Well, it's more civil than kerfuffly.
Charles Atkins announced new plans for distributing what he's calling the Kito Mandala.
Rev. Ryuei raised questions and concerns in the comments section of Charles' blog. He also crossposted to Sangha for Independents here and followed up here.
Don Ross at the Coffeehouse created this wonderful page about the mandala, also known as The Prayer Gohonzon. I have one and I treasure it.
Electronic images of the mandala in varying sizes are available on Don's page. Before downloading a Gohonzon image, I recommend reading the entire discussion between Charles and Ryuei because their exchange summarizes a lot of the issues.
Also, check out Cris Roman's introductory info about the Gohonzon in his book, chapters five through nine. In his provisional epilogue, Cris notes:
The Gohonzon will not inform the efforts of human beings, Buddhas all, who slander one another. It is impossible to slander Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nichiren or his Gohonzon -- those realities are too powerful. It is in our slander of each other as common, fallible mortals that we neutralize the redemptive power of our own internal Buddha-nature.
And:
For those who would like to receive a Gohonzon, therefore, I would submit that either the Org or the Priesthood is a fine place to do so. I personally would never consider a Gohonzon that came from an organization which does not regard Nichiren as the "Dai" Shonin (great priest) because those groups tend to place him in a subordinate position to the historical Shakyamuni Buddha and, more importantly, place his Gohonzon in an equivalent, or even subsidiary, position to many other so-called mandalas or objects for meditation.This, I believe, is totally contrary to Nichiren's intent and diminishes the import of his masterpiece, his Gohonzon.
A couple last thoughts about the Gohonzon: Because, as Nichiren said, and I reflected upon in earlier chapters, "I inscribe my life in sumi ink," I would be loathe to use a Gohonzon reproduced by electronic or digital means. This is because, at the depths of my being (and I stress this is only my opinion), I believe the Gohonzon is best created through the sincere efforts of a human being -- not by machine or computer. Call me a purist, but it is just what I feel and I would be lying if I said I could shake the feeling.
Also, because the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood has some 700 years of experience and tradition dating back to Nichiren in their production of the Gohonzon, I would give their scrolls a slight edge over the Org's with regard to the intent, the spirit, with which they are created.
The Org's Gohonzons look very nice, but the truth is their inception came from a schism that was borne of great animosity. To continue to spread Nichiren's teachings, the Org was forced into a situation where they had to create their own Gohonzon.
Though I have no dispute with the correctness or efficacy of their creation, I am concerned that it emanated from such disharmony. Nonetheless, because the Gohonzon itself is such a perfect, objective manifestation of the Three Thousand Worlds and the essence of the Lotus Sutra, believers who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to a scroll obtained from either the Org or the Priesthood should derive the full benefit of which Nichiren so eloquently spoke.
This final point, to me, crystallizes the argument for why I believe it is so crucial that Unity become the battle cry of all Nichiren believers.
4 comments
Sometimes I think Nichiren practitioners tend to fetishize the gohonzon -- we imply that it has magical properties, and we have inordinate, superstitious reverence for it. For example, some believe that a Nichiren-inscribed scroll is "better" than one inscribed by a priest. The Bowling Club went so far as to claim that Nikken-inscribed scrolls are infested with demons. Oh, and the Nichikan is the "banner of propagation" unique to the Club. But if you ask Kempon Hokke, they'll call a Nichikan scroll a "No-honzon" or "counterfeit" Gohonzon.I mean, there's a lot of superstitious bullcrap about the scrolls, who issues them, and what sect one belongs to.Enshrined in my butsudan is the dreaded Nichikan gohonzon. Not long ago, I was talking to Cris about this, and he clarified that a Nichikan is a fine and wonderful gohonzon, even in light of his observation about schism that Brooke quoted above. The Club ridiculously claims all Nichikan scrolls as their property, but as far as I'm concerned...mine is mine, and it has nothing to do with the Club at all.As I understand it, the gohonzon is an external manifestation of an internal state present in all beings. Nichiren drew us a picture, so to speak, to help us get in touch with this "inner gohonzon." The power is not in the physical, graphic representation, but in the internal state of being. The "sacred" gohonzon is the one inside; the one outside us is a very helpful, artful depiction worthy of respect.
The power is in the interplay of internal/external, latent/manifest. You have to consider the totality of existence when considering the Gohonzon, which is a depiction of ichinen sanzen. However, the depiction would be incomplete without the practitioner. One might raise the question: If no one chants to it, is it really a Gohonzon?We are agreed that the Gohonzon has become a fetish of sectarian differentiation.
One of my persistent questions is, do you think your Gohonzon has "entity" or, maybe "entities" that are cognizant? Do you feel you can "talk" with your Gohonzon, i.e. have a question in your heart and chant about it and bing, some answer appears that wasn't in one's mind before? That happens to me all the time. Am I deluded, is that an accident?It's not like this respectworthy representation of the ceremony in the air "talks" to me, per se, but after I do gongyo, after I chant for awhile, especially when I am confused or don't know how to proceed, my sight clarifies and my heart becomes inspired.However, one thing that frightens me about chanting is that there are so many I know of that chant mean daimoku. I wonder, does that have an effect, can chanting be used to harm, or is it just the expression of their unpleasant energy into the universe that poisons things?Some thoughts,Tigerlily
I had mystical experiences too. I'm not so cocky to think I can understand the gohonzon. It is a mystery. Your relationship with the gohonzon is your own and might be different from mine.. it is universal but personal, a paradox. We are all deluded.. and enlightened.As for chanting dark daimoku.. cause and effect. Meanness rebounds on the mean, kindness rebounds on the kind. Some chanters have used daimoku as a weapon. It can be done. Everything can be abused and misused. Compassion of the buddha will eventually show them their mistake.