This is probably one of the easiest posts I'll ever write, but one that is of supreme importance to my ongoing Buddhist practice...

Quite simply, Buddhism is now my life, and I cannot be happy unless I feel that I am moving on in my faith, but I don't as yet have a Gohonzon, and I'd like one very much.

It's a very simple question then: How can I get one as soon as I possibly can?

I'm not a Nichirenist, but I read all kinds of threads and I once read how you could just type in "Gohonzon" in a search engine, print that baby up with a decent color printer, and hang it on your wall.

JustAStray -

There are many answers to your question. The fastest one is the way Dharmachakra mentioned; find an image and print it for yourself. Omandalas often turn up on E-Bay for auction. There are stores where they can be purchased. If you are practicing with any particular sangha, then I would certainly recommend you follow the usual method for that sangha.

At our temple, for isntance, you would be given a temporary amulet while you practiced with us for a period of time; usually about six months. You would be expected to practice with the sangha (if you lived close enought to do so) and would need to work closely with the minister in order to learn the practice. Once you decide you are ready to make a firm commitment to your practice, and the minsiter is satisfied that you are sincere and serious, your Taking Refuge ceremony would be scheduled. You would be offered a selection of Omandalas (different sizes and images) to select from; during the ceremony your Omandala would be presented to you, along with taking your refuge vows.

I am sure that others can detail their sanghas' methods for acquiring an object of devotion (or meditation focus).

Many thanks to both of you for your replies. However, I think it may be the first option of downloading from the net that I actually go for. I live many miles from my nearest Nichiren Sangha so there's very little chance I'll be able to get one from there, and when I emailed the SGI in London I didn't actually manage to get a reply.

For the same reasons of 'isolation' mentioned above I also took refuge at home and on my own, so my practice is pretty much 'make do and mend', but it's the best I've been able to manage so far, so I hope that none of you would consider me a 'second class Buddhist' for having to sort these thing out for myself like this.

JustaStray,

You can also use a statue of Shakyamuni with a copy of the Lotus Sutra on your altar as the Honzon- this is a perfectly acceptable format to use in your practice. While the scroll Omandala is certainly a beautiful object to have as a focus, it is not the only form Nichiren Buddhism uses for meditation on the Lotus Sutra. Statues of Shakyamuni, Taho Buddha and the Four Bodhisattvas are also used in some temples.

Another site which does carry scroll Omandalas is Kaiundo Company in California. He has a few to choose from in various sizes and is a nice person to order from. I didn't get a Omandala from him, but I purchased my butsugu from his store several years ago and he is very helpful.

If you go that way, you can find cleaned uo 8 X 10 images here:

GohonzonInfo

Those have lines to cut them for an 8X10 frame.

If you have questions about specific mandalas, I have as much information in English as anyone. You might look around to see what others have done. I like to print a gold background, let it dry, then print the calligraphy.

Popular Choices:

#101 Nissho's Daimandara of 1280

Prayer Gohonzon

Dai-Honzon of 1274

Also, Nichiren's Last

Hi Justastray,

Since you're ok with d-loading and printing one off for yourself, here's a site with many:

http://nichirenscoffeehouse.net/GohonzonShu/index.html

When I practiced Nichiren I printed one off and used it after I'd left my previous behind during housemoving. Some people like to get them consecrated by a priest. However, I didn't find it necessary.

These print off best if one uses a commerical laser printer and good quality photo paper.

I have pinned this topic to the front of the Nichiren forum because it seems to crop a lot with new posters. Any information our regular posters here wish to submit about how to gain membership through their organization, or to obtain a Gohonzon via the internet or other sources- post them here. Hopefully we can use this as a catch all thread for these inquires.

Thank You
Shikimyo

Thanks for pinning this!

I have a hard time imagining that SGI would not get back to anyone. With all due respect to that organization, they are ready to give Gohonzons out to anyone with even some interest in Nichiren's Buddhism. I have attended a few SGI meetings and have been encouraged to reieve a Gohonzon each time.

If Buddhism is now in your life, why you need a Gohonzon to practise Buddisht?
You not really need any gohonzon for Buddhist practice.

The meaning to own a Gohonzon,
is meant that, you are actually agreed to dedicate youself to the mystic law of sutra.
you are willing to protect the law (gohonzon) no matter how, no matter what will happen...

I don't think it will be a good idea to print out a Gohonzon.It's meaningless...
You can always practice the law without gohonzon.
you can have gohonzon when you are really ready.

p/s:
And what will you going to do with the printed Gohonzon, after you got your "real" Gohonzon?

justastray I can understand your wanting a Gohonzon to make yourself as you see it "complete". I too carried that same desire when I started chanting in January this year, I went to a discussion meeting, saw this beautiful sacred scroll inside what I now know are Butsudans and wanted one....I too saw lots of them on websites etc thought that was the way to get one, I asked if this would be okay and what was the criteria to getting one?? The answer was simple...if I'm really serious about getting one, I should attend meetings, chant on my own and with others, study and when I feel I'm ready to make the commitment to the Gohonzon, as Gene258 States " to dedicate myself to the mystic law of the Lotus Sutra-NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO" so this could be after 3/6/9mths or more?? ask the district leader to, give me a form that proposes I receive membership and Gohonzon to SGI-UK. Where I would go to a ceremony along with other new practicioners and receive an official one, (I shall be receiving gohonzon on 4th NOVEMBER this year!!!) not a cheap imitation or fraudulent copy from the website or shop that sell "buddhist memorabilia" because some people think it's trendy to get this "sacred scroll" but dont know the true meaning of it!
I hope this answer helps you but I'm sticking my neck out here and saying that if you have emailed SGI-UK depending where you live you will definitely get a reply, I did, within a week of posing a question and that was from Robert Samuels The UK Men's Divisional Leader but I've also heard of questions that have been posed from abroad say USA /Sweden etc they are forwarded to that countrys HQ,as I've also heard different countries/districts may have a different pre-requiste to receiving, so maybe that was the delay.
I hope you manage to receive gohonzon my brother
NMRK

Othello,

What exactly constitutes an "official" Gohonzon. Are you aware of the history behind the Gohonzon issued by the SGI? Have you ever researched the subject yourself or are you simply regurgitating what you have been told? You definitely express strong opinions on the subject, so I am genuinely interested to know...

Regards

Adam

here's a little tidbit on some of the SGI activities...

Great Slander of the Replication of Gohonzon into wooden form

i myself have no pony in this race, as i have friends in SGI and am a Hokekko member of Nichiren Shoshu, and believe in "live and let live".

Same here...but always intrigued by statements such as "official gohonzon" and "correct teaching" when foisted on others.

One of the things I love about this forum is the multi-cultural and multi-denominational nature of its membership. I guess I still find denominational dogma and unsubstantiated judgements frustrating, that's all...Othello did, after all, state that, in his understanding, one of the requirements for receiving a Gohonzon was "study"



Adam

Dear NLight, maybe your misunderstood, what Othello post is to encourage practitioners to formal receive their Gohonzon from the sangha, ( rather than those copy from the website or questional from the road side shop ) so that the person become part of a establishing disciples order of Nichiren, and helps to practice in mutual encuragement and propagate the Saddharma in a sangha effort.

This could be SGI, Nichiren Shu, Nichiren Shoshu etc , they are all part of different denomination of Nichiren sangha. As now that SGI and Nichiren Shoshu are officially depart, each of them are of independent entity.

By the way there are still small Nichiren temples and priests that back with SGI, and that way the souce of their Nichikan Shonin's version of Gohonzon they could use to distribute to their members, it has been over 10+ years aound the world, historical evident show clear that the Gohonzon is effective.


ASN

if someone doesn't have ready access to books and tangible information locally, it's unfortunate that not all sects of Nichiren Buddhism have an equal presence on the internet. SGI has a very large and dynamic presence, and someone who doesn't search far enough may not learn about everything there is.

I spent a few weeks after deciding to chant again researching several sects and found the one that i agreed with and identified with.

You may not know me, but I am the one that brought the Prayer Gohonzon to America. Prior to that, I too was always confused about the Nichiren Mysterious DaiGohonzon, did you know they are all called the DaiGohonzon, the Great Mandala. I joined NSA in 1967, and by the time I left in 1975 had a two size up NSA Gohonzon from Nittatsu Shonen, and an omimari from him as well. Around 1990 when it became clear to me that the ItaHonzon (the Taisekiji DaiGohonzon) was not inscribed by Nichiren, and I did not want an affiliation with SGI or the Shoshu or Nichien Shu I just had a hunger for a Gohonzon inscribed by Nichiren himself, and not someone else.

Here, the DaiGohonzon was fake, and the SGI and Shoshu were telling me it was real, and I was wondering was was a skew with their mandala, and then the realization they stopped chanting the same way Nichiren did, and many other things as well. I just wanted a Nichiren Gohonzon. Kempon Hokke Shu provided me one in 1993. In 1995, my wife and I brought the sect to America, but now we have nothing to do with it.

But, clearly in the Kanjin Honzon Sho, Nichiren says the Gohonzon is the Ceremony in Space, Chapter 16 of the Lotus Sutra, not the Kanji on the Mandala. It was not Nichiren's idea, the Gohonzon is in the Lotus Sutra, in our life. There is no such thing as an SGI Gohonzon, a Shoshu Gohonzon, or Kempon Hokke or Nichiren Shu Gohonzon. There is only a Gohonzon as Nichiren points out, which also would negate the Tasekiji DaiGohonzon Science Fiction.

I am happy to have brought the Prayer Gohonzon to America, it helped people break free from their prison of thought, even having the Japan border off the Mandala, was a big step to break conditioning, the issue to having a mandala to chant to, has been lost in the reason everyone has in wanting one. 99% of all the people that thought having a Gohonzon would do something special for the life have not pursued their understanding of the Lotus Sutra. Basically, they quit because they thought it was magic.

Not everyone has always liked me, most people hated me, Robby called me the BigGuy who ran Kempon Hokke, but no one understood what I was trying to do. I pushed everyone as far as I could to have them think, using the teaching of the Buddha, to think about every thing you are doing, and not to accept anything.

Sorry to ramble,
TCB,
Maltz

chogenki , the issue all those Gohonzons have been field tested for so long, and at all different time, and location around the world. And it have been proven it works most effectively , reflecting the Buddha Nature of our mind. I don't think there ready any issue about it.

For a long period till the mid '90 , the large numbers of practitioners in South Korean were unable to receive their Gohonzon as easily due to political and historical reason, hence they could only either chanted by facing the blank wall or focusing a dot on the wall. Yet they have received the same amount of wonderous and greatest in benefits from the Myoho/Saddharma , like every other practitioners in the worlds have received. This itself have alot of things to say.

And of course the climate now have been normalized , they are receiving their Gohonzon like every one else in the world.

Ansanan

That is really great. In the USA, there was a different scenario, and I think there still is. I am a little uneasy however when you say they get benefits from chanting. No real practice was established by Buddha in the Lotus Sutra to get benefits. In fact, in the transfer ceremony (chap.22) Buddha transfers his merits to you. I think if all the members try to remember the Ceremony in Space, they will feel more power in their life and more benefits, than they could ever feel.

Maltz

I think actual proofs is a better word

ASN

Actual Proof! OK, sounds good.

Maltz

Some people manifest actual proof as frightful circumstances while others as great blessings. Sometimes frightful circumstances such as extreme poverty, persecution, exile, and even death are great blessings and what appears to be great blessings are an illusion, being or leading to the lower realms of existence.

Mark

It's just a word, people don't do things unless they see a change in their life.
People take a vitamin, and if they don't feel better they stop,
you being a doctor should understand that.
So, people look for some kind of change,
and who is to say what causes what, but in any case,
nothing to start preaching about.

When I left Nichiren Religion my life got better, that was my actual proof,
I noticed I was addicted to chanting like some people are to drugs,
I accepted ridiculous human rules and doctrine from priests, but no more
that is my Actual Proof.

Maltz

If this is the case, then why are you still here posting on a Nichiren forum? If Nichiren Buddhism ruined your life, why are you still clinging to it?

Dear friend chogenki,

i) To begin with, the Lotus Sutra was taught to lead all living beings to the Buddha way. Only those who have faith in it, however, attain Buddhahood - Questions and Answers about Embracing the Lotus Sutra , WND p74.

ii) The Lotus Sutra says: “If a person fails to have faith but instead slanders this sutra, immediately he will destroy all the seeds for becoming a Buddha in this world. - On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land , WND p21.

iii) If one doubts the strength of the Buddha when he says, “I am the only person who can rescue and protect others”; if one is suspicious of the rope held out by the Lotus Sutra when its teachings declare that one can “gain entrance through faith alone”;( LS chpt 3) if one fails to chant the Mystic Law which guarantees that “such a person assuredly and without doubt [will attain the Buddha way],” ( LS Chpt 21 ) then the Buddha’s power cannot reach one, and it will be impossible to scale the embankment of enlightenment. - Questions and Answers about Embracing the Lotus Sutra , WND p59

iv) “In the ‘Simile and Parable’ ( LS Chpt 2) chapter of the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha declares, ‘Even you, Shariputra, in the case of this sutra were able to gain entrance through faith alone. - Conversation between a Sage and an Unenlightened Man , WND p132.

v) The Lotus Sutra, wherein the Buddha honestly discarded expedient means, says that one can “gain entrance through faith alone.”3 And the(Mahapari)nirvana Sutra, which the Buddha preached in the grove of sal trees on the last day of his life, states, “Although there are innumerable practices that lead to enlightenment, if one teaches faith, then that includes all those practices.”

vi) Thus faith is the basic requirement for entering the way of the Buddha. In the fifty-two stages of bodhisattva practice, the first ten stages, dealing with faith, are basic, and the first of these ten stages is that of arousing pure faith. Though lacking in knowledge of Buddhism, a person of faith, even if dullwitted, is to be reckoned as a person of correct views. But even though one has some knowledge of Buddhism, if one is without faith, then one is .. considered a slanderer and an icchantika, or person of incorrigible disbelief.- The Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra , WND p141.

vii) If the water of your faith is clear, the moon of blessings will surely cast its reflection on it and protect you. - Easy Delivery of a Fortune Child , WND p186.

viii) For if you try to practice the teachings of the sutra without faith, it would be like trying to enter a jeweled mountain without hands [to pick up its treasures], or like trying to make a thousand-mile journey without feet. - Letter to Horen, WND p48.

ASN

You are the one still attached, positive or negative, its still an attachment my dear one.

I post here because I want to, and comments like yours support my thesis that there is no such thing as Nichiren Buddhism, only people who think there is. You are a legend in your own mind.

Put that under your robe,
Maltz

[quote=Ansanna,May 22 2008, 11:40 AM]
Dear friend chogenki,

Dear ASN,
Thank you for your note, but I don't get it, what are you trying to say? All those quotes are from Nichiren, not the Lotus Sutra. And out of context.

Here is the test, where does the Original Buddha Shakyamuni say I have to have faith, since I already practiced as a Bodhisattva with him, and inherited all his merits??? Where does he say we should chant and start a religion on earth? Where does he say we should practice anything?

It is very clear, he says spread the Sutra, not practice the Sutra. The Buddha was totally against religion, so why in the heck would he want FAITH to be a stepping stone for Buddhahood?? Your logic is illogical unless your shoes are full of Sect Sand made of Human Originated practices.

If you can find the Original Buddha Shakyamuni saying we should start a religion and chant and have faith, and you find it in the Lotus Sutra, then you have me... until then, you should really question what the heck YOU are doing.

Did the Original Buddha Shakyamuni say, "OK Bodhisattvas from the Earth, go to Earth and start Chanting and have faith, and have a Mandala to pray to, and join a religion and follow your leaders and priests?" NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Way Jose.

Maltz

It's pretty clear you're trying to sound profound. Sorry, but FAIL. Less QQ please?

You still didn't answer any of my questions.

Well in fact there is Nichiren Buddhism , since we kinda practice it ..so ..name it and it will exist
if you create left ,then there has to be right , correct ?

I understand partially what you are trying to say here .. but Nichiren is said to have taken all books and sutras of Shakyamuni and put them together ,comparing them ...
and found that the lotus sutra and the lotsu sutra only to be the way to gain "enlightenment "in a lifetime ..
also , the lotus sutra contained teachings that got rid of , human capacity .unlike the other paths of buddhism ..




i think

This thread is for inquiring about obtaining a Gohonzon. Other non-pertinent discussion needs to be taken to another existing or new thread.