Danielle's Description of the Practice

What follows is from Danielle Canaris in Cloverdale California. SHe is my beloved shakubuku who helped me raise my two amazing Buddha Boys. 

Danielle is an inspiration herself...and has now, after many years come to practice. 

She brings all her wisdom, all her determination, all her love to this practice. 

After not even a year, she presents us all with this awesome piece. Enjoy!

The workings of the universe are an expression of a single principle or Law, expressed as Nam-myho-renge-kyo.

Chanting Nam-myho-renge-kyo enables all people to understand this law in there own lives and come into rhythm with it.  By putting your life in harmony with this law, you can unlock your hidden potential and achieve harmony with the universe.

Nam-myho-renge-kyo literally means;

Nam- Devotion

Myoho- Mystic Law

Renge- Lotus Flower, represents the simultineity of cause and effect.

Kyo- Sound Vibration

The invocation of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, was established by Nichiren Daishonin on April 28,1253.  After studying  widely among the the Buddhist sutras, Nichiren concluded that the Lotus Sutra contains the ultimate truth of Buddhism: that everyone without exception, has the potential to attain Buddhahood!

The three fundamentals of Nichiren Buddhism are faith, practice, and study: Faith is based on experience.  It begins as an expectation that something will happen.  If we are willing to try the practice and anticipate some result, we will then develop our faith brick by brick as examples of actual proof accrue.

Practice:  To develop faith, we must take action.  We strengthen our wisdom and vital life force by actualizing our Buddha hood each day in a very concrete way.  Practice consists of two parts; practice for ourselves, and practice for others.  We chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo each morning and evening along with reciting Gongyo (two chapters of the Lotus Sutra).  Practice for others is taking compassionate action to help give people the means to make fundamental improvements in their lives.  President Ikeda describes Gongyo as a ceremony in which we bring the primordial sun of Buddha hood to rise brightly in the vast skies of our lives each day!  When chanting Nam-myho-renge-kyo, we are tapping into the underlying pulse of life and it's limitless potential.

Study; We study to gain deeper understanding.  Nichiren Daishonin instructed followers in the correct way to practice.  His writings give  people valuable insight into how this practice will benefit their lives.

The Gohonzon, which was inscribed by Nichiren Daishonin  on October 12, 1279 is the focal point of our practice.  In the center are the characters Nam-myho-renge-kyo.  It reflects Nichiren's life state of Buddha hood, and is the link between the Buddha state within our lives and the environment.

The Soka Gakkai International was founded in 1930.  It has expanded to 192 countries and territories.  The SGI seeks to promote peace, culture, and education.  The practice of Nichiren Buddhism exists for the happiness of each individual and the fostering of world peace.