During his lifetime, Nichiren stridently maintained that the contemporary teachings of Buddhism taught by other sects, ( particularly Nembutsu, Zen, Shingon, and Ritsu ) were mistaken in their interpretations of the correct path to enlightenment, and therefore refuted them publicly and vociferously.

The essence of the Lotus Sutra, as Nichiren Daishonin taught, was that all men and women, regardless of social class or place are inherently endowed with this Buddha nature and could therefore attain Buddhahood.

Nichiren taught that by chanting " Nam-Myōhō-Renge-Kyō ", which means, " Devotion to the Mystic / Wonderful Dharma / Law of the Lotus Flower Sutra " to the Gohonzon ( 御本尊 ), a mandala he inscribed with Chinese and Sanskrit characters representing the enlightened life of the True Buddha, anyone can bring forth their inherent Buddha nature and become enlightened.

The Mutual Possession of the Ten Worlds ), Nichiren taught that Buddhahood is not a static state of being, but exists in mutual possession of other states of being ( referred to as the Ten Worlds ).

The main differences in beliefs of both sides center on: The doctrine of Heritage of the Law: attributed by the Priesthood to " one person " the High Priest while attributed by the Sōka Gakkai to ordinary people, The Priesthood's demand for " Absolute faith and Strict Obedience " to the High Priest a demand contrasted with SGI definition of related relationship: " mentor and disciple are comrades standing side by side ”, and also: The doctrine of the Three Treasures, in which the Treasure of the Priest is taught by the Sōka Gakkai as the Sangha or " Community of Believers ", while it is restricted solely to the Priest, by Nichiren Shōshū administration.

Nichiren had taught that a period of massive conflict would precede a golden era of human culture in which the truth of Buddhism would prevail.

Nichiren Shū does not believe Nichiren designated a single successor, as taught for instance by Nichiren Shoshu, but that he designated Six Senior Disciples to succeed him.

A similarity, common to most Nichiren schools, is the shared doctrine of The Three Great Hidden Dharmas, referred to in some schools as theThree Great Secret Laws, as “... it was in order to put the insight of Ichinen Sanzen into actual practice that Nichiren Shonin taught The Three Great Secret Dharmas: the Gohonzon, the Essential Focus of Reverence, the Odaimoku, the great Title of the Lotos Sutra ; and the Kaidan, the Precept Platform .”

( The Wonderful Dharma of the Lotus ), Nichiren added to the title the word Namu ( devotion to ), and declared on 28 April 1253, the chanting of the phrase Nam ( u ) Myoho Renge Kyo as his basic practice for revealing one ’ s Buddha nature in daily life.

The Gohonzon is described as an object for focus of devotion in Nichiren ’ s letter: “ The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind ” which is acknowledged by most followers of Nichiren Buddhism.

The Gohonzon is the primary-but not the exclusive-object of devotion in Nichiren Shū and some other Nichiren schools.

* Nichiren, founder of the Nichiren Sect, which emphasized devotion to the Lotus Sutra itself.

Additionally, it was during the Kamakura period that the influential monk Nichiren began teaching devotion to the Lotus Sutra.

The Primary Practice in Nichiren Shū however, is chanting Odaimoku to an object of devotion.

It has developed a rich variety of teachings, including the use of mantras, such as the Daimoku in Nichiren Buddhism, and devotion to Buddha ancestors.

Generically used, gohonzon can refer to any such object of devotion, whether a statue or set of statues, a painted scroll of some sort, or some other object ; or the word — then usually capitalized when romanized — may be used specifically to refer to the moji-mandala ( " script ," or " written with characters " mandala ) that is the object of veneration in various Nichiren schools.

The Moji-mandala Gohonzon, or the " Mandala Gohonzon " (), is the primary object of devotion in Nichiren Shū and some other Nichiren schools, and the exclusive object of veneration in the Nichiren Shōshū branch and formerly affiliated groups such as Sōka Gakkai.

Based on the Lotus Sutra's teaching of what it describes as the " unsurpassed Dharma ", Nichiren Buddhism acknowledges the Four Noble Truths as the first sermon, but not as the final teaching of the Buddha.

In his letter " A Comparison between the Lotus and Other Sutras " Nichiren viewed the Four Noble Truths as a specific teaching expounded by the Buddha to the śrāvakas disciples, those who attain awakening by listening to the teachings of a Buddha.

While virtually all Nichiren Buddhist schools regard him as a reincarnation of the Lotus Sutra's Bodhisattva Superior Practices, Jōgyō Bosatsu ( 上行菩薩 ), some schools of Nichiren Buddhism's Nikkō lineages regard him as the actual Buddha of this age, or the Buddha of the Latter day of the Law.

To eliminate any possible doubts, Nichiren decided to spend some time at Mount Kōya, the centre of esoteric Buddhism, and also in Nara, Japan ’ s ancient capital, where he studied the Ritsu sect, which emphasized strict monastic discipline and ordination. During this time, he became convinced of the pre-eminence of the Lotus Sutra and in 1253, returned to Seichoji.

This choice, as Nichiren himself explained, was rooted in passages from the Lotus Sutra.

This " true and correct form of Buddhism ", as Nichiren saw it, entailed regarding the Lotus Sutra as the fullest expression of the Buddha's teachings and putting those teachings into practice.

In his writings, Nichiren refers to his identity in a variety of ways, nevertheless always related to the Lotus Sutra, for example: " I, Nichiren, am the foremost votary of the Lotus Sutra ".. Of the many figures appearing in the Lotus Sutra, Nichiren chose his spiritual identity as that of Bodhisattva Superior Practices, and identified his goal as attaining Buddhahood: " From the beginning … I wanted to master Buddhism and attain Buddhahood ".

Nichiren, on the other hand, confirms that the teachings of the Lotus Sutra will flourish for all eternity, and that the Bodhisattvas of the Earth will propagate Buddhism in the future.

Nichiren Buddhism is 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.

Nichiren Buddhism is based on the Lotus Sutra: “ According to Nichiren, the Lotus Sutra is the highest teaching of Shakyamuni Buddha.

The two outstanding doctrines of the Lotus Sutra, which were the focus of Nichiren ’ s teachings and practice are: the attainment of Buddhahood by all people in their lifetime, and the eternal life of the Buddha revealed in the Ceremony in the Air of the Lotus Sutra.

While some schools regard this as features attributed to Shakyamuni Buddha others underline that he identifies himself as a votary of the Lotos Sutra :" Shakyamuni Buddha is the father and mother, teacher and sovereign to all living being ...” and similarly mentioning in his letter ' The Opening of the Eyes ':“ I, Nichiren, am sovereign, teacher, and father and mother to all the people ...”..

The Eternal Buddha of the Lotus Sutra was revealed in an imagery of a grand ceremony, which Nichiren regarded as the central doctrine of the Lotus Sutra.

According to Nichiren's interpretation of the teachings of the Lotus Sutra, persecutions which Nichiren Buddhists encountered should be perceived as a natural outcome of abiding by their beliefs, as predicted in various chapters of that Sutra: " There will be many ignorant people, who will curse and speak ill of us and will attack us with swords and staves, but we will endure all these things ”.

Nam-Myōhō-Renge-Kyō is called the Daimoku ( 題目: " the prayer of the Nichiren sect "), since it comprises Nam and the Japanese title of the Lotus Sutra, Myōhō-Renge-Kyō.

Precise interpretations of Nam ( u )- Myōhō-Renge-Kyō, how it is pronounced, and its position in Buddhist practice differ slightly among the numerous schools and sub-sects of Nichiren Buddhism, but " I take refuge in ( devote or submit myself to ) the Wonderful Law of the Lotus Flower Sutra " might serve as a universal translation.

Nichiren declared that the Japanese title of the Lotus Sutra, Myōhō-Renge-Kyō, was the essence of the sutra and that therefore the invocation Nam-Myōhō-Renge-kyō enabled a practitioner to embrace the entirety of the teaching, in conjunction with the Lotus Sutra's injunctions to embrace the text.

Hokke is a reference to the Lotus Sutra ( Myōhō-Renge-Kyō 妙法蓮華経 or Hokkekyō 法華経 ), the Buddhist scripture Nichiren Shoshu bases its teachings on, and kō ( 講 ) in this usage means lay group or congregation.

* 1253 – Nichiren, a Japanese Buddhist monk, propounds Nam Myoho Renge Kyo for the very first time and declares it to be the essence of Buddhism, in effect founding Nichiren Buddhism.

All Japanese Kamakura sects of Buddhism ( Zen, Nichiren, Jodo ) have relaxed Mahayana vinaya, and as a consequence, vegetarianism is rare.

* 1222 – Nichiren Daishonin, Japanese founder of Nichiren Buddhism ( d. 1282 )

The Japanese imperial court also awarded Nichiren the honorific designations Nichiren Daibosatsu 日蓮大菩薩 " Great Bodhisattva Nichiren ", and Risshō Daishi 立正大師 " Great Teacher Risshō ; the former title was granted in 1358, and the latter in 1922.

Nichiren Buddhism ( 日蓮系諸宗派: Nichiren-kei sho shūha ) is a branch of Mahāyāna Buddhism based on the teachings of the 13th century Japanese Buddhist reformer Nichiren ( 1222 – 1282 ).

* 1279 – Nichiren, a Japanese Buddhist monk founder of Nichiren Buddhism, inscribes the Dai-Gohonzon.

Therefore Japanese Zen, Pureland and Nichiren, are led by priests ( or minister ) rather than by monks.

* Nichiren, Japanese founder of Nichiren Buddhism -( October 13 )

* 1253 – April 28 – Nichiren, a Japanese Buddhist monk, declares his intention to preach the Lotus Sutra and Nam Myoho Renge Kyo as the true Buddhism, essentially founding the branch of Buddhism now known as Nichiren Buddhism.

* February 16 – Nichiren, Japanese founder of Nichiren Buddhism ( d. 1282 )

* February 7 – Nikko, Japanese priest, founder of Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism ( b. 1246 )

* November 15 – Nichimoku, Japanese priest, the 3rd high priest of Taisekiji temple and Nichiren Shoshu ( b. 1260 )

* April 28 – Nichiren, a Japanese Buddhist monk, declares his intent to preach the Lotus Sutra and Nam Myoho Renge Kyo as the true Buddhism, thus founding Nichiren Buddhism.

The earliest documented reference to this green vegetable dates from the year 1275, when the well-known Japanese monk, Nichiren Shonin, wrote a note thanking a parishioner for the gift of " edamame " he had left at the temple.