The ‘Sacred Title’

But all these doctrines and speculations were fused by the white-heat of [Nichiren’s] faith and zeal, and he reduced the whole of his religion to a simple method, that of uttering the “Sacred Title” of the scripture, in the formula Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō, which meant “Adoration to the Lotus of Perfect Truth.” It was for him not a mere oral utterance but a real embodiment of the truths revealed in that book, because the “Title” was representative of the whole revelation, which was to be realized in the spirit and embodied in the life of all who adored Buddha and his revelation. To utter the “Sacred Title” was, according to Nichiren, the method of at once elevating oneself to the highest enlightenment of Buddhahood and of identifying self with the cosmic soul. This method he deemed to be the only adequate way available for the degenerate men of the latter days.

History of Japanese Religion