A "map" for the White Lotus Gohonzon?

[daimokuchanter]

Howdy y'all

I have been practicing on my own for sometime now and recently acquired a White Lotus Gohonzon from Victor at Shrine Space on Etsy. I know that there are several maps and descriptions of the layout for other Gohonzons but I haven't encountered any for the White Lotus Gohonzon. I can surmise or guess what some of it is based on my study of the various Gohonzon galleries/explanations currently online but wanted to check in here with more learned and advanced practitioners beyond myself.

I am not wishing to incite the usual controversies surrounding Gohonzons or get into any sort of doctrinal debate here. I'm simply wanting to know what exactly is on the White Lotus Gohonzon for my own personal reference.

For several years after returning my SGI/Nichikan Gohonzon I chanted to a statue of Buddha Shakyamuni and a copy of the Lotus Sutra I stood upright and enshrined in my butsudan. I have recently moved and made huge changes in my life. It felt appropriate, natural and right to invite and enshrine a proper Gohonzon into my life. I highly recommend the work and craftsmanship Victor does in his Etsy store. Again, setting aside whether what I've done is "correct" or "valid", I'm simply interested in information about the White Lotus Gohonzon that is more concrete then the cryptic musings I've found in comments on blogs...

[Ayu]

(I believe, the problem about not finding something about White Lotus Gohonzon exists only right now, because a person called White Lotus produced some scandal recently.)
I searched for "White Lotus Gohonzon" in quotation marks and I found this:

[narhwal90]

I looked into the Mandala Workshop books, the closest entry I found was #105 the "Priest Nisshun Gohonzon" - they do not reference a the white lotus name, but graphically it is quite close to other white lotus images found online. Assuming the workshop's gohonzon is it, the date was April 5, 1281. It was bequeathed to Ajari Nisshun, hence the name. The workshop text only discusses Nisshun and where the gohonzon ended up (Kocho-ji temple)

Definitely a lovely example of the later pattern gohonzons.









I checked the old Nichiren Coffeehouse gohonzon-shu, entry 105 looks like similar, but with some restoration done on the image. The coffeehouse entry does not include any other provenance I'm aware of so I'm not certain its the same gohonzon.

https://pounceatron.dreamhosters.com/ni ... u/105.html

[daimokuchanter]

Thank you for your help

[narhwal90]

Do you find yours a close match to these?

[daimokuchanter]

Do you find yours a close match to these?

I do. Again I’m no expert in any sense of the word but the ones you’ve referenced are extraordinarily close. Other then the style, what would set the White Lotus Gohonzon apart from, say, the other Gohonzon widely propagated by the independent movement — the Prayer Gohonzon?

[narhwal90]

I'm no authority on the matter either- both are examples of Nichiren's art. I'm skeptical of claims related to various powers of one gohonzon or the other- its always seemed like seeking the gohonzon outside of oneself OTOH perhaps if the circumstances and legends surrounding a gohonzon keeps one practicing then thats great- its not something I would argue against. I find some gohonzons more aesthetically attractive than others- a matter of composition perhaps. I like them very simple or quite ornate such as the version discussed above.

Back in the early schism days I traded my Shoshu gohonzon for the SGI issued replacement- we were strongly encouraged to do so back then. I probably would not exchange it for a new SGI replacement, if for no other reason then I have a lot of history with it.

I'm a big fan of the Nichiren independents, very glad we were able to save the Ross Coffeehouse pages from oblivion when the old webhosting lapsed. Perhaps another independent initiative like that will arise again.

[illarraza]

Howdy y'all

I have been practicing on my own for sometime now and recently acquired a White Lotus Gohonzon from Victor at Shrine Space on Etsy. I know that there are several maps and descriptions of the layout for other Gohonzons but I haven't encountered any for the White Lotus Gohonzon. I can surmise or guess what some of it is based on my study of the various Gohonzon galleries/explanations currently online but wanted to check in here with more learned and advanced practitioners beyond myself.

I am not wishing to incite the usual controversies surrounding Gohonzons or get into any sort of doctrinal debate here. I'm simply wanting to know what exactly is on the White Lotus Gohonzon for my own personal reference.

For several years after returning my SGI/Nichikan Gohonzon I chanted to a statue of Buddha Shakyamuni and a copy of the Lotus Sutra I stood upright and enshrined in my butsudan. I have recently moved and made huge changes in my life. It felt appropriate, natural and right to invite and enshrine a proper Gohonzon into my life. I highly recommend the work and craftsmanship Victor does in his Etsy store. Again, setting aside whether what I've done is "correct" or "valid", I'm simply interested in information about the White Lotus Gohonzon that is more concrete then the cryptic musings I've found in comments on blogs...

Hi. Here is a map of Gohonzon 101, 1981 The Gohonzon for the Transmission of the Dharma bestowed upon the priest Nissho: https://markrogow.blogspot.com/2021/06/ ... onzon.html

and here is a beautiful mounting that can be had for your White Lotus Gohonzon... I have the Japanese mounting service that did this but will have to look for it: https://markrogow.blogspot.com/2014/03/ ... on-of.html

[illarraza]

Howdy y'all

I have been practicing on my own for sometime now and recently acquired a White Lotus Gohonzon from Victor at Shrine Space on Etsy. I know that there are several maps and descriptions of the layout for other Gohonzons but I haven't encountered any for the White Lotus Gohonzon. I can surmise or guess what some of it is based on my study of the various Gohonzon galleries/explanations currently online but wanted to check in here with more learned and advanced practitioners beyond myself.

I am not wishing to incite the usual controversies surrounding Gohonzons or get into any sort of doctrinal debate here. I'm simply wanting to know what exactly is on the White Lotus Gohonzon for my own personal reference.

For several years after returning my SGI/Nichikan Gohonzon I chanted to a statue of Buddha Shakyamuni and a copy of the Lotus Sutra I stood upright and enshrined in my butsudan. I have recently moved and made huge changes in my life. It felt appropriate, natural and right to invite and enshrine a proper Gohonzon into my life. I highly recommend the work and craftsmanship Victor does in his Etsy store. Again, setting aside whether what I've done is "correct" or "valid", I'm simply interested in information about the White Lotus Gohonzon that is more concrete then the cryptic musings I've found in comments on blogs...

https://markrogow.blogspot.com/2019/01/ ... er-on.html

This company can mount Gohonzon with beautiful backgrounds.

[illarraza]

Howdy y'all

I have been practicing on my own for sometime now and recently acquired a White Lotus Gohonzon from Victor at Shrine Space on Etsy. I know that there are several maps and descriptions of the layout for other Gohonzons but I haven't encountered any for the White Lotus Gohonzon. I can surmise or guess what some of it is based on my study of the various Gohonzon galleries/explanations currently online but wanted to check in here with more learned and advanced practitioners beyond myself.

I am not wishing to incite the usual controversies surrounding Gohonzons or get into any sort of doctrinal debate here. I'm simply wanting to know what exactly is on the White Lotus Gohonzon for my own personal reference.

For several years after returning my SGI/Nichikan Gohonzon I chanted to a statue of Buddha Shakyamuni and a copy of the Lotus Sutra I stood upright and enshrined in my butsudan. I have recently moved and made huge changes in my life. It felt appropriate, natural and right to invite and enshrine a proper Gohonzon into my life. I highly recommend the work and craftsmanship Victor does in his Etsy store. Again, setting aside whether what I've done is "correct" or "valid", I'm simply interested in information about the White Lotus Gohonzon that is more concrete then the cryptic musings I've found in comments on blogs...

Hi. Here is a map of Gohonzon 101, 1981 The Gohonzon for the Transmission of the Dharma bestowed upon the priest Nissho: https://markrogow.blogspot.com/2021/06/ ... onzon.html

and here is a beautiful mounting that can be had for your White Lotus Gohonzon... I have the Japanese mounting service that did this but will have to look for it: https://markrogow.blogspot.com/2014/03/ ... on-of.html

Should read 1281.