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The Practice of Nichiren Buddhism
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Nichiren Buddhism teaches two kinds of religious practice: meditation and shakubuku, which is compassion-based action. In Nichiren Buddhism, we use meditation in two ways. One is to develop our compassion. The other way is to develop ourselves as individuals. In a way, even developing our compassion is self-development and in itself somewhat selfish, as it helps no one unless action based on that compassion is taken. The form of meditation we use is a kind of transcendental meditation based on the teaching of the Lotus Sutra, the last teaching taught by Shakyamuni. We chant Namu-Myoho-Renge-Kyo while focusing on an image of Namu-Myoho-Renge-Kyo. Many people seem to prefer quiet meditation where one closes their eyes and tries to concentrate. This is a relaxing form of meditation, but it's not as effective. While other forms of meditation also work in many of the same ways that transcendental meditation works, transcendental meditation has been shown in studies to have a more powerful impact than other forms of meditation in the ways in which all meditation works. But it also has added benefits that other forms of meditation don't have. One problem with trying to meditate by simply reflecting is the difficulty in really changing your thought patterns that way. It's tremendously difficult to force a change within through simply thinking about things. We need a more powerful stimulus than that. Saying something aloud helps us to focus on it. Using a visual focal point aids us in maintaining that focus as well. But there is still more to it than that. Chanting aloud also pulls in the theory of karma, which in this case begins to take a more complex shape. In chanting, we are not only reflecting. We are making a determination. Namu of Namu-Myoho-Renge-Kyo means determination or vow. I vow. We are vowing, determining, refocusing our lives on something important, something more important than the mundane world in which we become so easily ensnared. We are commanding ourselves, our whole lives, to take a different direction than we would otherwise naturally want to take as a result of our normal inward condition coming from past causes we've made. We are making a new cause to change who we are. We are changing our karma. Some people might insist that you can only change your karma by doing deeds. But without changing yourself from within, how can you know which causes are the most important ones to make? People spend their whole lives spinning their wheels, thinking they should be a better employee, or a better lover, or doing this thing or that thing will change things. All of their ideas are based on their focus on their lesser ego, their transient selves and the transient selves of others. Such thinking is futile, and their impact on others minimal at best. We are saying that if you can change yourself first, you will have the wisdom to make the best possible causes for your own sake and the sake of others. A change from within is the most powerful change in karma that one can make. As we chant, we refocus our energy, our minds, our lives, our whole being (again, the meaning of Namu) on Myoho-Renge-Kyo. If you want to read the actual meaning of the words Myoho-Renge-Kyo, you can click here. Myoho-Renge-Kyo refers us back to the Lotus Sutra. It is the title of the Lotus Sutra. It's essential meaning is more important than the meaning of the words. The Lotus Sutra talks about the enlightenment of living beings. In a way, it's a description of enlightenment. But more than that, it is enlightenment. By chanting Namu-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, we are directing our lives on our own enlightenment -- on our own wisdom, vitality, inner strength, and happiness. More than that, the Lotus Sutra contains a vow in itself, and fulfills that vow at the same time. The vow contained in the Lotus Sutra is to make all other living beings Buddhas. Therefore, chanting Namu-Myoho-Renge-Kyo has a twofold purpose. It's purposes are to develop ourselves as individuals and become personally happy, and to develop our compassion for others to the point of intense concern for their happiness. Once we have determined aloud and with our whole beings to lead all others to their own happiness, we move to the second practice of Nichiren Buddhism -- shakubuku. Shakubuku, a Japanese term, is used together with shoju to attempt to convince others to become Buddhas. The absolute hardest parts of doing this is convincing people that they can become a Buddha, that they can become happy and eliminate their suffering. What stops them from believing that they can become a Buddha is the years of experience they've had with themselves and with other religions that are pretty much totally ineffective. Shakubuku is a form of teaching where you use reason and logic to convince them that what they have believed in the past has not helped them because, well, they don't work. And you attempt, using this method, to instill hope in them that maybe something new might really work. You can use this web site as an example of shakubuku. On it, we do a lot of shakubuku in relation to theism. Shoju is a softer approach, wherein, rather than directly confronting the beliefs that prevent a person from trying to become a Buddha, you lead them gradually in small steps toward their Buddhahood without them even realizing it. Both methods work, but neither works by itself. Meditation alone is not a compassionate practice. Without shakubuku and shoju, our practice of Buddhism has no meaning or purpose. An inner feeling of compassion that lacks passionate action for the sake of another is not really compassion at all. Without compassionate practice, we fail to grow as Buddhists and as human beings. When we practice shoju and shakubuku, it gives meaning to our meditation. We have a reason for changing ourselves and growing. However, when we don't use meditation to grow ourselves, we lack the wisdom to properly teach others. This is why the two practices are symbiotic and necessary aspects of our practice. |
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