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Gohonzon

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File:Rinmetsudojihonzon.jpg
A Template:Transliteration inscribed by Nichiren just before his death in 1280. The central logographs depict the official title of the Lotus Sūtra.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

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Template:Nihongo is a generic term for a venerated religious object in Japanese Buddhism. It may take the form of a scroll or statuary. The term Template:Transliteration typically refers to the mainstream use of venerated objects within Nichiren Buddhism, referring to the calligraphic paper mandala inscribed by the 13th Japanese Buddhist priest Nichiren to which devotional chanting is directed.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Linguistically, the root word Template:Nihongo derives from ancient word Template:Transliteration, signifying a devotional object of respect or worship,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and with the honorific Template:Nihongo prefix.<ref>Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged (2012). HarperCollins Publishers</ref>

Varying Nichiren groups accord their own meanings to the term Template:Transliteration in different ways, signifying their treatment of the object:

  • "Object of Devotion" — Soka Gakkai<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • "The Great Mandala, Venerated Supreme" — Nichiren-shū sects<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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Paper scroll Template:Transliteration are sometimes known as Template:Transliteration or Template:Nihongo3. The term Template:Transliteration is used for statuary.Template:Citation needed Template:Transliteration are often enshrined within an altar shrine (Template:Transliteration).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

DescriptionEdit

Nichiren himself attached the greatest importance to his inscription of the Template:Transliteration and claimed this as a pivotal moment in his life.<ref>Anesaki 2010, p. 86</ref> He stated that by using Template:Transliteration ink to inscribe it, he was acting like a "lion king."<ref name="Nichiren 1999">Template:Cite book</ref> Nichiren's calligraphy shifted over the years he inscribed Template:Transliteration.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Details of the composition of the Template:Transliteration are clear from the approximately 120-125 inscribed in Nichiren's own hand, dating from 1271 to 1282, that are extant.<ref>Stone 1998, p.153</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Dolce1999">Template:Cite journal</ref>Template:Rp For example, a Template:Transliteration he inscribed in July 1273 was inscribed on a piece of silk Template:Cvt.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Copies of the original Template:Transliteration have been made by others<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and can be found in varying sizes.

A Template:Transliteration is inscribed for a specific person or organization, while an Template:Transliteration is generic and produced through a woodblock printing process. Nichiren and his successors also inscribed smaller Template:Transliteration that are carried on the person.<ref>Stone 1998, p. 153</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Buswell & Lopez, 2013">Template:Cite book</ref>

Opinions on its significanceEdit

  • Author Philip Yampolsky describes Nichiren's Template:Transliteration as a mandala, a concretized object that Nichiren inscribed to transmit what he regarded as the essence of the Lotus Sutra.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> It is also described as a depiction of the Ceremony in the Air in the 11th chapter of the Lotus Sutra, "The Emergence of the Treasure Tower".<ref>Stone 2003, p. 281</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> It is the first of the "three great secret laws" of Nichiren Buddhism, the others being Nam Myōhō Renge Kyō and the platform of ordination or place of worship.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
  • Authors Robert Ellwood and Richard Pilgrim describe Template:Transliteration as a "mandala of the cosmos as perceived inwardly by Nichiren."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
  • Masaharu Anesaki describes Template:Transliteration as "a physical embodiment of the truth of cosmic existence as realized in the all-comprehensive conception of 'mutual participation, and illuminated by the all-enlightening power of the Truth.'"<ref name="Anesaki 1916">Template:Cite book</ref>
  • Jacqueline Stone claims that "By having faith in the Template:Transliteration and chanting it before this object of worship, [Nichiren taught] one could in effect enter the mandala and participate in the enlightened reality that it depicts."<ref name="Stone 1998">Template:Cite book</ref>

The founder Nichiren referred to Template:Transliteration as "the banner of propagation"<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and "a cluster of blessings."<ref>Writings of Nichiren Daishonin-1, p. 832</ref>

Calligraphic meaningsEdit

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Without exception, all these Buddhas, bodhisattvas, great sages, and, in general, all the various beings of the two worlds and the eight groups who appear in the "Introduction" chapter of the Lotus Sutra dwell in this Gohonzon. Illuminated by the light of the five characters of the Mystic Law, they display the dignified attributes that they inherently possess. This is the object of devotion.{{#if:NichirenThe True Aspect of the Gohonzon

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A Nichiren Template:Transliteration is usually written in traditional kanji characters with the addition of two Siddhaṃ scripts. Although exclusive to the other Buddhist sects of his contemporaneous society, Nichiren was highly inclusive of Vedic and Chinese traditions, viewing them as precursors of his own teachings<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> and personages from these traditions are present on the Template:Transliteration.

Most prominent to all such Template:Transliteration is the phrase Template:Transliteration—the primary mantra in Nichiren Buddhism—written down the center in bold calligraphy.<ref>Morgan, 121</ref> This is called the Template:Nihongo or Template:Nihongo3. Right below, also in bold, Nichiren writes his name followed by his seal. This signifies Nichiren's conviction that his life had manifested the essence of the Lotus Sutra.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

On the top row can be found the names of Shakyamuni Buddha and Prabhutaratna and the four leaders of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The names of deities believed to protect the Buddha land, called the Four Heavenly Kings (Bishamonten, Jikokuten, Kōmokuten, and Zōjōten), further occupy the four corners, and Sanskrit characters depicting Aizen Myō-ō and Fudō Myō-ō are situated along the left and right outer edges. Within this frame are the names of various Buddhas, bodhisattvas, historical and mythological figures in Buddhism, personages representing the ten realms, and deities drawn from Vedic, Chinese, and Japanese traditions are arranged hierarchically. Each of these names represents some aspect of the Buddha's enlightenment or an important Buddhist concept.<ref>Stone, 2003, 277-278</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

HistoryEdit

Research has documented that Nichiren inscribed 740 Template:Transliteration.<ref>Nichiren; Zuiki Kataoka; Kihachi Yamanaka (日蓮, 1222-1282. 隨喜居士謹集; [編集山中喜八]. 片岡隨喜, 山中喜八) (1981). Nichiren Daishōnin goshinseki (日蓮大聖人御真蹟), Chiba-shi : Risshō Ankokukai (立正安国会). OCLC-No: 22309260, reproduces Nichiren's 740 holographs scattered throughout Japan. Description: 5 cases; 51-69 cm, case 1: Gohonzonshū (125 leaves; 66 x 47 x 5 cm)</ref> He began inscribing Template:Transliteration immediately before and during his exile on Sado between late 1271 and early 1274. This follows the attempted and failed execution of him at Tatsunokuchi Beach in 1271. In various letters he referred to this event as his "casting off the transient and revealing the true" (Template:Transliteration), at which time he claimed to have discarded his transient status and revealed his essential identity as the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> According to Ikeda, Nichiren's intent in manifesting the Template:Transliteration was to allow people to connect directly with the Law so they, too, could discard the transient and reveal their essential enlightened selves.<ref name="autogenerated2004">Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp

The first extant Template:Transliteration was inscribed by Nichiren on 12 October 1271 before his transport to Sado Island. Stone describes it as embryonic in form. On 8 July 1273, Nichiren inscribed a Template:Transliteration in its full form with the inscription "Nichiren inscribes this for the first time."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

During his exile in Sado Island (1271–1274) Nichiren wrote two treatises explaining the significance of the object of devotion from the theoretical perspectives of the person (The Opening of the Eyes) and the law (The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind).<ref name="autogenerated2004"/>Template:Rp<ref name="Fowler">Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp Nichiren wrote additional letters to his followers bestowing Template:Transliteration to them and further explaining their significance: "Letter to Misawa," "Reply to Kyo'o," "The Real Aspect of the Gohonzon," and "On the Treasure Tower."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The Template:Transliteration issue of Soka GakkaiEdit

File:Taisekiji Dai Gohonzon.jpeg
Early photograph of the Template:Transliteration at Taisekiji Temple. Printed in Kumada Ijō's book Template:Transliteration (1913).<ref>Kumada Ijō (熊田葦城) (1913). Nichiren Shōnin (日蓮上人), 8th edition, page 375</ref> This mandala is the artistic source of transcribed Template:Transliteration copied both in Nichiren Shoshu, Kenshokai and Soka Gakkai.

The Nichiren Shoshu religion claims that the original Template:Transliteration mandala at its head temple is the original source of power that is transcribed by the High Priests of Nichiren Shoshu. All Template:Transliteration loaned by Nichiren Shoshu are copied from the Template:Transliteration, including the ones currently used both by Soka Gakkai and Kenshokai for their services.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

In 28 November 1991, the Soka Gakkai was expelled by Nichiren Shoshu and thereby lost its source of Template:Transliteration. By September 1993, the Soka Gakkai began to manufacture their own version and artistic format used today for current members. A Template:Transliteration transcribed by Nichikan Shonin, the 26th chief abbot of Taisekiji was selected through one of the dissident breakaway priest who provided the woodblock copy when he sided with President Daisaku Ikeda.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The Template:Transliteration used today by Soka Gakkai was copied and transcribed from the Template:Transliteration in July 1720 by Nichikan Shonin (1665–1726), the twenty-sixth High Priest of Nichiren Shoshu.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Another Template:Transliteration in possession of the Soka Gakkai is the wooden copy manufactured in 1974 transcribed from the Template:Transliteration by 64th High Priest Nissho Shonin, previously enshrined in Osaka, and now enshrined in the main SGI headquarters of Daiseido Hall in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan.

InscriptionsEdit

The following inscriptions are found in the Template:Transliteration transcribed by 26th High Priest Nichikan Shonin, as is the mainstream format also transcribed by the Successive High Priests of Nichiren Shoshu:

  • Nichiren Daishonin: — Template:Transliteration; "Never in 2,230-some years since the passing of the Buddha has this great mandala appeared in the world."
  • Nichikan Shonin: — Template:Transliteration; "The 13th day of the sixth month in the fifth year of Kyoho, cyclical sign kanoe-ne."

There are also two inscriptions from Miao-lo's<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> commentary Template:Transliteration, The Annotations on "The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra":<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • Template:Transliteration — "Those who make offerings will gain good fortune surpassing the ten honorable titles [of the Buddha]"
  • Template:Transliteration — "Those who vex and trouble [the practitioners of the Law] will have their heads split into seven pieces."

The Soka Gakkai organization maintains that only the Template:Transliteration conferred by their leadership brings both personal happiness and Kosen-rufu, claiming that they possess the true mandate of Nichiren for widespread propagation.

By contrast, Nichiren Shoshu Hokkeko members often omit the honorific term Template:Nihongo when referring to Template:Transliteration used outside their religion, most especially against the Soka Gakkai variant either as a pejorative derision or refusal to acknowledge the implied sacred nature of the Template:Transliteration outside their sectarian beliefs, often citing them as either fake and lacking the Template:Nihongo3 ceremony prescribed to animate a Template:Transliteration for its spiritual efficacy. The lesser value of Template:Transliteration is used by Nichiren Shoshu members instead.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Outside of Nichiren BuddhismEdit

File:Amida Nyorai.jpg
An example of Template:Transliteration in Pure Land Buddhism featuring Amitābha

The terms Template:Transliteration and Template:Transliteration are often used interchangeably and with some confusion. In the Japanese new religion Risshō Kōsei Kai, members receive and practice to a Template:Transliteration enshrined in their homes; the scroll consists of an image of Gautama Buddha.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Guthrie 1988">Template:Cite book</ref> At the Risshō Kōsei Kai headquarters there is a Template:Transliteration that is a statue of Shakyamuni.<ref>Guthrie 1988|page=136|URL=http://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/cjs/0914393.0001.001/150/--japanese-new-religion-rissho-kosei-kai-in-a-mountain-hamlet?rgn=full+text;view=image;q1=gohonzon</ref>

In the Jōdo Shinshū school of Pure Land Buddhism, under Hōnen and Shinran, the use of Template:Transliteration became more prevalent; they took the form of inscriptions of the sect's mantra Namu Amida Buddha, other phrases, images of the Buddha, statuary, and even representations of the founder.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Rennyo thought the written mantra was more appropriate than a statue but did not ascribe particular powers to it as do Nichiren's followers to their Template:Transliteration.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

In Mikkyō practices such as in Shingon Buddhism, the term Template:Transliteration to refers to the divinity honored in a rite but later came to represent the formal object of worship.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The tutelary figure's role is similar to that of the yidam in Tibetan Buddhism.Template:Citation needed Tutelary deities in Vajrayana, including Mikkyō, Chinese Esoteric Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism, are crucial to many religious practices. In the famous Template:Transliteration fire ritual ceremony, the fire itself, while it is being consumed and animated, is also considered a temporary Template:Transliteration.Template:Citation needed

See alsoEdit

NotesEdit

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Further readingEdit

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