In Nichiren Buddhism, the bodhisattva is understood as a being who awakens to innate Buddha nature through faith in the Lotus Sutra and chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, and then dedicates that awakening to the liberation of all people. Rather than seeking a private escape from suffering, such a person vows to attain Buddhahood precisely in order to guide others to the same state. This vision rests on the conviction that enlightenment is immediately accessible in this very lifetime, not a distant ideal requiring countless ages of practice. The bodhisattva ideal thus becomes a living, dynamic orientation of life: to transform one’s own karma while simultaneously working for the happiness and awakening of others.

Because the Lotus Sutra is regarded as the core of the teaching, the bodhisattva in this tradition is closely linked to the “Bodhisattvas of the Earth” described there. Nichiren identified his own mission, and that of his followers, with these bodhisattvas who appear in the defiled age to protect and spread the Mystic Law. They are depicted as emerging in the most challenging times to uphold and propagate devotion to the Lotus Sutra, transforming both personal and environmental conditions through chanting and compassionate action. In this way, the bodhisattva is not a remote, otherworldly figure, but one who stands in the midst of a troubled world and works to renew it from within.

A distinctive feature of this understanding is that the bodhisattva path is open to ordinary people living fully engaged lives in society. Lay practitioners, while maintaining families, careers, and social responsibilities, are encouraged to embody this vow through faith-based practice rather than through withdrawal into monastic seclusion or elaborate meditative disciplines. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is seen as the concrete expression of the bodhisattva spirit, unlocking inherent Buddhahood and empowering courageous, compassionate behavior. Such practitioners strive for both personal transformation and social betterment, regarding individual enlightenment and the creation of a more peaceful, just world as inseparable.

Within this framework, activities such as sharing the teaching of the Lotus Sutra and encouraging others in faith are viewed as central expressions of the bodhisattva way. This includes the practice of shakubuku, understood as the effort to challenge and transform mistaken views that cause suffering, so that people can align with what is regarded as the true Law. The broader aim is kōsen-rufu, the widespread propagation of the Mystic Law for the sake of peace and human dignity. Thus, the bodhisattva in Nichiren Buddhism is an awakened, active practitioner of the Lotus Sutra, whose own enlightenment is realized precisely through the ongoing effort to awaken and uplift all beings.