Thomas Ultican

The book

Nichiren

Nichiren Daishonin was a thirteenth-century Japanese Buddhist priest and philosopher of the Kamukara period. His dedication to the Lotus Sutra, one of the most venerated Buddhist scriptures, culminated in his definitive body of work, Nichiren Buddhism. Nichiren and the Opening of the Eyes is a deeply resourced account, authored by a veteran student of the Soka Gakkai, a renowned Buddhist organization that promotes peace centered on respect for the dignity of all life. It is a comprehensive account of Nichiren’s life and the death-defying struggles he faced to spread his unique concept of Buddhism based on the oneness of body and mind and the interconnectedness of all existence. Steeped in the rich history of ancient Japanese culture, the precepts of Nichiren Buddhism are contextualized against the background of his biography and a spiritual awakening which swept across Southeast Asia in the 1200s amidst the competing doctrines of myriad schools of Buddhism. While traveling, studying, and writing on his mission to promulgate his concept of Buddhism, Nichiren was relentlessly persecuted, exiled, and oppressed by powerful figures in government and society, surviving several assassination attempts and all the while adhering with pure faith, with his life, to the joy and tranquility of Buddhism as he conceived it. For those dedicated to the study of Buddhism, or even those beginning an exploration of the Buddhist precepts and wishing to feel a personal connection with the spiritualism of Nichiren, this book is essential reading, providing a vivid and meticulously detailed account of the history of Nichiren Buddhism.

Thomas Ultican

Thomas Ultican was born in 1949 in Idaho, USA. He earned a degree in mechanical engineering from San Diego State University, and while working in Silicon Valley he published peer-reviewed articles concerning atomic scale measurements and using deposition coatings to protect recording devices. Thomas also earned a master’s degree in education at the The University of California, San Diego. After a few years teaching mathematics and science, he started what has become a successful blog – tultican.com – in support of public education. Thomas’ expertise in Buddhist philosophy developed from three decades in the Soka Gakkai’s study program, where he was both a participant and a lecturer and was fortunate enough to study with some of the world’s foremost experts on Nichiren. Thomas now retired, is a keen sports fan and blogger. He currently lives in San Diego, California, with his wife, Lily.