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Thursday, November 27, 2014

Right this way folks




SACRED TREASURES

Taisekiji, the main temple of Nichiren Shoshu, is abundant in treasures.

Among these treasures, there is an especially mysterious one, the *Onikuge*, a tooth of Nichiren Daishonin. He himself pulled a tooth which had become loose, and gave it to his favorite disciple. A tiny bit of flesh that still adhered to the root of the tooth has grown larger for the past 660 years and now, almost the whole surface of the tooth is covered with flesh. Unbelieveably, this is a living tooth.

Since the *Onikuge* is thus a mysterious and valuable treasure, it is not customarily shown except on special occasions. However, in recent times, it was opened to the view of all worshippers on the 700th anniversary of Nichiren Shoshu, 1952, and at the ceremonies of Odaigawari (ritual ceremony for the installation of the High Priest), held in 1957 and 1960. At the 1960 ceremony, 200,000 worshippers, including medical specialists and physiologists, were permitted to have the honor of seeing it from a distance of 20 inches, and they were deeply impressed with its dignity, for the *Onikuge* looks alive and shines with a pearly luster.

There is nothing in the world more mysterious than this sacred *Onikuge*. It tells us without speaking, the dignity of Buddhism and the mystery of life.

...from the Nichirenshoshu Sokagakkai - 1960

7 comments:

  1. It would be possible to date this tooth and gum without damaging the DNA. In several years we might be able to clone Nichiren from a single cell of this tooth. No doubt, the Nichiren Shoshu would never allow this because he would debunk the Daigohonzon, the Transfer Documents, the doctrine of the transmission to one successor, chanting Nam intead of Namu, the Nichiren as True Buddha Doctrine and all the other Taisekaji nonsense.

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  2. Thus I Heard! Every year the newest Nichiren Shoshu accolytes pick straws to see who is going to donate their tooth and a piece of gum for The Goreiho Mushibarai Ceremony [airing of sacred treasures].

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  3. There is still the daigohonzon weighing absurd and is huge !.

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  4. The eruption of Fuji will take care of that.

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  5. Oh God a tooth, that's cringeworthy.

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