Gohonzon for sale at Walmart?

Post Reply
dharmapdx
Posts: 292
Joined: Sun Nov 15, 2015 7:54 am

Gohonzon for sale at Walmart?

Post by dharmapdx »

Attachments
265BFE06-BEDA-49E6-8A7F-CAC11ADEEA67.jpeg
265BFE06-BEDA-49E6-8A7F-CAC11ADEEA67.jpeg (117 KiB) Viewed 2280 times
User avatar
Yavana
Posts: 1158
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2016 5:15 am
Location: Trumpaloka

Re: Gohonzon for sale at Walmart?

Post by Yavana »

I once read that, in the Ottoman empire, you could buy a woman for less than the price of a horse. I think this kind of thing says something about who we, as a society, are.
User avatar
Grigoris
Former staff member
Posts: 21906
Joined: Fri May 14, 2010 9:27 pm
Location: Greece

Re: Gohonzon for sale at Walmart?

Post by Grigoris »

The Cicada wrote: Sun Dec 23, 2018 8:17 pm I once read that, in the Ottoman empire, you could buy a woman for less than the price of a horse. I think this kind of thing says something about who we, as a society, are.
I was talking to a friend of mine who lives in the Central African Republic and is visiting his folks back here in Greece, and he told me that a hand grenade costs less than a falafel in the capital Bangui. Go figure.
"My religion is not deceiving myself."
Jetsun Milarepa 1052-1135 CE

"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
The Supreme Source - The Kunjed Gyalpo
The Fundamental Tantra of Dzogchen Semde
User avatar
Queequeg
Former staff member
Posts: 14418
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 3:24 pm

Re: Gohonzon for sale at Walmart?

Post by Queequeg »

dharmapdx wrote: Sun Dec 23, 2018 7:45 pm Speechless
In a sense, I'm there with you. I think the shock of things like this passed incrementally over the years - first it was seeing images of the Gohonzon reproduced, then the whole print-your-own. When I started seeing Gohonzon for sale on ebay, I became desensitized. Its a little jarring to see the item listed on walmart, but then, its not actually walmart selling this but third party sellers who list on walmart. May as well be listed for sale on Amazon, too, and may well be.

Disillusioned words like bullets bark
As human gods aim for their mark
Made everything from toy guns that spark
To flesh-colored Christs that glow in the dark
It's easy to see without looking too far
That not much is really sacred...

Its alright, ma, it's life and life only.
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,
narhwal90
Global Moderator
Posts: 3504
Joined: Mon Jan 25, 2016 3:10 am
Location: Baltimore, MD

Re: Gohonzon for sale at Walmart?

Post by narhwal90 »

Thats an unusual design, on the left somewhat reminiscent of the daimoku carved in stone. Can anyone more cognizant than I comment on the design/layout? Perhaps it has associations with one of the more obscure schools...

Given that the Independents are known for DIY gohonzon, this might be an upgrade in some senses eg the frame. I wonder if it comes with any info that might point folks towards Nichiren.
User avatar
Yavana
Posts: 1158
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2016 5:15 am
Location: Trumpaloka

Re: Gohonzon for sale at Walmart?

Post by Yavana »

Grigoris wrote: Sun Dec 23, 2018 8:32 pm
The Cicada wrote: Sun Dec 23, 2018 8:17 pm I once read that, in the Ottoman empire, you could buy a woman for less than the price of a horse. I think this kind of thing says something about who we, as a society, are.
I was talking to a friend of mine who lives in the Central African Republic and is visiting his folks back here in Greece, and he told me that a hand grenade costs less than a falafel in the capital Bangui. Go figure.

Interesting.
User avatar
Queequeg
Former staff member
Posts: 14418
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 3:24 pm

Re: Gohonzon for sale at Walmart?

Post by Queequeg »

I can't make out everything, but the lower left reads, "Myokenzan" or Mt. Myoken. Myoken is the bodhisattva of the North Star.

There is an important Nichiren temple at Mt. Myoken. https://www.myoken.org/

Although faded, the figure in the lower half of the left side image is probably Myoken Bosatsu.

This is not a Gohonzon. This is probably an omamori from Myokenzan.
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,
User avatar
Yavana
Posts: 1158
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2016 5:15 am
Location: Trumpaloka

Re: Gohonzon for sale at Walmart?

Post by Yavana »

Queequeg wrote: Sun Dec 23, 2018 8:51 pm Disillusioned words like bullets bark
As human gods aim for their mark
Made everything from toy guns that spark
To flesh-colored Christs that glow in the dark
It's easy to see without looking too far
That not much is really sacred...
Appropriate some property and see if the yahoos don't come for you with flashing lights and wailing. The old preta gods like Mammon still have a following.
User avatar
justsit
Posts: 1461
Joined: Wed Oct 21, 2009 9:24 pm
Location: Delaware

Re: Gohonzon for sale at Walmart?

Post by justsit »

For those who may not get the reference:

Fortyeightvows
Posts: 2948
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2014 2:37 am

Re: Gohonzon for sale at Walmart?

Post by Fortyeightvows »

How about a lama's hat on a clothing store display.
Screenshot_2019-01-01-23-48-24-1.png
Screenshot_2019-01-01-23-48-24-1.png (274 KiB) Viewed 2089 times
User avatar
Caoimhghín
Posts: 3419
Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2016 11:35 pm
Location: Whitby, Ontario

Re: Gohonzon for sale at Walmart?

Post by Caoimhghín »

Fortyeightvows wrote: Tue Jan 01, 2019 4:50 pm How about a lama's hat on a clothing store display.

Screenshot_2019-01-01-23-48-24-1.png
The hats lamas wear always reminds me of the Roman army.
Then, the monks uttered this gāthā:

These bodies are like foam.
Them being frail, who can rejoice in them?
The Buddha attained the vajra-body.
Still, it becomes inconstant and ruined.
The many Buddhas are vajra-entities.
All are also subject to inconstancy.
Quickly ended, like melting snow --
how could things be different?

The Buddha passed into parinirvāṇa afterward.
(T1.27b10 Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra DĀ 2)
User avatar
PadmaVonSamba
Posts: 9397
Joined: Sat May 14, 2011 1:41 am

Re: Gohonzon for sale at Walmart?

Post by PadmaVonSamba »

Grigoris wrote: Sun Dec 23, 2018 8:32 pm I was talking to a friend of mine who lives in the Central African Republic and is visiting his folks back here in Greece, and he told me that a hand grenade costs less than a falafel in the capital Bangui. Go figure.
Falafel lasts longer.
EMPTIFUL.
An inward outlook produces outward insight.
ford_truckin
Posts: 190
Joined: Tue Jul 10, 2018 4:03 am

Re: Gohonzon for sale at Walmart?

Post by ford_truckin »

PadmaVonSamba wrote: Sat Jan 05, 2019 3:21 am
Grigoris wrote: Sun Dec 23, 2018 8:32 pm I was talking to a friend of mine who lives in the Central African Republic and is visiting his folks back here in Greece, and he told me that a hand grenade costs less than a falafel in the capital Bangui. Go figure.
Falafel lasts longer.
And tastes better.
Post Reply

Return to “Nichiren”