The fault lies on your Gohonzon

I was so young then, back in 1974 when I received my Gohonzon as a new member of a layman's Buddhist group known today as the Soka Gakkai International (SGI). If I knew then what I know now, I would have immediately investigated exactly what was printed on this mandala...and what was omitted. These are important considerations that only recently I thought worthy of investigation.

Since the SGI (then and now) touted the Gohonzon as the most important single object in the Universe, my failure to ask about its inscriptions must rank as negligence of the highest degree. Had I done my due diligence back then, my conclusions would have been the same as they are now: The Gohonzon is flawed and is therefore unsuitable as a means for attaining Enlightenment.

To back up a bit, a Gohonzon is simply a piece of paper, measuring about 6x9 inches and bearing Chinese characters, which is glued to a slightly larger background paper which forms its border. All new members of the SGI's school of Buddhism receive their own personal Gohonzon, which looks like a scroll. When unrolled and mounted in a protective altar in my home, I was supposed to chant to this "Supreme Object of Worship." When some members objected to the word "worship," it later became known as the "Supreme Object of Devotion."

More precisely, the Gohonzon was meant to be considered as a mirror to be used in order to reflect back to you your own enlightened nature. It was not to be considered a "God” or a genie that could grant wishes.

So what's wrong with the Gohonzon?

What's wrong with the Gohonzon boils down to the narrow, nationalistic prejudices of Nichiren Daishonin, which I will detail below.

Here, I will refer only to what is known as the Nichikan-transcribed Gohonzon (the one given to all new SGI members) which is depicted on this link, which includes an interpretation of its various characters:

NOTE: I provide two links, just in case the one posted by the SGI mysteriously becomes unavailable, which it did recently. Not that I don't trust the SGI - but I'm just saying...

http://www.buddhastate.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/gohonzon_map.pdf

http://www.sgi-usa.org/memberresources/beginnersresources/diagramofgohonzon.php

The Gohonzon bears the name of a Japanese national known as Dengyo the Great (767-822), who founded a branch of T'ien-T'ai Buddhism in Japan. Also inscribed is the name of T'ien-t'ai the Great, aka Chih-i or Zhiyi, who lived in China (538-597 CE). Both of these men should be regarded as relative contemporaries of the monk known as Nichiren Daishonin (1222-1282). It was Nichiren's unique and revolutionary brand of Buddhism that formed the foundation of what the SGI practices today.

The Bodhisattva Hachiman and the Sun Goddess Tensho-daijin are also listed on the Gohonzon. These two are very near and dear to Japanese hearts, which is why I suppose Nichiren included them on the Gohonzon. But far more telling to me are the names Nichiren omitted from the Gohonzon:

Bodhisattva Medicine King, Bodhisattva Wonderful Sound, Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds, and Bodhisattva Universal Worthy.

Each of these four has an entire chapter of the Lotus Sutra dedicated to them - chapters 23, 24, 25, and 28, respectively. However, Dengyo, Chih-i, Hachiman, and Tensho-daijin aren't mentioned at all within its pages. Nichiren spent his entire life promoting the Lotus Sutra as the highest of Shakyamuni Buddha's teachings. And yet he omits from his Gohonzon these four names which figure so prominently in the Lotus Sutra.

Especially noteworthy is this exchange between Universal Worthy and Shakyamuni, as recorded in the Lotus's 28th chapter:

QUOTE:

“And after [Shakyamuni Buddha] has entered extinction, I [Bodhisattva Universal Worthy] will cause [the Lotus Sutra] to be widely propagated throughout Jambudvipa and will see that it never comes to an end.”

To which Shakyamuni Buddha replied: “And I will employ my transcendental powers to guard and protect those who can accept and uphold the name of Bodhisattva Universal Worthy.”

:UNQUOTE.

Background info

I am going to highlight in yellow the language that bothers me within the following quoted material. Then I'll explain why in a separate section.

QUOTE:

[source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhiyi ]

Zhiyi (Chinese: 智顗; pinyin: zhì yǐ; Wade–Giles: Chih-I; Japanese: Chigi) (538–597 CE) is traditionally listed as the fourth patriarch, but is generally considered the founder of the Tiantai tradition of Buddhism in China. His standard title was Śramaṇa Zhiyi (Ch. 沙門智顗), linking him to the broad tradition of Indian asceticism. Zhiyi is famous for being the first in the history of Chinese Buddhism to elaborate a complete, critical and systematic classification of the Buddhist teachings. He is also regarded as the first major figure to make a significant break from the Indian tradition, to form an indigenous Chinese system.

:UNQUOTE.

QUOTE:

[source: http://www.sgi-usa.org/memberresources/resources/gohonzon/diagramofgohonzon.php ]

#28:

Hachiman Dai Bosatsu (Great Bodhisattva Hachiman): One of the main deities in Japanese mythology, along with Tensho Daijin (Sun Goddess). There are several views concerning the question of how he came to be worshipped. According to one explanation, in the reign of the twenty-ninth emperor, Kimmei, the god Hachiman appeared as a smith in the southern part of Japan, and declared that in a past life he had been Emperor Ojin, the fifteenth emperor of Japan.

His aid was sought after his capacity as the god of smiths when the great image of Vairochana was erected at Todai-ji temple in Nara, and from that time on, Hachiman came to be more and more closely associated with Buddhism. Early in the Heian period (794-1185), the imperial court named him Great Bodhisattva, an early example of the fusion of Buddhist and Shinto elements.

In his writings, Nichiren views Hachiman as a personification of the function that promotes the agricultural fertility of a land whose inhabitants embrace the Law.

#31:

Tensho-daijin: The Sun Goddess in Japanese mythology, who was later adopted as a protective god in Buddhism. According to the oldest extant histories, the Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters) and the Nihon Shoki (Chronicles of Japan), she was the chief deity and also the progenitor of the imperial clan. In many of his writings, Nichiren views the Sun Goddess as a personification of the workings that protect the prosperity of those people who have faith in the Law.

:UNQUOTE.

About those highlights

There is no such thing as Chinese Buddhism, and I couldn’t care less about any indigenous Chinese system. The teachings of buddhas are what I care about – not the commentaries or theses of the various scholars of antiquity. Sure, their views are interesting – to a point – but these men are not buddhas.

I also don’t care about the main deities of Japanese mythology. Focusing on such characters removes one from the larger world of the buddhas' truth and into the far smaller world of the tribalist. I also don’t care about the imperial Japanese court having decided who is and who is not a “Great Bodhisattva.” They are not qualified to make such decisions for me, especially since I am not Japanese.

I also don’t care about the Japanese Sun Goddess, but I do object that such a non-universally accepted figure appears on the Gohonzon, which is supposed to be for all mankind.

Conclusions

As far as I can tell, Nichiren was very much a patriot, a lover of his race and of his nation. He thought they were the best of the best among all who inhabited this planet. This contrasts very sharply with my own view – that nationalism is the greatest threat to world peace that exists today. I am proud to have followed in the footsteps of Shakyamuni Budhha, by having renounced my own citizenship. I was a natural-born citizen of the USA; now I am a citizen of the world.

Shakyamuni gave up his princely position and his country in order to lead everybody to enlightenment. Nichiren Daishonin would have done well to have followed that example himself.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Steven Searle, just another member of the

Virtual Samgha of the Lotus and

Former Candidate for USA President (in 2008 & 2012)

Contact me at bpa_cinc@yahoo.com

"Begin Again," a Buddhist movie starring Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo

My Thesis:

"Begin Again" is a very Buddhist movie, but in a stealth kind of way. There were two songs in particular in this movie which I will analyze to prove my point. I will provide the lyrics to each, but will only number most of the lines. Then I will follow the lyrics with my analysis.

But first, give these songs a listen using these links. They're simply beautiful:

This first is a bouncy little tune called "Coming up Roses:"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sTyhogCeog

The second is quite the opposite - very poignant: "Lost Stars:"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLTRSakuugs

Disclaimer: I don't mind admitting I was very smitten with this movie, having seen it three times in one week at the local theater.

The primary characters:

• Keira Knightley as Gretta, an amateur but talented songwriter and soon-to-be-ex-girlfriend of Dave Kohl, who's a recording artist about to hit it big by recording an album based on music he'd recorded for a successful movie.

• Mark Ruffalo as Dan Mulligan, record company exec who is "instrumental" in recording an album based on the lyrics written by Gretta. His knack for orchestration adds a huge musical sophistication to Gretta's powerful lyrics.

• Adam Levine as Dave Kohl.

• James Corden as Steve, Gretta's best friend who has been living in New York as a struggling musician when Gretta looks him up upon her arrival.

"Coming up Roses"

"Coming Up Roses," sung by Keira Knightley

(1) When you were asleep

(2) And I was out walking,

(3) The voices started to speak

(4) And they wouldn't stop talking.

(5) There were signs all around,

(6) It really got my mind racing.

(7) You were right all along

(8) Something's gotta change

(9) Hold on, Hold on, they're not for me.

(10) Hold on, cause everything's coming up...roses...roses.

(11) Now we're back on the street,

(12) For a song that's worth singing.

(13) The bloody nose of defeat,

(14) While your victory bell's ringing.

(15) My whole life's turned around

(16) For this thing you keep chasing.

(17) You were right all along,

(18) But it's me who's got to change.

(19) Hold on, Hold on, they're not for me.

(20) Hold on, Cause everything's coming up...roses.

(Hold on, Hold on) Aaahhh

(Hold on, Hold on) Aaahhh

(Hold on, Hold on) (Hold on, Hold on) Aaahhh

(Hold on, Hold on) Aaahhh (Hold on, Hold on) Aaahhh

(Hold on, Hold on)

Hold on, Hold on, they're not for me.

Hold on, cause everything's coming up... Roses.

(21) (Everything's coming up roses, Everything's coming up roses,

(22) Hold on, Hold on) Roses (Hold on, Hold on, Everything's coming up,

(23) Hold on, Hold on, Everything's coming up,

(24) Hold on, Hold on) Roses (Hold on, Hold on)...

(25) Roses

My thoughts:

Before my literal analysis, I just want to say that this bouncy, upbeat little tune was a breath of fresh air. Knightley's voice is perfect for this - she can carry a tune and has some nice flourishes but (as she admits) she's really not a singer and had to undergo some training to do what she did here. Still, her clear and confident rendering in an almost-girl-next-door way made this song very poignant.

Line 1: The "you" being referred to throughout this song is Gretta's best friend, Steve, at whose humble abode she crashes after walking out on her cheating boyfriend. In the movie, it's easy to regard Steve as somewhat of a clownish character who genuinely, unselfishly cares about Gretta. But as this song will show, he's deceptively far from that. The name "Steve" by the way means "crown, wreath, victorious." And the name "Gretta" means "pearl" or "child of light" - see Footnote 1.

Line 1: "When you were asleep" - even great teachers have to sleep sometime, which is when their assistants continue with the lessons - lines 3 & 4:

(3) The voices started to speak

(4) And they wouldn't stop talking.

So what were those voices actually saying? I think: "Trust this music exec who looks like a bum. He really seems to believe in you," and "it's you who has to change - so stop blaming the boyfriend who just cheated on you."

(5) There were signs all around,

(6) It really got my mind racing.

     As for these "signs," they could have been as leading and specific as in the movie "I Origins," when frequent and unusual occurrences of the number 11 lead Dr. Ian Gray to a billboard that, in turn, leads him to his wife of a former lifetime. Or these "signs" could simply have been the whole world suddenly looking like a much cheerier and hopeful place than it had seemed not so long ago.

Lines 7 & 8, and 17 & 18, summarized in line 18: "But it's me [Gretta] who's got to change."

    That's a huge Buddhist theme: "If you want your external circumstances to change - especially the negative things that come your way - you've got to change first (that is, become more enlightened)." Put another way: "All change starts from within."

Lines 9 & 10: "They're not for me" refers to the roses which represent Gretta's turn of fortune after she starts recording her album with Dan Mulligan's help. This is a bit complicated, so bear with me. Yes, in one sense, the roses are for her but they're a mixed blessing. Roses are beautiful but they have thorns - so one could say all earthly desires which are fulfilled (success, recognition, wealth) may be considered to be beautiful things but have downsides as well (thorns) unless the recipient of good fortune has "changed" as referred to in line 18.

When Gretta says, "They're not for me," she means, "They're not what I really long for." I think she really wants another kind of flower - the Lotus Flower, which is a Buddhist symbol of enlightenment. The roses are nice - most people would be ecstatic to see "everything's coming up roses" in their lives. But Gretta longs for a better, more meaningful flower in the form of the Lotus. This is explained in lines 15 & 16:

(15) My whole life's turned around

(16) For this thing you keep chasing.

This "thing you keep chasing" is Steve's persistent search for enlightenment, which he has tried over the years to share with Gretta. He succeeds when she claims, "My whole life's turned around [by the power of] this thing you keep chasing."

There's an interesting point in the movie when Steve is preparing a couch for Gretta to sleep on, and he asks her on which end she wants the pillow placed. She's noncommittal, but I think it's important that he's that deferential to her and is trying to get her to think about such things. Most people don't think about this at all, but sleep positioning is very important.

Another interesting point is the odd positioning of Steve's own bed - it's so high up, he'd practically have to be able to fly to reach it (hmm, food for thought, since highly accomplished bodhisattvas are able to do exactly that, though he is wise enough not to give Gretta a demonstration, making up some barely plausible explanation as to how he manages to get to his bed).

[This comment I added on March 22: I was surprised at the large collection of musical instruments in Steve's apartment. Gretta noticed this and mentioned it to Steve, who said he got them at super bargain prices from studios which were upgrading and had to get rid of current inventory. But I had a thought: Even though Steve was a solo street musician, while alone in his apartment he could play with an orchestra using the instruments he had lying around. In the Lotus Sutra, it mentions instruments that play themselves not needing a musician to play them. This gives further proof that Steve is a highly-advanced Bodhisattva, though his humble nature hides this identity.]

[NOTE: Line 15 is unclear the way Gretta sings it, but the on-line sources all say it should read: "My whole life's turned around." But...those are the same sources that incorrectly render line (13), as I'm about to point out below.]

(11) Now we're back on the street,

(12) For a song that's worth singing.

     The "song that's worth singing" is this very song ("Coming up Roses") since it is so laden with meaning that can benefit so many people. They are "on the street" recording it with the band Dan has cobbled together. As for "Now we're back on the street," I think Steve, as a street musician in NYC, was also that back home in England. And he had coaxed Gretta back then, who really wasn't a performer, to join him to overcome her shyness.

(13) The bloody nose of defeat,

(14) While your victory bell's ringing.

     Gretta bears the "bloody nose of defeat" by having failed to see the immaturity of her ex-boyfriend, while Steve's "victory bell [is] ringing," by virtue of the fact that Gretta finally "gets it" - I've got to change. By the way, all of the on-line lyrics sources I checked render line (13) as "The blur that knows a defeat." But when listening to the song as it's performed in the movie (and on YouTube), what's really being sung is "The bloody nose of defeat."

[I just hate it when on-line sources don't get it right.]

Lines 20 through 24 (including the unnumbered lines) feature children singing (the parts in parentheses). In the movie, the children were innocent (wink, wink) bystanders who were nearby playing basketball so noisily that the quality of the recording of this song was threatened. So Dan walks over to negotiate with them - trying at first to bribe them with money and cigarettes. Then he asks them, "Say? Can you sing?" Next thing we see, the five or six kids are huddled around a microphone singing point/counterpoint with Gretta.

Of course, no 8- or 9-year-old child is going to be singing, with any kind of believable authority, "hold on" in the usual sense which means "hang in there." But they could well be reinforcing for Gretta her own wish to "hold on [to the hope of obtaining the Lotus Flower]."

(22) Hold on, Hold on) Roses (Hold on, Hold on, Everything's coming up,

(23) Hold on, Hold on, Everything's coming up,

    I thought it was a nice touch that the line "Everything's coming up" (sung by some of the kids) is interrupted by "Hold on, Hold on" (sung by the other kids). This is an elegant way of saying "hold on" for the Lotus Flowers, that it shouldn't automatically be assumed that "everything" that comes up will only be roses.

As a Buddhist, I saw those children as being protective entities who "happened" to be playing basketball but were really there in support of Steve's mission to help his best friend.

Line (25): "Roses" This is spoken by Gretta almost sadly, as if saying, "Roses aren't good enough."

I walked away from this bouncy little tune thinking, "Gretta's going to be alright."

"Lost Stars"




UPDATE: This link has a far better interpretation of "Lost Stars," but I won't delete this earlier material (below) since it has some merit:

http://ind4prez2012.blogspot.com/2014/09/lost-stars-revisited.html

"Lost Stars," - the version sung by Keira Knightley, though Adam Levine also sang a version in the movie - with almost-but-not-quite the same lyrics (which turns out to be important). 

(1) Please don't see just a girl caught up in dreams and fantasies.

(2) Please see me reaching out for someone I can't see.

(3) Take my hand, let's see where we wake up tomorrow.

(4) Best laid plans sometimes are just a one night stand.

(5) I'll be damned, Cupid's demanding back his arrow.

(6) So let's get drunk on our tears and

(7) God, tell us the reason, youth is wasted on the young.

(8) It's hunting season,

(9) and this lamb is on the run searching for meaning.

(10) But are we all lost stars trying to light up the dark?

(11) Who are we? Just a speck of dust within the galaxy?

(12) 'Woe is me' if we're not careful turns into reality.

(13) Don't you dare let our best memories bring you sorrow.

(14) Yesterday I saw a lion kiss a deer.

(15) Turn the page, maybe we'll find a brand new ending.

(16) Where we're dancing in our tears and

(17) God, tell us the reason, youth is wasted on the young.

(18) It's hunting season,

(19) and this lamb is on the run, searching for meaning.

(20) But are we all lost stars trying to light up the dark?

(21) I thought I saw you out there crying.

(22) I thought I heard you call my name.

(23) I thought I heard you out there crying.

(24) But just the same,

(25) God, tell us the reason, youth is wasted on the young.

(26) It's hunting season,

(27) and this lamb is on the run, searching for meaning.

(28) But are we all lost stars trying to light up the dark?

(29) Are we all lost stars trying to light up the dark?

My thoughts:

I was amazed to learn that songwriting credit for this piece was shared by four different people. That must have been some fine-toothed comb they used when crafting these lyrics.

This song is "our song" - that is, written by Gretta for her boyfriend before their breakup in the States, back when they were living in England. So this song predates "Coming up Roses."

There's a lot in this song that is just lyrically fantastic, but lines (28) and (29) gave me pause:

(28) But are we all lost stars trying to light up the dark?

(29) Are we all lost stars trying to light up the dark?

This might be the scientist within me speaking, but there is no such thing as a "lost star." All of the stars in the heavens are where they are supposed to be due to strict and inviolable laws of physics. Now, anyone who's read Stanislaw Lem's "Solaris" - which features a planet with a will of its own that can violate its orbital path supposedly "dictated" by its proximity to a twin star system - will disagree with me. So I will admit this much: If a star has a will, then it can end up "lost." Otherwise, it's where it's supposed to be due to factors it has no will nor power to control.

Also, stars don't "try...to light up the dark." They merely give off their light, which (over time) reduces their substance until they are a much-reduced shell of their former selves.

However, if Steve is able to share with Gretta the Buddhist "bible" known as "The Lotus Sutra," she will read about the Buddha being able to emit a beam of light from between his eyebrows which lights up 18,000 Buddha worlds in the eastern direction, making visible to the Great Assembly all of the activities taking place there and allowing them to hear all of the words being spoken in all of those places.

That is what an Enlightened One can do - which Gretta and any other seeker of the Way can also do, as revealed in "The Lotus Sutra." With one important difference: Giving off light depletes a star, whereas the light given off by a Buddha, which helps to enlighten others, doesn't "deplete" the Buddha at all.

Line 2: "Please see me reaching out for someone I can't see." Of course, she can "see" her boyfriend Kohl, but not entirely - not for all of what he is, which includes the weakness that made him cheat on her later.

Line (5): "I'll be damned, Cupid's demanding back his arrow."

     Judging by how their relationship ended, looks like Cupid was on to something here, seeing what Gretta couldn't see. Looks like Cupid was acting in the role of a Buddhist protective entity. Gretta's response? Line (6): "So let's get drunk on our tears..." Tears blind people, but sometimes people in love (or who are heavily infatuated) prefer such blindness. Much to their later sorrow.

Line (9): "and this lamb is on the run searching for meaning."

     Adam Levine's version is "and the lambs are on the run..." He pluralizes "lambs" and, I think, removes himself from their group. His version of this song and hers are as different as night and day. He goes into vocal acrobatics toward the end trying to wow an adoring audience, while to her this song is something highly personal. Tell you what: If my girlfriend had written this song for me, I'd have a lot of questions to ask and praises to offer.

(8) It's hunting season,

(9) and this lamb is on the run searching for meaning.

     It's a nice touch to see such a role-reversal - for lambs to be doing the hunting. And the "hunting" isn't to end in a killing but in an obtaining of meaning.

(14) Yesterday I saw a lion kiss a deer.

(15) Turn the page, maybe we'll find a brand new ending.

If you saw a lion kiss a deer - even if only in your mind - then you're quite the visionary. But as for finding a brand new ending, you can't just "turn the page" - you've got to write that ending yourself. That's what "Coming up Roses" meant in its line, "But it's me who's got to change." If you just "turn the page," you'll only find the ending that someone else wrote.

Final note:

I was glad to see that this movie ranked #73 for the year. Too bad the POS called "The Expendables 3" came in at #57, but what are you gonna do? The battle against bad taste, though, will become more winnable if more movies like "Begin Again" appear on the scene. Stats are according to Box Office Mojo, as of today (8/26/14)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Steven Searle, Just another member of the

Virtual Samgha of the Lotus and

Former Candidate for USA President (in 2008 & 2012)

Footnotes:

Footnote 1:

Ancient Persians thought that pearls were formed when oysters came to the water’s surface to look at the moon, and a drop of dew formed in their shells which was turned to pearl by the moon's beams. This romantic story has given the meaning ‘Light's Creation’ to the names [Gretta/Greta]:

http://www.babynames.co.uk/meaning_origin_name_Greta.htm

Contact me at bpa_cinc@yahoo.com