Anna Ikeda, a graduate student at the Graduate School of International Studies, presented “Introduction to Nichiren Buddhism” at a meeting last Wednesday evening in the Driscoll Commerce room.

The Soka Gakkai International (SGI) Student Association hosted the event.

Ikeda started by saying that one of the things people do not realize is that there are different branches of Buddhism.

She focused on four.

Tibetan Buddhism, whose spiritual leader is the Dalai Lama, focuses on awareness of death and impermanence of life along with rituals and visual symbolism.

Mahayana Buddhism emphasizes altruism.

Hinayana Buddhism emphasizes awakening and enlightenment and is more personal compared to Mahayana.

Finally, Zen Buddhism focuses on meditation, eradicating desires and enlightenment gained through perception of one’s mind through meditation.

Ikeda told the group the basic story of Buddha, also referred to as Sakyamuni and Siddhartha, who grew up rich and as a young man went on a journey to see what existed beyond his perfect world. When Buddha found much suffering in the world, he went on a quest to end suffering. Buddha knew that his teachings had to be step-by-step and provide guidance. Even without asking his followers to spread the word, Buddhism immediately began spreading.

The Nichiren Buddhists focus most on the Lotus Sutra, which was Buddha’s last teaching.

Lotus Sutra states that all people can obtain enlightenment and instructs followers to strive to achieve enlightenment while helping others obtain it.

Nichiren Daishonin, the founder of Nichiren Buddhism, was a Japanese Buddhist monk who lived in a time of social unrest and natural disasters.

Daishonin created a chant for Nichiren Buddhists to follow called Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, which means “devotion to the mystic laws of cause and effect through sound and teaching.”

Daishonin felt that having one phrase was a simpler way of spreading his teachings. Nichiren Buddhists chant this phrase every morning and night in front of the Gohozon, which is a scroll containing a dedication.

Ikeda described the Gohozon as a mirror, where one can chant to it and call out the highest form of oneself while looking inside for a higher potential.

Ikeda then talked about SGI, a society which promotes peace, culture and education and was founded upon the teachings of Diashonin. SGI believes that an inner transformation of individuals can create a change in society as a whole.

Members of SGI teach others to set goals and maintain a positive attitude so that one can reach his or her potential and create a difference in the world. SGI has over 12 million members in 190 countries and territories.

After Ikeda described the organization, several practitioners shared their experiences with Nichiren Buddhism.

Ann Eli, who attended the lecture, said she grew up Catholic but has been practicing with SGI for over 20 years.

“It’s a great organization because I feel like it really made me look inside myself,” Eli said.

At the end of the presentation, Ikeda handed out chanting cards and, along with those in attendance who also practice Nichiren Buddhism, gave a demonstration chant.

According to Ikeda, she started giving these lectures because she feels that DU has a strong Christian community, but didn’t see much of anything else, and wanted to give those who were interested a chance to understand Buddhism.

Ikeda encouraged anyone with interest in Nichiren Buddhism to look on webcentral for her next lecture date.