Nam-myoho-renge-kyo -An all embracing philosophical perspective.
By Nelson Gozah
Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the essential practice of Nichiren Buddhism. It is the expression of the universal law of life.
We might say that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the “voice” or “song” of the universal life force. When we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, we are in effect tuning our individual selves into the greater “self” of the universe.
Buddhism teaches that life is eternal and boundless, and that our lives have no beginning and no end. All life forms, including the stars and everything in the universe, go through the eternal cycle of birth, growth, aging and death, to be followed by rebirth and the same cycle, according to the karma (or accumulated causes) of that particular person or entity.
Nichiren Daishonin describes the eternity of life as follows:
“To conceive of life and death as separate realities is to be caught in the illusion of birth and death. It is deluded and inverted thinking.
When we examine the nature of life with perfect enlightenment, [i.e., the true enlightenment of one who has awakened from the dream of illusions], we find that there is no beginning marking birth and, therefore, no end signifying death.
Doesn’t life as thus conceived already transcend birth and death?
Life cannot be consumed by the fire at the end of the kalpa [an eon], nor can it be washed away by floods. It can be neither cut by swords nor pierced by arrows.
Although it can fit inside a mustard seed, the seed does not expand, nor does life contract. Although it fills the vastness of space, space is not too wide, nor is life too small. (Nichiren Daishonin Gosho Zenshu [collected writings of Nichiren Daishonin], p. 563)
Such descriptions give us an indication of the endless wonder and mystery that is life. Developing the capacity to directly experience this wonder and live with this awareness on a daily basis is the goal of Buddhist practice.
NAM
The first word, nam, is derived from the Sanskrit word, namas, which means “to devote oneself.” Myoho-renge-kyo, the title of the Lotus Sutra, is the name, so to speak, of the ultimate reality. Nichiren Daishonin explains that the entire Lotus Sutra is dedicated to the clarification of the Law of Myoho-renge-kyo. This phrase incorporates the two essential aspects of Buddhism: one is the truth itself, and the other is the practice to develop the wisdom to realize that truth. This dual nature of the phrase also demonstrates the simultaneity of cause and effect. The cause is our practice; the effect is the attainment of Buddhahood.
The devotion indicated by nam is directed to fusing our lives, both body and mind (the physical and spiritual aspects of life), with the law of Myoho-renge-kyo. One aspect of nam is that we devote our lives to, or fuse our lives with, the ultimate, unchanging reality. The other is that, through this fusion, we are simultaneously capable of drawing forth wisdom, which functions in accordance with our changing circumstances. This wisdom is the means whereby we human beings can experience boundless joy and freedom despite all the uncertainties of our daily lives.
MYOHO
The word myoho means, literally, “the Mystic Law,” myo meaning “mystic” and ho meaning “law.” Myo indicates the law of life that is infinitely profound and beyond all conceptions of the human mind. As Nichiren Daishonin explains,
What then does myo signify? It is simply the mysterious nature of our lives from moment to moment, which the mind cannot comprehend nor words express. When we look into our own mind at any moment, we perceive neither colour nor form to verify that it exists. Yet we still cannot say it does not exist, for many differing thoughts continually occur. The mind cannot be considered either to exist or not to exist. Life is indeed an elusive reality that transcends both the words and the concepts of existence and non- existence. It is neither existence nor non-existence, yet exhibits the qualities of both. It is the mystic entity of the Middle Way that is the ultimate reality. Myo is the name given to the mystic nature of life, and ho, to its manifestations. (WND, p. 4)
In other words, myo is the ultimate underlying reality, and ho is the world of phenomena in its ever-changing forms. The union of these two concepts, as represented by the single word myoho, reflects the essential oneness of the ultimate reality and the manifest world.
Buddhism teaches that there is no fundamental distinction between the ultimate reality and the everyday one. Attaining Buddhahood is, therefore, the ultimate experience of living in the here and now, not an otherworldly existence or something we only encounter after death. To be able to experience this essential oneness is to perceive eternity in every moment.
Myo expresses the “enlightened” and ho the “deluded” aspects of life, which coexist within ourselves as well as throughout the universe. However, the aspect we experience in any given moment depends on whether or not we are awakened to the ultimate reality.
Myoho also indicates the two aspects of what we perceive as opposites, “life” and “death,” but which essentially are one. Myo corresponds to death, the latent aspect of life, and ho represents life in its manifest state. Because the state of death, where our lives merge back into cosmic life, is beyond our conception, it is characterized by myo, meaning “mystic” or “inconceivable”. Myo also essentially means Emptiness, the field of void full of infinite potentialities from which all phenomena emerge and recede ad infinitum.
Thus, Myo also known as Ku or emptiness is described as, a void imbued with potentiality, is an existing reality, though it is manifest in no phenomena.
When life is in the state of Ku, Myo or Emptiness it transcends both space and time. Since Myo cannot be perceived with the human senses it might be thought to resemble nonbeing (Mu). But since, given an opportunity, it can become manifest in visible forms, it is different from nonbeing. In short, Myo is a state that cannot be expressed in terms of existence or non-existence. It is the state of neither existence nor non-existence yet possess the potential for both.
Ho is manifest, perceptible aspect of life, as we know it in terms of our everyday experience. Life and death are the two contrasting manifestations of the ultimate reality, or Mystic Law. At the same time, as we gradually learn from our Buddhist practice, the ultimate reality is increasingly experienced in the everyday realities of life and death. Because death is the ultimate fear of all humans, developing a clear perception of the oneness of life and death is the key to conquering all other cause of suffering.
RENGE
The word renge literally means “lotus blossom.” There are several ways in which the lotus flower is significant in Buddhism.
The qualities of purity and eternity attributed to the lotus have appealed to human beings since ancient times. The image of the lotus blooming in a muddy swamp is a metaphor for the emergence of Buddhahood in the midst of the impurities and problems of life in society. Just as the lotus becomes more beautiful and fragrant in a swamp, so do we manifest the attributes of enlightenment as a result of our struggles with negative forces, both within ourselves and in our surroundings. In his Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra, T’ien-t’ai, a great Buddhist scholar who is recognized as the leading interpreter of the Lotus Sutra prior to Nichiren Daishonin, explains that the word “lotus” in the sutra’s title should be understood not only as a metaphor for the Mystic Law but also as the Law itself.
He states: Now the name renge is not intended as a symbol for anything. It is the teaching expounded in the Lotus Sutra. The teaching expounded in the Lotus Sutra is pure and undefiled and explains the subtleties of cause and effect. (WND 1, p. 421)
Nichiren Daishonin further explains:
This passage of commentary means that supreme principle [that is the Mystic Law] was originally without a name. When the sage was observing the principle and assigning names to all things, he perceived that there is this wonderful single Law [myoho] that simultaneously possesses both cause and effect [renge], and he named it Myoho-renge. This single Law that is Myoho-renge encompasses within all the phenomena comprising the Ten Worlds and the three thousand realms, and is lacking in none of them. Anyone who practises this Law will obtain both the cause and the effect of Buddhahood simultaneously.
The lotus plant produces its blossoms and its seedpods at the same time, thereby representing “the wonderful single Law that simultaneously possesses both cause and effect.” This principle, the simultaneity of cause and effect, means that the lives of ordinary people (cause) and the state of Buddhahood (effect) exist simultaneously in every moment of life, and so there is no essential difference between a Buddha and an ordinary person. In terms of practice, the moment any individual chants Nam-myoho- renge-kyo (cause), the state of Buddhahood (effect) instantaneously emerges.
We can see this principle in the phenomenon of birth. At the moment of birth, a simultaneous cause has been made for that person’s death. Although death will occur at a later time, the cause is indelibly engraved in the person’s life. Other causes are less fixed, and their effects can be altered, as long as one makes sufficiently strong causes before the effects become manifest. For example, a person who tends to become angry easily can, by making repeated efforts to reflect carefully before reacting to situations, gradually gain a certain degree of self-control, resulting in fewer negative interactions with others.
There is a further dimension to this relationship of cause and effect—the interaction of the person with his or her environment. This can dramatically affect not only the length of the individual’s current life but also its quality. Therefore, Buddhism should not be viewed as fatalistic. On the contrary, our lives can change profoundly, depending on what causes are made from this moment onward. As we bring forth the supreme condition of Buddhahood from within ourselves, the entire network of causes and effects is transformed, flowing from enlightenment rather than delusion, and working to advance our development as a human being.
The principle of the Mystic Law (myoho), the ultimate reality of life and death represented by the state of Buddhahood, is activated by the simultaneity of cause and effect (renge). Thus myoho-renge is the heart of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the actualization of enlightenment within a person’s life. This actualization is accomplished through the action of devotion (nam) and through the medium of the voice (kyo).
KYO
Kyo literally means “sutra,” or the Buddha’s teachings, which are conveyed through his own voice. Therefore, kyo is also interpreted to mean “sound.” Nichiren Daishonin describes kyo as “the words and speech, sounds and voices of all living beings.” He also says, “that which is eternal, spanning the three existences [of past, present and future] is called kyo.” We can think of kyo as the realms of time and space through which life flows.
The voice is the medium whereby both the physical and spiritual aspects of our lives are brought together and given expression. As Nichiren Daishonin says, “The voice does the Buddha’s work.” It is in order to bring about the unity of spiritual and physical devotion contained in nam that we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo out loud, rather than merely meditating upon it. This act of chanting is the actual cause, manifested from within and radiating outward to our environment, which generates the life force, wisdom and compassion of the Buddha nature. Our chanting fuses with the Buddha nature all around us, and returns to us through reabsorbing our own voice chanting. We are thus able to feel at one with the world around us—other people, nature and the greater universe—and experience the unlimited and eternal power of life even as we carry on our day-to-day existence.
Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo can be regarded as a profound communication with the inner depths of our consciousness—a consciousness that is in reality shared by all living beings throughout time and space. Although it engages our senses of sight and hearing, it is so far-reaching that its effects are not limited only to those with sight, hearing and speech. There are many people practising who are blind, deaf or mute, and they enjoy the same benefits as those who have these faculties.
The experience of living in such intimate and direct relationship with life’s essence is one of unmatched exhilaration and insight. Every encounter, every event in our lives takes on profound significance. Even difficulties become valuable learning experiences that lead to further development. All aspects of life, both good and bad, take on meaning and serve to reveal our greater potential.
How chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo might affect us differently from practising any other spiritual practice is a matter for the individual to determine. But only direct application of the practice can enable each of us to make our own assessment. For this reason, people who are interested in this philosophy are encouraged to try it for themselves, because understanding the theory is no substitute for first-hand experience.
Below is a link to a podcast on “The lecture on NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO” by RICHARD CAUSTON
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Nb31HH5pGARoTDucpffteD5m5uxBip8X/view?usp=drivesdk
Excerpts from BUDDHISM; A PHILOSOPHY FOR LIVING: AN INTRODUCTION TO NICHIREN BUDDHISM AND THE SOKA GAKKAI INTERNATIONAL—SGI CANADA