And to answer your questions:
No, you do not need to wait until you have a Gohonzon to start chanting, but you will want to get one as soon as you can. The only way to do that is to go to meetings of your local Soka Gakkai district. It's easy to get connected. All you have to do is go to SGI-USA.org and look up the community center closest to you (search on the nearest big city) and give them a call. If you have any problem at all getting connected send me a comment and I will do all i can to help you! It's important to connect with the people close to you who chant...they will become like family to you...just wait! It's awesome.
~And to start chanting without a Gohonzon you can still set up an altar or your sacred space. Pick a place in your home that you feel comfortable, that doesn't have too much traffic and is not in front of a window. Decide what you are going to sit in, chairs are fine...I like a really comfy one! And hang a picture on your wall that has a focal point.
When I first started chanting I had a picture of Mono Lake with a beautiful moon over it and a beautiful blue sky. I put the picture a little higher than my line of vision and focused on the moon.
I chanted that way for about two months...and was overjoyed when I got my Gohonzon!!!! Think of your altar as your "home base". Treat it just like YOU want to be treated. Keep it clean, put food on it...some put fruit, or something you like to eat. One of our new members puts her favorite candy! I like to burn candles on my altar. Some burn incense, but it makes me sneeze! Then you're ready to chant away! Chant away!
And the question about where I got my Butsudan...I got it at my local Community Center but I have my eye on another one I'll tell you about soon!
I have been chanting so much Daimoku...about 5 hours over the last two days. Good thing too....the challenges at my new job keep coming...but finally I feel more composed and better able to take them on. And both of my sons have had a string of challenges so I am chanting so hard for them. A matter of the heart has gotten me all fired up and I feel as if I can chant all day and all night! I love it when the fire burns!
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