Just repeating these words
Nam
Myoho Renge Kyo
will bring countless joy and benefits to your life
NEW. Interested in Buddhism.
Buddhism in simple terms.
Buddhism is not a religious doctrine that says 'thou shall not' or 'thou shall', it is more like an infinitely wise discipline that enlightens you to that which you should really be doing and that which you should not (changing of Karma). Along that path of enlightenment are endless opportunities to gain greater wisdom and understanding of the vital ingredients around you. This ultimately gives more positives to your own life, the environment that surrounds it and the daily experiences of interaction.
Most of all, Buddhism is about change. Not just any old change but positive change that brings boundless benefits into ones life. Those that follow Buddhism are in a constant state of self improvement, tomorrow will always be better than today because they themselves are becoming more enlightened each day. When you chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo you bring untold benefits into your life. This is not to say that suddenly the heavens open and starts raining gold bars though, in reality, what you receive is worth far more. Many benefits are inconspicuous and small yet have a positively profound affect upon your life though, sometimes the gold does rain down very conspicuously and can fill you with wonderment.
In Buddhism we recognise the 'ten states' (or ten worlds). Theses are (1) Hell, (2) Hunger, (3) Animality, (4) Anger, (5) Humanity, (6) Rapture, (7) Learning, (8) Realization, (9) Bodhisattva Nature, (10) Buddhahood. When you look at a persons face you will see that sometimes they are joyful or calm, while at other times you will see a glimpse of rage or foolishness in their face. Joyful is the state of Rapture, calmness is Humanity while rage is the state of Hell and foolishness is that of Animality, just to give some examples.
Every one of us lives in one or more of these worlds, either predominately or fleeting from one to another as emotions and others affect our thoughts and actions. It is though, the ultimate aim built into the very genetic structure of every living being to improve themselves and their immediate environment whether spiritually or materially. When you practice Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism and chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo it is like a new world opens up to those who are sincere in thought. Answers to untold questions become apparent and solutions to age old problems are realised. Most importantly, the more you study and practice the faster is the transition from your presently dominating state or world, into a higher one. While the ultimate aim is to achieve the top world of Buddhahood, the reality is that even if you only move up one world in this lifetime, you will have achieved a remarkable change in yourself and that around you.
Whatever state you may be in at any moment in time, the importance is the predominate world in which you live, that is to say are you upset and angry a lot of the time (Anger state) or joyful (Rapture state). The more you practice Buddhism the faster your passage from one state to a higher one.
Lecture in Praise of Nichiren Daishonin
The Principle of Changing Karma
1.
Introduction
At
times we may encounter incidents in our life that cannot be solved by our
own efforts or wisdom. They may include natural disasters, such as hurricanes
and earthquakes, or accidents that are not our fault. We may also fall
victim to an incurable disease. There are various innate distinctions among
people such as gender, race, wealth, and appearance that are beyond anyone’s
ability to control. There are a number of views regarding the causes of these distinctions between individuals. Among the non-Buddhist teachings, these viewpoints can be broadly divided into three categories.
1. God controls the destiny of human beings. Christianity asserts that the cause of suffering stems from original sin. All sufferings are hardships given by God.
2. The destiny of human beings is arbitrary.
3. The destiny of human beings is predetermined from the infinite past.
Buddhism categorizes these as biased views. Based on the Law of Cause and Effect, the Buddha teaches that distinctions, joy and suffering, happiness and misfortune are decided by the karma created by oneself.
Nichiren Daishonin states in “Letter from Sado”:
One who climbs a high mountain must eventually descend. One who slights another will in turn be despised… This is the general law of cause and effect.
(Gosho, p. 582; MW-1, p. 40)
2.
Karma and Past Karma
What
is karma? Karma is a Sanskrit word that means action. Furthermore, it signifies
the influence caused by the action. For instance, if we hurt someone, this
action instantly vanishes after the event is over; however, the regret and
the bad feelings will remain in our minds. By doing such action, we will feel
the suffering without fail. Therefore, karma is action that deposits into our
lives an influence over future events.
Karma is created by the three categories of action: physical, verbal,
and mental causes. These include all the activities in our life. These
actions create circumstances in our life in the future.
Based on this thinking, we can understand the relationship of cause and
effect in the present. For example, the people in the field of sports
and music get good results if they exercise and practice repeatedly.
However, the principle of karma in Buddhism goes beyond the present lifetime.
It teaches that results manifest in the present due to behaviour in one’s
past life. This also applies to the future based on cause and effect.
The Shinjikan Sutra states:
If you want to understand the causes that existed in the past, look at
the results as they are manifested in the present. And if you want to
understand what results will be manifested in the future, look at the
causes that exist in the present.
(Gosho,
p. 571; MW-2, p. 197)
An individual distinction is a current result that has been brought about
by one’s own karma created in past lifetimes through the three categories
of action: physical, verbal and mental causes. Moreover, the three categories
of action in the present will provide the results for the future. Karma
is based on the view of the Three Existences. The causes we accumulated
in the past are called past karma (shuku-go),
and the causes we currently accumulate are called present karma (gen-go.)
3.
Karma of the people in the Latter Day of the Law
What
kind of karma did we bring into this world when we were born?
Twenty-sixth High Priest Nichikan Shonin stated:
The people of the Latter Day of the Law are hommi uzen,
those who have not accumulated good causes through Buddhist practice in the past.
(Fuyo, Vol. 10, p. 110)
The
age of the Latter Day of the Law in itself is full of evil; therefore,
people in this period have accumulated negative karma deep in their
lives from causes made in the past, regardless of the amount and gravity.
The Daishonin says that since the infinite past, the people in the
Latter Day of the Law have not believed in or accepted the True Law.
They have instead gone against it and have accumulated many negative
offenses. Indeed, we are the people in the Latter Day of the Law who
have heavy, negative karma from the past. As a result, we are suffering
various agonies in this lifetime.
4.
The Way to Change Karma
Can
we eradicate our negative karma? Or, is karma predetermined? Can we escape
from the retribution of suffering? This is the most important point to
determine when judging right or wrong in faith. Nichiren Daishonin’s teaching
is not fatalism. It is the teaching of changing karma that he, himself
demonstrated.
The Daishonin states in “Letter from Sado”:
My present exile is not because of any crime. It is solely so that I may expiate
in this lifetime my past heavy slanders and be freed from the three evil paths
in the next.
(Gosho, p. 580; MW-1, p. 38)
From the standpoint of
his Ultimate Life State as a Common Mortal, the Daishonin taught that
he eradicated his heavy karma by enduring the persecution of the Sado
exile. Moreover, he said that he could open a path for the future that
would be free from the Three Evil Paths.
He explains why he was able to change his karma as follows:
Nichiren has denounced the enemies of the Lotus Sutra so severely that
all eight descended upon him at once.
(Gosho, p. 582; MW-1, p. 40)
He
went on to say:
It is due to the blessing obtained by protecting the Law that one can
diminish in this lifetime his suffering and retribution.
(Gosho, p. 582; MW-1, p. 40)
We, the common mortals in the Latter Day of the Law, slandered the True
Law and accumulated bad karma in the past. Therefore, the best way
to change our karma is to uphold and propagate True Buddhism. When
we, who are tainted by the Three Poisons, fall victim to a severe
illness due to our past karma, which causes us terrible pain both
physically and emotionally, we cannot easily escape from the world
of illusion. We do not understand the true reason why we became ill.
We try to find the causes elsewhere, disregarding the Law of Cause
and Effect.
However, no matter what severe illness we may encounter, we can obtain
the following wonderful benefits if we believe in the True Buddhism of
Nichiren Daishonin and chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo.
1. We can observe our lives and recognize our karma.
2. We can bring forth great confidence that enables us to change our
karma without fail. Furthermore, a strong life force emerges, giving
us the ability to survive life’s hardships.
3. We will develop the conviction that instead of undergoing the great
pain of Hell in the future, we are receiving light suffering in the present.
Hope wells up that we can attain enlightenment.
4. We will not consider negative karma to be only our own problem. We
can truly live the principle of ganken-ogo (choosing
to be born into the saha world in order to help
the people). We will develop the spirit of undertaking negative karma
for the sake of helping relieve the suffering of others. We can become
merciful people who understand the sufferings of others and do shakubuku
assiduously.