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FEATURE
RAVI JUNEJA
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Developing a life of absolute
happiness
This month, Robert Harrap looks in detail at the phrase Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and how
chanting can make a difference to your life
N
ichiren Daishonin wrote that: ‘There is no true
happiness for human beings other than chanting
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.’1 Given all the things
that we think might bring us happiness, this is an
extraordinary statement, but the reason he says this
is because he wishes people to experience absolute
happiness rather than the fleeting, superficial sort of
happiness we feel when our desires are rewarded in
some way.
In previous articles in this series we have seen how
Nichiren Buddhism tells us that at our core we have the
Buddha nature. The way to stimulate the Buddha nature
and to reveal the Buddha life‑condition is to chant
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. This is what will enable us to
experience absolute happiness from within the depths
of our lives.
In this article, I will look at the meaning of this phrase
and see how Nichiren Daishonin explained that chanting
this will enable us to change our lives from within, and
consequently make a change in society. I like to think of
this phrase as both a wonderful formula that explains
the workings of life, and at the same time it is an
expression of the beauty, wonder and majesty of life.
Revealing the teaching of Nam-myohorenge-kyo
Nichiren Daishonin first taught about Nam-myoho-rengekyo on 28 April 1253 when he was 31 years old. He
had spent the early part of his life researching into
the purpose and meaning of Buddhism. As a youth he
had vowed to become the wisest person in Japan, and
because there were so many contradictory explanations
and practices of Buddhism at the time in Japan, he
wished to understand the Buddha’s original intention.
After his ordination in 1237, Nichiren Daishonin had
studied at the major centres of Buddhist learning around
Japan, reading and considering the available sutras,
commentaries and teachings of the different Buddhist
schools. Through this period he became convinced that
the essence of Shakyamuni’s teachings is found in the
Lotus Sutra which reveals a great Law that leads ordinary
people directly to enlightenment. On his return to his
home temple, Seicho-ji, he explained in a lecture the
conclusion of his research that the practice of chanting
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the way to put the teachings of
the Lotus Sutra into action and that this is the Law that
enables everyone to attain Buddhahood in this lifetime.
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Let’s look at each of the syllables of this phrase in turn.
First ‘Nam’ has its root in Sanskrit and has the meaning
of ‘respect’, ‘devotion’ or ‘dedication’. The next five
syllables are, on one level, the Japanese pronunciation
of the title of the version of the Lotus Sutra translated
by the great Indian translator, Kumarajiva, who
translated it from Sanskrit into classical Chinese in
the fifth century of the common era.2 But the syllables
are also more than just the sutra’s title. As Nichiren
Daishonin wrote: ‘Our contemporaries think of the five
characters of Myoho-renge-kyo only as a name, but this
is not correct. It is the essence, that is, the heart of the
Lotus Sutra.’3
‘Myo’ literally means ‘mystic’, and by that we
understand it is describing something which is unseen,
or latent, or enlightened. ‘Ho’ literally means ‘law’ or
‘dharma’ and refers to phenomena which are concrete,
manifest and visible. It also implies ignorance (in
contrast to the enlightenment implied by ‘myo’).
Taking these two characters together, ‘myoho’
describes the cycle of life. ‘Myo’ corresponds to the
latent period before and after life; ‘ho’ corresponds to the
manifest period from conception, through birth, growth,
maturing, decline and death, before the energy of life
returns to the latent state and merges with the universe.
‘Myoho’ also refers to the principle of the ‘Ten Worlds’
or states of life. ‘Myo’ corresponds to the enlightened
world of Buddhahood, and ‘ho’ corresponds to the other
nine worlds which, unless they are experienced from the
perspective of Buddhahood, are a source of delusion
and fundamental darkness.
‘Ren’ is the name of the lotus plant; ‘ge’ means
flower. The lotus is a common symbol in Buddhism
because it is a beautiful plant that grows in the muddy
swamp. This encourages us to recognise that the real
place of Buddhist practice is not secluded away from
the realities of life, in a monastery or a convent, or
on a mountain top, but is rooted in society, in the real
life that we ordinary people experience. The lotus is
also one of a small number of plants which produce
flowers and fruit at the same time (rather than as more
commonly happens, blossom appearing before fruit
which contains seeds). This means that the lotus can
be used to symbolise the principle of the simultaneity
of cause and effect, which is particularly relevant for the
idea of revealing Buddhahood in this lifetime. The action
which is the cause to reveal our Buddhahood has an
instantaneous effect; we don’t have to wait to see our
Buddhahood emerge.
‘Kyo’ means ‘sutra’ or ‘teaching’. The character that
is used to write this also implies the warp of cloth, and
implies that all phenomena are interconnected, not only
The great challenge in life is to
make the distinction between
our ability to be the Buddha, and
therefore wise, compassionate
and courageous, as opposed to
the ability to muddle along as the
ordinary ‘common mortal’
in the present, but also in the past and future. Because
traditionally a teaching was transmitted orally, this
character also resonates with the importance of sound
and vibration, activity we see throughout the universe.
‘Kyo’ informs us that all phenomena are manifestations
of the Mystic Law.
Summoning forth our Buddha nature
While this phrase explains the workings of life (almost
as a scientific formula does), it was Nichiren Daishonin’s
intention that we should more deeply understand that
this phrase is the name of the Buddha potential in
our lives. The purpose of Buddhism is to enable us to
reveal our greatest potential, and Nichiren Daishonin
recognised the power of this phrase to enable us to
do that. The name of the Buddha nature, the ninth
consciousness, is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. If we call
its name, we will stimulate and activate the ninth
consciousness and it will emerge from within us.
Nichiren Daishonin wrote: ‘When we revere Myoho-rengekyo inherent in our own life as the object of devotion,
the Buddha nature within us is summoned forth and
manifested by our chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
This is what is meant by “Buddha”.’4
The great challenge in life is to make the distinction
between our ability to be the Buddha, and therefore
wise, compassionate and courageous, as opposed to
the ability to muddle along as the ordinary ‘common
mortal’ at the mercy of fear, doubt, delusion and other
aspects of what Buddhism calls fundamental darkness.
1 Nichiren Daishonin, ‘Happiness in this World’ (WND‑1, p. 681).
2 The Sanskrit original was called Sad-dharma-pundarika-sutra and Kumarajiva’s
translation became, in classical Chinese, Miao-fa-lien-hua-ching. In thirteenth
century Japan, these characters were pronounced Myoho-renge-kyo.
3 Nichiren Daishonin, ‘This is What I Heard’ (WND‑1, p. 861).
4 Nichiren Daishonin, ‘Those Initially Aspiring to the Way’ (WND‑1, p. 887).
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The meaning of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo
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FEATURE
If we see our chanting as an
opportunity to praise our inherent
Buddhahood and celebrate our
potential, then our attitude will be
a hopeful and optimistic one
▼
We might believe that some other people might be
Buddhas, and yet doubt that we ourselves are capable
of revealing this condition, or we might think that we
could become Buddhas, but not just yet. Both of these
views are, in the terms of Nichiren Buddhism, delusion;
the fact is that we can reveal our greatest potential here
and now, regardless of our circumstances. All we have to
do is to cut through the delusion and let our true nature
shine out. It was for this reason that Nichiren Daishonin
wrote to one of his followers, Abutsu-bo: ‘You, yourself,
are a Thus Come One [an epithet of the Buddha] who
is originally enlightened and endowed with the three
bodies [three aspects of the Buddha]. You should chant
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with this conviction.’5
So how do we do as Nichiren Daishonin suggests
and chant ‘with this conviction’ that we are ourselves
the Buddha? Developing this conviction means that we
have to re-train minds away from our previously held
convictions that we are not enlightened, or worthy of
respect and deepen our confidence in our Buddhahood.
Our minds are also full of thoughts, some of which
are useful, but many of which are not much more
than superficial fluff. If the time we have to chant is
a precious opportunity in our busy lives to reveal our
Buddhahood, what is the best way to take advantage of
this time?
What happens when we chant?
Let’s start by seeing what happens as we chant. Let’s
assume that we are already sitting upright with our
palms together, looking at the Gohonzon (this will
be explained in a future article) and we repeat the
phrase Nam-myoho-renge-kyo aloud. The volume isn’t
important, especially if we are chanting somewhere with
thin walls, but our attitude is. If we see our chanting
as an opportunity to praise our inherent Buddhahood
and celebrate our potential, then our attitude will be a
hopeful and optimistic one. I sometimes think that the
best chanting we do is when we are first shown how to
do it – perhaps someone has handed us a card with
‘Nam-myoho-renge-kyo’ on it and we are trying for the
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first time on our own to say these words, looking closely
at the card, and trying to remember how to pronounce
the six syllables. At this time there is a wonderful
fusion of the voice and mind, concentrating on saying
this phrase. In time, however, as the mouth and tongue
become familiar with the phrase, the rhythm and the
pace of chanting, then the mind relaxes a little, and
will probably, inevitably, let the mouth carry on chanting
while the mind goes off on a frolic of its own.
This is understandable, but what is the value of
the many ordinary thoughts that bubble up from our
minds? How many of them are positive affirmations
of our potential as a Buddha? How many of them are
determinations for the peace and happiness of oneself
and others? Probably not very many! Nichiren Daishonin
suggests that: ‘One should become the master of
one’s mind rather than let one’s mind master oneself.’6
This means that we need to train ourselves to look for
the Buddha in our minds, rather than be swept along
by the superficial chatter which emerges. How do we
do this? There are probably lots of techniques, but a
starting point is simply to listen to the sound of the
voice as we say Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Can you chant
and listen to your voice for long enough to hear Nammyoho-renge-kyo one time, before a different thought
comes into your mind? How about three times? Or five
times, or ten times? Gradually we get better at listening
to this expression of our Buddhahood; after all, in the
quotation above Nichiren Daishonin suggested that we
‘revere Myoho-renge-kyo inherent in our own lives as the
object of devotion’. It is not egotistical to revere our own
potential, because when our Buddhahood emerges as a
result, we are then in a position to take compassionate
altruistic action for the happiness of others.
There is a lot more that could be said about prayer,
especially how it is an expression of our determination
to make a difference to the world around us, but this will
be looked at in future articles.
We will get the most out of our chanting, then, if we
can as quickly as possible establish the attitude that it
is the opportunity every day for us to reveal our greatest
potential. As Nichiren Daishonin explained, when we
do this we will experience ‘the great joy … when one
understands for the first time that one’s mind from the
very beginning has been the Buddha. Nam-myoho-rengekyo is the greatest of all joys.’7 ■
5 Nichiren Daishonin, ‘On the Treasure Tower’ (WND‑1, p. 299-300).
6 Nichiren Daishonin, ‘Letter to Gijo-Bo’ (WND‑1, p. 390).
7 Nichiren Daishonin, The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, trans. Burton
Watson (Soka Gakkai, 2004) pp. 211 – 212.