The power of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo
Will all my prayers definitely be answered if I chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo?
Nichiren Daishonin assures us that ‘the only essential point is that, if you believe in this sutra, all your desires will be fulfilled in both the present and the future’.1
It is our belief, or faith, which is crucial. SGI President Daisaku Ikeda shared the following encouragement in a recent essay:
The key to prayer in Nichiren Buddhism is the determination to realise your heart’s desire. Those who set goals, then chant and take action to achieve them, can move their lives forward in the best possible direction. The most admirable and also most difficult victory is winning over oneself. With a cheerful invincible spirit, please keep challenging yourself at your own pace!2
Our challenge is maintaining strong prayer with perseverance and conviction. In my experience, our prayers are always answered at the right time and in the most valuable way for our lasting happiness.
I vividly recall attending a youth division training course where President Ikeda encouraged us to view our life in terms of ten-year periods and then we will look back to see how much our life has changed.
There may be times when we feel stuck and can’t see a way forward to change an aspect of our life which causes us to suffer. Sometimes the hardest part is to focus on inner change, especially when we see our challenges as external or circumstantial.
Nichiren Daishonin encourages us to chant ‘single-mindedly yearning to see the Buddha’ in our life. As long as we maintain strong prayer and take action for kosen‑rufu, based on faith, practice and study, we will always find a way forward.
President Ikeda reminds us in his guidances that when our heart changes, everything changes. This is also my experience of practising Nichiren Buddhism over the last forty years.
Is it necessary to understand what I’m chanting for, to receive benefit from it?
At the start, we are often encouraged to just chant and not be concerned about the meaning. As Nichiren Daishonin states: ‘Those who chant Myoho-renge-kyo even without understanding its meaning realise not only the heart of the Lotus Sutra, but also the “main cord”, or essential principle of the Buddha’s lifetime teachings.’3
As countless members can also share, when I started to practise Buddhism, I experienced many benefits without understanding anything about the meaning. Taking action was the starting point of my faith.
As our practice progresses it is natural that we seek further understanding through Buddhist study. We also develop a desire to share this practice with others and answer questions of those we introduce.
I find it difficult to do gongyo. Can I just chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo?
When we begin to practise Nichiren Buddhism it is fine to just chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. As our practice progresses, the recitation of extracts from the Lotus Sutra (known as gongyo) helps us establish a consistent rhythm in daily life. In the morning we start our day with prayer and determination and in the evening, we reflect and express gratitude.
The meaning of gongyo is ‘assiduous practice’, which requires effort, so it is not uncommon for gongyo to seem difficult sometimes. Time is probably our most precious commodity, so how we use our time each day for our Buddhist practice is very important. In one letter, Nichiren Daishonin encourages a disciple: ‘If one hopes to learn and master Buddhism, then one cannot do so without devoting time to the task.’4
President Ikeda frequently encourages us to establish the rhythm of chanting regularly each day as the best way to establish the foundation of a lifelong practice.
He writes:
Reciting the sutra is a solemn ceremony in which we fuse our lives with the life-state of the Buddha. By steadfastly and continually carrying out this practice and also chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the world of Buddhahood in our life becomes solidified, just as firmly packing together a pile of earth will produce a strong foundation.5
What should I be thinking about while I’m chanting?
President Ikeda often encourages us to chant with clear, concrete goals to gain the most from our practice, but most importantly to chant with courage and conviction. So, the spirit and resolve with which we chant is very important, as is the joy of simply chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. A fundamental premise which Nichiren Daishonin states in one of his letters: ‘There is no true happiness for human beings other than chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.’6
He also proclaims in another writing: ‘It is the heart that is important.’7 Based on these quotations, we can always remember that whatever is in our heart can be freely expressed when we chant, without judgement or constraint, and to do this with joy.
My own experience is that our prayers and thoughts constantly change. When chanting to the Gohonzon I try to use that time most effectively and determine to reveal my Buddhahood and overcome the negative tendencies, as Nichiren Daishonin states: ‘One should become the master of one’s mind rather than let one’s mind master oneself.’8
Can I chant for other people? Will it make a difference to their lives?
Our prayers and chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo affect the lives of others in the most profound way. Not only for those who are alive but also our prayers for the deceased, as President Ikeda explains in this month's study lecture:
Our voices are power. Our voices reflect our state of life. Our voices open the way for kosen‑rufu. Our voices do the Buddha’s noble work, helping others break through their karma and build happiness...The daimoku we chant for the eternal happiness of the deceased has the power to illuminate their lives, transcending the boundaries of life and death.
Chanting for others also changes our heart, so not only do our prayers affect another but our life changes and also our shared, mutual connection. I am sure we have all experienced a change in a relationship when we have chanted wholeheartedly for another person.
Earlier this year I experienced the passing of my dear father, which was, of course, a very sad time. However, the chanting of my family members for his eternal life manifested in a way which was beyond my expectations. I am absolutely convinced our chanting affects the lives of others, depending on the sincerity and strength of our prayer. ●