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 your life’s potentials.
What Are Some of the Benefits of Faith?
Growth occurs in incremental steps very much like the growth rings of a tree. Although you may not see dramatic changes at any given time, if you look back over months or years, you will see unmistakable growth in your life and in the lives of other practitioners around you. As always, it is a prove-it-to-yourself practice.
Although you will see benefits in the first ninety days, you will experience some of these attributes developing over months or years. People grow at different speeds, so be patient if you feel you are slower than someone else. Just be persistent in your practice and all the following benefits will come.
You Will Develop a Strong Inner Self
Faith is the secret to ongoing self-development. Practitioners use the practice to achieve goals, overcome challenges and power through obstacles. This means developing the strength to overcome individual weaknesses which have prevented success in the past. It’s a process of forging an ever stronger character as you take on greater and greater challenges and goals. This process results in a strong inner self that isn’t shaken by anything which might happen in life. You will become fearless.
You Will Develop Deep Wisdom
Each time you chant, you tap into the inner world of Buddhahood deep in your life. One of its characteristics is a deep and flexible wisdom. It helps you respond to changing circumstances effectively.
Wisdom allows a deep and profound understanding of human nature to grow in the life of the practitioner. You will develop enlightened insight both for improving your own life as well as helping other people.
You Will Have More Energy
When you chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo on a daily basis, you connect with the Mystic Law,(link). This is the life force of the universe, as embodied in your Buddha Nature.(link) Connecting with the Mystic Law results in increased vigor and an abundant life force.
You Can Establish Victory in Life
As you chant and challenge difficulties, you will find that you can accomplish one goal after another. You will see this more clearly at the beginning if you set a specific and positive goal. Then you will know when you get it. Begin with a goal that is a stretch, but not overwhelming, and chant until it is achieved. Then move to the next.
As these goals add up you will find that you are living a successful life.
You Will Open Your Heart
A rewarding aspect of the practice is what I like to call the opening of the heart. As you practice over time, you will find that you are caring more about the happiness and success of other people. Eventually this will lead you to into doing this practice not only for yourself but for others too, chanting for their issues as though they were your own, supporting and encouraging their practice and their lives. With this shift, happiness will flood your heart and your life will transform.
In your own life, you will have manifested the spirit of the Buddha, who strove to save all from suffering.
You Will Find a Profound Sense of Purpose
You will develop a profound awareness of your unique purpose, the realization of why you are here. Your contribution will depend on your abilities and interests. For example I know a graphic designer. His abilities fall into the realm of images and video. He uses his skills in this area to format books and videos which help other people in some way so that they may become happy.
When you recognize your arena you’ve discovered a deep well spring of happiness and satisfaction in your life. There’s nothing else you would rather be doing.
Contributions to Society
We have seen how these characteristics grow, which then become useful to the community and world. As you unfold your full potential and your unique contribution becomes clear, you will find yourself letting go of distractions and attachments to unselfishly devote your energies to a great ideal.
You will find you have become a lighthouse and can illuminate the lives of others. You have the ability to give them the means of becoming happy. You will then have the capacity to guide your part of society in the direction of hope and a better life.
You Will Establish Life State of Unshakeable Happiness
In time the practice of faith will allow you to open your life to its fullest potential and establish a state of eternal happiness.
A Happy Old Age and Death
When you are firmly connected with the eternity of your own life, old age takes on a whole new dimension. One of the purposes of faith is to handle the inevitability of old age and death. Instead of being a time of sadness and decline you will be able to welcome old age without regrets. It will be a time when you pull together all of the threads of your life and bring them to fruition. After all you are preparing for your next life,(link) where you will continue to fulfill your purpose.
At your death you will be able to die happy knowing that your life is eternal, with the thought, “That was wonderful, where will I go next.
Join the Conversation
Have you seen any of these attributes developing in your life?