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 (or sutra)."
It is the title of the Lotus Sutra,
the historical 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, ability to make a difference, find fulfillment and 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.
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.
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
