The Ten Worlds

You Can Change Your Life Condition Easily

We want to introduce you to the idea that you have the capacity to shift out of a negative emotional state and get into a higher one at will. First we need to introduce you to the ten worlds, states of life we live every day.

What Are The Ten Worlds?

The ten worlds are not physical locations but rather potential states of life within each of us. We experience them internally every day. We demonstrate them in our behavior and in all aspects of our lives, shifting from one to another depending on what is happening in our lives.

This is important because we can shift from one to another when we chant. That gives you the power to raise your life out of a negative life condition into a positive one.

The Six Lower Paths

Hell – A life condition where living is misery and suffering and the person feels there is no way out. They can be filled with rage and destructive behaviors.

Hunger – Where a person is at the mercy of their cravings for such things as food, drugs, money, pleasure, power, and recognition. Never satisfied.

Animality – A person is amoral, ruled by the “law of the jungle,” fearing the strong and despising and preying on the weak. Can’t make long-range judgments.

Anger – The person is determined to best others in everything, sees everything as a threat, values themselves as superior, and holds others in contempt.

Humanity – Generally humane, highly vulnerable to outside influences, where can easily fall into the lower four worlds.

Rapture – (Intense joy resulting from the fulfillment of a desire, inner content, physical well-being. Short lived.

These six paths are reactive, responding to changing circumstances in our lives. In the six lower worlds, we are basing our happiness and identity on externals.

The Four Noble Paths

A person realizes everything is impermanent and starts to search for a lasting truth.

Learning – They seek the truth through teaching and experiences of others.

Realization – they seek the truth through their own direct perception. No longer a prisoner to their own reactions.

Bodhisattva – they have an aspiration to achieve enlightenment, and also enable others to do the same. Satisfaction in altruistic behavior.

Buddhahood – a state of perfect freedom, infinite com-passion, deep wisdom and unshakeable happiness. Free of karmic bonds and purified of illusion, and a person can harmoniously resolve what appear to be insoluble contradictions. Buddhahood is expressed in the bodhisattva way of life.

The four noble paths means you must make a decision to do something, be self-motivated. These paths are not reactive to circumstances.

How The Ten Worlds Work in our Daily Lives.

You work for a sales organization and when you go to work there is a meeting to encourage everyone to sell more widgets. The prize will be a trip to Hawaii. For a moment you are in the world of hunger. You receive a phone call from your significant other and when you realize who it is you experience rapture. Then he/ she tells you she doesn’t want to be in the relationship and you fall into Hell.

Maybe later in the day you have a realization that there are certain things you need to learn to be a good business person and for a while you are in the world of learning as you listen thoughts of someone who has been successful in building their organization.

The Mutual Possession of the Ten Worlds

Each of the ten worlds holds the potentials of all of the others, the mutual possession of the ten worlds. This means that when you sit down to chant you can readily move from one world to another. This means you can pull yourself from one of the lower to one of the higher worlds.

You Can Easily Change Your Life State

When you chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, you can bring your life state out of one of the lower worlds and into a higher one at will. You will live experiencing that higher life state and take actions you might not have taken while in the more negative one. You may have to chant to establish that life state a number of times but as time goes on and you tap into your Buddha nature every day, you will maintain that higher state longer and longer.

You will come to embody its enlightened characteristics of your Buddha nature in daily life more and more of the time. You’re attuning yourself to your innate Buddhahood.

In Stepping Stones, A workbook and guide to Nichiren Buddhism, that goes with Your Path to Unshakeable Happiness, you are taught how to start and use the practice that can lead to positive changes in your life.

Your Attitude in Front of the Gohonzon

Your Attitude in Front of the Gohonzon - Dr. Yamazaki

Your attitude in front of the Gohonzon is like being on a holiday.

It is necessary to cut yourself off from work, from daily life.

This is important in order to regenerate, to be free of tension and relaxed....

If your practice is a prolongation of your social life, it will not be effective.

In the ceremony in the air (Gongyo), you cut yourself off from the earth rising above. If you are dominated by your problems in front of the Gohonzon nothing good appears. It is necessary to rise above, to make it a special moment relaxing. This is a ceremony of " Ku". I am a Buddha in front of the Gohonzon!

The Gohonzon is like a mirror, it is not necessary to be either imprisoned, nor attached, nor dominated, nor guilty, nor worthless, nor have arrogance in order enter the world of the Gohonzon.

  

It is necessary to be indifferent to your own thoughts. You do not fight in front of the Gohonzon. Be relaxed as though being in the air without limits. With this kind of ichinen for 15 minutes........this is enough.

  

From your first daimoku, change the world, feel the universe, realize " Ku", "Ke", and "Chu"!

("Ku" is the world of the Buddha; "Ke" is oneself, "Chu" is all the strength and wisdom of the universe.)

  

You can recuperate all the forces of the universe. The wisdom to listen, to believe, to meditate, and to decide. Reject your own arrogance in order to allow your own wisdom to appear, going beyond time and space to detoxify yourself in front of the Gohonzon. Nothing is too far away in the morning and in the evening.....this is when you are Buddha.

  

You must have confidence to find a sense of the Ceremony in the Air and declare your conviction to be the Buddha of eternal life, the Buddha of Ichinen Sanzen, and the Buddha of confidence and joy!

  

UNDERSTANDING "THE MUTUAL POSSESSION OF THE TEN WORLDS"

UNDERSTANDING "THE MUTUAL POSSESSION OF THE TEN WORLDS"

  

“Establishing the world of Buddhahood as our basic life tendency is what it means to 'attain Buddhahood.' Of course, even with the world of Buddhahood as our basic life tendency, we won’t be free of problems or suffering, because we will still possess the other nine worlds. But the foundation of our lives will become one of hope, and we will increasingly experience a condition of security and joy.

  

"My mentor, second Soka... Gakkai president Josei Toda, once explained this as follows:

  

"’Even if you fall ill, simply have the attitude, 'I’m all right. I know that if I chant to the Gohonzon, I will get well.’ Isn’t the world of Buddhahood a state of life in which we can live with total peace of mind? That said, however, given that the nine worlds are inherent in the world of Buddhahood, we might still occasionally become angry or have to deal with problems. Therefore, enjoying total peace of mind doesn’t mean that we have to renounce anger or some such thing. When something worrying happens, it’s only natural to be worried. But in the innermost depths of our lives, we will have a profound sense of security. This is what it means to be a Buddha. . . .’

  

"Our daily practice of gongyo—reciting portions of the Lotus Sutra and chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo—is a solemn ceremony in which our lives become one with the life of the Buddha. By applying ourselves steadfastly and persistently to this practice for manifesting our inherent Buddhahood, we firmly establish the world of Buddhahood in our lives so that it is solid and unshakable like the earth. On this foundation, this solid stage, we can freely enact at each moment the drama of the nine worlds.”

  

President Ikeda

Excerpt from The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, Part 1: Happiness, 2.2 Buddhahood Is the Sun within Us

  

Relative and Absolute Happiness

Relative and Absolute Happiness

"Nichiren Daishonin left us the Gohonzon. Through its power the poor can become rich and the sick, healthy. This is still a relative state of happiness and that's all you ever pray for, but eventually before you realise it, you'll be in the absolute state of happiness. You never pray for absolute happiness, but you enter that state without fai, whether you want it or not. It is the state in which you find your life meaningful, no matter where you are - I repeat, no matter where you are. At any time and in place you'll enjoy living itself. So, wherever you are, there will be bright atmosphere and never any argument. Sometimes you may get angry, but even this you'll be doing pleasantly. Don't you think you'll be delighted to be in such a state? I close my speech, praying that each one of you will graduate from relative happiness as soon as possible and enter into absolute happiness - a state you never even imagined you could enjoy."

Source: Daisaku Ikeda- The HR 10, 330.

Earthly Desires are Enlightenment

Earthly Desires are Enlightenment

At their face value, concepts propounded by Nichiren Daishonin appear difficult to accept and understand. Yet, when reflecting upon them with an unbiased open mind, one tends to see the truth and believes in their efficacy for mankind. Nichiren sourced his concepts from the teachings of Gautama Buddha; most supreme of which are those drawn from the Lotus Sutra.

What then does Nichiren imply by stating that “earthly desires are enlightenment”? This is a statement just negating the popular belief that, to achieve a higher level of spiritual advancement or enlightenment (spiritual wisdom), eradication of earthly desires is a prerequisite. Mostly all philosophies espouse that for spiritual advancement; one must challenge and rid oneself of all earthly desires and attachments; as they are the source of all suffering. On the contrary, Nichiren states that earthly desires and enlightenment cannot exist by themselves both being manifestations of the unchanging reality; thus one can achieve enlightenment without eradication of desires. The lotus blooms in muddy water. Even though the muddy water is necessary to sustain the life of the lotus, yet, the lotus is not the muddy water itself.

The three basic earthly desires or “the three poisons” as Nichiren terms them, are those emanating from greed, anger, and foolishness. Greed implies slavery to hunger, fame, riches, and sexual desire etcetera. Anger signifies the state of being controlled by impulsive emotions, arrogance, and ego. Foolishness or stupidity implies the inability to understand the true intrinsic nature of things or the selfish attachment to immediate gains. If we self reflect seriously, we will find ourselves to have been under the sway of “the three poisons” at one time or the other.

Nichiren’s view is that as long as one is alive, one is bound to have desires. Without desires, one is as good as dead. Desires are the stepping stones to spiritual advancement. ‘Greed’ for name, fame and riches in its positive aspect, leads to assiduous endeavors at research and diligence in ones profession. Need for food results in agricultural and industrial progress. Arrogance resulting from pride in ones work drives a person to strive hard to remain a step ahead of others. Likewise, anger may well be directed towards fighting for justice for others and against evil.

It thus ensues that, even though earthly desires are the cause of suffering, yet they can lead one to achieve enlightenment. Where on the one hand earthly desires indicate illusion; on the other, enlightenment indicates awakening to the truth of all phenomena and the transient nature of desires. To actualize our desires, as we progress in chanting “Nam Myoho Renge Kyo”, a raise in our fundamental life condition results through fusion of  the microcosm of the self with the macrocosm of the universe; then what earlier functioned as earthly desires, begins to function as enlightenment as ones awareness arises, and what produced suffering, begins to produce joy. By no means does this imply that earthly desires in themselves are enlightenment but that enlightenment can be achieved without their having been eradicated. In the Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Nichiren Daishonin says “Today, when Nichiren and his followers recite the words of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, they are burning the firewood of earthly desires, summoning up the wisdom – fire of enlightenment.”

What kind of attitude should we have when we chant to the Gohonzon ?

What kind of attitude should we have when we chant to the Gohonzon ?

"Since we face the Gohonzon with the spirit of facing the Buddha, its important that we con...duct ourselves with a respectful and solemn attitude. Other than that, though, we should feel free to express what's in our hearts honestly and directly to the Gohonzon.

"The Gohonzon is the manifestation of the Buddha endowed with infinite compassion. We should therefore go ahead and chant about our desires, problems and our aspirations just as they are. When were suffering, feeling sad or experiencing hard times, we should just go to the Gohonzon with an open heart, like an infant who throws himself into the arms of his mother and clings to her. The Gohonzon will 'listen' to our every word, so we should chant abundant Daimoku as if we are carrying on a conversation, confiding our innermost throughts. In time, even hellish sufferings will vanish like the morning dew, and seem as but a dream.

"If, for instance, we recognise that we have been in error in some way, we should offer prayers of deep apology and correct that error. Then we should make a fresh determination never to repeat the same mistake again and set forth anew.

"Also, in crucial moments where victory or defeat will be decided, we should firmly resolve to win, and chant with the power of a lion's roar or the ferocity of an asura demon, as if to shake the entire universe.

"And, in the evening, after a happy day, we should chant to the Gohonon with profound appreciation.

"In the Gosho, Nichiren Daishonin cites the words: Morning after morning we rise up with the Buddha, evening after evening we lie down with the Buddha(OTT, 83). This means that those who continue to chant daimoku in earnest are always together with the Daishonin, the Buddha of the Latter day of the Law. This holds true not only for this lifetime but even beyond death, with the original Buddha and all heavenly deities throughout the universe extending their protection to us. We can therefore feel completely secure from the depths of our being and need fear nothing. We should enjoy our lives with completely confidence.

"Daimoku transfoms sufferings into joy , and joy into supreme joy. This is why it is important to single-mindedly chant daimoku no matter what, whether we are happy or sad, in good times or in bad. This is the direct path to happiness"

President Ikeda

New Human Revolution 11

President Ikeda's Guidance on Marriage

President Ikeda's Guidance on Marriage

"The important thing is love and compassion" 

From that understanding all a couple can do is chant Daimoku together with their sights set on lofty goal and strive for true happiness. Even married people were once strangers. Without patience and the effort to understand one another, things are not likely to go well. Patience is necessary for a couple to live together, earn a living, protect their home and educate their children while dedicating themselves for the sake of others. We need patience in order to become happy. 

There are many who dream about happiness without being patient. But that is merely a dream; it is a fairy tale. It is to wish for childish, easy life. This illusion breaks up many marriages. The pursuit of such happiness can only end in misery. It is important to make steady efforts to construct something together. From there, real love develops. Real love means wanting to live with the other person throughout eternity. Real marriage is when you have been married for twenty-five years and feel an even deeper love than you did when you first met. Love deepens. Love that does not is merely on the level of simple likes and dislikes."

Source'; Excerpts from - The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra Vol. 6

How do you know when you're chanting enough Daimoku

How do you know when you're chanting enough Daimoku

Enough Nam-myoho-renge-kyo?

When you have no fear, when you are happy, when all obstacles look like opportunities, not problems, THAT'S when you are chanting enough Daimoku.

If you are afraid, or worried...or troubled, it's time to sit down and chant more. Chant for peace of mind. Chant to be happy and serene. Chant to have victory in all areas of your life.

I know sometimes it's hard. I know it's difficult to focus, and sometimes the people around us are interrupting us and wanting our attention. I know it can be hard to put that cell phone down and focus on your own life and chant with all your heart.

But my promise, and Nichiren Daishonin's promise, and Daisaku Ikeda's promise is this ~ you CAN become happy...happier than you ever imagined...if you devote yourself to this practice. There is no doubt.

But the key is - you have to do it! No one else can purify your life besides you. No one can chant for you like YOU can chant for you. You are the only one. And you would not be reading this blog if you were not capable of chanting your happiness into being.

You can do it. You absolutely can be happy. You must summon the power within your life with the most incredible key of life...Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

We are so lucky to be able to chant to overcome our problems! We can change everything! We can't back down. We must make strong determinations! We have to go the distance and say "No matter how long it takes...I WILL change this! I am THE BUDDHA! I AM NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO! NO devilish function, no "bad karma" can defeat me! No WAY!

"Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is like the Roar of A Lion - What Sickness Can Therefore be an Obstacle"

The Formula to Achieve Victory

The Formula to achieve victory - Sensei Ikeda:

"Start by writing down your dreams or goals on a piece of paper. There is something really magical about the written word. Writing down what you want to do will put you on the path in that direction. By the way, scientists have also recently found that writing your goals down on paper stimulates the brain and makes you want to try to achieve those goals.

After writing down your goals, chant about them. Nichiren Daishonin says: "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is like the roar of a lion". Like the roar of a lion, the king of beasts, Daimoku is the greatest source of strength that nothing can defeat. When you chant Daimoku the lion like courage and determination to realize your goals and dreams will well up inside you. The next step is to take action.

In SGI we have the winning rhythm of setting goals, chanting about them and taking action to realize them. I hope all of you will make "Decide, Chant & Act one of your mottoes and win each and every day.

Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day. However, if you use those hours wisely, you can accomplish a week's worth of effort in a day or 10 years' worth of effort in a year. I have lived my life with that spirit..." 

  

Source: VC-July-2013, pg-100-101

  

Lessening One's Karmic Retribution

Lessening One's Karmic Retribution

  

Experiencing The Effects of Bad Karma To A Lesser Degree

  

Thus how can we lessen our karmic retribution? “The Letter from Sado” quotes a passage the Hatsunaion Sutra that reads, “lt is due to the blessings obtained by protecting the Law that one can diminish in this lifetime his suffering and retribution." (MW 1, 40) The blessings obtained by protecting the Law refer to the act of embracing the Gohonzon, chanting daimoku as well as the actions one takes for the sake of kosen-rufu. Even though one may have created karma heavy enough to experience sufferings for countless lifetimes, by believing in the Gohonzon and by practicing Buddhism, one is able not only to diminish the sufferings but also to vanquish them completely. The great benefit of changing one's karma is made known in this way in the “Letter from Sado."

  

Why are we able to change our karma by taking faith in the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin? This is because Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the one and only pure Law that penetrates the origin of life and the universe and is deeper than the dimension of life that generates karma. When drawing out this karma from within one's life, one is able to eradicate all tendencies that have been produced by karma created in the past.

  

Of course, the process of changing karma is not an easy task. It certainly requires tremendous hardship. To change negative karma or the filth in one's life, one must first get out the dirt before getting rid of it. Hardships will thus appear as the filth which enables one to eradicate one’s negative karma through the practice of the Mystic Law. Only by overcoming such difficulties is one able to achieve true happiness and growth in one's life.

  

When we confront hardships in life, we must have firm conviction that each one is the chance to change our karma and put the principle of lessening karmic retribution into effect. This kind of practice leads to human revolution.

  

Source: Buddhist Studies, Pg: 11-13

The Mirror Guidance

The Mirror Guidance

"There is a Russian proverb that says: 'Don’t blame the mirror if your face is awry.' The reflection in the mirror is our own. But some people get angry with the mirror!

"In the same way, our happiness or unhappiness is entirely a reflection of the positive and negative causes accumulated in our lives. We cannot blame others for our misfortunes. This is even more so in the realm of faith.

"There is a Japanese folk tale about a small village where no one had a mirror. In those days, mirrors were priceless. A man, returning from a trip to the capital, handed his wife a mirror as a souvenir. It was the first time for her to see one. Looking into the mirror, she exclaimed:

'Who on earth is this woman? You must’ve brought a girl back with you from the capital!’ And so a big fight ensued.

  

"Though this is an amusing anecdote, many people become angry or distraught over phenomena that are actually nothing but a reflection of their own lives—their state of mind and the causes that they have created. Like the wife in the story who exclaims, ‘Who on earth is this woman?' they do not realise their own folly.”

  

President Ikeda

Source: Excerpt - The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, Part 1: Happiness, 2.2 Buddhahood Is the Sun within Us

  

"It is senseless to blame others of your environment for your miseries. Change begins from the moment you muster the courage to act. When you change, the environment will change. The power to change the world is found nowhere but within our own life."

  

Praying as a Votary of the Lotus Sutra

Praying as a Votary of the Lotus Sutra

How we pray in Buddhism makes all the difference in the world. What does it mean to pray as a votary of the Lotus Sutra? One aspect is that the votary, or the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra, practices three things strongly. You cannot have your prayers answered as a votary of the Lotus Sutra if you are not practicing for others, if you are not studying, and if you are not chanting daimoku to the Gohonzon.

You know whether or not you ...are doing your best in those three areas. If your practice has lost its power to produce benefit, I would immediately look at those three legs of your practice and ask yourself, “Am I exerting myself to the best of my ability in study, practice for myself and practice for others?” If you want to move your life faster, strengthen those three aspects of your practice.

Some people have thought that President Ikeda told us in February of 1990 that showing actual proof in your daily life is the same as practice for others. They are not. One is as important as the other, that’s for sure. We must show actual proof in our daily life, but they are not the same thing. They are two different things. President Ikeda was telling us not to practice for others at the expense of our daily life. He was also telling us not to practice for benefit at the expense of others. Strive to fulfill both. Study is the backbone of being able to do this.

The prayer of the votary of the Lotus Sutra is answered because they carry out these three practices strongly. The votary of the Lotus Sutra is not seeking personal benefit, but enlightenment and wisdom to become a Buddha. Of course, when you become a Buddha, you get benefit.

President Ikeda gave the following guidance: “Prayers in Buddhism, however, never end with the mere act of prayer; they include the actions one takes to realize them. It is just like an arrow, drawn back, charged with energy, and shot from a bow. Prayer without action is idealism, and action without prayer is futile. A great prayer comes from a great sense of responsibility.”

Source: Excerpt from a lecture given by SGI-USA Vice General Director Greg Martin at the Seattle Culture Centre on June 9, 1995

Never Give Up on Your Dreams

Never Give Up on Your Dreams

“Many of us have some problems that we avoid chanting about, because we are afraid to look at them directly and prefer not to think about them. Others may have dreams locked up in their hearts that they are afraid to admit even to themselves let alone chant for, because they feel they do not deserve to be happy, or because they are afraid of being disappointed should they not succeed in attaining their goal.

Nichiren Daishonin teaches us that the power of the Gohonzon has no limit. It is we who impose limits on it with our doubts and fears. How tragic it would be if, having encountered the Mystic Law, we could not fully enjoy it's benefit because we lacked the courage to pray with all our hearts for what we truly wanted.

Surely nothing would be more bitter than to have to look back over one's life and feel, 'I never accomplished what I really wanted to.'

Nichiren Daishonin, out of his compassion, teaches us how to live so that we will have no regrets. Since we have been fortunate enough to meet the Gohonzon, why don't we place our full trust in it, pray courageously for what we desire and fulfill all our dreams in this lifetime.”

President Ikeda

Benefits in Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism

Benefits in Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism

I occasionally meet people who complain, “I’ve been chanting, but I’m not getting any benefits.” As long as you earnestly practice your faith, it is absolutely impossible not to receive any benefits. We cannot judge the Gohonzon’s power merely by our own limited vision.

The eyes of common mortals are totally unreliable. They are limited in that, even when they are wide open they can only see immediate benefits and cannot perceive the... profound ones. For instance, if you happen to be involved in a serious traffic accident but emerge with only slight injuries, you offer your heartfelt gratitude to the Gohonzon. However, when the day ends uneventfully, and you return home safe and sound, you grumble, “Nothing good happened to me today.” This is the way of us common mortals.

Which is the greater benefit: to encounter misfortune and overcome it, or not to have any misfortune whatsoever? It goes without saying that the latter is far greater.

Buddhism terms readily visible but small benefits as “conspicuous,” and invisible but great benefits as “inconspicuous.” Small benefits are easy to recognize, but the great benefits take time before you notice them.

You should understand that something great is happening as long as you sincerely continue your faith, even when you don’t recognize it. By maintaining pure faith for five, ten, fifteen years and so on, before you realize it you will have arrived at a completely happy state of life – one you could not even have imagined. This is inconspicuous benefit. The power of the Gohonzon – the power of the Buddha and of the Law – is absolute. Whether or not we can call forth that power depends on our powers of faith and practice. Please tell your members to exert themselves, never doubting the Gohonzon’s power no matter what may occur, and always be convinced of the great blessings which will accrue from their practice.

Source: Guidelines of Faith by Satoru Izumi

Power of Chanting Daimoku

Power of Chanting Daimoku

  

Chanting daimoku is a teaching that is "easy to embrace and easy to practice." Anyone can perform it. It can be done anytime and anywhere. It is the most highly refined and simplified method of practice. As such, it is the perfect Buddhist teaching for not only the 21st century, but the 22nd, 30th and 50th centuries, and for 10,000 years and more of the Latter Day of the Law — for all eternity.

  

The practice of chanting daimoku embodies the Buddha's ardent and heartfelt wish to lead all people to happiness. A practice that only certain people can carry out goes against the Buddha's spirit.

  

Daimoku is like light. As the Daishonin says, "A candle can light up a place that has been dark for billions of years." Similarly, the moment we offer prayers based on daimoku, the darkness in our lives vanishes. This is the principle of the simultaneity of cause and effect. At that very instant, in the depths of our lives our prayer has been answered.

  

Daimoku is also like fire. When you burn the firewood of earthly desires, then the fire of happiness — that is, of enlightenment — burns brightly. Suffering thus becomes the raw material for constructing happiness. For someone who does not have faith in the Mystic Law, suffering may be only sufferings. But for a person with strong faith, sufferings function to enable her or him to become happier still.

  

Source: `The One Essential Phrase' — 2, World Tribune, June 7, 1996 Pages. 9-10

Best Posture to Adopt While Chanting Daimoku

Best Posture to Adopt While Chanting Daimoku

An excess of formality runs counter to the true spirit of our Buddhist practice. Guidelines exist primarily so that we can correct ourselves, not criticize others. The following points, therefore, are essentially communicated by example, by those who have been practising for a longer time.

The Body

It is best to sit upright, with a straight back. Japanese people get used to kneeling from childhood but for Westerners, kneeling for long periods of time can be uncomfortable, resulting in cramp or ‘pins and needles,’ which disrupt concentration. For this reason, most SGI members sit in chairs to chant, making certain not to cross their legs or sit in any other unbalanced way. The Buddhist principle of zuiho bini, adapting to local customs whilst never departing from the spirit of the original teachings is clearly applicable here.

The Hands

We chant with hands joined, palms together, holding the juzu (prayer beads).

The Eyes

We chant with our eyes open. Praying with closed eyes is a tendency for which there may be several reasons, not all of them conscious: the wish to escape from concrete reality; to dream of an other-worldly paradise; the habit of praying to a supernatural or transcendent being; or quite simply the desire to sleep.

So where should we fix our gaze? The Gosho offers no advice on this matter. We can look at any part of the Gohonzon we wish. The central, vertical row of characters of the Gohonzon reads ‘Na-mu,myo-ho,ren-ge,kyo,Nichi-ren’. The character myo in the upper part of the Gohonzon, a little above the line of vision. It is best to keep our eyes open and look at the Gohonzon, when speaking to someone, it’s usually considered impolite not to look them directly in the eye. I believe that the same holds true when we’re in front of the Gohonzon, which we’re addressing with Gongyo or daimoku.

The Essence

Having given there guidelines, it’s important to remember that in Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism, it is our heart, our profound intention, rather than ritual or formality, that really counts. The real value of the silent prayers, for example, is what’s actually in our hearts and minds at that very moment, not the words we’re reading the liturgy book.

The best way to practise is joyfully and naturally, without too much tension or absent-mindedness. We strive to practice correctly according to the principle of body and the shadow- that ‘the practice is the body (the essential reality of our life) and daily life is the shadow’. If our practice is in disarray, then our daily life is, too. When we respect the Law of life, it in turn respects us – and we receive both protection and benefits. It is our ichinen, our profound determination, and not some external factor that determines the important things in our life.

Thus, by establishing our Buddhist practice correctly, we are making profound causes to bring about a constant improvement in our lives, both materially and spiritually, according to the principle of the oneness of self and environment.

Source: Q&A, answer by Dr Yamazaki, honorary chairman of SGI Europe, UKE Oct 1999

Even one Daimoku can permeate the entire universe

Even one Daimoku can permeate the entire universe

Even one daimoku can permeate the entire universe. How much greater then is daimoku's capacity to move anything when it is chanted with sincerity and determination! Daimoku chanted with the profound conviction that "my life is the entity of the Mystic Law" or with the resolve that: "I will dedicate my life to spreading the Mystic Law as an emissary of the Buddha" cannot fail to draw a response from the Gohonzon.

Such daimoku cannot fail to permeate the universe. Invisible radio waves travel vast distances through space, reaching Mars and Venus. In the same way, our inner determination, which is unobservable to common mortals, activates the forces in the universe—the heavenly deities and the Buddhas throughout the ten directions—and appears as solid actual proof in accordance with the principle of 3,000 realms in a single moment of life.

Faith means making 100 percent effort—in our daimoku and in our actions. When we practice in this way, the Buddhist gods will lend us their protection. We mustn't have a complacent, dependent attitude in faith, chanting haphazardly without definite goals, making only halfhearted efforts in the belief that we'll be protected automatically. Deep determination and unshakable character are vital. Those with these qualities are second to none in faith.

When your determination changes, everything will begin to move in the direction you desire. The moment you resolve to he victorious, every nerve and fiber in your being will immediately orient itself toward your success. On the other hand, if you think, "This is never going to work out," then at that instant every cell in your being will be deflated and give up the fight. Then everything really will move in the direction of failure. Anyone who has ever made a resolution discovers that the strength of that determination fades in time. The moment you feel that is when you should make a fresh determination. Tell yourselves: "OK! I will start again from now!" If you fall down seven times, get up the eighth. Don't give up when you feel discouraged just pick yourselves up and renew your determination each time.

Life is a struggle with ourselves. It is a tug-of-war between progress and regression, between happiness and unhappiness. Those short on willpower or self-motivation should chant daimoku with conviction to become people of strong will who can tackle any problem with seriousness and determination.

President Ikeda

Our Daily Spiritual Workout : Gongyo and Daimoku

Our Daily Spiritual Workout : Gongyo and Daimoku

In this excerpt, President Ikeda responds to the concern of future division members who feel guilty when they don’t do gongyo. Explaining that the purpose of Buddhism is to free us, not to constrain us, he says that the spirit to keep challenging oneself, even if only a little, is truly admirable.

"As long as we have faith in the Gohonzon, we are not going to suffer punishment or negative consequences from missing gongyo, so p...lease put your mind at ease. Nichiren Daishonin says that chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo even once is a source of limitless benefit. So imagine the immense benefit you will accumulate when you continue earnestly to do gongyo and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo morning and evening. It is something we do for our own sake; it is a right, not an obligation.

The Gohonzon will never demand that you chant to it. Having appreciation for being able to chant to the Gohonzon is the heart of faith. The more you exert yourselves in faith—in doing gongyo and chanting daimoku—the more you stand to gain.

Also, Nichiren Daishonin writes nothing about the specific amount of daimoku we should chant. It is entirely up to each individual’s awareness. Faith is a lifelong pursuit, so there’s no need to be unnecessarily nervous or anxious about how much you chant.

You don’t have to put unnecessary pressure on yourselves. Buddhism exists to free people, not to restrain them. Chanting every day, even a little bit, is important. For instance, the food you eat each day turns into energy that fuels your bodies. Your studies, too, become a valuable asset when you make steady efforts on a daily basis.

Our lives are created from what we do and how we live every day. For that reason, we should strive to live each day so as to continually improve ourselves. The driving force for this is our morning and evening gongyo.

Exerting ourselves in the practice of gongyo each day amounts to what we might call a “spiritual workout.” It purifies our lives, gets our “motors” running, and sets us on the right track. It gets our bodies and our minds moving and sets a good rhythm for the day.

It is important to have the spirit to sit down in front of the Gohonzon. The spirit to keep challenging yourself to pray before the Gohonzon every day, to chant daimoku, even if only little, is truly admirable."

President Ikeda’s Guidance:

Adapted from the dialogue Discussions on Youth, published in Japanese in March 1999.

What to Think About When We Chant?

What to Think About When We Chant?

People often worry about what they should be thinking about when they chant, but there are no hard and fast rules on this score.

Generally it is a good idea when you begin each chanting session to try to concentrate on establishing a precise and clear rhythm and to listen to the sound of your daimoku.

Then, quite naturally, any problems you may be facing, or your current preoccupations or desires, will probably come into your mind as prayers, to be bathed, as it were, in your own intuitive buddha wisdom.

  

Gradually, as you repeat this process, you will find that the decisions you start to make (not while you are chanting, but in your daily life) will be based more and more on this wisdom -an expression of your true self- and you will begin to orientate your life towards the kind of happy future you begin to realize could be yours...

  

Through chanting at times, you will be able to re-inspire yourself with courage and confidence to keep battling when things look black; at other times you will be able suddenly to see a solution in what seemed like a hopeless situation; or at times you may simply be able to keep fatigue at bay to finish an urgent task.

  

In short, chanting Nam Myo Ho Renge kyo to the Gohonzon is designed for any problem or circumstance, no matter how insignificant it might seem.

  

Finally in the same way as when we began, we should listen to our voice chanting during the last few moments of our daimoku when, quite naturally, we can feel joy rising up within us; indeed, ideally we should continue to chant until we feel this joy welling up from deep within our lives."

  

Source: Excerpt from 'The Buddha In Daily Life', by Richard Causton

  

Daimoku: Quality or Quantity?

Daimoku: Quality or Quantity?

Here, President Ikeda responds to a question from an Italian member about whether quantity or quality is more important in chanting daimoku. Pointing out that Buddhist practice is not about rules and formality, President Ikeda says that we should chant and act in a way that creates value and gives us a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment.

"A 100,000-lira note is worth more than a 10,000-lira note. It goes without saying that it is preferable to have the note with the greater value. In the case of daimoku, the important thing is to chant earnestly and with strong conviction. Of course, it would be even better to have lots of 100,000-lira notes! [Laughter.] The bottom line is that both quality and quantity matter in chanting.

The principle of “responsive communion” is very important in Nichiren Buddhism. To use an analogy, when talking on the phone, if the connection is good, we’ll be heard even if we speak softly, but if it’s bad, then sometimes the other person won’t be able to hear us even if we shout. In order for our prayers to be effective, we need to express them honestly and directly to the Gohonzon.

The Daishonin states: “What is called faith is nothing unusual” (WND-1, 1036). In other words, we can just be ourselves. He continues:

'Faith means putting one’s trust in the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni, Many Treasures, the Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions, and the heavenly gods and benevolent deities, and chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as a woman cherishes her husband, as a man lays down his life for his wife, as parents refuse to abandon their children, or as a child refuses to leave its mother.' (WND-1, 1036)

We should be honest and unpretentious when we chant to the Gohonzon. If we are suffering or feeling sad, then we should take that suffering to the Gohonzon without hiding it, expressing in our prayers what is in our hearts.

It is the Daishonin’s wish that we all become happy. By coming in contact with and connecting with the life of the Daishonin [by chanting to the Gohonzon], therefore, we are certain to attain happiness. It is inconceivable that the Daishonin would fail to protect those who are striving as his emissaries to realize kosen-rufu.

Essentially, we practice the Daishonin’s Buddhism for our own happiness and well-being. In chanting daimoku, too, the main thing is that we ourselves feel happy and satisfied. It’s not a matter of formality; there are no rules specifying how long we have to chant and so on. While it is often helpful to set ourselves a target for the amount of daimoku we want to chant, when we’re too tired or sleepy, or we find ourselves dozing off in front of the Gohonzon and just chanting out of force of habit, then it is far more valuable to get some rest and chant properly another time, when we’re refreshed in body and mind.

  

The most important thing is that we are filled with a satisfying sense of revitalization after chanting. When we continue chanting in this way each day, we will naturally come to experience a life in which all our desires are fulfilled."

  

Source: President Ikeda’s Guidance:From remarks at a question-and-answer session during the North Italy Representative Leaders Meeting commemorating July 3, Mentor-Disciple Day, Milan Community Center, Milan, Italy, July 3, 1992.

  

THE LAW OF KARMA

THE LAW OF KARMA

Our karma is made by no one but ourselves; it is something we have created in our past lives. Our karma is formed through the accumulation of three types of action - our deeds, words and thoughts - that is, what we have done, what we have said, what we have thought and felt.

For example, acts such as deceiving others, causing unhappiness or taking other's lives create negative karma.

After we die, our lives merge into the vast whole, the life of the universe. Death, President Toda said, is like going to sleep at night, while embarking on the next life is like waking up refreshed from sleep to begin a new day. Life is like a continuous cycle of sleeping and waking.

The most important point here is that our karma does not vanish after we die; it continues on into the next life. It's like when we borrow money from someone one day: the debt remains when we wake up the next morning. Similarly, the sufferings of this life will continue in the next. If we die writhing in unbearable pain and agony in this lifetime, we will be born having to bear the same agony in the next. Death offers no escape from our karma. Therefore, committing suicide offers no release from suffering.

If on the other hand, we attain a secure state of happiness and end our days savoring profound joy, we will be born amid good circumstances in the next life and move towards a happy existence.

Source: President Ikeda:The New Human Revolution, Volume 3, Chapter 1