DAIMOKU charges our batteries.
If we take care to regularly charge our batteries,
then we'll always be full of energy and vitality.
If we fail to keep our batteries charged,
we won't have energy when we need it most
and as a result may be defeated by our environment.
Daisaku Ikeda, Daily Guidance, October 17th
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President Ikeda's guidance on how much daimoku we should Chant:
"Chanting is a process of polishing and forging our lives, which is why our faith is so important.
Consequently, the benefit of chanting
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
is absolutely not dependent on the amount we chant.
What matters is that we chant to our own heart's content, the amount that feels right and satisfying for us.
Nowhere in his writings
does the Daishonin say
we should chant a specific quantity.
The efficacy of our prayers
is influenced by the strength and depth of our faith,
and by our determination and attitude.
At the same time, sincerely resolving
to chant a specific amount is also an expression of faith.
We can chant the amount we've decided on each day,
while continually renewing and deepening our resolve.
It's also important that we chant honestly and openly,
just as we are.
All of us face times of worry,
anguish and sadness in our lives.
When we do, we can feel free
to go straight to the Gohonzon with our suffering
and chant about it wholeheartedly,
just like a child seeking its mother's warm embrace."
"There’s no need to worry.
You don’t need to feel pressured
about the amount of daimoku you have to chant.
Even chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo just once
has incredible power.
Nichiren Daishonin writes:
“If you recite . . . the daimoku [even] once,
then the Buddha nature of all living beings
will be summoned and gather around you” (WND-1, 131). You will receive tremendous benefit
from just a single, sincere utterance
of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
That’s how powerful the Mystic Law is.
On the other hand, just because that’s true, doesn’t mean we should use it as an excuse to avoid chanting Daimoku! After all, as the Daishonin says:
“IT IS THE HEART THAT IS IMPORTANT” (WND-1, 1000)"
Living Buddhism, Sep./Oct. 2011, pg. 74 & 75