Namu Myoho Renge Kyo

Sanctuary in the Wonderful Dharma of the Lotus Flower Sutra

 The title of the Lotus Sutra in Japanese is Myoho Renge Kyo. Buddhist teaching considers these five characters more than a mere literary title; they actual expressions - genuine embodiments - of Shakyamuni Buddha and his Dharma in the Lotus Sutra. Because the Odaimoku is the essence of the Lotus Sutra, the five characters Myo-Ho-Ren-Ge-Kyo are the key to unlocking the Buddha-nature which resides within all life. When the word Namu, meaning 'sanctuary,' is added to the title, it becomes Namu Myoho Renge Kyo, or 'Sanctuary to the Wonderful Truth of the Lotus Flower Teaching.' According to Nichiren, by simply chanting 'Namu Myoho Renge Kyo we are expressing our utmost trust and confidence in the Eternal Buddha and opening our lives to all the qualities and merits of Buddhahood.

"For a clearer understanding of what Namu Myoho Renge Kyo is all about, let us take a closer look at each of the words which compose it. 

"Namu comes from the Sanskrit word Namas, which means 'I devote myself to' or 'I take refuge in.' This affirms that when all other self-oriented methods of attaining happiness have failed, we come to recognize that true happiness is only found in the True Dharma. 

"Myoho means 'True Dharma' or 'Wonderful Dharma.' It refers to the dynamic and interdependent true nature of life, in which everything exists through mutual support and transformation. In fact, the Buddha-nature is another name for life's inherent potential to recognize this true nature. Renge means 'Lotus Flower.' This illustrates the workings of the Wonderful Dharma by symbolizing the unity of cause and effect -- in this case aspiration and realization -- because the lotus produces flowers and seeds simultaneously. It also symbolizes the blossoming of the purity of Buddhahood from out of the muddy water of ordinary life, just as the pure white lotus flower blooms from the depths of muddy swamps. Kyo means 'Sutra,' which is what the Buddhist scriptures are called. Sutra means 'a thread of discourse.' In this context it refers to all the teachings of the Buddha which culminate in the Lotus Sutra. In a larger sense, because all phenomena manifest the Buddha's teachings, all phenomena can be considered the Buddha's teachings and actual manifestations of the truth of the Lotus Sutra.

"The recitation of Namu Myoho Renge Kyo, is therefore the verbal expression of our heartfelt wish to attain Buddhahood. It is also a statement of our firm faith that Buddhahood is the true nature of our lives which can be realized anew in every moment. In this way we plant the seed of awakening within our lives and within the lives of others. The more we nourish this seed through our practice, the more our life will embody our ideals." (pp. 81-82)

Senchu Murano explains: 

"The Myoho Renge Kyo is not only the title of the Lotus Sutra but also the name of the Dharma itself. It is the core of the Lotus Sutra, the symbol of Nichiren Buddhism, the seed of Buddhahood to be sown in the minds of those who must be saved. We can say that the Purified Saha-world is the Palace of Sakyamuni Buddha because he is the Great King of the Dharma, and that the Myoho Renge Kyo is the Royal Standard hoisted on the roof of the Palace of the Great King of the Dharma." (Manual of Nichiren Buddhism pp.57-58) 

Senchu Murano also writes: 

"The Daimoku is the symbol of the Purified Saha-world of the Original Sakyamuni Buddha, the Royal Standard of the Palace of the Great King of the Dharma. Where there is the Daimoku, there is the Buddha. Even when the Emperor is in the field, the presence of the Imperial Standard indicates the whereabouts of the Emperor. Even when the Great Mandala is not fully inscribed or not written at all, the existence of the Daimoku represents the Buddha. Hence, Ippen Shudai no Gohonzon or the 'Gohonzon of the Daimoku Only' can be established." (Ibid, p. 59)

Question:

If the Gohonzon is truly a reflection of our inner Buddha nature, a mandala used to help us focus our chanting, then isn't all of life the Gohonzon because all of life contains our Buddha nature and our Buddha nature is contained in all of life?

Response:

Yes, and here are some considerations: 

1. The word "Gohonzon" is used interchangeably with "mandala" and this is a mistake. The mandalas represent the Gohonzon (as do various other depictions like portraits or statues) but the Gohonzon is not an object that can be given or received and as far as I am concerned anyone who objectifies the Gohonzon is not practicing Buddha Dharma in any meaninfgul sense of the word. 

2. Based on the Lotus Sutra and the gosho (esp. the five major works), the Nichiren Shu teaches that the Gohonzon is the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha of the Original Gate who is no other than the Wonderful Dharma itself. To be even more specific (and a nod to artgrrl of the Kempon Hokke Shu who pointed this out to me) it is the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha in the act of transferring the Wonderful Dharma of the Lotus Flower Teaching to all sentient beings during the ongoing Ceremony in the Air). 

3. Being even more specific, and again going by the gosho and the T'ien-t'ai commentaries that Nichiren based his own teachings on - the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha of chapter 16 is the unity of the Trikaya - the Dharmakaya (Truth-body), the Sambhogakaya (Bliss-body), and the Nirmanakaya (Transformation-body). This is significant because it points out the relationship of the Buddha to the Buddha-nature to ourselves. This relationship is more complex than is usually presented. 

4. Buddha-nature is what you call the Dharmakaya from the perspective of the Dharmakaya being our true nature. So Dharmakaya is the Truth that awakens or that one is awakened to - and it is no different than our own lives. This Dharmakaya is personified in Shingon as Mahavairocana Tathagata (Jpn. Dainichi Nyorai). But the Dharmakaya is not the Gohonzon of Nichiren Buddhism. Subsequently, there is more to our practice than just the potential of enlightenment which is Buddha-nature. There must be contact with the already actualized Buddhahood of the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha to spark it off. That contact is Namu Myoho Renge Kyo. 

5. The Buddha as actualized Buddhahood, someone who has brought forth all the merits, virtues, compassion, and teaching-abilities of a full fledged Tathagata has two forms of that actuality - the Sambhogakaya or Bliss-body and the Nirmanakaya or Transformation-body. The Bliss-body is the spiritual form or nature of the Buddha. It is the Buddha's heart of realization which normally only advanced bodhisattvas can perceive. The Bliss-body has all the 32 marks, 80 minor marks, and infinite light (wisdom) and lifespan (compassion). The Bliss-body is usually personified as Amitabha Buddha, but this ever-present spiritual presence of light and life is not the Gohonzon of Nichiren Buddhism either. And neither is the Transformation-body which is the historical Shakyamuni Buddha. But the bliss and historical manifestation of Buddhahood are important and even integral to Nichiren Buddhism, as is the Dharmakaya or Buddha-nature. 

6. And so we are brought to the radical interpretation of Chih-i (a.k.a., the Great Master T'ien-t'ai), which Nichiren also upheld, which differentiated the Buddha of chapter 16 from all the other Buddhas or Gohonzons of the other schools. The Buddha of chapter 16 brings together the universal potential of the Buddha-nature with the actualized Buddhahood of the ever-present Bliss-body and concrete manifestation in this world as Shakyamuni Buddha. The universal, the ideal, and the concrete all come together and touch our own lives through the medium of the Lotus Sutra, which happens in this age through the Odaimoku itself. The Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha as the unity of the trikaya is the fullest view of the Buddha. So the Gohonzon is the coming together of the Truth, the Wisdom which realizes it, and the Compassionate activity which shares it and actualizes it in others. 

7. The Gohonzon is not an object, or just the historical Shakyamuni Buddha, or just the Buddha as a spiritual presence, or just the Buddha-nature, or just enlightenment as potential, or just enlightenment as something actualized outside myself, or some other person, or merely my own solipsistic self, or just an abstract principle, or just the Lotus Sutra as a text, or any of those things. One could say, perhaps, that the Gohonzon is where all these things come together for us in our own lives. But all of this is very exalted, very technical, and in the end perhaps just mystical gobbledy gook. 

8. Perhaps it is best to say that the Gohonzon is awakening itself - no need to divide it into self or Other, this or that object, or box it physically or conceptually. It is awakening - A total devotion to the Wonderful Truth blooming like a Lotus Flower which all the Teachings point to. 

9. Any ceremonies we do should primarily help us return to this primary point! 

10. This is also why I have been known to say: "The only people who should receive mandalas are the ones who realize that they don't need one in the first place."