I am a member of Soka Gakkai International (SGI), a worldwide
lay Buddhist organisation, made up of ordinary people who practice the
True Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonon.
I am a member of Soka Gakkai International (SGI), a worldwide
lay Buddhist organisation, made up of ordinary people who practice the
True Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonon.
The three fundamental aspects of this Buddhist practice are Faith, Practice and Study. Faith means to believe in the Gohonzon. Practice means to chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo and perform Gongyo (a short service) twice daily, and to show others how to do the same. Study means to read the writings of Nichiren Daishonin and apply them to our daily lives.Of these three, faith is the most fundamental. Faith gives rise to practice and study; practice and study serve to deepen faith.
Myoho Renge Kyo is the title of the Lotus Sutra which is the ultimate teaching of the first recorded Buddha, known variously as Siddhartha or Shakyamuni. In this he teaches of the true nature of Buddhahood - the power of wisdom, courage, compassion and life-force - common to, although latent in, all living beings.
Nichiren Daishonin taught that by chanting Nam (devotion to)
Myoho Renge Kyo we can activate Buddhahood and, consequently,
the power to affect our own destiny and that of our environment. The practice
that Nichiren Daishonin taught, over 700 years ago, has a profound and revolutionary
impact on ordinary, everyday life: an impact which enables one to fully realise
ones' unique potential, and by overcoming the negative impulses inherent in
life, to develop the greatest possible value in any situation.
This Buddhism does not offer a code of conduct or promote a particular lifestyle. Instead faith is built through regularly chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo morning and evening, learning the philosophy and true spirit of Buddhism by studying the writings of Nichiren Daishonin, and enabling others to do the same. I can truly say that this practice has transformed my life, allowing me to begin to realise my potential as a human being. I have found the practice completely fulfills my need for a religious and spiritual discipline in my life, without creating any intellectual or emotional conflicts with my work. The non-theistic approach of Buddhism has much in common with western traditions of humanism, encouraging a rational and disciplined approach to understanding the nature of reality. i hope one day to be able to make a contribution to the continuing convergence of the western scientific tradition and the wisdom of Buddhism.
For a fuller, and much more elegant discussion of the fundamentals of this
Buddhism, please see this excellent article by Daisaku
Ikeda. I hope that you will also explore the rest of the pages on this site.
I have also provided some external links to other Nichiren
Buddhist sites on the Web. If you are a resident of the UK you may contact the
British branch of the SGI, SGI-UK, which holds regular discussion
meetings throughout the UK. If you wish to learn more about the Buddhism of
Nichiren Daishonin, or get in touch with your local group, you can contact SGI-UK
at
Taplow Court, Taplow, Berkshire SL6 OER, Telephone 01628 773163. Please also
feel free to contact me by email, srharris@glam.ac.uk
. Be happy!