The word Honzon means "fundamental" (hon - 本) "revered" (zon - 尊). The ideogram "go" (御) is an honorific prefix implying respect for the word that follows.

 

In the Letter to Misawa, dated 1278, once he had retired to Mount Minobu, Nichiren Daishōnin writes:

 

"As far as my teachings are concerned, consider those that precede my exile on the island of Sado as the equivalent of the Buddha's teachings prior to the Lotus Sutra".

 

Further on, in the same letter, he writes:

 

"On the night of the twelfth day of the ninth month of the eighth year of the Bun'ei era (1271), I narrowly escaped execution by decapitation in Tatsunokuchi. Following this event, I felt deep compassion for my disciples, for until then I had not revealed the true teaching to them. Realizing this, I secretly transmitted this teaching to my disciples from Sado province".

 

The persecution of Tatsunokuchi, during which Nichiren Daishōnin abandoned his ephemeral identity as Superior-Practice bodhisattva to manifest his original nature as Fundamental Buddha, marked a decisive turning point in the evolution of his teaching. Indeed, since the founding of his school on April 28, 1253, the eighteen years preceding his exile to Sado in 1271 were mainly devoted to the dissemination of the Daimoku, without the names of the Three Great Secret Dharmas being revealed. However, following the persecution of Tatsunokuchi, he revealed the Honzon mandala as the Fundamental Buddha of the End of the Dharma. From then on, he wrote major treatises, such as the Eye-opening Treatise, in which he expounds the Honzon's identity in terms of the person, and the Treatise on the Honzon of Mind Contemplation, which clarifies the Honzon in terms of the Dharma.

 

Considering Nichiren Daishōnin's teachings prior to the Tatsunokuchi persecution as the Buddha's teachings prior to the Lotus Sutra, does not mean that these earlier teachings are erroneous. There is in fact a principle called "Openness and Integration" (Kai-é in Japanese). It reveals that the Buddha's earlier, circumstantial teachings were preached as a means, and that with the teaching of the Lotus Sutra, they were positioned from a higher standpoint, revealing their true value. Venerable Shakya's aim was to reveal the unique vehicle (the Buddha's true teaching). However, in order to guide his disciples, he "opened" this single vehicle into three vehicles (the teachings for the Hearers, the Buddhas for themselves and the Bodhisattvas). Once he had revealed the Lotus Sutra, his true teaching, the single vehicle, the three vehicles were integrated into the Buddha's single vehicle and took on their true meaning and value.

 

The same is true of Nichiren Daishōnin's teaching. Before his exile to Sado, he spoke only of the Daimoku. Once exiled, he revealed the Gohonzon, which makes it clear, through the process of openness and integration, that when he spoke of the Daimoku, there are cases where it was in fact the Gohonzon.

 

An excellent example from everyday life to illustrate this process of a sequence of events whose ins and outs we don't immediately understand, but which become clear once the conclusion is revealed, is a detective story or a thriller.

 

In this type of story, the plot is often built around complex mysteries. Elements, sometimes seemingly insignificant or disconnected, are introduced throughout the story: partial clues, ambiguous characters or enigmatic events. The reader or viewer is left in a state of uncertainty, speculating on the meaning of these elements and their role in the overall plot.

 

It's only at the end, when the culprit is revealed or the hidden facts are exposed, that everything fits together perfectly. The clues then make sense, and events that seemed vague or mysterious turn out to be logical and coherent. Agatha Christie or the films The Sixth Sense with Bruce Willis, An Exceptional Man with Russell Crowe, or The Others with Nicole Kidman and Shutter Island with Leonardo DiCaprio are good examples of stories where the overall understanding emerges only at the very end, illuminating the whole story in retrospect.

 

The attitude of Nichiren Daishōnin, who inscribed Gohonzon only after asserting himself as the Fundamental Buddha, demonstrates that only a person who has attained the state of Buddha is qualified to inscribe a Gohonzon.

 

Nichiren Daishōnin is said to have inscribed his first Gohonzon on July 8, 1273, during his exile on the island of Sado. He subsequently inscribed others, personalized according to the recipient, of which one hundred and thirty still exist.

 

However, it was on October 12 of the 2^th year of Kōan (1279) that he inscribed the Dai Gohonzon, the ultimate goal of his coming into this world.

 

In Difficulties of the Saint (Shōnin gonanji - 聖人御難事), he writes:

 

"Facing south, in the Buddha shrine of the pavilion of all Buddhas in the temple called Seichōji, at the hour of the horse, I first spoke of this doctrine. It is now twenty-seven years in this second year of Kōan, year of the hare, sign of the younger earth. It took more than forty years for the Buddha, more than thirty years for the great master of Tendai, more than twenty years for the great master Dengyō to realize the purpose of their coming into this world. There's no need to mention the difficulties they encountered. I've already mentioned them. For me, it took twenty-seven years. The hardships I endured are as you know them".

 

Nichiren Daishōnin founded his school on April 28, 1253, and enrolled the Gohonzon dai 27 years later.

 

The Dai Gohonzon is therefore the fundamental object of veneration for Nichiren Daishōnin's disciples and followers. At the end of his life, through the two letters of transmission from Minobu and Ikegami, Nichiren Daishōnin transmitted his entire teaching, as well as the Dai Gohonzon, to his sole successor, Nikkō Shōnin, who in turn transmitted them to Nichimoku Shōnin and so on down to the present day.

 

In the Gosho entitled The Seven Points of the Gohonzon, dictated by Nichiren Daishōnin to Nikkō Shōnin on October 10, 1282, three days before his passing, it is written:

 

"Why will successive High Priests have to inscribe 'Nichiren Zai go han' (Nichiren, seal of his presence - 日蓮 - 在御判) on it? The master replies: it's a deep secret; it means that all successive Shōnin will be Nichiren."

 

This passage makes it clear that, due to the vital transmission to the single person, only successive great Patriarchs will be empowered to inscribe Gohonzon.

 

What's more, on each Gohonzon inscribed by a great Patriarch, it's written next to his own signature: "I transcribe it with respect". This "the" refers to the Dai Gohonzon.

 

In other words, each Gohonzon inscribed by a High Priest constitutes a transcription of the Dai Gohonzon. According to the Nichiren Shōshū, the fundamental object of veneration is the Dai Gohonzon, and it is through faith in it that Nichiren Shōshū practitioners gain access to the energies of the Buddha and the Dharma it contains. This access manifests itself through the practice performed before the Gohonzon, which is a transcription made by the great patriarch.

 

Let's now look at a few cases concerning our relationship to the Gohonzon depending on our position vis-à-vis the Nichiren Shōshū.

 

I received the Gohonzon from the Nichiren Shōshū, I have faith in the Dai Gohonzon and in the Gohonzon of the temple with which I am affiliated.

In this case, there's no problem. We are linked to the Dai Gohonzon through our connection with the temple Gohonzon and our own Gohonzon.

 

In a letter to Shijō Kingo, Nichiren Daishōnin writes:

 

"Your frequent pilgrimages each year, determine the erasure of your sins and shackles from the without beginning during this life. Persevere in this direction!

 

The link with the Dai Gohonzon is also nurtured by the desire to go on pilgrimage to meet him (Tozan). The simple fact of wishing to make this pilgrimage, even without being able to do so, maintains this link. On the other hand, the absence of this desire, or the fact of not having the will to meet the Dai Gohonzon or the temple Gohonzon under the pretext of having a Gohonzon at home, weakens or even breaks this spiritual bond.

 

I received the Gohonzon from the Nichiren Shōshū, but I think all Gohonzons are equal, whether from the temple, the Sōka Gakkai, other Nichiren schools or even those that can be bought online, on the Internet.

 

From the point of view of the Nichiren Shōshū, this way of thinking is perfectly wrong and, to put it bluntly, an offense against the Dharma.

 

In order to refute this way of looking at Gohonzon, we need to consider a number of points.

 

1. Authority of the High Priest (Dharma Sovereign)

• As we have seen, in the tradition of the Nichiren Shōshū, it is taught that only the Grand Patriarch, as the direct representative of the unbroken lineage of Nichiren Daishōnin, possesses the ability to inscribe an authentic Gohonzon. This authority rests on a spiritual and doctrinal transmission that goes back directly to Nichiren Daishōnin. Any inscription outside this official lineage is therefore not considered authentic.
• Rebuttal: A Gohonzon enrolled outside this lineage would lack the spiritual and doctrinal authority conferred by Nichiren Daishōnin and transmitted through the school's legitimate successors.

2. Nature of Gohonzon

• The Gohonzon is not simply a religious object that can be compared or reproduced at will. According to the Nichiren Shōshū, it represents the embodiment of the Fundamental Buddha's awakening and a direct link to his teaching. It's not just a graphic representation, but an expression of the Dharma as revealed by Nichiren Daishōnin.
• Rebuttal: Gohonzon made or reproduced by other groups or individuals do not have this spiritual legitimacy and are therefore not equivalent to those inscribed by the Grand Patriarch of the Nichiren Shōshū. Buying a Gohonzon online or receiving a Gohonzon from another school would be comparable to acquiring a copy with no real spiritual value, as the spiritual and doctrinal link is absent.

3. Legitimate Dharma transmission

• In the doctrine of the Nichiren Shōshū, the concept of correct Dharma transmission is crucial. Nichiren Daishōnin transmitted his teaching to his direct successor, Nikkō Shōnin. This transmission is what guarantees the authenticity of practices, including that of the Gohonzon inscription. Other groups or schools that claim to disseminate Gohonzon have not received this direct transmission.
• Rebuttal: Without this uninterrupted transmission, the Gohonzon of other schools or organizations cannot be considered authentic, as they are not rooted in the doctrinal lineage of the Nichiren Daishōnin.

4. Risk of doctrinal deviation

• The use of Gohonzon from unofficial sources carries the risk of doctrinal drift and misunderstandings about the true nature of Buddhist worship and practice. Every Gohonzon inscribed outside the legitimate authority of the Nichiren Shōshū could be interpreted differently, thus contributing to the fragmentation and weakening of the original teaching.
• Rebuttal: Only an authentic Gohonzon, inscribed by the Great Patriarch, guarantees practice in line with Nichiren Daishōnin's teachings. Other versions can lead to distortions in the practice and correct understanding of the Dharma.

5. Spiritual value vs. material object

• Finally, it's important to emphasize that the Gohonzon should not be regarded as a mere material object, but as a sacred object of worship whose spiritual value is intrinsically linked to its origin and the authority of the person inscribing it. This goes beyond the simple question of the Gohonzon's appearance or availability.
• Rebuttal: To think that "all Gohonzon are the same" is to reduce the Gohonzon to a mere material symbol, ignoring the spiritual and doctrinal depth of what it represents in the Nichiren Shōshū tradition.

Conclusion

In conclusion, from the perspective of the Nichiren Shōshū, the value of a Gohonzon lies not only in its material form, but in the spiritual and doctrinal authority that accompanies it. Only a Gohonzon inscribed by the Grand Patriarch, the legitimate heir to the direct transmission of Nichiren Daishōnin, is considered truly authentic and the bearer of Dharma energy and Buddha energy. Other Gohonzon, whether from other schools or sold online, lack this authority, and their use could deviate from the true practice taught by the Fundamental Buddha, thus leading the practitioner ahead, into the three wrong paths.

 

I received a Gohonzon from the Nichiren Shōshū, but being a member of the Sōka Gakkai, I am no longer affiliated with that school.

 

Because of its doctrinal deviations, going so far as to deny vital transmission, thus undermining the monk's Treasure, the Sōka Gakkai, a lay organization of the Nichiren Shōshū, was excommunicated by the latter on November 18, 1991.

 

As a result of this excommunication, the Sōka Gakkai has lost its authority to officially administer the doctrines and rituals of the Nichiren Shōshū. From then on, true Gohonzon previously received by members of the Sōka Gakkai are considered to have lost their legitimacy and validity due to excommunication and are therefore no longer Gohonzon. According to the doctrine of the Nichiren Shōshū, each Gohonzon is spiritually linked to the Dai Gohonzon. This link was therefore broken with excommunication.

 

Following its excommunication and consequent inability to receive Gohonzon from Nichiren Shōshū, the Sōka Gakkai began manufacturing and distributing its own Honzon, which Nichiren Shōshū considers to be fake Honzon.

 

Question: Why are the Gohonzon distributed by the Sōka Gakkai fake?

 

Answer

Suppose, for example, that a highly sophisticated color copying machine is used to copy banknotes to produce "bills". Even if it is indistinguishable from a genuine "banknote", the copy is a "forged banknote" and its use is legally punishable.

 

The reasons are as follows:

① They don't have official government authorization.

② They are not issued by the Banque de France.

③ These are counterfeits produced autonomously, without authorization.

 

It's exactly the same for "Faux Honzon".

① They have not received official authorization from the Dharma Sovereign

② They were not delivered by the main Temple

③ They were created by the Sōka Gakkai on its own initiative.

 

The Sōka Gakkai claims to be empowered to act in this way, presenting itself as "the harmonious congregation of monks". But from whom, in reality, has it received this legitimacy? None of the great patriarchs of history has transmitted this authority to the Sōka Gakkai. If the mere desire to promote the Vast Propagation were enough to confer this qualification, then anyone could create a Gohonzon at any time, without authorization. This would plunge Nichiren Daishōnin Buddhism into confusion and lead to its destruction.

 

While counterfeit money is punishable by law, the production of a "false Honzon" is a great crime of destruction of the Buddha's Dharma, and will be irremediably punished by the Buddha.

Question

Isn't it blasphemous to call the Gohonzon of the 26^th High Priest Nichikan Shōnin a "false Gohonzon"?

 

Answer

The Nichiren Shōshū does not call the authentic Gohonzon transcribed by Nichikan Shōnin, "Dedicated to the monk Daigyō Ajari Honshō-bō of the Honnyo-zan Jō'enji temple in the village of Kogusuri in Shimotsuke province" in a personal capacity, a "false Gohonzon".

 

She calls "false Honzon" those who have been created by reproducing the real Honzon, without the authorization of the great Patriarch.

 

Furthermore, the Sōka Gakkai took the liberty of deleting the "attribution note" (the part in which Nichikan Shōnin himself wrote to whom this Gohonzon should be given) and sold it to its members. It is therefore clear that the Sōka Gakkai has committed a grave crime by opposing Nichikan Shōnin's will and dishonoring his virtues.

 

It is the actions of the Sōka Gakkai that represent blasphemy against Nichikan Shōnin.

Question

Why does the Nichiren Shōshū assert that a copy of Nichikan Shōnin's Gohonzon is "not Nichikan Shōnin's Gohonzon" and "a great slander against Nichikan Shōnin's heart"?

 

Answer

What the Nichiren Shōshū refers to as the "Gohonzon of Nichikan Shōnin" refers to the Gohonzon inscribed as part of the inheritance lineage of vital transmission. It is a faithful copy of the "spirit" of Nichiren Daishōnin, as he expressed it in the statement, "Nichiren inscribed it by impregnating the ink with his spirit."

 

However, the copy produced independently by the Sōka Gakkai does not contain the "spirit" of Nichiren Daishōnin and cannot therefore be referred to as the "Nichikan Shōnin Gohonzon", even if it is a visually faithful reproduction. Indeed, this copy has not received the authorization of the Sovereign of the Dharma, the sole heir of the lineage of vital transmission.

 

For example, it's exactly the same as taking a photo of the Gohonzon yourself and practicing in front of it, which is a great offense to the Dharma.

In addition, the Sōka Gakkai took the liberty of deleting and modifying the dedication "Daigyō Ajari Honshō-bō Nisshō", which was inscribed on the Gohonzon in Nichikan Shōnin's hand, which naturally constitutes a "great offense to the Dharma with regard to Nichikan Shonin's heart".

Question

The Sōka Gakkai initially stated that they had no choice but to duplicate and distribute the Gohonzon because the Nichiren Shōshū had unilaterally stopped giving it to them, is this true?

 

Answer

To answer this question, we would first need to know why Nichiren Shōshū stopped conferring Gohonzon on members of the Sōka Gakkai.

 

The Nichiren Shōshū has scrupulously observed the teaching of rites and the teaching of the Dharma since Nichiren Daishōnin and Nikkō Shōnin, and awards the Gohonzon to anyone who believes and practices correctly. The same was true of the Sōka Gakkai.

However, since late 1990, the Sōka Gakkai, under the leadership of its honorary president Daisaku Ikeda, has departed from the pure path of the Nichiren Shōshū believers, not only by refusing to accept the repeated advice of the Nichiren Shōshū, but also by transforming itself into an organization that destroys the three treasures of Buddha, Dharma and Monks.

 

I'm sure you too have witnessed one-sided criticism and slander of Nichiren Shōshū in Sōka Gakkai media, such as Seikyō Shinbun and Sōka Shinpō, and in statements made by its leaders at meetings.

 

In other words, it can be said that the Sōka Gakkai abandoned of its own accord its qualification as a secular organization of the Nichiren Shōshū. For this reason, the Sōka Gakkai was excommunicated as a secular organization. Consequently, the Gohonzon is no longer awarded to Sōka Gakkai members.

 

There was a time when the Sōka Gakkai seemed to be aiming for the Vast Propagation, but today it has become an organization that has turned its back on the teachings of Nichiren Daishōnin. It is therefore only natural that the Nichiren Shōshū should not grant the Gohonzon to those who belong to such an organization.

Question

Is there any truth to the Sōka Gakkai's assertion that "as long as you have faith, Gohonzon can be anything"?

 

Answer

It's a fallacious idea and an ideology based on pride.

 

The four energies are: Buddha energy, Dharma energy, faith energy and practice energy. Nichikan Shōnin explained these four energies as follows in his Exegesis of the Treatise on the Honzon of Introspection:

 

"Know this well! The lotus flower can only blossom when it emerges from the water. In the same way, our energy of faith and our energy of practice are always derived from Dharma energy. Without water, the lotus flower cannot grow. In the same way, without Dharma energy, what would be the point of faith and practice? (...) Although our faith and practice are rooted in Dharma energy, if we don't access the power of the Buddha, we must neither cease practice nor give way to doubt".

 

Originally, the Gohonzon, which embodies the substance of Nichiren Daishōnin, contains both Buddha energy (Nichiren Daishōnin's energy of saving sentient beings) and Dharma energy (the Dharma energy of Nam-Myōhō-Renge-Kyō). As soon as we develop faith in this Gohonzon (faith energy) and practice Shōdai (practice energy), the four powers come together, enabling us to attain Buddhahood.

 

If, as ordinary beings subject to many passions, we turn to a "false Honzon", a copy devoid of "Buddha energy" and "Dharma energy", it will be futile to practice with faith. It is then impossible to attain the true fusion of object and wisdom (Kyōchi Myōgō).

 

The idea that the Gohonzon possesses the powers of the Buddha and the Dharma only through our faith and practice is thinking outside the Buddhist path, ignoring the law of causality. It also reflects the manifest pride of the current leaders of the Sōka Gakkai, who consider themselves superior to Nichiren Daishōnin himself.

 

Question
What happens if I practice with the "false Honzon" of the Sōka Gakkai?

 

Answer

The false Honzon contains the power of demons, who oppose the Buddha's Dharma. Thus, practicing in front of such an object will result in the manifestation of demonic powers in the form of visible punishments, and offending the Dharma will lead to a prolonged descent into the hellish state of life.

 

In Nichiren Daishōnin's teaching, the use of what is "falsely similar" is a serious offense against the Dharma. Indeed, when counterfeits proliferate, they obscure the true teachings, and many people lose sight of the truth. The "false Honzon" produced and distributed by the Sōka Gakkai are merely an imitation of the true vision of faith according to the Nichiren Shōshū. Although they may formally resemble Nichikan Shōnin's Gohonzon, many find it difficult to distinguish the genuine Gohonzon from the fakes. This crime, in reality, is immeasurably serious.

 

Toda Jōsei, second president of the Sōka Gakkai, had given the following guidelines for the Gohonzon:

 

"The one thing we absolutely cannot reproduce is the Dai Gohonzon. Nothing can be accomplished apart from the awakening of Nichiren Daishōnin and the successive great sovereign Dharma patriarchs, heirs to the one-person transmission. Consequently, the Honzon inscribed by members of the Butsuryū and Minobu sects have no power. Because they are false, they are devoid of power. On the contrary, they possess a demonic nature, and that's why they should be feared."

Finally, I would say to the members of the Sōka Gakkai:

 

You may be thinking:

 

"I haven't replaced the Gohonzon. I practice in front of the Gohonzon as it was in the past, so everything's fine".

 

However, this is a big mistake.

The Honzon currently hanging in many Sōka Gakkai buildings and dissident temples is an enlarged copy of a fake Honzon. Without realizing it, you have the opportunity to join hands in front of it. Similarly, when you attend the "funeral conducted by a lay friend" of a neighbor who is a member of the Sōka Gakkai and read the sutra with him, the "fake Honzon" also hangs there. In other words, as long as you belong to the Sōka Gakkai, you will be associated, to a greater or lesser extent, with the Dharma offense constituted by the "false Honzon" which contains the demon's nature.

 

So how do you break the bad relationship with this demonic fake Honzon? By leaving the Sōka Gakkai!

 

As a prerequisite, the first thing to do is to have the courage and energy to remove the Honzon from the Buddhist altar at home and take it to the nearest Nichiren Shōshū temple as soon as possible. A Nichiren Shōshū priest can tell at a glance whether it's a "fake Gohonzon" or a "real Gohonzon".

 

By breaking away from the Sōka Gakkai and joining the Nichiren Shōshū, and through the correct belief initiated by Nichiren Daishōnin, you will correctly attain Buddhahood.