Kyo, Chi, and The Three Great Secret Laws
Background for Gosho Study: Earthly Desires Are Enlightenment
by Wendy Sheridan

In this Gosho Nichiren touches upon the profound concepts of Kyo and Chi. This refers to the fusion of the subject/person (chi) and the object (kyo) to which he is enlightened:

"The true aspect of all phenomena indicates the two Buddhas Shakyamuni and Taho [seated together in the treasure tower]. Taho represents all phenomena and Shakyamuni, the true aspect. The two Buddhas also indicate the two principles of the truth as object and the wisdom to grasp it. Taho signifies the truth , as object and Shakyamuni, the wisdom. Although these are two, they are fused into one in the Buddha's enlightenment."
"Object" or reality means the Gohonzon, the objective embodiment of Buddhahood, while "subject" or wisdom indicates people who develop their innate Buddha wisdom by fusing their lives with the Gohonzon. "

External objects have the power to change us depending on our relationship with them; a photograph can make us feel joy, or perhaps disgust, anger, of fear.

One of the things we can learn from the doctrine of ichinen sanzen is that everything in the universe, even a piece of wood or paper, any object whether man-made or natural, has both a material and spiritual aspect, and contains the Ten Life States or the Ten Worlds, the Ten Factors, and the Three Realms. An inanimate object can reveal it's Buddha nature when it is acted upon by living beings.

The Gohonzon reflects the Buddha nature within us. It is not a 'god' or any kind of external wish granting force like a Genie. "Never seek this Gohonzen 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."

The Gohonzon is not an idol, but a representation of the enlightened state of both the universe and ourselves. It is not separate from ourselves, but is often compared to a mirror. The Gohonzon embodies enlightened, eternal universal life.

Each person who receives the Gohonzon is able to practice to it directly without the need of priests or any other kind of intermediary, because in the end it is the personal struggle in front of the Gohonzon which brings about a person's enlightenment. When we chant the second prayer of the Gongyo to show our respect to the Three Great Secret Laws we are reaffirming this relationship between subject and object.
This Gosho also reveals that the ultimate law attained by all the Buddhas throughout time and space is none other than Nam-myoho-renge-kyo of the Three Great Secret Laws

The Three Great Secret Laws
The invocation, which we do when we chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo to call up our Buddha natures from within ourselves
The object of worship, or the Gohonzon
The sanctuary, which is the place where the object of worship is enshrined. For SGI members this sanctuary is right in our own homes, at our altars.

The Laws are referred to as 'secret' firstly because they are hidden within and between the lines of the Juryo chapter which we recite in the second prayer; secondly because they can't be understood by intellect alone and are beyond the grasp of ordinary people; and thirdly because they were not revealed by any other Buddha who preceded Nichiren. Not because Shakyamuni, T'ien T'ai or Dengyo were unaware of them, but because the time was not considered right to reveal them to the people until Nichiren's time: the Latter Day of the Law, 2000 years after Shakyamuni's death. The revelation of these teachings were not fully revealed until Nichiren inscribed the first Gohonzon in the year 1279.

The Object of worship is sometimes referred to as the One Great Secret Law. This is because the invocation is directed to it, and the sanctuary enshrines it, so the Gohonzon actually contains all three Great Secret Laws. All Buddhist teachings are attempting to explain the revelations contained in the Gohonzon. The study of these teachings ultimately will lead to an understanding of it. To practice daimoku and gongyo to the Gohonzon, which means to have faith in it, is the means to attain enlightenment.

This is why the Gohonzon is the most important object in Nichiren's Buddhism.

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