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Buddhism for Today

See The Cause of My Life

BuddhismForToday coverI am currently publishing here daily quotes taken from A Buddhist Kaleidoscope: Essays On The Lotus Sutra, an anthology edited by Gene Reeves. My 32 Days of the Lotus Sutra practice is currently using The Threefold Lotus Sutra: A Modern Translation for Contemporary Readers for my afternoon English recitation. And now I’m reading Buddhism for Today: A Modern Interpretation of the Threefold Lotus Sutra.

All three are published by Kosei Publishing, the printing arm of Rissho Kosei-Kai. And Buddhism for Today was written by the founder of Rissho Kosei-Kai, Nikkyō Niwano, 1906–1999.

I was incredibly impressed by the content of A Buddhist Kaleidoscope and I’m enjoying reading aloud this new translation of the The Threefold Lotus Sutra, but it was when I started Nikkyō Niwano’s commentary on the Lotus Sutra that I felt a need to step back and distance myself from Rissho Kosei-Kai doctrine.

My hunger for commentary on the Lotus Sutra is insatiable. Nikkyō Niwano’s stated reason for writing his commentary mirrors my own reason for maintaining this website:

I regret greatly that the Lotus Sutra, which includes the supreme teachings of the Buddha, appears to be so difficult and that it is studied by only a limited number of people and by specialists in religion. The Lotus Sutra is neither truly appreciated nor understood by people in general, and therefore it does not penetrate people’s daily lives. This is the first reason for my decision to write this book. My earnest desire is to explain the Lotus Sutra so that its spirit can be understood by modern people and gain their sympathy, although I have remained faithful to the original intent of the sutra to the last.

We cannot truly understand the Lotus Sutra by reading only part of it. It is both a profound teaching and a wonderful work of art, unfolding like a drama. Therefore, we cannot grasp its true meaning unless we read it through from beginning to end. However, it is not easy to read the sutra, with its difficult and unfamiliar terminology, from cover to cover, and to grasp its meaning. We need a commentary that will help us understand the sutra in the context of our lives today. This is the second reason for my decision to write this book.

At the same time, we must always honor the original intent of the Lotus Sutra, as it is a noble work of art. Even in translation we find in the sutra an indescribable power that permeates our hearts. I think that readers will be able to understand the Lotus Sutra all the more if they consult it while reading this book. I believe, too, that they will be able to sense something of the spirit of the Lotus Sutra from this book.

If readers who understand the spirit of the sutra recite key portions morning and evening, its spirit will become more and more strongly rooted in the depths of their minds, and will surely be manifested in the conduct of their daily lives so that a new life will open before them. In this hope and belief, I have written this book.

Buddhism for Today, pxvi

And yet I am put off by Nikkyō Niwano’s view of modern Nichiren Buddhism:

From the standpoint of the history of the human race, two thousand five hundred years [since the death of Śākyamuni] is only a short time. In Japan, Buddhism, which was introduced from China, had a strong power for a time whenever a learned or distinguished priest appeared. But after a short time this power declined quickly. The thirteenth-century priest Nichiren, the founder of the Nichiren sect, for example, is believed to have infused new life into Japanese Buddhism. However, following his death, the teachings diverged from his true intention and degenerated into formalism.

Buddhism for Today, pxiv

And again:

The Lotus Sutra is thought to have been recorded about seven hundred years after the death of Śākyamuni Buddha. I see a deep meaning in the fact that the changes in Buddhism during its first seven hundred years established a pattern of change that has been followed throughout its long history. In the twentieth century, when Buddhism has adhered too much to form and has lost the power to save people, a religious movement has again arisen among lay devotees to restore Buddhism to Śākyamuni’s true teachings and by the efforts of these lay believers is now spreading throughout Japan.

This new movement to reevaluate the Buddha’s teachings has been spreading throughout the world, not only in Japan. In Western countries, there are many people who are unsatisfied with monotheism, atheism, or materialism d finally seek the solution to their problems in Buddhism.

Buddhism for Today, pxv

I have heard before the argument that Nichiren temples in Japan focus too much on memorial and funeral services, which pay the bills, and not enough, if at all, on propagation. I actually don’t know. And since my only experience in formal Nichiren services is based on five years of American temple practice that followed more than a quarter-century of organized lay services, what I have to say really doesn’t amount to much.

In the future I may write more about this, but for now I feel strongly that eliminating the priesthood and replacing it with a lay-leadership is a bad proposition. Yes, more can be done toward propagation and inspiring existing members to broaden their understanding of the Lotus Sutra, but the priests I’ve met in America – with strengths and weaknesses like us all – are invaluable.

Nikkyō Niwano’s introduction to Buddhism for Today also raises some doctrinal questions for me:

[D]uring the seven hundred years following Nichiren’s death, the true spirit of the Lotus Sutra was again forgotten. Some people in Japan even believe that they can be saved merely by beating hand drums and repeating over and over again the formula including the title of the Lotus Sutra, Namu Myōhō Renge-kyō – I take refuge in the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Law – or that their prayers will be answered if they only worship the verbal [?] mandala written by Nichiren, which centers on this formula.

The contents and spirit of the Lotus Sutra are very holy. The practice of its teaching is also holy. We lead ordinary everyday lives, but by understanding the teaching of the sutra, believing it, and practicing it, we try to approach a state of mind free from illusion and suffering. We realize that people should live in harmony and render service to each other. If one has such a feeling for even a few hours a day, his health and circumstances will naturally change for the better – this is his true salvation. That all the people in the world have such feelings and live happily – this is the ultimate idea and vow expressed in the Lotus Sutra.

Indeed, the Lotus Sutra is the teaching of human respect, self-perfection, and peace. In short, it is the teaching of humanism. Today, just seven hundred years after the death of Nichiren, we must restore the spirit of the Lotus Sutra and establish a better life for the sake of ourselves, our families, our societies, and the entire world.

Buddhism for Today, pxxii

Nikkyō Niwano doesn’t discuss this topic further so I’m unsure what he imagines replaces Namu Myōhō Renge-kyō. I can’t imagine moving the Daimoku out of the center of my practice of Buddhism. The Daimoku enhances my study and practice of the Lotus Sutra.

And then there’s this:

Some people argue over the relative merits of various sutras and even harbor the illusion that the comparative merits of the sutras stem from differences in Sakyamuni’s teachings. This is a serious mistake. No sutra was compiled by Sakyamuni himself. The fact is that he preached his numerous sermons to countless people during the fifty years between his first sermon to the five monks at the Deer Park in (Benares) and his death at eighty years of age. From among these many sermons each group of disciples and their followers placed in their own sutras the sermons that they had heard directly or had been taught by others. Through whatever sutra we may study the teachings of Sakyamuni, Sakyamuni himself is the same honored one who casts the same light of wisdom on us. Therefore, although the Lotus Sutra is certainly the most excellent teaching among the many sutras, it reflects a basic misunderstanding to despise other sutras by excessively extolling the Lotus Sutra.

Buddhism for Today, pxviii

How can one not excessively extol the Lotus Sutra after reading and reciting it?

As Nichiren writes:

There are ten similes preached in the “Medicine King Bodhisattva” chapter, the first of which is the simile of a great ocean. Let me speak of this simile. In the continent of Jambudvīpa, where we human beings live, there are 2,500 rivers. In the continent of Aparagodānīya there exists 5,000 rivers. Altogether 25,900 rivers flow in the four continents lying in the four directions from Mt. Sumeru. Some of these rivers are as long as 100 or 250 miles. Others are as short as 25 miles, 100 yards, or six feet. None of these rivers, however, can compare to an ocean in depth.

Likewise, the Lotus Sūtra is supreme among all the sūtras—all the sūtras expounded before the Lotus Sūtra such as the Flower Garland Sūtra, the Āgama sūtras, the Hōdō sūtras, the Wisdom Sūtra, the Revealing the Profound and Secret Sūtra, the Amitābha Sūtra, the Nirvana Sūtra, the Great Sun Buddha Sūtra, the Diamond Peak Sūtra, the Sūtra on the Act of Perfection, and the Sūtra of Mystic Glorification—all the sūtras preached by Śākyamuni Buddha, the Great Sun Buddha, the Buddha of Infinite Life, Medicine Master Buddha as well as all the sūtras preached by all the Buddhas in the past, present and future.

Yakuō-bon Tokui-shō, The Essence of the “Medicine King Bodhisattva” Chapter, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 28

See Nikkyō Niwano and the Lotus Sutra

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Practicing with Ryusho in the Hospital

Ryusho Jeffus from hospital
Rev. Ryusho Jeffus hosted a Lostus Sutra Service from his hospital room in Arizona.
Ryusho's bedside altar
Ryusho’s hospital beside altar setup for the online Myosho-ji Temple service.

Had a rare opportunity to attend online Lotus Sutra service broadcast from a hospital room. In particular, the hospital room of Rev. Ryusho Jeffus, who has been hospitalized in Arizona since Nov. 6, when he suffered a collapsed lung during a flight from Syracuse to California.

I’ve been attending the online Myosho-ji Temple services since 2015, when Ryusho was located in Charlotte, North Carolina. Ryusho moved to Syracuse in 2017, and last month, he formally retired.

When I was new to Nichiren Shu I read several of his books and was inspired by Ryusho’s focus on putting the Lotus Sutra into practice in one’s daily life, making the Lotus Sutra relevant in a universal, modern context. Personally, I imagine the Lotus Sutra creating a foundation, walls and roof of a beautiful house. You enter this house in faith and within this structure make this house a home with your practice. Contrary to those who criticize the Lotus Sutra for having no central teaching, it is the very emptiness left by the Lotus Sutra that provides the space for personal practice.

Ryusho plans to hold additional services. He maintains a service calendar on the temple website, Myoshoji.org.

Service guests
Attending the service were friends from Portugal, France, the Czech Republic and both coasts of the United States.
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Traveling Practice

Halfway through an eight-day trip to Rochester, New York, I finally have an opportunity to put some stuff here.

The purpose of the trip is to finish clearing out my wife’s childhood home in Churchville, NY, and load up a small container — 6x7x8 feet — that will be shipped home to Sacramento.

Service in Lewiston
Shami Kanjo Grohman and his wife, Kirstin, in the front of the crowd who gathered Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019, for the service and potluck at Ro-O Zan Enkyoji Nichiren Buddhist Temple

Being in western New York has provided an opportunity to attend services at Ro-O Zan Enkyoji Nichiren Buddhist Temple in Lewiston, New York. My wife and I attended the Sunday, Nov. 3, service with Shami Kanjo Grohman and his wife, Kristin. The dozen practitioners who attended filled the small sanctuary situated inside the Crazy Train Apothecary to overflowing. Each person received a paper omamori amulet from Kanjo. Afterward, a wonderful vegan potluck was served.

Lunch in Lewiston
Me and Mary and Ryusho Jeffus in Syracuse, NY, on Monday, Nov. 4, 2019

The next day, my wife and I traveled east to Syracuse for lunch with Ryusho Jeffus. Ryusho has been an inspiration for my practice since I moved from Soka Gakkai to Nichiren Shu in 2015. See this blog post marking my first 500 days of practice.

Microtel Micro Altar
My Microtel micro altar
Portrait of my practice
Portrait of my practice

Each time I stay in a motel I create my traveling altar. In addition to my Gohonzon mandala pendant and Kishimojin amulet that I received from Ryusho Jeffus in 2016, I’ve added Kanjo’s omamori. I created my traveling altar in January of last year. See this post. And documented the motel iterations here here and here as I drove cross country bringing my wife’s father’s car to California in October 2018. My traveling altars are a stark contrast to my ornate — dare I say suggest cluttered? — home altar. See this altar description.

My Altar
My altar at home.
d18b, 2buddhas, Blog

A Variable Transmission for the One Vehicle

Chapter 13, Encouragement for Keeping This Sūtra, opens with Medicine-King Bodhisattva-mahāsattva and Great-Eloquence Bodhisattva-mahāsattva, together with their twenty-thousand attendants who were also Bodhisattvas, vowing to the Buddha that they will keep, read, recite and expound this sūtra in the difficult Sahā world after the Buddha’s extinction.

The Buddha does not reply.

Then after the arhats and śrāvakas and the Buddha’s step-mother and former wife all offer to teach the dharma in other lands outside the Sahā world, the Buddha silently looks “at the eighty billion nayuta Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas. These Bodhisattvas had already reached the stage of avaivartika, turned the irrevocable wheel of the Dharma, and obtained dhārāṇis.” These Bodhisattvas are waiting for the Buddha to command them to keep and expound the Lotus Sūtra.

The Buddha remains silent.

This has always puzzled me. These Bodhisattvas, unlike those in Chapter 15, are not identified as having come from other worlds. Are the “eighty billion nayuta Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas” of Chapter 13 a subset of the “Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, more than eight times the number of the sands of the River Ganges, who had come from the other worlds” in Chapter 15?

I’ve found an answer to my puzzlement in Two Buddhas Seated Side by Side, although it is hidden behind misleading shorthand in the book.

In the post Bodhisattvas from Other Worlds, I discuss the book’s suggestion that all of the Bodhisattvas who volunteer at the start of Chapter 13 “have arrived from other worlds.”

I posted on the Nichiren Shu group on Facebook the question, “With the exception of Maitreya, are all of the great bodhisattvas listed in Chapter 1, Introductory, from other worlds?”

In response, Michael McCormick said: “As far as I can tell, yes, the bodhisattva’s whose names I am familiar with in that opening passage are bodhisattvas who are of a more cosmic nature and two of them, Avalokitesvara and Mahasthamaprapta are particularly associated as attendants of Amitabha Buddha. I think the idea is that the only bodhisattva officially associated with this particular world is Maitreya Bodhisattva. The Lotus Sutra, being a relatively early Mahayana sutra, is taking the assumed cosmology and personnel of the teachings found in the Agamas and Pali canon and spinning it.”

But I believe the answer is more nuanced, and that nuance is provided by Jacqueline Stone’s explanation of how Nichiren saw the transmission of the Lotus Sūtra.

Chapters Twenty-Three, Twenty-Four, and Twenty-Five describe how specific bodhisattvas display their powers in the world to benefit sentient beings. … From Nichiren’s standpoint, the bodhisattvas appearing in these chapters had received only the general transmission described in the “Entrustment” chapter. Either they had come from other worlds, or they were followers of Śākyamuni in his provisional guise as the Buddha of the trace teaching or shakumon portion of the sūtra. Thus, their work was chiefly confined to the True and Semblance Dharma ages.

Two Buddhas, p236

It is Nichiren’s explanation that “[the Bodhisattvas] had come from other worlds, or they were followers of Śākyamuni in his provisional guise as the Buddha of the trace teaching” that explains why the Buddha does not answer the Bodhisattvas who volunteer to spread the Lotus Sūtra in Chapter 13.

Stone quotes Nichiren’s letter “Kashaku hōbō metsuazai shō” to explain:

As for the five characters Myōhō-renge-kyō: Śākyamuni Buddha not only kept them secret during his first forty-some years of teaching, but also refrained from speaking of them even in the trace teaching, the first fourteen chapters of the Lotus Sūtra. Not until the “Lifespan” chapter did he reveal the two characters renge, which [represent the five characters and] indicate the original effect and original cause [of the Buddha’s enlightenment]. The Buddha did not entrust these five characters to Mañjuśrī, Samantabhadra, Maitreya, Bhaiṣajyarāja, or any other such bodhisattvas. Instead he summoned forth from the great earth of Tranquil Light the bodhisattvas Viśiṣṭacāritra, Anantacāritra, Vlśuddhacāritra, and Supratiṣṭhitacāritra along with their followers and transmitted the five characters to them.

Two Buddhas, p219-220

To shorthand this by saying — as the book does repeatedly — these Bodhisattvas are all from other worlds, distracts the reader from the distinction between the trace teaching and the origin teaching and the significance of the transmission of Namu Myōhō-renge-kyō to the Bodhisattvas who have been the Buddha’s students since the beginningless past.

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2019 Oeshiki Service

Oeshiki Service decorations

Attended traditional Oeshiki Service today at the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church. The service, which is normally held closer to Oct. 13, Nichiren’s death, was delayed because the Fall Food Bazaar and Rummage Sale was held on Oct. 12.

Following the service everyone adjourned to the social hall for a meal prepared by the fujinkai.

2buddhas, Blog

Tricycle Talks to Two Authors

Two Buddhas Seated Side by Side authors Donald Lopez, Jr. and Jacqueline Stone sit down with Tricycle Editor and Publisher James Shaheen.

2buddhas, Blog

Two Stars for Two Buddhas Seated Side by Side

It didn’t take long for me to realize Two Buddhas Seated Side by Side wasn’t what I had expected. I wrote a Two Star review on Amazon:

Jacqueline I. Stone gets 5 stars for her contribution to this book. Donald S. Lopez Jr. gets a negative three. Stone is famous for her scholarly work on the Lotus Sutra and the 13th century monk Nichiren. Lopez has no appreciation for this sutra and consistently demonstrates his disdain for all Mahayana Buddhism. Stone’s contribution to this book, which seeks to marry her insight into how the Lotus Sutra was interpreted in medieval Japan with a chapter by chapter analysis of the sutra, just can’t survive Lopez’s poison.

Over the last several days I’ve been inputting the quotes from Stone’s portion of the book that I will use as part of my 32 Days of the Lotus Sutra practice. I should have enough material to fill three, maybe four, rotations, although as I progress fewer and fewer of the quotes will address that day’s reading.

Having finished the book, I’ve amended my Amazon review. It’s still two stars:

At the conclusion of the book, the authors say:

Our first aim in this volume was to introduce readers to the rich content of the Lotus Sūtra, one of the most influential and yet enigmatic of Buddhist texts, and to provide a basic chapter-by-chapter guide to its often-bewildering narrative. Our secondary aims were related to hermeneutics. Through the example of the Lotus Sūtra, and its reading by Nichiren, one of its most influential devotees, we have sought to illuminate the dynamics by which Buddhists, at significant historical moments, have reinterpreted their tradition. Thus, this study has taken a very different perspective from that of commentaries intended primarily to elucidate the Lotus Sūtra as an expression of the Buddhist truth or as a guide to Buddhist practice. Our intent is not to deny the sūtra’s claim to be the Buddha’s constantly abiding dharma; rather, we have been guided by the conviction that the full genius of the Lotus as a literary and philosophical text comes to light only when the sūtra is examined in terms of what can be known or even surmised about the circumstances of its compilation. Adopting that perspective suggests how the compilers may have grappled with questions new to their received tradition and how they refigured that tradition in attempting to answer them. (Page 263)

This first aim is reasonably accomplished but it is the secondary aim that is well wide of the target. Lopez is responsible for this and his claim that “Our intent is not to deny the sūtra’s claim to be the Buddha’s constantly abiding dharma” is undermined by denigration of all Mahayana teachings throughout the book, the most glaring example being his description of the Lotus Sutra on Page 56:

The Lotus Sūtra, like all Mahāyāna sūtras, is an apocryphal text, composed long after the Buddha’s death and yet retrospectively attributed to him.

Yes, I would have been happier if Lopez and Stone had chosen instead to write a book “intended primarily to elucidate the Lotus Sūtra as an expression of the Buddhist truth or as a guide to Buddhist practice.” But describing all Mahayana Buddhism as somehow outside Mainstream Buddhism does not illuminate how Buddhists over the years have dynamically reinterpreted their tradition.

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Pointers for Beginners

where-to-begin

I’ve created a page with links to resources appropriate to those who are new to Nichiren Shu Buddhism. I will be adding material to this page over time. The Top Menu and Sidebar Menu both contain links to the page, WHERE TO BEGIN.

WONS, 2buddhas, Blog

Bodhisattvas from Other Worlds

The book Two Buddhas Seated Side By Side presents a chapter by chapter look at the Lotus Sutra, with Donald S. Lopez Jr. offering a description and anti-Mahayana commentary on each chapter and Jacqueline I. Stone following with an explanation of how Nichiren used the chapter in Medieval Japan.

I’ve found Stone’s contribution excellent and Lopez’s effort so disappointing that I hesitate to suggest anyone purchase the book. See this blog post.

That’s not to say that Lopez has contributed nothing worthwhile. It’s just that I have bags of salt handy when taking in his contribution.

The latest example is his opening paragraph for Chapter 15, Bodhisattvas Emerging from the Earth:

The dramatic tension that has been building since the “Jeweled Stūpa” chapter continues to build here. At the end of that chapter, the Buddha calls for those who are willing to step forward and, in the presence of the assembled buddhas, vow to spread the Lotus Sūtra after his parinirvāṇa. In the “Perseverance” chapter [Encouragement for Keeping this Sutra], billions of great bodhisattvas who have arrived from other worlds vow to spread the Lotus Sūtra throughout the ten directions. The theme of volunteers vowing to preserve the Lotus Sūtra after the Buddha is gone continues in this chapter, which opens with the bodhisattvas who have arrived from other lands to witness the opening of the stūpa now offering to preserve, recite, copy, and pay homage to the Lotus Sūtra in this Sahā world after the Buddha has passed into final nirvāṇa. However, the Buddha replies that there are sufficient bodhisattvas in his own world, the Sahā world, a statement that would be imbued with great meaning by Nichiren. The Buddha’s polite refusal of the offer of assistance from the foreign bodhisattvas, that is, the bodhisattvas who have arrived from other worlds, sets the scene for yet another dramatic event.

Two Buddhas, p161

What jumped out at me here was the characterization of Medicine-King Bodhisattva-mahāsattva and Great-Eloquence Bodhisattva-mahāsattva, together with their twenty-thousand attendants who were also Bodhisattvas, as bodhisattvas “who have arrived from other worlds.” These are the great Bodhisattvas who are listed in Chapter 1, Introductory, as being present at the start. And in Chapter 23, The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva, Star-King-Flower Bodhisattva asks the Buddha: “World-Honored One! Why does Medicine-King Bodhisattva walk about this Sahā-World?” Where in the Lotus Sutra does it suggest all of the Bodhisattvas have all arrived from other worlds?

And yet, judging from Stone’s description of Nichiren’s writings, the other-worldly nature of these Bodhisattvas was well known.

Based on his understanding of the Buddha’s teaching process, Nichiren argued that [the bodhisattvas from beneath the earth] could only appear in the Final Dharma age. During the two thousand years following the Buddha’s passing, that is, the True Dharma and Semblance Dharma ages, persons who had received the seed of buddhahood from Sakyamuni Buddha were led to the stages of maturation and harvesting through provisional teachings. Had the bodhisattvas from beneath the earth appeared and spread the daimoku during that time, many of those people would have reviled it, thereby destroying the merit gained through the maturing of the seeds that they had already received. During those two thousand years, Nichiren said, some of the bodhisattvas from other worlds remained to teach the Lotus Sūtra in this world. Specifically, Zhiyi and his teacher Huisi, long revered as manifestations of the bodhisattvas Bhaiṣajyarāja [Medicine-King] and Avalokiteśvara [World-Voice-Perceiver], respectively, had taught the three thousand realms in a single thought-moment from the abstract perspective of the trace teaching.

Two Buddhas, p175-176

Understanding that Medicine-King Bodhisattva and Great-Eloquence Bodhisattva and World-Voice-Perceiver are from other worlds does offer an explanation why the Buddha keeps silence when “[E]ighty billion nayuta Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas … rose from their seats, came to the Buddha, joined their hands together [towards him] with all their hearts, and thought, ‘If the World-Honored One commands us to keep and expound this sūtra, we will expound the Dharma just as the Buddha teaches.’ ”

See A Variable Transmission for the One Vehicle

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How to Receive a Gohonzon

enshrining-gohonzon-brochure
Nichiren Shu brochure with frequently asked questions about Gohonzons.
Gohonzon_Senchu_Murano
Nichiren Shū Overseas Propagation Promotion Association explanation of the Gohonzon, including details of who is represented on the Mandala.

On Oct. 8, 2019, I received a contact email from Richard, who lives in Sydney, Australia. Richard asked how he might receive a Gohonzon. He said he has been practicing on his own, chanting and reciting the Lotus Sutra. I replied to his contact email, but the email address he provided doesn’t work. So, I’ll post the email here in hopes of reaching Richard in Sydney.

Nichiren writes in “Treastise on Chanting the Daimoku of the Lotus Sūtra”:

QUESTION: What should a believer of the Lotus Sūtra regard as the Honzon (the Most Venerable One)? How should one perform the Buddhist rites and practice daily training?

ANSWER: First of all, the Honzon could be eight fascicles, one fascicle, one chapter or the title alone of the Lotus Sūtra. This is preached in the “Teacher of the Dharma” and “Divine Powers of the Buddhas” chapters. Those who can afford to may have the portraits or wooden statues of Śākyamuni Buddha and the Buddha of Many Treasures made and placed on both sides of the Lotus Sutra. Those who can further afford to may make the portraits or wooden statues of various Buddhas all over the universe or Universal Sage Bodhisattva. As for the manner of performing the rites, standing or sitting practices must be observed in front of the Honzon. Outside the hall of practice, however, one is free to choose any of the four modes of acts: walking, standing, sitting and lying down. Next, regarding the daily practices, the daimoku of the Lotus Sūtra should be chanted, “Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō.” If possible, a verse or phrase of the Lotus Sūtra should respectfully be read. As an auxiliary practice one may say a prayer to Śākyamuni Buddha, the Buddha of Many Treasures, the numerous Buddhas throughout the universe, various bodhisattvas, Two Vehicles, Heavenly Kings, dragon gods, the eight kinds of gods and demi-gods who protect Buddhism as one wishes. Since we have many ignorant people today, the “3,000 existences contained in one thought” doctrine may be difficult to contemplate from the beginning. Nevertheless, those who wish to study it are encouraged to do so from the start.

Shō Hokke Daimoku-shō, Treastise on Chanting the Daimoku of the Lotus Sūtra, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 19

Nichiren also writes in “Reply to Lord Nanjō”:

Those who offer a stem of flower or a pinch of incense to the Lotus Sūtra, as precious as this, are as meritorious as those who offered donations to “ten thousand billion” Buddhas in the past.

Nanjō-dono Gohenji, Reply to Lord Nanjō, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 7, Followers II, Page 15-16

If you are going to get a Gohonzon mandala that has been eye-opened by a priest, then you need to establish a relationship with a priest. Being as there are no Nichiren Shu priests in Australia (as far as I know), that leaves you with a number of long-distance relationships.

These priests have an online presence:

I posted this on Facebook’s Nichiren Shu page and received this comment from Guy Chouinard Jr:

Don’t worry about Gohonzon. You actually don’t need it (read ch. 21). Try going outside to chant. Chant to nature and universe. Chant with nature and universe. Chant in nature and universe. Chant odaimoku as the sun rises, just like St. Nichiren did the first time he ever chanted Odaimoku. Don’t limit yourself to “stuff.” This way you can open your mind to the reality of all things.

My opinion: Your personal practice imbues your personal altar with the benefits of your practice. At the very least, light a candle and offer flowers and incense to your copy of the Lotus Sutra. As you chant, it will be as “meritorious as those who offered donations to ‘ten thousand billion’ Buddhas.”