Small object of devotion

I think it's time for me to take the "Gohonzon" plunge. I had cappuccinos with the lovely lady who introduced me to practising today, and she agrees. Almost a year on, we sat at almost the same table in the same Mummy-hangout cafe, and reflected on our spiritual changes. She was still sweaty from her workout; I was weighed down with work papers and kit for my gym session later on. But it was a joy to sit and reflect with her, as ever.

Acquiring her Gohonzon had been an entirley different matter all together. Apparently back in the day, one had to wait for an official visit from H/Q in Japan, once every 18 months. Only then could you be entrusted with your kit. Presumably you would have been security cleared and vetted on the day too. I on the other hand have it lemon-squeezy easy. I need only fill in a few forms, find the best space for it in my home, and part with a modest sum. The fun bit comes in unleashing your inner decorator,and adorning it with green plants and candles. I'll get to the finer points of Buddhist style later.

I've warmed to my friend's experienced view, that no matter what is going on in my head, I should commit to the idea of it all, or "make a cause" for it in proper Buddhist-speak. Right here, I'm not totaly up-to-speed with this bit, but I've learned to expect to not understand it all - rather like a bumbling tourist with only the vaguest of notions but a big smile.

Buying my Gohonzon will be the acid test of my commitment to practise in earnest. It's the entry level to big Buddha school. One doesn't just acquire it as an exotically right-on accessory, beautifully and Oriental though it is, to grace an empty space. No sireee. It's the object of devotion that one gets to chant to morning and night.

To look at, it is simply a lovongly enscribed parchment mounted in a wooden casing, that sits at eye-level in a suitably serene corner. The inscriptions are the key feature. The characters themselves are taken to "embody the life of the original Buddha, or the law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo".

"Some of the characters on the Gohonzon are historical persons, mythical figures or Buddhist gods. Nichiren Daishonin used them to represent the actual functions of the universe and of our own lives. All these functions are clustered around Nam-myoho-renge-kyo; therefore, the Gohonzon is the embodiment of the life of Buddhahood within us."

Those in the know say your Gohonzon is your pirate treasure map for life. Not that there's a Tropical island with palm trees and footprints to a cross marking a spot.Rather it's a slightly obsure route-map to the treasure inside ourselves and our everday lives. The buried booty is the amazing treasure chest of our potential and the astonshing beauty of our world.

Nam myoho renge kyo.