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Q: What is the reason behind the doubts and worries of various schools of Buddhism concerning the Dai-Gohonzon?
A: The reason behind these doubts and worries is related to what these schools consider as the “Object of Worship in Buddhism”: is it Shakyamuni’s statue or “The Mandala of the Wonderful Law,” as Nichiren Daishonin defines the Gohonzon.

In various letters, Nichiren makes it clear that the Object of Worship in the Latter Day of the Law is the Gohonzon. In the Gosho “On Offering Prayers to the Mandala of the Mystic Law,”  the Daishonin wrote:

“I have offered prayers to the Gohonzon of Myoho-renge-kyo. Though this mandala has but five or seven characters, it is the teacher of all Buddhas throughout the three existences and the seal that guarantees the enlightenment of all women. It will be a lamp in the darkness of the road to the next world and a fine horse to carry you over the mountains of death. It is like the sun and the moon in the heavens or Mount Sumeru on earth. It is a ship to ferry people over the sea of suffering of birth and death. It is the teacher who leads all people to Buddhahood.” 
In "The True Aspect of All Phenomena," the Daishonin stated:
"Therefore, the two Buddhas, Shakyamuni and Many Treasures, are Buddhas who are functions [of Myoho-renge-kyo]. It is Myoho-renge-kyo that is the True Buddha."
In the Gosho "The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind," Nichiren Daishonin wrote:
"The true object of devotion is described as follows:

"The treasure tower sits in the air above the saha world that the Buddha of the essential teaching [identified as the pure and eternal land]; Myoho-renge-kyo appears in the center of the tower with the Buddhas Shakyamuni and Many Treasures seated to the right and left, and, flanking them, the four bodhisattvas, followers of Shakyamuni, led by Superior Practices.... Even though statues and paintings were made of these Shakyamuni Buddhas during the two millennia, no image or statue was made of the Buddha of the 'Life Span' chapter. Only in the Latter Day of the Law will the representation of that Buddha appear."

After such a repeated confirmation, there can be no doubt that the Gohonzon, and not any statue, is regarded by Nichiren as the correct Object of Veneration. According to Nichiren’s teachings then, a "Gohonzon for all people" is the valid Object of Veneration for all humanity, 

But this teaching undermines the doctrines of the Buddhist schools where the practice is based on Shakyamuni’s statue worship. 

As the above quote and other passages from the Gosho indicate, Nichiren’s Buddhism teaches that the Gohonzon of Nam Myoho-Renge-Kyo is the teacher of all Buddhas in the Universe, including Shakyamuni Buddha. In reality, using a statue of Shakyamuni as an object of worship is widely practiced in various schools of Buddhism, but this practice is not the correct practice for this age. And it contradicts the Daishonin’s obvious indication that the correct Object of Veneration in this time is the Gohonzon.
 
 
 

This work has been compiled by individual SGI members and is solely our personal opinion, based on years of practice and study.