The Nichiren Mandala Master Class - Part Two: Nichiren's Works

Master Class - The Nichiren Mandala by Luigi Finocchiaro, AKA Ken Mandara of the Nichiren Mandala Study Workshop
The Nichiren Mandala master class traces the history of mandalas in Buddhism, starting from the earliest times to Nichiren Shonin’s life and onward to today. This master class offers a unique approach to understanding Nichiren’s calligraphic mandala that is disentangled from theology. The classes present the calligraphic mandala in Nichiren’s tradition as an ingenious tool of communication, which not only defined his entire career but paved the way to the widespread diffusion of his teaching. This master class offers all who are interested in the use of mandalas as a means to awakening a detailed understanding of their origins and construction.
Luigi Finocchiaro is the author of 26 books on Nichiren Buddhism. Luigi has BA from the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, and an MA from Rissho University in Tokyo. His work is animated by two great curiosities. First, what “attracts” the observer to the Nichiren mandala with such power? Second, how is it that Nichiren’s mandala transcends every cultural barrier to communicate directly with human nature? Luigi has lived in Tokyo for over 25 years to continue his extensive research on the Nichiren mandala and has since visited over 60 locations where they are preserved.
Part two: Nichiren’s works
• Recap of previous presentation
• Thinking visually: visual experience and effects on the nervous system
• «Reading images», what our brain sees.
• The Buddha’s «voice»
• Typologies of mandalas
• Evolution of Nichiren’s expression
• The assembly in the air (kokū-e) and “eternal return”
• Personal and collective performance
• Undeletable remnants of Nichiren’s actions
• History reflexed in the mandala.
• “Hokke” transmission and identity