Have you visited any other Nichiren schools?

by Engyo

(Houston, TX, USA)

Have you visited any other Nichiren schools (besides Soka Gakkai and/or Nichiren Shoshu)?

My answer:

I have visited many temples in Japan, of most of the sects without really knowing which school they belonged to. If your question refers specifically to wether I have studied their teaching or not, I would have to say that, no, I haven’t.

I am, personally, more interested in Esoteric Buddhism as it has integrated elements of Shamanism and Taoism, other religions that I find interesting.

I am interested in learning though so if you have any suggestions, please insert it as a comment below. If you would like to contribute some information about any particular school, you can write me using this form.

Have you ever participated in the Oeshiki festival (in mid-October)?

My answer:

Oeshiki Festival held on October 11-13 at Honmonji Temple in Tokyo is the anniversary of Nichiren’s death. I wasn’t aware of this festival as I live in the Kansai area (West Japan) and this one is in Tokyo. After looking at pictures though, it looks really spectacular, with a hundred thousand people assisting, all these lanterns and fire men doing feats. If happen to be in Tokyo on that day, I’ll make a point of going.