"The true Gohonzon is within oneself." - that is a saying familiar to anyone with an interest in Nichiren Buddhism. Even Nichiren said that it is faith that is the source of the benefits that arise from chanting before the Gohonzon.
If one takes those messages to heart then one realises that the true power comes from faith-in-faith and that resides within oneself. There is no magical or spiritual potency within the object of the Gohonzon but within the faith that builds within oneself as one practices. It is the "halo" of the Gohonzon and the Daimoku that develops with practice.
To claim that some sort of magical potency exists within the object or the words is missing the point. However, anyone who practises while believing in that hypothetical magical potency will, of course, still experience the benefits as they arise from within their own self because of the faith that resides there.
So if one accepts that faith-in-faith is the key then that faith can make any practice or spiritual tool potent. Consequently it is not self delusion that prompts me to say that a Gohonzon-type object specifically designed to suit Westerners who have no interest in Nichiren's Buddhism itself can still work for them in the way Nichiren intended because of the way the "halo" of potency develops through practice and as faith naturally emerges from within oneself.
A mantra designed for similar purposes will also work for the same reasons.
I am working on the design of both and have tested prototypes and find that they do work thanks to the principle of faith-in-faith.
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1 comment:
faith-in-faith, I like the simple articulation of this idea.
I agree with your reflections, and while they seem to reduce things to a mere idea, it doesn't reduce my admiration for the Daimoku and the work of Nichiren the slightest. Giving a name to "the unfathomable or mystic truth" underlining all phenomena was an act of creativity. In a certain sense, perhaps almost anyone could have done it.
But how amazing that it is so efficient! Was this just matter of luck, when Nichiren confesses his life long faith in unlocking the teachings to liberate living beings from suffering? For many people that I've shared this practice with, it has worked on their first attempts to make something manifest in their lives. And in some cases, people are moved to tears on their very first try, with close no prior explanation.
I can't help but marvel at the qualities of this practice, in its conceptual aspects as well as in its actual experience.
Thank you for your posts.
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