Daimoku

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DAIMOKU

The term daimoku, literally "title," refers specifically to the title of the Lotus Sūtra (Myōhō-renge-kyō in Japanese pronunciation) or to its invocation, usually in the form "Namu Myoho-renge-kyo." The daimoku was chanted in various liturgical and devotional settings in Japan's Heian period (794–1185) and was later given a doctrinal foundation by Nichiren (1222–1282). It is the central practice of the Nichiren school.

See also:Chanting and Liturgy; Lotus Sūtra (Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra)

Bibliography

Dolce, Lucia Dora. "Esoteric Patterns in Nichiren's Interpretation of the Lotus Sutra." Ph.D. diss. University of Leiden, 2002.

Stone, Jacqueline I. "Chanting the August Title of the Lotus Sūtra: Daimoku Practices in Classical and Medieval Japan." In Re-Visioning "Kamakura" Buddhism, ed. Richard K. Payne. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1999.

Jacqueline I. Stone