The Gohonzon in copied and produced form

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Minobu
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The Gohonzon in copied and produced form

Post by Minobu »

I realize our master The Very Venerable Dai Sensei Nichiren Shonin knew if Gohonzon were to be handed out they would have to have been inscribed .
Those were pre xerox times .
So obviously there is nothing wrong with placing the date and who is the receiver of and who inscribed the Gohonzon.


That being said as time went on and we learn of our history we find that certain high priests made changes to the teachings . They decided to actually create a new school and various thoughts based on their understanding and conclusions they came to.

Does this affect the Gohonzon one embraces and tries to become one with? \ Does this affect the person embracing the gohonzon?

I might have just answered my own questions.
But it does place fears , and doubts that should be addressed.

Also if the modern day copy is blurred or blobby and the characters are like filled in due to certain copy efforts , will it affect the outcome of the melding.

So let's discuss the authenticity and the effect of various Gohonzon not done in our Master's Hand , The Very Venerable Dai Sensei Nichiren Shonin , also the One's done in His Hand but copied using modern day methods that sometime blurr or make blobby some of the Characters.
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Minobu
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Re: The Gohonzon in copied and produced form

Post by Minobu »

Another note and question .
does the person inscribing the Gohonzon need to be some sort of certified priest.
what certifications would be considered applicable .
does a layman inscribing one create the same desired effect in the practitioner.

should we just use original authenticated Gohonzon done in our Master's Hand The Very Venerable Dai Sensei Nichiren Shonin as the One to be copied ?
whats the logic in your decisions to chant to just anyone produced...do you have parameters that make you decide it is ok ?
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Re: The Gohonzon in copied and produced form

Post by Queequeg »

This is a subject I know little about. I can share my experience.

I guess I'm pretty flexible and liberal on a lot of stuff, except the Gohonzon. On this, I am very conservative - maybe even superstitious. I have my reasons that I will not go into. That said, I will not embrace a Gohonzon unless it has come from a source I consider reputable. I can't bring myself to print them for the purpose of enshrinement. I could not continue practicing with the Gohonzon I received from Soka Gakkai after I determined to quit. I then practiced with a Nichiren Gohonzon from Kitayama Honmonji - one that is famous for having a bullet hole through it. They used to give copies of it to soldiers going to war. Later I received a Gohonzon inscribed by Nikko Shonin, which I practice with now.

I very much believe that the intention involved in the inscription is critical. I also believe the lineage is critical, however I do not believe in a single lineage - there are many. The personal connection to Nichiren Daishonin is absolutely necessary for me.

Ironically, though, I was advised by my teacher from whom I received my Gohonzon that Gohonzon are Gohonzon, and it would not matter who inscribed or where the Gohonzon one practices with comes from. Still, he appreciates my hang-ups and indulges me.

I fully realize that what I've expressed above can be analyzed and broken down to demonstrate that what I rely on is a fiction.
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.
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Re: The Gohonzon in copied and produced form

Post by narhwal90 »

The chief disciples started diverging after Nichiren died, some got along with each other better than others. The study group books go into detail on the painting, ink and reproduction technologies as well as construction techniques for the various sizes. Some of the chief disciples were content to only copy Nichiren gohonzon, others elaborated the design for various purposes. I could read those sections more closely and summarize some of that here if desired.

I'm not sure how to make the distinction between a woodblock print with all the errors that accumulate that way vs quantization noise & printer raster/rotation error in the print of a hi-res scan of an original. The enshrining ceremony of produced gohonzon might be a point of difference.


Similarly, I would be reluctant to personally enshrine a gohonzon I printed- though if I ever left SGI I think I'd be searching for one printed by the usual authority of another Nichiren school. The ebay gohonzon are cool but the proveneance is of some concern.
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Minobu
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Re: The Gohonzon in copied and produced form

Post by Minobu »

Queequeg wrote: Fri Sep 29, 2017 5:58 pm

I fully realize that what I've expressed above can be analyzed and broken down to demonstrate that what I rely on is a fiction.
well it might be fiction to you but i take it as inspired thought not to be trifled with.

I came to the conclusion it is ok for a high priest to inscribe one whilst actually creating this thread...thats why i said i might have just answered my own question..
it was weird but i was going to ask the below as a question and i typed it out as answer.
I realize our master The Very Venerable Dai Sensei Nichiren Shonin knew if Gohonzon were to be handed out they would have to have been inscribed .
Those were pre xerox times .
So obviously there is nothing wrong with placing the date and who is the receiver of and who inscribed the Gohonzon.
too weird.
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Minobu
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Re: The Gohonzon in copied and produced form

Post by Minobu »

narhwal90 wrote: Fri Sep 29, 2017 6:06 pm The chief disciples started diverging after Nichiren died, some got along with each other better than others. The study group books go into detail on the painting, ink and reproduction technologies as well as construction techniques for the various sizes. Some of the chief disciples were content to only copy Nichiren gohonzon, others elaborated the design for various purposes. I could read those sections more closely and summarize some of that here if desired.

I'm not sure how to make the distinction between a woodblock print with all the errors that accumulate that way vs quantization noise & printer raster/rotation error in the print of a hi-res scan of an original. The enshrining ceremony of produced gohonzon might be a point of difference.


Similarly, I would be reluctant to personally enshrine a gohonzon I printed- though if I ever left SGI I think I'd be searching for one printed by the usual authority of another Nichiren school. The ebay gohonzon are cool but the proveneance is of some concern.
i don't think i could enshrine a copied from the internet's gohonzon either.
Maybe the Aizen and Myo do mandalas as a piece to place on the alter.

chanting without an enshrined gohonzon and using my computer to chant WITH the IMAGE of the Shutei Gohonzon has forced me to seek Gohonzon inside myself...i have to rely on inner Gohonzon for my chanting to believe in and produce the growth.
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Re: The Gohonzon in copied and produced form

Post by markatex »

I don't think the physical Mandala Gohonzon holds some kind of mystical power, or that chanting in front of one that's been inscribed by a person of questionable character can put some sort of gris-gris on the practitioner. I think that's all a tad silly.
Queequeg wrote: Fri Sep 29, 2017 5:58 pmI can't bring myself to print them for the purpose of enshrinement.
Neither can I. It would feel hollow to me, and not because I think a priest has to imbue it with juju or whatever. Mine carries meaning for me because it connects me to a lineage. Printing one off the Internet or buying one from eBay wouldn't give me that same connection.
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Re: The Gohonzon in copied and produced form

Post by Minobu »

markatex wrote: Fri Sep 29, 2017 7:02 pm I don't think the physical Mandala Gohonzon holds some kind of mystical power, or that chanting in front of one that's been inscribed by a person of questionable character can put some sort of gris-gris on the practitioner. I think that's all a tad silly.
yeah i see that
Queequeg wrote: Fri Sep 29, 2017 5:58 pmI can't bring myself to print them for the purpose of enshrinement.
markatex wrote: Fri Sep 29, 2017 7:02 pm Neither can I. It would feel hollow to me, and not because I think a priest has to imbue it with juju or whatever. Mine carries meaning for me because it connects me to a lineage. Printing one off the Internet or buying one from eBay wouldn't give me that same connection.
ok the lineage if it is pure ?
does the purity and the authenticity give it meaning to you.

your reason contradicts itself. one produced from the internet makes you feel hollow..
one created by some nut case high priest (not making a claim there are any ) is ok as long as it is in your lineage.

see this is the problem...
we have feelings and superstitions .

what would be wrong with Ikeda making one and signing it with his character.
some would say it would lead to following the person and not the law...
but your reasons are similar and just as superstitious.


i want to build an alter and a butsudan..put all my love and attention to it...did an alter before and it was beautiful ..honey colored pine with deep rubbing of orange shellac and then a clear thick coating of varethene .

enshrine a shutei gohonzon from Nichiren Shu...have the opening eye ceremony ...
now comes the part...i would then feel like it would be suitable for the ceremony in the air to be in that room outside myself as entities whilst i work on my inner self.

Like being with the Buddha in real time and real life...
i cannot get that feeling from how i do it now...
it's a goal..

a home for the entity ...to come to...

what ya think?
am i wrong in assuming that one can build a sanctuary that the Buddha can enter..
yeah i know we are already living with the Buddha ..buddha is everywhere and everything is Buddha...

but then there is the whole practice for something higher...something more succinct and affable in our daily life...we create a cause ..a cause to be with in a more elaborate mundane conventional sense by doing this stuff..

it's like why chant the ODaimoku if you already are the ODaimoku...
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Re: The Gohonzon in copied and produced form

Post by Bois de Santal »

I must admit my opinion on this subject is still evolving. Like many ex-gakkai/shoshu the idea even of photographing a gohonzon was sacrilegious, never mind the idea of just printing one off on a handy laser printer. But the reality is that we can see pretty much all of the extant gohonzon inscribed by Nichiren on the internet now, and likewise a quick trip to e-bay shows tens if not hundreds of gohonzon for sale. This is the modern world.

In addition, i seriously doubt that the Soka Gakkai printed off millions of Nichikan gohonzons via wood block. And why should they? Printing technology evolves, but ultimately it is all just ink on paper. (even if they did use wood block, there is nothing to say that the whole process wasn't mechanised.)

The internet really has changed things immensely. One question I've yet to see asked, never mind answered, is what to do with hard drives that store images of the gohonzon? You can't really burn them. Does such a gohonzon only exist when it is rendered visible on a screen? After all, a physical gohonzon is just a distribution of ink on paper. If it is rolled up it can no longer be seen. Likewise, a gohonzon stored on disc is just 0's and 1's. Until it is loaded on screen it cannot be seen, but it still exists.

And Minobu mentioning that he has been chanting to an image of a gohonzon on his computer also got me thinking. Why not take a large'ish tablette or computer monitor, pop it in a butsudan and use that to display a gohonzon? It is a logical next step. Likewise, with google glasses or something we could 'project' one before our eyes, when staying in a hotel or something.

One of the realities of the independant movement is that we will need to face the question of 'authenticity of gohonzon production' sooner or later. If we want the movement to grow we will need to hand out gohonzons, so we will need to not just print them, but also mount them. Unless of course we can hook up in someway with a branch of Nichiren Shu, but that is a whole different question which should go in a separate thread.

For my part, I've been toying with the idea of printing off an omamori gohonzon based on one of the originals inscribed by Nichiren. I've got the case for it and some good paper, but haven't quite been able to bring myself to actually print it. And I work from home and travel rarely so I have little need.

And I have been thinking recently that the scroll backing of my gohonzon is looking extremely dull ( it alway was in fact.) Illaraza has frequently referenced this site, which specialises in remounting scrolls http://nomurakakejiku.com/lesson/remount. Which thought brings me back to the same questions already raised in this thread. My gohonzon is mass produced and was inscribed by Nittatsu Shonin. If I no longer adhere to Nichiren Shoshu the lineage and authenticity becomes questionable. (I'm not saying it is a problem for me, but the questions have merit.)

In short, I don't really have any answers to Minobu's questions - just more questions.
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Re: The Gohonzon in copied and produced form

Post by Queequeg »

Minobu wrote: Fri Sep 29, 2017 7:28 pm ok the lineage if it is pure ?
does the purity and the authenticity give it meaning to you.

your reason contradicts itself. one produced from the internet makes you feel hollow..
one created by some nut case high priest (not making a claim there are any ) is ok as long as it is in your lineage.
I don't think Mark contradicted himself. He never said anything about the necessity of purity. I think what he meant is that the mere fact of having received Gohonzon from a lineage helps him feel connected to his lineage.

I think it goes without saying that if one accepts a lineage, they think it is a vital lineage, if not also a pure one.

You're being kind of rude, Dave.
what would be wrong with Ikeda making one and signing it with his character.
some would say it would lead to following the person and not the law...
but your reasons are similar and just as superstitious.
Indeed. What would be wrong with Ikeda inscribing a Gohonzon for those who believe in him as a lineage holder? There certainly is a claim made that Ikeda has inherited the lineage by virtue of his pure upholding of the Lotus. Whether someone accepts that or not, that's their business.

There are some who believe in the lineage of the scrolls - that one does not need a human lineage, but one merely needs to receive the Lotus Sutra, and that would identify one as a lineage holder.
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.
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Re: The Gohonzon in copied and produced form

Post by Queequeg »

Good points and questions.
Bois de Santal wrote: Fri Sep 29, 2017 8:40 pm One of the realities of the independant movement is that we will need to face the question of 'authenticity of gohonzon production' sooner or later. If we want the movement to grow we will need to hand out gohonzons, so we will need to not just print them, but also mount them. Unless of course we can hook up in someway with a branch of Nichiren Shu, but that is a whole different question which should go in a separate thread.
When we say, independent movement, what does that mean? Originally, it was independent from SGI and Nichiren Shoshu. I suppose now it has a meaning of non-sectarian - out in the wilderness. One of the first things Don Ross did when he declared independence was to make high res images of Gohonzon available specifically so that people could have Gohonzon without having to affiliate with SGI or Shoshu. He made it possible to DIY.

If a group were to formally organize, would that still be independent? Or would this be another school? This was the kind of stuff I grappled with when Mark Porter took the initiative to start ION. I followed Mark's lead because he led. But it wasn't without reservations of becoming yet another sect. It became even more so when we started taking steps to producing Gohonzon from wood blocks, which was one of the purposes that Mark saw in ION. It never sat well with me for a number of reasons, first being, I felt we had no authority to do so, and it made me feel very uncomfortable to go through with it because it would almost inevitably lead to us becoming some de facto authority. I am allergic to anything that sniffs of responsibility for another's spiritual life. Liability issues. :shrug:

I don't know if we ever explicitly stated it, but, the most I was really willing to commit to being was a "collective" or loose affiliation of Nichiren Lotus Practitioners. I believe that this would have honored the spirit of Nichiren's intention - "I, Nichiren, am not the founder of any school, nor am I a latter-day follower of any older school. I am a priest without precepts, neither keeping the precepts nor breaking them. I am an ordinary creature like an ox or a sheep, who is neither particularly wise nor ignorant."

All that said, I've looked into producing either wood or metal blocks and buying an old press. I've spoken to an artist friend who makes his own inks - walnut inks and the like. I've looked into good quality rice paper. And I've looked into mounting brocade - I have friends who professionally restore Japanese prints and I could tap them to learn how to mount properly. I feel like I could be comfortable making a Gohonzon for myself. Maybe for close friends. I would not feel comfortable making one for strangers.
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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Re: The Gohonzon in copied and produced form

Post by narhwal90 »

I kind of like the idea of wood-block printed gohonzon- the traditional method, for low quantities perhaps its feasible. I don't know of the technical tradeoffs between a mechanical printing press vs hi quality digital prints- I view them in the same way from a practice perspective.

The mandala group books state tracing gohonzon was a common method of reproduction, though if the original article is available I guess I'd vote for high quality scanning instead.

The concept of enshrining a tablet or digital ink display showing a gohonzon in my altar makes me queasy.. its the old NSA reptile brain stirring I guess though if it works for people thats good enough for me. If it came down to a DIY for my altar I think I'd prepare a gohonzon-shu image and have it printed by a pro.
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Re: The Gohonzon in copied and produced form

Post by Fortyeightvows »

Queequeg wrote: Fri Sep 29, 2017 9:48 pm All that said, I've looked into producing either wood or metal blocks and buying an old press. I've spoken to an artist friend who makes his own inks - walnut inks and the like. I've looked into good quality rice paper. And I've looked into mounting brocade - I have friends who professionally restore Japanese prints and I could tap them to learn how to mount properly. I feel like I could be comfortable making a Gohonzon for myself. Maybe for close friends. I would not feel comfortable making one for strangers.
I assume you have good penmanship, why not just write one out yourself?
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Re: The Gohonzon in copied and produced form

Post by narhwal90 »

Without formal training and practice and methods and the extant design guidelines I think writing ones own gohonzon is likely well outside accepted practice, and certainly well outside even very loose definitions of lineage.

But that raises the question for me what did Nichiren and the others do with the gohonzon they messed up.. slipped brush strokes, ink running/smearing etc. I can't imagine such things would be saved, I suppose they would be burned in an appropriate manner.
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Re: The Gohonzon in copied and produced form

Post by Queequeg »

Fortyeightvows wrote: Sat Sep 30, 2017 7:14 am I assume you have good penmanship, why not just write one out yourself?
My graffiti font Gohonzon might work... Lol
narhwal90 wrote:Without formal training and practice and methods and the extant design guidelines I think writing ones own gohonzon is likely well outside accepted practice, and certainly well outside even very loose definitions of lineage.

But that raises the question for me what did Nichiren and the others do with the gohonzon they messed up.. slipped brush strokes, ink running/smearing etc. I can't imagine such things would be saved, I suppose they would be burned in an appropriate manner.
I think at a minimum, you'd need instruction from someone who has received the 'transmission' and receive the transmission. I doubt that this would be given easily. One would need to become a monk/priest.

Regarding mistakes, I think there are examples in Nichiren's hand with 'mistakes'. Need to look again.

Other than Shoshu, are there any schools inscribing Gohonzon anew?
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.
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Re: The Gohonzon in copied and produced form

Post by narhwal90 »

There is the gohonzon-shu image 60

http://pounceatron.dreamhosters.com/nic ... u/060.html

with reversed Aizen and Fudo. The mandala workshop shows #60 in the part 2 book and notes several other issues; smeared ink and a fingerprint. They state Nichiren had trouble with his left hand injured in the Komatsubara conflict, leading to fingerprints presumed to be his and perhaps other errors on the larger gohonzon that were made on the floor because of their size.
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Re: The Gohonzon in copied and produced form

Post by Minobu »

Queequeg wrote: Fri Sep 29, 2017 8:44 pm
Minobu wrote: Fri Sep 29, 2017 7:28 pm ok the lineage if it is pure ?
does the purity and the authenticity give it meaning to you.

your reason contradicts itself. one produced from the internet makes you feel hollow..
one created by some nut case high priest (not making a claim there are any ) is ok as long as it is in your lineage.
I don't think Mark contradicted himself. He never said anything about the necessity of purity. I think what he meant is that the mere fact of having received Gohonzon from a lineage helps him feel connected to his lineage.

I think it goes without saying that if one accepts a lineage, they think it is a vital lineage, if not also a pure one.

You're being kind of rude, Dave.

He does contradict himself in the sense that for some reason a copied image would bring about a hollow feeling .then he goes on to explain lineage is for him what makes the Gohonzon feel unhollow?
markatex wrote: Fri Sep 29, 2017 7:02 pm
Queequeg wrote: Fri Sep 29, 2017 5:58 pmI can't bring myself to print them for the purpose of enshrinement.
Neither can I. It would feel hollow to me, and not because I think a priest has to imbue it with juju or whatever. Mine carries meaning for me because it connects me to a lineage. Printing one off the Internet or buying one from eBay wouldn't give me that same connection.
The only lineage is Lotus Buddhism . All the other stuff , the 40 or more Nichiren Sects , the independants , and all that THAT ! produces is not really True Lineage.
The Ceremony in the Air , the handed down of the Gate and refinement of the understanding of the teachings by the various Masters and keeping the Gate Open and finally the introduction of Gohonzon is the only True Lineage.

In 2017 if someone uses an image of an Authentic Gohonzon to produce the medicinal effect as prescribed by Buddha and The Very Venerable Dai Sensei Nichiren Shonin , then that person enters the True Lineage. An Authentic Gohonzon does not mean necessarily one produces by Nichiren Shonin's hand , as i talked about in the OP.

so the contradiction is what makes mark feels this way or that , hollow is stated for what I do and acquiring a printed Gohonzon from an established sect with a past lineage makes him feel more ...how to say it believable, more faithful , more doing the right thing...all things that would not make him feel hollow.

I don't look at mark saying i live a hollow experience as being rude...just his understanding of it i discuss. No rude intent on my part. I'm Canadain i know rudeness lol. I also know when someone feels angst due to something said.

if one needs to be part of some group , fine, but that has squat do with whether the practice is hollow and ineffective.

Yeah mark is talking about his feelings, it's not rude of me to say how i feel about lineages and those that need to hold unto one are more something than us hollow men.

Look everything i see and have studied brings me to the conclusion the Nichiren Shu is a viable lineage .
For me i stated what The True Lineage is.

But for convention sake i think i would go to them for Gohonzon and use them for shakubuku. All the time defending the other lineages , even the ones obviously created well after the death of the six senior priests. Well maybe not defending the ones who obviously have changed the teaching into something other. thats all part of 2017 learning process though eh .
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Re: The Gohonzon in copied and produced form

Post by illarraza »

Minobu wrote: Fri Sep 29, 2017 5:31 pm Another note and question .
does the person inscribing the Gohonzon need to be some sort of certified priest.
what certifications would be considered applicable .
does a layman inscribing one create the same desired effect in the practitioner.

should we just use original authenticated Gohonzon done in our Master's Hand The Very Venerable Dai Sensei Nichiren Shonin as the One to be copied ?
whats the logic in your decisions to chant to just anyone produced...do you have parameters that make you decide it is ok ?
No. Nichiren states in Consecrating a Statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, "Unless a person who has grasped the essence of the Lotus Sutra... In the SGI Gosho it says, "unless one" which is more correctly translated, according to my friend, "unless a person". Either way, Nichiren does not say "unless a priest". Here is how the Nichiren Shu performs the Eye Opening Ceremony...

You may download a copy of a Gohonzon and perform an Eye Opening ceremony yourself. Nichiren, regarding the Eye Opening Ceremony, stated "person", not priest. You can search the web for the Eye opening Ceremony.

Dai Mandala Kaigen Shiki


Great Mandala Eye Opening Ceremony


There are two meanings to the term Kaigen or "eye-opening." It's primary meaning is our own awakening - our own eye-opening. That happens when we uphold the Wonderful Dharma in thought, word, and deed (and not merely when babbling in Sino-Japanese to scraps of paper with sumi squiggles).

The secondary meaning of "eye-opening" is to designate a special ceremony which is performed for the sake of designating an object (a statue or mandala or whatever) as something that will henceforth represent the Gohonzon (of whatever school). In Nichiren Shu Buddhism, the Gohonzon is the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha who transmits the Wonderful Dharma to all sentient beings in the ongoing Ceremony in the Air. There are five different ways of presenting this Gohonzon:

1. A statue of the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha

2. A statue of the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha flanked by the Four Bodhisattvas of the Earth.

3. Statues of Shakyamuni Buddha and Prabhutaratna Tathagata (Jpn. Taho Nyorai) flanking the Stupa of Treasures inscribed with the Odaimoku (this is the one used most often in the main halls of temples).

4. An inscription of the Odaimoku alone.

5. The Mandala depicting the Odaimoku illuminating the Ten Worlds. Nichiren made many mandalas. I believe that 128 of them are extant (the Ita-mandala is NOT one of these authenticated mandalas made by Nichiren). Nichiren never designated any of them as special or better than the others. The Nichiren Shu has chosen the Shutei Mandala which Nichiren made in 1280 and had at his deathbed as the one that it officially bestows upon members.
So doing gongyo is an eye-opening in the primary (and most important sense) but it is not an eye-opening in the secondary sense of being performed specifically to activate the buddha-nature of said object in accordance with the teaching of ichinen sanzen and the enlightenment of plants and non-sentient beings. The argument for this is made in the Kanjin Honzon Sho.

Now each school of Buddhism has its own standards of who can perform this ceremony and how it should be done. Some of these standards are very formalized and some are amazingly informal. But this is still a universal ceremony which is taken for granted by all traditional schools of Buddhism throughout Asia. Nichiren never said to do away with it. He did argue that it should be done based on the principles of the Lotus Sutra in both of those gosho that discuss this ( Opening the Eyes of Wooden or Painted Images and Consecrating an Image of Shakyamuni Buddha Made by Shijo Kingo). Anyway, as I have said before, one should follow the standards and procedures of the school or sect that one is a member of. This ceremony is really not worth debating the pros and cons of - it is attachment to rites and rituals to be either for or against it. As a traditional Buddhist and a member of the Nichiren Shu I am happy to abide by our standards and practices, and I have yet to see any convincing argument that things should be done otherwise. What other schools do is their own business. We uphold our standards and do not compromise them. It is up to others to make of our example what they will - just as it was up to those who met Bodhisattva Never Despise to make of his teaching what they would.

From the Manual of Nichiren Buddhism

1. Dojoge (Verse, Place of Enlightenment)

[priest]: This place of enlightenment is as luminous as the gems of the net of King Sakra,
[Together] All the Three Treasures of the worlds of the ten directions manifest themselves here. Now we are before them. We bow to the Buddhas and worship their feet with our heads.

2. Samborai (Bow to the Three Treasures)

With our whole hearts,
[Together] we bow to the Eternal Buddha emanating the Buddhas of the worlds of the ten directions.
[Priest] With our whole hearts,
[Together] we bow to the Eternal Dharma establishing the teachings of the Buddhas of the worlds of the ten directions.
[Priest] With our whole hearts,
[Together] we bow to the Eternal Samgha comprising the devotees of the Buddhas of the worlds of the ten directions.

3. Kanjo (Invitation)

With reverence we adore the Great Mandala of the Most Venerable One, the Perfect Circle having never been revealed before the Age of Degeneration.
With reverence we adore Sakyamuni Buddha, the Great Benefactor, the Original Teacher who attained Buddhahood in the remotest past.
With reverence we adore Prabhutaratna Tathagata, who appeared in this world to bear witness to the truthfulness of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.
With reverence to adore the Buddhas of the worlds of the ten directions in the past, present and future, the emanations of the Original Sakyamuni Buddha.
With reverence we venerate Visistacarita, Anantacarita, Visuddhacarita, Supratisthitacarita, and the other great Bodhisattvas who appeared from underground, the disciples of the Original Sakyamuni Buddha.
With reverence we venerate Manjusri, Samantabhadra, Maitreya, Bhaisajyaraja, Bhaisajyassmudgata, Pradanasura, Gadgadasvara, Avoliketsvara and the other Bodhisattvas, the disciples either of the Historical Sakyamuni Buddha or of the Buddhas who have come from other worlds.
With reverence we venerate Mahabrahman, Sakra, the Kings of the Four Quarters and the other gods who protect the practicers of the One Vehicle.
With reverence we venerate the four kinds of devotees who joined the congregations of the Lotus Sutra.
With reverence we venerate the Great Bodhisattva Nichiren, the Founder of our Order, the Great Leader of us who live in the Age of Degeneration.
With reverence we venerate the Six Senior Disciples, the Nine Senior Disciples and the other disciples of Nichiren as well as the priests who contribued much to our Order.
May all Venerable Ones come to this place of enlightenment, see us with their eyes of wisdom, and receive the savor of the Dharma out of their compassion towards us.

4. Kaikyoge (Sutra Opening Verse)

This sutra of the Supreme, Most Profound and Wonderful Dharma is difficult to meet in thousands of millions of kalpas. Now we have been able to see, hear, receive and keep it. May we understand the ultimate import of the teachings of the Tathagata. The Ultimate Truth of the Great Vehicle is, however, very difficult for us to understand. All who see, hear or touch this sutra shall come closer to Bodhi.
The expounder of this sutra is the Sambhogakaya aspect of the Buddha. What is expounded in this sutra is the Dharmakaya as of the Buddha. The characters of this sutra are the Nirmanakaya aspect of the Buddha.
Since innumerable merits are contained in this sutra, all living beings are benefited by this sutra without hindrance as implicitly as incense is perceived by a thing put nearby.
By merits of this sutra, anyone will be able to expiate his sin, do good deeds, and attain the enlightenment of the Buddha, whether he is wise or not, whether he believes or slanders this sutra.
The Dharma attained by the past, present and future Buddhas is expounded in this most profound and wonderful sutra. May our posterity, generation after generation, meet and receive this sutra with reverence.

5. Dokyo (Sutra Chanting)

6. Shodai (Daimoku Chanting)

7. Kaigen (Consecration)

8. Sokun (Nichiren's Instructions)

9. Eko (Dedication)

The present Buddhas as well as the past Buddhas have appeared in the worlds for the purpose of expounding the Wonderful Dharma. So will the future Buddhas. Lord Teacher Sakyamuni Buddha, the World-Honored One, and the Great Bodhisattva Nichiren, the Founder of our Order, are nothing without the Wonderful Dharma. When we chant the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, all the Buddhas will immediately manifest themselves before us. When we chant the sutra before the Great Mandala inscribed on paper, the paper will instantly bear mind of its innate Buddha-nature, and the Great Mandala will reveal the Pure World of the Original Sakyamuni Buddha.
Now as we chant the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma and the Daimoku before this Great Mandala, the Great Mandala is consecrated. It will benefit us boundlessly.
May the Great Mandala do the work of the Buddha by releasing its brillant light so that we may be able to keep our faith firm and strong, serve the Great Mandala with sincerity, and fulfill our goals for our present and future lives.

10. Shisei (The Four Vows)

[Priest] We vow to save all living beings however countless they may be.
[Together] We vow to eliminate all illusions however numberless they may be. We vow to study all teachings however limitless they may be. We vow to attain the supreme enlightenment of the Buddha.

11. Sanki (The Three Refuges)

[Priest] With most reverence, we take refuge in the Buddha.
[Together] May all living beings understand the Great Way and aspire to supreme enlightenment.
[Priest] We take refuge in the Dharma.
[Together] May all living beings enter deep into the storehouse of sutras and their wisdom be as vast as the sea.
[Priest] We take refuge in the Samgha.
[Together] May all living beings forge one great congregation without hindrance.

12. Buso (Farewell)

[Priest] Venerable Ones!
[Together] Remember us, be where you like, and come again out of your great compassion toward us!

Mark
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Queequeg
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Re: The Gohonzon in copied and produced form

Post by Queequeg »

Thank you, Mark.
NMRK
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,
markatex
Posts: 429
Joined: Fri Nov 06, 2009 1:33 am

Re: The Gohonzon in copied and produced form

Post by markatex »

Minobu wrote: Sat Sep 30, 2017 6:21 pm
I don't look at mark saying i live a hollow experience as being rude...
You’re something else, aren’t you?
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