e-Gohonzon

Daimoku Chanting is based on the Lotus Sutra of Chapter 16. It is very simple. Just chant: Nam-myo-ho-renge-kyo.

Daimoku is a belongs to the Nichiren Sect of Japanese Buddhism. Nichiren Buddhism is revolutionary in that it teaches that all people are capable of manifesting Buddhahood in this lifetime, in their present form. However, it can be very difficult to actually believe in and respect the infinite potentiality of our lives, much less manifest, on a consistent basis, the sublime life condition of Buddhahood that exists within us all.

The Gohonzon is a scroll containing Chinese and Sanskrit characters that aids practitioners of Nichiren Buddhism in the process of perceiving and bringing forth the life condition of Buddhahood from within their lives.

It is a physical representation of the fundamental law that permeates all life, the sublime reality to which Shakyamuni was enlightened. Shakyamuni’s revelation of this law is distilled within the Lotus Sutra, the title of which is rendered in Japanese as Myoho-renge-kyo. The 13th-century Buddhist teacher Nichiren defined the “Mystic Law” described within the Lotus Sutra as “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo” and represented it in graphic form as the Gohonzon, establishing a way for all people to connect with it.

In one sense, the Gohonzon is a blueprint of the limitless potential of our inner lives. It mirrors the qualities of our inherent Buddha nature, such as wisdom, courage, compassion and life force. It is not a representation of something we lack or must acquire from a source outside ourselves.