Gohonzon means “object of devotion.” There are many forms of the gohonzon in Japanese Buddhism, depending on the sect — some are statues, calligraphic writings, paintings, mandalas and artistic interpretations. In Nichiren Buddhism, the gohonzon represents the Eternal Buddha who transmitted the Lotus Sutra to everyone, and is represented as a calligraphic mandala.
The gohonzon is a tool to help us focus our minds on the realization that we are all buddhas. It is a direct path to the Mystic Law of the universe, and by chanting to the gohonzon we are connected to the universe; in other words, we connect with the eternal all! Pretty bad-ass stuff if I man say so myself, and I intend on sharing much more about this Mystic Law in future post, but, for now, just know that the gohonzon can help reel in our “monkey mind” and motivate us to concentrate on the dharma, and yes, a wishing stone of sort -- more on this later.
Unless you know kanji characters, most people cannot
read what is written on the gohonzon, so I've ended this post with a definition of each item on the gohonon, but note, you don't need to know what it means, for chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to the gohonzon is all you need to know, as Nichiren stated in his conversation between a Sage and Unenlightened Man: "It is like the case of a baby being given milk to drink. Even though the baby may not understand the flavor of milk, the milk naturally nurtures the baby's growth....) and so, just chant to the gohonzon and get the understandings you need; however, if you are like me, you probably want to know what the characters mean, and here they are.
Down the middle is the odaimoku, which is the sacred title of the Lotus Sutra (Namu Myoho Renge Kyo), written in a stylized form with the lines extending out like sun rays. Nichiren’s signature is visible underneath. To the immediate left is Sakyamuni Buddha, and to the immediate right is Many Treasures Buddha. Next to them are the Four Bodhisattva Leaders from Underground, who are said to be an infinite number of bodhisattvas who emerged from a fissure in the ground, as mentioned in the 15th chapter of the Lotus Sutra. Below them are many bodhisattvas, pratyekabuddhas (buddhas who achieved enlightenment without teachers or guides), and deities. The gohonzon also lists previous expounders of the Lotus Sutra, such as Tendai Daishi, Nagarjuna, Myoraku Daishi, and Dengyo Daishi. Included are two of Japan’s main deities: Tensho Daijin, the Shinto sun goddess, and Hachiman Great Bodhisattva, the god of war or the guardian deity.
Surrounding the four corners of the scroll are the
four heavenly gods, representing each of the cardinal directions of the
world. Finally, rounding out the outer-middle portion of the gohonzon
are the vidyaraja (esoteric deities) with the Sanskrit symbol for
Ragaraja in the middle left and the Sanskrit symbol for Acalanatha
Vidyaraja in the middle right.
The following is the key to the accompanying diagram. The key gives the phoneticized original, English translation and Sanskrit of characters on the Gohonzon transcribed by Nichikan.
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