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Part IIb – Periods in the Spread of Buddhism – Locations (India & China) This next section of this writing by Nichiren goes through the three periods of True, Semblance, and Later Age of Degeneration and the type of Buddhism practiced in India, China, and Japan during the matching phases of propagation. Before Nichiren goes into those details he makes a very important point at the beginning. This point is, I think, most important for…

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Part IIa – Periods in the Spread of Buddhism When looking at the dynamics of any group or organization, and certainly religion can be looked at in this way, it is helpful to understand that there is no stasis. The Buddha recognized this, even if unspoken, when he elucidated the progression of Buddhism through three periods of what has been called, True, Semblance, and Counterfeit Dharmas. When we look at the progression of organizations we…

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Part I – Time as a Factor in Buddhism “To study Buddhism, first of all we must know the right time.1” In Nichiren’s opening section to this writing, which consists of a series of questions and answers, he briefly sets forth several examples of how time or timing is so important in many matters of life and even more so concerning Buddhism. That knowing the correct time for a particular teaching, that is what time…

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My purpose for writing this study of Senji Sho by Nichiren Shonin is to try to share my thoughts on this important writing. There are many wonderful commentaries available that may do a better job at explaining all the details of this work. My intent however is to lay out what I feel are important points and present them as I understand them. It has been my experience that for many who approach some of…

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