The Gohonzon

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Gohonzon is the object of devotion in Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism. In Japanese, go means worthy of honor and honzon means object of fundamental respect. Nichiren Daishonin defined the universal Law permeating life and the universe as  Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and embodied it in the form of a mandala. In the Gohonzon, a scroll on which are written Chinese and Sanskrit characters, Nichiren symbolically depicted the life state of Buddhahood, which all people possess, the life of Nichiren Daishonin, as well as protective functions of the universe.

The fundamental object of devotion, the Gohonzon represents the enlightened life of each individual. Down the center are the characters Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and Nichiren's signature. This indicates the oneness of person and the Mystic Law - the condition of Buddhahood is a potential state of life and can be manifested by all people.
 
Our inner life-condition - Ten States of Life -  changes constantly as we come into contact with different external stimuli, everything around us - people, the weather, a piece of music, the color of the walls - creates some kind of influence on us. A painting can cause the viewer to feel enraptured, calm or disgusted, and a letter can either cause joy or shock and dismay. In order to bring out our highest state of life, our Buddhahood, we also need a stimulus. Nichiren Daishonin's enlightenment to the law of life enabled him to create a stimulus that would be able to activate the life-condition of Buddhahood within us.

The Butsudan

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