January 20, 2025
BuddhismQ&A
Origin of the Name “Nichiren”
The name “Nichiren” means “Sun Lotus.” The “Sun” part of his name originated in Chapter 21 of the Lotus Sutra, “The Supernatural Powers of the Tathagatas,” wherein the Buddha describes the keeper of the Lotus Sutra as follows, “Just as the light of the sun and the moon eliminates all darkness, He will be able to cause innumerable Bodhisattvas to dwell finally in the One Vehicle.” The “Lotus” part of his name originated in Chapter 15, “The Appearance of Bodhisattvas from Underground,” wherein Maitreya Bodhisattva says of the bodhisattvas from underground, “Those sons of yours are innumerable. They have practiced the way to Buddhahood for a long time. They have supernatural powers and the power of wisdom. They have studied the way of the Bodhisattvas well. They are not defiled by worldliness just as the lotus-flower is not defiled by water.”
Nichiren Shonin became a priest when he was sixteen years old, and he was conferred the priest name “Rencho” (Lotus-Eternal) by his teacher Dozen-bo. After that, he studied in many famous Buddhist temples in places including Kamakura, Kyoto, and Nara. He returned to his home town Kominato, Chiba in 1253 and announced the result of his many years of researching Buddhist teachings. This was the day that Nichiren Shonin proclaimed the supremacy of the Lotus Sutra for the first time and inaugurated the practice of chanting Namu Myoho Renge Kyo. At that time, he also changed his name from Rencho to Nichiren. This was the way he expressed his determination to save all the people of Japan from warfare and natural disasters.
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