What makes the Honmon Butsuryushu Different?

So what makes the Honmon Butsuryushu different from other buddhist groups?

Saint Nissen, the founder of the Honmon Butsuryushu, was born in 1817 and in his early twenties became a priest in the Honmon Hokke Shu. Saint Nissen believed that Buddhism had began to worry to much about the management of the temples and to little about the happiness and spiritual development of the people, so in response to this in 1859, the new religious organization called the Honmon Butsuryuko, was formed. The Honmon Butusryuko would later become the organization today know as the Honmon Butsuryushu.

Saint Nissen stressed equality amongst his fellow believers. This included men and women, today the HBS has fully ordained female priests in our clergy. This is rare in the early 21st century and was almost entirely unheard of in the 1800's.

Another achievement of the HBS is the fact that when Saint Nissen formed the, Honmon Butsuryuko, there was no priests, and during this era in Japanese history it was illegal to switch from one buddhist sect to another, so not only did these new Honmon Butsuryuko followers take their lives in their own hands, but they eventually created their own priesthood.

Other Nichiren sects recite portions of the Hokekyo (Lotus Sutra) as part of their daily services. How come Honmon Butsuryushu does not do this?

The chanting of the Odaimoku is the core of our religion. One must chant Odaimoku in order to receive the benefits outlined in the Hokekyo. Honmon Butsuryushu does not completely refrain from reciting the Hokekyo. In the Hokke Daimoku Sho (Treatise on the Recitation of the Title of the Lotus Sutra), Nichiren states the following, when asked if there is scriptural support for chanting only the Odaimoku: "Receiving, keeping, reading, reciting, adoring and protecting the entire 28 chapters in eight rolls is the broad practice. Receiving, keeping, reading, reciting, adoring and protecting the chapters "Expedient Devices" (Chapter 2) and "Life Span of the Tathagata" (Chapter 16) is the curtailed practice. Reciting, protecting, and keeping just one four line verse or even the Title alone is the essential practice. Among the broad, curtailed and essential practices, the Odaimoku is the essence of the essence."

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