Nichiren Buddhism Studies

The nationalisation of religion is introduced in this article as the condition in which the secular interests and values of the state are articulated and enacted by religious organisations or individuals participating in public life. It has two attributes: (1) performances are shrouded in a nationalistic character that renders the religious significantly invisible and as a result; (2) the prevailing political order proceeds unquestioned. To make its case, the article draws from the experiences of the youth of Soka who perform in public events such as the National Day Parade and Chingay in Singapore. These performances are some of the ways in which Soka presents itself as a cultural organisation working for peace and progress in Singapore. For them, it is about sending a message that individual and collective struggles can be overcome and that in spite of their differences, people can come together.

URL: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0037768617747496

This paper discusses the similarities and differences between approaches to death and  dying in SGI and Tibetan Buddhism. It also draws on research compiled on Near Death Experiences. By comparing these traditions and the NDE experiences, a few conclusions are drawn: namely, that death is a process and not a static event. Secondarily, the process of death should be prepared for by all parties involved. The last conclusion is that the larger Dharma tradition can teach western society that it is a healthy and necessary practice to view and sit with the deceased body instead of storing the body immediately after “death” occurs.

The Sutra on the White Lotus of the Sublime Dharma (Sk., Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra; Ch., Miàofǎ liánhuá jīng; Jp., Myōhō renge kyō), commonly known as the Lotus Sutra, is arguably the most influential sutra of Mahāyāna Buddhism, and certainly one of the most revered sacred texts in East Asia.  Via parables and short stories, the twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra indirectly present a number of core doctrines of the early Mahāyāna, the form of Buddhism that first emerged in India and West Asia roughly five centuries after the death of the historical Buddha Siddhartha Gautama (c. 563–486 BCE) and would eventually come to dominate East Asian Buddhism. The Lotus Sutra is a devotional text rather a philosophical one—i.e., it seems intended to work on the level of the emotions and the senses rather than the intellect. And yet, despite its otherworldly aspects, the Lotus Sutra has been employed over the centuries as a political text, both as a tool for maintaining the status quo and—especially in the twentieth century but with a few historical precedents—as an inspiration and justification for political transformation or reform. This chapter explores some of the various ways in which the Lotus Sutra has been understood and utilized as a political text.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a hanging scroll depicting a mandala typical of the Buddhism promoted by Nichiren 日蓮 (1222-82) that includes an iconographic de-piction of the divinity Myōken 妙見. This divinity personifies the North Star and in time became a popular secondary reference point for many followers of Nichiren's teaching. It is however most unusual for an iconic image to be included in a mandala composed in Nichiren's style and that is why it is worthy of special consideration. In the sequel, two further, related examples, but without images, are considered for the sake of additional context. Here, first, is an illustration of the figure of Myōken on the main scroll in question. Figure1: Image of Myōken at bottom centre of mandala scroll (full illustration below).
N.B. In this version an incomplete sentence has been corrected, but all page numbers remain as in the official publication.

Lucy follows the sound of the panpipes to the Andes, seeking to find or create the ideal society of which they sing. In Peru and Bolivia she chews the sacred coca leaf, participates in indigenous ceremonies, starts a Fair Trade export company, and encounters U.S.-supported human rights abuses that lead to a life-or-death decision.

God and Apple Pie: Religious Myths and Visions of America.” The Wilmette Institute’s fourth Web Talk, marking its Twentieth Anniversary. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHsp3P3hlCg. PowerPoint: http://wilmetteinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Buck_2015_Apple_Pie_Web_Talk11.pdf (May 3, 2015.)