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Nichiren Shu Resources

Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2017 2:56 pm
by Nyedrag Yeshe
Where do I find reliable resources for studying or even practicing Nichiren Shu online? I'm having trouble in finding this, and quite surprised by the lack of this kind of information online, considering the amount you can find on SGI and Nichiren Shoshu!
Thanks in advance! :thanks:

Re: Nichiren Shu Resources

Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2017 4:54 pm
by markatex
The lack of online resources is a big problem, but Nichiren Shu in North America is a very small, sparse operation without a lot of money. I've stuck with Nichiren Shu for over a decade, but it's out of the deep affinity I have for the practice and the practitioners and teachers I've met. I'm lucky enough to live relatively close to the temple in Houston and to have transportation to get there.

I have spoken with Bishop Myokei about redoing the Houston website, at least. I have a background in graphic design and feel like I could do something with it. The Seattle temple and its affiliates have the best online presence currently.

http://enkyojibuddhistnetwork.org/

Re: Nichiren Shu Resources

Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2017 4:59 pm
by markatex
Actually, what would be a big help to me would be an outsider's perspective. What specifically would you go looking for online with regard to practice and study? What's missing that you wish you could find?

Re: Nichiren Shu Resources

Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2017 5:52 pm
by Queequeg
Here are some links that you might find helpful:

http://nichiren-shu.org/index.html - there are some links to materials there, particularly:

Nichiren Shu News - a quarterly publication by Nichiren Shu's oversea's mission office in Japan. You can find links to back issues in PDF.
The Bridge- A newsletter that appears to have been disontinued.
Description of Practice
Bookstore

Study Page for the San Francisco Sangha -

Re: Nichiren Shu Resources

Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2017 8:42 pm
by Nyedrag Yeshe
Queequeg wrote:Here are some links that you might find helpful:

http://nichiren-shu.org/index.html - there are some links to materials there, particularly:

Nichiren Shu News - a quarterly publication by Nichiren Shu's oversea's mission office in Japan. You can find links to back issues in PDF.
The Bridge- A newsletter that appears to have been disontinued.
Description of Practice
Bookstore

Study Page for the San Francisco Sangha -
Taking the oportunity to talk to you, can you provide me with some information regarding meditation in NS? I was once told that some Shodaigyo techniques involve visualizations. Is that true?

Re: Nichiren Shu Resources

Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2017 9:27 pm
by Queequeg
Nyedrag Yeshe wrote:
Queequeg wrote:Here are some links that you might find helpful:

http://nichiren-shu.org/index.html - there are some links to materials there, particularly:

Nichiren Shu News - a quarterly publication by Nichiren Shu's oversea's mission office in Japan. You can find links to back issues in PDF.
The Bridge- A newsletter that appears to have been disontinued.
Description of Practice
Bookstore

Study Page for the San Francisco Sangha -
Taking the oportunity to talk to you, can you provide me with some information regarding meditation in NS? I was once told that some Shodaigyo techniques involve visualizations. Is that true?
I'm not a good person to ask about Shodaigyo - Mark and others who occasionally post here are in a better position to answer that. My connection to NShu is actually through an order that stands outside the NShu mainstream that has a different practice format.

Re: Nichiren Shu Resources

Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2017 10:45 pm
by markatex
Nyedrag Yeshe wrote:I was once told that some Shodaigyo techniques involve visualizations. Is that true?
No, there's no visualization. I was told that it was adapted from a Tendai meditation technique that involved visualization, but Bishop Nichijun Yukawa (who came up with the practice in the 1950s) replaced the visualization part with daimoku chanting. I don't have any idea as to what the Tendai practice was.

Silent meditation exists in Nichiren Shu, but it's very much a secondary practice, and is mostly just done in shodaigyo, or sometimes to quiet the mind before otsutome (aka, gongyo). It's basically just shamatha mindfulness of breathing meditation; the technique is exactly the same as what I was shown when I dabbled in Soto Zen (which makes sense, as both Soto and Nichiren have roots in Tendai). Probably the only difference, in shodaigyo, is that in the period of silent meditation that follows chanting, the daimoku is silently "recited" with "Namu" on inhalation, and "Myoho Renge Kyo" on exhalation. This part of shodaigyo is mean to immerse onself in the awareness of the merits of the daimoku.

Re: Nichiren Shu Resources

Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2017 10:55 pm
by markatex
Also, I'm not quite sure how much silent meditation was involved in Nichiren Shu practice prior to the introduction of shodaigyo. It's possible that its presence has been overstated. I do a bit of vipassana & metta meditation on an irregular basis, but it's all stuff I picked up from reading Jack Kornfield and Sharon Salzberg, and has no real relation to Nichiren Shu whatsoever. It's basically a mental health self-care practice for me, and I find it calms me (if I happen to need calming) before daily chanting.

Re: Nichiren Shu Resources

Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2017 11:01 pm
by markatex
Queequeg wrote:My connection to NShu is actually through an order that stands outside the NShu mainstream that has a different practice format.
I'm very interested in hearing about it, if you'd like to say more.

Re: Nichiren Shu Resources

Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2017 11:23 pm
by Queequeg
markatex wrote:
Queequeg wrote:My connection to NShu is actually through an order that stands outside the NShu mainstream that has a different practice format.
I'm very interested in hearing about it, if you'd like to say more.
I guess my closest affiliation is with Kitayama Hommonji? Its where my family has memorial prayers performed.

They're a Nikko lineage but part of Nichrien Shu. The biggest difference I've seen, other than they say "Nam", they take refuge in the Three Great Secret Laws instead of the Three Jewels.

Re: Nichiren Shu Resources

Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2017 1:16 am
by markatex
Queequeg wrote:I guess my closest affiliation is with Kitayama Hommonji? Its where my family has memorial prayers performed.

They're a Nikko lineage but part of Nichrien Shu. The biggest difference I've seen, other than they say "Nam", they take refuge in the Three Great Secret Laws instead of the Three Jewels.
That's interesting. I don't know a lot about the different lineages, and I'm sure most people would think the differences were like arguing about the number of angels who could dance on the end of a pin (or whatever the saying is), but I think it's interesting. The Seattle Enkyoji temple is affiliated with the Nakayama lineage, and I think the Houston one is connected with Myokenji in Kyoto somehow, but that's about all I know. No one really talks about it.

Re: Nichiren Shu Resources

Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2017 2:03 am
by Nyedrag Yeshe
markatex wrote:Also, I'm not quite sure how much silent meditation was involved in Nichiren Shu practice prior to the introduction of shodaigyo. It's possible that its presence has been overstated. I do a bit of vipassana & metta meditation on an irregular basis, but it's all stuff I picked up from reading Jack Kornfield and Sharon Salzberg, and has no real relation to Nichiren Shu whatsoever. It's basically a mental health self-care practice for me, and I find it calms me (if I happen to need calming) before daily chanting.
Thanks Mark!

Maybe I got mislead by the idea of the Gohonzon being called a mandala, or misread about the whole "ceremony in the air" stuff, that people do with visualization practices related to this! But it might just be a misconception on my part.

Re: Nichiren Shu Resources

Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2017 7:39 pm
by Minobu
Nyedrag Yeshe wrote:Where do I find reliable resources for studying or even practicing Nichiren Shu online? I'm having trouble in finding this, and quite surprised by the lack of this kind of information online, considering the amount you can find on SGI and Nichiren Shoshu!
Thanks in advance! :thanks:
i talk to them via yahoo. they have a forum .

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/nic ... dhism/info

Re: Nichiren Shu Resources

Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2017 5:48 pm
by markatex
Is the Yahoo forum still active? I haven't visited in a long time.

I have some ideas for threads I want to start on this board, but haven't had time.

Re: Nichiren Shu Resources

Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 5:38 pm
by markatex
The North American http://nichiren-shu.org/ site has recently gotten a much-needed facelift and has some good information on it now. I was pleasantly surprised. I'm not sure who's responsible, but kudos, whoever you are! :twothumbsup: