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Upholding Faith in the Gohonzon

BACKGROUND:

This Gosho was written on August 25, 1275 to Myoshin-ama, a believer who lived in Nishiyama in Fuji District of Suruga Province. The Daishonin tells Myoshin-ama that he is conferring the Gohonzon upon her for the protection of her infant, and explains that the Gohonzon is "the heart of the Lotus Sutra and the eye of all the scriptures." The object of worship revealed by the Daishonin is the embodiment of ichinen sanzen contained in the depths of the Juryo (sixteenth) chapter, which is the key chapter of the twenty-eight-chapter Lotus Sutra. Therefore, the Gohonzon is the "heart of the Lotus Sutra." The Lotus Sutra itself represents the essence of all the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha. For this reason, the Gohonzon, the "heart of the Lotus Sutra," is also the "eye of all the scriptures."

In the latter half of this Gosho, the Daishonin exhorts Myoshin-ama to have strong faith, declaring that one who embraces this Gohonzon will enjoy the constant protection of all Buddhas and Buddhist gods.

Designed by Will Kallander