I was so young then, back in 1974 when I received my Gohonzon as a new member of a layman's Buddhist group known today as the Soka Gakkai International (SGI). If I knew then what I know now, I would have immediately investigated exactly what was printed on this mandala...and what was omitted. These are important considerations that only recently I thought worthy of investigation.
Since the SGI (then and now) touted the Gohonzon as the most important single object in the Universe, my failure to ask about its inscriptions must rank as negligence of the highest degree. Had I done my due diligence back then, my conclusions would have been the same as they are now: The Gohonzon is flawed and is therefore unsuitable as a means for attaining Enlightenment.
To back up a bit, a Gohonzon is simply a piece of paper, measuring about 6x9 inches and bearing Chinese characters, which is glued to a slightly larger background paper which forms its border. All new members of the SGI's school of Buddhism receive their own personal Gohonzon, which looks like a scroll. When unrolled and mounted in a protective altar in my home, I was supposed to chant to this "Supreme Object of Worship." When some members objected to the word "worship," it later became known as the "Supreme Object of Devotion."
More precisely, the Gohonzon was meant to be considered as a mirror to be used in order to reflect back to you your own enlightened nature. It was not to be considered a "God” or a genie that could grant wishes.
So what's wrong with the Gohonzon?
What's wrong with the Gohonzon boils down to the narrow, nationalistic prejudices of Nichiren Daishonin, which I will detail below.
Here, I will refer only to what is known as the Nichikan-transcribed Gohonzon (the one given to all new SGI members) which is depicted on this link, which includes an interpretation of its various characters:
NOTE: I provide two links, just in case the one posted by the SGI mysteriously becomes unavailable, which it did recently. Not that I don't trust the SGI - but I'm just saying...
http://www.buddhastate.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/gohonzon_map.pdf
http://www.sgi-usa.org/memberresources/beginnersresources/diagramofgohonzon.php
The Gohonzon bears the name of a Japanese national known as Dengyo the Great (767-822), who founded a branch of T'ien-T'ai Buddhism in Japan. Also inscribed is the name of T'ien-t'ai the Great, aka Chih-i or Zhiyi, who lived in China (538-597 CE). Both of these men should be regarded as relative contemporaries of the monk known as Nichiren Daishonin (1222-1282). It was Nichiren's unique and revolutionary brand of Buddhism that formed the foundation of what the SGI practices today.
The Bodhisattva Hachiman and the Sun Goddess Tensho-daijin are also listed on the Gohonzon. These two are very near and dear to Japanese hearts, which is why I suppose Nichiren included them on the Gohonzon. But far more telling to me are the names Nichiren omitted from the Gohonzon:
Bodhisattva Medicine King, Bodhisattva Wonderful Sound, Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds, and Bodhisattva Universal Worthy.
Each of these four has an entire chapter of the Lotus Sutra dedicated to them - chapters 23, 24, 25, and 28, respectively. However, Dengyo, Chih-i, Hachiman, and Tensho-daijin aren't mentioned at all within its pages. Nichiren spent his entire life promoting the Lotus Sutra as the highest of Shakyamuni Buddha's teachings. And yet he omits from his Gohonzon these four names which figure so prominently in the Lotus Sutra.
Especially noteworthy is this exchange between Universal Worthy and Shakyamuni, as recorded in the Lotus's 28th chapter:
QUOTE:
“And after [Shakyamuni Buddha] has entered extinction, I [Bodhisattva Universal Worthy] will cause [the Lotus Sutra] to be widely propagated throughout Jambudvipa and will see that it never comes to an end.”
To which Shakyamuni Buddha replied: “And I will employ my transcendental powers to guard and protect those who can accept and uphold the name of Bodhisattva Universal Worthy.”
:UNQUOTE.
Background info
I am going to highlight in yellow the language that bothers me within the following quoted material. Then I'll explain why in a separate section.
QUOTE:
[source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhiyi ]
Zhiyi (Chinese: 智顗; pinyin: zhì yǐ; Wade–Giles: Chih-I; Japanese: Chigi) (538–597 CE) is traditionally listed as the fourth patriarch, but is generally considered the founder of the Tiantai tradition of Buddhism in China. His standard title was Śramaṇa Zhiyi (Ch. 沙門智顗), linking him to the broad tradition of Indian asceticism. Zhiyi is famous for being the first in the history of Chinese Buddhism to elaborate a complete, critical and systematic classification of the Buddhist teachings. He is also regarded as the first major figure to make a significant break from the Indian tradition, to form an indigenous Chinese system.
:UNQUOTE.
QUOTE:
#28:
Hachiman Dai Bosatsu (Great Bodhisattva Hachiman): One of the main deities in Japanese mythology, along with Tensho Daijin (Sun Goddess). There are several views concerning the question of how he came to be worshipped. According to one explanation, in the reign of the twenty-ninth emperor, Kimmei, the god Hachiman appeared as a smith in the southern part of Japan, and declared that in a past life he had been Emperor Ojin, the fifteenth emperor of Japan.
His aid was sought after his capacity as the god of smiths when the great image of Vairochana was erected at Todai-ji temple in Nara, and from that time on, Hachiman came to be more and more closely associated with Buddhism. Early in the Heian period (794-1185), the imperial court named him Great Bodhisattva, an early example of the fusion of Buddhist and Shinto elements.
In his writings, Nichiren views Hachiman as a personification of the function that promotes the agricultural fertility of a land whose inhabitants embrace the Law.
#31:
Tensho-daijin: The Sun Goddess in Japanese mythology, who was later adopted as a protective god in Buddhism. According to the oldest extant histories, the Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters) and the Nihon Shoki (Chronicles of Japan), she was the chief deity and also the progenitor of the imperial clan. In many of his writings, Nichiren views the Sun Goddess as a personification of the workings that protect the prosperity of those people who have faith in the Law.
:UNQUOTE.
About those highlights
There is no such thing as Chinese Buddhism, and I couldn’t care less about any indigenous Chinese system. The teachings of buddhas are what I care about – not the commentaries or theses of the various scholars of antiquity. Sure, their views are interesting – to a point – but these men are not buddhas.
I also don’t care about the main deities of Japanese mythology. Focusing on such characters removes one from the larger world of the buddhas' truth and into the far smaller world of the tribalist. I also don’t care about the imperial Japanese court having decided who is and who is not a “Great Bodhisattva.” They are not qualified to make such decisions for me, especially since I am not Japanese.
I also don’t care about the Japanese Sun Goddess, but I do object that such a non-universally accepted figure appears on the Gohonzon, which is supposed to be for all mankind.
Conclusions
As far as I can tell, Nichiren was very much a patriot, a lover of his race and of his nation. He thought they were the best of the best among all who inhabited this planet. This contrasts very sharply with my own view – that nationalism is the greatest threat to world peace that exists today. I am proud to have followed in the footsteps of Shakyamuni Budhha, by having renounced my own citizenship. I was a natural-born citizen of the USA; now I am a citizen of the world.
Shakyamuni gave up his princely position and his country in order to lead everybody to enlightenment. Nichiren Daishonin would have done well to have followed that example himself.
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Steven Searle, just another member of the
Virtual Samgha of the Lotus and
Former Candidate for USA President (in 2008 & 2012)
Contact me at bpa_cinc@yahoo.com
