Setting Up the Altar and Protecting the Gohonzon

Setting Up the Altar and Protecting the Gohonzon

A first step in the practice of Nichiren Buddhism is receiving the Gohonzon and enshrining it in your home. Out of consideration for other members of the household, it is best to take some time to explain to them about your Buddhist practice and thereby gain their support.

Your sponsor and SGI district leaders will help you choose an optimal place in your home to set up an altar, usually made of wood or plastic, in which the Gohonzon will be housed, and plan a time for the enshrinement. These altars come in many designs and sizes.

They will help with placing the Gohonzon in the altar, carefully making sure that it hangs straight. The Gohonzon may curl forward at the bottom when first unrolled, but it is best not to roll it backward in an attempt to straighten it. In a matter of days, it should straighten as gravity pulls on the lower rod.

Daily practice is a vital part of Buddhism. The altar and surrounding area should be kept clean and, out of respect, we avoid breathing directly on the scroll. We take care when dusting the interior of the altar, and especially avoid touching the face, or white portion, of the Gohonzon.

Traditionally, offerings are made, including evergreens, candles and incense, a bell to ring while chanting and reciting the sutra. We might have an offering dish on which some fresh fruit or other food can be placed. Fresh water is placed in a small cup before the Gohonzon prior to each morning's sutra recitation, and is removed before the evening recitation. The water may be put into another cup and then consumed.

When offering food, it is customary to ring the bell three times, place our palms together and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo three times as a gesture of deep gratitude. The offering should be removed while still edible.

These traditional offerings serve to honor the Gohonzon (i.e., our own innate potential for enlightenment) and dignify the place where it is enshrined. It is important to note that the appreciation and sincerity we show the Gohonzon is synonymous with showing respect for those qualities within our own lives and, accordingly, will be reflected in our lives as benefit.

Nichiren Daishonin writes, "Whether you chant the Buddha's name, recite the sutra, or merely offer flowers and incense, all your virtuous acts will implant benefits and roots of goodness in your life. With this conviction you should strive in faith" ("On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime," The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 4).

Reference

Living Buddhism "Without Practice and Study, There Can Be No Buddhism". May-Jun 2007 Special Reprint.

What is the Gohonzon? Why do we need it?

What is the Gohonzon? Why do we need it?

The Gohonzon is the object of devotion, in the form of a scroll, that practitioners of Nichiren Buddhism enshrine in their homes and is the focal point of their daily practice of morning and evening sutra recitation and chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. (Go means "honorable" and honzon means "object of devotion.")

"This Gohonzon is the essence of the Lotus Sutra and the eye of all the scriptures," Nichiren Daishonin states. "It is like the sun and the moon in the heavens, a great ruler on earth, the heart in a human being, the wish-granting jewel among treasures, and the pillar of a house" ("On Upholding Faith in the Gohonzon," The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 624).

In the center column of the Gohonzon are the characters "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" and under that, "Nichiren," surrounded by various other Chinese and Sanskrit characters that depict historical and mythological Buddhist figures. Together they represent profound philosophical principles and conditions of life.

Like a musical piece or a painting that reflects the life-state of the person who created it, the Gohonzon reflects Nichiren's life-state: Buddhahood. It is not merely a symbol, or something to focus on while chanting. Since it embodies the state of enlightenment, Nichiren's life, it is the actual reality of the Buddha's life. It is the link between the Buddha state within ourselves and in the environment. It is an instrument to see our true potential and use it. Therefore, by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to the Gohonzon, we call forth our own Buddhahood, tapping our inherent wisdom, compassion and life force. Gradually, day after day, our own life-state is influenced and strengthened through our daily practice to the Gohonzon.

SGI President Ikeda states, "Just as a mirror is indispensable for putting your face and hair in order, you need a mirror that reveals the depths of your life if your are to lead a happier and more beautiful existence" (My Dear Friends in America, p. 94).

Nichiren cautions:"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" ("The Real Aspect of the Gohonzon," WND-1, 832). In other words, our faith and practice make the Gohonzon an external stimulus to awaken our internal life of Buddhahood.

Reference

Living Buddhism "Without Practice and Study, There Can Be No Buddhism". May-Jun 2007 Special Reprint.

What do SGI members study?

What do SGI members study?

As study is an integral part of the complete practice of Nichiren Buddhism, the SGI offers many resources for study. In addition to the many books, periodicals and on-line study material, Buddhist learning is also a regular part of our discussion meetings each month. Interacting with other SGI members and asking questions when doubts or curiosity arise can also help us deepen our understanding of Nichiren Buddhism and of how we can empower ourselves.

Nichiren Daishonin wrote letters of encouragement to his followers in 13th-century Japan and his disciples preserved many of those letters. We study those letters in the first and second volumes of The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin. Though written centuries ago, the principles and teachings in those letters are applicable to our daily lives today.

In addidion to studying Nichiren's letters, we also pay close attention to the addresses and writings of Daisaku Ikeda, president of the Soka Gakkai International who provides modern interpretations and practical applications of Nichiren Buddhism in daily life. Under President Ikeda's leadership, from the time he was elected third president of the Soka Gakkai in 1960, the worldwide movement for peace through individual happiness - kosen-rufu - expanded beyond Japan to where there are now more than 12 million practitioners in some 190 countries and territories. Since he first encountered Nichiren Buddhism when he attended a Soka Gakkai discussion meeting in Tokyo at age 19, Daisaku Ikeda has spent the majority of his life deepening his understanding of Nichiren's intent for the happiness of all people, and his works put Nichiren's teachings into a modern context of practical, engaged Buddhism. President Ikeda's addresses and essays appear in our monthly Buddhist learning magazine indigo.

The indigo, as our organ periodicals, also carry important study information for discussion meetings, great experiences and messages. Every member can deepen their understanding of Nichiren Buddhism through reading these publications, and they can also be used to help us explain Buddhism to others.

All SGI study materials are provided for the purpose of helping practitioners develop the most fulfilled practices and lives. More information for these materials can be found on-line at http://www.sginl.org/

Reference

Living Buddhism "Without Practice and Study, There Can Be No Buddhism". May-Jun 2007 Special Reprint. (Some details have been changed to suit the SGI in the Netherlands, SGI-NL)

How can I know I am a Buddha?

How can I know I am a Buddha?

Buddha, as defined in The Soka Gakkai Dictionary of Buddhism, is "one enlightened to the eternal and ultimate truth that is the reality of all things, and who leads others to attain the same enlightenment" (p. 57). It is important to know that the whole idea of the term Buddha is to define the state of life that every person can experience.

In the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni's highest teaching, the true message of Buddhism becomes clear: Every person can live this great life of a Buddha. Shakyamuni Buddha, then, represents each of us.

The second Soka Gakkai president, Josei Toda, once said that in the sutras of the future, the Soka Gakkai's name would be recorded as Soka Gakkai Buddha. This is because the Soka Gakkai is a gathering of ordinary people who, through fulfilling the true intent of Buddhism, will reveal themselves to be Buddhas.

So is it appropriate that we call ourselves Buddhas? Through Buddhahood is inherent in our lives, identifying ourselves as Buddhas only truly befits us when we act as Buddhas, when we live as Buddhas.

Nichiren Daishonin declares, "If Nichiren's compassion is truly great and encompassing, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo will spread for ten thousand years and more, for all eternity" ("On Repaying Debts of Gratitude," WND-1, vol. 1, p. 736). He is speaking to each of us when he says this, calling us to join him in widely sharing Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, which has the power to save all people. This is what qualifies us as Buddhas.

Reference

Living Buddhism "Without Practice and Study, There Can Be No Buddhism". May-Jun 2007 Special Reprint.