Practice of Nichiren Dais Hon Ins Buddhism

8/3/2019 Practice of Nichiren Dais Hon Ins Buddhism

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ThePractice fNichirenaishonin'Buddhism

sArouse deep aith and polish yourmirror night and doy. How shouldyou polish it? OnIy by chanting

l{ am-myoho r enge ky o e


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T H E P R A C T I C E F N I C H I R E N A I S H O N I N ' S U D D H I S M 91

I I p to this point , we have looked at some of the basic principles\- / of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism. There is nothing in histeachings which contradicts reason. Howe..rer, he purpose of hislife's work was to enable people to become supremely happy inthemselves and contribute to a creative and peaceful world. Heestablishedthe practice whereby anyone can do this.

The value of a theory is demonstratedby the effect it has whenput into action. For example, a doctor's education is valuable whenhe uses his learning for the sake of healing others. In fact, we referto a doctor as practising medicine. The word practice is used in thesame way when applied to Buddhism.

Nichiren Daishonin'sBuddhism entails practice for oneself andothers. Practice for oneself is gongyo, which means assiduouspractice. It is done morning and evening, and consists of chantingNam-myoho-renge-kyo as well as reciting sections of the LotusSutra.

We recite two key chapters of the Lotus Sutra as preparation forthe main practice of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.These are the'Expedient Means' (second) chapter which teaches that all peoplehave innate Buddhahood and 'The Life Span of the Thus Come One'(sixteenth) chapter which reveals the eternity of life. When we dogongyo,we are praising the magnificence and wonder of life andexpressingour appreciation for it.

Gongyo s at the same time easy and diff icult. Because t iseasy, it is accessible to anyone. Because it is difficult, we canrevolutionise our lives. This twice daily assiduous practice is whatenables us to base our lives on Buddhahood, rather than ourdeluded natures.Becauseof this it can be a struggle.We have to getup earlier; it always seems there are more important things to dowhen we get home; when we sit down to do it, sometimeswe reallydo not want to be there. This is the daily struggle o break the chainsof our own destiny. It is always impofiant to remember that we aredoing i t for no one bul ourse lves. h is is our o\ \n oppor tun i ty o


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B A S I C SO F B U D D H I S M

liberate ourselves rom habitual behaviourwhich makesus suffer;to experienceconfidence,oy and freedom.

When we do gongyo,we leave behind our daily worries anddevote time to ourselves. Before gongyo ye may feel anxious ordepressed,or short of time. During gongyo we experience theeternal,unchangingenlightenednatureof the universe.We returnour lives to the ultimate truth. After gongyowe can go about ourtasks eeling refreshed.This twice daily rhythm is necessaryn justthe same way as we eat or sleep. Eating and sleeping refresh usphysicallyandpsychologically.Gongyo efresheshe universalself.Practice for others meansto introduce Nichiren Daishonin'steachings o others. This is important because t meanstakingaction.Thedevelopment f compassions an essential spectof ourpractice. In Buddhism, compassion(jihi) means to take awayunhappinessand give happiness. t is not the sameas charity,because harity usually means o take awayunhappiness.Althoughthis is valuable, t is far morevaluable o give someonehe meansto change their lives for ever. We therefore teach people theBuddhismof Nichiren Daishonin. n fact, practice or othersalsobenefits us, becausewe develop our compassionwhich is anenlightenedquality.Similarly gongyos not solely or ourselves, utalso benefits others as we chant for them and also masterour owrrnegativeendencies.

Study is also part of the practice for oneselfand others. Bystudying the Buddhist teachings, we are able to explain thephilosophy o othersand also understand t ourselves.Study, n theBuddhistsense,s not academicearningbut an aid to faith. In oneof his writings,NichirenDaishoninsays:

Exert yourself in the two ways of practice and study. Withoutpracticeand stud5 there can be no Buddhism.You must notonly persevereyourself, you must also teach others. Bothpracticeand study arisefrom faith. Teachothers o the bestofyour ability...Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.r


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T H E P R A C T I C E F N I C H I R E N A I S H O N I N ' S U D D H I S M 9 3

As this passage says, there are three elements to NichirenDaishonin's Buddhism - faith, practice and study. Faith inBuddhism does not mean blind belief or passive acceptance. Itrefers to that realm of life which lies beyond the intellect. When ourlimited thinking tells us that things are hopeless, faith opens ourhearts to other possibilities. As Nichiren Daishonin says:

What we call faith is nothing extraordinary. As a womancherishesher husband, as a man will give his life for his wife,as parentswill not abandon their children, or as a child refusesto leave his mother, so should we put our trust in the LotusSutra fthe Gohonzon] ... and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.2

Faith is a natural quality of human life. We have faith that the sunwill rise in the morning - in fact, we don't even think about it. Butif we were to doubt all the things we take for granted in our dailylives, we would be living in a state of abject fear. Life would beterrible. In contrast, the more faith we have, the happier we are. Wetend to think that faith means belief. However, when we start topractise, it is natural to have very little, if any, belief. Moreimportant than belief is a seeking mind. Our belief in the Gohonzonnaturally grows as we experience the joy of practice.

In Buddhism, faith means a pure heart, a flexible spirit and anopen mind. Faith is the function of human life to dispel thedark clouds of doubt, anxiety and regret, and sincerely openand direct one's heart towards something great. Faith mightalso be characterized as the power that enables the microcosmof the self to sense he universal macrocosm.3

Faith, it could be said, is the end result of practising. Absolute faithin the universal law of life - in ourselves, in others and in theuniverse - is the most open, secure and enjoyable state of life.Everyone wants this feeling of serenity, security and strength. Inanother sense, aith is the beginning, becausewithout the ability toopen our hearts to possibilities beyond our present experience, wewould not be able to stafi practising.


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T H E P R A C T I C E F N I C H I R E ND A I S H O N I N ' S U D D H I S M 95

In life, we must not permit ourselves to be absorbed only withimmediate realities. We must have ideals and strive to achievethem, thereby transcending present realities. On the otherhand, we must not allow ourselves to become alienated fromreality. We can change nothing unless our feet are firmlyp lan ted n lhe g round .6

I TheMajorWritings f NichirenDaishonin, ol. , p. 95.2 MajorWitings,Vol.5,p. 303.3 Daisaku Ikeda, Conuersationsand Lectureson the httus Sutra,YoL4 Daisaku lkeda, Conaersa,tionsand kctures on the Lotus Szrro, Vol.5 Major Witings, Vol. I, p. 161.6 Daisaku lkeda, Conuersatiorx and Lectures on the Lotus Sulro. Vol.

I, p. ),77.I, p. 1B?.I, p. 104.

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Practice of Nichiren Dais Hon Ins Buddhism