Historical Map of Nichiren Daishonin's Life by Zenith Hilliard

1222: Birth of Nichiren Daishonin

zenbot78 — 2024-05-15 01:28:05 UTC

Nichiren Daishonin was born on Feb 16, 1222 in Kataumi, Tojo Village Nagasa District, Awa Province. (Present day Kominato, Chiba, Japan) His father was a fisherman but Nichiren did not follow in his footsteps.

(Copied from my I-Search essay.)

1233: Nichiren Enters Seichoji Temple

zenbot78 — 2024-05-15 01:28:05 UTC

At the age of 12, Nichiren Daishonin entered Seichoji Temple to study Buddhism. He went to the Buddhist monastery of Kiyosumi-dera, near Kominato. He studied many different Buddhist Buddhist teachings. His search led him to the Lotus Sutra, the orally transmitted teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha who lived in India in the 5th century BC.

1253: Nichiren Declares Nam-myoho-renge-kyo

zenbot78 — 2024-05-15 01:28:05 UTC

On April 28, 1253, Nichiren Daishonin declared Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the essence of his teachings, at his place of practice in Seichoji Temple. Nichiren Daishonin believed the Lotus Sutra contained the essence of Buddhism. Nam Myo Ho Renge Kyo is the title of the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren believed that The essence of the Lotus Sutra was contained in the title and a Buddhist need only to repetitively chant the the mantra to gain enlightenment. He solicited his beliefs to the priesthood predicting great calamity would occur in Japan if they did not cast aside their beliefs and embrace the Lotus Sutra and chant Nam Myo Ho Renge Kyo.

1260: Submission of the Rissho Ankoku Ron

zenbot78 — 2024-05-15 01:28:05 UTC

In 1260, Nichiren Daishonin submitted the Rissho Ankoku Ron (Treatise on Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land) to the ruling authorities. This was a significant moment where he advocated for the reform of Japanese Buddhism and peace in society. hen the prWiests heard Nichiren's claims that he was calling all the other teachings false except for the essential writings of the Lotus Sutra they became enraged. He was kicked out of the temple and exiled to Izu Penninsula. The Daishonin continued his efforts to defraud the priesthood that he claimed were spreading the false doctrines.

1271: Tatsunokuchi Persecution

zenbot78 — 2024-05-15 01:28:05 UTC

After he returned to Kamakura from exile in the Izu Penninsula, Nichiren wrote letters of remonstration to the priests at the established Buddhist schools, claiming that the errors of the teaching were having a negative impact on society as a whole. The local government was very disturbed by Nichiren's demands for them to embrace what he considered the correct teachings. They stormed his house in the middle of the night with armed soldiers. He was arrested and they were going to execute him on the beach at Tatsunokuchi. If the soldiers weren't a superstitious lot they soon became one. As Nichiren was about to be beheaded an orb of light burst across the sky from the south. The soldiers became terrified and realized they couldn't kill him. Instead, he was exiled to Sado Island.

1272: Sado Exile

zenbot78 — 2024-05-15 01:28:05 UTC

In 1272 Nichiren Daishonin was exiled to Sado Island where his shelter was an old funeral building and it was bitterly cold. It is here that Nichiren inscribed the Dai Gohonzon. The gohonzon is the true object of worship for Nichiren Buddhists and contains passages of the Lotus Sutra with Nam Myo Ho Renge Kyo written down the middle. Even in exile Nichiren gained more followers. His most loyal disiciple Nikko Shonin stayed by his side.

1274: Return to Kamakura

zenbot78 — 2024-05-15 01:28:05 UTC

Nichiren Daishonin returned to Kamakura in 1274 from his exile in Sado Island. It is here that he wrote the treatise, "The Opening Of the Eyes." Within this document is the fivefold comparison where he compared what he considered the correct teachings to, other religions and other lineages of buddhist teachings. He compared Hinayana to Mahayana Buddhism. Hinayana is considered the lesser vehicle to enlightenment because there are strict austerities, reserved for a select few who give up all earthly desires. Nichiren Daishonin claimed Mahayana, considered the greater vehicle for enlightenment, to be superior to Hinayana because more people can attain Buddhahood. It is the Mahayana Buddhist practice for teaching bodhisatvas whose goal it is to enlighten themselves as well as enlightening others.

1282: Passing of Nichiren Daishonin

zenbot78 — 2024-05-15 01:28:05 UTC

Nichiren Daishonin passed away on October 13, 1282, at the age of 60 in Ikegami, now part of Tokyo. His legacy continues to influence and inspire many to this day. After Nichiren's death Nikko Shonin preserved the Daishonin's teachings that are still practiced today in more than 120 countries today.

Mendocino, CA

zenbot78 — 2024-05-17 04:27:52 UTC

2024

Zenith Hilliard cited works for interactive map.

I am a practicing Nichiren Buddhist and member of the lay organization, Soka Gakkai International (SGI). The Soka Gakkai was started in 1930 in Japan when a group of followers refused to meet the demands of the Nichiren Buddhists to place a statue of Shinto on their alter. Soka Gakkai was the lay organization in Japan that the SGI came from. I chant Nam Myo Ho Renge Kyo and own a copy of the Gohonzon. I became a member of the SGI in 2002 and have been practicing on and off for the last 25 years. I chose to write my paper on Nichiren Daishonin because I think it is good for others to learn about Nichiren Buddhism and this extraordinary human who's teaching are practiced in more than 120 countries today.

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An AI embedded in Padlet produced the interactive map with the timeline of Nichiren Daishonin's life events. I embellsihed the slides corresponding to each location with passages from my I-search paper on the Life of Nichiren Daishonin.

Some other sources include:

An Introduction to Buddhism. SGI.

Soka Gakkai, Nichiren Buddhism Library. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/dic/Content/F/47.