The Gohonzon by Senchu Murano

Published 1997 by the Nichiren Shū Overseas Propagation Promotion Association

1. The Analysis of the word Gohonzon

Go is an honorific prefix that can be dispensed with Hon means, “root, fundamental, original, primary, or supreme.” Son or zon means, “honorable or venerable.” Thus hon_zon means, “the Most Venerable One,” or “the object of worship.” However, the. term “the object of worship” is too apathetic and emotionless an expression to apply to the Gohonzon, which we worship as the Most Venerable One in the world.

2. The Gohonzon of Nichiren Buddhism

In Nichiren Buddhism the Original, Eternal Buddha is in One with the Historical Sakyamuni Buddha. This synthesis represents the Gohonzon of Nichiren Buddhism.

Sakyamuni Buddha became the Buddha in the remotest past. There was no Buddha before him. He was the first Buddha, the Original Buddha. All the other Buddhas in the past, present and future are his emanations. He says in the Lotus Sutra (Murano’s Lotus Sutra, pp. 242-243), “The number of kalpas which elapsed since I became the Buddha is so long. … During this time I have given various names to myself. … I showed my replicas in some sutras, and my . transformations in other sutras.”

The Historical Sakyamuni Buddha is no other than the Original Buddha. He says in the Lotus Sutra (ibid., p.241), “The gods, men and asura in the world think that I left the palace of the Sakyas, sat at the place of enlightenment not far from the City of Gaya, and attained Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi forty and some years ago. To tell the truth, it is many … billions of kalpas since I became the Buddha.”

The Original Buddha is named Sakyamuni because the Historical Buddha had no name other than Sakyamuni. The Original Sakyamuni Buddha is eternal. He says in the Lotus Sutra (p. 246), “I shall never pass away. I always live here and expound the Dharma.”

He remains eternal to save us. The definition of the Buddha as eternal is more preferable to us who seek his salvation.

3. The Statue of the Eternal Sakyamuni Buddha

One may worship a statue of Sakyamuni Buddha, assuming it is that of the Eternal Sakyamuni Buddha. Nichiren always carried a small statue of the Buddha with him, and worshiped it as the Original and Eternal Sakyamuni Buddha. But how can one distinguish the statue of the Eternal Sakyamuni Buddha from that worshiped by those who do not know or care for the originality and eternity of Sakyamuni Buddha? Something must be done to differentiate the statue of the Eternal Sakyamuni Buddha. Nichiren sometimes recommended a set of statues: Sakyamuni Buddha accompanied by the Four; Bodhisattvas of Jogyo, Muhengyo, Jogyo (different from the first mentioned Jogyo in Sanskrit and kanji) and Anryugyo, who are, according to the Lotus Sutra, the leading disciples of the Original Sakyamuni Buddha. Making a set of statues was not a new suggestion. Many other sects had already established various sets of statues for worship. Confusion and complicacies obscured sect difference and endangered the supremacy of the Original and Eternal Sakyamuni Buddha. Nichiren thought that the most perfect way of representing the Original and Eternal Sakyamuni Buddha is to adopt the Daimoku as the symbol of the Pure World of the Original Buddha, that is, of the Purified Saha World.

4. The Daimoku

Daimoku or Odaimoku is now adopted as an English word. O is an honorific prefix. Daimoku means “title.” It stands for Namu Myoho Renge Kyo. Namu comes from the Sanskrit namas, meaning “honor to.” It was translated into Chinese as kimyo, which means, “I devote myself to.” In Japanese, it is treated in most cases as an honorific prefix.

Myoho Renge Kyo is the title of a Chinese version of the Saddharma-pundarika-sutra. Saddharma means the “True Dharma” or “Wonderful Dharma.” Pundarika is a white lotus. Kyo means “sutra.” Myoho Renge Kyo can be shortened to Hokekyo (Hokkekyo by Nara sects), Myohokekyo, Myohokke or Hokke. Myoho Renge Kyo is translated into English as the “Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.” It can be shortened to the Lotus Sutra.

When used as the chanting formula, Myoho Renge Kyo ceases to be a mere title of a sutra, and stands for the Wonderful Dharma itself. When treated as the Dharma itself, Myoho Renge Kyo should not be contracted or translated into any other language.

5. The Fantasy of the Lotus Sutra

The Pure World of the Original and Eternal Sakyamuni Buddha is a fantasy of the Lotus Sutra. A fantasy may not be real, but it sometimes portrays the truth more eloquently than reality. That is why Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream or Miyazawa Kenji’s Milky Way Railroad Train At Night is immortal.

The fantastic narration of the Lotus Sutra begins with the story of Prabhutaratna (Many-Treasures, Taho) Buddha, as follows:

There lived a Buddha called Taho many kalpas ago in a world called Treasure-Pure, which was located far to the east of the Saha World. Taho Buddha knew the Wonderful Dharma, but did not expound it by himself because he thought that the Wonderful Dharma should be expounded by a Buddha who would emanate from himself as many Replica-Buddhas as there are worlds in the universe, dispatch them to those worlds, and then expound the Wonderful Dharma in a sutra called the Lotus Sutra. Taho Buddha decided to wait for the advent of such a Buddha, and to approve the truthfulness of the Lotus Sutra expounded by that Buddha.

Taho Buddha requested his disciples to build a stupa, and to put his body in it after he passes away. His disciples made a stupa as they were instructed. After his Parinirvana, they positioned his body into a sitting posture of meditation, put it in the stupa, and shut the door.

A Buddha can see, hear, speak, and even move after his Parinirvana. The only thing a past Buddha cannot do is to expound the Dharma. Be must be satisfied with hearing the Dharma expounded by a present Buddha.

Taho Buddha had been watching all the corners of the universe for many kalpas until he finally found a Buddha doing what He had wished to see. He saw Sakyamuni Buddha of the Saha World, which was located far to the west of his world, issue many replicas from himself, dispatch them to all the worlds of the universe, and then expound the Lotus Sutra. Having rejoiced at seeing all this, Taho Buddha prepared himself for the journey to the Saha World. He made his stupa move. It flew through the skies over many worlds, and reached the sky below the Saha World. Then the stupa rose, passed the Saha World from underneath, and floated in the sky above Mt. Sacred Eagle. Taho Buddha turned the stupa toward Sakyamuni, and praised him from within the stupa.

The congregation was astonished to see all this. Representing the congregation, Daigyosetsu Bodhisattva asked Sakyamuni, “Who is in the stupa?” Sakyamuni answered, “Taho Buddha is there.” Daigyosetsu begged Sakyamuni to open the door of the stupa so that all the congregation could see the newly arrived Buddha. But Sakyamuni refused his appeal, saying that Taho Buddha would never allow anyone to open the door of his stupa unless an expounder of the Lotus Sutra collects his Replica-Buddhas from the worlds of the ten quarters. Daigyosetsu begged Sakyamuni to collect them.

Sakyamuni Buddha consented to his appeal. He issued a ray of light from his forehead as a sign to call them forth. Acknowledging this light, the Buddhas of the worlds of the ten quarters returned to their home world, and assembled on Mt. Sacred Eagle. With this Sakyamuni Buddha hovered, and opened the door of the stupa. Taho Buddha moved to the left to make some space for Sakyamuni to sit, and asked him to join him. Sakyamuni entered the stupa and sat on the right of Taho Buddha.

Seeing the two Buddhas sitting side by side in the stupa hanging in the sky, the congregation wished to be near the two Buddhas. Reading the minds of the congregation, Sakyamuni raised them up to the sky below the stupa.

Thereupon Sakyamuni Buddha announced that he would transmit the Lotus Sutra to someone. Hearing this, many Bodhisattvas begged Sakyamuni to transmit it to them. But he refused their appeal, saying, “I meant to say that I would transmit this sutra to someone other than you. You are not needed. I have chosen the ones to whom I will transmit this sutra.”

When he said this, innumerable Bodhisattvas sprang up from the four corners of the Saha World. The four army-like divisions of Bodhisattvas were headed by one or another of the Four Bodhisattvas: Visistacaritra (Jogyo), Anantacaritra (Muhengyo ), Visuddhacaritra (Jogyo) and Spratisthitacaritra (Anryugyo). All the Bodhisattvas from underground rose to the sky, and greeted Sakyamuni Buddha with the disciple-to-master courtesy, saying, “We are very glad to see you again. Are you in good health?” Sakyamuni said to them, “I am very glad .to see that you rejoice at seeing me again.”

The congregation was surprised to see the newcomers from underground greeting Sakyamuni as respectfully and as courteously as if they were the disciples of Sakyamuni Buddha.

Representing the congregation, Maitreya Bodhisattva asked Sakyamuni, saying, “Who are they? We have never seen them before. They must have hidden themselves underground a very long time ago. You are younger than they because it is only forty and some years ago that you became the Buddha. But these elders greet you as respectfully and as courteously as if they were your disciples. This is strange. It is difficult to believe that a handsome, black-haired man of twenty-five years can point to men a hundred years old, and say, ‘They are my sons.’ Who are the newcomers?” Sakyamuni Buddha said to Maireya Bodhisattva, “You think that I left the palace of the Sakyas, sat at the place of enlightenment, and became the Buddha forty and some years ago. You are mistaken. I became the Buddha in the remotest past. These Bodhisattvas from underground are my disciples whom I taught in the remotest past.”

After saying this, Sakyamuni Buddha transmitted the Lotus Sutra to the Bodhisattvas headed by Visistacaritra. Then he descended from the stupa to the ground. All the people who were in the sky also descended. Sakyamuni Buddha put his right hand on the heads of the Bodhisattvas, and said, “Now I will transmit the Lotus Sutra to all of you. Propagate it with all your hearts.”

Sakyamuni Buddha turned toward the stupa in the sky, and said, “May the Buddhas be where they wish to be. May the stupa be where it was.”

Here ends the fantasy of the Lotus Sutra.

6. Nichiren’s Description of the Purified Saha World

Nichiren described the perspective of the Purified Saha World in the Kanjin-honzon-sho as follows:

There is a stupa of treasures in the sky above the Saha World of the Original Teacher. The stupa of treasures enshrines the Myoho Renge Kyo. On either side of the Myoho Renge Kyo sit Sakyamuni Buddha and Prabhutaratna Buddha. The Four Bodhisattvas headed by Visistacaritra accompany Sakyamuni, the World-Honoured One. The four Bodhisattvas including Manjusri and Maitreya sit on lower seats as the attendants of Sakyamuni Buddha. All the other Bodhisattvas, major or minor, who are either the disciples of the Historical Sakyamuni or the Bodhisattvas having come from other worlds, are like nobles and dignitaries who are respected by their subjects sitting on the ground. The Buddhas of the ten quarters sit on the ground to show that they are emanations of Sakyamuni Buddha and that their worlds are reflections of the world of Sakyamuni Buddha.

7. The Mandala

Nichiren depicted the Purified Saha World in the form of a Mandala. Mandala means “a circle;, Nichiren called it Daimandara or the “Great Mandala.” We usually call it Omandara or Mandara.
According to Nichiren’s perspective of the Purified Saha World given in the Kanjin-honzon-sho, all the Bodhisattvas attend Sakyamuni Buddha, none accompanies Prabhutaratna. To maintain the balance of the Mandala, Nichiren moved some Bodhisattvas from the left to the right column as though they were the attendants of Prabhutaratna.

Nichiren added living beings to the Mandala as representatives of the inhabitants of the Purified Saha World:

1. Theravada Buddhist saints such as Sariputra and Maha-Kasyapa, who are assured of future Buddhahood in the Lotus Sutra.
2. Cakravartiraja (Wheel-turning-holy-king, Tenrin-jo-o) and King Ajatasatru as the representetives of laymen.
3. Devadatta, once a disciple of Sakyamuni Buddha. He later became an apostate, was assured of future Buddhahood in the Lotus Sutra.
4. Noted propagators of the Lotus Sutra: Nagarjuna of India, Tendai Daishi and Myoraku Daishi of China, and Dengyo Daishi of Japan.
5. Gods and demigods: Brahman, Mara, Sakra, the Heavenly Kings of the Four Quarters (Shitenno), Surya, Candra, Aruna, Asuraraja, Nagaraja, Hariti and the ten female raksasa of India, Tensho Daijin and Hachiman Daibosatsu of Japan.
6. Two esoteric deities: Acalanatha (Fudo) and Ragaraja (Aizen) in the form of their Sanskrit symbols.

8. The Omandara Gohonzon

The Gohonzon worshipped by Nichiren Buddhists is the Eternal Sakyamuni Buddha. The Mandala is a depiction of the Pure World of the Gohonzon, not the Eternal Buddha himself. However, a number of factors, academic and conventional, compel us to apply the honorific title, Gohonzon, to the Mandala itself.

1. The Japanese feel it impolite to refer to someone ranked higher or something regarded as sacred by one’s name directly. Instead, the name of one’s residence or the locality of one’s abode is used. Dono, an honorific suffix attached to a personal name, primarily meant “mansion.” The “Imperial Palace,” for example, implies the Emperor. Similarly, the Mandala is called Gohonzon in place of the Eternal Buddha.

2. When Nichiren described the Purified Saha World in the Kanjin-honzon-sho, he positioned the Daimoku between the two Buddhas as the symbol of the Purified Saha World. Symbolism was very important during Nichiren’s day. Various warring families were distinguished by their particular crests, flags and banners. Nichiren thought that the Daimoku was the best symbol to characterize Nichiren Buddhism while all the other sects were more or less connected with the Nembutsu.

However, the Daimoku written in the center of the Mandala appears so gigantic and powerful that it overwhelms the surrounding beings. Even Sakayamuni Buddha is overshadowed by the Daimoku. This arrangement of the Mandala gave rise to the worship of the Daimoku as the Gohonzon. Some held that all the Buddhas including Sakyamuni, Bodhisattvas and other dignitaries as well as the gods and demigods inscribed in the Mandala, are the attendants of the Daimoku. This view was supported by the Japanese people who were fundamentally polytheistic.

3. The Mandala written on a piece of paper is fragile, easily worn out and torn. A more enduring material was necessary to maintain the Mandala. Therefore, wooden or metal statues were promoted in place of the Mandala. Idolization was promoted for another reason. In order to recover the dignity of the Original and Eternal Sakyamuni Buddha, which was overshadowed by the Daimoku in the Mandala, a set of the statues, one-Buddha-four-Bodhisattvas, was recommended for worship.

The frontier spirit of Nichiren, however, lies in the Mandala. Because the Mandala can be written anywhere, impromptu, it is suitable at the front of the Daimoku-chanting campaign.

The Daimoku by itself can stand as the Gohonzon. There exists the term Ippen-shudai-no-honzon, which means the “Gohonzon of the Daimoku Only.” The Daimoku is the symbol of all the Three Treasures of Nichiren Buddhism: The Original and Eternal Sakyamuni Buddha in One with the Historical Sakyamuni Buddha, the Wonderful Dharma of the Equality of All Living Beings, and the Samgha headed by Visistacaritra Bodhisattva, the First and Foremost Disciple of the Original Sakyamuni Buddha. When one sees the Daimoku inscribed on a flag, or a banner, or a stone monument, therein one can see the Buddha at once, and receive the protection of his messenger, Nichiren Shonin, the reincarnation of Visistacaritra Bodhisattva, Jogyo Bosatsu.

9. An Example of the Gohonzon Written by Nichiren

1. Dai Jikoku Tenno Dhrtarastra. The Heavenly King of the East.
2. Namu Muhengyo Bosatsu. Anantacaritra Bodhisattva.
3. Namu Jogyo Bosatsu. Visistacaritra Bodhisattva.
4. Namu Taho Nyorai. Prabhutaratna Tathagata.
5. Namu Myoho Renge Kyo.
6. Namu Shakamuni Butsu. Sakyamuni Buddha.
7. Namu Jogyo Bosatsu. Visuddha Bodhisattva.
8. Namu Anryugyo Bosatsu. Supratisthitacaritra.
9. Dai Bishamon Tenno. Vaisravana. The Heavenly King of the North.
10. The Sanskrit symbol of Fudo Myo-o or Acalanatha Vidyaraja
11. Dai Nittenno. Surya. The Sun-god.
12. Dairokuten Ma-o·. King Mara of the Sixth Heaven. Mara.
13. Dai Bontenno. Maha Brahman.
14. Namu Sharihotsu Sonja. The Venerable Sariputra.
15. Namu Yaku-o Bosatsu. Bhaisajyaraja Bodhisattva.
16. Namu Monjushiri Bosatsu. Manjusri Bodhisattva.
17. Namu Fugen Bosatsu: Samantabhadra Bodhisattva.
18. Namu Miroku Bosatsu. Maitreya Bodhisattva.
19. Namu Dai Kasho Sonja. The Venerable Mahakasyapa.
20. Shakudaikannin Dai-o. Sakra Devanam Indra. Sakra. Taishakuten.
21. Dai Gattenji. Candra. The Moon-god.
22. Myojo Tenji. Aruna. The Star-god.
23. The Sanskrit symbol of Aizen Myo-o or Ragaraja Vidyaraja.
24. Daibadatta. Devadatta.
25. Ashura-o. Asura-raja. Asura King.
26. Tenrin Jo-o. Gakravartin.
27. Ajase Dai-o. King Ajatasatru.
28. Dai Ryu-o. Naga-raja. Dragon King.
29. Kishimojin. Hariti. “Mother-of-devilish-children,” a female yaks a protecting children.
30. Jurasetsunyo. The ten female raksasas.
31. Namu Tendai Daishi. Chigi (538-597). A Chinese scholar of the Tendai Sect.
32. Namu Ryuju Bosatsu. Nagarjuna, who lived in the sec-ond century. An Indian scholar of Mahayana Buddhism.
33. Namu Myoraku Daishi. Tannen (717-782). A Chinese scholar of the Tendai Sect.
34. Namu Dengyo Daishi. Saicho (767-822). The founder of the Japanese Tendai Sect.
35. Dai Komoku Tenno. Virupaksa. The Heavenly King of the West.
36. “This Great Mandara was for the first time revealed in the Jambudvipa two thousand two handred twenty and some years after the extinction of the Buddha.”
37. Tensho Daijin. A Japanese god.
38. The signature of Nichiren.
39. Hachiman Dai Bosatsu. A Japanese god.
40. Dai Zocho Tenno. The Heavenly King of the South.
41. The third month of the third year of Koan, Kanoe-tatsu. (1280).

Notes:

1. Nos. 14 and 19 are Theravada Buddhist saints.
2. Nos. 31, 32, 33 and 34 are noted propagators of the Lotus Sutra.
3. Nos. 1, 9, 35 and 40 are called Shitenno or the Heavenly Kings of the Four Quarters.
4. Nos. 10 and 23 are the Sanskrit symbols of the two esoteric deities.

Rev. Senchu Murano

Born in 1908
Head Priest of the Myochoji Temple of Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
Graduate of Rissho University and University of Washington
Former Bishop of Nichiren Mission of Hawaii

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