The Gohonzon is the prime point of faith, practice and study in Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism. Before we discuss the Gohonzon in any detail, it might be as well to remind ourselves of the basic aim of all Buddhist teachings, that is, to lead all people to the understanding that they inherently possess Buddhahood, the highest condition of life, and that by developing their Buddhahood they can establish a life of indestructible happiness, charged with wisdom, courage, compassion and life-force.

At the heart of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism lie what are known as the Three Great Secret Laws. They are called 'secret' for three reasons: firstly, because they are 'hidden within and between the lines of' the Juryo (sixteenth) chapter of the Lotus Sutra; secondly, because they cannot be understood by the intellect alone and are therefore beyond the grasp of ordinary people; and thirdly, they were not revealed by any Buddha who lived before Nichiren Daishonin.

Although the significance of these Three Great Secret Laws is not easy to appreciate at first, together they comprise the supreme apex of Buddhist teachings. This is something which gradually becomes clearer as one continues to practise and so experiences their workings within one's own life and circumstances.

The Three Great Secret Laws are the invocation, the chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo; the object of worship, the Gohonzon; and the sanctuary, the place where the object of worship is enshrined.

Nichiren Daishonin established the invocation on 28 April 1253 when he chanted Nam-myoho-renge-kyo for the first time, and the object of worship on 12 October 1279 when he inscribed the Dai-Gohonzon (Dai in this context meaning 'great' or 'original'). He entrusted the establishment of the high sanctuary to his followers, 'when the time is right'. This was fully achieved only as recently as 12 October 1272.

As it is obviously impractical for all followers of Nichiren Daishonin to practise regularly to the Dai-Gohonzon, smaller replicas of it are available to all those who are prepared to make the commitment to protect and practise to their own, individual Gohonzons for the rest of their lives. Nichiren Daishonin himself set the example for this, inscribing Gohonzons for those of his followers with strong faith, both before and after inscribing the Dai-Gohonzon. The Gohonzon they each receive is then enshrined in their own homes in a special cabinet called a butsudan (literally, 'place of the Buddha'). Thus, as far as our own, individual Gohonzon is concerned, our home becomes the sanctuary, the place where we practise true Buddhism.

So far in this book we have concentrated our attention on Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the invocation or daimoku of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism. Since Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is directed to the object of worship and the sanctuary is built to enshrine it, however, the object of worship actually encompasses all Three Great Secret Laws; thus the Gohonzon ia also called the One Great Secret Law. In the final analysis, then, all Buddhist teachings are expounded to explain the eventual revelation of the Gohonzon; all study of those teachings ultimately leads to an understanding of the Gohonzon; and to have faith in the Gohonzon - that is, to practise to it - for the whole of one's life, is to attain enlightenment. The Gohonzon is therefore the single most important object in Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism.

Objects of Worship
So what is the Gohonzon and how does it merit the great importance that Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism places on it? The Gohonzon can be explained in a variety of ways - what it looks like, what it represents, what it does and so on - and in his different writings Nichiren Daishonin employs all these approaches to convey to his followers the Gohonzon's deep significance.

Let us start with the word itself: Gohonzon. Honzon literally means 'object of fundamental respect', and go means 'worthy of honour'. Together they signify that the Gohonzon is the true object of worship.

There are a number of implications in this title which some people living in the West might find difficult to accept. For a start, brought up as we are in a predominantly Christian tradition (even if we do not practise Christianity ourselves), the idea of worshipping any object might seem alien or even suspect. After all, in this scientific age there may appear to be something rather primitive in the act of investing inanimate objects with a power science cannot confirm they possess.

Nichiren Daishonin realized, however, that it is an ingrained trait in all people to desire an 'object of worship', or something to which they can devote themselves, and that if they do not already have such an object they will feel compelled to make one up for themselves. This can clearly be seen in various religions. For example, a Catholic Church usually contains statues and paintings of Christ, the Virgin Mary and a whole host of saints, which express a deep-seated desire in ordinary people to have a physical object upon which they can focus their reverence. The Protestant wing of Christianity still allows the Cross to be worshipped as a central symbol of Christ's suffering and sacrifice; and even many earlier forms of Buddhism, based on the pre-Lotus Sutra teachings, have as their object of worship statues of Shakyamuni Buddha - sitting, lying or standing - despite his express injunction to worship the Law, and not his person.

The desire for an object of worship does not hold good just for religion for, whether one is consciously aware of it or not, everyone in evreyday life also has an 'object of worship' or devotion. Its form may be more diverse or more abstract, but it fulfils exactly the same function as an object of worship in religion: that of providing a central focus upon which people can concentrate their desires, hopes, ambitions - in short, their lives.

Thus, for many people their husbands, wives and families can be their fundamental object of devotion, the thing they value above all else; for others it can be money, or career, possessions, intellect, a boy or a girlfriend, pop or filmstars, even pets. In other words, an 'object of devotion' in everyday life is that thing for which each person truly lives, upon which, therefore, they base their happiness and which has a profound effect on evrey aspect of their daily lives. Often, we do not realize what our own personal 'object of devotion' is until we lose it: when our partner suddenly leaves us, for example, or our car is stolen, a sparkling career falters and so on. At that moment, and though we may not think of it in these terms, we are also painfully aware of the extent to which we have made our happiness reliant on something external to ourselves.

Of course, no one can exist in isolation and Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism does not teach the severing of attachments as a path to happiness. By reckognizing the natural, human need for an object of devotion, however, in inscribing the Dai-Gohonzon Nichiren Daishonin provided the 'true' object of worship which puts all our other desires into their correct perspective. To call any object of worship 'true' may sound somewhat dogmatic, but this is based simply on the effect that chanting to the Gohonozon has on our lives, enabling us to begin to experience real, solid, dynamic happiness, perhaps for the first time. In other words, the Gohonzon is called the true object of worship because it is able to reorientate the lives and give happiness to all people.

This is because, unlike secular objects of devotion, the Gohonzon remains constant and absolute both in appearance and meaning, is utterly pure and utterly reliable and, because it embodies such profound principles, is capable of providing lifelong support and sustenance. Explaining this point to a female disciple of his, Nichiren Daishonin says:

A woman who devotes herself to this Gohonzon invites happiness in this life; and in the next, the Gohonzon will be with her and protect her always. Like a lantern in the dark, like a strong supporting arm on a treacherous path, the Gohonzon will protect you Lady Nichinyo, wherever you go.

Great as the Gohonzon is, it is also vital to understand that it is not a god, nor any form of external force which grants wishes like a genie, but simply an object which draws out from deep within us qualities - namely, the Buddha nature - that we already inherently possess. Nichiren Daishonin is absolutely clear on this point, as when he says, 'Never seek this Gohonzon outside yourself. The Gohonzon exists only within the mortal flesh of us ordinary people who embrace the Lotus Sutra and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.'

Thus, like a mirror, the Gohonzon which Nichiren Daishonin first inscribed reflects the Buddhahood within us.

In this context, it is also important to realize that the way in which one reacts to any object of devotion - if it is made by a human being - depends not just on what it is supposed to represent but also on the state of life of the person who created it. A golden statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, for example, could reflect the state of Hunger, the desire for material wealth in the person making it, while a statue of Christ on the Cross might well reflect the anguish and guilt, the state of Hell, subconsciously experienced by the sculptor. In worshipping these objects, then, one could be unknowingly strengthening in oneself a tendency towards one of the lower conditions of life, despite the sincere effort one may be making to appreciate, say, the Buddha's wisdom or Christ's compassion. In contrast, the Gohonzon was inscribed by Nichiren Daishonin himself, desiring nothing other than the happiness of all human beings and therefore reflects his life state. Consequently, it gradually strengthens in all those who continue to chant to it the tendency towards the highest state of life, Buddhahood.

As Daisaku Ikeda points out, however, suspicion towards religious objects of worship is not unjustfied:
"All religions have objects of worship which are usually expressions of some supernatural or external power governing life and human destiny. People have a subservient attitude in prayer when asking for salvation, forgiveness and compassion or, in some cases, try by subservience to satisfy those powers and avoid their wrath. Such attitudes have contributed to creating the special position of the clergy as intermediaries between man and his object of worship. The pursuit of external objects, symbolizing the supernatural, inevitably leads to the formation of a strict hierarchy in the religious world."

It is important to note here that each person who receives the Gohonzon is able to practise to it directly, without the need for any intermediaries. Similarly, while the various lay organizations of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism, which together comprise the Soka Gakkai International, exist to help each member gain the greatest benefit from the practise of this Buddhism, in the end it is each person's individual struggle in front of the Gohonzon which leads to his or her enlightenment. As Daisaku Ikeda notes:

Essentially, man acquires power through his own training. Machines, facilities and advice from others are all only external aids which help him develop his potential. A world record in sports is made with the help of excellent facilities, scientific research and well-trained experienced coaches. But the athlete himself has to achieve the record. This is much more true in faith.

Kanjin
A phrase Nichiren Daishonin uses to describe the Gohonzon is kanjin no honzon meaning the 'object of worship for observing one's mind (or life)'. T'ien-t'ai had taught a kind of meditation as a means of 'observing one's mind and finding the Ten Worlds within it', but it was extremely difficult and time-consuming and thus limited to a very few practioners. The Gohonzon, on the other hand, being itself the physical embodiment of the state of Buddhahood, enables us to 'find the Ten Worlds' within our own lives simply by chanting to it. In other words, just as a mirror can show us what we look like physically, so the Gohonzon is a mirror which enables us to 'see' our lives in terms of the Ten Worlds. In this way we can open up those areas of our lives that have formerly been hidden to us: the way we think, for example, what our true values are (as opposed to those we think we live by), what we most want from life and, perhaps, what we most fear.

When we first start chanting to the Gohonzon what has, until then, been obscure to us may very well be those karmic tendencies which cause us to suffer, and so we will probably determine that these are what we must change if we are to become happy.

Fundamentally, though, kanjin means to see in the clear mirror of the Gohonzon that our true nature is nothing other than Buddhahood. Thus from one viewpoint, the Gohonzon is the object which Nichiren Daishonin gave to show us ordinary men and women that we are Buddhas and that, in the deepest sense, happiness consists of becoming totally convinced of this.

From another viewpoint, however, it is also the means by which we can become convinced of our Buddha nature and begin to act on that conviction. In other words, just as a pianist needs a piano first to realize he possesses a talent to play it and then to develop that talent further, so we need the 'instrument' of the Gohonzon to first see and then develop our own innate Buddhahood.

So, whereas the Lotus Sutra states that one can attain enlightenment not through the intellect, but only through faith, Nichiren Daishonin reveals that, ultimately, 'faith' means 'embracing the Gohonzon' - that is, determining to practise to it exactly as he taught for the whole of one's life. Thus 'faith', 'embracing the Gohonzon' and becoming enlightened to the Mystic Law, are all one and the same thing.

Indeed, were it not for the 'mirror' of the Gohonzon it would be impossible for us, in this one lifetime, to change our deeply ingrained karma and attain Buddhahood. This is because, although chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo by itself creates good fortune in the form of conspicuous benefit, unless we can first see that there are fundamental karmic tendencies within ourselves which cause us to suffer, we will probably never summon up the desire to challenge and change them.

For example, chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo by itself may bring you a wonderful partner, but if you still have a very jealous nature, say, it is likely that your new relationship will quickly sour and you will lose him or her. In this ever-changing world, it is only by being able to refer constantly to the unchanging state of Buddhahood embodied in the Gohonzon that we can draw forth our own Buddhahood, again and again, to reflect on the deep, underlying causes of our actions. In this way, through our repeated chanting to the Gohonzon, we gradually make Buddhahood the dominant karmic tendency in our lives, just as a nail repeatedly brought into contact with a magnet will itself become magnetized, Hence, as Nichiren Daishonin states in the Rissho Ankoku Ron: 'You have transformed yourself through your association with me and, like the bramble growing in the hemp field, you have learned to stand up straight!'

The oneness of the Person and the Law
How is it possible for the Gohonzon to work in this way?
The Gohonzon not only embodies the Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, but also the life of Nichiren Daishonin. He says elsewhere, 'I, Nichiren, have inscribed my life in sumi (black ink), so believe in this Gohonzon with your whole heart.' This might sound a little strange until we remember the example of Van Gogh discussed in a previous chapter. Just as Van Gogh expressed his life state in the form of the pictures he painted, which act as the external cause, when we look at them, to call up the same life state from ourselves, so Nichiren Daishonin expressed his life state of Buddhahood in the form of the Gohonozon, the external cause to call up our own Buddhahood when we chant to it, whether our conscious mind is aware of it or not.

Indeed, when we begin to practise we cannot possibly understand the Gohonzon intellectually, any more than we can read at birth. Just as we first learn to speak and only begin to match written symbols with spoken words as our consciousness develops, so as we chant, our Buddha nature (which intuitively reckognizes the Gohonzon when we first meet it) gradually leads our conscious mind to the point where it, too, can reckognize the Gohonzon. As Nichiren Daishonin explains, 'There is a clear distinction between the Buddha and a common mortal, in that a common mortal is deluded, while a Buddha is enlightened.'

If we chant to the Gohonzon consistently our continual association with the 'life' of Nichiren Daishonin will eventually raise our own life state until it is on a par with his, so that we are able to reveal from within ourselves those qualities which characterized his life: profound wisdom, deep compassion for the suffering of ordinary people, and an indomitable fighting spirit, the product of great courage and life-force.

In this way, the Gohonzon acts rather like a favourite teacher, one to whom we keep returning until we have absorbed everything he or she can teach us, the only difference being that what the Gohonzon has to teach is literally inexhaustible. Of course, our 'continual association with the life of Nichiren Daishonin' does not mean that we will start to take on Nichiren Daishonin's personality or imitate the life he led, any more than looking at Van Gogh's paintings will make us behave like him. Rather, we each experience Buddhahood and translate it into action in a way which is unique to our own individual lives, as explained by the theory of ichinen sanzen.

The principle of the oneness of the Person and the Law is also another way of saying that all ordinary people are potentially Buddhas and that, although the Law exists eternally, Buddhism does not exist apart from human life; thus, the Person is essential to teach it. This principle is evident in every character written on the Gohonzon. For example, down the centre of the Gohonzon, in characters bigger and bolder than the rest, is written NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO NICHIREN, highlighting the fact that Nichiren Daishonin himself was a human being and subject to all the joys and sufferings that other human beings experience.

The Gohonzon is also a graphic representation of the reality of life when it is in the state of Buddhahood and in total harmony with the Law of universal life, for these bold characters are surrounded by many smaller ones which represent all the other aspects of life, both positive and negative; all the forces of the universe which affect us, such as the sun, the moon and the stars; the various profound principles we set in motion when we start to chant to the Gohonzon; and the benefits we will receive as a result of our practice.

We have already met many of the aspects of life depicted on the Gohonzon. For example, the Ten Worlds appear, including the Three Evil Paths of Hell, Hunger and Animality. This is very important, as it shows with absolute clarity that even the Buddha still possesses these lower life states. In a life dominated by Buddhahood, however, all the nine worlds work to create value. The Gohonzon clearly illustrates the proper relationship of the nine worlds to Buddhahood, as they cluster around Nam-myoho-renge-kyo like minor planets around the sun. As Nichiren Daishonin says, 'Illuminated by the five characters of the Mystic Law, they display the enlightened nature they inherently possess.'

By contrast, if any of us were capable of absolutely truthfully depicting our life states as Nichiren Daishonin did, it is probably that we would place one of the six lower worlds from Hell to Rapture in large, bold characters down the centre - or possibly the worlds of Learning, Realization or Bodhisattva - whilst Nam-myoho-renge-kyo would appear to be insignificant by comparison (if, indeed, it would be seen at all). If we were to do this we would be wrong, though, for Nichiren Daishonin taught that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is always shining brilliantly in the heart of our lives, even though all we may see are the dark clouds of our unhappy karma which obscure it.

Every facet, shade or colour of universal life - positive and negative - is represented on the Gohonzon which, nevertheless, is still a depiction of Nichiren Daishonin's life as a human being - an enlightened human being, it is true, but a human being nevertheless. He was well aware that his life - all life - naturally contains good and bad, darkness and light. Hence, in inscribing the Gohonzon, he gave all human beings an object to which anyone can relate, exactly as they are, without the guilt or shame or feeling that they have to beg for forgiveness for qualities which are inherent in all life, not just their own. Thus, whatever state is dominant in our lives when we first start chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, our continual practice gradually supplants it with Buddhahood, until our lives perfectly match, or fuse with, the Gohonzon. In this way, Nichiren Daishonin opened up the way for all people to attain the supreme happiness of enlightenment in their own lifetime.

This page was last modified on Sunday, August 20, 2006.