How To Practice Lotus Sutra And Chanting

When I was first introduced to this practice, I was very critical. I thought that the people who engaged in the practice had no sense, because all I saw them doing was chanting "Nam Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo" while looking at a paper. Later I was confronted with a difficulty in life, I felt lost and was struggling to get out of it. I lost hope and as I was about to give up my fight, my sister (a member of SGI-UK) persuaded me to follow this practice. Reluctantly I started chanting just to please her. I was amazed by the effects chanting had on my life. The problem I was faced with miraculously resolved. Having experienced the power of chanting I was ashamed of my initial judgment. I could not help feeling that I had done wrong in insulting this great sutra by looking at it through a critical eye. This prompted me to tell others of my experiences so as to stop them making the same mistake that I made. This feeling motivated me to write this book too, so that I can help clear any initial confusion or misgivings that a person may have when beginning to practice the Lotus Sutra.

There are three steps associated with chanting. These are faith, practice and study. Practice is the most important factor. Even if you don’t have faith when you start practicing you will develop faith, especially when you continue chanting and your desires are being fulfilled. Once you have developed faith you could study about the Sutra and by this time you would acquire a non-deluded mind and you will be able to understand the teachings of the Lotus Sutra correctly. I mentioned earlier that in this era everything could be criticized giving hundred points either way. Similarly if you try to start studying the Sutra, before practicing it (chanting) you could become completely biased and develop a deluded mind.

For example, suppose I am a Aborigine and I want to explore the world with my friend. I meet a civilized person on the way and he gives me a Morse code machine and shows me how to press "SOS" and says that if I need any help I could use this. Even though I don’t know what it is I decided to carry it with me. During the voyage we come across a desert and get lost in it. Though we are illiterate we understand that we would die of thirst in the desert as we see many dead bodies around us. Since we all love our lives, we would not just stand around till we die in the desert. We try our best to survive and escape. We may plan to dig the ground with the intention of finding some water. We may try doing this but we may never be able to dig deep enough and may become exhausted and give up. Because we love to live, we may try to find another method for survival. We may decide to run through the desert thinking that there must be an end to it. But we may fail at this too. Can we relax? No. We plan something else. We may start shouting with the hope that someone would hear our call and rescue us. But we may fail at this too.

Suddenly I would remember that I have the Morse code machine. I wonder for a moment and decide to press the SOS like I was taught even though I do not know what it is and how it works. Then my friend starts asking me what am I doing without planning an escape. I tell him what happened and I continue pressing out a SOS hoping to be rescued. My friend asks me what purpose there is in doing this; can this metal piece give us food or water? Can it carry us across the desert? Is it making a big noise that others could hear? I will say no and I may become doubtful about it too.

My friend criticizes me and leaves assuming I have gone insane, with the intention of finding some other means of escape. I will continue to press the SOS code though still doubtful about it, because I have no energy left to carry out any other plan of escape.

What would happen? The SOS will work and I will be rescued. Once I come to the civilized world I could find out what the SOS code is and how it works. Then I will have faith in it and I would also recommend it to other people

This is how chanting works. If you try to study about the SOS code in a desert (if you are a Aborigine ), you will never be able to do so and if you wait till you study about it and get convinced of its action before using the SOS code you will never be able to make up your mind to press SOS. Likewise, if you start chanting even without faith, it will lead you to your destination. Later, you will develop faith and you will want to learn more about the Lotus Sutra and chanting.

Therefore the practice is the most important factor.

The Buddha has stated in the Lotus Sutra that it is very difficult for people to reach Buddhahood through understanding. But once you enter the pathway to Buddhahood you are sure to reach the destination. Chanting to the object of worship is the pathway leading to Buddhahood but this requires tremendous courage and perseverance.

Once you adhere to the practice of chanting you have entered the pathway of Buddhahood and you will definitely reach your destination.

Every prayer is answered through the practice of chanting to the Gohonzon. You do not have to adhere to or follow any commandments. Anybody in any state of mind could seek guidance to achieve his or her desires. The Buddha’s compassion is such that he promised to save all people and lead all of them to attain enlightenment.

What is common to all living beings? The desires. We all have desires, which differ from person to person.

The desire of a monk is renouncing the desires of Sansara. Our desire is to lead a prosperous and happy life while overcoming our challenges.

A murderer or a criminal could also practice the Sutra to achieve his goal. All will be guided in the proper way for their happiness and in order for them to evolve spiritually.

I would like to give the following example: supposing I have a grudge against one of my enemies and I feel that the person has done me much harm in the past and I plan to attack him to take revenge. According to my mind I am convinced that I should take revenge and I am able to justify my desire.

There is a sequence when you practice;

1.       Daimoku (chanting) ------------------> Plan the action

2.       Daimoku ---------------------------------> Check the action

3.       Daimoku -----------------------------------> Take action

I face the object of worship or Dharma Dathu, which symbolizes the energy of the Buddha. This is a paper in the literal sense. I face the Dharma Dathu and chant to fulfill my desire which is, attacking my enemy and taking revenge. I seek an opportunity to do so, while chanting, all of my past experiences with this enemy come to the surface of my mind freely. I disclose all my vengeance while I chant to justify my desire in front of the Dharma Dathu.

The Dharma Dathu is motionless. Because the Dharma Dathu does not react or oppose me I disclose my mind freely. I am happy and relieved as I am sure that chanting will help me take revenge. I plan and seek an opportunity to attack my enemy. In this era even if the Buddha appears in person and tries to persuade me to practice maitri towards my enemy I may get flustered thinking in my delusion that even Buddha cannot understand me as I have all the reasons to justify my wish to take revenge.

The next stage is checking. This means I practice chanting daily, checking the progress of my plan with great faith in my practice.

Though I cannot see or feel it, the daimoku or chanting will start acting between the external stimulus and me. My external stimulus is my enemy.

In - Daimoku - En

I am sure of the chanting, I am sure it will act on my behalf, so I keep chanting. Each day my mind re-analyzes my progress.

While I continue chanting, the daimoku will act inconspicuously between my enemy and me. If I will pass by my enemy while he is smiling at one of his friends, I will feel that he smiled at me. This coincidence will take place as a consequence of the mysterious action of chanting.

When I do my chanting after this happening, my mind starts to wonder. His smiling face haunts my mind. Now I wonder whether to take revenge or not. The vengeance in my mind is now becoming less and less. Instead of my plan of attacking him and taking revenge, all of a sudden a correct thought will come to the surface of my mind. “How nice if I could get friendly with him”. Without my knowledge I start chanting for this purpose. Now my desire is to get friendly with him.

Instantly, daimoku starts to act in a mysterious manner.

I meet the person. I will not react with vengeance in my heart. He too will feel this change in me and will also change his attitude towards me and eventually we will become good friends.

This is an example to illustrate how planning, checking and action take place while chanting in order to lead us in the right direction maintaining our happiness and also giving us the correct guidance needed to achieve our desires.

            • Every prayer is answered in the best possible manner at the correct time.

            • As we are deluded we cannot plan properly to achieve happiness and contentment.

Another example: supposing my 10 years old child asks me to provide him with a real airplane saying that he is fed up of toy airplanes. He is sure that he could pilot a real plane because he has seen how pilots sit in the cockpit and pilot the plane with ease. He feels that he too could do the same thing easily.

He keeps troubling me asking me for a plane. He is my son and I love him very much and I would love to give him every thing under the sun to please him.

Will I buy this for him? No, I will not. He will blame me for not buying him a plane. He cannot understand what sort of a danger he would be heading for if I bought him a plane. If I did as he asked I know that he would surely crash the plane and be killed. What will I do? I would understand my child’s desire correctly. I would slowly take him on a different path, educating him to become a pilot. He will resent me for making his life difficult, as he has to prepare and study. I ignore this while I lead him towards achieving his goal. I make sure that he becomes the best pilot and then I will buy him the best airplane. Likewise, we are unaware of the dangers that we have to face according to our bad karma and we will also blindly plan to archive our desires.

            • Every prayer we offer to the Buddha will be answered in the proper way at the proper time.

Chanting is like an arrow sent to a target. This arrow will definitely hit the target. Whatever the obstacle that comes in its way the arrow will pierce through or disperse in order to hit the target correctly.

Likewise when we chant to achieve a goal we could overcome any obstacle that may come in our way

When we chant, at the beginning our mind starts wondering and we will not be able to concentrate on chanting as the burning problems or our challenges come to the surface of the mind. Later these will be cleared one by one and we will be able to concentrate and keep our mind steady while chanting.

This practice purifies the three doors; thought, word and deed, in order to tap the Ninth Consciousness or universal energy.

While chanting, any thought that comes to the surface of our mind would be purified as I have mentioned in my example above. This is the purified thought.

The purified words are the daimoku ("Nam Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo") and the purified deed is the act of chanting itself and the posture and the actions we take towards world peace.

According to our karma we face challenges. These challenges come as bizarre thoughts. These will be purified inconspicuously while fulfilling our desires.

When we adhere to this practice, without our knowledge, we fulfill the seven Paramithas such as Mettha, Karuna, Muditha, Upekka and also in turn participate in Dhana, Seela and Bhavana.

For example, if we see a person who is in difficulty, we would be compelled to introduce this practice to him or her as we have developed Karuna, Daya and Maithri towards the person. And when the person overcomes his or her difficulty by adhering to the practice, this will cause us to rejoice in his or her success wholeheartedly. That is Upekka.

Dana means giving alms. We give the Dharma as Dhana.

Sheela is the way you lead your life harmoniously with the peace of mind that comes from knowing that you have the divine protection.

Bhawana is the daily practice and the concentration power you develop and this will help you to carry out your day to day commitments.

The Buddha who expounded the law of Karma should also provide a way to eradicate bad karma in order for us to be free of suffering. All actions in our life depend on our previous karma and we call this our fate. If we cannot change fate or karma we could live our lives and let things happen thinking we cannot change our fate. We need not have a religion then. The Buddha expounded the Lotus Sutra in order for us to transform our negative karma into positive karma. The Lotus Sutra is the quickest and most effective method to change our fate.