Practise before the object of devotion (gohonzon)

Chant and recite facing the gohonzon, understanding what it depicts and how your own school understands it.

Why it works

During his exile on Sado Island, Nichiren constructed a mandala as the object of devotion (honzon). Lucia Dolce reports that 128 of these mandalas in his own hand survive, dated from 1271 to 1282. Down the centre runs the title of the Lotus Sūtra, and around it are the names of buddhas, bodhisattvas and guardian deities from the sūtra’s assembly. In The Real Aspect of the Gohonzon, Nichiren describes it as depicting Śākyamuni seated in the Treasure Tower of the sūtra, with every kind of being “illuminated by the light of the five characters.” He adds: “Never seek this Gohonzon outside yourself.” Practising before it is meant to make visible a reality the practitioner shares, with buddhahood among the states every life contains.

How to do it

1. Ask the community you practise with how a gohonzon is received and enshrined in that group. The schools differ on this, and it is a matter of their practice, not something to improvise.
2. Keep the altar simple and cared for, in the way your community teaches.
3. When you chant, let your eyes rest on the central inscription. Soka Gakkai describes the gohonzon as what members focus on while chanting.
4. Once, read a description of what the gohonzon depicts, such as Nichiren’s own letter on it, so you know whose names surround the title.
5. Afterwards, recall Nichiren’s line that it is not to be sought outside yourself, and notice how that changes the act of facing it.

Evidence

Dolce’s study gives the count, the dates and the layout of Nichiren’s mandalas, and Nichiren’s letter of 1277 gives his own description. The schools describe the object of devotion in their own terms. Nichiren Shū says the gohonzon uses calligraphy to represent the all-encompassing life of the Eternal Buddha, “not an object or thing.” Nichiren Shōshū teaches that the Dai-Gohonzon Nichiren inscribed on 12 October 1279 is its fundamental object of worship, and that all of its gohonzon derive from it. Soka Gakkai describes the gohonzon as a scroll inscribed by Nichiren that helps practitioners bring forth buddhahood. Habito notes that the schools have long debated whether the Dharma or the Buddha is the primary object of worship, and that Nichiren’s writings can be read to support either side. (anecdotal)

This is the point on which the schools differ most, and their differences are described here, not settled. The authenticity of some writings in the Nichiren collection is debated by scholars, so ask your community which texts it relies on. Not studied in research.

Sources

• Dolce, L. (1999). Criticism and appropriation: Nichiren’s attitude toward esoteric Buddhism. Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, 26(3–4), 349–382.
• Nichiren. The Real Aspect of the Gohonzon (1277). In The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. I, pp. 831–834. Tokyo: Soka Gakkai (Nichiren Buddhism Library).
• Nichiren Shu. Teachings of Nichiren Shonin (the Three Great Hidden Dharmas). Nichiren Shu Portal, English edition.
• Nichiren Shoshu Myohoji Temple. Frequently Asked Questions (including “What is the Dai-Gohonzon?”).
• Soka Gakkai. The Gohonzon. Soka Gakkai (global) official website.
• Habito, R. L. F. (1999). Bodily reading of the Lotus Sutra: Understanding Nichiren’s Buddhism. Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, 26(3–4), 281–306.

Common mistake

Treating the gohonzon as a charm that grants wishes, or else as decoration. In Nichiren’s letter it depicts the assembly of the Lotus Sūtra and the buddhahood present in every life, and the act of facing it is meant to turn the practitioner toward that.

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