The Meaning of Gojukai
In this month's 0ko Lecture, I'd like to talk to you about the meaning of Gojukai, which means "receiving the precepts."
"Receiving the precepts" is the ceremony that people have performed when they take faith in Buddhism. In our school of Buddhism, it is the ceremony marking one's entry into this faith where a new believer recites the Sutra and Daimoku with a priest before the Gohonzon, is touched on the head with a Gohonzon, and pledges to discard all past heresy and believe in the Three Great Secret Laws of the Lotus Sutra for the rest of his or her life without ever backsliding. With this, the new believer partakes of the Lifeblood of True Buddhism passed down through the ages since Nichiren Daishonin's time and is accepted into this faith as a believer. So let's begin by talking about "precepts."
The Three Types of Learning: Precepts, Meditation, and Wisdom
Although Buddhism is said to have some eighty-thousand teachings, they all boil down to three flindamentals know as the Three Types of Learning. These are the precepts, which are intended to stem evil and promote good; meditation, which is intended to prevent spiritual disquiet and help a person achieve a tranquil state of mind; and wisdom, which allows a person to distinguish and choose between good and evil, right and wrong, and the authentic and the false and to put him or herself on a higher plane. Precepts, in particular, are more geared towards putting into practice within one's daily life than are meditation and wisdom. To be able to avoid evil and conduct themselves in a wholesome manner, people need something to teach them the difference between good and evil and to practice that something so they can transform unhappiness into happiness, move from evil to good, and increase their benefits as they advance. This is why precepts, together with meditation and wisdom, are such a crucial element of Buddhist practice.
The meaning of "precept"
"So," you may be asking, "what are precepts all about, then?" Well, in general, it's said that the so-called Five Precepts are the basis for all precepts and morality. These are: (1) not to kill living things, (2) not to lie, (3) not to steal, (4) not to engage in illicit sexual acts, and (5) not to drink alcohol. In Shakyamuni's Buddhism, there are all
kinds of precepts based on these five. In Hinayana, there are the eight precepts, the ten precepts, and 250 precepts for monks and 500 for nuns. Provisional Mahayana has ones like the ten major precepts and 48 minor precepts. But all of these are precepts in a broad sense and were contained in Shakyamuni's earlier teachings, so they are partially informed by his use of provisional means to save people. Shakyamuni later went on to teach the true way to Buddhahood, the Lotus Sutra, at which time he revealed that the most ftindamental precept is contained in the practice of embracing the Lotus Sutra. This is why the many precepts of the provisional teachings are inappropriate for the correct practice of Buddhism in the Latter Day of the Law.
Jujisoku jikai: Embracing faith equals keeping the precepts
Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism, the Buddhism of sowing, teaches that, in the deepest meaning of Shakyamuni's Lotus Sutra, the basis of all precepts and morality lies in singlemindedly embracing the five characters of Myoho-Renge-Kyo-in other words, the DaiGohonzon of the Three Great Secret Law~and persevering in faith throughout life. That's why we sayjufi sokujikai: to embrace faith is to keep the precepts. The Lotus Sutra says: It is difficult to sustain faith in this sutra. One who embraces it even for a short time will delight me [Shakyamuni] and all other Buddhas. A person like this will be praised by all Buddhas. This is what is meant by courage, this is what is meant by advancing. It is what is called consistently observing the precepts. (Kaiketsu, p. 419)
Nichiren Daishonin also teaches about this in On the Object of Worship:
Shakyamuni's p ractices and the virtues he consequently attained are all contained within the five characters of Myoho-Renge-Kyo. If we believe in them, we shall naturally be granted the same benefits as he was. (Shimpen, p. 653; MW-I, p.64)
Precept of the Diamond Chalice In the Teaching, Practice, and Proof Gosho, Nichiren Daishonin teaches that once a person has been physically endowed with the precept by having the Gohonzon held over his or her head, that person instanfly receives all of the same limitless benefit received by the Buddhas of the Three Existences through their long practices and in fact come to possess the effect of Enlightenment, becoming capable of attaining enlightenment in his or her present form:
[T]he five characters of MyohoRenge-Kyo, the heart of the essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra, contain all the benefits amassed by the beneficial practices and meritorious deeds of all the Buddhas throughout the past, present, and fliture. Thus, how can this phrase not include the benefits obtained by observing all the Buddha's precepts? Once the practitioner embraces this perfectly endowed mystic precept, he cannot break it, even if he should try. It is therefore call the precept of the diamond chalice. (Shimpen, p.1109, MW-IV, p.129)
From this, I'm sure you can now see why the Gojukai ceremony is so important: Once you've been invested with this mystic precept, it becomes a part of you; so no matter what happens, it can not be broken by you or anyone else. Even if you give up your faith and fall into the evil paths, you'll still-through the merit of this precept-re-encounter Buddhism some day and be able to gain eternal control over your life. For this reason, this mystic precept is called the "precept of the diamond chalice" or the "diamond precept"-because, like a diamond, it cannot be broken.
"Receiving the precept" in Nichiren Shoshu
It is clear from the Gosho that Gojukai as practiced in Nichiren Shoshu today can be traced back to the Daishonin's time. In Reply to Sairen-bo, Nichiren Daishonin indicates clearly that he himself had invested the perfect precept in Sairen-bo, writing:
"Finally, during the night of April eighth at the hour of the tiger (4:00 a.m.), you were invested by undergoing the ceremony of anointment with the perfect precept of the Mystic Law" (Shimpen, p. 587).
In another letter, also addressed to Sairen-bo, the Daishonin wrote:
"Shakyamuni has already anointed Nichire n's head with the water of wisdom of the Mystic Law, and Nichiren has now invested this in you, Nichijo" (Toku Jushokunin Kudoku Homon Sho, Shimpen, p.592).
In these passages, "anointment" refers to what we call Gojukai today. There is even documentary evidence in High Priest Nichikan Shonin's writings that the believers in Kanazawa had received Gojukai. They were famous for a harsh persecution they went through around the middle of the Edo Period, which lasted from about 1600 to 1868.
Thus we can seen from the history of Nichiren Shoshu, too, just how important Gojukai - receiving the precept - has always been in Nichiren Shoshu as a ritual marking the start of a person's faith in Nichiren Daishonin's teachings and embracing of the Gohonzon of the Three Great Secret Laws.
The Gojukai Ceremony and one's attitude in receiving it
The Gojukai ceremony is conducted by a priest before the Gohonzon in a Nichiren Shoshu temple or, in places where there are no temples yet, before a Joju Gohonzon specifically enshrined for the occasion. Gojukai recipients must be ready to completely give up any previous faith and discard all ties to it-such as heretical literature and images and be committed to carrying out pure faith for the rest of their lives. They should also be conscious of their dress and demeanor at this all-important ceremony.
The Gojukai ceremony starts with the recitation of the Sutra and chanting of Daimoku, after which the priest, before the Gohonzon, begins to recite the precept pledge to the recipients.
The pledge is divided into three parts, after each of which the phrase "tamochi tatematsuru beshi" ("I [you] do") is recited by everyone present. For the priest leading the ceremony, this is an admonition to the recipients to follow through in faith; for the recipients, it is a pledge that they will follow through. Then, as the Daimoku is being chanted, the priest holds the Gohonzon over the head of each Gojukal recipient. After this is done for each recipient, the ceremony is concluded by chanting the Daimoku three times. Gohonzon bestowals are done right after the administering of the precept. Recipients receive the Gohonzon into their opened Sutra book or with a clean wrapping cloth.
The home alter and enshrining of the Gohonzon
The next step is for new believers to embark on their practice of correct Buddhist faith by enshrining the Gohonzon in their respective home alters. Although it is important that the alter be dignified, people should not overextend themselves by buying one that is beyond their means. The ideal alter is one that is appropriate to each person's means yet has been prepared with real sincerity. The reason is that this alter will be the home of the Gohonzon that will protect and bring prosperity to the whole family. Of course, the alter should be located in the best place in the house.
The same applies to the alter accessories: the bare minimum is a vase for greens, and incense burner, and a candle stick, but in any case, what's most important is that the accessories are a manifestation of the practitioner's faith.
In closing, I'd like to remind you of how fortunate we all are to have been able to encounter this Buddhism thanks to our deep bond with the Daishonin from past existences. As the adages go, the fortune of those who have been able to be born as human beings and to meet Buddhism, both very rare occurrences, is greater than that of being able to see the flowers of the udonge flower, which blooms once every three-thousand years, or that of the one-eyed turtle who is able to encounter a floating log in the middle of the vast ocean.
From my present body as a common mortal until the time I attain the body of a Buddha, I shall never venture to turn aside from this faith. (Conversation between a Sage and an Unenlightened Man; Shimpen, p. 592; MW-V, p. 119)
Let's put these golden words into practice by advancing for Kosen-Rufu. I hope we can all gather at the Head Temple, first for the Second Overseas Believers' Grand Tozan in the spring of 1998, and later for the 300,000-member Tozan to mark the 750th anniversary of Nichiren Shoshu's founding six years from now.
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Copyright Nichiren Shoshu Shinyo, January, 1997