What does Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo mean, and why do we chant it?

What does Nam-myoho-renge-kyo mean, 

and why do we chant it? 

By Jamie Lee Silver of ChantforHappiness.com - 

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The literal translation of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is:

"I fuse my life 

with the Mystic Law
 of cause and effect 

through sound vibration." 

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo 
is the title of the Lotus Sutra, 

the Buddha's highest teaching 

that declares  

ALL people possess the Buddha Nature...

all people ARE Buddhas...

and we can access our own Buddhahood ~ our inherent wisdom, determination, power to take the best action for our lives while benefiting others, sense of vitality and ability to make a difference. 
We can create fulfillment, happiness, 
and the strength to turn 

EVERY POISON INTO MEDICINE 

~by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. 

That's it. We don't need to change our diets, memorize lists of paths, change our lifestyles, shave our heads, wear robes, or "purify our desires." This form of Buddhism is radically different than most forms you may have encountered. SGI (Soka Gakkai Buddhism is accessible to ALL. 

AND the most important aspect of our prayer is to do our own human revolution...to change the very core of our lives...change our karma, and by doing so, change the world around us as well. 
We chant for "Kosen-Rufu," a world of respect for all life, and for all who are suffering to be happy. Through our own happiness, we create happiness for all. We can all win in life together. 

When we chant, we harness the energy that is our birthright. And we chant twice a day, every single day, to get and keep our lives in rhythm. 

When we are in rhythm we are in the right place at the right time... to find out about and get the job...or to meet the man of our dreams...or to protect our child from danger. When we are in rhythm, life isn't so much of a struggle as it is a joy...we see the beauty in everything and we feel our lives overflowing with appreciation. 

In fact, we view obstacles themselves as benefits, as strange as that may sound....because obstacles make us chant more, and when we chant more we draw even higher life conditions and deeper satisfaction into our lives. 

What can we chant FOR? 
Anything. Make sure to write your list, and rewrite it when you achieve those goals. Ultimately, our goal is to change our own selves...to overcome our doubt and negativity, and to experience life as the Buddhas we are. When WE change, our environment changes. We are all interconnected. 

We chant for others, 
we chant for our planet, 
our countries, and ourselves. 
We can chant for whatever our desire may be...even if it might not be the "right" desire for us. In the act of chanting, we will change our karma and our desires themselves will naturally begin to shift. We will open our lives to the deeper wisdom within...the deeper yearning, the REAL desires that we have forgotten or given up on. We will grow. We will prosper and we will blossom. 

We will gain the wisdom of the right action to take - because ACTION springs from wisdom. 

The challenge is...we need to DO it. We have to chant to bring all this rhythm and harmony out. And that's why we practice together as an organization, the SGI, The Soka Gakkai, our fellowship of friends who support each other, chant for each other, and create a new Soka family for each practitioner. We are so fortunate. 

We are in this life together...sharing our challenges and our successes. If you are not yet connected to the SGI please go to sgi-usa.com and find your local members. You will be so glad you did. 
If you live in or around St. Pete Beach Florida you can connect with me through chantforhappiness@gmail.com. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Some Powerful Quotes from Daisaku Ikeda:

THIS moment, this instant, is important, 
not some unknown time in the future. 
Today, this very day is what matters. 
You must put your whole being 
into the time that exists now. 
For future victory rests in the present moment.

BUDDHISM holds that 
everything is in a constant state of flux. 
Thus, the question is 
whether we are to accept change passively 
and be swept away by it, 
or whether we are to take the lead 
and create positive changes on our own initiative. 
While conservatism and self-protection
might be likened to winter, night and death, 
the spirit of pioneering and attempting to realize 
the ideals evokes the images of spring,
morning and birth.

Do gongyo and chant daimoku with a fresh spirit. 
And, filled with renewed vitality, 

build a history of accumulating fresh benefit.

All quotes from Ikedaquotes.org

Changing Karma Right Now with TODAY'S Daimoku!

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Wow I have had a lot of challenges lately! 
I must be changing karma BIG TIME because I'm not giving up, no matter what! 
This month marks five years from the time my sweet son Ben first showed signs of the mental illness that would later cause him to take his life at 22 on July 2nd, 2015. 
Since that time, I have lived every day to turn poison into medicine, and create incredible value out of Ben's life and death. I've moved all by myself to St. Pete Florida, and I'm creating my new life, together with my beloved SGI members. Last month my dear, dear friend Deb got her Gohonzon and she encourages me every day. She LOVES this practice and deeply understands and studies. She's such a gift. Now I'm chanting for the youth, and to have at least one new shakubuku who goes to the September 23rd youth meeting in Miami (they are all over the country 50,000 strong!) 

So I'm putting my life to the test. I'm chanting for 50k youth to assemble in America on September 23rd, and I've attached my own goals to this noble goal. I'm already progressing on those goals. More to follow. What can you do to challenge yourself and refresh your practice, while chanting for the youth of the planet? No one can deny we need the youth to become aware of their own incredible potential more than ever!  

What kind of daimoku (the chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo)
changes our lives? 
The answer is ALL kinds of daimoku - 
the chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the mystic law, changes our lives and changes our karma...

But I have a question. Do you sometimes chant with all the best intentions while thinking "I don't know why I'm doing this...it's just one more time to chant but I don't feel it, and really, I'm feeling kind of hopeless?" 

And the first thing I'll say is "Congratulations for keeping your promise to yourself and showing up to chant. THAT in itself will change your life."

So, I've been thinking about the quality of my own chanting and I have something I want to share with you. (As you know, I do not represent the Soka Gakkai, I belong to it, but this is not a Gakkai publication. I love the organization and have been a member since 1985. And I started this blog in 2009 to overcome my own heartache, and to show, through my own example, that anything is possible when we base our lives on the Gohonzon.)

And lately my daimoku has been very strong, 
because as I chant I am thinking:

NOW! With THIS Daimoku I am changing my karma. 
Now this very Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is THE Nam-myoho-renge-kyo that is changing_____________________________on the inside of my life. 
Whatever you want to change...have the conviction that:
THIS Daimoku!
THIS Daimoku!
THIS Daimoku!
Is the one that does it! 

As the wise Kate Randolph would say "Go Deeper in your prayer" and I've chanted to know what she means by that. Just this week I've had so many challenges I didn't know where to begin my prayer. So I focused on unfolding the beautiful lotus petals inside my own life...accessing my beautiful Buddha Nature...believing in my Buddha nature...and knowing that, NO MATTER WHAT, my prayer is working! 

Whatever you're facing...whatever your karma. Please keep going and don't give up! 

As Daisaku Ikeda says: 

We are not defeated by adversity but by the loss of the will to strive. However devastated you may feel, so long as you have the will to fight on, you can surely triumph.

From Ikedaquotes.org

Here's to YOU and your happiness and success! 
Go Buddha GO! 

You Possess a Glorious Future! Have the Spirit to Begin Anew!

A bad day doesn't mean a bad practice. We all have them...days when we feel we really can't connect to our source of strength via chanting and using the ultimate tool, the Gohonzon. (Scroll which represents our highest life condition. See sgi-usa.org for more explanation.) 

Do you ever sit down with clear intention to chant, but then get interrupted, or just not be able to really give it your all? This happens to the best of believers...to every single one of us. (If it NEVER happens to you, please write me and tell me your secret.) 

And the important thing is not to think "oh, this really doesn't work...or I should just give up...what's the use anyway? I can't chant this morning, so I won't try tonight", and suddenly tomorrow comes and it's too hard to chant that day too?

Here's the slippery slope. 

And the antidote, I believe, is to treat every gongyo as the sacred session with your own life that it truly is. If you can't do it in the morning, or you don't feel like you were able to feel that connection...well, in the evening, make another determination and don't fall off the bandwagon as they say. And if that doesn't work, make the determination to start the next day with a bright and fresh gongyo and daimoku.

Aahhhh, when you do this continually, and never concede defeat, your life will shine!

Daisaku Ikeda says, in Faith Into Action, page 146, under "Perseverance":

"No matter what the circumstances, 
you should never concede defeat. 
Never conclude that you've reached a dead end, 
that everything is finished. 
You possess a glorious future. 
Precisely because of that, 
you must persevere and study. 
Life is eternal. 
We need to focus on the two existences 
of the present and the future, 
and not get caught up in worry about the past. 
We must always have the spirit to begin anew 
"from this moment,"
to initiate a new struggle each day."

Lighting the Lamp of Hope from Florida!

Hello, Hello! 

It's been a busy, busy Christmas season filled with travels, parties and my fantastic new job. It is such a thrill to help families with their loved ones who need care. I love my job! I am just having a blast with my new life in my new city. 

Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the source and power of every fantastic moment in my life. Every morning I chant. Every evening I chant. And THIS month one of my dearest new friends received her Gohonzon! She's so inspiring! My friend Deb is so excited about this practice. She's been through a lot this year, losing both her parents within three months of each other. 

And from the moment she started chanting she could feel the power in her life. She could feel herself surrounded by all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas in the universe. We set up a spectacular altar for her using a beautiful piece of furniture she already owned, and a new Butsudan. And you know what? Every day she inspires ME even more. Doing shakubuku is so amazing. The minute you shakubuku someone THEY start encouraging your practice! 

This Christmas season was especially sweet. Last year at this time I had to move, and I had a broken foot, and it was just my second Christmas since Ben became eternal. This year I've been filled with appreciation every single moment. I appreciate this practice, my new and old friends, my health and my family. I feel the incredible surge of fortune in my life. 

Keep practicing, don 't give up, and turn every poison into medicine and you will make your life shine too! 

Excellent Family-Karma-Changing Experience

  

Hi….this  is Surashree. I am a part of Bsg family from last year. I  belong to a small city Raipur.  My relationship with my parents  has a void as both my parents  and  grandparents  were working and  maids took care of us. As parents did not have any time I always held a grudge  against them also felt  alone and frustrated. Also from childhood I was a stubborn person and a loner who avoided  people. When I completed my schooling all these qualities surfaced even more . My sister was facing the same issues. She suffered from obesity and was always  irritable. Till date, she has no  friend. Sometimes she used to speak very harshly. And I’ve seen her crying too. My sister and I always had problems with each other.  I am also suffering from a skin disorder. Overall, We were facing deep relationship karma within the family.

The first person from our family who encountered the Nichiren Buddhism was my elder sister. She introduced my mother too.  I went to Nagpur for my Graduation. More than studies to get  away from  parents. When I was in Nagpur, Didi and Maa both started practicing Nichiren Buddhism and each time I  returned home on vacations, I always noticed some improvement in my family environment. Everyone started taking responsibilities rather than blaming each other. I saw my sister becoming calmer and mature; and my mother became more serious about the family.

Still being a stubborn person, I used to fight repeatedly blaming my parents for never having time for me. One day my mother said sorry to me for not spending much time with us. My mother told me that if you want your karma to change, accept the hard realities of my life. This is only way that move towards happiness. After this, our family bonding  grew stronger , though  She also told me about the practice, but I ignored it.

Almost  8 years after this incident, When I saw huge victories in my mothers life, I thought of giving this practice a try. I seriously wanted change in my life. I was struggling with my office responsibilities, and I was tired of being alone also  very confused about the  course of my  life . As a girl in mid 20s, I thought It is better to spend some time with the family  so in spite of others opposition I resigned from my job and returned back to my hometown. I felt very  positive  that everything will be good from here on-wards.

I'm happy to report that it was then when I started practicing. I came across lines from Sensei Ikeda, ”You must have impossible dreams and then the courage to challenge them so that you can prove the power of the Mystic Law.”  Buddhism is the mirror that perfectly reflects the depths of our lives.” Soon  I realized that I never put any efforts in my relationships. I always behaved selfishly.  It was due to my own karma that I have suffered. And Buddhism is the way through which I can change my destiny.

Gradually, My relationship with my mother became good, though my  relationship with sister and father was not that great. I determined change the relationship with my father. He  is a very calm and fun loving person. He had issues with me due to my stubborn behavior. He  always wanted us to pursue music as career as we hail from a music family. It was only  after resigning, I started working on small stage shows with my father and helped him emotionally. After sometime, he started trusting me and our relationship grew stronger.

One day while studying, I came across gosho lines from the chapter, On Prolonging Life, “One day of life is more valuable than all the treasures of the universe, so first you must muster sincere faith.”  It explained how we can have an influence on our environment by practicing Buddhism and chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. I realized avoiding  problems will not help me. So, I strongly determined few things:

First, I would no longer hold my life back through fear and insecurity.

Second, No matter what, I’ll  strengthen my faith as much as possible for which I started reading about the concepts or books related to Nichiren Buddhism as much as possible.

Third, I determine to always put the concept of “ten worlds” in my daily life and to constantly check myself not to fall towards lower 4 worlds. Anytime time if I feel I'm spending more time in any of the lower worlds, I try to pull myself out from the situation and try to work on myself to become better. Sometimes I fail, but my practice gave me the strength to try again.

Fourth, I decided that I will have no hatred or anger towards anyone. Whenever I do, I confess it front of the Gohonzon and pray to give me the strength to overcome these negative feelings. Also, If I am angry on someone or I dislike someone, I pray for his/her happiness and their Buddha nature to emerge. I’ve experienced that if you chant for the happiness of the person who made you unhappy, the environment works for you, and everything will fall into place making your situation and those relations smoother than before.

Sensei says, “Dialogue requires heart-to-heart connection. You can have dialogue in your heart with anyone anywhere at any time, living or dead. The first step to touch another person's heart is “Appreciation”. Chant to develop appreciation. The path of the Bodhisattva lies in developing and expressing appreciation. Appreciation and joy multiply our good fortune. Complaint and negativity erase it”. After reading these lines, I took my fifth determination that I will always try to do heart to heart dialogue with everyone around me. I’ll appreciate every effort made by anyone surrounding me, no matter who that person is or which community he belongs to.

It is my observation that Even if any practitioner applies simple & small concepts from the book, “Basics of Buddhism”, One will surely receive tremendous benefits, conspicuous and inconspicuous both.

I got married last year. As a newly married, I started facing adjustment issues in the new environment, which even lead to arguments between me and my husband Saurabh. The drastic lifestyle-change became a huge challenge for me.  My practice gives me the courage to see the obstacles in life as an opportunity to change my karma. Instead of blaming others, I began to feel more confident in coping with problems in life and learned to live more creatively. My life has changed and become better since I started practicing this Buddhism. My husband and I are now great friends. He helps me in household chores and other things.  sometimes,  in office or in personal lives I face difficulty  I remember  Sensei Ikeda’s words, “Even if things don’t work out the way you hoped or imagined, when you look back later, you’ll understand on a much more profound level that it was the best possible result. This is tremendous inconspicuous benefit.”

I am happy to report that Environment in my family is much better and peaceful than what it was 12 years back. We all have very good & friendly relation with each other. I determine that I'll pray for my sister’s health & happiness and I’ll struggle and change my family karma completely. I’ll win no matter what…..

Lastly I would like to thank all my district members who always encouraged me whenever I needed. I would also like to thank my husband  who always supported me . I  thank my mom who introduced me into this practice and changed our lives completely.

This is the Buddhism of CHANGING our Karma - not just Learning from it ~

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The other day a practicing Buddhist said to me "Well I guess I just have to keep going through this until I learn the lesson from it. That's what life is, learning lessons from our suffering." and I said 'That is not what Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism is all about!" 

Yes, I know the Gosho says 'Suffer what there is to suffer and enjoy what there is to enjoy." (From Happiness in This World by Nichiren Daishonin.)  But the Gosho "Reply to Kyo'o" states: "A sword will be useless in the hands of a coward." 

As Buddhas we can be fearless! 

I do not think it's important to "learn from our karma". Of course we can learn from the causes we make, and stop making negative causes...but that is not the same as having the belief that we have to repeat karma over and over again until we "learn" from it."

I think it's important to change it! 

When I first began chanting in San Francisco I got a job with an abusive, screaming, swearing boss. He wasn't swearing and screaming at me, but that was not something I ever wanted to experience again. Every morning, I chanted a solid hour of daimoku to CHANGE THIS KARMA forever...and never, ever have an abusive boss again. I chanted for this boss's happiness, and the happiness of all involved. After chanting this way for a significant amount of time I gained the strength to stand up to this man and stop him when he abused my coworkers. 

Eventually, that job ended and I had a series of wonderful bosses, and lots of business success. Some time later that karma resurfaced, but not in quite as bad a way. I got a boss who drove me crazy with her anxiety. At this time I did not say to myself "Wow, this Buddhism doesn't work, I can't believe I got another boss who makes me suffer."

No. I just dug right back into my practice, made a new determination and chanted with all my might for her happiness, for my success, for my future and all my dreams. At the time, I really wanted to move from San Francisco. This boss ended up giving me a substantial severance package - enough so that I could take the holiday season off to be with my babies and then move back to Chicago to raise my kids close to my Mom in the good old midwest. 

Did I "learn" from these instances. YES! I learned I can change whatever karma I want by chanting. I learned I am a powerful Buddha. 
I did not have to learn "why am I attracting this into my life?" No! I just learned to change it! 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Daisaku Ikeda writes in the October 16th, 2015 World Tribune, in the essay "Making Hope", page 6:

"I do not believe that people are powerless. The philosophical tradition that I embrace, on the most fundamental dimension - that of life itself - teaches that each human life partakes of the limitless life force of the cosmos. The same power that moves the universe exists within our own lives. Each individual has immense potential, and a great change in the inner dimension of one individual's life has the power to touch the lives of others and transform society. Everything begins with us." 

Lighting the Lamp of Hope from Florida with Career Success

So I'm almost a month into my job and it's incredibly exciting. I've already produced a lot of success, and I take my smile everywhere I go. In all things "Our success is our energy. Our energy is our success." that is my belief, and those are my words. 

When we freely express our Buddha nature everything flowers around us. We can create a place for the flowers of our life to bloom. 

Just a little background: 

As many of you know, In 2009, I created this blog to show actual proof through my own life, to inspire people to learn about chanting, and to inspire my beloved fellow practitioners all over the world. This is not an easy practice, but when we practice correctly, our lives overflow with benefit - so it's worth the work. 

We get up early...so we can chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to awaken the Buddha in our hearts, and set our sights on what is true. We chant the truth in our hearts and make determinations towards this day, and into the future. We tell our lives what we want, for Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is our life, and the life and rhythm of the entire universe. 

Through this chant we connect...and we summon all the power of the universe into our lives and dreams. Then at night, we chant again and prepare for the next day. We chant for ourselves, we chant for others, we chant for this world.

About five years ago, life was going great, but I was worried about my son Ben. We soon began a roller coaster ride of trying to keep him alive through a terrible illness. Schizophrenia. And in July of 2015, my beloved Ben succumbed to the illness and took his life. My blog of July 4th, 2015 was my declaration that I would turn poison into medicine. The worst problem can turn into the best benefit. Even this. 
Fast forward, I created Bensmemorialmile.com, where we've raised almost 50K for Schizophrenia research and Suicide prevention, and I moved from Chicago to St. Pete Beach Florida where I live overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. I did not work for a year and lived off the saving that resulted from my many years of fortune accumulated through almost 33 years of practice. (This Friday, October 20th, is my 33rd anniversary of receiving the Gohonzon).

In time, I began to chant for my next job. 

I chanted for a job that would use all my talents,  where I'd be surrounded by people who inspire me, where I could do public speaking and have a great and growing income, where I could let the light of my life shine and do shakubuku with my life while making new friends, and where I could be HAPPY. 

And I was offered many jobs...and found one I accepted. 

Now I'm a few weeks into it, and I am having joyful success that is being recognized and applauded. I am surrounded by helpful and inspiring people, and I am having fun while doing good work that helps people. 

And the key is to continue chanting to SEE my life, and to expand in my capacity to help others, to do shakubuku (I've not yet shared my Buddhist practice at work, but they are seeing my life shine), and to humbly keep chanting to see what I'm doing wrong so I can correct it and continue moving forward. 

I am not perfect, but I chant to learn from my errors and move on. And I chant to love myself completely through it all! I'm chanting each day for the happiness of all of my coworkers as we create this beautiful community that helps seniors. 

I am spreading the joyful light of hope, appreciation and love that I feel inside all the time. I have also once again been able to raise my contribution level to the SGI. I know this creates even more fortune and just makes me happy!

Whatever you are facing, you can joyfully create the life of your dreams as you bask in appreciation and continue to devote your life to this practice, shakubuku, study, and creating happiness for yourself and others. 

Go Buddha go and never give up!  

Meeting Every Challenge With Joy

Life is about challenges 
and joy is something we build for ourselves 
through chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, 
choosing our words carefully, 
and taking correct action for our lives 
with the recognition 
that everything we do 
is a CAUSE for our own happiness, 
and the happiness of others. 

We are Bodhisattvas of the earth with deep missions and deep vows. If you read this and think "I never quite understood about the vow part," let me give you my brief insight on this. 

Remember, I am a practicing Buddhist, just like you. Next Friday, October 20th,  I will celebrate my 33rd anniversary of receiving the Gohonzon. 

Right now, Kate Randolph, my beautiful and wise mentor (who introduced me to this practice) is challenging a brain tumor of the worst kind. It was diagnosed last Thanksgiving ~ right after she got back from our visit to FNCC. 

I will always remember when we were doing Gongyo together at my apartment, she turned to me and said. "I just have to tell you, Jamie, I really, really love you." And of course, I got tears in my eyes filled with love for my dear, dear, friend. She went back to LA and got this horrible diagnosis. 

Please join me in chanting for my dear friend, and wise woman, Kate Randolph. 

When we talk about our vow for kosen rufu, it's something that is present in my daimoku (chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo) every day. My vow is my determination that through my accessing the incredible power of the universe within me ~ by chanting nam-myoho-renge-kyo, that I will make the world a better place. I chant to access the most powerful power I have, so that I can be an inspiration to others as they watch me overcoming challenge after challenge. 

And I have had challenges, just like you. Mine are mine alone, just as yours are yours alone. But the thread that connects us is the ability and determination to turn poison into medicine time and time again. Not just for ourselves, but to make the world a better place. I chant "BECAUSE of this HUGE challenge, I can change my karma! Thank you to my life."

Boy, do we ever have a lot to chant about right now, right? My friends in Northern California did not lose their houses, but they lost their "land" when all the houses around them burned. They lost their neighborhoods and landmarks. They lost their past, present and future, just like our friends in Puerto Rico, Houston, the wildfires in the northwest, and on and on...not just in the US but all over the world. 
We can chant for all these places, people...and our whole world. Now, more than ever, we are at our crucial point, and can use our vow of happiness to strengthen our lives and bring peace and harmony to the world, not just through our prayers, but through our actions. 

My determination is to SEE my life and make the changes I need to make, deep inside my character, so that my life can purify all I touch and see, and all I can't see. Science has proven that we all exist in the web of life together. Our changes, our human revolution, changes the world. It HAS to. My daily causes are important. So are yours. 

So, everyday, I bring my smile to all around me, every day. I'm working as sales director in a senior living community and it is great joy to interact with our precious seniors and their families. I bring my "A game" of compassion, wisdom and the healing power of LISTENING, and empathizing to every personal encounter. 

WE are the gift to the world. WE are the ones who can surmount our sufferings and help others learn this wonderful chant. We are the ones who can help and inspire the youth of our time. This is our vow!

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo for the youth! Nam myoho renge kyo for the unity of the SGI organization. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo for YOUR happiness and the happiness of all around you!