Like a stone thrown into a pond creates ripples that touch the entire shore-line, one drop of knowledge radiates out illuminating our entire being.

Rev. Ryuei Michael McCormick’s Writings and Essays

Practice Instructions

Ryuei’s Buddhist Study Program

The articles on this page are meant to be very practical. They are not about theory or doctrine or other abstractions but about the very practical question of how to actually put Buddhism into practice.

A comprehensive Buddhist Study Course from the life of Shakyamuni Buddha, his basic teachings to Buddhism’s spread from India to East Asia, covering both Theravada and Mahayana sutras to today.

Shakyamuni Buddha’s Life and Teachings

An overview study course on the life and teachings of Shakyamuni and the basics of Buddhism giving the reader a high level understanding of the historical Buddha and the fundamentals of Buddhism. After completing this course the reader will have an excellent understanding of Buddhism and how Buddhism evolved into the global religion it is today. This course is perhaps the most important one offered in the library as it grounds the reader on Buddha and Buddhism better enabling them to make their own decision on the numerous schools that exist today; how are they aligned with what Buddha actually taught and how they have deviated due to cultural and political preferences and interpretations. As Buddha always taught; “Come try this and see for yourself.” You, the reader, be the judge.

Translation and Commentaries

A series of Seminars at the Berkeley Zen Center in 1999

Dharma Talks and Other Writings

A Year of Dharma

Below are links to PDFs of three versions of a cross-reference list of Nichiren’s writings.

The first is the list arranged according to the Writings of Nichiren Shonin (seven volumes) published by the Nichiren Shu Overseas Propagation Promotion Association (NOPPA). This series was translated from modern Japanese versions of Nichiren’s writings included in the Nichiren Shonin Zenshu (Complete Writings of Nichiren Shonin). The second is the list arranged according to the Wrings of Nichiren Daishonin (two volumes) published by the Soka Gakkai. This series was translated from the Gosho Zenshu, a Nichiren Shoshu compilation of Nichiren’s writings. The third list is arranged according to the Showa Teihon Nichiren Shonin Ibun published by the Rissho Daigaku Nichiren Kyogaku Kenkyujo. It is Nichiren Shu’s scholarly collection of Nichiren writings.

Let me explain what is in these lists. The WNS column is for the seven volumes of the Writings of Nichiren Shonin. The numbers there indicate the volume number in that series, and the number of the Gosho within that volume. For example, 108 refers to the eighth Gosho in volume 1, whereas 746 indicates the forty-sixth Gosho in volume seven.

The WND column is for the two volumes of the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin. In those two volumes the Gosho are numbered consecutively. So the numbers in this column simply refer to those numbers.

The ST column is for the four volumes of the Showa Teihon. However, there are three parts to that collection. The first part in the first two volumes contain 434 Gosho that are numbered consecutively. Other Gosho found after the initial collection for inclusion in those volumes can be found in volume four. The second and third parts are in volume three. Of those, the second part includes Gosho generally considered apocryphal, though there are exceptions as discussed in scholarly articles. The third part are diagrams and notes either written by or attributed to Nichiren.

The column for Other Translations indicates other sources for English translations of a Gosho. SK refers to the St. Nichiren’s Shugo Kokka-ron and Sainan Koki Yurai, Sainan Taiji-sho translated by Kyotsu Hori and published by NOPPA. RA refers to St. Nichiren’s Rissho Ankoku-ron: Treatise on Spreading Peace Throughout the Country by Establishing the True Dharma and Letters and Tracts Concerning It translated by Kyotsu Hori and published by NOPPA. Two Nichiren Texts refers to the publication of that name in the BDK English Tripitaka series published by the Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research. N:SW refers to Nichiren: Selected Writings translated by Laurel Rasplica Todd published by the University Press of Hawaii. SS refers to St. Nichiren’s Senji-sho: Selecting the Right Time, A Tract by Nichiren, the Buddha’s Disciple translated by Kyotsu Hori and published by NOPPA. KS refers to St. Nichiren’s Kaimoku-sho: Open Your Eyes to the Lotus Teaching translated by Kyotsu Hori and published by NOPPA. KoLB refers to Kaimokusho or Liberation from Blindness from the BDK English Tripitaka series published by the Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research. KH refers to St. Nichiren’s Kanjin Honzon-sho: A Treatise Revealing the Spiritual Contemplation and the Object of Worship for the First Time in the Fifth 500-year Period after the Death of Shakyamuni Buddha, by Nichiren, a Buddhist Monk in Japan; Nyosetsu Shugyo-sho: The True Way of Practicing the Teaching of the Buddha; and Kembutsu Mirai-ki: Testimony to the Prediction of the Buddha translated by Kyotsu Hori and published by NOPPA. HJ refers to St. Nichiren’s Hoon-jo translated by Kyotsu Hori and published by NOPPA. SL refers to St. Nichiren’s The Shimoyama Letter translated by Kyotsu Hori and published by NOPPA. NG refers to St. Nichiren’s Nyonin Gosho: Letters Addressed to Female Followers translated by Kyotsu Hori and published by NOPPA.

The Taisho column refers to those Gosho that are in the Taisho Tripitaka, a compilation of the Buddhist canon and related commentaries that was published in Japan in 1934. The numbers refer to the text number in the Taisho Tripitaka.

The Authentication column has the following abbreviations: L means Lost (but was previously known to exist, many of these were at Mt. Minobu and lost in a fire in 1875). O means that a holograph or original in Nichiren’s handwriting still exists. P means that a partial copy exists in Nichiren’s handwriting. C means that a copy exists in the hands of an immediate disciple, after which I list the name of the disciple. E means it is included in the Enzan Rokuge Gosho, a collection of Nichiren’s writings kept at Kuonji Temple on Mt. Minobu.

The Ten Major column indicates the so-called Ten Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, a list allegedly made by Nikko Shonin.

The button below will send you to a page with a list of writings by Nichiren Shonin wherein we either a copy or a partial copy still exists in his own hand (a holograph), or we knew from reliable sources that it once existed (e.g. many were burned in a fire at Mt. Minobu in 1875), or we have a handwritten copy made by a direct disciple Nichiren during his lifetime. It is based on the Showa teihon Nichiren Shonin Ibun published by Minobusan Kuonji in 1982. In Nichiren Shu, the writings by Nichiren Daishonin (1222-1282) are called "Goibun" (honored written legacy) although the term "Gosho" (honored writings) was coined by Nikko Shonin and so such is the more common term in the Nikko lineages. Note that just because something is not on this list, it does not mean it is not authentic. It simply means it is not authenticated because we can’t prove it was written by Nichiren using a holograph (copy by Nichiren) or a copy by a direct disciple.

Below is a link to an article about the disputed authenticity of some of Nichiren's writings and how it is not a simple matter to just declare some absolute list of what is or is not authentic.

To my knowledge, the Nichiren Shu Overseas Propagation Promotion Association has not declared or endorsed any definitive list of what should be considered authentic writings of Nichiren, nor any definitive list of writings that should not be considered authentic or used. This makes sense, as such determinations are a scholarly endeavor, whereas Nichiren Shu and thus NOPPA are primarily concerned with promoting traditional teachings and practices.

The seven volume Writings of Nichiren Shonin were published by NOPPA as translations of the Nichiren Shonin Zenshu of which NOPPA says in the Compiler's Note section of each volume, "Despite its all-inclusive title, the Zenshu includes only writings considered bibliographically authentic in light of modern scholarship." However, there are writings in those volumes whose authenticity is disputed by some scholars. NOPPA is by implication endorsing the "modern scholarship" of the compilers of the Zenshu, but their statement should not be taken as Nichiren Shu's official position regarding any particular list of authentic or inauthentic gosho. "Modern scholarship" is an ongoing endeavor and a matter of ongoing research, peer review, and argumentation. The choice by NOPPA to translate the Nichiren Shonin Zenshu is not a dogmatic stamp upon what can or cannot be used by priests or laity for spiritual edification. My impression is that the Zenshu was chosen because it was a scholarly compilation and it was done in modern Japanese, thereby making it easier to translate into modern English.

If there is any statement by Nichiren Shu or NOPPA regarding the existence of a definitive list of authentic gosho, I have yet to see it. I would require a link to such a list or official endorsement of such a list or a citation of a publication I can check. It has been my experience that Nichiren Shu and NOPPA do not involve themselves in endorsing any particular scholar's theories or views nor in suppressing anyone's use of any gosho (including the Ongi Kuden). Such things are left to the academic process of peer review.

Below is a link to the article:

Below is a link to Dr. Jacqueline Stone’s Ph.D dissertation Some Disputed Writings in the Nichiren Corpus, by Dr. Jacqueline Ilyse Stone, Ph.D. UCLA 1990

Other Notable Authors’ Writings

Tiantai Buddhism - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy - Professor Brook Ziporyn, University of Chicago

Tiantai is the name of a mountain and surrounding geographical location in China, literally meaning “platform of the sky”, but the term is traditionally used to denote a particular school of Mahāyāna Buddhism with historical connections to that locale. In this article, the term “Tiantai” will be used to refer to the philosophical ideas developed from the sixth to eleventh centuries by this school, as expounded in the writings of its three most representative figures: Tiantai Zhiyi (538–597), Jingxi Zhanran (711–782) and Siming Zhili (960–1028).

Tsuganari Kubo

Noted scholar and practitioner of the Lotus Sutra. He did the Lotus Sutra translation for the BDK/Numata and was a former president of Reiyukai. These chapters are from one of his out-of-print books on practicing the Lotus Sutra and can be found on his web-site: http://www.kokoronokai-international.com/WhatDeosTheLotusSutraSay-.html

He writes: “I am now over 70 years old, and I have been reading the Lotus Sutra and living my life in relation to it from my childhood until today. The Lotus Sutra advocates “the liberation of all human beings.” That liberation, however, is not advocated through any divinity. What, then, does “the liberation of all human beings” actually mean? How is it experienced? If the liberation in the Lotus Sutra is not promoted through a divinity, what is the essence of such liberation and how does the Lotus Sutra inspire it? In this writing, I would like to explore in detail the kind of liberation that the Lotus Sutra offers.”

Rev. Tarabini explains some fundamental similarities and differences between 1)Nichiren Shu (and most other basic Nichiren Schools), 2) Nichiren Shoshu and 3) the Soka Gakkai. In just one simple e-mail, however, I cannot possibly explain all the similarities and differences. I must point however, that they are all believers of the Lotus Sutra, recite this sutra and chant the Odaimoku of Namu Myoho Renge Kyo. Furthermore, all read the sacred writings of Nichiren Daishonin (called Gosho or Goibun). Within Nichiren Buddhism, there are a number of lineage's and schools which have derived from the original temples established by the six senior most or principle disciples of Nichiren Daishonin.

In Nichiren Buddhism, there are 2 basic divisions - the "Itchi" and "Shoretsu lineages. From here, other sub-divisions and movements grew and developed, such as the Happon-ha (Eight Volumes lineage), the Fuju Fuse (Don't receive from nor give alms to non believers lineage) and others.

A Greater Awakening

The Lotus Sutra puts all Buddhist practitioners on the way to Buddhahood.

By Jan Nattier 

Tricycle – The Buddhist Review Magazine

Spring 2006

Meditation Symbols in Eastern and western Mysticism: Mysteries of the Mandala by MAnly P. Hall, D.LITT

Excerpt from Chapter V, The Lotus sutra and Its Mandala, plus link to full book.

The DEvelopment of Kaji Kito in Nichiren Shu Buddhism

An excellent thesis from Kyomi J. Igarashi on the history and development of Kaji Kito - esoteric magical practices - in Nichiren Buddhism.

Igarashi, Kyomi J., "The Development of Kaji Kito in Nichiren Shu Buddhism" (2012). Honors Thesis Collection.

Jacqueline I. Stone

Considered one of the preeminent Western scholars on Nichiren Buddhism. Jacqueline I. Stone received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, in East Asian Languages and Cultures, with a focus in Buddhist Studies. She is now Professor of Japanese Religions in the Religion Department of Princeton University. Her major research field is Japanese Buddhism. Her research interests include death in Buddhism; Buddhist eschatology; Buddhism and Japanese identity formation in the medieval and modern periods; and traditions related to the Lotus Sūtra, especially Tendai and Nichiren Buddhism.

Inclusive and Exclusive Perspectives on the One Vehicle

Debates over interpretations of the Lotus Sutra have continued for centuries. Dr. Stone examines some aspects of both sides of the controversy that she finds thought-provoking, particularly for those dedicated to interfaith dialogue.

Excerpt: ”There may be no way to reconcile these two perspectives. But then, perhaps we do not need to. Perhaps tension between them can be made to work in a constructive way. Whether we ourselves understand the message of the Lotus Sutra to be inclusive or exclusive, an awareness that Buddhists before us have debated this issue of many centuries may help us define our personal stance in a clearsighted rather than dogmatically attached fashion, giving play to its strengths while avoiding its potential pitfalls.”

The definitive Theravada meditation text, which along with the Mahayana “Great Calming and Contemplation” by Grand Master T’ien-t’ai provides complete instruction in Buddhist meditation. All Buddhist meditation today derives from these two texts.

The Path of Purification (Visuddhimagga)

by Bhadantácariya Buddhaghosa

Translated from the Pali by Bhikkhu Ñáóamoli

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