Morning Sun Gosho

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Nyedrag Yeshe
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Morning Sun Gosho

Post by Nyedrag Yeshe »

Can someone please point out which Gosho addressed to Shijo Kingo, Nichiren talks about paying homage to the morning sun? Thank you so much!
“Whatever has to happen, let it happen!”
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~Tsangpa Gyare Yeshe Dorje (1161-1211)
ओं पद्मोष्णीष विमले हूँ फट । ओं हनुफशभरहृदय स्वाहा॥
འ༔ ཨ༔ ཧ༔ ཤ༔ ས༔ མ༔ ཀརྨ་པ་མཁྱེན་ནོ།
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Bois de Santal
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Re: Morning Sun Gosho

Post by Bois de Santal »

I think this might be what you are after:

On Consecrating an Image of Shakyamuni Buddha Made by Shijō Kingo
https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/87

although it is about homage to the sun in general. There is no reference to the time of day.
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Queequeg
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Re: Morning Sun Gosho

Post by Queequeg »

Some people who practiced with NSA/Shoshu may recall the old gongyo where the first prayer in the morning is performed facing East toward the rising sun and the silent prayer - "I offer praise and deep gratitude to Bonten (Brahma), Taishaku (Indra), Nitten (Surya, Sun Deva), Gatten (Candra, Moon Deva), Myojoten (?, Star Deva), and all other Shotenzenjin (Dharma Protectors) who protect those who embrace the Gohzonzon." Or something along those lines - its been a while.

This portion of the practice echos a standard part of daily Buddhist ritual, ie. offering gratitude to the Dharma Protectors.

Nichiren had a particularly close association with the Sun Deva. Kominato, where he was born, was a fief of Ise Shrine, one of the most important shrines in Japan devoted to Amaterasu, the Japanese Kami of the sun. It was said that the area is the eastern most part of Japan where the sun rises first. When Nichiren returned to the area at 31 to first proclaim his teaching, he went into seclusion for several weeks near the Seichoji, the temple where he was first ordained, and then rose to chant the Daimoku to the rising sun on April 28, 1253.

Later, when he was about to be beheaded at Tatsunokuchi, legend has it that a bright orb shot across the sky as the executioner raised his sword, saving him. Nichiren believed that this was Nitten. Shortly after, a messenger arrived issuing a commutation of his death sentence from the Imperial authority (The Japanese Imperial house is said to be descended from the Sun). A few days later, on his way to exile on Sado Island, a ball of light appeared in the yard of a house he was staying in as he delivered a teaching to Gatten. He remarked that he expected Myojoten to appear next to protect him. Accordingly, the devas of the Sun, Moon and Stars have been important Dharma Protectors in the Nichiren tradition.
There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
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