was the originator of their main temple, Myōman-ji, located in the Sakyō district of Kyōto.

The sun was beginning to rise over Kurokawa, a district of the city of Aizu, in the province of Oshū, when Genmyō Nichijū was born in 1314. Since he was a child, he felt a spiritual calling and felt irresistibly drawn to Buddhist teachings.

At the age of 19, Genmyō left for the temple on Mount Hiei, where he was ordained a priest and took the name Genmyō. He was determined to become a prominent scholar of the Tendai school and to discover the secrets of Buddhist wisdom.

However, Genmyō's life took an unexpected turn when he reached the age of 67. He discovered the Treatise that Opens the Eyes (Kaimoku shō) and the Treatise on Practice as Taught (Nyosetsu shugyō shō), two texts that would change his life forever. He then converted to Nichiren Daishōnin Buddhism and changed his name to Nichijū.

From then on, he traveled to the temples of all Nichiren factions to deepen his knowledge. Nichijū was determined to discover all the mysteries of Nichiren Daishōnin's doctrine.

However, Nichijū did not adhere to the principle of vital transmission to the single person, which led him to support the doctrine of "transmission through the sutras" and "direct link with Nichiren." According to this belief, the teachings of Nichiren Daishōnin enable one to attain enlightenment by reading the Gosho.

Subsequently, this movement elected the Myōman-ji temple in Kyōto as its main temple and called itself the Nichijū current.

Unfortunately, after Nichijū's death, the movement he had founded sank, like the Minobu current, into "chaotic and disordered" beliefs in Yakushi (for healing physical and spiritual illnesses), Kishimojin (for children's health), Shichimen (for protection from illness and accidents), Myōken (for protection and healing from disease and natural disasters), Seishō (for family welfare), Inari (for prosperity, success in business, fertility, protection from disease, and safety in travel), to fit the world, but these were already no longer Buddhism, but superstitions.

The Honzon, or objects of veneration adopted by the Kenpon Hokke-shū school, are the Mandala of the Wonderful Dharma of Nichiren Daishōnin, or his image.

The main characteristics of the doctrine of the Kenpon Hokke School are above all the "transmission through the sutra scrolls" and the "direct link with Nichiren."

The doctrine of the Kenpon Hokke-shū school consists of the transmission of the doctrine and teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha and Nichiren Daishōnin through the study of the Lotus Sutra and the Gosho. Therefore, the doctrine of the Kenpon Hokke-shū Lotus School reveals nothing special. To say that Shakyamuni's Lotus Sutra and Nichiren Daishōnin's Gosho constitute the doctrine of the Lotus School Kenpon Hokke-shū is only a deception.

In his instructions regarding the Honzon, Nichijū indicates the "non-duality of the Person and the Dharma," but for him the Person is Shakyamuni, not Nichiren Daishōnin.

Rebuttal

The erroneous doctrine of transmission through the Sutra.

The Kenpon Hokke school denies vital transmission and considers "transmission by sutra scrolls" and "direct transmission from Nichiren" as more important. This is a wrong religion, a precursor of the foolish sects that nowadays advocate "direct connection with the Gosho" and "direct connection with Nichiren".

In truth, although many prominent individuals devote themselves to the individual study of the sacred texts of the Gosho and the Lotus Sutra, each interpreting the teachings of Nichiren Daishōnin in their own way, none could truly claim to have grasped their full depth. Indeed, discussions between these individuals about the various ideas put forth prove to be futile, each claiming to possess the true essence of the doctrine.

Moreover, even if these same people were to work together in analyzing these texts, it would be impossible for them to claim to have grasped all the subtleties, even if they were to decide democratically on the most complex questions.

And yet, if by chance you were led, with the help of the Gosho, to understand the usefulness of reading the "Means" and "Life Span" chapters of the Lotus Sutra, as well as reciting "Nam Myōhōrengekyō," it is unlikely that you would be able to achieve such a mastery of the practice as Nichiren Daishōnin.

The Kenpon Hokke school seems to have been an opponent of the Nichiren Shōshū since Nichijū. Nevertheless, this does not matter, for as Nichiren Daishōnin mentions in the Gosho, "to be praised by fools is the greatest ignominy."

It is only natural that the Kenpon Hokke School, which claims to have inherited "transmission through the Sutra" and "direct union with Nichiren," envies the Nichiren Shōshū, which has inherited the correct Dharma doctrine from Nichiren Daishōnin through vital transmission to the single person.

Within the Kenpon Hokke school, Eishō Nichikan (1806-1869), the 22nd senior priest of the Jakkō-ji temple in Kyōto, formulated a critique of the Nichiren Shōshū in his Kongō kiyō ben :

In asserting that the "transmission by the sutra scrolls" is in accordance with the true intention of Nichiren Daishōnin, he justifies it in the following way, referring to the Treatise on the Protection of the Nation.

"It is commonly accepted that a person can behave as a good friend (the master). However, at this time of the End of the Dharma, there is no such thing as a true friend as is understood, which testifies to the ability of the Dharma to substitute for this function of master.

The Great Halting and Contemplation proclaims, "Sometimes by following a good friend, sometimes by following the sutra scrolls, one hears the only true teaching of enlightenment that has been described above."

The meaning of this passage lies in the idea that one should consider the sutra scrolls as the good friends (the master)."

However, if one simply cites this passage to establish the legitimacy of "transmission through the sutra scrolls," it implies that Nichiren Daishōnin does not occupy the position of master either, inasmuch as there is no "true friend of good" in this End of the Dharma period, Dharma that would be just such a friend of good. In other words, it also means that "direct connection with Nichiren" cannot exist.

If one strives to reveal the identity of the good friend of the entirety of sentient beings in the End of the Dharma, the natural attitude of those who study Nichiren Daishōnin's teaching is to discuss it after citing not only the texts prior to his exile in Sado, such as the Treatise on the Protection of the Nation, but also all of his writings, including those written after he left for Sado. Even without referring to the Prayer for Rain of the Three Tripitaka Masters and other texts, it appears that it is impossible to attain Buddhahood without a good friend (the good master).

Indeed, the Treatise on the Protection of the Nation indicates that the good friend is the "Dharma". However, in the answer to Sir Toki and in other texts, it is taught that evil people are good friends, and to the nun Myōshin, it is taught that her husband is the good friend. In the Transcript of the lectures heard (Okō Kikigaki), it is clearly stated:

"Those who are called 'friends of good', refer to Nichiren and those who follow him".

Similarly, in the Letter to Niike, it is written:

"At present, there is no Buddha. Therefore, respect the person with enlightened wisdom as you would respect the Buddha... However humble he may be, respect the monk preaching the Lotus Sutra as the living Thus-Being.

To this extent, the superficial and confusing doctrines of the Kenpon Hokke school are incomprehensible.

Nichiren Daishōnin is the right teacher, and the priests he recognized as "disciples with knowledge of the doctrine" are also right teachers.

It is also a given that the Dharma should be entrusted to the most qualified disciple, the one who has the best understanding of the Doctrine.

As part of his writing, in order to testify to the authenticity of "Direct Transmission by Sutra Scrolls," Nichikan quotes a passage from the Revelation of the Buddha's Prophecies (Kenbutsu mIrai-ki) to literally prove "Transmission by Sutra Scrolls":

"The great master Dengyō said, "(...) The great master of the Tendai, loyal to Shakya, in order to serve the Lotus School, established it in China, and the lineage of Mount Ei, which inherited the transmission of the Tendai, propagated this school in Japan." It is likely that Nichiren, from the province of Awa, received the transmission from these three masters and, for the sake of the Lotus School, undertook its propagation in the End of Dharma."

In other words, according to Nichikan, Nichiren Daishōnin became acquainted with Shakyamuni's Lotus Sutra as well as the works of Tendai and Dengyō, and thus received the "sutra scroll transmission" of the three masters, namely Shakyamuni, Tendai, and Dengyō.

Yet Nichijū wrote:

"Higher Practice, the four guides (...) are the masters who have received the transmission of the essence; they are the guides to the propagation of the Sutra in the End of the Dharma."

Thus he spoke, even indirectly, of the Bodhisattva Higher Practice springing from the earth. If, however, Nichikan states that Nichiren Daishōnin "received the transmission through the scrolls of the sutra" from Shakyamuni, then he should also have stated categorically that "Nichijū was wrong."

It can be understood, then, that the promotion of the doctrine of "transmission by sutra scrolls" as well as "direct transmission from Nichiren," which claims to have been received directly from Nichiren Daishōnin, beyond time and space, is in itself an indicator of a wrong religion.

In the Outline of the Teachings given by the Buddha during his lifetime, Nichiren Daishōnin writes:

"Without the transmission, this Sutra would be difficult to understand."

In the Manifestation of the Buddha's Prophecies, he adds:

"In the absence of any maintainer of the transmission, it is like granting surplices and bowls to statues of stone and wood".

In the Treatise on the Three Great Esoteric Dharmas, he writes:

"More than two millennia ago, the ruler of the teaching, the great and revered enlightened one of the world, orally transmitted these three secret Dharmas to Nichiren, in his capacity as the Higher Practice Bodhisattva, the chief of the bodhisattvas sprung from the earth.

As Nichiren Daishōnin himself states, the correct understanding of the Lotus Sutra and the Gosho can only be attained through the correct vital transmission. So what is the correct path, between the Kenpon Hokke school which asserts that we mere human beings can understand this difficult to believe and grasp doctrine simply by studying the Lotus Sutra and the Gosho with our ordinary wisdom, or the Nichiren Shōshū which relies on the vital transmission inherited from Nichiren Daishōnin to study the doctrines? Devotion to the Gohonzon, the sacred object of faith inscribed by Nichiren Daishōnin that represents the essential purpose of coming to this world, is the true testimony of the way forward.

Refutation of the Honzon theory according to the Kenpon Hokke school

Is it the Honzon representing the Dharma? Is it the Honzon of the oneness of the person (Shakyamuni) and the Dharma? Is it the Buddha statue? In reality, the Kenpon Hokke school refutes its own notions of Honzon on its own, as, under the pressure of persecution, it took deities such as "Yakushi, Kishimojin, Shichimen, Myōken, Seishō, or Inari" for Honzon over time as a means.

Questioning the humanity of Genmyō Nichijū and his followers.

When studying the history of the Kenpon Hokke school, it is often emphasized that Genmyō Nichijū was a high-ranking monk of the Tendai school and a famous figure throughout Japan. However, it is worth questioning whether this truly proves the exceptional humanity of Genmyō Nichijū and his disciples. In reality, those who insist on their high rank within the Tendai school while claiming to be disciples of Nichiren Daishōnin have probably misunderstood his teaching and are driven by a quest for fame and profit.

In reality, they are no different from the false religionists who, throughout the ages, rejoice and boast in receiving medals.

In the Kenpon Hokke School, Nichijū also explained his conversion from Tendai to Nichiren by saying, "For people of the Dharma End, the understanding of Tendai teaching is too complex. I am convinced that Nichiren Shōnin's teaching makes it possible to use the spirit of Tendai and Dengyō in the End of Dharma, and the Great White Law to save misguided sentient beings."

However, the argument put forth by the Kenpon Hokke school that Nichiren Shōnin's teachings are merely a simplification of the doctrines of Tendai and Dengyō testifies to the perversity of his doctrines, which mix the vulgar with the sacred and thus oppose the Master. Ultimately, it is a heterodox religion that denies the heritage of the vital transmission of the correct Dharma and is replete with false theories about Honzon and doctrine. It is obvious that those who adhere to it also lose their humanity.

 

大白法 平成7年11月1日刊(第443号)仏教各宗破折より転載

 

Honmon Butsuryū-shū (本門仏立宗= School established by the Buddha of the original doctrine)

■ Brief Overview.

The Honmon Butsuryū School is a new religion, founded by Seifu Nagamatsu (Nissen, 1817-1890), which diverged from the Honmon Hokke School, formerly the Eight-Chapter School (Happon-ha), and whose main temple is the Yūsei-ji in Kamigyō-ku, Kyōto.

① Founder, Seifu Nagamatsu (Nissen)

Seifu was born on the first of April in the year 1817, to a merchant family established in Takoyaku-shi Muromachi (now Tanjō-ji), in the city of Kyōto.

During his childhood, he bore the name Ōji Senjirō and from his early years took up calligraphy, painting and poetry, which he was able to exploit to support himself.

Although his family was a follower of Pure Land Buddhism, Seifu is said to have become interested in Buddhism following the death of his mother at the age of 26 and his own serious illness.

○2 Seifu's ordination and return to secular life.

At the age of twenty-nine, Seifu met Shūten Nichiō, a scholar-priest at Honnō-ji Temple, and converted to the Honmon Hokke school (formerly called Happon-ha, stream of the eight chapters), in order to study its doctrines. At the age of thirty-two he studied under Mujaku Nichiyō of the Ryūsen-ji temple located in Awaji, and was ordained there.

However, the conservative nature of the Hokke school disappointed him when he was denied entry into the monastery of the Honkō-ji temple in Amagasaki. He then decided to return to secular life and open Saigyō-an, a hermitage in the Higashiyama district, where he devoted himself to secular Buddhism as a secular believer.

Unlike priests who strove to lead people to enlightenment through complex principles and theories, Seifu advocated an entirely secular Nichirenism, asserting that true shakubuku consisted of awakening a mind of faith centered on actual evidence.

In this sense, Seifu can be seen as the precursor of the new secular religious movements affiliated with Nichiren, such as the Reiyūkai and the Sōka Gakkai.

○3 Controversy within the Hokke-shū School.

Beginning in the late Edo period (1603-1868), a debate broke out within the Honmon Hokke School concerning the Buddhahood or otherwise of the three realms of hell, hungry spirits, and animals.

The controversy arose from the doctrinal question of the Buddhahood and non-Buddhahood of the three realms, between the Kaijō (all Buddhas) current claiming that all ten worlds lead to Buddhahood, and the Kuon current claiming that Buddhahood is limited to the human world alone.

The Kaijō current would have mainly defended the conservative position of the school, while the Kuon current would have advocated a reformist position to bring the Hokke school out of its stagnation. The conflict between the two groups would have continued until the Shōwa period (1925), with a sequence of conflicts and rapprochements within the Hokke school.

○4 Honmon Butsuryū-kō

Seifu sided with the position affirming the non-Buddhahood of the three kingdoms and opposed the Kaijō current. In 1857 (Ansei 4), he founded the "Keraku Happon Kō," i.e., the "congregation of the eight chapters of the Flower Capital," at the home of Asashichi Tanikawa of the Happon-dō (Shrine of the Eight Chapters) in Kyōto, which was later renamed the "Honmon Butsuryū-kō," meaning "congregation established by the Buddha of the Original Doctrine." The creation of this new congregation was justified by three major reasons, vis-à-vis the Honmon Hokke-Shū school: 

 Seifu considered this school to be funerary Buddhism and showed opposition to the monk congregation.

 Seifu opposed the school which emphasized the reading of the sutras 

 He also disagreed with the rituals involving different deities.

○5 Development of Honmon Butsuryū-kō

In the year 1862, five years after the establishment of his congregation, Seifu had the Hokke-dō, later known as the Butsuryū-ji Temple, built in Ōtsu, Shiga Prefecture. He then donned a black robe and sought to establish an organization separate from the Hokke school, named Butsuryū-kō, focused on lay believers. This organization was also critical of other schools, including the Nichiren Shū. For this reason, Seifu was accused of heresy by the Honnō-ji and imprisoned in 1868. He was subsequently sentenced several times, including imprisonment and banishment.

○6 Honmon-Butsuryū-Myō-kō Ichiza

In the year 1881 of the Meiji calendar, in the year celebrating the 600th anniversary of Nichiren Daishōnin's death, Seifu developed his own method for Buddhist rituals, which he named "Myō-kō Ichiza," translated into French as "the unique foundation of the wonderful Dharma." The following year, the Happon movement found a temporary solution to the controversy between the Kaijō and Kuon streams, but Seifu continued to develop his theory of enlightenment in the distant past and to expand the scope of his lectures.

In 1881, Seifu appointed Genki Nichimon as his successor and moved to the Fuyamachi Aya Koji area (now known as Chōshō-ji Temple) in Kyōto. It was not until July 17, 1890 (Meiji 23), while resting in a teahouse in Moriguchi (now known as Giten-ji Temple) during a missionary tour in Ōsaka, that Seifu passed away at the age of 74.

○7 Butsuryū-kō after Seifu

After Seifu's passing, Butsuryū-kō was passed on to his followers, but it gradually underwent a transformation from a lay-centered approach to a cult that was both secular and priestly.

Nevertheless, he retained his influence within the Honmon Hokke School (previously known as the Happon School), and established the Honmon Butsuryū-kō Foundation in 1919 (Taishō 8).

In 1934 (Shōwa 9), the "Butsuryū-kō Special Parish System" was established within the school, granting it autonomy centered on Butsuryū-kō representatives within the Honmon Hokke-Shū.

This development led to the emergence of a cult distinct from the old Honmon Hokke school, both in its ritual practices and in its teachings and religious system.

In 1947, it separated from the Lotus School (also known as the Eight Chapter Stream) and took the name Honmon Butsuryū-Shū School. It obtained the status of a religious corporation in 1952.

■Honzon

Article 4 of the religious regulations of the Honmon Butsuryū-Shū School states:

"The great mandala of Nam-Myōhōrengekyō as manifested in the eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra" is the Honzon," meaning that the great mandala of Nam-Myōhōrengekyō, the essential core of the original doctrine, transmitted to Higher Practice, is the Honzon.

It is actually the "Essential Dharma Honzon," having the transcript of Nam-Myōhōrengekyō in its center and the inscription "Essential Secret Dharma within the Three (Esoteric Dharmas), on the side.

■Doctrine

 

①The Three Treasures

As far as the Butsuryū-shū school is concerned, the Lotus Sutra is considered the Dharma Treasure, Shakyamuni Buddha is considered the Buddha Treasure, and the Bodhisattva Practice-Superior is considered the Monk's Treasure.

 

②Genealogy of Transmission

Within the Butsuryū-shū school, the appellation of Kō-sō (Great Founder) is given to Nichiren Daishōnin, that of Mon-sō (Founder of the Doctrine) goes to Nichiryū, who is considered a bodily extension of Nichiren Daishōnin, and finally that of Kyōdō (Teaching Guide) is given to Nissen. These three personalities are honored as founders of the school.

 

③ Reference Sutras

The school's reference work consists of the eight-volume Lotus Sutra, as well as the two introductory and concluding volumes of this sutra, namely the Infinite Sense Sutra (introductory) and the Universal Sage Contemplation Sutra (concluding). In order to clarify its doctrine, this school refers to the writings of Nichiren Daishōnin, and more particularly to the works that are the Treatise on the Honzon, the Treatise on the Four Degrees of Faith and the Five Methods of Practice , and the Treatise on Practice as Taught. These are considered to be "the three treatises of practice as taught in this school".

To these are added the writings of Nichiryū (1385-1464) and, after Nissen's death, exclusively that of the latter. Nissen used a variety of methods to illustrate the main points of the new school, including more than 3,380 teaching poems, Haiku , poetry, Imayō-uta (A verse form from the Heian and Kamakura periods consisting of 4 lines each divided into two parts of 7 and 5 syllables), Yōkyoku (Songs of the Nō theater), Naga-uta (Long epic song with shamisen accompaniment (developed in Edo in the early 17th century), Ji-uta (Style of folk songs), and even "iroha-karuta" (card association game usually consisting of 48 reading cards and 48 picture cards).

④Justification of oral Chanting

The founder of the Butsuryū-shū school, Nissen (Seifu), was doctrinally descended from the Happon school of Nichiryū. However, despite this descent, he was intimately connected with his own practice of Daimoku chanting.

Nissen stipulated that oral recitation of the five characters of the Daimoku is the primary practice, while reading the Sutra is the auxiliary practice. He warned against placing too much emphasis on reading the Sutra, calling it "an offense to reading.

According to him, the Daimoku was a magic formula with an incantatory mystical dimension. Thus, belief in this magical mysticism was faith, through which we could obtain benefits in this life.

 

⑤Attachment to the current evidence.

According to Nissen, "The superficiality or profundity, superiority or inferiority, good or evil of a Buddhist teaching is judged by the existence or nonexistence of present evidence of benefit." This idea even leads him to assert that "spiritual experiences are the doctrine," thus elevating actual evidence to the status of doctrine. The benefit of actual evidence is interpreted as "doctrine", while the doctrine itself is considered a kind of theory. The remedy stated in the passage "here is a good remedy" (ze kō rōyaku - 是好良薬) of the Lotus Sutra is an "auxiliary practice" that has not only the relief of mental afflictions as its purpose, but also the cure of physical diseases. The function of this remedy is nothing more than to bring immediate visible benefits.

 

■Refutation

 

①The practice of the Butsuryū school opposes Nichiren Daishōnin.

For the Butsuryū school, reading the chapters of Means (Hōben) and Duration of Life (Juryō) as an asceticism, constitute an offense to the Dharma. Now, with regard to asceticism, Nichiren Daishōnin presents two practices: the main practice and the auxiliary practice. The main practice is the recitation of Daimoku (Shōdai), and with regard to the auxiliary practice, he writes in the Lunar Flow:

"Within the twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra in particular, the most notable and praiseworthy are the chapters of Means and Duration of Life. The other chapters are merely branches and leaves. Therefore, in your daily practice, learn to read the prose of the Means chapter and the prose of the Lifetime chapter.

It couldn't be clearer; he suggests reading the chapter of Means and Life Span. From then on, the Butsuryū school that considers the reading of the Sutra to be an offense to the Dharma is nothing but a heretical school opposing Nichiren Daishōnin whom it nevertheless venerates as its founder.

 

②The Essential Dharma Honzon does not reflect the spirit of Nichiren Daishōnin

The Butsuryū School uses the Essential Dharma Honzon in which it has rejected the expression of the Ten Worlds as a "prayer for the coming of various deities" or a "prayer for the coming of a particular deity." She further asserts that the Mandala of the Mutual Presence of the Ten Worlds does not represent Nichiren Daishōnin's true intention.

Yet, as he himself writes in the Treatise on the Honzon, The Treatise on the Retribution of Beneficence or the Answer to Lady Nichinyo, the Honzon appropriate to the End of the Dharma expresses the mutual presence of the ten worlds, and he did not inscribe a Honzon comprising only the Title (Daimoku). Nichiren Daishōnin's true intention is nowhere to be found other than in the Gohonzon of the Shrine of the Original Doctrine which he inscribed on October 12 of the 2nd year of Kōan (1279).

 

③The vital transmission of the three founders is only words

The Butsuryū school establishes a lineage of the three founders Nichiren - Nichiryū - Nissen. However, Nichiren Daishōnin and Nichiryū did not live at the same time, more than a century separates them. Therefore, it is natural that there is no concrete evidence of a possible transmission from Nichiren Daishōnin to Nichiryū. Moreover, in terms of practice and doctrine, the Butsuryū school differs considerably from Nichiren Daishōnin's teachings. Indeed, the latter uses an auxiliary practice, but Nissen claims that auxiliary practice is an offense to the Dharma. Likewise, with regard to the Honzon as well, Nissen uses an Essential Dharma Honzon whose appearance is different from that drawn by Nichiren Daishōnin. Moreover, Nichiryū proposes the practice of a part of the Sutra, while Nissen, on the other hand, insists on the practice of the Daimoku alone. While the vital transmission should be between master and disciple united, the doctrine of each of the three founders within the Butsuryū school is as different as water and fire, so that the vital transmission they propose is devoid of any substance.

This notion of vital transmission among the three founders is only a distorted interpretation to justify the Butsuryū school, to hide their pride and attachment to their own school, and finally to use words to justify their biased doctrine.

 

 

④Summary

 

Although the Honmon Butsuryū School confidently claims "Our school was not created from scratch by ourselves, but established as it was taught by its founder, and it is the school founded by the Buddha that it is about. The disciples have only propagated this doctrine, which is in essence the work of the Buddha himself," it is clear that this school is based on its own beliefs and has developed a new ritual that does not conform to the teaching of Nichiren Daishōnin. It has only adorned itself with a respectable name without living up to its claims. Indeed, the Honmon Butsuryū School is a mistaken religion born of Nissen's pride and superficial knowledge.

 

Throughout the last two chapters, we have taken a tour of the Concordance and Hierarchical schools. They all consider the Venerated Shakya as the Fundamental Buddha. In the next chapter, we will study the Nichiren Shōshū school, which, in turn, recognizes Nichiren Daishōnin as the Fundamental Buddha. We will explore the reasons for this belief, particularly through the exposition of "the theory of Nichiren Fundamental Buddha".

 

 

大白法 平成年10月1日刊(第441号) 仏教各宗破折より転載

 

Sanmon photo: By 三知庵主人 - Personal work,