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Having established his identity,
in ‘The True Object of Worship’, the second major work he wrote in exile on Sado,
Nichiren Daishonin
reveals the object of worship in terms of the Law. In other words,
he explains that the 'Lotus Sutra of the Latter Day’ is the
Gohonzon of
the Three Great Secret Laws. (Significantly, he did not inscribe the Gohonzon
for any of his followers until soon after the Tatsunokuchi Persecution.)
‘The True Object of Worship’ offers a long and detailed analysis of the Lotus Sutra and T’ien-t’ai’s theory of ichinen sanzen, and explains how the Gohonzon is related to both. Ichinen sanzen is important because, as Nichiren Daishonin points out, it provides a theoretical basis for chanting to the Gohonzon: Both the Buddhist and non-Buddhist scriptures permit wooden or painted images to be used as objects of devotion, but T’ien-t’ai and his followers were the first to explain the principle behind this practice. If a piece of wood or paper lacked the cause and effect [of Buddhahood] in either the material or the spiritual aspect, it would be futile to rely on it as an object of devotion. Thus, although from one viewpoint the Gohonzon is merely a piece of paper or wood, since these materials possess the inherent capacity ‘to manifest a spiritual nature’, they can both come to embody Buddhahood if inscribed or carved by the Buddha, and can therefore act as the external cause for Buddhahood when used as an object of worship. The discussion of the Lotus Sutra in ‘The True Object of Worship’ reiterates the central points of Shakyamuni’s supreme teaching, but goes significantly further, explaining that the Gohonzon, the time when it is to be established, and by whom, are all implicit in the sutra itself.
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