The Gohozon - the heart and soul of HBS

 What is the "Gohonzon?"

The Gohonzon is a scroll with calligraphy in Japanese 'kanji' characters stating: "Namu Myo Horenge Kyo" (homage to the lotus sutra). When the Gohonzon is used for praying and chanting, this process is called "odaimoku".

The Gohonzon is always inked by hand by the head priest of a temple and presented to a member of HBS inside a frame and placed inside their "daibutsu" (alter).

This becomes the focal point of the daibutsu; when praying/chanting, the practitioner looks at the Gohonzon, chanting to make a connection with the Buddha inside of us, the Shakyamuni Buddha and our ancestors. The Gohonzon is like a portal to universe. The Shakyamuni Buddha is the figure most associate with the dissemination of Buddhism and often referred to as the Buddha. In fact, he is only one of many Buddha's. His original name was Siddhartha Gautama; he was responsible for writing the lotus sutra 2,500 years ago - the sutra HBS followers believe to be the most enlightening of the sutra's.

Why is a Gohonzon used instead of a statue of the Buddha like most other Buddhist traditions?

In the Nirvana sutra, the Buddha (Shakyamuni Buddha) told his disciples in the last moments of his life to worship not Buddha himself but the "Fine Darma". The fine Darma is the lotus sutra. Therefore, HBS and other Nichiren schools don't have a statue of the Buddha, since the Buddha clearly stated he was not to be the object of worship. The Gohonzon takes pride of place in the alter instead. However, this is not to say other Buddhist schools are incorrect in worshiping a statue of the Buddha, as this is simply their way of paying their highest respect to the great teacher. Similarly, Nichiren schools, will often have a statue of Saint Nichiren, the teacher and founder of HBS. For this reason, a Gohonzon is never ever posted to a follower, it must only ever be handed over in person and a short ceremony conducted to welcome the new home for the Gohonzon.

Respecting the Gohonzon

Besides chanting the Odaimoku, respecting the Gohonzon, is the most important aspect to HBS. Practitioners can respect the Gohonzon by doing the following:

1/ Clean the alter by dusting and replacing the water and rice offered. This should be done daily. This is called ‘Okyuji’.

2/ Chanting the Odaimoku daily.

3/ Respecting the Gohonzon as a living, breathing object (see blog entry on ‘Tamashi’)

4/ If we neglect the Gohonzon by not chanting or cleaning, then we neglect ourselves and the disrespect the Buddha himself. We will never attain our own Buddhahood through neglectful practice.

5/ The Gohonzon must never be sold. It is not a commercial product. For this reason, a genuine Gohonzon must only ever be scribed by a monk in close consultation with the practitioner, as the practitioners name is also inscribed and then delivered in person.