300 Second Challenge

Earlier I posted a link to listen to chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

Nichiren said that by chanting this we can reveal our Buddha nature and access our Buddha wisdom, but what does it mean?

Nam means devotion. We are devoting out lives to awaken our Buddhahood through faith, practice and study of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism.  It is more than just a devotion though; it is a complete unity.  Every ounce of our being is part of "myoho-renge-kyo" and every syllabel of "myoho-renge-kyo" is part of our being.

Myoho is the mystic law of life. The fundamental reality of the constant changes that occur in our thoughts and lives moment by moment.

Renge literally means lotus flower, which is the title of Shakyamuni Buddha's ultimate teaching. One of the peculiarities of the lotus flower is that it seeds and blooms simultaneously. In the same way, our lives are governed by strict laws of simultaneous causes and effects. Everything we think, say or do causes a simultaneously effect in our lives which will manifest itself when the conditions are right. This could be an instantaneous effect, it could lie dormant for many years or it may not manifest itself until a future life, but that effect has been created and registered at the exact moment the cause was made.

Finally, Kyo means teaching or sutra, such as the kind of spoken teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha.

So putting it all together we are chanting our “devotion to the mystic law of cause and effect as revealed in the Lotus Sutra”.

Many new members want to know how often and how long they should be chanting, but there are no hard and fast rules.  Most members will chant for about half an hour every morning and evening, but some will do less and others more.  The only advice Nichiren gave us was to chant to our heart's content. 

The only other thing I'd say is to just sit quietly somewhere without the distractions of TV and either have a go on your own or chant along with the mp3 link.

If you are new to this Buddhism why not commit to chanting for just 300 seconds a day or 300 seconds every morning and evening. 

Try it for 30 days and see how you feel.

It may feel strange at first, but you'll soon get into a nice rhythm.

You may find once you start you lose track of the time or don't want to stop after 5 minutes. 

If so, don't stop, just chant to your heart's content.

Click here to hear the chanting