Shakyamuni prophesized just as the pure law was on the brink of extinction, a teacher would appear to save the law and teach the people.

Nichiren, the great Japanese prophet and sage, was born February 16, 1222 on the coast of Awa province, now Chiba prefecture (east of modern day Tokyo). He was the fourth son of a fisherman, and his birth name was Zennichimaro (Sun mind). Medieval Japan wasn't very far removed from ancient India as regards social position and caste. Because of his birth he referred to himself as a sudra or chandala ('untouchable' by Indian standards), and although he may have had wealthy relations, his family was poor and he was despised by the local lords.

Zennichi was sent at age eleven to Seicho-ji, a local temple, instead of continuing to work on the fishing boat. Seicho-ji was nominally a Tendai temple but like other Tendai institutions it had been corrupted by Shingon practices and Nembutsu beliefs.

At age 15, Zennichi cut his hair, took his vows as a Tendai monk, and was given the name Rencho (Eternal Lotus). For fifteen years he studied diverse Buddhist doctrine, as he had made a vow to become the wisest man in Japan in a similar fashion as religious figures in the west desire to become saints.

Soon after ordination, Rencho went to Kamakura, the capital of the ruling Hojo clan. He remained there for five or six years studying Zen, the Pure Land, and other Buddhist sects. Rencho then traveled to the great monastic Tendai temple on Mount Hiei and learned from the eminent teachers there. He journeyed to the centers of esoteric (Shingon) Buddhism and studied the Hinayana doctrines at Nara. He mastered Confucianism and the Chinese classics, and became expert at Chinese grammar and calligraphy. Rencho also studied pre-Buddhist Shinto rites and traveled to Shinto shrines. As we shall see, his investigation was orderly and dispassionate; the results rational and rooted in the total correctness of Shakyamuni's great teaching.

In 1253 Rencho returned to Seicho-ji, his home temple, to announce the results of his studies. He reported to Dozen, his first teacher, and retired for a few days before preaching a first sermon.

On the morning of April 28, 1253, Rencho climbed a steep hill that overlooked the sea. As the sun rose over the Pacific he joined his hands together (the traditional Buddhist gesture of respect and a seeking spirit) and chanted Namu Myoho Renge Kyo (I devote mind and body to the Lotus Sutra). Nichiren later said: Our contemporaries think of the five characters of Myoho-Renge-Kyo as a name, but that is not correct. It is the entity, the heart of the Lotus Sutra.

On that day, speaking to those assembled, he declared unreserved devotion to the Lotus, repudiating other doctrines, which scandalized his audience. He had taken the name Nichiren (Lotus in Sun) (pronounced Nich e ren), which indicated his intention to illuminate the Lotus. Since Nichiren was born in Awa, an area associated with the patron Sun Goddess of Japan, his name also implied it was his intention to save all the people from the hell of incessant suffering.

It was unheard of in medieval Japan for a monk to reject the name given to him by his order and question the prevailing teachings, so he became a priest without an order or credentials. The local lord Kagenobu was so incensed he sent assassins to kill Nichiren and from that day forward, Nichiren was driven from place to place, exiled twice, almost executed (by decree), and later simply ignored.

Dozen attempted to intercede and found him a small country temple outside the jurisdiction of Kagenobu, but Nichiren, pursuing his mission to save the people, returned to Kamakura to remonstrate with the shogun. Having no credentials, he could not lodge at a Tendai temple, so he built himself a hut at the outskirts of the city. A few disciples began to gather around him; they propagated the Lotus Sutra by beating a drum outside the palace gates.

In a letter to the Hojo clan, Nichiren warned if the rulers insisted on ignoring the Buddha's legacy and prophecy, choosing instead to accept distorted, inferior doctrine, such as Zen, and Nembutsu, the country would reflect their confusion and be beset by internal strife and attacked from without, as the Buddha had predicted.

For a unknown priest to speak out in this manner was like planting bombs all over the country. It was treason and Nichiren was treated like a traitor. However, some of those in power grew afraid of him, as he predicted the date of the Mongol invasion and the outbreak of internal strife and famine within the country. He was saved from death by a sun-bright comet shooting across the sky as the executioner was about to chop off his head, and he miraculously survived exile, even though exile was tantamount to death. In fact, he escaped danger so often some perceived him as invincible. In truth, he was steadfast, courageous, strict to the point of harshness, yet gentle to those who were without protection but followed the Buddha.

Pardoned in 1274, Nichiren followed the Buddhist tradition of going into self-exile if his words were ignored. He retired to Mount Minobu and built a solitary hut between three overhanging mountains. Few visited this remote place. Alone, almost forgotten by both the common and the powerful, he always remembered his vow to save the people and protect the Lotus Sutra.

Nichiren died at Ikegami on October 13, 1282. He had been ill for some time but left no transfer document. He is known by other sects as the stubborn priest, probably because he never recanted. Some scholars have implied that his behavior was motivated by a desire for fame. Others have indicated his prayers for the salvation of Japan were due to nationalism. It is my deepest belief he was motivated solely by compassion and love for his master Shakyamuni Buddha.

His respect for Shakyamuni Buddha knew no bounds; however, people like myself who follow Nichiren do not worship the Buddha as a person, but the enlightened life of the Buddha, as found in the Lotus Sutra, Nichiren's treatises and mandala (Gohonzon) inscribed by him for his followers. Some members of the Lotus sect fight among themselves, declaring themselves Nichiren's legitimate heir. Others follow Tien Tai but discredit Nichiren. Still others follow Nichiren's interpretation but ignore the Gohonzon. This has caused much confusion but because I and others possess the eternal life of the Buddha enshired on our altars, because we study Nichiren's analysis of the Lotus and most importantly chant the sacred title; we may practice as true independents.