Have you ever asked yourself, why practice a religion? Does your religion address your everyday problems? In this post I’m going to look at Clark Strand’s book Waking the Buddha, which will introduce you to a whole new view of what a religion can be, as practiced by the lay organization of Nichiren Buddhism, the […]
Do you know how to regain control of your life when overwhelmed by negative circumstances? Sometimes life seems too much to handle and we don’t know what to do. Let’s take a look at the stories of two men and how they gained control over the negative circumstances of their lives to show you the […]
In past posts we have discussed what to do when you first start to chant. You were introduced to the 90 day challenge, where you learned to set a goal and chant for it for 90 days to prove to yourself that you would gain benefits through chanting. In this post I’ll orient you to […]
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Establishing a consistent daily chanting practice is the key to achieving the benefits of practice. It is never easy to establish a new habit or change a routine, but if you are persistent, in a short time it will seem natural as though you have been doing it forever. In this post I ‘m going […]
The popular understanding of enlightenment brings to mind someone with extraordinary powers beyond the reach of ordinary mortals. Popular belief states that such people have gone through austerities for many lifetimes to attain enlightenment and, once achieved, it is set in stone. In Nichiren Buddhism, enlightenment is not a static state. To be enlightened means […]
Chanting around and with children can add a challenge to your daily practice. Mothers have asked me, “I have a baby. How do I chant if they are up?” Another mother might say, “My kids act up when I sit down to chant? What should I do?” Since these questions come up with regularity I […]
If you decide to try the chant for 90 days, questions might come up from family members. In the words of one person new to the practice, “How do I explain what I am doing to my friends and family?” In this blog, I am going to give you some ideas of how to answer […]
Setting goals and chanting for them is an unusual aspect of Nichiren Buddhism. In this post I am going to explain why setting goals is an important part of the practice. The Three Proofs Nichiren Daishonin, a 13th century monk, and founder of this branch of Buddhism, established three different for criteria for evaluating any […]
Many people wonder if they might have to change their lifestyle in order to chant. They have asked me, do I need a particular place to chant or can I do it anywhere? Do I have to dress a particular way? Do I need to become a vegetarian? In this post I am going to […]