Saturday 16 February 2013

How To Read the Gosho



Where should I start?

In “The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin” the letters and essays are arranged in chronological order, so you could start at the beginning and work your way through.  Or, you could jump to the ten letters that Nikko Shonin, his successor, felt contained the core teachings and wisdom of Nichiren’s writings.  (see http://nichirenbuddhist.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/ten-major-writings.html)

 
Also, if you don’t have a copy of the Gosho yourself, you can read it online here: 

 
Read It! 

At the back of each Gosho is some background information to get a flavour of when it was written and who it was written to.  Read this to set the tone of the letter.  If you need further information on the person it was written to, look them up in the dictionary of Buddhism:  http://www.sgilibrary.org/dict.html

·         Enjoy reading through the Gosho (or a section of the Gosho)

·         Check the footnotes for explanations of unfamiliar terms.

Look for the following:

·         What is the theme of this Gosho?

·         What are the key points of the Gosho?

·         What lessons instantly jump out at you?

·         Is it offering guidance, support, a warning?
 

Understand It!

“The Opening of the Eyes” was written during his exile on Sado Island under hostile weather conditions and with limited supplies, Nichiren managed to write a 158 page letter!  He must have really wanted to pass on these words to his followers.

·         Re-read the background information. 

·         What was going on in Nichiren’s life at that time? 

·         Where was he? 

·         Who is he writing to? 

·         What’s going on in their lives?
 

Imagine Nichiren writing the Gosho as you read it again.

·         What is he trying to say to the reader?

·         What would the recipient be feeling as they read through it? 

·         What does Nichiren want you to learn from this letter?

·         Look for the heart of the letter.

·         How does this letter support other letters you’ve read? 

 
But also think about each paragraph as you read it.  Paper and other resources would have been difficult to get and expensive so Nichiren would have thought very carefully about every paragraph he included. 

·         Think carefully about each paragraph? 

·         What does he want to say to you in this paragraph?

 
Many of the Gosho contain imagery and analogies to explain difficult concepts.  i.e. In the Gosho “A Ship to Cross the Sea of Suffering” Nichiren writes “Listen with the ears of Shih K’uang and observe with the eyes of Li Lou” (WND-1, p33).  The footnote explains these are two characters from Chinese legends with unbelievable hearing and sight. 

·         When you come across these images and analogies, think about why Nichiren is using this example?

 
If you are struggling to understand the text or want further information:

·         Study it with other members

·         Read President Ikeda’s lecture on that Gosho (if there is one).
 

Use It!

These letters to his disciples or government leaders were written for a reason.  Nichiren wants us to learn something.  To deepen our understanding of something.  To do something.  To raise our awareness of something.  To warn us about something. 

·         How would I feel if this letter was personally addressed to me?

·         As a result of reading it, how will I improve my faith and practise?

·         What should I be doing?  How can I improve my behaviour?

·         What should I be thinking?  How will I improve my attitude?

·         What should I be aware of?  How should I protect myself?
 

Engrave It!

·         If there are parts of a Gosho that really stand out to you as important, read them out loud and really connect with these golden words.

·         Underline, highlight or write down some of these key phrases that inspire you.

·         Memorize these quotes. 

·         Engrave them in your heart. 

·         Make them available to be instantly recalled whenever you are facing obstacles or struggling in your practise, and need a boost. 
 

Live It!

The Gosho gives us an opportunity to learn about Nichiren Buddhism directly from Nichiren Daishonin.  As we read his writings, we can connect with his wisdom, his compassion and his Buddha nature.

BUT there is a big difference between reading the Gosho, and applying it to your life. 

Don’t just enjoy the philosophy and stories, but really connect with them.  Use the guidance of Nichiren Daishonin and apply it to your own life, deepening your faith, and advancing on a path of absolute happiness in this world. 
Don’t settle for a theory of life.  Nichiren Buddhism is daily life.  LIVE IT!


13 comments:

  1. Great web page, thank you! I just received my copy of Volume I and I am so excited to start using it as part of my practice. I was a little overwhelmed when I started flipping through it and unsure how to read it. My instinct is to read it from cover to cover, but I know in practice I will want to jump to particular Gosho depending on what is happening in my little universe. Thanks again NMRK x

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  2. Presidents Ikeda and Toda always encourage us to chant before study. Daimoku study, daimoku reflection, daimoku. When we read from a higher life state we can connect more deeply with the Daishonin's words. President Ikeda has written marvellous works on the Gosho, The Lotus Sutra and many news letters fiiled with guidance and inspiration. i suggest anyone to read them. Also attend the SGI monthly gosho lectures which have been prepared for several months in advance and are joyous, encouraging and packed with experiences relating to the Gosho being studied. This is how we practice to be happy in this lifetime. We do it together. we work and study together, we share and grow together and help everyone in our families and communities to be happy too. Please the official site. www.sgi.uk.org

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  3. correction - www.sgi-uk.org

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  4. In order to walk the talk, we first need to know directly what has been said. Nichiren is the ocean the rest are tributaries

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  5. Thank you. I am new to preparing for Gosho and this surely helps.

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  6. Your first instinct was correct. Read the entire Gosho from cover to cover. A week [ten or twelve hours a day] of concentrated reading should suffice. It is enough to believe everything that Nichiren wrote with the exception of a few errors related to the limited scientific knowledge of his day.

    buku

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  7. I do daimoku n gongyo daily.. feel very optimistic n encouraged..

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  8. Can I download the major writing vol1 & 2 as a app?

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  9. Can I download the major writing vol1 & 2 as a app?

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  10. As far as I know there are no apps, just the website www.nichirenlibrary.org which has both volumes of the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, the Lotus Sutra, the Orally Recorded Teachings of Nichiren Daishonin (his commentary on the Lotus Sutra) and a dictionary of Buddhism.

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  11. Excellent, I couldn't agree with this article more. Studying Gosho directly and chanting before and afterwards are key to gaining a good understanding and grasp of the writings. Think it through for yourself, chant about points that rub you up the wrong way or that you don't understand and then trust your life, following your life's process to the point of clarity. You may want to put some Gosho's into the first person voice to help bring them alive. Replacing 'you' with 'I' can be a powerful way of getting inside the text and seeing how you might apply it to your life. For example 'If you wish to overcome the sufferings you have endured throughout eternity you must. ..' would become 'If I wish to overcome the sufferings I have overcome throughout eternity I must...' The process of re-writing into the first person also helps one engage more carefully with the text. It can be easy to skip over a word or not think about it when reading alone, copying and thinking about how to make the text make sense in a different voice automatically makes one pay more attention to what is being said.

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  12. hello friends, i am new to this practice but feel i am getting more and more courage and feel gratitude for the Sensei who has brought out the wealth of changing your Karma and create your own human revolution. I have started to interact with leaders in faith and find my faith is growing. feel I am changing my thinking and feel more gratitude for everyone and wish the whle humanity well.

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  13. my name is VIJAY AGGARWAL and I have just published my initial feelings about following Nichiren Buddhism

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