FEATURE ARTICLE

Where is Nichiren’s 
Reference to the 
Dai Gohonzon? 
What Nichiren Stated Was the Fulfillment of the Purpose of His Advent

by Hope Evers, Ohio
December 9, 2005

"One should not be intimidated by the fact that so many hold such beliefs. Nor does the truth of a belief depend on whether it has been held for a long or short time. The point is simply whether or not it conforms with the text of the scriptures and with reason."  -The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, pp. 168-169

CONTENTS

Author's Note
Summary
Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo
Dai Gohonzon
Nichiren's Writings
Contemporary Dispute
Omission Re: "Sole Allusion" to DG
Inconsistency Re: Atsuhara Martyrs
Ommission Re: Atsuhara Martyrs
Significance of Omissions
Four Key Points
In Nichiren's Own Words, What "Took Twenty-Seven Years"?
Conclusion
End Note: Why Was Nichiren Persecuted for Years?
References
Your Comments

"Better than HD TV: The Gohonzon's 3-D Ceremony in the Air" click here for M. LaVora Perry's article.  

SIDEBAR

"Why the Truth about the Dai Gohonzon Matters" 

"The critical importance of knowing the truth about the Dai Gohonzon lies in the fact that Nichiren Shoshu uses this singular object as its primary instrument of control. While seeming to praise this particular Gohonzon's virtues, in reality Nichiren Shoshu uses it as bait to lure believers away from Nichiren's empowering essential teaching and render them subservient, blind to their limitless potential. Commenting on people who exhibit the type of behavior epitomized by Nichiren Shoshu's exploitation of the Dai Gohonzon tradition, Nichiren paraphrased a predecessor of his, writing, 'though they praise the Lotus Sutra they destroy its heart .'" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin p. 1026) 

Click here to read Hope Evers' essay--  "Why the Truth About the Dai Gohonzon Matters."  Updated March 29, 2006

AUTHORS NOTE: The conclusions regarding the Dai Gohonzon in this article are based on the letter by Nichiren (1222-1282) titled “On Persecutions Befalling the Sage” (1279) (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin (WND) (Soka Gakkai, Tokyo, 1999). I used this letter as my primary source because, unlike any other writing of Nichiren's, according to the letter's background information provided in WND, "it contains the sole allusion to [Nichiren's] inscription of the object of devotion for all humanity as the purpose of his life" (WND p. 998).  Nichiren himself used the three proofs as his standard for judging a Buddhist teaching's validity. The three proofs are: theoretical (does the teaching conform with reason); documentary (does the teaching conform with the teachings of the school's founder); and actual (does the teaching lead to benefit—that is, absolute happiness or enlightenment and the answer to one's prayers). This article primarily focuses on documentary proof as provided in the writings of Nichiren—the founder of the branch of Buddhism that bears his name.

SUMMARY
The editors of The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin (WND) (Soka Gakkai, Tokyo, 1999) state that “On Persecutions Befalling the Sage” (1279) contains Nichiren's "sole allusion to his inscription of the object of devotion for all humanity as the purpose of his life" (WND p. 998). However, no such allusion exists in this letter. 

One need not read between the lines to ascertain what Nichiren meant to say in “On Persecutions Befalling the Sage.” In this letter he clearly articulated the fact that he deemed the persecutions he had endured and overcome over the course of his life and the fact that his enemies received conspicuous karmic retribution for their actions against him and his followers to be the fulfillment of Buddhist prophecy and of his life's mission. It is within the text of the letter's appended background information, which was not penned by Nichiren, but rather written by others long after his death, that one encounters confusion. If it were not for this background information, if one solely read Nichiren's letter, one would likely not reasonably conclude that within it he wrote about the Dai Gohonzon or the Gohonzon at all, since he mentioned neither and wrote exactly what he meant in the letter. 

The inscription of the Dai Gohonzon is said to be Nichiren's highest achievement. Considering that he wrote numerous letters and treatises explicitly and comprehensively explaining the essential elements of his teaching, and considering that no known letter or treatise of his explicitly mentions the Dai Gohonzon, one can reasonably conclude that he most likely did not create it. 

NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo—in the Nichiren Buddhism tradition believers invoke this mantra, made popular by the cinematic portrayal of a turbulent period in singer Tina Turner’s life in the major motion picture “What’s Love Got to Do With It” (1993). Nam-myoho-renge-kyo are the words Turner credits with saving her from a life fraught with attacks by her allegedly physically abusive husband, Ike.  

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo literally means “I Devote My Life to the Wonderful Law of the Buddha’s Lotus Flower Teaching.” Nichiren Buddhists recite Nam-myoho-renge-kyo while focusing on a mandala known as the Gohonzon ("Object of Fundamental Devotion or Veneration"). The Gohonzon is a paper scroll that has the mantra written boldly down its center in black Chinese characters. The Japanese founder of Nichiren Buddhism, Nichiren (1222-1282), termed the Gohonzon “The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind.” Nichiren Buddhists enshrine their own individual Gohonzons—replicas of the ones inscribed by Nichiren—in altars in their homes. Nichiren taught that invoking Nam-myoho-renge-kyo enables a practitioner to attain enlightenment, or absolute happiness, in her or his present form. 

DAI GOHONZON
There are various Nichiren schools. They have in common invoking the same mantra and the veneration of the Gohonzon. However, one school, Nichiren Shoshu, has a unique mandala known as the Dai Gohonzon (“Great Object of Devotion), which is an exceptionally larger version of Nichiren’s mandala inscribed on a camphor wood plank. According to Nichiren Shoshu lore, Nichiren inscribed the Dai Gohonzon on October 12, 1279 in response to reports that his followers in the Atsuhara village of Japan, who were facing severe religious persecution by their local government, were willing to give their lives if necessary for the sake of their Buddhist faith. Nichiren Shoshu tradition further asserts that Nichiren claimed that in inscribing the Dai Gohonzon he had fulfilled the ultimate purpose of his life. 

NICHIREN'S WRITINGS
The Complete Works of Nichiren Daishonin (Jap: Nichiren Daishonin Gosho Zenshu) contains four hundred twenty-six documents attributed to Nichiren. One hundred seventy-two of these are published in English in a volume titled The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin (WND) (Soka Gakkai, Tokyo, 1999). A collection of Nichiren’s spoken lectures on the twenty-eight chapters of the Buddha’s Lotus Sutra are available in English as The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings (Jap: Ongi Kuden; Burton Watson, translator; Soka Gakkai, Tokyo, 2004). The information put forth in this article is based on Nichiren’s writings in these two works, which are published by the Soka Gakkai, a lay-organization of Nichiren Buddhists whose fundamental tenets are founded on the traditional teachings of Nichren Shoshu.  

[CONTEMPORARY DISPUTE 
In 1991 Nichiren Shoshu and the Soka Gakkai were disassociated when then Nichiren Shoshu High Priest Nikken Abe excommunicated the Soka Gakkai International (SGI). SGI representatives have since refuted contemporary doctrines of Nichiren Shoshu that they say deviate from Nichren’s original tenets.    

However, as of the writing of this article, both Nichiren Shoshu and the SGI officially maintain that the Dai Gohonzon was inscribed by Nichren. The Dai Gohonzon is enshrined at the Nichiren Shoshu head temple in Taisekiji, located at the foot of Mount Fuji in Japan. For official post-excommunication SGI-USA commentary related to Nichiren Shoshu, visit SokaSpirit.org].  

OMISSION REGARDING NICHIREN'S "SOLE ALLUSION" TO THE DAI GOHONZON 
The Significance of the Phrase "For me it took twenty-seven years," According to the Editors of WND

In the background information of the letter titled “On Persecutions Befalling the Sage” (1279) (WND pp. 996-999), the editors of WND (i.e. the Soka Gakkai Gosho Translation Committee) reference a statement made by Nichiren in this way: "'For me it took twenty-seven years.' 'It' here refers to the reason for his {Nichiren's} appearance in the world—that is the inscription of the object of devotion for the sake of all humankind {the Dai Gohonzon}."  (ibid, p. 999). The editors claim that the referenced statement by Nichiren ("For me it took twenty-seven years.") is "the sole allusion to the inscription of the object of devotion for all humanity as the purpose of his life (ibid, p. 998)."

In the letters and treatises that appear in the aforementioned works, Nichiren frequently specifically discusses the Gohonzon and its significance. However, WND editors assert that Nichiren alludes to the Dai Gohonzon in “On Persecutions Befalling the Sage” even though this letter, unlike many others written by Nichiren, contains no mention of the Gohonzon whatsoever, let alone a mention of the unique Dai Gohonzon.

INCONSISTENCY REGARDING THE ATSUHARA MARTYRS
According to the WND editors, Nichiren inscribed the Dai Gohonzon because he saw that "his followers were now ready to give their lives if necessary to protect the Law" (ibid). This statement implies that the fact that peasant farmers in the Atsuhara village of Japan were willing to be executed for the sake of the Law demonstrated to Nichiren that his disciples were prepared to make the ultimate offering when they  previously had not been prepared to do so.  

However, in "On Persecutions Befalling the Sage" Nichiren writes, "countless numbers of [my] disciples have been murdered," (ibid, p. 997) thus indicating that he was well aware that many of his disciples had died while upholding his teachings. These disciples' murders would have occurred prior to the execution of the Atsuhara farmers since this letter was written before the farmers' executions took place.  cont.

Therefore, if knowing that his disciples were willing to give their lives for the Law enabled Nichiren to realize "that the time had come" (ibid, p. 999) to inscribe the Dai Gohonzon, according to his own words, he had "countless" instances to come to this realization before the Atsuhara farmers were executed.

OMISSION REGARDING THE ATSUHARA MARTYRS
The background information accompanying this letter (ibid) states that Nichiren inscribed the Dai Gohonzon in response to reports that his followers in Atusuhara were prepared to sacrifice their lives for the sake of the Buddhist teaching he propagated. However, although WND editors state that in this letter Nichiren alludes to the Dai Gohonzon, whose inscription was motivated by a particular series of events in October 1279 in which several of his followers in Atsuhara, all of whom were peasant farmers, were arrested and severely persecuted and three of them were executed on October 15, 1279, the letter contains no mentions of either the events or the names of the persecuted believers. 

SIGNIFICANCE OF OMISSIONS
These omissions in “On Persecutions Befalling the Sage” are significant for two reasons:

1.      In several other letters written over the course of his lifetime, when individual believers of staunch faith met hardships, Nichiren encouraged them personally. He often took pains to do so even while he himself was enduring severe or life-threatening persecutions and related hardships.

2.      In “On Persecutions Befalling the Sage,” while followers who honorably upheld their faith when being threatened with execution for doing so are not acknowledged, Nichiren listed the names and described the behavior of three believers who betrayed their faith and died shamefully in his view.

As point 1 above suggests, omitting the names of the faithful believers in the manner described therein while listing those who betrayed their faith is inconsistent with Nichiren’s behavior over the course of his life. This inconsistency points to the possibility that Nichiren knew neither about the arrest nor the ultimate execution of the Atsuhara farmers when he wrote “On Persecutions Befalling the Sage” in October of 1279.

FOUR KEY POINTS
To restate four key points relayed in this article thus far:

1.      In the background information of “On Persecutions Befalling the Buddha” WND editors present the view that the heroic loyalty and devotion to faith—even in the face of death—of the Atsuhara peasant farmers motivated Nichiren to inscribe the object that epitomized his life’s work—the Dai Gohonzon. However, Nichiren makes no statement to support this view in the text itself.  

2.        WND editors imply that the Atsuhara peasant farmers' martyrdom set a precedent that brought Nichiren to the realization that "the time had come to" inscribe the Dai Gohonzon. However, according to Nichiren, "countless disciples" were "murdered" for the sake of his teachings. Based on the date on which "On Persecutions Befalling the Sage" was written, these murders took place prior to the execution of the Atsuhara farmers. Therefore, if and when Nichren learned of the farmers' honorable and heroic actions, he knew their actions were not unique among those of his disciples.

3.      The editors further assert that “On Persecutions Befalling the Sage” contains Nichiren’s “sole allusion to his inscription of the object of devotion for all humanity as the purpose of his life” (ibid, p. 998).  The statement that this letter contains Nichiren’s “sole allusion” to such critical information highlights the fact that although Nichiren wrote extensively about the Gohonzon in several of his writings, most notably comprehensively explaining its significance in “The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind” (ibid, p. 354), he did not mention it by name in the singular letter in which WND editors claim he identified the accomplishment that was the fulfillment of life’s mission—the inscription of the ultimate Gohonzon. 

4.      In light of Nichiren’s compassionate behavior towards his devoted followers over the course of his lifetime, the fact that the Atsuhara peasant farmers who literally gave their lives for faith are not mentioned in “On Persecutions Befalling the Sage” underscores the possibility that Nichiren was not aware of their circumstances when he penned this letter.

Because events about which the evidence strongly suggests Nichiren had no knowledge at the time that WND editors infer that he did (i.e. his followers’ arrests and executions) are said by the editors to have motivated his inscription of the Dai Gohonzon, the contention that he in fact inscribed the Dai Gohonzon in response to those events lacks credibility. 

In Nichiren's Own Words, What "Took Twenty-Seven Years"? 

Nichiren wrote: 

Now...it has been twenty-seven years since I first proclaimed this teaching...The Buddha fulfilled the purpose of his advent in a little over forty years...For me it took twenty-seven years, and the persecutions I faced during this time are well known to you all.  

The Lotus Sutra reads, "Since hatred and jealous toward this sutra  abound even while the Thus Come One is in the world, how much worse will it be after his passing?"...In these twenty-seven years...Nichiren was exiled to the province of Izu...wounded on the forehead and had his left hand broken...He was led to the place of execution...and in the end was exiled to the province of Sado...countless numbers of disciples have been murdered or wounded...I do not know if these trials equal or surpass those of the Buddha. Nargarjuna, Vausbandu, T'ien-t'ai and Dengyo {all of whom preceded Nichiren in teaching the Lotus Sutra after the Buddha's passing}, however, cannot compare with me in what they suffered. Had it not been for the advent of Nichiren in the Latter Day of the Law, the Buddha would have been a great teller of lies...In the 2,230 years since the Buddha's passing, Nichiren is the only person in the entire land of Jambudvipa who has fulfilled the Buddha's words...

...the rulers, high ministers, and people who despise the votaries of the Lotus Sutra seem to be free from punishment at first, but eventually they are all doomed to fall...There seemed at first to be no protection for me. The gods who vowed to protect the Lotus Sutra, however...by now have realized in terror that if they leave their oath to the Buddha unfulfilled, as they have done for these twenty-seven years, they will {suffer}. Consequently, each of them is now striving to carry out his vow.   

{Here Nichiren lists three people who he says met severe "conspicuous and individual" karmic retribution in the form of horrific deaths as a result of renouncing their faith in his teachings and plotting against his disciples. He also lists the epidemics, famine and warfare that threaten the nation as representatives of "general" karmic retribution for malevolent actions against him.}...The {deceased} lay priest...and the present ruler permitted my return from my exiles when they found I was innocent of all charges against me...The present ruler shall no longer take action on any charge without confirming its truth. You may rest assured that nothing...can harm Nichiren {because the Buddhist Gods  are protecting him} ...Strengthen your faith day by day and month after month. Should you slacken even a bit, devils will take advantage. (ibid, p. 996-997)  cont.

Bottom of Article

In the above passages from "On Persecutions Befalling the Sage" Nichiren defines the following as indicators that he had fulfilled his life's purpose:

1.) Because Nichiren alone endured historically unprecedented persecution after the Buddha's death in response to his (Nichiren's) efforts to transmit the Lotus Sutra Buddhist teaching, which he defined as the invocation of its title, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, he fulfilled the Buddha's prediction that in a future age his (the Buddha's) successor as the Lotus Sutra's votary would encounter even greater trials than the Buddha encountered during his lifetime.

2.) After twenty-seven years of seeming to escape the grave negative effects of their malevolent actions toward him, people and the government that had mistreated him began to experience those effects. Additionally, powerful officials of the same government that had for years regarded Nichiren as a criminal of the state began to behave respectfully toward him. Nichiren says these outcomes fulfilled the prediction in the Lotus Sutra  stating that the sutra's enemies will receive negative effects for their mistreatment of its votaries and its votaries will be protected.*

Close examination of the full text of this letter indicates that when Nichiren wrote "For me it took twenty-seven years" (ibid p. 996) he was not alluding to his inscription of the Dai Gohonzon as WND editors state; rather he was referring to the information he himself relays in the letter in which he says that over the course of twenty-seven years he alone "fulfilled the Buddha's words;" those words being, "Since hatred and jealous toward this sutra abound even while the Thus Come One is in the world, how much worse will it be after his passing?" 

In addition, Nichiren indicates that with his life he proved the verity of the Lotus Sutra because the Buddhist gods (the protective functions of the universe) who had, over the previous twenty-seven years, seemingly failed to fulfill the promise they made in the sutra to punish its enemies and protect its votaries were now, on Nichiren's behalf, "each...striving to carry out his vow." As previously stated, In this letter Nichiren does not mention the Gohonzon, or Dai Gohonzon, at all.

CONCLUSION
The text of “On Persecutions Befalling the Sage” supports the WND editors assertion in the work’s background information that Nichiren wrote the letter to encourage his believers in Atsuhara, who had endured persecution by their local government over the course of four years, to remain steadfast in their faith. In addition, an examination of documentary evidence provided in several other works and lectures by Nichiren as they appear in The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin and Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings supports the contention that he originated the Gohonzon, personally inscribed Gohonzon on several occasions for various followers and defined the Gohonzon as the singularly "true object of devotion" for the practice of Buddhism. However, other than the “allusion” mentioned by WND editors, neither volume offers evidence in the form of Nichiren's writings or lectures that he inscribed or requested the inscription of the unique object referred to as the Dai Gohonzon. 

Furthermore, the statement by WND editors that “On Persecution Befalling the Sage” contains Nichiren’s “sole allusion” to the inscription of this object as being the fulfillment of his life's purpose--meaning no similar allusion is known to exist--underscores the probability that Nichiren never provided explicit evidence of his having inscribed this object, since the "sole allusion" to it to which the editors refer indicates Nichiren's fulfillment of the prophecies of the Lotus Sutra, not his inscription of the object of worship. A close, objective examination of the evidence provided in Nichiren's writings regarding his relationship to the Dai Gohonzon suggests that he played no role in its creation.

***
*END NOTE: Why Was Nichiren Persecuted for Years? 
In February of 1272, Nichiren completed a lengthy treatise titled "The Opening of the Eyes" only a few months after he lived through a failed government execution attempt on September 12, 1271. He penned the document while sentenced to exile by the Japanese government to Sado Island—what was then a remote, desolate location.

"The Opening of the Eyes" was written over seven years before "On Persecutions Befalling the Sage" in response to doubts held by the general populace and Nichiren's followers surrounding the fact that he, a votary of the Lotus Sutra, who, according to the sutra, should have been well protected by the Buddhist gods, appeared instead to be totally forsaken by them. Some of his followers, seeing their teacher treated so harshly, were shaken and understandably concerned about their own welfare. In "The Opening of the Eyes," Nichiren comprehensively explained why the Buddhist gods seemed to be negligent in their duty to protect him.

Nichiren said the following: 1.) his persecution by enemies of the Lotus Sutra fulfilled the sutra's prediction that its votaries would face such trials (ibid, pp. 269-270); 2.) those who persecute votaries of the Lotus Sutra only temporarily appear to incur no retribution—eventually they severely suffer for their actions (ibid, p. 280); 3.) benevolent deities abandon a land in which slander of the Lotus Sutra (disrespect for life) runs rampant—therefore they are not present to protect votaries of the Lotus Sutra who live in such lands (ibid, p. 280); 4.) he would be persecuted until he had, by wholeheartedly teaching the Lotus Sutra and stringently denouncing erroneous Buddhist teachings in his present lifetime, fully expiated the negative karma he created by persecuting practitioners of the sutra in previous lifetimes. He stated that although he had to experience this negative karma, by teaching the Lotus Sutra and refuting incorrect Buddhist teachings in his present existence he was lessening his karmic retribution (ibid, p. 281-282); 5.) as promised in the Lotus Sutra, he and his disciples would "as a matter of course attain Buddhahood" (enlightenment or absolute happiness) if they persevered in faith and did not "harbor doubts in their hearts" when obstacles arose (ibid, 283).  

After a life fraught with peril, Nichiren lived his last years diligently writing, lecturing and training his disciples, having gained total victory over the obstacles that once plagued him. He died peacefully on October 13, 1282, in the company of his disciples, at the age of sixty-one. 

Click here to read "The Opening of the Eyes." 

YOUR COMMENTS
The publisher welcomes letters about Hope Evers' article that maintain the author's focus on the Dai Gohonzon as it relates to "On Persecutions Befalling the Sage," which is the only letter that the editors of the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin identify as the "sole" writing of Nichiren's that alludes to his inscription of this object as "the purpose of his life." However, due to time and editorial considerations, letters regarding Ms. Evers' article that do not specifically cite or pertain to the text of "On Persecutions Befalling the Sage" may be discarded without reply—as will letters that are disrespectful in tone or that convey speculations and accusations that are not relevant to the points raised in Ms. Evers' article. The email addresses of correspondents who repeatedly send letters in the latter categories will be permanently blocked. Letters sent to FortuneChildBooks.com may be published on this Web site and edited for brevity and clarity. Please click here to email.

Hope Evers is a freelance writer and has been practicing and studying Nichiren Buddhism as a member of the SGI-USA since the mid-1980s. She lives in Ohio with her family. Email sent to email<AT>fortunechildbooks.com to the attention of Evers will be forwarded to her. 

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