THE MEANING OF THE WATER OFFERING, THE OFFFERING OF FLOWERS, LIGHT AND FRAGRANCE
from SHINYO MAGAZINE Issue 12 January 1997
FLOWERS, FRAGRANCE, AND LIGHT
You may be wondering what this set of three (or five) "complements" means, so let me summarize from several of Nichiren Shoshu's traditional books on formalities.
Facing the Gohonzon, the light (candle) on the right signifies the light of the Buddha's wisdom, or his "property of wisdom" (houshin); the greens on the left, the Buddha's conduct, or his "property of action" (oujin); and the incense in the middle, the life of the Buddha (i.e. his "property of the Law [hosshin]) which is the fusion of the realm of the Original Infinite Law and the inherent wisdom of the Buddha of Kuon Ganjo (kyouchi myougou). The incensse was originally made by seasoning an aromatic wood, so burning it in the middle signifies the union into the wafting smoke of the flame and the shikimi on the left and right. Overall, this expresses the Buddha, whose property of the Law inherently encompasses the wisdom of his property of wisdom, and the conduct resulting from his property of action; in other words, the flowers (shikimi), incense, and light represent the three Properties (sanjin), the Three Truths (santai), and the Three Inherent Potentials of Buddha Nature (san in busshou).
Break these down further, and the three represent the following:
1) The light on the right, non-substantiality (kuutai) and the property of wisdom (houshin) in death;
2) The incense in the middle, the Middle Way, the property of the Law (hosshin), and the fusion of the Original Infinite Law and the Inherent Wisdom of the Buddha of Kuon Ganjo (kyouchi myougou); and
3) The shikimi on the left, temporary existence (ketai) and the property of action (oujin) in life.
To summarize, the "shikimi on the left" is made into incense, ignited with the "light on the right", and burned in the incense burner at the middle as an offering that will drift evenly throughout the ten directions of the realm of the Law. When these three thus complement each other to form a single unity, they become a complete offering of the Three Properties of the Law, wisdom, and action of the Buddha. Hence the tradition in Nichiren Shoshu that "The shikimi that represents the property of action is made into incense, and this is lit with the flame of wisdom that represents the property of wisdom; together, they fill the realm of the Law. Thus it is called the offering of the Buddha's Three Properties of the Law, wisdom and action."
1) Shikimi
In Nichiren Shoshu, the "flowers" used on the altar are actually greens: the leaves of the shikimi tree. In the Hoben Chapter of the Lotus Sutra, we find the following passage:
...Or with many kinds of wood, Such as sandalwood, aloeswood, and agalloch...(Kaiketsu,p.179)
This indicates that aromatic woods like sandalwood were offered in the presence of the Buddha. In Japan,too, purifying aromatic woods have been used in Buddhist ceremonies since ancient times. There are even examples in the Tale of Genji, a tenth century novel.
The "flowers" used to adorn the space before the Gohonzon, which is eternal and supreme, should be something symbolic of permanence and purity. The shikimi tree remains the same throughoout the year, regardless of season: it's an evergreen that always displays vitality. But unlike pines, cedars, and other evergreen trees and bushes, it's also an aromatic tree whose wood has a distinctive fragrance. This fragrance is thought to ward off evil and to have the power to purify. That makes shikimi the perfect "flower" for offfering to the Gohonzon!
Colourful flowers that blossom and fade with the changing seasons are certainly beautiful to look at, but once they've bloomed, they wither after a while and fall to the ground. To the Buddhist, this is indicative of the ephemeral and impermanent; thus flowers of such transience are inappropriate for offering to the one-and-only absolute True Buddha who saves all beings of the ten thousand years of Mappo.
Instead, we offer shikimi to the Gohonzon for two significant characteristics, its colour and its fragrance. Its colour is the deep green of an evergreen, which makes it suitable as the flower to be offered to the Gohonzon as a symbol of the permanence of the Gohonzon (the Law) and its great compassionate beneficence, which is eternal and transcends the past, present, and future, just as stated in the Gosho, Sandaihihou Rinshou no Koto ("On the Acceptance of the Three Great Secret Laws" Shinpen,p.1595): "The True Three Great Secret Laws [that Nichiren now practices are those] of the Juryo Chapter [unchanged in the slightest, without even the tiniest difference, since I accepted them at Eagle Peak]." Shikimi is used also because it wards off evil and purifies the space in front of the Gohonzon with its distinctive aroma.
The flowers offered to a Buddha are also symbolic of the faith of those worshipping the Buddha, as expressed by the old saying, "the reality of the votary is manifest [in the flowers he offers]." So the deep evergreen colour of the shikimi's leaves also represents the unchanging steadfastness of the believers' faith.
Now that you understand better the significance of offering shikimi to the Gohonzon, I hope you won't let them dry up on your altar because you've neglected to give them fresh water, and that you won't resort to offering artificial shikimi to the Gohonzon, either - since these have neither colour nor aroma. For those who live in areas where shikimi is unavailable or will not grow, you will have to use some other evergreen in its stead.
2) Fragrance (incense)
Because India's climate is tropical, it is customary to release fragrance into clothes and rooms and apply it to the body as a means of driving off insects and suppressing body odour. So in Buddhism, too, ample use has traditionalloy been made of fragrances in the conduct of Buddhist services. There are references to fragrant powders, perfumes, and incense in many sutras, including the Hoshi Chapter of the Lotus Sutra. Fragrant powders were made by grinding or pulverizing sandalwood, aloeswood, or other aromatic woods and sprinkling them on prayer towers and images in offering; perfumes were appplied to the Buddha's body; and incense was burned to ward off evil and spread the merits of practise evenly throughout the world. So you can see from all this that we use the fragrance of incense as an offering to the Buddha to adorn and dignify the space in front of the Buddha, bearing in mind that the fragrance signifies purifying the space before the Gohonzon, expunging evil from our hearts, and purifying our bodies.
Nowadays, only two types of fragrance are commonly used - stick incense and powdered incense. Stick incense is used most of the time, but on special occasions such as the O-eshiki and Risshu-e (the Ceremony to mark the Establishment of Nichiren Daishonin's Teachings) and other ceremonies, we also burn powdered incense for specific purposes.
The Great Teacher T'ien T'ai wrote, "No colour, no fragrance is not the Middle Way." This indicates that all things encompass the True Aspect of the Middle Way, as well as elucidates that the fragrance of incense includes the virtues of the Buddha of the Law Body of the Middle Way. Thus burning incense, while spreading fragrance throughout the room, also signifies, through the fragrance's spreading throughout the environs, the universality of the realm of the Law of the Buddha's property of the Law. So whenever we do Gongyo or chant Daimoku, it is critical that we burn incense with sincerity and a deep awareness of what this act means.
Whe you adorn the space in front of the Gohonzon, whether with a three-piece or a five-piece set of complements, you should always place the incense burner at the center. Although this depends on the shape of the incense burner, you should use one to three sticks of incense, with the burning end on the left, and place them laying down in the incense burner. Placing the sticks on their side - rather than standing them straight up - is the tradition in Nichiren Shoshu. This is because burning incense also represents serenity, so laying the sticks on their side is congruent with this significance. This is probably the most natural position anyway, since it is also useful for keeping your altar and the Gohonzpon from being burned by embers and also prevents the scattering of ashes (which is associated with loss of concentration and mental balance).
Also, always even out the ashes in the burner and be careful not to soil the surroundings by letting them spill over.
4. Conduct before the Gohonzon
1) When cleaning the Gohonzon and presenting offerings, always put a shikimi leaf between your lips to keep yourself from breathing on the Gohonzon.
2) Since the altar is the home of the Gohonzon, always keep it clean and dignified, and don't forget to change the water for the shikimi.
3) Don't place photos inside the altar, and avoid placing things on top of the altar. Also, don't hang anything on the wall above the altar.
4) Always groom yourself and wear proper attire when you sit before the Gohonzon.
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