The daily practice consists of chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo and reciting a chapter-and-a-half of the Lotus Sutra, called Gongyo, to the True Object of Worship called the Gohonzon.
What is the Gohonzon?
Nichiren Daishonin inscribed the Dai-Gohonzon on October 12, 1279. Nichiren Shoshu's successive High Priests' transcriptions of the Dai-Gohonzon are the carved wooden or scroll Gohonzons that you see enshrined in our Temples and in the altars in members' homes. It is the object of worship in Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism. The Gohonzon is the physical embodiment of both the Original Infinite Law of Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo and the enlightened life of the True Buddha, Nichiren Daishonin. It is the foundation and source of all Buddhist teachings.
What is the meaning of Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo?
Myoho-Renge-Kyo is the ultimate Law or true entity of life permeating the universe. It also signifies the name of the True Buddha as Myoho-Renge-Kyo is the same and identical with the life of the true Buddha from the beginningless past. Another interpretation of Myoho-Renge-Kyo is the essence and the heart of all sutras, and the most supreme and correct Law.
The meaning of each of the words is infinitely profound and goes beyond a literal definition. "Nam"originally derives from ancient Sanskrit. The closest translation of "Nam" is "devotion of our mind and body." Next, "Myoho-Renge" signifies the ultimate reality of the universe to which the Original Buddha, Nichiren Daishonin is enlightened, and "Kyo" inidicates the expressed teaching of the significance of "Myoho-Renge."
What is the meaning of Gongyo?
Gongyo is the recitation of a portion of the second and the entire sixteenth chapter of the Lotus Sutra. During morning and evening Gongyo, we recite the Hoben (second) and the Juryo (sixteenth) chapters and chant the Daimoku (Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo).
The essential basis of faith and practice in Nichiren Shoshu lies in the five morning and three evening prayers recited during Gongyo each day. Since the days of Nichiren Daishonin, the practice of Gongyo has been the foundation of practice in Nichiren Shoshu.
The first thing a new believer learns when becoming a Nichiren Shoshu Buddhist is how to do Gongyo. This is because Gongyo and chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo are the most basic, important practices in faith. In Nichiren Shoshu, faith and the practice of Gongyo are inseparable. When Gongyo is done earnestly every day, it is a powerful engine for building a happy life.