Nichiren Daishonin

Picture taken at Mount Minobu, Yamanashi Prefecture

Nichiren (16 February 1222 – 13 October 1282) was a Japanese Buddhist monk of the Kamakura period (1185–1333), who developed the teachings of Nichiren Buddhism.

Nichiren teachings were based on the Lotus Sutra(Sanskrit: Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtra), the sutra said to be contains the last teachings of shakyamuni buddha, and the core message taken from the lotus sutra is that everyone can attain enlightenment, without any restriction, in this lifetime. Nichiren concluded that the Lotus Sutra contains the highest truth of Buddhist teachings and chanting “Myoho Renge Kyo” is a way towards attaining enlightenment.

Learn more about Nichiren at Wikipedia