Nichiren Shu Temple Portland Oregon. Please note, not only is the Gohonzon not central but Kishimojin [which shouldn't even be on the altar] obscures the Gohonzon [on the right].
It does not matter. The important is the faith. The Heritage of the Law consists of faith.
The Gohonzon is only a Mandala that is a event: the ceremony in the air. The Gohonzon it lies only in the faith. The Gohonzon it is not outside of you. The Gohonzon is the our mirror.
Of what use a mirror if it is clouded or covered? Appearance, the first of the Ten Factors, is the most important. I think you need to study more the teachings. The Gohonzon is a tool to construct the house of Buddhahood. Whether internal or external, the tool must possess the proper attributes or the house will be of inferior quality. Nichiren explains the characteristics or attributes of Gohonzon. Kishimojin as object of worship is not one of them. You can not worship Jesus on the cross and attain Buddhahood.
"I HAVE offered prayers to the Gohonzon of Myoho-renge-kyo. Though this mandala has but five or seven characters, it is the teacher of all Buddhas throughout the three existences and the seal that guarantees the enlightenment of all women. It will be a lamp in the darkness of the road to the next world and a fine horse to carry you over the mountains of death. It is like the sun and moon in the heavens or Mount Sumeru on earth. It is a ship to ferry people over the sea of the sufferings of birth and death. It is the teacher who leads all people to Buddhahood and enlightenment. This great mandala has never yet been propagated anywhere in Jambudvīpa in the more than 2,220 years since the Buddha’s passing." -- Nichiren
The Gohonzon has no absolute value. Is the faith in the Daimoku what matters. The Daimoku is the essence, is equivalent to the healing power of the sutra concentrated. The Gohonzon is only a support for the faith.
The Daimoku is one of Three Great Secret Laws and one of the Three Treasures. They are as if three legs of a stool. Neither has value without the other two. Nichiren teaches in Repaying Favor:
"Question: 'Is there a True Dharma which Tendai and Dengyo did not propagate?' Answer: 'There is.' We inguire, 'What is it?' Answer: 'THERE ARE THREE: The Buddha has left them for the sake of the Latter Dharma. They are the True Dharma which Kashyapa, Ananda and so on, Ashvaghosha, Nagarjuna and so on, Tendai,Dengyo and so on did not propagate.' We inquire: 'What about their form and appearance?' Answer: 'One: Japan and so on to the whole of Jambudvipa should uniformly take the Master of Teachings Lord Shakya of the Original Doctrine as the Object of Worship..."
Nichiren goes on to say,
"Two: 'The Precept Platform of the Original Doctrine'"
I was surprised when a Nichiren Shu representative told me the following
"The Real Aspect of the Gohonzon Gosho is not authenticated and so is not authoritative. It is obvious that not all ten worlds need to be written as we have over 125 mandalas that Nichiren inscribed and not all of those include all ten worlds."
The scholar Miyazaki Eishu asserts that it is authentic but it IS not in Nichiren's hand nor in the earliest collections of Gosho.. The Nichiren Shu and Kempon Hokke classifies it [Nichinyo Gozen Gohenji] as possibly authentic.
What do you mean it fits in well with the Gakkai false religious worldview, they don't seem to care about an explicitly 10 world Nichiren inscribed Gohonzon as this Gosho explains or are you referring to some other aspect ?
Since, according to this Gosho, the Gohonzon exists in faith alone, it may be one reason they treat the paper/ink Gohonzon so irresponsibly and disrespectfully and they see no problem with the Nichikan Gohonzon.
"But please be careful, because some passages of Nichiren's writings has been changed by Nichiren-shu's original doctrine. If you have doubts about the sentence, please confirm to me."
I guess he's speaking about the Gosho Zenshu, translated into modern Japanese and/or the Gosho not in Nichiren's hand. You can not so easily change what Nichiren actually wrote.
But the English Translation Committee of the Nichiren-shu Overseas Propagation Promotion Association (NOPPA), is in charge of the authentic translations isn't this a bit like the fox being in charge of the hen house
Absolutely. Certainly there will be some controversy, even among independent minded investigators such as non-sectarian and/or honest scholars and priests. That is why Nichiren tells us to, "Listen with the ears of Shih K’uang and observe with the eyes of Li Lou.", no?
"because some passages of Nichiren's writings has been changed by Nichiren-shu's original doctrine"
What is Nichiren-shu's original doctrine"
This is just the same as Nichiren Shoshu Priests that have changed authentic teachings to suit their own agenda, plus they have made up Gosho's to bolster their sect
This Gosho is inauthentic but it can still be used to demolish SGI's no photograph of the Gohonzon doctrine [because at their meetings they show it to every Tom, Dick, and Harry off the streets.]
Since we enshrined the Denpo Gohonzon 5 months ago,after taking down SGI's Nichikan Gohonzon a serene atmosphere has pervaded throughout the house hold and in our daily life and many benefits have been flowing like what the SGI Gohonzon was supposed to do.
The 3 great secret laws is definitely working through this Gohonzon. I told this to 2 senior SGIA leaders today who came to our house to take back their SGI Gohonzon before excommunicating my wife that had been a member for 55 years. The first half was in Okinawa the 2nd here in the land down under Australia
Mark, you were right when you said this would happen.
Fancy being excommunicated over having an authentic complete Nichiren inscribed Gohonzon, how bizarre is that
They were insistent that it is more important to have faith in the Ten world Gohonzon that is within than the outward image of Gohonzon and that the other worlds that are missing in the Gohonzon exist in the worlds that are there in the Gohonzon. Mutual possession of the ten worlds kind of thing but with a few of the worlds missing, if you know what I mean
They said Nichikan was a great Priest who made right the wrongs of the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood that's why they chose his Gohonzon
They did sansho before the Denpo Gohozon when they arrived and before they left, they said all Gohonzon's are equal.
We have faith in the ten world Gohonzon within but not in their Gohonzon without, If they say all Gohonzon's are equal why should it matter to them what Gohonzon we have. This would have to be the height of their hypocrisy
Nichiren said on first day of the tenth month of the second year of Kōan (1279) "Buddha fulfilled the purpose of his advent in a little over forty years, the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai took about thirty years, and the Great Teacher Dengyō, some twenty years. I have spoken repeatedly of the indescribable persecutions they suffered during those years. For me it took twenty-seven years, and the great persecutions I faced during this period are well known to you all." (On Persecutions Befalling the Sage)
If you look at the charts of the progression of the Gohonzon there was a significant change on the second year of Kōan (1279) , in that for the first time Devadatta appeared in the Gohonzon. The true presentation of the oneness of good and evil is now complete and ready for transformation by Myoho Renge Kyo
It does not matter. The important is the faith.
ReplyDeleteThe Heritage of the Law consists of faith.
The Gohonzon is only a Mandala that is a event: the ceremony in the air. The Gohonzon it lies only in the faith. The Gohonzon it is not outside of you. The Gohonzon is the our mirror.
Of what use a mirror if it is clouded or covered? Appearance, the first of the Ten Factors, is the most important. I think you need to study more the teachings. The Gohonzon is a tool to construct the house of Buddhahood. Whether internal or external, the tool must possess the proper attributes or
ReplyDeletethe house will be of inferior quality. Nichiren explains the characteristics or attributes of Gohonzon. Kishimojin as object of worship is not one of them. You can not worship Jesus on the cross and attain Buddhahood.
"I HAVE offered prayers to the Gohonzon of Myoho-renge-kyo. Though this mandala has but five or seven characters, it is the teacher of all Buddhas throughout the three existences and the seal that guarantees the enlightenment of all women. It will be a lamp in the darkness of the road to the next world and a fine horse to carry you over the mountains of death. It is like the sun and moon in the heavens or Mount Sumeru on earth. It is a ship to ferry people over the sea of the sufferings of birth and death. It is the teacher who leads all people to Buddhahood and enlightenment. This great mandala has never yet been propagated anywhere in Jambudvīpa in the more than 2,220 years since the Buddha’s passing." -- Nichiren
The Gohonzon has no absolute value. Is the faith in the Daimoku what matters. The Daimoku is the essence, is equivalent to the healing power of the sutra concentrated.
DeleteThe Gohonzon is only a support for the faith.
The Daimoku is one of Three Great Secret Laws and one of the Three Treasures. They are as if three legs of a stool. Neither has value without the other two. Nichiren teaches in Repaying Favor:
ReplyDelete"Question: 'Is there a True Dharma which Tendai and Dengyo did not propagate?'
Answer: 'There is.'
We inguire, 'What is it?'
Answer: 'THERE ARE THREE: The Buddha has left them for the sake of the Latter Dharma. They are the True Dharma which Kashyapa, Ananda and so on, Ashvaghosha, Nagarjuna and so on, Tendai,Dengyo and so on did not propagate.'
We inquire: 'What about their form and appearance?'
Answer: 'One: Japan and so on to the whole of Jambudvipa should uniformly take the Master of Teachings Lord Shakya of the Original Doctrine as the Object of Worship..."
Nichiren goes on to say,
"Two: 'The Precept Platform of the Original Doctrine'"
and
"Three: '...and chant Namu Myoho renge kyo...'"
I was surprised when a Nichiren Shu representative told me the following
ReplyDelete"The Real Aspect of the Gohonzon Gosho is not authenticated and so is not authoritative. It is obvious that not all ten worlds need to be written as we have over 125 mandalas that Nichiren inscribed and not all of those include all ten worlds."
The scholar Miyazaki Eishu asserts that it is authentic but it IS not in Nichiren's hand nor in the earliest collections of Gosho.. The Nichiren Shu and Kempon Hokke classifies it [Nichinyo Gozen Gohenji] as possibly authentic.
Deletehttp://www5c.biglobe.ne.jp/~lotus/authentic%20writings.html
I rarely use it. It fits in well with the Gakkai false religious worldview.
What do you mean it fits in well with the Gakkai false religious worldview, they don't seem to care about an explicitly 10 world Nichiren inscribed Gohonzon as this Gosho explains or are you referring to some other aspect ?
DeleteSince, according to this Gosho, the Gohonzon exists in faith alone, it may be one reason they treat the paper/ink Gohonzon so irresponsibly and disrespectfully and they see no problem with the Nichikan Gohonzon.
Delete"But please be careful, because some passages of Nichiren's writings has been changed by Nichiren-shu's original doctrine. If you have doubts about the sentence, please confirm to me."
DeleteWhat is this about, Its from the biglobe link
I guess he's speaking about the Gosho Zenshu, translated into modern Japanese and/or the Gosho not in Nichiren's hand. You can not so easily change what Nichiren actually wrote.
DeleteBut the English Translation Committee of the Nichiren-shu Overseas Propagation Promotion Association (NOPPA), is in charge of the authentic translations isn't this a bit like the fox being in charge of the hen house
DeleteAbsolutely. Certainly there will be some controversy, even among independent minded investigators such as non-sectarian and/or honest scholars and priests. That is why Nichiren tells us to, "Listen with the ears of Shih K’uang and observe with the eyes of Li Lou.", no?
Delete"because some passages of Nichiren's writings has been changed by Nichiren-shu's original doctrine"
DeleteWhat is Nichiren-shu's original doctrine"
This is just the same as Nichiren Shoshu Priests that have changed authentic teachings to suit their own agenda, plus they have made up Gosho's to bolster their sect
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis is the reason for my advent in this world is to inscribe the Treasure Tower/ Gohonzon
ReplyDeleteThe sutra reads: "Wherever one teaches the Lotus Sutra, this Treasure Tower of mine will rise and appear before him."
Faith like yours is so extremely rare that I will inscribe the Treasure Tower especially for you
You should never transfer it to anyone but your son. You should never show it to others unless they have steadfast faith.
This is the reason for my advent in this world.
(On the treasure Tower) or is this another unauthenticated Gosho
This Gosho is inauthentic but it can still be used to demolish SGI's no photograph of the Gohonzon doctrine [because at their meetings they show it to every Tom, Dick, and Harry off the streets.]
ReplyDeleteSince we enshrined the Denpo Gohonzon 5 months ago,after taking down SGI's Nichikan Gohonzon a serene atmosphere has pervaded throughout the house hold and in our daily life and many benefits have been flowing like what the SGI Gohonzon was supposed to do.
ReplyDeleteThe 3 great secret laws is definitely working through this Gohonzon. I told this to 2 senior SGIA leaders today who came to our house to take back their SGI Gohonzon before excommunicating my wife that had been a member for 55 years. The first half was in Okinawa the 2nd here in the land down under Australia
Mark, you were right when you said this would happen.
Fancy being excommunicated over having an authentic complete Nichiren inscribed Gohonzon, how bizarre is that
They were insistent that it is more important to have faith in the Ten world Gohonzon that is within than the outward image of Gohonzon and that the other worlds that are missing in the Gohonzon exist in the worlds that are there in the Gohonzon. Mutual possession of the ten worlds kind of thing but with a few of the worlds missing, if you know what I mean
They said Nichikan was a great Priest who made right the wrongs of the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood that's why they chose his Gohonzon
They did sansho before the Denpo Gohozon when they arrived and before they left, they said all Gohonzon's are equal.
We have faith in the ten world Gohonzon within but not in their Gohonzon without, If they say all Gohonzon's are equal why should it matter to them what Gohonzon we have. This would have to be the height of their hypocrisy
Nichiren said on first day of the tenth month of the second year of Kōan (1279) "Buddha fulfilled the purpose of his advent in a little over forty years, the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai took about thirty years, and the Great Teacher Dengyō, some twenty years. I have spoken repeatedly of the indescribable persecutions they suffered during those years. For me it took twenty-seven years, and the great persecutions I faced during this period are well known to you all." (On Persecutions Befalling the Sage)
If you look at the charts of the progression of the Gohonzon there was a significant change on the second year of Kōan (1279) , in that for the first time Devadatta appeared in the Gohonzon. The true presentation of the oneness of good and evil is now complete and ready for transformation by Myoho Renge Kyo