The Nichiren Shu Eye Opening Ceremony with commentary

1. Dojoge (Verse, Place of Enlightenment)

This place of enlightenment is as luminous as the gems of the net of King Sakra,

All the Three Treasures of the worlds of the ten directions manifest themselves here. Now we are before them. We bow to the Buddhas and worship their feet with our heads.

2. Samborai (Bow to the Three Treasures)

With our whole hearts,

We bow to the Eternal Buddha emanating the Buddhas of the worlds of the ten directions.

With our whole hearts,

We bow to the Eternal Dharma establishing the teachings of the Buddhas of the worlds of the ten directions.

With our whole hearts,

We bow to the Eternal Samgha comprising the devotees of the Buddhas of the worlds of the ten directions.

3. Kanjo (Invitation)

With reverence we adore the Great Mandala of the Most Venerable One, the Perfect Circle having never been revealed before the Age of Degeneration.

With reverence we adore Sakyamuni Buddha, the Great Benefactor, the Original Teacher who attained Buddhahood in the remotest past.

With reverence we adore Prabhutaratna Tathagata, who appeared in this world to bear witness to the truthfulness of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

With reverence to adore the Buddhas of the worlds of the ten directions in the past, present and future, the emanations of the Original Sakyamuni Buddha.

With reverence we venerate Visistacarita, Anantacarita, Visuddhacarita, Supratisthitacarita, and the other great Bodhisattvas who appeared from underground, the disciples of the Original Sakyamuni Buddha.

With reverence we venerate Manjusri, Samantabhadra, Maitreya, Bhaisajyaraja, Bhaisajyassmudgata, Pradanasura, Gadgadasvara, Avoliketsvara and the other Bodhisattvas, the disciples either of the Historical Sakyamuni Buddha or of the Buddhas who have come from other worlds.

With reverence we venerate Mahabrahman, Sakra, the Kings of the Four Quarters and the other gods who protect the practicers of the One Vehicle.

With reverence we venerate the four kinds of devotees who joined the congregations of the Lotus Sutra.

With reverence we venerate the Great Bodhisattva Nichiren, the Founder of our Order, the Great Leader of us who live in the Age of Degeneration.

With reverence we venerate the Six Senior Disciples, the Nine Senior Disciples and the other disciples of Nichiren as well as the priests who contribued much to our Order.

May all Venerable Ones come to this place of enlightenment, see us with their eyes of wisdom, and receive the savor of the Dharma out of their compassion towards us.

4. Kaikyoge (Sutra Opening Verse)

This sutra of the Supreme, Most Profound and Wonderful Dharma is difficult to meet in thousands of millions of kalpas. Now we have been able to see, hear, receive and keep it. May we understand the ultimate import of the teachings of the Tathagata. The Ultimate Truth of the Great Vehicle is, however, very difficult for us to understand. All who see, hear or touch this sutra shall come closer to Bodhi.

The expounder of this sutra is the Sambhogakaya aspect of the Buddha. What is expounded in this sutra is the Dharmakaya as of the Buddha. The characters of this sutra are the Nirmanakaya aspect of the Buddha.

Since innumerable merits are contained in this sutra, all living beings are benefited by this sutra without hindrance as implicitly as incense is perceived by a thing put nearby.

By merits of this sutra, anyone will be able to expiate his sin, do good deeds, and attain the enlightenment of the Buddha, whether he is wise or not, whether he believes or slanders this sutra.

The Dharma attained by the past, present and future Buddhas is expounded in this most profound and wonderful sutra. May our posterity, generation after generation, meet and receive this sutra with reverence.

5. Dokyo (Sutra Chanting, Gongyo)

6. Shodai (Daimoku Chanting)

7. Kaigen (Consecration): Traditionally utilizing sparks from a mechanical spark generator (flint) but one may use clackers while chanting the Daimoku and offering the sparks or sound of the clackers to the Gohonzon.

8. Sokun (Nichiren's Instructions regarding Gohonzon, faith and/or practice)...Choosing one or several pertinent passages from the Gosho to recite outloud, for example such passages as:

"Though this mandala has but five or seven characters, it is the teacher of all Buddhas throughout the three existences"

9. Eko (Dedication)

The present Buddhas as well as the past Buddhas have appeared in the worlds for the purpose of expounding the Wonderful Dharma. So will the future Buddhas. Lord Teacher Sakyamuni Buddha, the World-Honored One, and the Great Bodhisattva Nichiren, the Founder of our Order, are nothing without the Wonderful Dharma. When we chant the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, all the Buddhas will immediately manifest themselves before us. When we chant the sutra before the Great Mandala inscribed on paper, the paper will instantly bear mind of its innate Buddha-nature, and the Great Mandala will reveal the Pure World of the Original Sakyamuni Buddha.

Now as we chant the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma and the Daimoku before this Great Mandala, the Great Mandala is consecrated. It will benefit us boundlessly.

May the Great Mandala do the work of the Buddha by releasing its brillant light so that we may be able to keep our faith firm and strong, serve the Great Mandala with sincerity, and fulfill our goals for our present and future lives.

10. Shisei (The Four Vows)

We vow to save all living beings however countless they may be.

We vow to eliminate all illusions however numberless they may be. We vow to study all teachings however limitless they may be. We vow to attain the supreme enlightenment of the Buddha.

11. Sanki (The Three Refuges)

With most reverence, we take refuge in the Buddha.

May all living beings understand the Great Way and aspire to supreme enlightenment.

We take refuge in the Dharma.

May all living beings enter deep into the storehouse of sutras and their wisdom be as vast as the sea.

We take refuge in the Samgha.

May all living beings forge one great congregation without hindrance.

12. Buso (Farewell)

Venerable Ones!

Remember us, be where you like, and come again out of your great compassion toward us!

Commentary:

I think this is an excellent outline. I also believe that a few things may be changed depending on one's realization and awakening. For example, I don't like the following: "Lord Teacher Sakyamuni Buddha, the World-Honored One, and the Great Bodhisattva Nichiren, the Founder of our Order, are nothing without the Wonderful Dharma." and I would remove it.

Also, there is a controversy about whether an Eye Opening Ceremony is even necessary. Nichiren writes:

"Unless one who has grasped the essence of the Lotus Sutra conducts the eye-opening ceremony for a wooden or painted image, it will be as if a masterless house were to be occupied by a thief, or as if, upon death, a demon were to take possession of one’s body."

Certainly a Nichiren inscribed Gohonzon was eye opened by Nichiren, one who certainly has grasped the essence of the Lotus Sutra. Then too, is not a copy of a Nichiren Gohonzon already endowed with the merit and benefit of the inscribed and originally Eye Opened Gohonzon of Nichiren? What about a copy of a Gohonzon inscribed by someone else who we are not sure has grasped the essence of the Lotus Sutra? Then, do we need to perform an Eye Opening Ceremony or ask someone who we believe has grasped the essence of the Lotus Sutra to a higher degree than ourselves? Let me know your thoughts.

A friend says, as long as one places the Lotus Sutra (Myoho renge kyo or Namu Myoho renge kyo) in front of the image, the Eye Opening Ceremony is complete. If we take Nichiren at his word, "When the Lotus Sutra (Myoho renge kyo) is placed before an image possessing thirty-one features, the image never fails to become the Buddha of the pure and perfect teaching", my friend may be correct.

A friend says, as long as one places the Lotus Sutra (Myoho renge kyo or Namu Myoho renge kyo) in front of the image, the Eye Opening Ceremony is complete. If we take Nichiren at his word, "When the Lotus Sutra (Myoho renge kyo) is placed before an image possessing thirty-one features, the image never fails to become the Buddha of the pure and perfect teaching", my friend may be correct.

Moreover, regarding a statue or a statue arrangement, Nichiren advises his faithful lay disciple, Toki Jonin, to ask Nitcho, one of the Six Senior priests, to consecrate his statue of Shakyamuni Buddha by reciting before it "the entire Lotus Sutra". Does that mean that chanting Namu Myoho renge kyo before a statue or a statue arrangement is insufficient as an Eye Opening Ceremony but not regarding Gohonzon? I would like to know what a Priest thinks as well as all of our readers.