an essay by Nichiryu Mark Herrick, Renshi, is an extensive examination of the Gohonzon, the calligraphic mandala created by the Buddhist reformer Nichiren. The source explains that the Gohonzon is not merely an object of worship but a dynamic, textual representation of the Dharma's self-expression, embodying the core teachings of the Lotus Sutra and the principle of Three Thousand Realms in a Single Thought-Moment (Ichinen Sanzen). It details how Nichiren created a performative mandalaby substituting calligraphy for traditional visual icons, placing the central chant, Namu Myoho Renge Kyo (Daimoku), at the center, flanked by the Two Buddhas and surrounded by names representing the Ten Worlds. The essay, which frequently incorporates insights from scholars like Jacqueline Stone, Luigi Finocchiaro, and Lucia Dolce, emphasizes that the Gohonzon functions as a ritual technology that facilitates direct awakening through the act of chanting, dissolving the boundary between the practitioner and the eternal reality it depicts. Finally, it outlines how the Gohonzon, the Daimoku, and the Kaidan (the practice community) form the Three Great Secret Dharmas essential for practice in the Latter Age of the Dharma.
"The Myth of Final Nirvana," authored by Nichiryu (Mark Herrick), which critically examines the traditional interpretation of "final nirvana" in Buddhist scripture. The author argues that within the Tiantai and Nichiren traditions, the Buddha’s final awakening is understood not as an escape or cessation from life, but as a realization of the Dharmakaya's eternal presence manifesting fully in the world. Citing foundational texts like the Lotus Sutra and the Nirvana Sutra, along with the teachings of masters such as Zhiyi and Nichiren, the piece explains that suffering and impermanence are actually the conditions for nirvana, which is the integration of mind, body, and environment. This perspective asserts that the Buddha’s apparent death is a compassionate illusion intended to awaken followers to the truth that enlightenment is actively lived in the present moment, rather than attained in some ultimate future state.
"The Irony of ‘Folksy’: Nichiren, Zen, and the Lost Lineage of Tendai," where the author explores the meaning of a Zen practitioner calling Nichiren Buddhism "folksy." The author begins by discussing their initial reaction to the term, feeling it implied condescension or lack of sophistication, before reframing it as a description of Nichiren Buddhism's accessibility and connection to ordinary people. The text then traces the shared roots of both Zen and Nichiren Buddhism back to the Tendai school founded by Zhiyi in China, contrasting how Dōgen (Zen) refined Tendai's focus into silent meditation and how Nichiren radicalized the teachings into chanting (shodaigyo) for universal accessibility. Ultimately, the essay argues that Nichiren remained closer to Tendai's foundational doctrinal architecture than Zen, concluding that the perceived "folksiness" is actually a testament to the Dharma being made audible, tangible, and universally available as the Buddha intended.
This episode offers a comparative analysis of apocalyptic narratives and cyclical timeacross different traditions, primarily contrasting Christianity's linear End Time with Buddhist cosmology's cyclical view of spiritual decline and renewal. The analysis highlights that while mainstream Christianity focuses on a cataclysmic, divine judgment at the end of history, Buddhist concepts like the Latter Age of the Dharma (Mappo) emphasize a period of spiritual degeneration that is nevertheless a prelude to reawakening, making the future human-centered and hopeful. The source further examines how Christian mystics interpret the apocalypse symbolically as inner transformation rather than literal destruction, drawing parallels between their view of spiritual crisis (the Dark Night of the Soul) and Buddhist concepts of profound doubt, aligning both traditions in their focus on moral clarity and inner growth as antidotes to societal decay. Finally, the text proposes an alternative metaphorical reading of the Buddhist Three Ages as a psychological cycle of spiritual journey—moving from direct realization to ritualistic form and then to necessary disintegration—which functions as a catalyst for deeper awakening.
This episode explores the Trickster archetype functions as a necessary agent of renewal during periods of spiritual or cultural stagnation, often referred to in Buddhist cosmology as the Latter Age of the Dharma. This archetype, embodied by figures like Loki, Coyote, or the Buddhist layperson Vimalakīrti, challenges fixed structures and hollow ritualsby employing chaos, paradox, and irreverence. The text argues that this disruption is not destruction for its own sake but a prerequisite for creativity and re-formation, mirroring John Boyd’s strategic concept of destroying old models to create new ones. Ultimately, the Trickster is portrayed as the "immune system" for traditions, clearing away ossified paradigms so that authentic truth and awakening can reassert themselves, even functioning as a corrective medicine when society loses its way.
"The Limits of Western Knowing: Why the Analytic Mind Stumbles Before the Dharma," authored by Nichiryu Mark Herrick, analyzes the common trajectory of Western intellectuals who abandon theistic frameworks, often moving toward agnosticism or secular humanism instead of practice-based non-theistic spiritual traditions like Tendai or Nichiren Buddhism. Herrick argues that this choice is heavily influenced by the academic culture's institutional bias, which prioritizes analytical, textual, and empirical modes of knowing while often dismissing embodied or experiential realization as "mysticism." By referencing the scholar Bart Ehrman’s journey away from Christianity due to the problem of theodicy (divine goodness versus suffering), the text contrasts the Western demand for a philosophical solution with the Mahayana Buddhist approach, which reframes suffering through concepts like Zhiyi's Threefold Truth and focuses on experiential practice to transform one's relationship to pain. Ultimately, the author advocates for the humility of participation in practice traditions, suggesting that they offer a vital path for those who retain an instinctual spiritual hunger but are disillusioned with metaphysical arguments.
"Beyond Panentheism: Zhiyi, Nichiren, and the Logic of Non-Obstruction" critiques the limitations of Western concepts like pantheism ("All is God") and panentheism ("All is in God"), arguing that they rely on spatial or dualistic grammar. The author proposes that the Mahayana Buddhist ontology, specifically the Tiantai school founded by Zhiyi, offers a more sophisticated framework through the Threefold Truth (Emptiness, Provisional Existence, and Middle Way), which affirms mutual inclusion rather than identity or containment. Furthermore, the text explains how the Japanese Buddhist figure Nichirentransformed these philosophical insights into a practical, performative realization through the chanting of Namu Myo Ho Ren Gay Kyo, ultimately presenting a vision of reality based on non-obstructive interpenetration. The extensive reference notes indicate the scholarly basis of the paper, citing works on Western philosophy, comparative religion, and primary sources from Zhiyi and Nichiren.
"Awakening Sooner: The Spiritual Journey of Repentance" by Nichiryu Mark Herrick, dated October 6, 2025, which examines the concept of repentance not as an act of guilt, but as a path to spiritual maturity and heightened awareness. Herrick outlines a three-stage progression of repentance—after the mistake (hindsight), during the mistake (vigilance), and before the impulse arises (foresight)—to illustrate the refinement of consciousness. The essay draws heavily upon various Buddhist traditions and texts, citing figures such as Śāntideva, Zhiyi, Dōgen, and Nichiren to demonstrate that repentance is fundamentally about honest self-reflection and closing the gap between action and awareness. Ultimately, the author concludes that this practice transforms remorse into spontaneous clarity and compassion, suggesting that continuous awareness is synonymous with continuous awakening.
This episode of The Deep Dive explores an essay titled "Faith is not reaching out; it is tuning in: The Science and Mystery of Kanno Dokkyo" by Nichiryu Mark Herrick, explores the Mahayana Buddhist concept of Kanno Dokkyo, which translates to Receptivity and Response, arguing that faith is an act of attunement or resonancerather than mere belief. The author explains this concept as a "subtle law of resonance" where chanting the Daimoku (Namu Myo Ho Ren Gay Kyo) aligns the practitioner's sound and sincerity with the rhythm of the Dharma, drawing on parallels from modern science like entrainment and coherenceto illustrate this spiritual synchronization. Herrick uses Buddhist teachings from figures like Nichiren and Zhiyi and references the Lotus Sutra to demonstrate that this practice is a mutual recognition between the individual and the universe, comparing it to a caged bird's song that summons others. Ultimately, the piece posits that Kanno Dokkyo is a process of "co-creation" where the heart opens in surrender, resulting in physiological and spiritual harmony.
This episode of The Deep Dive argues against the popular nondual spiritual belief that one should "let go of all methods" in pursuit of awakening. Herrick, drawing heavily on Mahayana Buddhist concepts like upāya (skillful means) and the Lotus Sutra's One Vehicle (Ekayāna), contends that while ultimate liberation may be methodless, methods are essential scaffolds for the untrained mind to achieve stability and insight. The author frames the rejection of methods as naïve and exclusionary spiritual elitism, stressing that upāya is compassion made visible, adapting teachings to differing capacities and guiding practitioners toward integration. Ultimately, the essay concludes that method and no-method meet when form is entered so fully that it reveals its emptiness, honoring practice as the bridge between aspiration and full realization.
This episode of The Deep Dive explores the dharma talk "Gratitude_and_the_Boundless_Heart.pdf," offers a comprehensive examination of gratitude as a profound spiritual practice rooted in Buddhist philosophy and affirmed by modern psychology. It explains that gratitude is not merely saying thank you but an awakening to interbeing, recognizing that all existence is interconnected and sustained by countless gifts. The text establishes gratitude as inseparable from mettā (loving-kindness), noting that the practice reduces anxiety, strengthens relationships by increasing oxytocin, and leads to a fundamental shift from scarcity to contentment. Furthermore, the document details the practice of gratitude through a guided meditation titled "Sixteen Contemplations on Gratitude," which integrates mindfulness of the body, feelings, mind, and Dharma into a cyclical expression of thankfulness for life's web of support.
In this episode of the Deep Dive we present a comparative analysis between two foundational Buddhist meditation systems: Zhiyi's Six Wondrous Gates from the Chinese Tiantai school and Buddhaghosa's Seven Purifications detailed in the Theravāda Visuddhimagga. The essay outlines how both sixth and fifth-century masters mapped the path to awakening, beginning with stabilization through breath; however, they employed fundamentally different approaches. Zhiyi's method is characterized as a holistic, cyclical, and integrative Mahāyāna path focused on revealing the mind's innate purity (Suchness), while Buddhaghosa's is described as a sequential, analytic, and purgative Theravāda ladder aimed at the precise elimination of defilements to achieve cessation (Nibbāna). Ultimately, the comparison highlights a shared architectural movement from ethics to wisdom, even as the two traditions diverge significantly in their underlying metaphysics and pedagogical structures.
This episode of the Deep Dive offers a comparative overview of the earliest known guided meditation instructions originating primarily from the first millennium BCE in India and China. It contrasts the methods, aims, and structure of contemplative practices found in the Upaniṣads, Jain Āgamas, Daoist Nèiyè, and early Buddhist Suttas. The text highlights that while earlier traditions focused on achieving union with the cosmic absolute (Upaniṣads) or purification through asceticism (Jainism), the Buddha introduced a systematic, procedural approach focused on mindful observation of impermanent processes. Ultimately, the source distinguishes between the mantra tradition, which seeks transcendence through concentration, and the Buddhist mindfulness model, which seeks insight through investigation, explaining why the latter serves as the foundation for most modern guided meditation.
This episode of Deep Dive explores "Compassion Beyond Violence: The Bodhisattva Captain and the Wisdom of Self-Protection" by Nichiryu Mark Herrick, challenges the simplistic notion that Buddhist nonviolence requires passive submission in the face of harm. The author argues that true Buddhist compassion is nuanced and requires wisdom (prajñā), emphasizing that self-protection and defending others can be an expression of skillful means (upāya). Key Buddhist teachings are cited to support this view, including the concept that hatred is overcome only by love and that intention, not the outward act, determines karmic consequence. The text uses the example of the Bodhisattva Captain Jñānottara, who committed a violent act out of pure compassion to prevent greater suffering, to illustrate that extraordinary actions rooted in wisdom and compassion can be karmically blameless. Ultimately, the piece advocates for a Middle Way between passivity and aggression, guided by mindfulness, morality, and concentrated awareness.
A 7 minute guided meditation on Loving Kindness - or friendliness - led by Mark Willaims, one of my favorite meditation guides
This episode draws a sobering parallel between the 13th-century Japanese Buddhist monk Nichiren and the 21st-century American political activist Charlie Kirk, despite their vastly different contexts. The author argues that both figures exhibit absolutist conviction and a powerful tendency toward an "us vs. them" framework, asserting that only their specific path—the Lotus Sutra for Nichiren and Christian identity for Kirk—can save society from existential crisis. The text examines similarities in their exclusivity, crisis mentality, mobilization of followers, and critique of the establishment. However, the comparison ultimately notes a metaphysical divergence, pointing out that Nichiren’s underlying message of universal Buddha-nature contrasts with Kirk's emphasis on eternal damnation, urging modern practitioners to embrace Nichiren's passion without repeating his polemical division.
Excerpt from the book Dharmakaya and God
This episode of Deep Dive explores an essay by Nichiryu Mark Herrick, focuses on Nichiren's perspective regarding the supremacy and necessity of the Lotus Sutra within the entirety of the Buddha's teachings. The text establishes that the true significance of the Lotus Sutra cannot be grasped unless it is studied in the context of all previous sutras, which serve as preparatory and provisional teachings leading to the ultimate truth. Through historical classification systems, Nichiren viewed the earlier teachings as a "preface" and skillful means (upāya) that culminated in the Lotus Sutra, which acts as the "universal key" revealing the true meaning of all prior texts. Consequently, while earlier sutras can be understood individually, the Lotus Sutra requires an integral vision to appreciate its role as the completion and illumination of the whole Buddhist Dharma.
This episode of Deep Dive explores "Treatise on All Phenomena as Ultimate Reality," discusses Nichiren's reinterpretation of the Tendai Buddhist practice of Shikan, which consists of calm (shamatha) and insight (vipassana). Historically, Shikan required lengthy, structured monastic meditation, but Nichiren made this path accessible to everyday people by teaching that single-minded chanting of Namu Myo Ho Ren Gay Kyo itself embodies both calm and insight. The treatise honors the Tendai tradition while asserting that, in the present age, chanting the Daimoku is sufficient to realize ultimate reality, contrasting the arduous classical methods with Nichiren's immediately accessible practice. This shift is presented as a practical gift to ordinary practitioners, demonstrating how faith and chanting replace the need for formal contemplative stages. The text concludes that chanting carries the full merit of Shikan, offering a direct path to awakening for all people.
In this episode of Deep Dive we explore the Buddhist concept of rebirth, distinguishing it from the Western notion of reincarnation by emphasizing causal continuity without a fixed soul. It highlights how the historical Buddha prioritized ethical living in the present moment over metaphysical speculation about the afterlife, a pragmatic approach mirrored in Western ethical philosophies like Kantianism and secular humanism. The document further contrasts the diverse views on death and liberation across major Buddhist schools, with a particular focus on Nichiren Buddhism's interpretation of life and death as unified phases of an eternal rhythm. Finally, it offers a speculative connection between Buddhist cosmology and modern consciousness studies, suggesting that consciousness may be non-local and karmic patterns persist as information within a universal field.
