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 […]
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 […]
Now that I have discussed some of the reasons to chant, you might be curious about how you start chanting. In this post I am going to show you how to find and listen to the chant and how to chant for a goal. Why We Chant We chant in order to be able to […]
Why Should I Practice? As someone new, haven’t you wondered why people want to practice Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism? I’ve been asked this often enough that I’d like to give an answer here. I was told we practice Buddhism to become enlightened, but that always seemed rather abstract to me. I’m going to share with you […]
What is karma? Karma represents tendencies present in the inner, unconscious realm of life. They have been created through one’s past actions, which include ways of thinking, ways of speaking and physical actions. Karma, or actions, can be either good or bad, positive or negative. Popular thinking views karma as negative but Buddhism says that […]
Develop a Mind of Faith When you chant, Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, you connect with the Buddha Nature within you. A mind of faith will allow you to fully tap the deep wisdom accessible as you access this universal level in your life. So, what is a mind of faith? This means that, when you chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, you […]
When, day after day you chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo as taught by Nichiren Daishonin the founder of this practice, you tap the cosmic level of life within you called your Buddha Nature. As you chant you will grow and develop in every aspect of your life. The end result of daily practice is a full unfolding of […]
What is Karma? We all are born with karma. The popular belief about it is that karma is negative but karma can be either negative or positive. According to the Dictionary of Buddhism, karma comprises negative or positive potentials in the inner, unconscious realm of life, created through our actions in the past or present. […]
Have you wanted to be a creative person? Have you found to your surprise that you are resistant to beginning your work? Have you faced your computer or your easel and drawn a blank, not knowing what to put on the page or the paper? Have you found yourself avoiding working? You are not alone. […]