| Q: | Is the Dai-Gohonzon a Super-Mandala ? |
| A: | SGI teaches that the Gohonzon is found in faith alone (and not in Taisekiji alone). The priests' tendency for authority and monopoly on the Dai-Gohonzon led them to declare it as a “super-mandala” and a “root” for all Gohonzons. They then went further and claimed that only Gohonzons authorised by the High Priest are “valid.” It's even been said that the power to the Gohonzon of SGI members has been turned off — thereby implying that one's Buddha nature lies outside oneself — perhaps in the hands of priests. All of these claims are rejected by SGI. |
The SGI-USA 2002 publication A Journey Within, page 17, states it perfectly:
”The priesthood now claims that we should ‘think of the Dai-Gohonzon as the root, and all other Gohonzons as branches and leaves,' suggesting that there is a fundamental difference in quality or effectiveness between the Dai-Gohonzon and Gohonzon enshrined in our homes. It appears that the priesthood is oblivious to the principle of ‘bunshin santai,’ or ‘dispersal of the Buddha’s body.’ As the same Buddha appears in many lands in the Sutra of Infinite Meanings, the same Dai-Gohonzon is enshrined in each of our homes throughout the world. The priesthood also seem to be confused about the foundation or what they describe as the ‘root’ of the Gohonzon. Our faith in our innate Buddhahood is the source of the Gohonzon’s beneficial power, As the Daishonin states: 'Never seek this Gohonzon outside yourself. The Gohonzon exists only within the mortal flesh of us ordinary people who embrace the Lotus Sutra and chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo' (Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, p. 832)”
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This work has been compiled by individual SGI members and is solely our personal opinion, based on years of practice and study.