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