SHODAI

Shodai (chanting of daimoku or Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to the 
Gohonzon) is the essential practice in  Nichiren Shoshu faith. 
However, most people do the practice of prayer (thinking about what 
they want or  need, instead of concentrating on offering daimoku to 
the Gohonzon) instead of the original shodai. There  is confusion 
about what is the difference between shodai and prayer. When one 
chants daimoku to fulfill  one's own desire, he/she believes this to be 
shodai. However, this is nothing but the practice of prayer. 

	When you face the Honmon no Gohonzon of the Three Great 
Secret Laws', with faith in the  Gohonzon, then chant - this is called 
Honmon no Daimoku. The important thing is this precise moment  of 
ichinen. 

The Daishonin states in the Gosho, Questions and Answers on 
Embracing the Lotus Sutra.  "Moreover, as life does not go beyond the 
moment..." (Major Writings, Vol. 5, pg. 34). 

Life is the accumulation of moment to moment. Whenever you do 
shodai, for ten minutes (or whatever  time), each single moment of 
shodai is extremely important. Your ichinen2  must be the ichinen of 
faith. 

There are three credences which comprise the ichinen of faith

1. Place credence in the fact that the Gohonzon is the Buddha of 
limitless joy and the original  Buddha of the Three Properties3 . The 
Gohonzon is the True Buddha, Nichiren Daishonin. In  fact, if you look 
carefully at the Gohonzon, you will notice that down the center of the  
Gohonzon there is written not only "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo," but 
"Nam-myoho-renge-kyo -  Nichiren." This has great significance. 

2. Place credence in the fact that the Gohonzon is the realization of 
the Daishonin's  enlightenment. 

3. Place credence in the fact that the Gohonzon is the only path to 
enlightenment for us, as  common mortals.


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1. The Three Great Secret Laws: The object of worship of True 
Buddhism ("Honmon no Honzon" in Japanese) which is the  Dai-
Gohonzon the invocation or daimoku of True Buddhism ("Honmon no 
Daimoku" in Japanese) which is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo,  and the 
high sanctuary of True Buddhism which is the place where the Dai-
Gohonzon is enshrined ("Honmon no Kaidan" in Japanese).  2 Ichinen: 
Literally, "one mind The life moment, or ultimate reality, that is 
manifested at each moment of all common mortals.
 3  The Three Properties: ("Sanjin" in Japanese, "Trikaya" in Sanskrit) 
Also called the three properties or three enlightened properties.  
Three kinds of body which a Buddha may possess: 1) The Dharma 
body or body of the Law ("Hosshin" in Japanese, "Dharma-kaya" in  
Sanskrit). The fundamental truth to which the Buddha is enlightened. 
2) The bliss body ("Hoshin" in Japanese, "Sambhoga-jaya: in  
Sanskrit), sometimes called the reward body, which is obtained as 
the reward of completing bodhisattva practice and having 
understood  the Buddha wisdom. Unlike the Dharma body, which is 
immaterial, the bliss body is conceived of as an actual body, although 
one that is  transcendent and imperceptible to common mortals. 3) 
The manifested body ("Ojin" in Japanese, "Nirmana-kaya" in 
Sanskrit), or the  physical form in which the Buddha appears in this 
world in order to save the people. 
When we common mortals, living in the illusion of the six lower 
worlds', chant only to have our desires fulfilled, we are engaged in 
the practice of prayer. The ichinen of prayer and the ichinen of faith 
are totally different, like night and day. The original purpose of 
chanting daimoku to the Gohonzon is Kyochi-myogo2 with the 
Gohonzon which activates one's Buddha nature; this is what is meant 
by the Daishonin when he refers to "Kanjin no Honzon" (The object of 
worship to observe one's heart and mine). However, it must be 
emphasized that it is not wrong to pray about your problems or for 
what you want and need. Ultimately, these explanations regarding 
the differences between the practice of prayer and the practice of 
faith are guidelines to help us to have a correct spirit and 
concentrate to the fullest when we chant daimoku or recite the sutra 
to the Gohonzon.

The Daishonin states in the Letter to Gijo-bo: "The Jigage, the verse 
section of the chapter (in the Lotus Sutra) states, single-mindedly 
yearning to see the Buddha, I do not begrudge my life." This inner 
core itself is the Buddha of limitless joy and the original Buddha of 
the Three Properties. Moment by moment our behavior must solely 
be 'single-mindedly yearning to see the Buddha, I do not begrudge 
my life.'

This clarifies the direct path to grasp the Buddha nature as a 
common mortal. The correct ichinen of shodai is "single-mindedly 
yearning to see the Buddha, I do not begrudge my life." In The True 
Object of Worship, Nichiren Daishonin said: "Kanjin means to observe 
one's own heart and mind and to find the Ten Worlds within it." 
(Major Writings, Vol. 1, pg. 49)

The 26th High Priest, Nichikan Shonin, explains about this passage as 
follows: "To observe one's heart and mind means to place credence in 
the Gohonzon. To 'find the ten worlds within' means chanting Nam-
myoho-renge-kyo. When you place credence in the Gohonzon and 
chant daimoku, the ten worlds within the Gohonzon become the ten 
worlds within 'to observe one's own mind."

'Shin-gyo-gushoku' means faith and practice are mutually inclusive; 
faith is contained in practice and practice is contained in faith. That is 
called Honmon no Daimoku. This kind of daimoku brings you kyochi-
myogo with the Gohonzon."
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1.Six Lower Worlds: "Rokudo" in Japanese, part of the Ten Worlds or 
life conditions which a single entity of life manifests. The Six Lower 
Worlds comprise: 1) "Jigoku" or the state of Hell; 2) "Gaki" or the state 
of Hunger; 3) "Chikusho" or the state of Animality; 4) "Shura" or the 
state of Anger; 5) "Nin" or the state of Humanity or Tranquillity; 6) 
"Ten" or the state of Heaven or Rapture. In the six states from Hell to 
Heaven, the majority of people throughout the world spend most of 
their time moving back and forth among these six paths. In these 
states one is governed totally by his reactions to external influences 
and is therefore vulnerable to changing circumstances. Those states 
in which one transcends the uncertainty of the Six Lower Worlds and 
which comprise the remaining 4 states of the Ten Worlds are called 
"The Four Noble Worlds." They are 7) :Shomon" or the state of 
Learning; 8) "Engaku" or the state of Realization" - these two states 
refer to listening, learning, comprehending and realizing the 
teachings of the Buddha; 9) "Bosatsu" or the state of Bodhisattva, a 
state in which not only does one aspire for his/her own 
enlightenment, but one also devotes himself to compassionate acts; 
and finally, 10) "Butsu" or the state of Buddhahood or Enlightenment.
 2.Kyochi-myogo (The fusion of reality and wisdom): The fusion of 
the objective reality or truth of the Buddha nature inherent within 
one's life and the subjective wisdom to realize that truth. This fusion 
is itself the attainment of Buddhahood. Nichiren Daishonin defined 
the Law, which underlies the fusion of reality and wisdom as Nam-
myoho-renge-kyo. He embodied his own enlightenment in the 
Gohonzon - the fusion of reality and wisdom - in the form of the 
Gohonzon, the object of worship. In terms of Buddhist practice for 
people in the Latter Day of the Law, reality corresponds to the 
Gohonzon, and wisdom is one's faith in the Gohonzon. When one 
chants Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with deep faith in the object of 
worship, he fuses his life with the Gohonzon and attains Buddhahood.
When one is chanting daimoku verbally and one's ichinen is only to 
fulfill one's own desires (to the point that one cannot concentrate in 
his offering of the daimoku to the Gohonzon), then one is deeply 
embedded in the illusion of the six lower worlds. That is totally 
different from "yearning to see the Buddha.": When you chant solely 
with the ichinen of prayer to the point that you cannot even 
concentrate on your daimoku or even see the Gohonzon, then your 
ichinen of faith is diminished. Therefore, when your ichinen at that 
precise moment is to fulfill your desire, you cannot have kyochi-
myogo with the Gohonzon. Thus, in this manner the practice of 
prayer cannot become the practice of Honmon no Daimoku.

The Daishonin never actually said in any Gosho that we should 
engage solely in the practice of prayer. However, the Daishonin never 
denies prayer either. He states in the Gosho, On Prayer: "When you 
pray with the Lotus Sutra, your prayers will never fail to be 
answered. " When the Daishonin talks about prayer he always 
declares the subject of his intention. The following examples make 
this clear:

1. "My only worry is that she may die young; therefore, I'm praying 
with all my might for the Gods' to protect her." (Reply to Kvo'o, Major 
Writings, Vol. 1, pg. 120)
 2. "I am praying that no matter how troubled the times may 
become, the Lotus Sutra and the ten demon daughters2  will protect 
all of you, praying as earnestly as though to produce fire from damp 
wood or to obtain water from parched ground. " (Rebuking Slander of 
the Law and Eradicating Sins. Major Writings Vol. 6, pg. 74)
 3. "If you pray earnestly to benefit others, how could your prayer go 
unanswered?" (On Prayer, Gosho Zenshu, pg. 1352). 
4. "Under the circumstances, I feel great pity for persons such as you 
and the others, but there is little I can do to help. Nevertheless, I 
pray day and night to the Lotus Sutra. You, too, must spare no effort 
in offering up prayers with firm faith. " (The Story of Ohashi no Taro, 
Major Writings, Vol. 6, pg. 155).
 These quotes indicate the difference between shodai and prayer. In 
Nichiren Shoshu, traditionally as a general rule, you offer personal 
prayers in the fourth silent prayer during morning Gongyo each day. 
Day by day, month after month, we need to deepen our faith and our 
understanding of the practice. The most important thing is to chant 
as sincerely and as much daimoku as possible to the point that you 
feel satisfied. In this way you will enjoy your practice, receive 
infinite benefits and joy from the Gohonzon and receive protection 
from the Shoten Zenjin.3 In Reply to Lord Matsuno, Nichiren 
Daishonin states: "As a layman, you should single-mindedly chant 
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo morning and evening, day and night, and 
then witness the results at the last moment of your life" (Major 
Writings, Vol. 5, pg. 237).
 In this phrase, emphasis is placed on the importance of "single-
mindedly." When you have this kind of faith, other distractions or 
thoughts will diminish. The most important point regarding "single-
mindedly" is to strive to chant daimoku in this manner. When you 
chant in this manner, you will accomplish kyochi-myogo with the 
Gohonzon and as a result you are able to spring forth life force, 
change your karma and receive the protection from the Shoten 
Zenjin. You must have confidence in this.

For the past 700 years, Nichiren Shoshu has conducted shodai in this 
manner. Shodai is a profound Buddhist practice. Therefore, you must 
practice correctly, strictly and seriously and, above all, sincerely. The 
Gohonzon's power of the Buddha and the power of the Law are 
unlimited. The extent of this power is unfathomable.

Let's enjoy our practice and receive lots of benefit from the 
Gohonzon.

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1 Gods: Forces in the environment that protect the people who 
correctly practice the Buddhism of the Lotus Sutra (Nichiren 
Daishonin's True Buddhism). See also "Shoten Zenjin" in the footnote 
below.

 2 The ten demon daughters: Also known as "Kishimonjin" in 
Japanese and ''hariti'' in Sanskrit. A female demon, said to have been 
a daughter of a yaksha demon in Rajagriha. She had five hundred 
children (some sources say one thousand or ten thousand). According 
to the Kishimo Sutra (Kishimojin Sutra) and the Binaya Zoji (Monastic 
Rules with Respect to Various Matters), she killed the babies of other 
people to feed her children, and the terrified populace begged 
Shakyamuni for help. The Buddha then hid Kishimojin's youngest 
son, Binkara. She sought him throughout the world for seven days, 
but to no avail. In despair she finally asked the Buddha where he 
was. Shakyamuni rebuked her for her evil conduct and made her 
vow never to kill another child. then he returned her son to her. 
According to the Hankai Kiki Naiho Den, Kishimojin was revered in 
India as a goddess who could bestow the blessings of children and 
easy delivery. Kishimojin worship was later introduced into Japan. In 
the Dharani (twenty-sixth) chapter of the Lotus Sutra, she and her 
ten daughters pledged before the Buddha to safeguard the votaries 
of the Lotus Sutra. These stories hold an important message for us in 
our practice of True Buddhism. If we practice correctly and 
earnestly, then these and all other demons (negative functions or 
influences which work to destroy one's correct practice and obstruct 
one's correct judgment, thus depriving people of happiness) will and 
must, by their vow to the Buddha, transform themselves into 
Buddhist Gods or protective forces that safeguard the believers of 
True Buddhism. 

3 Shoten Zenjin: Signifies the Buddhist Gods, or protective forces, 
functions, influences and workings of all life throughout the entire 
universe which safeguard all of those who correctly and earnestly 
practice True Buddhism. The manifested life and substance of the 
Shoten Zenjin originate from the enlightened life of the True Buddha, 
and perform enlightened beneficial functions through their own 
fusion with the Mystic Law. 

©1995 Nichiren Shoshu Monthly. All rights reserved