Identity, Community, and Ritual: How Social Media is Changing Contemporary Nichiren Buddhism

This paper investigates how Nichiren monks engage with the Internet, specifically with social media platforms, to promote knowledge related to daiaragyō 大荒行, an austere training that allows monastics to master a variety of initiated prayers (kaji kitō 加持祈祷) and exorcistic techniques. Despite being an esoteric practice shrouded in secrecy, daiaragyō has attracted a lot of attention on the Internet over the past few years: monks who have performed the training share their knowledge and experiences on platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, and temples’ websites. I argue that social media plays a central role in affecting and shaping contemporary Nichiren Buddhism’s identity, communities, and ritual practices. More specifically, social media platforms enhance monks’ eminence and reputation, foster the creation of larger and more diverse communities, and allow more personal and flexible ways for monastics and laypeople to engage with religion.