The Search For Enlightenment

I suppose, with Christmas just around the corner, I should not have been so surprised when the postman arrived this afternoon, with a parcel.

You may remember that I had seen a Gohonzon offered for sale on eBay. I was unsure whether it was right for such an item to be offered, so I decided to put in a bid, to ‘rescue’ it from falling into less appreciative hands.

The Gohonzon had originally hung in a Buddhist temple in Japan, some forty years ago, and was in New York. Combined with the current cold spell, the distance had meant that it had taken a while to arrive, but it was really worth the wait, it’s beautiful.

It will take it’s rightful place in the Butsudan, The House of Buddha, the place in my home where I perform Gongyo, chant and pray.

Whether it will make my Practice more effective is yet to be proven, but it has formed the perfect focus for my chanting. Results will, as always, be the proof.

My eternal thanks, to my partner, for a most unusual, inspired and inspiring birthday present.