Life of Nichiren Shonin part 7/8

Nichiren Shonin, the founder of the Nichiren Shu was born on February 16, 1222 in Kominato, in what is now Chiba Prefecture, Japan. At age eleven, his parents sent him to Seichoji-Temple to study. From an early age, he began to wonder why there were so many schools of Buddhism, while the Buddhism expounded by Sakyamuni Buddha was but one? He was ordained a priest at Seichoji Temple at the young age of fifteen. After considerable study of the Buddhist schools, Nichiren Shonin concluded that the Lotus Sutra indeed represented the perfect culmination of the true teaching of the Buddha.

Following a period of intense prayer during seven days of seclusion, he found that he was now ready to embark on his plan of reformation and proclamation of his new gospel. His grand declaration with a resounding cry of the Odaimoku took place atop the summit of a hill overlooking the wide Pacific; it was in the early morning as the sun broke through the morning haze. This was Nichiren Shonin's proclamation of his gospel to heaven and earth with the all-illuminating sun as his witness. The date was April 28, 1253.

more detail http://nichiren-shu.org/shonin.html and http://www.nshi.org

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Education

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• Nichiren
• Shu