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Study Materials
The Real Aspect of the Gohonzon
Flow 453, pp. 8-17
Main Points for Study and Discussion
- Nichiren Daishonin declared that he is the True Buddha of the Latter Day as he is the one who revealed the True Object of Worship for the Latter Day, i.e. the Gohonzon, that even sages of the past were unable to do so.
- These sages such as T'ien-t'ai and Dengyo knew it in their hearts but were not able to reveal it as it was not their mission to do so and the time was not right.
- He also described the contents of the Gohonzon, the figures it contains and its significance e.g. Taho Buddha representing objective reality and Sakyamuni Buddha representing subjective wisdom, sitting together in the Treasure Tower representing the fusion of objective reality and subjective wisdom (kyochi myogo).
- Since the Gohonzon is an external object of worship, it is easy to think that the Gohonzon is outside of us.
- Therefore we ‘pray’ to this Gohonzon and hope that it will ‘help’ us in return.
- This is an incorrect view of the Gohonzon as it deified the Gohonzon.
- As the passage “Never seek the Gohonzon outside yourself” indicates, Nichiren Daishonin warns us not to seek the Gohonzon outside ourselves.
- It exists within us, within all who embrace it with faith and chants Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
- The Gohonzon acts as a ‘mirror’ to allow us to see the true nature of our life, our Buddhahood.
- This Buddhahood is originally inherent in our life but just as we cannot see our face without a mirror, without the Gohonzon we cannot manifest our Buddhahood.
- Through the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds, we can manifest Buddhahood even when we are in the depths of suffering as even the world of Hell contains Buddhahood within it.
- The Gohonzon is a Mandala, a ‘cluster of blessings’.
- And Faith is the key to unlock this ‘cluster of blessings’.
- Our strength of faith in the Gohonzon will decide the outcome of our prayers to it.
- As the gosho said: "To have faith is the basis of Buddhism."
- Therefore no amount of intellectual study of the Gohonzon can unlock its treasures.
- It is faith and faith alone that is the key.
- Faith means to believe in the Gohonzon with our whole heart, free of any doubts and untainted by any attachments to provisional teachings or beliefs (that the Gohonzon is outside ourselves), especially in the face of difficulties.
- As another gosho passage said: "Even if you chant the daimoku, if you think the Law is outside yourself, you are practicing not the true teaching but an inferior one."
- The Gohonzon is a ‘mirror’ for us to see our true self, our greater self, the Buddhahood inherent in our life.
- For example, if we are in the depths of suffering, and we hope to change it by trying to change the image on the mirror, it will never work no matter how much we try.
- To really change, we ourselves must first change, then the image on the mirror will likewise be changed.
- Therefore to change our life for the better we must polish it to bring forth our Buddhahood.
- And Daimoku is the key to polishing our life and manifesting our inherent Buddhahood.
- Nichiren Daishonin’s mission was to inscribe the Gohonzon for all mankind but the mission of ensuring its propagation for all eternity lies with his disciples, the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, all of us, the members of the SGI.
(Adapted from Flow 453)
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