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The Essentials for Attaining Buddhahood / WND pg. 746

The Essentials for Attaining Buddhahood / WND pg. 746

The “Expedient Means” chapter in volume one of the Lotus Sutra states, “The wisdom of the Buddhas is infinitely profound and immeasurable.” A commentary says that the riverbed of reality is described as “infinitely profound” because it is boundless, and that the water of wisdom is described as “immeasurable” because it is hard to fathom.(1)

Is not the meaning of the sutra and the commentary that the way to Buddhahood lies within the two elements of reality and wisdom? Reality means the true nature of all phenomena, and wisdom means the illuminating and manifesting of this true nature. Thus when the riverbed of reality is infinitely broad and deep, the water of wisdom will flow ceaselessly. When this reality and wisdom are fused, one attains Buddhahood in one’s present form.

The sutras expounded prior to the Lotus Sutra cannot lead to Buddhahood because they are provisional and expedient teachings that separate reality and wisdom. The Lotus Sutra, however, unites the two as a single entity. The sutra says that the Buddhas open the door of Buddha wisdom to all living beings, show it, cause them to awaken to it, and induce them to enter its path. By realizing this Buddha wisdom, one attains Buddhahood.(2)

This inner enlightenment of the Buddha is far beyond the understanding of voice-hearers and pratyekabuddhas. This is why the “Expedient Means” chapter goes on to say, “Not one of the voice-hearers or pratyekabuddhas is able to comprehend it.” What then are these two elements of reality and wisdom? They are simply the five characters of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Shakyamuni Buddha called forth the Bodhisattvas of the Earth and entrusted to them these five characters that constitute the essence of the sutra. This is the teaching that was transferred to the bodhisattvas who had been the disciples of the Buddha since the remote past.

The Lotus Sutra states that Bodhisattva Superior Practices and the others will appear in the first five hundred years of the Latter Day of the Law to propagate the five characters, the embodiment of the two elements of reality and wisdom. The sutra makes this perfectly clear. Who could possibly dispute it? I, Nichiren, am neither Bodhisattva Superior Practices nor his envoy, but I precede them, spreading the five characters to prepare the way. Bodhisattva Superior Practices received the water of the wisdom of the Mystic Law from the Thus Come One Shakyamuni and causes it to flow into the wasteland of the people’s lives in the evil world of the latter age. This is the function of wisdom. Shakyamuni Buddha transferred this teaching to Bodhisattva Superior Practices, and now Nichiren propagates it in Japan. With regard to the transfer of teachings, it is divided into two categories: general and specific. If you confuse the general with the specific even in the slightest, (3) you will never be able to attain Buddhahood and will wander in suffering through endless transmigrations of births and deaths.

For example, the voice-hearers in Shakyamuni Buddha’s lifetime received the seeds of Buddhahood from Shakyamuni in the distant past when he was the sixteenth son of the Buddha Great Universal Wisdom Excellence. Therefore, they could not attain enlightenment by following Amida, Medicine Master, or any other Buddha. To illustrate, if a family member brings home water from the ocean, the entire family can use it. But were they to refuse even a single drop of that water and instead go looking for water from some other ocean, it would be terribly misguided and foolish. In the same way, to forget the original teacher who had brought one the water of wisdom from the great ocean of the Lotus Sutra and instead follow another would surely cause one to sink into the endless sufferings of birth and death.

One should abandon even one’s teacher if he or she is misguided, though there will be cases where this is not necessary. One should decide according to the principles both of the world and of Buddhism. Priests in the Latter Day of the Law are ignorant of the principles of Buddhism and are conceited, so they despise the correct teacher and fawn on patrons. True priests are those who are honest and who desire little and yet know satisfaction. Volume one of The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra states: “Those who have yet to attain the truth should humble themselves before the highest principle, which is comparable to heaven, and feel abashed before all the sages. Then they will be monks with a sense of shame. When they manifest insight and wisdom, then they will be true monks.”

The Nirvana Sutra states: “If even a good monk sees someone destroying the teaching and disregards him, failing to reproach him, to oust him, or to punish him for his offense, then you should realize that that monk is betraying the Buddha’s teaching. But if he ousts the destroyer of the Law, reproaches him, or punishes him, then he is my disciple and a true voice-hearer.” You should etch deeply in your mind the two words “see” and “disregard” in the phrase “sees someone destroying the teaching and disregards him, failing to reproach him.” Both teacher and followers will surely fall into the hell of incessant suffering if they see enemies of the Lotus Sutra but disregard them and fail to reproach them. The Great Teacher Nan-yüeh says that they “will fall into hell along with those evil persons.”(4) To hope to attain Buddhahood without speaking out against slander is as futile as trying to find water in the midst of fire or fire in the midst of water. No matter how sincerely one believes in the Lotus Sutra, if one is guilty of failing to rebuke slander of the Law, one will surely fall into hell, just as a single crab leg will ruin a thousand pots of lacquer. This is the meaning of the passage in the sutra, “Because the poison has penetrated deeply and their minds no longer function as before.”(5)

The sutra states, “Those persons who had heard the Law dwelled here and there in various Buddha lands, constantly reborn in company with their teachers,”(6) and “If one stays close to the teachers of the Law, one will speedily gain the bodhisattva way. By following and learning from these teachers one will see Buddhas as numerous as Ganges sands.”(7) A commentary says, “Originally one followed this Buddha and for the first time conceived the desire to seek the way. And by following this Buddha again, one will reach the stage where there is no retrogression.”(8) Another commentary says, “In the beginning one followed this Buddha or bodhisattva and formed a bond with him, and so it will be through this Buddha or bodhisattva that one will attain one’s goal.”(9) Above all, be sure to follow your original teacher so that you are able to attain Buddhahood. Shakyamuni Buddha is the original teacher for all people, and moreover, he is endowed with the virtues of sovereign and parent. Because I have expounded this teaching, I have been exiled and almost killed. As the saying goes, “Good advice grates on the ear.” But still I am not discouraged. The Lotus Sutra is like the seed, the Buddha like the sower, and the people like the field. If you deviate from these principles, not even I can save you in your next life.

With my deep respect,

Nichiren

The third day of the eighth month in the second year of Kenji (1276), cyclical sign hinoe-ne

To Soya


Background

This letter is addressed to Soya, a lay follower who lived in Soya Village in Shimosa Province. His full name and title were Soya Jiro Hyoe-no-jo Kyoshin, and he is thought to have been an officer of the high court of the Kamakura shogunate. He had converted to Nichiren Daishonin’s teachings around 1260 and became one of the leading believers in the area, together with Toki Jonin and Ota Jomyo.

In 1271, Soya became a lay priest and was given the Buddhist name Horen Nichirai by the Daishonin. Horen built two temples and lived at one of them until he died in 1291 at the age of sixty-eight.

In this letter, the Daishonin first quotes the “Expedient Means” chapter of the Lotus Sutra and states, “The way to Buddhahood lies within the two elements of reality and wisdom.” Reality indicates the ultimate truth that the Law permeates all phenomena in the universe. Wisdom, on the other hand, means the ability to perceive and understand this truth. When this wisdom exists — when the “water of wisdom” fills the “riverbed of reality”— it is known as the fusion of reality and wisdom. This is enlightenment. In other words, one illuminates and manifests the Law in one’s own life.

The Daishonin stresses that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the Law that unites both reality and wisdom; it is the seed of Buddhahood for all people in the Latter Day. This Law is to be propagated by Bodhisattva Superior Practices at the beginning of the Latter Day. The Daishonin states that he is the first one to embark on this great mission, by which he is really indicating that he is the original teacher who will lead all people to enlightenment.

Next, he points out that any teacher or disciple who ignores those who commit slander of the Law will fall into hell. This amounts to a compassionate warning about the responsibility believers have to protect the Buddha’s teaching.

Notes

1. This commentary is based on passages from The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra and The Annotations on “The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra.”
2. The wording of the Japanese text has been expanded for clarity. In the “Expedient Means” chapter of the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni reveals the “one great reason” why the Buddhas make their advent in the world. He says it is to enable all people to realize their inherent Buddha wisdom.
3. The general refers to an overall or surface view, and the specific, to a deeper, more sharply delineated view. In the “Entrustment” chapter of the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni makes a general transfer of the sutra to all the bodhisattvas present, but in the “Supernatural Powers” chapter, he spe cifically transfers the essence of the sutra, or the Mystic Law, to Bodhisattva Superior Practices and the other Bodhisattvas of the Earth.
4. This phrase is found in a passage from On the Peaceful Practices of the Lotus Sutra, which reads: “If there should be a bodhisattva who protects evil persons and fails to chastise them . . . then, when his life comes to an end, he will fall into hell along with those evil persons.”
5. Lotus Sutra, chap. 16.
6. Ibid., chap. 7.
7. Ibid., chap. 10.
8. Profound Meaning.
9. The Annotations on “The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra.”

 

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The Object of Devotion--The Gohonzon: Its Meaning, Words and Imagery

By Shin Yatomi
SGI-USA Vice Study Department Leader

The following essay was presented at the SGI-USA Study Department conference held at the Florida Nature and Culture Center on April 21-23, 2000.

One of the most debated issues regarding any religious object is whether it is sacred or represents the sacred. Put another way, is it an actual embodiment or symbol of what is to be revered in worship? Those questions about the nature of religious objects have played no small part in the history of religion.

The Iconoclastic Controversy in which Christians debated the merits of religious icons is considered the last step toward the great schism between the Roman Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church in 1054.(1) The interpretation of the Eucharist—the consecrated bread and wine used in Holy Communion—has been another source of doctrinal disputes in the Christian Church since the earlier Middle Ages, especially during the Reformation period. At the thirteenth session of the Council of Trent held in 1551, the Roman Catholic Church reaffirmed its doctrine of transubstantiation, asserting the conversion of the whole substance of the bread and wine into the whole substance of the Body and Blood of Christ, only the appearances of the bread and wine remaining after the consecration.(2)

The Protestants opposed this view. For example, Martin Luther claimed that after the consecration, the substances both of the Body and Blood of Christ and of the bread and wine coexist in union with each other.(3) Ulrich Zwingli, on the other hand, affirmed that the Lord's Supper was primarily a memorial rite, and that there was no change in the elements whatever.(4)

As evident in the history of Christianity, religious objects often trigger tension and anxiety for those who think that the divine is beyond material expression. At the same time, people tend to seek something tangible as an object or expression of their devotion. Some people regard a sign of the divine as the divine itself while others reduce the significance of a sacred object to a ritual symbol devoid of its own spirituality. The nature of a religious object, in this way, is often at the center of theological debate and confusion in many religions.

Is the Gohonzon a Symbol or the Embodiment?

In the case of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism, its object of devotion works as both symbol and embodiment. When people look at the Gohonzon(5) for the first time, what do they see? What do they make of it? It is a scroll with unfamiliar inscriptions, but is it a religious icon or sacred formula? Whatever their reaction, it is difficult not to notice oriental calligraphic characters arranged in a specific pattern— though most have no idea what those characters mean or why they are arranged that way. As our first impressions of things often reveal some important insights into their nature, what most of us first notice about the appearance of the Gohonzon, that is, its written characters and their graphic arrangement, provides us with some clues to Nichiren Daishonin's intent in creating this object of devotion.

In one sense, the Gohonzon represents the Daishonin's enlightenment and, thereby, our innate Buddha nature. The Gohonzon is a symbol of all people's potential Buddhahood; it signifies something other than itself. This is why the Daishonin explains to his elderly disciple Abutsu-bo the meaning of his offerings to the Gohonzon—which is referred to as “the treasure tower”—as follows: “You may think you offered gifts to the treasure tower of the Thus Come One Many Treasures,(6) but that is not so. You offered them to yourself. You, yourself, are a Thus Come One who is originally enlightened and endowed with the three bodies.(7) You should chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with this conviction” (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, pp. 299-300). Here the Daishonin explains that when we pray to the Gohonzon, the Gohonzon is pointing our attention to our own innate Buddha nature. The Gohonzon reflects our reverence back to our supreme inner potential. In this sense, the Gohonzon functions as a pointer to our Buddhahood; it is a symbolic representation. In the above passage, therefore, the Daishonin cautions us not to mistake the sign for the signified, which would externalize and objectify the Buddhahood that actually resides within us.

From another perspective, however, the Gohonzon functions as an embodiment of the Daishonin's enlightenment. The Gohonzon is not intrinsically a self-conscious, living entity embodying the Daishonin's enlightenment, but it functions in our practice as if it were. The Daishonin explains: “I, Nichiren, have inscribed my life in sumi ink, so believe in the Gohonzon with your whole heart. The Buddha's will is the Lotus Sutra, but the soul of Nichiren is nothing other than Nam-myoho-renge-kyo” (WND, 412). When we put our faith in the Gohonzon and pray to it in the spirit of this passage, the Gohonzon transforms itself from mere paper and ink into a concrete manifestation of the Daishonin's enlightenment in the reality of our consciousness. The Gohonzon thus works as an external stimulus that calls forth our inner potential of Buddhahood. On one hand, we know that the Gohonzon is a symbolic representation of our Buddha nature. In our practice, on the other hand, we pray to it as if it were the actual embodiment of the Daishonin's enlightened life so that we may gain confidence that the selfsame nature exists within our lives as well. Viewing the Gohonzon as the embodiment of the Daishonin's enlightenment is not simplistic make-believe, although the Gohonzon physically remains as paper and ink; it is the affirmation of our faith in the Daishonin's enlightenment and in our own enlightened potential. The Gohonzon, in a sense, serves on behalf of the absent Daishonin as a concrete example of attaining enlightenment.

The Gohonzon, in this way, helps our practice as both symbol and embodiment of Buddhahood. It must be noted, however, that the Gohonzon as an embodiment of enlightenment should not be taken to mean the mysterious presence of the divine in the inanimate object. The Gohonzon becomes an embodiment of Buddhahood through our faith and practice. In other words, the importance of the Gohonzon as the embodiment of the Daishonin's enlightenment is meaningful and real only to the extent that practitioners pray to it with faith and view it as an example to follow, not as an external saving force. The meaning of the Gohonzon as intended by the Daishonin, in this sense, is created through a dynamic interaction between the object of devotion and its devotee. The significance of the Gohonzon, therefore, would be incomplete without the practitioner's faith and practice.

The Treasure Tower: the Imagery of the Gohonzon

The design of the Gohonzon dates back to the origin of Mahayana Buddhism, which took shape around the turn of the first century in India. In reaction to monastic Buddhism, which emphasized personal salvation through austerities, Mahayana Buddhists stressed the importance of altruism and the role of lay practitioners (i.e., bodhisattvas) to spread the teachings. The Mahayanists called their doctrine “Mahayana” or “the greater vehicle” to carry the masses to the shore of enlightenment while referring to monastic Buddhism as “Hinayana” or “the lesser vehicle.” The popular Mahayana movement developed around the worship of stupas—mounds or towers originally built to enshrine Shakyamuni's relics. After Shakyamuni's death, which is dated by many scholars around the fourth or fifth century before the Common Era, his lay followers started to build these stupas, especially during the reign of King Ashoka (268-232 BCE), who was the third ruler of the Maurya dynasty and the first king to unify India. Many lay followers gathered around the stupas and paid homage to the Buddha, who was now absent.

The popularity of stupa worship is evident in the central role of the jeweled tower in the Lotus Sutra, one of the early Mahayana sutras, which is thought to have been compiled around the first century.(8) The Daishonin used the stupa or “treasure tower” from the Lotus Sutra as a chief graphic motif for inscribing the Gohonzon. Down the center of the Gohonzon is written “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo Nichiren,” which signifies his awakening to the universal law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo or Buddhahood. As he explains, “The treasure tower is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo” (WND, 299), the Daishonin views the treasure tower depicted in the Lotus Sutra as symbolic of the Buddha nature inherent within the lives of all people. Thus he addresses one of his disciples as follows: “Abutsu-bo is therefore the treasure tower itself, and the treasure tower is Abutsu-bo himself” (WND, 299).

The inscriptions on both sides of “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo Nichiren” on the Gohonzon depict the assembly of various living beings who gather around the treasure tower to listen to Shakyamuni's preaching as described in the Lotus Sutra. Some of them are not even humans, such as the dragon king's daughter who demonstrates her enlightenment. The diversity of this so-called Assembly in the Air in the Lotus Sutra reflects the nature of the early stupa worship, which was not limited to the elite priestly class but was open to people from all walks of life. These inscriptions on the Gohonzon represent the ten states of existence (i.e., the Ten Worlds): intense suffering and despair (Hell); insatiable desires (Hunger); selfish foolishness (Animality); arrogance and belligerence (Anger); transient calmness (Humanity); intense yet temporary rapture (Heaven); self-improvement (Learning); self-awakening to the partial truths of nature and humanity (Realization); altruism (Bodhisattva); and the indestructible state of happiness rooted in compassion and wisdom (Buddhahood). The Gohonzon graphically shows that each of these ten states of existence—when firmly grounded in the law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo—exhibits its most positive functions to nurture one's life and happiness. For example, although we may find ourselves in the state of Hell, through our prayer to the Gohonzon, we can transform our intense suffering and despair into a source of strength and hope to overcome our difficulties. Incidentally, some ritual aspects involving our practice to the Gohonzon may be reminiscent of the stupa worship of the early Mahayana Buddhists. For example, the sounding of the bell may derive from the offerings of music often performed in front of a stupa. Other offerings to the Gohonzon may also be traced backed to early stupa worship, such as the offerings of flowers and incense as depicted in the Lotus Sutra.

Words and Imagery: Subjective Universality

The mode of expression that the Daishonin chose for the imagery of the treasure tower is unique. He depicted the treasure tower and the surrounding assembly of various beings in written characters. While there are examples of pictorial depictions of the treasure tower or calligraphic religious objects that predate the Gohonzon,(9) the Daishonin's imagery of the treasure tower depicted solely in written characters was rare if not unprecedented. His use of graphic characters follows the emphasis placed on scriptures in the Buddhist tradition. After Shakyamuni's death, stupas containing Shakyamuni's relics became objects of veneration among lay practitioners. Soon the pictorial and sculptural images of Shakyamuni and other imagined Buddhas, as well as bodhisattvas and Buddhist deities, were produced as religious icons. Furthermore, especially within the Mahayana tradition, greater emphasis was placed on scriptures, even to the point where people literally worshiped the scrolls of Buddhist texts. For example, in medieval India, the Wisdom (Skt Prajnaparamita) sutras became the objects of devotion among many Mahayana Buddhists.(10) Regarding the religious importance of scriptures within the Mahayana tradition, Jacob N. Kinnard comments: “Relics and stupas are certainly worthy of veneration…but the book is more valuable and more valued, because the book is the source of the Tathagata's wisdom, and consequently the source of his attainment of enlightenment, and thus the source of the value of the relics.”(11)

The Daishonin also often stresses the important role of written materials, particularly the Lotus Sutra. For example, he states: “The Lotus Sutra is both the teaching of the Buddha and the embodiment of the Buddha wisdom. If one puts sincere faith in each character and brushstroke in it, then one will become a Buddha in one's present form” (WND, 969). In refuting medieval Zen Buddhism, which rejected the role of Buddhist scriptures, the Daishonin states: “If one disregards written characters, what else could one regard as the Buddha's work?” (Gosho Zenshu, p. 153). He also writes: “Characters are the forms that manifest the minds of all living beings” (GZ, 380).

The Daishonin's use of written characters as a medium for the Gohonzon reflects his strong belief in the role of written materials in communicating not only the material reality of things, but also the spiritual reality of humanity. The Daishonin's use of the treasure tower's imagery as a graphic motif for the Gohonzon and his use of written characters as a medium of expression show his profound insight into the nature of religious worship. He seems to have understood how an image and a written text speak differently to our minds. In inscribing the Gohonzon as an image expressed in characters, the Daishonin unifies the specificity of a graphic image with the universality of written characters to convey the reality of the Buddha nature that is unique to each person and simultaneously universal to all people. The subjective yet universal aspect of the Buddha nature is at the core of the Daishonin's teaching, which promotes our awareness of the supreme potential not only in our lives but in the lives of others as well.

The Gohonzon is concrete in the sense that it depicts a specific image. But it is not a pictorial image of the treasure tower, Shakyamuni or Nichiren Daishonin himself. If the Gohonzon took such a form, it would be easy to view the Gohonzon as a depiction of someone else's life or an event far removed from our lives. If the Gohonzon were rendered as the Daishonin's image, for example, we might respect it, but we would not identify with it. For we simply don't look like a thirteenth-century Japanese monk! The Daishonin instead created the Gohonzon in characters to depict the specific imagery of the treasure tower from the Lotus Sutra, which symbolizes our innate Buddhahood. Written characters are suited to express universal concepts. But they are often abstract and lack a sense of immediacy. Images, on the other hand, are better suited to elicit personal responses from their viewers because they are more immediate to our senses. The Gohonzon, in terms of its graphic motif and calligraphic medium, is a hybrid of written and visual communication. Judging from the way the Daishonin chose to inscribe the Gohonzon, he probably intended it to communicate both conceptually and sensuously to our minds the universality of the Buddha nature and its immediacy to our lives.

Jean Paul Friedrich Richter, a German literary critic, explains the subjective yet universal nature of poetry as follows: “Poetry should become like the moon, which by night follows one wanderer in the woods from peak to peak and at the same time another from wave to wave and thus attends each, while it simply describes its great arc across heaven and yet ultimately draws it around the earth and around the wanderers also.”(12)

Richter's analogy of the moon is fit to describe the functions of the Gohonzon. The Gohonzon illuminates the existence of Buddhahood for each practitioner. At the same time, the Gohonzon traces the orbit of enlightenment for all people to see. The Gohonzon—like the moon individually following all travelers on earth—sheds light on the innate Buddhahood in each of us.

The Daishonin's intent to make the Gohonzon's meaning universal to all people is also evident in the linguistic and cultural aspects of the Gohonzon. He used the words and personages of India, China and Japan to depict the Gohonzon.(13)

Two Buddhist deities are inscribed in a medieval Sanskrit orthography; Great Bodhisattva Hachiman comes from Japanese mythology, and there is the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai, who established the Lotus Sutra's supremacy in medieval China. In medieval Japan, those three countries were viewed as the entirety of the civilized world. In other words, the Daishonin probably wished to make the Gohonzon universal in its language and content as well.

Some of the physical features of the Gohonzon suggest the Daishonin's minute considerations to make the object of devotion suited to the message that it carries to each and all practitioners: the personal yet universal reality of the Buddha nature. Of course, what is most important in our practice is the act of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to the Gohonzon. The seemingly minor details of the Gohonzon, however, sometimes reveal much about the Daishonin's wisdom and compassion. The goal of this article is that knowing those details may help us become more aware of the Daishonin's intent behind his inscription of the Gohonzon and thereby pray more strongly and confidently.


1. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 3rd edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997. “Iconoclastic Controversy,” pp. 815-16.
2. Ibid. “Eucharist,” p. 567; “Transubstantiation,” p. 1637.
3. Ibid. “Consubstantiation,” p. 408.
4. Ibid. “Eucharist,” p. 567.
5. The object of devotion in Nichiren Daishonin?s Buddhism is called the Gohonzon. “Go” is an honorific prefix, and “honzon” means an object of fundamental respect.
6. Many Treasures is a Buddha who appeared, seated within the treasure tower at the Ceremony in the Air, in order to lend credence to Shakyamuni's teachings in the Lotus Sutra.
7. Three kinds of body that a Buddha possesses, namely: (1) the Dharma body, which indicates the fundamental truth or Law to which a Buddha is enlightened; (2) the reward body, which indicates the wisdom; and (3) the manifested body, or the merciful actions of a Buddha to save people and the physical form that he assumes for that purpose. The three bodies are generally considered to be three different types of Buddhas, but in the Lotus Sutra they are shown to be the three aspects of a single Buddha (“Glossary, ”WND, 1275).
8.Nakamura, Hajime. Indian Buddhism: A Survey with Bibliographical Notes. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, 1989. p. 186.
9. Stone, Jacqueline I. Original Enlightenment and the Transformation of Medieval Japanese Buddhism. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1999. pp. 272-88.
10. Kinnard, Jacob N. Imaging Wisdom: Seeing and Knowing in the Art of Indian Buddhism. Surrey: Curzon Press, 1999. pp. 114-47.
11. Ibid. p. 119.
12. Richter, Jean Paul Friedrich. “School for Aesthetics.” German Romantic Criticism. The German Library: Vol. 21. Ed. A. Leslie Willson. New York: Continuum, 1982. p. 45.
13. For the meaning of each inscription on the Gohonzon, see the “Diagram of the Gohonzon Transcribed by High Priest Nichikan” and “Further Explanation” in Living Buddhism, November 1997, pp. 16-17, pp. 19-24.


from: http://sokaspirit.org/resource/lb/2000-09-01.shtml

 

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PS: I agree with Desi. Southwind your photos are Wonderful!

Bowing in humble obeisance to all,

Thomas

 

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On the Treasure Tower / WND pg. 299

On the Treasure Tower / WND pg. 299

I HAVE read your letter with great care. I have also received your offering to the treasure tower of one thousand coins, polished rice, and other articles. This I have respectfully reported to the Gohonzon and to the Lotus Sutra. Please rest assured.

In your letter you ask, “What is signified by the Thus Come One Many Treasures and his treasure tower, which appeared from beneath the earth?” The teaching on the treasure tower is of great importance. In the eighth volume of his Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra, the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai explains the appearance of the treasure tower. He states that it has two distinct functions: to lend credence to the preceding chapters and to pave the way for the revelation to come. Thus the treasure tower appeared in order to verify the theoretical teaching and to introduce the essential teaching. To put it another way, the closed tower symbolizes the theoretical teaching, and the open tower, the essential teaching. The open tower reveals the two elements of reality and wisdom. (1) This is extremely complex, however, so I will not go into further detail now.

In essence, the appearance of the treasure tower indicates that on hearing the Lotus Sutra the three groups of voice-hearers perceived for the first time the treasure tower within their own lives. Now Nichiren’s disciples and lay supporters are also doing this. In the Latter Day of the Law, no treasure tower exists other than the figures of the men and women who embrace the Lotus Sutra. It follows, therefore, that whether eminent or humble, high or low, those who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo are themselves the treasure tower, and, likewise, are themselves the Thus Come One Many Treasures. No treasure tower exists other than Myoho-renge-kyo. The daimoku of the Lotus Sutra is the treasure tower, and the treasure tower is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

At present the entire body of the Honorable Abutsu is composed of the five elements of earth, water, fire, wind, and space. These five elements are also the five characters of the daimoku. Abutsu-bo is therefore the treasure tower itself, and the treasure tower is Abutsu-bo himself. No other knowledge is purposeful. It is the treasure tower adorned with the seven kinds of treasures— hearing the correct teaching, believing it, keeping the precepts, engaging in meditation, practicing assiduously, renouncing one’s attachments, and reflecting on oneself. You may think you offered gifts to the treasure tower of the Thus Come One Many Treasures, but that is not so. You offered them to yourself. You, yourself, are a Thus Come One who is originally enlightened and endowed with the three bodies. You should chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with this conviction. Then the place where you chant daimoku will become the dwelling place of the treasure tower. The sutra reads, “If there is any place where the Lotus Sutra is preached, then my treasure tower will come forth and appear in that spot.”(2) Faith like yours is so extremely rare that I will inscribe the treasure tower especially for you. You must never transfer it to anyone but your son. You must never show it to others unless they have steadfast faith. This is the reason for my advent in this world.

Abutsu-bo, you deserve to be called a leader of this northern province. Could it be that Bodhisattva Pure Practices has been reborn into this world as Abutsu-bo and visited me? How wonderful! How marvelous! I do not understand how it is that you have such faith. I will leave it to Bodhisattva Superior Practices when he appears, as he has the power to know these things. I am not saying all this without good reason. You and your wife should worship this treasure tower privately. I will explain more later.

With my deep respect,

Nichiren

The thirteenth day of the third month in the ninth year of Bun’ei (1272), cyclical sign mizunoe-saru

To the Honorable Abutsu-bo

Background

Nichiren Daishonin sent this letter in the third month of 1272 to his disciple Abutsu-bo Nittoku. One story has it that Abutsu-bo was a samurai who had accompanied the Retired Emperor Juntoku to Sado when he was exiled there as a result of the Jokyu Disturbance of 1221. It is more likely, however, that he was a native of Sado Island. In either case, he was a longtime resident of the island. He went to Tsukahara to debate with the Daishonin and was converted to the Daishonin’s teaching. He and his wife became loyal supporters of the Daishonin and brought him food and other necessities for much of the time he was on the island. After the Daishonin took up residence at Mount Minobu, Abutsu-bo made at least three visits there, despite his advanced age. He died in 1279 at the age of ninety-one.

The treasure tower described in the Lotus Sutra is of awesome proportions, and its meaning puzzled Abutsu-bo. In this letter the Daishonin gives his aged disciple a striking glimpse into the reality of life. The ceremony depicted in the Lotus Sutra is not a historical event during which a colossal jewel encrusted stupa actually emerged from the ground. Rather, the appearance of the treasure tower symbolizes a ceremony of life; it is a metaphor for the emergence from deep within the human being of the highest state of life.

Notes

1. Reference is to the ultimate reality of Buddhahood innate in life and the wisdom to perceive that reality. These are represented, respectively, by the Buddhas MaTreasures and Shakyamuni seated together within the open treasure tower.
2. A rephrasing of a passage in chapter of the Lotus Sutra.

 

[Desiderata]

WOW, brother Thomas you have opened my eyes, again...........on my question about what really constitutes compassion........and I know/feel you are right. It still boils down ultimately to chanting nam myoho renge kyo (the fundamental law of the universe) to the Gohonzon for the fusion of reality and wisdom.

Without the Gohonzon I'm fucked. The Gohonzon can't be here and now for me because it's more my district leaders or the SGI because they are in 'control' of it, not me. It has to be in a proper place by their liking, their right height, with all the altar givings, with "complete access" by the district leader to come over and chant gongyo at different times of the year. Toda and Makiguchi never had a Gohonzon in prison during WW2 but still practiced what is recoginized today as pure and ultimate faith.
But If I practice without a Gohonzon I can never reach any full potential because two women in my life differ over what is a clean and comfortable habitat for the Gohonzon.

I would have to turn my life upside down to receive it now. So as stated last week, President Ikeda said some times you have to chip away at alittle at a time to finally reach a goal.........for I have not given up.........I'm just working my ass off with younger folks than myself to put food on the table, and time for me right now is a luxury............I don't have time to run around and chant at everyones home. Forgive me for my complaining, but it's a fact of life for me at the present. But i still chant my ass off to nature and these four walls.

Deep respect, Desi!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Well, well.....Ha! That's a lot of bullshit they are laying on you dude! If these are district level folks they are full of shit as far as I can tell! But this is your karmic cause and effect my Brother!

Shit! I have never heard of that kind of crap before! Ever! If you aren't adding any twists to what they are saying I would seek a higher person in the organization to communicate this issue with. It wouldn't be the first time a well intentioned layperson got a little too sanctimonious with their responsibilities.

But the bottom line is that there are no truly valid excuses if you really want it. You are a Buddha and you know it! Chant for wisdom, devise a plan, and execute. Set a goal or target and chant for that to happen! Don’t let the Devil sway you in that process and you are assured to win.

Fuck ‘em! They can’t stop you unless you let them! It’s not up to them—it’s up to you. As soon as you truly believe that and perceive that, it’s game over. Whoever is blocking your path will get blasted out of the way.

Promise!

T

 

[PassTheDoobie]

And PS: Once you have it there isn't a Goddamn thing they can do to demand access to your home. That's got to be a mistake in your understanding of what they are saying. It's got to be.

I assure NONE of the rest of us that have received Gohonzon through the SGI (at least no one posting here) have any conditions placed on us requiring us to give access to our homes unless they are invited. I would be VERY shocked if you've got that right.

If it's true, PM me their phone numbers so I can blast them myself.

Deep respect,

T

 

[Desiderata]

T, thankyou for your quick reply.........Yeah "complete Access" is a twist of words, but Ann & I feel that way........that we have to be ready at all times, because she invites herself, basically............that was that post I deleted.

You are right,.... this is my Karma. I'm paying for my foolish past.........which answers Southwinds question, about using our time wisely.

Trying to get a Gohonzon at age 57 is like climbing Mt. Everest. You might die while challenging your courage like never before.

Things are easier if you have lived shorter of a time with less foolish acts to Karma out of......I know BS, but it's how I feel at the moment bro. I see why SGI encourages youth, because one can have a lifetime of wisdom and reality fused by the Gohonzon.

I'm still here, I'm cleaning as we speak............love, Desi

 

[Desiderata]

push open the heavy, groaning doorway of life itself....

push open the heavy, groaning doorway of life itself....

I'm going into study mode on this CREATIVITY by President Ikeda, and T's material on this page.....with action everyday of course until I reach the top!

The times when I have most intensely felt and experienced the inner reality of creation have been those times when I have thrown myself wholeheartedly into a task, when I have carried through with that task to the very end. At such times, I experience a dramatically expanded sense of self. I can almost hear the joyous yell of victory issuing from the depths of my being.

This sense of fulfillment and joy is the crystallization of all the effort—each drop of sweat, each tear—expended to reach that moment. Life's inherent creativity, its dynamic vitality, is brought to the surface only through the strenuous exertions of a life of consistent action.

Such a way of life will meet with storms and heavy rains, times of seeming defeat. But the creative essence of life is never crushed or vanquished by such things. It is sustained by knowledge of the brilliant rainbow whose bright arch will eventually stretch across the inner expanse of your being.

Indulgence and indolence produce nothing creative. Complaints and evasions reflect a cowardly spirit; they corrupt and undermine life's natural creative thrust. When life is denuded of the will to struggle creatively, it sinks into a state of hellish destructiveness directed at all that lives.

Never for an instant forget the effort to renew your life, to build yourself anew. Creativity means to push open the heavy, groaning doorway of life itself. This is not an easy task. Indeed, it may be the most severely challenging struggle there is. For opening the door to your own life is in the end more difficult than opening the door to all the mysteries of the universe.

But to do so is to vindicate your existence as human beings. Even more, it is the mode of existence that is authentically attuned to the innermost truths of life itself; it makes us worthy of the gift of life.

There is no way of life more desolate or more pitiful than one of ignorance of the fundamental joy that issues from the struggle to generate and regenerate one's own life from within. To be human is much more than the mere biological facts of standing erect and exercising reason and intelligence. The full and genuine meaning of our humanity is found in tapping the creative fonts of life itself.

The struggle to create new life from within is a truly wonderful thing. There is found the brilliant wisdom that guides and directs the workings of reason; the light of insight that penetrates the farthest reaches of the universe; the undaunted will to see justice done that meets and challenges all the assaults of evil; the spirit of unbounded care that embraces all who suffer. When these are fused with that energy of compassion that pours forth from the deepest sources of cosmic life, an ecstatic rhythm arises to color the lives of all people.

As you meet various trials and difficulties, thus polishing all the many facets of the jewel which is life, you will learn to walk that supreme pathway of humanity. Of this, I am confident, and I am confident too that those who embrace life's native creativity now stand and will continue to stand in the vanguard of history. Bringing the creativity of life to its fullest flowering is the work of human revolution. Carrying out this kind of human revolution is your mission now as it will be throughout your lives.


Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo!

PS. I remember I made Human Revolution my Cause.

PSS. My District Leader is a good person,..........I can see she knows that I'm a buddha, heck she said I was,.........one has to know their obligations to life, ya know?............Much Love, Desi!

 

[Desiderata]

I live with a big but........or a lot of buts.....lol

I live with a big but........or a lot of buts.....lol

"But Why", "but this, but that"..........but of course, I get the message. "I've been a big but whole of life!".........Desi, over & out!

 

[Desiderata]

Happiness IS:

Happiness IS:

Genuine happiness is found in courage. Courage is the gateway to happiness.....President Ikeda......"without a doubt, all this good shit is only derived from true courage........where does that come from".....Desi?

 

[Desiderata]

What is courage?

What is courage?

When we draw strength from within, our outlook undergoes a dramatic transformation; everything around us looks completely different. To be strong—that is the key to happiness...........President Ikeda

So Courage is true happiness.......that is my take on the subject........It must come directly from the "Life Force" itself, a river that flows continuously through out the Universe and beyond all time.......carrying precious cargo, not 'Dutch Cargo' with an eye patch, but three eyes or more......Desi

 

[Babbabud]

Nam myoho renge kyo

Nam myoho renge kyo

Perhaps I should type a bit about my receiving Gohonzon. It was much different in my district.
The very first meeting I showed up at I introduced myself and then the very first words out of my mouth were..." I'm here to receive my Gohonzon" and then "how and when can I get it " . You see I had a plan. I'm pretty introverted in many ways and felt that i wanted my Gohonzon but because of my lifestyle and quirky self I didn't want to really get involved with the local group. I was deadset that I was going to receive Gohonzon though. So each meeting I went to the first thing I would ask is when and how can i get my Gohonzon. People were shocked a bit but also pretty cool about the whole thing. They could tell that I was very serious and asked how long I had been chanting and how I got turned on to it. I told them that I had found it on the internet ... I think they just thought I had found the SGI site as they didnt really question me as to where on the internet. Actually I had found the "Chanting Growers Thread". So for about a straight month I made it very clear at each meeting that I was there to get my Gohonzon as quickly as possible. Prolly took me about 6 to 8 weeks total time from when I first met my local group to receive Gohonzon. When the day came that I finally received my Gohonzon < Oct 14> . So now you have to keep in mind that its Oct. I have a very large grow in my outdoor garden and a pretty good little indoor grow going. Everything is in flower
They want to come and enshrine my Gohonzon!!!! To be truthful by the time I had gone to the meetings and got to know everyone ... I want them to enshrine my Gohonzon!!! But I know better. So when the moment arrives and I receive my Gohonzon they say well should we go and enshrine it ? I bowed out very firmly just stating that I had a place all ready for it and that I would handle it myself. They were pretty adamant about coming by but I just repeated that I would take care of it and that I had a good spot of it. I had of course studied up and how it was to be enshrined and made sure i followed the excepted ways.
The most amazing thing about it is ...Ive had my Gohonzon for almost 3 years now and hardly ever miss a meeting. The people are great friends and have brought the best of me out. Its amazing how many of them are just like you and me.
I know all our circumstances are a bit different. I come from a very rural area. But we are all the same. Where there is a will there is a way! Go after Gohonzon Desi. Its there waiting for you
Nam myoho renge kyo


PS Dont worry we all have lots of cleaning to do ))

PSS I didnt get mine till i was 54


Nam myoho renge kyo like the roar of the lion !!

 

[Desiderata]

True Courage comes within.........

True Courage comes within.........

Each and everyone of us............it is #1 on the DNA of the "LIFE FORCE"......science only recognizes a 'limited dimension' of DNA LIFE signs.....our true self is the helix that dna is rooted...........courage is as old as life, it's life's sibling, brother and sister, male and female, respect for each other........do you hear me?,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

We ALL are truelly equal is all this means...............OR a new renewal in all our lives if only a few chant nam-myoho-renge-kyo, which is the fusion of reality and wisdom for the rest of time..............for everyone in our universe............heavy shit, ya know!

 

[Desiderata]

Bonzo the Chanting Surfer

Bonzo the Chanting Surfer

Thank you so much Bud........I really do like everyone I've met at SGI,......they are the best folks ever. I figured you could just bring it home by yourself, but my district leader is alittle too zealous, and now Ann is turned off by the whole self invitation stuff............so I'm gonna work it out for sure. I really appreciate you sharing your experience.

Deep Respect,

Desi

 

[southwind]

It is hard to live with courage.




It is harder to live with courage when I am sick. Because my body feels like glass, and therefore my mind feels like glass..easily shattered.

But I am not glass, I am a human being and a spirit.


My spirit is immutable and one with the Increate.

Energy cannot be created nor destroyed.

It can only transmute.


So today I will transmute my sickness to resting.

I will rest like the frozen lake in winter.

Until it is time to thaw and be water again.


Water with movemnet, water with life, water with potential for all things..

water that has rested and frozen out its impurities and rises clean again.


Courage is better than running away, because when you run you learn nothing, have nothing, only fear.


I will live with my face to the sun..even a flower can do that.

 

[scegy]

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

warm hello to all of ya

i've been away for a while, been to the seaside with the scouts + having major issues with my gf--so i'm sustaining my spirit but cannot fully enjoy life -- which in my happines turns into tears and not anger all the time

the only answear to all that shit is still Nam myoho renge kyo, it gets me through the day without torturiing myself as much as i used to did
but, if i don't smoke weed, my sexual and all the build up emotions burst out into tears, i've cried several times during my visit to the sea side...the only thing i know is that i would have to be compassionate 100% to get over this shit....i just have to let go of all my doubts in our relationship and see what happens. the only thing i'm worried about here is that i'll be dead before we get somewhere....silly i know

if i put my personal sheeeet outside,
i chanted in that camp, 60 people was listening me every morning and night, wondering wTF am i doing there?
i had a nice spot in the bush, under a few little oak trees, nature was my Gohonzon....awsome, i still see the trees when i chant infront of my Gohonzon now
anyway, two older ladies kindly asked my if they can see what am i doing, and i seated them on the floor infront off me and started chanting, and we talked a lill afterwards...the reaction was interesting, they started wondering about their mess in their heads!

two younger ladies tried chanting with my gf, i heard them while i was chanting...one off them was surprised how hard it is to chant, and she just loves challanges + she lives basically next door, i bet that she will wonder some more

a friend asked me to explain to him what am i doing, and he was touched too and asked me to send him an URL about NMRK or give him some more info

few other older ppl asked what i was doing and they were respectful to my explanation and to what i am doing or trying to do for myself and for others for that matter

one of the Dudes couldn't find a better sentance then "you'r poisoning the young ppl", since this was a scout camp and there were ppl from age 6 - 60 camping there, most of them were kids
he said that infront off 10 other ppl there, and i was surprised how he couldn't get to me, i just ignored him cos i know WHY am i doing this, TO BECOME A BETTER person, cos i know i have loads of shit up there
the point is, if i'd start a word fight with him, i bet other that later asked about what i'm STILL doing, wouldn't come to me!
i had a great time with the kids, they are the future no doubt about it, and it so so so matters what we teach them about this world and about how to get in touch with yourself
i started thinking about joining the scouts just for that matter, it's a small "sacrifice" for the means of KOZEN RUFU! if i can somehow come to the point that i'll be able to coexist with a woman in all means, i'll be the Rambo for Kozen rufu!!

energy is all around us, it's crucial to learn how to use it in the right way!

all i can say is

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!
.
.
.​

 

[SoCal Hippy]

The heart of the Lotus Sutra is the revelation that one may attain
supreme enlightenment in one's present form without altering one's
status as an ordinary person. This means that without casting aside
one's karmic impediments one can still attain the Buddha way. Thus
T'ien-t'ai said, "The other sutras only predict Buddhahood...for the
good, but not for the evil; ... this [Lotus] sutra predicts Buddhahood
for all."

(WND, 410)
Reply to Hakiri Saburo
Written to Hakiri Rokuro Saburo on August 3, 1273

 

[SoCal Hippy]

We must not allow ourselves to become bureaucratic and take for granted
the efforts of those working behind the scenes. Nor must we ever forget
to be considerate of those members of our families who may not be
practicing the Daishonin's Buddhism. We must remember that for every
person involved in SGI activities there is another, supporting him or
her behind the scenes.

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[SoCal Hippy]

“No matter how wonderful our dreams, how noble our ideals, or how high our hopes, ultimately we need courage to make them a reality. Without action, it’s as if they never existed.”

Daisaku Ikeda