Some Nichiren Buddhists have received an email message asking them to download a copy of the Kempon Hokke Gohonzon, which is supposedly attached to the message. Caution is always called for when asked to download mystery files from email. I downloaded the file with no ill effects. It's a hi-res scan suitable for printing. If you're curious what the Kempon "Gohonzon for the Transmission of the Dharma" looks like, you can see a lower-res copy of it here.
Dec 29, 2009 · BuddhaJones Message Board
Kempon Hokke Gohonzon download
NichirenGohonzonBuddhism
36 comments
That message was forwarded to me, too, but I did not click the attachment. It's a beautiful mandala. Aren't they all? I don't know if I could tell one "kind" of Gohonzon from another -- Nikken v. Nittatsu v. Nichikan v. whoever. I think I could pick the Prayer Gohonzon out of a line up, but that's because I see it every day. They're all wonderful.
I was just informed of this on Mark Rogow's blog:
In the comments, Rogow says he was banished from Buddha Jones. It's all coming back to me now....Still, I hate the thought of banning anyone who sincerely wants to discuss Nichiren Buddhism.Maybe you should invite him back?
re: this gohonzon
Splendid, as auntie would say.I'm in favor of keeping the ban. He picks fights about nothing. Today he called me an enemy of the dharma because I posted a quote here from the Coffeehouse Gohonzon Gallery. He has been kicked off almost every Buddhist board and blog for being in over-the-top attack mode all the time. He has his own blog. If he has something to say about Nichiren Buddhism, he can say it there.
You do realize that anyone that would say that of ichinen sanzen doesn't know what they're talking about? :)To not contemplate ichinen sanzen means you aint ever gonna figure it out in this life. But, then some are suited only to chant NMRK, which is fine.
Guess it depends on whether you practice Nichiren Buddhism or Tendai. Nichiren specifically prescribed the chanting of Namu-myoho-renge-kyo as the practice for attaining buddhahood. Tendai adherents tend to think ichinen sanzen is the key. From True Object of Worship:
Chanting NMRK is in no way a practice inferior to studying ichinen sanzen, and understanding ichinen sanzen is not a prerequisite for revealing one's buddha nature.BTW, ichinen sanzen isn't something to "figure out." T'ien T'ai already did that. The point is to actualize ichinen sanzen, which is what chanting NMRK is all about. Hence, Nichiren Buddhism.And while I wrote this my dog caught a mouse and killed it. The dog cannot be blamed, for she is a dog and has been conditioned to react like a dog. Life is like this. The predator cannot be blamed for his or her conditioning, yet it is their karma. It is in the confluence of these individual environments where the retribution manifests. There is always a series of events that lead to the retribution, whether simple or complex.Sad day. I offered the mouse to my Gohonzon and prayed for it.
Why act like it's difficult to understand ichinen sanzen, it's not rocket science. Any one who earned a high school diploma has the mental ability required. As far as actualizing it everything does that all the time.THIS IS YOUR REAL LIFE ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTES
Brooke, Mark is one of two participants who have been blocked because of the way they conducted themselves on this site. The bar for civility is set very low here. Good behavior is not expected. However, we (meaning me, dd, bb, auntie and I think even you) decided that if someone were dominating the site with belligerent posts, they'd have to shape up or ship out. Mark was warned.I also don't like excluding anyone from discussing Buddhism here. In fact, I'm hoping that this can become a totally non-moderated space. A few weeks ago, I moderated a discussion and ended up deleting comments, which I regret in retrospect. I would prefer to not moderate anything at all and let participants freely talk through their points.I like the way things are evolving here. There have been disagreements, but it seems like everyone can handle it. I like that new people like Joe, Markp and Cultmember are posting to the main column. Let's just see where this goes.I'm willing to revisit this question in the future. Maybe SoapBlox will come up with more refined controls that we can apply to "probationary" participants. I don't know. I'm sorry if there are any bad feelings about Rogow not being able to post here. But we all know where to find him.
Mark's becoming a bit more moderate now. He is currently a member of my board where he is actually a valued member. Mark is strident, but I think he has realized the error of being strident to the point that it becomes impossible to have a discussion. He is a member of our community, like it or not, and I have given him an outlet in my debate forum which is not visable to all members of the Nichiren Sangha. He just needs an outlet that he can discuss without people jumping out of their skin at every word. Remember that after the first lecture by Nichiren everyone present wanted to kill him and he had to sneak out of the area. Imagine that from the first moment that you spoke powerful people wanted to kill you. I think we can suffer Mark.
His posting permissions have been restored. I have the pow-ah! Mark R., if you want to post here, you can login as Nichijew. E-mail beryl@buddhajones.com if you encounter any problems.
Wow, how unilateral of you. Hey, aren't you on deadline? Get off the Internet, deardenver! Tick tock tick tock -- that's the sound of time wasting. Go finish your book...NOW!
"Tendai adherents tend to think ichinen sanzen is the key" because they understand that it is the flip side to dependent origination and emptiness. Nichiren believers try to actualize ichinen sanzen through chanting NMRK with only a partial understanding of dependent origination and while, in general, dismissing the concept of emptiness. Of the two approaches, the Tendai path would seem to be preferable since it affords a broader view of Buddha-dharma. An inclusive path usually yields better results.Yinian sanqian (ichinen sanzen) was not the centerpiece of Chih-i's doctrine, rather it was the Threefold Truth. While not denying that emptiness is the ground of being and penetrates everything, Chih-i came up with another way of expressing the ultimate truth that revealed the complete non-duality of the mind and all phenomena in the universe. If you understand non-duality then you know there is no inferior or superior per se. What makes a practice inferior is a lack of comprehension in regards to the concepts that structurally clarify the ultimate goal of awakening. To toss around opinions about these concepts without the basic understanding of what they are or how they fit into the puzzle is not an activity that the wise would engage in.
So please explain to me how your life works then. How does your life flow from one instant to the next until you reach a manifest effect? What is the impetus to the manifest effect, and why does it involve a wide spectrum of interdependent relationships, some of which would appear not to be related? What are the conditions in your life that point you toward your fate, and did you think you were consciously guiding your own actions forward? If you were consciously guiding your own life then how could even a simple effect manifest, much less a manifest event that requires the convergence of many personal environments and factors to occur?People read the words and think they have understanding, but their demeanor gives them away. If you don't walk the walk, then you can't talk the talk. That is the difference between shallow and deep understanding.
DMR brings up a great point that I didn't go enough into. Nichiren Buddhists have been taught over and over that we cannot possibly understand ichinen sanzen, so we should just chant. So no one even tries! However, this is not what Nichiren taught. Nichiren taught that those with the capacity to understand Kanjin should practice Kanjin. Those that do not have the capacity should just chant.DMR points out that the Tendai stick to the theoretical aspect of Kanjin, or at least they think that Chi-ih's practice that he outlined was the practice of Kanjin. Not having an understanding of the time, one can believe this, but with the understanding of the time one finds that Chi-ih could not outline a practice and so went with the next best thing. This is why Tendai got corrupted, because there was no practice for the laity whose capacity wasn't capable of theoretical study, much the same as with any form of Buddhism, but extenuated in Tendai.Nichiren comes along and introduces the practice of actual ichinen sanzen, and since no one has the capacity to understand that this practice is the actual practice of the theoretical aspect of the Threefold Truth and ichinen sanzen, they don't connect the dots. Tendai remains Tendai and Hokke remains Hokke. Each not understanding that they are two halves of a whole. The theoretical and the actual.Nichiren states that he did not create another form of Buddhism in the Gosho, and he also states that ichinen sanzen is the basis for his own inner awakening. The Threefold Truth and ichinen sanzen are, in fact, the basis for Nichiren Buddhism.Nichiren added the practice to the theoretical, so that any Nichiren Buddhist who thinks anything other than this is incorrect. The practice is NMRK and Gongyo. The theory is the Threefold Truth and ichinen sanzen. All other theories of the Buddha are inclusive, not exclusive. The level of denial that takes place when confronted with this simple solution is beyond my means to explain. The practice of Buddhism changes with the time, but the theories do not. The doctrines have always been the same in any form of Buddhism. Have they not?The reason True Buddhism is called true is not that other forms of Buddhism are false. It is because this Buddhism has as its basis the Threefold Truth and ichinen sanzen. Nichiren Buddhism is the true form of the practice of Kanjin. Try it sometime!
Markp, you raise good points -- as does dmr -- and you offer important clarification. Haven't we all met really smart practitioners who know all the terminology and can draw awesome flow charts, but they're basically self-satisfied jerks? There's no compassion (and seemingly no wisdom) in their "understanding."On the flip side, we all know people who think NMRK is a magic formula for manifesting prosperity, and they're not interested in delving deeper into the teachings. IMO, these folks are self-satisfied jerks, too, lacking in wisdom and compassion (heh, I know -- as if I'm someone to judge others, but I'm trying to make a point.)Still, I bet we've all met a few practitioners who are a joy to be around, can barely speak english, never went to college, but who lighten the atmosphere and inspire confidence just by their presence.My point is not to diss ichinen sanzen or those who study it. Mainly, I object to the over-intellectualizing of Buddhist practice. I'm not convinced that intellectual comprehension of the theory of "how it all works" is necessary for a person to understand deep in his or her bones "how it all works."And what is the Gohonzon anyway? Isn't it a depiction of ichinen sanzen? Isn't daily contemplation of the Gohonzon something, even if you can't read the kanji?
I've always maintained that understanding ichinen sanzen is not a purely intellectual activity. You can only go so far with the intellect, and after that there is an intuitional aspect that allows a person to conceive the inconceivable.I agree with everything else. :)
"So please explain to me how your life works then."A little hard to do in this forum. Everything is inter-related and causes and conditions arise as a result of causes and conditions. "How does your life flow from one instant to the next until you reach a manifest effect?"It does it. I can't say I know how time moves forward and change happens. I don't like the term manifest effect it makes it seem that what is now is only a result and not also a cause. "What is the impetus to the manifest effect, and why does it involve a wide spectrum of interdependent relationships, some of which would appear not to be related?"I would think the impetus is existence itself. I don't know why everything is related but they are. "What are the conditions in your life that point you toward your fate, and did you think you were consciously guiding your own actions forward?"I don't think I understand your question. Birth leads to death. I think we are unconscious of most things drifting along one moment conditioning another. "If you were consciously guiding your own life then how could even a simple effect manifest, much less a manifest event that requires the convergence of many personal environments and factors to occur?"Even if I were conscious of everything it wouldn't make me GOD the supreme controller."People read the words and think they have understanding, but their demeanor gives them away."People read the words and hopefully gain some understanding, but their actions are the true test of their undersatnding. "If you don't walk the walk, then you can't talk the talk."You can talk the talk or you can walk the walk or you can walk and talk. All have value. "That is the difference between shallow and deep understanding."Some think their undersatnding is shallow and some think their understanding is deep, and some admit they don't know enough to tell. Shallow and deep are relative measurements you can only be shallow or deep in relation to someone else and you must pretend to know how deep their understanding is in order to say.
If you read the Kanjin no Honzon Sho carefully you will that Nichiren equates the practice of kanjin with chanting. Indeed, that is one of his major points--that chanting to the gohonzon is the clear mirror that allows one to "see" ichinen sanzen. Therefore, to posit some difference between the two, as in "those with the capacity to understand Kanjin should practice Kanjin. Those that do not have the capacity should just chant" is not correct. Nichirenites have a tendency to place too much importance on kanjin within the work of Chih-i, and to say that Chih-i could not outline a practice is a curious statement to say the least. Kanjin was not a major concept or practice in T'ien-t'ai Buddhism. Chih-i outlined many practices, the most basic being chih kuan, simply "concentration and insight" or "stopping and seeing," which is, despite variations in name and approach, the fundamental spiritual practice of Buddhism. Whether or not Tendai became corrupted is, I think, a matter of opinion. However, I have never heard that the cause for the so-called corruption was the lack of a practice for the laity. Maybe I missed that. But the fact is that outside of Pure Land, no one really offered a practice for the laity. Not in the way that Pure Land and Nichiren did anyway. I do agree that actual practice should take precedence over the theoretical, since the latter serves only to support the former, but I did not say that "the Tendai stick to the theoretical aspect of Kanjin." I would reject that notion. What I said was quite different, and what I was implying is that Tendai on the whole has a better grasp of ichinen sanzen because they view it in its proper context.
I don't know where Nichiren said what you are quoting or paraphrasing, but it does not make sense, unless by "just chant" you mean to do so without trying to observe the mind. Chih-I did not really have any "works". Except for a sutra commentary composed shortly before his death, Chih-I did not leave any writings. All the so-called "works" attributed to him were compiled some 27 years after his death by his disciple Kuan-ting, based on his master's lectures. So, similarly, I don't know where you get the idea that anything was not completed.The problem with trying to understand Chih-i/Tendai through Nichiren is that you become wrapped up with the whole essential/theoretical quagmire and either consciously or sub-consciously, or both, assume the stance of trying to show how Nichiren's Buddhism is superior to everything else, which is quite unnecessary, and to my mind, counter-productive.That kind of thinking should be left to rest with the dogma of the past. The future of Buddhism is a broad path and a broad view, not a narrow corridor that leads only to a dead end. I am not sure what you mean by "if you want to grow." If you mean grow as a religious movement, then that, in the real Buddhist view, is unimportant. You are also forgetting that the Samurai could practice shikan, and the educated upper-classes and nobles, and they were all laity. The problem was not with the capacity of the people during a certain time. It was a matter of education (the lower classes were illiterate) and time in the literal sense, for the lower-class folks who worked incessantly in order to survive did not have "time" to spend in meditation. Even this is rather nonsensical when you think about it. Why would a rice farmer not have 20 minutes to spend in silent meditation, but have 20 minutes available to chant? And, like chanting, silent meditation can be done anywhere.
"Chi-ih was quite capable of outlining a practice and did, but the practice of actual ichinen sanzen was left to Nichiren because the time was not right."So, Chi-ih knowing that someone would come along in a few centuries witheld the teaching. That makes a nice pious history but makes no sense at all. Who would withold a useful invention waiting for a future age to begin? And saying Nichiren said so really means nothing. I don't take the statement as historical fact. I take it as Nichiren saying that he is in agreement with a great teacher from the past in terms of understanding even though he didn't fully reveal it. The idea that it was due to the time I have to take as said so as not to slight Chi-ih or claim greater knowledge than he had. Nichiren was wrong about the times anyway.
If there is a difference between Nichiren and Tendai on what is actual and what is theoretical in regards to the Lotus Sutra I would enjoy hearing that explained.
"Who would withold a useful invention waiting for a future age to begin? "Chi-ih would, because he did believe the sutras that state there are three time periods to Buddhism. "And saying Nichiren said so really means nothing. I don't take the statement as historical fact."Don't make me look it up, it is in the Kanjin Honzon Sho, and has been remarked on for over three years now. Just ask Robin Beck if you don't believe me.
"Chih-I did not really have any "works". Except for a sutra commentary composed shortly before his death, Chih-I did not leave any writings. All the so-called "works" attributed to him were compiled some 27 years after his death by his disciple Kuan-ting, based on his master's lectures. "I already am aware of this, and it doesn't have any bearing on his teachings."unless by "just chant" you mean to do so without trying to observe the mind."Thats exactly what he meant. The quote is from the Kanjin Honzon Sho." Even this is rather nonsensical when you think about it. Why would a rice farmer not have 20 minutes to spend in silent meditation, but have 20 minutes available to chant? "And you forget that Japan was a Buddhist nation. Everyone practiced some form of Buddhism or Shinto already. Nichiren was talking to his followers that already did chant when he wrote the Kanjin Honzon Sho. The practice of Shikan meditation had all but died out to Shingon mysticism. You should read the following book from 1916. It has a pretty good run down on the life of Nichiren.http://books.google.com/books?...
I have to agree with clown hidden here. The whole notion that Chih-i held anything back or did not reveal the full truth because of the time, or for any other reason, is one of Nichiren's most ludicrous assertions.
I have absolutely no idea what you mean by it doesn't have any bearing on his teachings. I was refuting your statement that Chih-i's works were not completed. I don't believe there is any phrase in the Kanjin no Honzon Sho such as you quoted and/or paraphrased. I looked at the gosho before I posted my remark. If you want to insist that there is, then look it up and post it here. I read Anesaki's book over 30 years ago, and several times since. I don't recall anything in that book that would support your contention--whatever your contention may be. First you say there was no practice for the laity and then you say that everyone practiced Buddhism or Shinto. I'm not sure it is possible to have it both ways.
Tendai has a less extreme view of this subject than Nichirenism does. But what I was referring to was the essential/theoretical dogma as applied to the entire corpus of Buddhist teachings, and perhaps I should have used the words "essential and provisional." Tendai has always been much more inclusive than Nichirenism, so they did not have the tendancy to take an absolutist stand on the essential vs. provisional. While they obviously accepted the Chinese T'ien-t'ai classifications and comparisons, they seemed to have understood that they were not intended to be taken as hierarchical rankings outside the realm of theory, nor, it appears, as historical facts, which they certainly are not.
"I have absolutely no idea what you mean by it doesn't have any bearing on his teachings. I was refuting your statement that Chih-i's works were not completed."Go ask the Tendai, it is well known that Chi-ih did not complete his teachings.As for the quote, it may not be in the Kanjin Honzon Sho. I think I made a mistake on the Gosho, but if you don't believe he said it, ask Robin Beck. I am not going to go through all the Gosho to find something we have been remarking on since 2005.
Well known by whom? Perhaps you had better start citing your sources. No teacher ever really completes their teachings, since the path is endless and there is always more to be taught. I don't think Robin would disagree with much, if anything, I have put forth is this particular discussion.
"Well known by whom? Perhaps you had better start citing your sources."Dude, I am not going to start digging around the internet to substantiate what is common knowledge. If the knowledge is not common to you, then I suggest you start reading. If I could access a certain hard drive of mine that recently died I could probably provide the sources, but I can't right now. Don't believe me ask Robin Beck. He will substantiate everything I have said.Unfortunately thats the best I can do right now.
and Peter Johnson, of tientai.net, can substantiate that Chi-ih never finished his teachings. He just stopped!
I didn't mean to dispute whether or not Nichiren said it, I was disputing that it was true in a literal historical sense. It's as if I were to say Thomas Jefferson knows as I do that this healthcare reform is a scam.