Buddhism in the Contemporary World
Mention Buddhism to the man in the street and they will think of famous Buddhists like the Dalai Lama, Richard Gere and Lisa Simpson. Daughter of that great philosopher Homer Simpson.
What the above people have in common is that they all practise Tibetan Buddhism.
What the man in the street doesn't realise is that there is more than one school of Buddhism. What most of them have in common is that they are totally unsuitable for the modern age, because they require the practitioner who aspires to Buddhahood, to retire from society and become a monk.
The followers of the Buddhism of Nichiren however, can attain the highest life state of Buddhahood, without the need to change their lifestyle or don priestly robes. One such famous person to do this is the A-List actor Orlando Bloom.
Nichiren lived in 13th Century Japan, and it is in modern day Japan that the vast majority of Nichiren Buddhists live. However, thanks to the efforts of the Soka Gakkai International, this teaching has spread to most countries on planet Earth.
There have been people practising Nichiren's Buddhism in the valleys of South Wales since the 1980's. This website is dedicated to the memory of those first Welsh pioneers.
Site created - October 2007
Updated 7th January 2010