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The Gohonzon, Explained

(Photo above courtesy of Buddhability)

Words on paper can carry great weight and value. A love letter can make our hearts soar. Reading the will of a deceased wealthy uncle can bring about serious family drama.

The Gohonzon, the object of respect in our Buddhist practice, consists of words on paper. For Nichiren Buddhists, the Gohonzon represents a graphical depiction, using words on paper, of Buddhahood.

Explaining the Gohonzon, the Buddhist philosopher Daisaku Ikeda says:

A map is just paper. But if we trust in the map and use it, we will arrive at our intended destination. The Gohonzon is the object of devotion for bringing forth a great state of life so that we can become genuinely happy.

The New Human Revolution, vol. 25, p. 163

The 13th-century Buddhist reformer Nichiren Daishonin inscribed the Gohonzon as a visual representation of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, which is the law or principle that all people have infinite courage, wisdom, compassion and inherent dignity. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to the Gohonzon allows us to fuse our individual existence with the life of the universe to build happy lives.

What is the Gohonzon exactly?

More specifically, the Gohonzon concretely depicts Nichiren’s awakening to the Mystic Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. He was the first to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, which literally means devotion to Myoho-renge-kyo (Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law)—the title of the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha’s highest teaching. A sutra’s title contains its essence, Nichiren believed, and he added nam to signify dedication to this sutra, which teaches that all people equally possess the Buddha nature.

On the Gohonzon, Nichiren uses Chinese and Sanskrit characters to depict the Lotus Sutra’s Ceremony in the Air. Down the center are the Chinese characters for Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, representing the treasure tower, the ceremony’s centerpiece, which symbolizes the world of Buddhahood.

The Gohonzon expresses the reality that all people, without exception, can reveal their inherent Buddhahood by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

The Gohonzon expresses the reality that all people, without exception, can reveal their inherent Buddhahood by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

What is the significance of the Gohonzon?

While we use mirrors to reflect our physical appearance, what can we use to see the inner workings of our heart and mind

The Gohonzon serves as a mirror that reflects our internal life. As the crystallization of the Buddha’s wisdom, it helps us clearly see and bring forth the ultimate truth that the Buddha’s virtues of compassion, wisdom and courage exist in us.

“Never seek this Gohonzon outside yourself,” Nichiren writes. “The Gohonzon exists only within the mortal flesh of us ordinary people who embrace the Lotus Sutra and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.” (“The Real Aspect of the Gohonzon,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 832)

In the mirror of the Gohonzon, “the Buddha,” rather than being a distant deity or ideal, is the most respectworthy state of life we can all strive to actualize amid our daily realities.

How can we use the Gohonzon effectively when we chant to it?

To experience the most effective results in chanting to the Gohonzon, we must be aware of what’s in our hearts when we pray, and strive to orient our prayers toward becoming happy and helping others do the same.

Chanting each day to the Gohonzon is a process of overcoming negativity and bringing forth the most positive determination to break through any deadlock.

Chanting each day to the Gohonzon is a process of overcoming negativity and bringing forth the most positive determination to break through any deadlock.

The more we repeat this process, the more easily it will become to act based on this determination and positively transform each situation with the wisdom, compassion, courage and life force that emanate from our inherent Buddhahood. And not only for ourselves, but introducing others expands access for people to also experience Buddhability.

This is why members of our Buddhability community consider the Gohonzon their most treasured possession.

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