Daily care of the Gohonzon
Nelson Muntz 16/9
Daily Care of the Gohonzon
The Meaning of the Water Offering the Offering of Flowers, Light, and
Fragrance
For this month's 0ko sermon, I'd like to talk to you about the daily
serving, or care, of the Gohonzon and the water offering and the
offering of flowers, light, and fragrance.
1. Attitude in the Daily Serving of the Gohonzon
Observances such as the manner in which gongyo is performed, how the
Gohonzon is enshrined, and our conduct in the presence of the Buddha
are
called kegi, or "observances for substantiating the Law." For
brevity's
sake, we can also refer to kegi as "observances or "formalities"; but
you should bear in mind that these words are not superficial: they
entail more than mere cursory gestures and formal procedures. Their
siguificance is expressed by a number of time-honored adages among
Nichiren Shoshu believers, such as "observances evince the Law taught
by
the Buddha" (kegi soka kehou), "formalities and the Buddhist Law are
one" (kegi soka buppou), and "observances are synonymous with the
Entity
of the Law" (kegi soku hottai). This is because any Law or teaching
must
be accompanied by action; observances are the keystone of "propagation
through the manner of practice" (goyoutai, fukyou) through which the
Daishonin's teachings are substantiated (substantially, or tangibly,
manifested) by way of our routine observances and conduct.
As Fifty-ninth High Priest Nichiko Shonin elucidates of Ninth High
Priest Nichiu Shonin's Kegi Shou ("On the formalities of this
school"):
"Practice of observances evinces one's faith.1"
This means that a person's conduct in the presence of the Buddha is a
manifestation of that person's faith. He also says, in another writing
on stories about Nichiu Shonin's lifetime 2, that "In this school,
observances are paramount... 'Observances are paramount because, in
this
school, 'the formalities and the Buddhist Law are one'; so one must
not
acquiesce in the observances of heretical sects. Should one do so, one
would be guilty of complicity." This passage is saying that
inattentiveness for observances leads to a slovenly lifestyle, laxity
of
faith, and eventually disregard for the teachings.
From this we can see how important it is in our faith to learn the
correct observances of Nichiren Shoshu. In the Touryuu Gyouji Shou, a
chapter of his Rokkan Shou (Six-Volume Writings), Twenty-sixth High
Priest Nichikan Shonin writes:
These many sects all take their name from the Master Nichiren, but
none
of their practitioners are really disciples of the Sage Nichiren, the
founder of our school. Their doctrines are contrivances of their own;
therefore they do not honor the traditions established by the Master
Nichiren, and each follows for the most part its own preferences. Only
our Fuji School carries on with the teachings established by the
Founder
Nichiren, thus the doctrines and observances of this school for the
four
hundreds years since this temple's founding, are precisely those set
forth by the Master Nichiren. For this reason our morning and evening
gongyo consists of recitation of only the two chapters [the Hoben and
Juryo Chapters]. (Rokkan Shou, Taisekiji Edition, p. 193)
This all indicates the importance of what Nichiren Daishonin wrote in
the Gosho, Establishing the Four Bodhisattvas as the Object of
Worship:
"Those who call themselves my disciples and practice the Lotus Sutra
should all practice as I do" (Shimpen, p. 1370; MW-Ill, p. 298). Thus
we
must etch into our hearts the importance of submitting ourselves to
his
golden words and practicing the teachings and formalities as the
Daishonin taught, observing and preserving them precisely and
solemnly.
Now I'd like to turn to the matter of serving, or taking routine care
of
the Gohonzon. The original model for this appears in the Daibadatta
Chapter of the Lotus Sutra, and tells of how one should continually
remain at the Buddha's side and serve him, as exemplified by
"collecting
fruits, drawing water, gathering firewood, and preparing meals":
I offered him [the Buddha] anything he wanted. I collected fruits,
drew
water, gathered firewood, and prepared meals for him. I even allowed
my
body to be his seat. I never felt tired in body or mind. (Kaiketsu, p.
422)
In other words, caring for the Gohonzon is something you do without
begrudging any effort; it is informed by incessant routine effort, as
expressed in an old poem:
The Lotus Sutra All I have gained, I have gained through serving:
Gathering firewood, picking vegetables, and drawing water.
Nikko Shonin and Nichimoku Shonin also set examples for us about how
our
attitude should be in taking care of the Gohonzon: Nikko Shonin stayed
continually by the Daishonin's side to serve him, following him almost
like a shadow; and Nichimoku Shonin is said to have developed a small
depression in his head from carrying water he had drawn on his head to
the Daishonin's hut at Mount Minobu. We should always remember that
their attitudes in serving the Daishonin should be models for our own
when we serve the Gohonzon.
This is further exemplified by an old Nichiren Shoshu saying, "Learn
faith from Nikko Shonin; learn how to advance your practice from
Nichimoku Shonin." This means that Nikko Shonin is our model for
attitude in faith, and that we should look to Nichimoku Shonin to
learn
how to farther our practice. They both show us that nothing surpasses
service to the Master on the way to becoming a Buddha.
Faith has always been the central creed of Nichiren Shoshu, and
particularly doing gongyo and serving, or taking care of; the Gohonzon
are the most flindamental of all fandamentally the very starting point
of Buddhist practice. So, more than anything else, doing gongyo and
taking care of the Gohonzon need to be done with an attitude of
sincerely requiting our debt of gratitude to the Gohonzon.
In serving the Gohonzon, most important is a solemn attitude informed
by
a sincere wish to requite our debt of gratitude to the True Buddha and
the recognition that we are in the presence of the True Buddha
Nichiren
Daishonin himself, the Teacher of the Buddhism of Planting in Mappo
whose life is embodied in the mandala of Myoho:
They [priests of past ages] would place even the smallest offerings on
the alter in the sight of the Founder's image and pay the utmost
respect
to the True Buddha as if he himself were there.3
Every morning, we clean the alter, offer fresh water, newly cooked
rice,
and greens; and at morning and evening gongyo, we light candles and
incense to dignify the space in front of the Gohonzon. All of these
acts
are acts of offering. Even when you ring the bell, you should do so
serenely and with sincerity not ringing it haphazardly- since you're
making an offering of sound to the Gohonzon. Lighting the candles,
too,
is a means of offering light to the Gohonzon-it also signifies burning
the conflision, suffering, and impurities in our hearts and kindling
the
flame of the Buddha's wisdom. And burning incense is an act of
sincerely
offering fresh, purifying fragrance to the Gohonzon.
In essence, we should "constantly accompany and serve" and "believe in
and submit ourselves to" the Buddha by starting every day and
finishing
every day together with the Gohonzon in our homes, as the Daishonin
teaches in the Ongi Kuden: "Morning by morning, awaken with the
Buddha;
night by night, retire with the Buddha" (Shimpen, p. 1749). This
reiterates how doing gongyo daily, without missing a day, is the most
important part of our practice. Isn't it wonderful to be able to live
a
life wrapped in the great compassion of the Gohonzon, as described by
the sutra passage, "Living beings are enjoying themselves"4?
It is also said that "faith derives from dignifying." Our daily
practice
and the manner in which we carry it out are our means for maniftsting
faith. Nichiko Shonin also wrote:
The "manner of practice" starts with drawing water, picking flowers
[for
offering] and vegetables [for the Buddha's meals], and gathering
firewood and our other routine daily chores. The manner of practice is
crucial to observances in this school; though we say faith first,
practice second, study third, without practice there would be no way
to
bring faith forth, and all study would be futile. "Ushi Kegi Shou
Chuukaiyou" ["Annotations to the Kegi Shou"], Fuji Shuugaku Youshuu,
voL
1, p.121
2. Water
Water is so important to people that it's sometimes even referred to
as
"the mother of all life"; so the act of offering water to the Gohonzon
first thing in the morning is very meaningfal. Water offered to the
Buddha is call "aka" in Buddhism. This is a Sanskrit word that means
"merit water."
Every morning, we set aside the first water out of the kitchen tap
(traditionally, the first water drawn from the well) for offering to
the
Gohonzon. This water we offer to the Gohonzon immediately before doing
gongyo, and then we take it down from the alter right before doing
evening gongyo.
When you offer the water, first you put a leaf from the shikimi tree
(an
aromatic evergreen) into the vessel and pour the water over it. Then
you
put the water vessel up on the alter to offer it to the Gohonzon,
kneel
in an upright position, chant the Daimoku three times, and pray:
I offer this water in devotion to the Three Treasures of the Buddhism
of
Sowing and to expressmy gratitude for their beneficence, Nam-Myoho-
Renge- Kyo. (Na mu Honmon Geshu Sampou, Houon Shatoku no on-tame ni,
Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo.)
Lastly, ring the bell three times and chant the Daimoku three times
again. The lid for the water vessel should be left off during the
daytime. Place it on the cup after you've taken the water down in the
evening.
This offering of water has a couple of other meanings, too. The most
fandamental one the Daishonin states in the Heritage of the Ultimate
Law
of Life: "The fanction of water is to wash away filth and impurity"
(Shimpen, p. 514, MW-I, p. 21).
Even if water itself is unclean, it's function is to purify and remove
filth. This is analogous to the fanction of chanting
Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, which lets you remove the "filth" from your life
by
extinguishing your own bad karma and past slander. Another
significance
is that just as water flows from a high place downward to lower ones,
the Buddha's compassion and mercy flows from the heights of the world
of
Buddhahood downward to equally benefit beings in the lower nine
worlds.
3. Flowers, Fragrance, and Light
To dignify the space in front of the Gohonzon, traditionally a set of
a
vase for "flowers" (always actually the shikimi, an aromatic
evergreen),
an incense burner (for fragrance), and a candle stick (for light) has
been used in Nichiren Shoshu. These are called the "san gusoku, or
"three complements (completing objects)"; a variant of this, intended
to
even further adorn the altar's surroundings, is a set of five
complements: a pair of vases, an incense burner, and a pair of candle
sticks. These are arranged as shown in the diagram. It doesn't matter
which set you choose; but whichever you select, be sure to place the
incense burner and the candles so that smoke and soot from them don't
drift into the alter.
You may be wondering what this set of three (or five) "complements"
means, so let me summarize from several of Nichiren Shoshu's
traditional
books on formalities.
Facing the Gohonzon, the light (candle) on the right signifies the
light
of the Buddha's wisdom, or his "property of wisdom" (houshin); the
greens on the left, the Buddha's conduct, or his "property of action"
(oujin); and the incense in the middle, the life of the Buddha (i.e.,
his property of the Law Lhossh in]) which is the frision of the realm
of
the Original Infinite Law and the inherent wisdom of the Buddha of
Kuon
Ganjo (kyouchi myougou). The incense was originally made by seasoning
an
aromatic wood, so burning it in the middle signifies the union into
the
wafring smoke of the flame and the shikimi on the left and right.
Overall, this expresses the Buddha, whose property of the Law
inherently
encompasses the wisdom of his property of wisdom, and the conduct
resulting from his property of action; in other words, the flowers
(shikimi), incense, and light represent the Three Properties (sanjin),
the Three Truths (santai), and the Three Inherent Potentials of Buddha
Nature (san in busshou). Break these down flirther, and the three
represent the following:
1) The light on the right, non-substantiality (kuutai) and the
property
of wisdom (houshin) in death;
2) The incense in the middle, the Middle Way, the property of the Law
(hosshin), and the fusion of the realm of the Original Infinite Law
and
the inherent wisdom of the Buddha of Kuon Ganjo (kyouchi myougou); and
3) The shikimi on the left, temporary existence (ketai) and the
property
of action (oujin) in life.
To summarize, the "shikimi on the left" is made into incense, ignited
with the "light on the right," and burned in the incense burner at the
middle as an offering that will drift evenly throughout the ten
directions of the realm of the Law. When these three thus complement
each other to form a single unity, they become a complete offering of
the Three Properties of the Law, wisdom, and action of the Buddha.
Hence the tradition in Nichiren Shoshu that "The shikimi that
represents
the property of action is made into incense, and this is lit with the
flame of wisdom that represents the property of wisdom; together, they
fill the realm of the Law. Thus it is called the offering of the
Buddha's Three Properties of the Law, wisdom, and action."
1) Shikimi
In Nichiren Shoshu, the "flowers" used on the alter are actually
greens:
the leaves of the shikimi tree. In the Hoben Chapter of the Lotus
Sutra,
we find the following passage:
Or with many kinds of wood, such as sandalwood, aloeswood, and
agalloch... (Kaiketsu, p.179)
This indicates that aromatic woods like sandalwood were offered in the
presence of the Buddha. In Japan, too, purifying aromatic woods have
been used in Buddhist ceremonies since ancient times. There are even
examples in the Tale of Genji, a tenth-century novel.
The "flowers" used to adorn the space before the Gohonzon, which is
eternal and supreme, should be something symbolic of permanence and
purity. The shikimi tree remains the same throughout the year,
regardless of season: it's an evergreen that always displays vitality.
But unlike pines, cedars, and other evergreen trees and bushes, it's
also an aromatic tree whose wood has a distinctive fragrance. This
fragrance is thought to ward off evil and to have the power to purify.
That makes shikimi the perfect "flower" for offering to the Gohonzon.
Colorful flowers that blossom and fade with the changing seasons are
cettainly beautiful to look at, but once they've bloomed, they wither
after a while and fallto the ground. To the Buddhist, this is
indicative
of the ephemeral and impermanent; thus flowers of such transience are
inappropriate for offering to the one-and-only absolute True Buddha
who
saves all beings of the ten thousand years of Mappo.
Instead, we offer shikimi to the Gohonzon for two significant
characteristics, its color and its fragrance. Its color is the deep
green of an evergreen, which makes it suitable as the flower to be
offered to the Gohonzon as a symbol of the permanence of the Gohonzon
(the Law) and its great compassionate beneficence, which is eternal
and
transcends the past, present, and future, just as stated in the Gosho,
Sandaihihou Rinshou no Koto ("On the Acceptance of the Three Great
Secret Laws," Shimpen, p.1595):
"The True Three Great Secret Laws [that Nichiren now practices are
those] of the Juryo Chapter [unchanged in the slightest, without even
the tiniest difference, since I accepted them at Eagle Peak]."
Shikimi is used also because it wards off evil and purifies the space
in
front of the Gohonzon with its distinctive aroma.
The flowers offered to a Buddha are also symbolic of the faith of
those
worshipping the Buddha, as expressed by the old saying, "the reality
of
the votary is manifest [in the flowers he offers]." So the deep
evergreen color of the shikimi's leaves also represents the unchanging
steadfasmess of believers' faith.
For those who live in areas where shikimi is unavailable or will not
grow, you will have to use some other evergreen in its stead.
2) Fragrance (incense)
Because India's climate is tropical, it is customary to release
fragrance into clothes and rooms and apply it to the body as a means
of
driving off insects and bad smells and suppressing body odor. So in
Buddhism, too, ample use has traditionally been made of fragrances in
the conduct of Buddhist services. There are references to fragrant
powders, pefflimes, and incense in many sutras, including the Houshi
Chapter of the Lotus Sutra. Fragrant powders were made by grinding or
pulverizing sandalwood, aloeswood, or other aromatic woods and
sprinkling them on prayer towers and images in offering; pefflimes
were
applied the Buddha's body; and incense was burned to ward off evil and
spread the merits of practice evenly throughout the world. So you can
see from all this that we use the fragrance of incense as an offering
to
the Buddha to adorn and dignify the space in front of the Buddha,
bearing in mind that the fragrance signifies purifying the space
before
the Gohonzon, expunging evil from our hearts, and purifying our
bodies.
Nowadays, only two types of fragrance are commonly used - stick
incense
and powered incense. Stick incense is used most of the time, but on
special occasions such as the 0-eshiki and Risshu-e (the ceremony to
mark the establishment of Nichiren Daishonin's teachings) and other
ceremonies, we also burn powdered incense for specific purposes.
The Great Teacher T'ien T'ai wrote, "No color, no fragrance is not of
the Middle Way." This indicates that all things encompass the True
Aspect of the Middle Way, as well as elucidates that the fragrance of
incense includes the virtues of the Buddha of the Law Body of the
Middle
Way. Thus burning incense, while spreading fragrance throughout the
room, also signifies, through the fragrance's spreading throughout the
environs, the universality of the realm of the Law of the Buddha's
property of the Law. So whenever we do gongyo or chant Daimoku, it is
critical that we burn incense with sincerity and a deep awareness of
what this act means.
When you adorn the space in front of the Gohonzon, whether with a
three-piece or a five-piece set of complements, you should always
place
the incense burner at the center. Mthough this depends on the shape of
the incense burner, you should use one to three sticks of incense,
with
the burning end on the left, and place them laying down in the incense
burner. Placing the burning sticks on their side-rather than standing
them straight up-is the tradition in Nichiren Shoshu. This is because
burning incense also represents serenity, so laying the sticks on
their
side is congruent with this significance. This is probably the most
natural position, anyway, since it is also useful for keeping your
alter
and the Gohonzon from being burned by embers and also prevents the
scattering of ashes (which is associated with loss of concentration
and
mental balance). Also, always even out the ashes in the burner and be
careful not to soil the surroundings by letting them spill over.
3) Light (candles)
In the Yakuo Chapter of the Lotus Sutra, Bodhisattva Yakuo sets his
own
elbows alight to offer light to the Buddha; in a parable called the
"the
poor woman's flame," the light a poor woman offers to the Buddha with
her utmost sincerity continues to burn long after those offered by
others have burned out. Both express the depth and breadth of the
merit
that offering light to the Buddha brings. Since it extinguishes
darkness
and makes all things visible, light expresses the Buddha's property of
wisdom and his wisdom itsei{ so we also have expressions like "Light
of
the Law," "Light of the Buddha," and "Light of Wisdom." Burning
candles
thus also signifies incinerating earthly desires and the flame of
wisdom
in the Buddha nature.
4. Conduct before the Gohonzon
1) When cleaning the Gohonzon and presenting offerings, always put a
shikimi leaf between your lips to keep yourself from breathing on the
Gohonzon.
2) Since the alter is the home of the Gohonzon, always keep it clean
and
dignified, and don't forget to change the water for the shikimi.
3) Don't place photos inside the alter, and avoid placing things on
top
of the alter. Also, don't hang anything on the wall above the alter.
4) Always groom yourself and wear proper attire when you sit before
the
Gohonzon.
I "Ushi Kegi Shou Chuukaiyou" "Annotations to the Keffi Shou"], Fuji
Shuugaku oushuu, voL 1, p. 130. An alternative translation might be:
"Practice of observances are the manifestation of faith."
2 "Ushi Monogatari Choumon Shou Keiseki" "Remnants of Anecdotes of
Nichiu Shonin's Lifetime"], Fuji Shuugaku Youshuu, vol 1, p.198
"Ushi Kegi Shou Chuukaiyou" "Annotations to the Kegi Shou"], Fuji
huugaku Youshuu, vol. 1; p. 86.
Shujou sho yuuraku (Juryo Chapter)
__________________________________________
Copyright, Nichiren Shoshu Shinyo January 1997 Pages 47-52
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ARTICLES AND LECTURES INDEX
Shin'ichi 9/18
Luap5l50
djuhl...@aol.com
luap...@aol.com (Luap5l50) wrote:
<snip>
----------------------------------------------------
THIS IS A CRIME!!!
By the way, Luap: No, I didn't hack your email. If you persist in making
false public allegations against me, I will report you to AOL.
Now go sing a militaristic dirge in honour of your sensei.
Derek N.P.F. Juhl
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MOMO
If you disagree with this Oko, then why don't you refute it?
Does SGI teach another way to *care* for the fake honzon? Or
maybe it is because no such *care* is needed, since it is
after all only a counterfeit.
I (and many others) find such Oko to be very instructive. Too
bad you feel you have nothing to learn nor anything constructive
to add.
take care,
momo
Luap5l50 wrote:
*LDP hacker is really busy.*