''Shakubuku'' is a term that originates in the Chinese version of the Buddhist text, ''

Śrīmālādevī Siṃhanāda Sūtra The ''Śrīmālādevī Siṃhanāda Sūtra'' (, '' of Queen Śrīmālā'') is one of the main early Mahāyāna Buddhist texts belonging to the Tathāgatagarbha sūtras that teaches the doctrines of Buddha-nature and "One Vehicle" through the wo ...

''. The term has historically been used to indicate the rebuttal of false teachings and thereby break negative patterns in one's thoughts, words and deeds. In modern times, the term often refers to the

proselytization Proselytism () is the policy of attempting to convert people's religious or political beliefs. Proselytism is illegal in some countries. Some draw distinctions between ''evangelism'' or ''Da‘wah'' and proselytism regarding proselytism as involu ...

and conversion of new adherents in

Nichiren Buddhism Nichiren Buddhism ( ja, 日蓮仏教), also known as Hokkeshū ( ja, 法華宗, meaning ''Lotus Sect'') is a branch of Mahayana Buddhism based on the teachings of the 13th-century Japanese Buddhist priest Nichiren (1222–1282) and is one o ...

and especially Soka Gakkai (see second President of Soka Gakkai Josei Toda), and the rebuttal of teachings regarded as heretical or preliminary. However, ''shakubuku'' had begun to be de-emphasised by Soka Gakkai leadership by the end of the 1960's, in part because it was leading to an excessive number of lukewarm or undedicated conversions, with many new members soon falling off. Although often associated with the teachings of the

Japanese Buddhist Buddhism has been practiced in Japan since about the 6th century CE. Japanese Buddhism () created many new Buddhist schools, and some schools are original to Japan and some are derived from Chinese Buddhist schools. Japanese Buddhism has had a ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

Nichiren Nichiren (16 February 1222 – 13 October 1282) was a Japanese Buddhist priest and philosopher of the Kamakura period. Nichiren declared that the Lotus Sutra alone contains the highest truth of Buddhist teachings suited for the Third Age of ...

, the term appears often in the SAT Daizokyo and the works of the Chinese

Tiantai Tiantai or T'ien-t'ai () is an East Asian Buddhist school of Mahāyāna Buddhism that developed in 6th-century China. The school emphasizes the ''Lotus Sutra's'' doctrine of the "One Vehicle" ('' Ekayāna'') as well as Mādhyamaka philosop ...

patriarchs

Zhiyi Zhiyi (; 538–597 CE) also Chen De'an (陳德安), is the fourth patriarch of the Tiantai tradition of Buddhism in China. His standard title was Śramaṇa Zhiyi (沙門智顗), linking him to the broad tradition of Indian asceticism. Zhiyi i ...

and

Zhanran Zhanran (; 711-782), sometimes called Miao-lo (or Miaole) was the sixth patriarch of the Tiantai school of Chinese Buddhism and helped to revive the school's proéminence after a period of decline. His lay surname was Qi 戚 and he was also known ...

Nichiren Buddhist Nichiren Buddhism ( ja, 日蓮仏教), also known as Hokkeshū ( ja, 法華宗, meaning ''Lotus Sect'') is a branch of Mahayana Buddhism based on the teachings of the 13th-century Japanese Buddhist priest Nichiren (1222–1282) and is one of ...

organizations such as

Kokuchūkai The is a lay-oriented Nichiren Buddhist group. It was founded by Tanaka Chigaku in 1880 as and renamed in 1884 before adopting its current name in 1914. History The lay Nichiren Buddhist organization''Britannica Kokusai Dai-hyakkajiten'' ar ...

Nichiren Shōshū is a branch of Nichiren Buddhism based on the traditionalist teachings of the 13th century Japanese Buddhist priest Nichiren (1222–1282), claiming him as its founder through his senior disciple Nikko Shonin (1246–1333), the founder of H ...

and Soka Gakkai continue to use the term today, which is meant to underline or convince a counterpart of one's own interpretation of

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

. The term took on a more militant meaning by Japanese Nichiren Buddhist ultranationalists in the Imperial era, such as

Tanaka Chigaku was a Japanese Buddhist scholar and preacher of Nichiren Buddhism, orator, writer and ultranationalist propagandist in the Meiji, Taishō and early Shōwa periods. He is considered to be the father of Nichirenism, the fiercely ultranatio ...

and

Nisshō Inoue was a radical Buddhist preacher of Nichirenism who founded the interwar Japanese far-right militant organization . Contrary to popular belief, he was never an ordained Nichiren priest, but was rather a self-styled preacher whose extremist tenets ...

, whose ideas are known as

Nichirenism Nichirenism (日蓮主義, ''Nichirenshugi'') is the nationalistic interpretation of the teachings of Nichiren. The most well known representatives of this form of Nichiren Buddhism are Nissho Inoue and Tanaka Chigaku, who construed Nichiren's teac ...

. Another method of propagation mentioned by

is , which underlines the individual's own insight on Buddhism. Nichiren himself referred to both methods in his . A combination of the two is known as .''Britannica Kokusai Dai-Hyakkajiten'' article on "shōju-shakubuku". In Japan, the term ''shakubuku'' is used when proselytising adherents of other Buddhist traditions, while ''shōju'' is used when proselytising non-Buddhists. In the West today, though, ''shakubuku'' and ''shōju'' are interchangeably used to refer to the same method of proselytization of Nichiren Buddhism.A Dictionary of Buddhist Terms and Concepts. Nichiren Shoshu International Center, , page 376-393

References

Nichiren Buddhism Buddhist apologetics {{Buddhism-stub