A Buddhist Lifestyle Blog
Chanting
Encouragement, faith in yourself, and everyday inspiration for living with more hope, happiness, courage, wisdom, abundant life-force, and compassion.
A Buddhist Practice for Daily Life
This practice is rooted in Nichiren Buddhism and the chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the title of the Lotus Sutra. Through this practice, we work to bring forth our Buddha nature, which includes the qualities of courage, wisdom, life force, and compassion already within us.
What Is
Nam-myoho-
renge-kyo?
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the central chant of Nichiren Buddhism. It is the heart of SGI (Soka Gakkai International) practice.
Every word means something.
Nam means devotion. Myoho is the Mystic Law (Wonderful Law), the rhythm of life and the universe. Renge is the lotus flower. It blooms and seeds at the same time. That is the simultaneity of cause and effect. Every action we take already holds its result. Kyo means vibration and Buddhist teachings. This practice is alive in sound, in rhythm, and in how we live.
Each time we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, we bring forth something real. Courage. Wisdom. Hope. Life force. Compassion.
They already exist within us, waiting to awaken.
Faith
Believing in your Buddha nature and the power of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
Practice
Doing morning and evening gongyo and chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo consistently.
Study
Learning Buddhist principles and applying them to daily life. Study supports practice. Practice deepens faith.
“True happiness means forging a strong spirit that is undefeated, no matter how trying our circumstances.”
— Daisaku Ikeda
Source: SGI-USA
My Journey
Living a Winning Life
For me, chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is about putting faith into action. It is about living it, not just saying it. Through chanting, I am able to raise my life condition higher. The lesson I learned was to keep my life condition higher than my problems.
A good friend in faith once encouraged me. “Chant first. Get happy. Then solve your problems.”
It is about facing life, transforming suffering, and bringing forth the courage, wisdom, and compassion needed to keep moving forward. This is what living a winning life means to me.
My path with this practice has been one of ongoing human revolution: inner transformation.
Through the challenges, victories, and lessons along the way, chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo has helped me develop into the best version of myself, so that I can encourage my own life and the lives of others.
My Journey
Where My Buddhist Journey Began
My Buddhist practice began because my life was unsettled. I was happy one moment and suffering the next. I could not understand why.
I was also asking myself questions about death. What will my life be like when I lose someone I love? Will I be able to recover quickly and return to myself? Or will I be devastated, and how long will that last?
I was searching for something. Something to help me manage my thoughts, my emotions, and my actions. Now I purify my life through chanting.
Through chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, I am learning how to bring forth courage, wisdom, and compassion no matter what challenges arise. Chanting raises my life condition higher than my problems. It increases my life force and my happiness.
Above all, chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo reveals my true self. To myself and to others.
Practice Began
SGI-USA Buddhist Center
Where I continue my Buddhist practice and daily encouragement.
