Buddhism is a Triangle Practice

Life crumbles down and we hit the rock bottom; general problems of relationships, health, financial or career; life is smooth yet something doesn´t feel right; Nothing makes sense or interested in knowing the practice & we think let’s give it a try- that´s how we all end up chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo J

We practice, find members around us and go to meetings and we don´t give a thought on what is really we getting into, more than thinking that it is a machine for benefits. These things are deep may be but yet very important, getting hold of right basics is important to have a faith like flowing water and not like fire. In starting we chant and get benefits and slowly and steadily due lack of understanding or same practicing way day after day makes us slide in faith.

Did you think it was so easy? Actually honestly speaking it is, all you need is a right foundation. For my own understanding i like to call this a triangle practice.

Triangle:

Faith, practice and study –pillars of practice

Me, Gohonzon and Sensei- relationship with practice

Wisdom, courage and compassion- essence of practice

Let’s see how we apply these in daily life, while faith gives us hope, practice helps us grow and study gives a better perspective towards our daily problems big or small.

On the other hand, the relationships with Gohonzon and Sensei gives us a clarity and courage to face our problems.

Wisdom is to look at our daily problems with a right perspective, courage is to sit down for Daimoku in the time of problems rather than complaining or feeling hopeless and compassion is the most important as it help you see others pain with empathy and not sympathy.

Even though we have all the right tools in our hand then why we are stuck. In my honest opinion i think we are not stuck we are still walking the path. It is like learning all these things at our own pace. Don´t worry, it is a journey not the end that will make a difference. Something will be learnt fast then some will be learnt through tough and may be very harsh experiences.

Coming to application of these triangles in our daily life is like this: Make Gohonzon as a center of our life which means first thing is Daimoku and then take the actions for the things lying in front of us. In simply words, Buddhism is about giving our best in our daily life, this will be the secret to biggest benefits you can ever imagine. When feeling like ¨Oh my god what i am going to do now, my life is stuck¨ just take a deep breath and find some courage to sit for Daimoku and have a dialogue with Gohonzon. Go back to sensei´s guidance and the conclusion is keep moving, conquer your problems step by step. Still feeling anger or fear, trust me it is natural all that matters is are you going to face it or try to run away. Running for guidance and still feeling like crap. Chill my dear friends in faith, we might think we have no hope yet the act of looking for inspiring guidance and words is the act of saying you still have hope inside your heart. If there was no hope then why would you even look for something outside? Daily Buddhism is not letting yourself being sucked in the bag of fear or loss. Buddhism is not being perfect but giving your best even while knowing your own weaknesses. Buddhism is walking with your chin up in midst of problems, it is a daily act of putting up that smile of bodhisattva, not a fake one but a smile that reflects our life state about we will do it and finally our approach to life gives hope to people around us that life is worth living even in the series of shit happening every second. I love concluding this whole with a simple thought, we all stand in our own battle fields and no one will know how we feel in our life. Yet we walk with dignity and with an expanded heart to accept people around us with their own flaws. Accept others and respect them for fighting their own wars each minute of the life. By doing this we naturally create value in our daily life. Buddhism is 24*7 J

Making depression as an asset through Buddhism

How many of us really know what depression is, I guess barely the people who actually suffer. In scientific terms, the level of depression varies from a mere temporary phase to a daily challenge. It is not a mental problem so stop judging people by saying they are negative or pessimistic as you never know how much a person is trying hard to even survive on the hourly or daily basis. Depression is nothing but a chemical imbalance where one person has a higher tendency to feel sadness than others. Some people out there goes in a phase of merely seclusion not talking much or lack of appetite while others can have severe suicidal thoughts and daily fight with their own fundamental darkness to still go on. Based on culture and country, some people say it openly that yes they have this problem and they go for counselling while others never even realize or say it loudly that yes they have depression.

Well how Buddhism plays a rule in this medical issue is very interesting? With the changing lifestyle and more attraction for materialistic things, love, perfect body, big home and a big fat salary yet a happening life has put us under a lot of pressure. In result to all this, lately we all suffer with this problem at some level or the other. Now the good thing is as a Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism practitioner, I have found a tool to take the responsibility of my life in my own hands with chanting: NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO, human revolution and with expansion of my own life, I can deal with it. I met a Buddhist leader once and in his lecture he shared that he suffered with chronic depression and still he challenges it on daily basis. But like Buddhism says we all are special with our own characteristics. We don´t need to change ourselves rather we need to create value with our own special qualities. While a shy person can use his shyness to be a good listener, an extrovert person can become a leader and a short temper person can stand up for the right things. Similarly depression has its own benefits like it has blessed me a compassionate heart to see others with open mind and not judge them, empathy to not any less for their pain and problems than mine. Rather a heart of compassion holds the power of empathy but not sympathy or pitying on someone. You can genuinely be there for others without any judgments about them or their actions.

Scientific logic:

Have you ever heard about the concept that before public speaking if you are nervous shout and release it? Similar logic helps in Buddhism with continuous chanting with a determined sound helps your body release your emotions while the determination leaves you with a positive image in your head. On the other side Buddhism and your faith in practice always leave you with hope and self-belief that you can do anything which seems impossible. Nothing happens outside it all happened by your own responsibility for your own actions. The main cause behind depression getting worse is we start turning into our own shells. While with continuous support of Buddhism members, I never need to hide in my own shell. While buddhism activities helped me polish myself as who I am and make me realize of my own inner potentials. Personally I as a shy person for my whole life realized that I still prefer to be a listener but when I have an opportunity of presentation at work or somewhere else I simply enjoy it. I found poetry and sketching as my ways to deal with my emotions in a constructive way.

Sometimes people have popped up the question if it can be cured I will say yes and no both. I am not going to preach anything, I am going to tell you my side of story. Yes I suffer with depression and panic attacks and have faced the chronic phase for really long time. But I no more worry about it. Every time daily affairs try to bog me down I know that I am lacking a sincere practice and I immediately go back to my chanting and reconnect with my own Buddhahood i.e. my best friend. I also become more active in my daily life through Buddhism activities, making an effort to meet other members or friends and family. Thereby, depression can be constructive as well so stop bothering yourself with the idea that you are suffering with a problem rather standup and take pride in yourself and cherish it. Believe me with Buddhism practice you will discover a new side of it, people will see the genuineness of you while you try to stand by others side in their problems. They will find a real person in you. I bet you, may be you won´t be there for their happy times but they know that you will always be there for their bad days.

¨Suffer what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy. Suffering and joy both are the facts of life.¨

Happy chanting J

Does chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo has any rules?

Are there any rules to make our prayers answered? If not then what is it? Why we suffer?

In the time of sufferings especially that has been going on for too long, everyone's victory or successful experience seems like a fairy tale. I am sure for each one of us our sufferings are the biggest, and we are the fighter standing in our own war field and facing it. The reason they become the biggest sufferings to us is, they wakes up our deep innermost fears.

I started this practice about 4.5 years ago and i wonder if my karmas are still standing there. I have a lot of challenges going in my life from health, relationship, financial and what not. Beauty behind all these dark clouds of sufferings is I have surely come far in my own life. I am no more running after happiness as I know it's just me who needs to accept myself, love myself and improve myself to become better then who I was yesterday. I have come to an acceptance that i am only responsible for my own actions and not others. I don't have the thoughts to blame others anymore, I don't fight with others when the things don't go as i planned. Answer to that is, i know it's just me who has full potential to control my actions and reactions to other´s actions. In fact it is not some lack of fortune/luck rather it is lack of wisdom, courage and compassion from my lack of chanting Daimoku, that makes my days difficult. Surely, this is an inconspicuous benefit of this practice only. Even though I kept falling and falling but I kept getting up one after another fall I had. I still continue to do the same, some days can be easier when i don´t let others overpower my life including my own mind and then other days i can be bogged down as well due to lack of wisdom. 

Today, I want to call out to each one of the bodhisattva of the earth (people who are trying to bring out their buddhahood) and request them rise above your sufferings. I know you feel tired and exhausted and it seems like this is it. I can't take it anymore. I know you have got lost in the puzzle of finding answers of why things are not changing, why me, why and why? Stop right there, why? Because you are asking wrong questions and so the answers are not coming and then with this circle of wrong questions and no answer and again and again makes us drained out. Let's not repeat our same actions to have same reactions, it's time to ask the right questions i.e. ¨how? ¨ How i can overcome it or how should i deal with it or how should i react to it? Answer is go back to gohonzon and pour out your heart and chant like it’s a dialogue between you and gohonzon (your innermost Buddhahood). The dialogue that would be honest, clear and so true in its own way that you might have to finish that dialogue without even wanting to because you have to deal with other work or go to office etc. This dialogue or chanting doesn't need some prescribed time like a medicine prescription or it doesn't need to be just some written prayers on paper given to you. This dialogue or chanting comes with no other rule than put it out through heart. This dialogue is like making the strongest bond of your life with gohonzon and none above it. This is your time, your moment and you have nobody to tell you how to do it or why, you do it by simply following your heart, feel it and listen to it. 

Enjoy chanting like never before 

How to start the Nichiren Buddhist practice

Our lives are surrounded by the different religions and philosophies and we all are in search of the one i.e. most suitable for our lives while fulfilling our personal needs. Chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo helped me in growing spiritually which lead to the personal growth to help me deal with my daily life and making best out of ongoing circumstances.
So, as a beginner and now being on this path for quite some time and still going on, here is what i have learnt as a beginner and i still continue to learn. These basics can help anyone who is new to practice to have some basic grounding and progress along the way:

How to start?

Basics of the practice include 3 main terms, Daimoku (Chanting: Nam Myoho Renge Kyo), Gongyo (recitation of 2 chapters of Lotus sutra including some silent prayers) and Gohonzon (Paper scroll inked by Nichiren daishonin in chinese symbols with Nam Myoho Renge Kyo in the center, it is an object of devotion reflecting the Buddha nature that one can achieve when we chant). All we have to do is chant and do gongyo twice a day like morning and evening. It sounds super restrictive but it isn't. Logical point of view for this is, morning chanting and Gongyo helps with starting our day with fresh determinations and vow to give our best in our upcoming situations while in evening it is more like a gratitude practice, for being able to give our best wherever we could and to re-determine for the next day. As in the previous post i did mention that chanting brings out our Buddha nature to face life with wisdom, compassion and courage, morning Daimoku creates a strong foundation for the day. Whereas through the daily life and so many fluctuating circumstances of the day one gets bogged down with so many emotions that evening Daimoku lifts our spirits again. In principle, it is all about the heart so one can chant whenever they like and as long as they like.

P.S: Heart is all that matters, for starters you can just sit in some peaceful place facing a blank wall and chant with open eyes loud enough to hear your own voice. Open eyes is important as chanting is like calling out and talking to your own buddha nature, remember when we talk to someone, we sit properly and with open eyes as a matter of respect. All the practicing members can apply for the Gohonzon while the process differs on the base of country you are practicing in.

Foundation of practice:

Our practice has its strong foundation laid down on the 3 pillars of Faith, Practice and Study. Faith is about chanting and keeping the practice as the center of our life no matter what circumstances we are in, including happiness or sadness. Practice includes, Daimoku and Gongyo recitation while we have some monthly meetings and we are allowed to meet members or visit them to do Daimoku together (referred as home visits) and study. Study includes the monthly magazine of our organization and the other books written by Ikeda Sensei, president of our organization named as SGI: Soka Gakkai International.

History of Soka Gakkai International:

After Nichiren Daishonin inscribed Gohonzon and explained that the core of Buddhism is encapsulated in the Lotus Sutra. The crux of Lotus Sutra is Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. Also, buddha nature is universal and it is inherited in all the living beings. Therefore, chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo leads to bringing out the best potential of oneself filled with wisdom, compassion and courage.

In 1930, an educator and author Makiguchi build the organization named as Soka Gakkai. Soka Gakkai means, value creating society, we all are part of this organization with the main purpose of creating value in our own life and others even in the midst of challenges. In simple words, become happy and spread happiness as chanting is the tool to be happy.

Later on, Josei Toda, closest follower of Makiguchi became second president and promoted the idea of Buddhism as the self-empowerment practice. He also stressed upon the term "Human Revolution" reflecting that by our own personal heart transformation and with actions one can lead to enlightenment in the present lifetime itself.

Presently, Daisaku Ikeda is our 3rd president of the Soka Gakkai and continues on the path set forth by Toda Sensei and stresses upon Human revolution by basing our life on the 3 pillars of Faith, Practice and Study. At present, 12 million practicing members are spread all over 192 countries and it continues to grow further.

Essence of Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo

Some call it a chant then some call it a Mantra. I learnt from a source that it is more profound to call it a sound as it is not a mere language or a bunch of words rather it has essential roots coming from Sanskrit while written in Chinese characters and pronounced in Japanese.

Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, a sound known to be the universal voice of the Buddhas and universe that connects us all as one is known to be the essence of the Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism.  Nichiren explained Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo as the Mystic law governing the natural law of working for the life among the Buddhas and universe. Nichiren Buddhism philosophy says that each human being is a Buddha, while Buddha is distinguished as an enlightened human being. Buddha is known for the wisdom, compassion and courage. Therefore, an enlightened human being can distinguish between right and wrong while have the courage to act upon that alongside with a compassion to act wisely in a way not to have any negative impact on people in his surroundings.

Nichiren Buddhism was originated from the Lotus Sutra written by Gautum Buddha during the last eight years of his life. Lotus sutra is based on the mystic law of cause and effect. "Mystic Law explains the simultaneous existence of both the cause and effect of Buddhahood." The fact about Lotus flower that it blooms in white blossoms from roots sunk deep in muddy water. It represents that highest nature of Lotus flower comes forth through the muddy water. Similarly, the highest nature of our life is brought forth through the difficult hardships or painful realities of the life and society. Therefore, in present life time we all are living in the midst of problems or sufferings and the harder our sufferings are, the stronger would be our roots and most beautiful and highest nature of life will be brought forth. While we as human beings wishes for a smooth life and happiness with money, love, job, home etc. Truth is hard times or those challenges are the source of nutrition for our roots while that muddy water helps us strengthen our roots and bloom to the best while we simultaneously have seeds to our future benefits.

Chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo is like an act of voicing our innermost conviction with a determined vow in the form of prayer. While we chant, we make an self effort to determine to take charge of our life and with the responsibility of our life in our hands instead of depending on something outside. We chant to bring out our inner buddhahood that is we raise our life to the level where we can see the word with the potential as a Buddha. We chant to be able to have wisdom, compassion and courage to give our best in the daily life and create value out of every situation we face in daily life. We chant to not be deluded by emotions or let our weaker self take over and be affected by the environment.

Chanting is just a first step towards a new journey of our life where we only head towards building and creating our life with happiness no matter what circumstances we are in. We chant to create our own destiny like an artist creates his own art. We take the charge of our life in our hand while not looking for something superficial or someone out there to save us. We became our own saviors while we no more need to be saved from anything. Imbibing the essence of this practice is like taking the train of happiness where no matter which stop comes, we will just continue the journey of happiness. Take this step for you and see it for yourself.

Nam - Devotion
Myoho- Mystic law of life
Renge- law of cause and effect as the lotus flower
Kyo- interconnected life through voice

I devote my life to the mystic law of cause and effect through voice. It is said, "Voice does the Buddha's work." This universal voice connects us throughout the three existences of past, present and future in present moment. To summarize:

Nichiren uses a poetic metaphor to describe this process: "[W]hen a caged bird sings, birds who are flying in the sky are thereby summoned and gather around, and when the birds flying in the sky gather around, the bird in the cage strives to get out. When with our mouths we chant the Mystic Law, our Buddha nature, being summoned, will invariably emerge."

Happy Chanting 

KPK