daimoku of the essential teaching ［本門の題目］ ( hommon-no-daimoku): The invocation of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo; more precisely, the practice of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with belief in the object of devotion of the essential teaching. Here, “essential teaching” refers to the teaching of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, not to the essential teaching defined as the latter half of the Lotus Sutra. The daimoku of the essential teaching is one of the Three Great Secret Laws set forth by Nichiren (1222–1282). There are two aspects of daimoku: the daimoku of faith and the daimoku of practice. In his Letter to Hōren, Nichiren writes, “If you try to practice the teachings of the [Lotus] sutra without faith, it would be like trying to enter a jeweled mountain without hands [to pick up its treasures] “ (511). Thus the daimoku of the essential teaching requires both faith and practice. See also Three Great Secret Laws.