Gohonzon — the personal altar

In every Japanese temple there's a figure or image at the center of the main hall that everything else is arranged around. In front of it you usually see a bowl of water, flowers, incense and light. This central figure is called honzon 本尊, or with the honorific prefix gohonzon 御本尊. In Shingon it's the spiritual center of the practice in that place.

In this article I'll explain what the word means, how the honzon relates to the mandalas, and what this means for a personal altar at home.

The kanji 御本尊

Put together, honzon means something like "the fundamental venerable one," and gohonzon adds an extra layer of respect. Strictly speaking, the honzon isn't the altar itself but the Buddha, bodhisattva or other being on it, which can be a statue, a painting, a Siddham character (Bonji in Japanese) or a mandala. In Japan the word is used by all Buddhist schools. In the West it's best known from the Nichiren tradition, where the gohonzon is a calligraphic mandala scroll.

Every being can be a honzon 仏

In Shingon there isn't one single honzon. Each temple has its own. At Tō-ji in Kyoto, the main hall (kondō) is dedicated to Yakushi Nyorai 薬師如来, the Medicine Buddha. In the Great Pagoda (konpon daitō) on Kōyasan, Dainichi Nyorai 大日如来, the Great Sun Buddha, sits at the center.

In principle, any Buddha, bodhisattva or wisdom king can be a honzon. For an individual practitioner it's above all a question of relationship. Some people feel a deep connection with Kannon 観音, the bodhisattva of compassion, others with Fudō Myōō 不動明王, the Immovable Wisdom King, and others again with Marishi-ten 摩利支天, the protector of warriors and travelers. In Shingon, the honzon for a practitioner is traditionally connected with initiation, and in the ritual of kechien kanjō the flower that falls onto the mandala shows which being one is connected with.

The two mandalas 曼荼羅

To understand the honzon, it helps to look at the mandalas. In Shingon there are two great mandalas, which together show the whole of spiritual reality, the Taizōkai 胎蔵界曼荼羅 (Womb Realm) and the Kongōkai 金剛界曼荼羅 (Diamond Realm).

The Womb Realm stands for compassion and for the principle that all beings are nourished by the same source, like a child in the womb. At its center sits Dainichi Nyorai, surrounded by hundreds of Buddhas, bodhisattvas and protective beings, each one a facet of the same reality. The Diamond Realm stands for wisdom, which is as indestructible as a diamond. Here too, Dainichi Nyorai is at the center, but the arrangement is strictly geometric.

Every being in these mandalas can be a honzon. In other words, when you honor Kannon on your altar, you honor one particular aspect of the whole reality shown in the mandala. That's why a small altar can be seen as a mandala in miniature.

The five elements 五大

The classic offerings on a Buddhist altar are water, incense, flowers, food and light. In Shingon, the whole world is made up of the five elements (godai 五大), earth 地, water 水, fire 火, wind 風 and space 空, and you can see the altar in this light as well. I find this a helpful way to look at it.

The same five elements are also found in the shape of the five-tiered stone pagoda (gorintō 五輪塔) that you see in great numbers on Kōyasan, for example.

The butsudan in everyday life 仏壇

In Japan the household altar is called butsudan 仏壇, "Buddha platform." In traditional houses it often stands in its own room (butsuma 仏間). Fresh water is offered every day, the flowers are changed when they wilt, incense is lit and the family puts their hands together in front of it. These small daily acts give the day a rhythm. In many families the morning begins with lighting a stick of incense. You can read more about setting up an altar in the article on the Buddhist altar.

The personal altar in Shingon Reiki 靈氣

In Shingon Reiki a personal altar isn't required, but many people find it a natural step at some point. Usually it isn't "built" all at once but grows with the practice. It might start with a single candle, then incense is added, then an image, perhaps a Siddham character, a depiction of Dainichi Nyorai or a piece of calligraphy.

What's on the altar matters less than the attitude you bring to it. Shingon has the term kaji 加持 for this. Kūkai explains it with the image of the sun and water. Ka 加 is the power of the Buddha shining like the sun into the water of the practitioner's heart, and ji 持 is the heart that receives and holds this light. Many people describe a moment in front of the altar when it becomes very quiet, and the silence feels full rather than empty.

Which beings can have a place on your altar, which rituals are practiced in front of it and how altar and initiation are connected is best explored in person. Which being do you feel most drawn to?