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Title: Letters of Nichiren by Philip B. Yampolsky, Burton Watson, others ISBN: 0-231-10384-0 Publisher: Columbia University Press Pub. Date: 15 April, 1996 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $60.00

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Average Customer Rating: 4 (4 reviews)

Rating: 5
Summary: Excellent
Comment: Nichiren (1222-1282) was a figure of central importance in the history of Japanese Buddhism as the founder of an orthodox form of Buddhism which strictly adheres to the teachings of the Lotus Sutra. Letters of Nichiren is a collection of seventy-three letters to disciples and other followers. Written throughout years of persecution and exile, these letters are as much a source of inspiration today as they were to his contemporaries.

The Kamakura period (1185-1333) in which Nichiren lived was a time of great unrest, when threats of foreign invasion, natural disasters, famines, and epidemics ravaged the country. The letters gathered in this volume display Nichiren's conviction that the chaotic state of his country could be attributed to a failure to follow the teachings of the Lotus Sutra, which is considered to be the foremost of Shakyamuni's teachings.

While communicating the major doctrinal themes, the vivid metaphors and clear arguments of Nichiren's correspondence also reveal the rhetorical flourish of a powerful spiritual guide. Alongside Burton Watson's lucid and accurate translations, editor Philip B. Yampolsky provides a brief introduction to each letter, notes, a glossary of terms, appendixes of Chinese and Sanskrit names, and a bibliography.

A companion volume to Selected Writings of Nichiren, published in 1990, this unique collection will appeal to Nichiren Buddhists as well as scholars and students of Buddhism, Japanese thought, religion, and history.

Rating: 1
Summary: rehashed Gosho
Comment: "The Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin" were
published by Nichiren Shoshu International Center,
and the editor-translator is the Gosho translation committee.
Unfortunately, the major writings do not list specific names
of who was on that committee.
So, perhaps Burton Watson was among the editor/translators,
and if so,he is (perhaps) entitled to duplicate some of the gosho
in "Letters of Nichiren". If not, "Letters of Nichiren"
is simply a plagiarized copy of the major writings,
with the order of the writings changed.

Rating: 5
Summary: Excellent
Comment: This volume, with its superb explanations and background, will appeal to Soka Gakkai members as well as anyone interested in Nichiren. Excellent.