principal object of worship; main image
Buddhist term for the central statue, painting, or object venerated in a temple or altar.
このお寺の本尊は阿弥陀如来です。
The principal image of this temple is Amida Nyorai.
idol; icon; object of adoration
Figurative extension: a person or thing that is worshipped or adored like a religious icon.
彼女は若者たちの本尊のような存在だ。
She is like an idol to young people.
the man himself; the person at the heart of the matter
Jocular use, often with the honorific prefix ご (ご本尊), referring to the key person in a situation.
噂のご本尊がついに現れた。
The man himself, the one everyone was talking about, finally showed up.
This temple enshrines the Yakushi Buddha as its principal object of worship.
The worshippers joined their hands in prayer before the principal image.
The man of the hour at the party was the president himself.