Nichiren Sect

(adjective)

A branch of Buddhism based on the Lotus Sutra, which teaches that all people have an innate Buddha nature and are therefore inherently capable of attaining enlightenment in their current form and present lifetime.

Related Terms

Examples of Nichiren Sect in the following topics:

  • Japanese Painting and Sculpture in the Kamakura Period

    • These two new sects dominated the artwork produced during the period.
    • During this time, a number of monks who had left the Tendai sect founded separate Buddhist sects of their own.
    • Shinran, disciple of Hōnen and founder of the Jōdo Shinshū sect;
    • Ippen, founder of the Ji sect, which emphasized devotion to Amida Buddha through an ecstatic dance;
    • Nichiren, founder of the Nichiren Sect, which emphasized devotion to the Lotus Sutra, a manual of Buddhist aphorisms presented as a discourse from the Buddha.

  • Rinpa School Painting in the Edo Period

    • In 1615, Hon'ami Kōetsu founded an artistic community of craftsmen, supported by wealthy merchant patrons of the Nichiren Buddhist sect at Takagamine in northeastern Kyoto.

  • Sacred Objects

    • Throughout time, most Christian sects have used art to some extent, though there have been definite periods of iconoclasm within the history of the religion.

  • Maurya Dynasty

    • The decorated facade of the Lomas Rishi grotto, an offering to the Buddhist sect of the Ajivikas, is a good example of the high degree of craftsmanship.

  • Art of Pure Land Buddhism

    • The Amidist Pure Land schools, promulgated by evangelists such as Genshin and articulated by monks such as Hōnen, emphasized salvation through faith in Amitabha and remain the largest Buddhist sect today in Japan (and throughout Asia).

  • Art of Esoteric Buddhism

    • The Shingon sect believed that all beings have an innate Buddha nature.

  • Influence of Buddhism in the Heian Period

    • The Shingon sect believed that all beings have an innate Buddha nature.
    • New types of images were developed to satisfy the devotional needs of the increasingly important Pure Land sects in the 10th century.

  • Religion as a Theme

    • Throughout time, most Christian sects have used art to some extent, though there have been definite periods of iconoclasm within the history of the religion.

  • Painting and Calligraphy in the Heian Period

    • The Shingon sect believed that all beings have an innate Buddha nature.

  • The Song Dynasty

    • The Christian sect of Nestorianism—which had entered China in the Tang era—would also be revived in China under Mongol rule.