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Must Haves

In: Butsuguh,Philosophy

In all my years of practice there has always been noticeable the common set of things everyone seem to have in their home. It would be fair to say that almost everybody has their Gohonzon, in a Butsudan with Butsughu around it.
But what Butsughu to get first? What books to study as there are so many?

In The True Aspect of all Phenomena', Nichiren Daishonin writes:
Exert yourself in the two ways of practice and study. Without practice and study, there can be no Buddhism. You must not only persevere yourself; you must also teach others. Both practice and study arise from faith. Teach others to the best of your ability, even if it is only a single sentence or phrase. (WND-1, p. 386)

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My 'Must Haves'

I know I have favourites, and I have a good collection, must like any one you seem to collect stuff which you like to use, that which has a positive effect on your practice, some of which (for your) are essential.

Your essentials so far for 2022 has the voting as:

  • Shrine location - For many people just starting out with nothing, they have the location in their home where they plan to have their shrine. This is where you feel comfortable in chanting to.
    For example with the onset of World War II, Mr Makiguchi and Mr Toda met with harassment and persecution. Both were arrested and jailed by the japanese government in 1943 on charges of blasphemy against the god-emperor. In jail they had just a blank wall for their Butsudan
    For some all they can do is hang their Gohonzon on a nail in the wall. Before I received my Gohonzon I visualized at massive 6ft high big Gohonzon in front of me and made it as awesome as my imagination could muster. Im sure that Makiguchi if he had chalk would have inscribed on his sell wall a rectangle that represented the Gohonzon.
  • Butsudan - This is your 'safe-place' where you keep your Gohonzon. It is as simple or as elaborate as you choose. The condition being that you close the door of the cabinate/box when not in use.
  • Gohonzon - This is a special moment when you get your own for your own home, and it gets enshrined by your district leader. The Gohonzon exists only within the mortal flesh of us ordinary people who embrace the Lotus Sutra and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. The body is the palace of the ninth consciousness,8 the unchanging reality that reigns over all of life’s functions. More Info
  • Incense tray - You are going to burn Incense as an offering to the Gohonzon; assuming circumstances allow this. It is usual that all the members in your district will give you some of their ash from their daimoku to line the bottom of your Incense tray. This is because the incense will go out if on bare metal, so it needs to burn on an insulating layer of ash or free standing.
  • Incense - Then you need the Incense to burn. Typically we go for smokeless Incense so the smoke goes not colour the walls, or is there are many of you chanting in a poorly ventilated room it can be hard work on your throat. I personally go for the best I can find as its a gold plated offering to the gohonzon.
  • Other offerings - Typically we also have an offering of water (fresh each day) and or rice. There is also greenery, ideally this is fresh from the garden or plastic ones. Then there are candles, for many its important to burn real ones but with health and safety and fire alarms LED ones are used. In my case I have fruit. My thinking being if I could offer Nichiren something what would it be? The Gohonzon is a reflection of your own buddhahood, you are not worshiping the buddha, you are begging favors or bribing some god. I have no problem in offering an 'oreo' to my gohonzon because I love them. More Info
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