This Thanksgiving Day is one of deep significance for me. November 23rd marks twenty-years since my remission from fourth stage Hodgkin’s lymphoma - a milestone that is truly appreciated. Each day is amazing. Without the expertise of my doctors, the right medicine, and a determined spirit based on the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra ala Nichiren Buddhism, you would not be reading this. A medical doctor administers their remedy to help us along, but in actuality, we cure ourselves. I perpetually reflect on my good fortune. Never do I take living another day, hour, or minute, for granted. Nichiren spoke the truth when he instructed his followers to regard this as your last moment. If you do so, you will have no fear or regret, no matter what your fate seems to be.
In honor of my twentieth anniversary, I would like to share with you some practical guidance on perfecting your understanding and use of mantra-powered visualization - the world's greatest method of clinical guided imagery. May wellness be yours!
The Genius of Life is Santai – We Are Santai
Our existence is a marvel. Ketai-Kutai-Chutai. We are a replica of the universe, from the elements that comprise our physicality to the myriad processes that keep us alive, to the energetic aura that radiates from our inner-being - that fundamental modulation of light energy that marks sentient and insentient life.
Our bodies are comprised of trillions of cells that communicate with each other, like virtuosos in a great symphony. This dialogue occurs every moment of our life, and its extent can be likened to the endless dust particle life span of the Thus Come One described in the sixteenth chapter of Lotus Sutra. Countless, instantaneous chemical processes keep us alive and yet we are oblivious to this cacophony of cellular cooperation and complexity. Some vast, mysterious intelligence conducts this symphony. Although this force is internal, its nature transcends the one. The idea of absolute genius, or eternal genius, fails to describe the true entity of life that gives us form and animates the myriad other expressions of existence. This life dynamic gives birth to mind and matter. Imbued in each manifestation of life and land, is the irreducible, permeation of some incomprehensible vibration of spirit.
The intelligence of life has been described in many ways. It has been perceived, misconceived, and endlessly pondered. Once sensed, its wonder doth not cease. Some call it the various names of God. It is also known as chi, prana, the Holy Spirit, the ground luminosity, eternally tranquil light, emptiness, and so forth. Buddha revealed it as Myoho-renge-kyo. For our purposes, Myoho-renge-kyo enables us to awaken to the eternal within.
Your life is a limitless, genius force. Although life is seemingly confined within your small – perhaps sickly body, your life is all pervasive, boundless, beyond the multiverse and countless realms and places of existence. It is difficult to realize that your life is life – not just the perceptual panorama that your senses are engaged with, or the self-involved linier construct of your ego, but ALL OF LIFE - everywhere. It is also difficult to realize or even believe that the greatest of all physicians and sages is an aspect of your being. This is the true meaning of your Buddha nature.
Vibration makes manifest life and matter a reality from emptiness. From that primordial energy, which gives rise to consciousness, Myoho-renge-kyo finds practical expression and self-realization. Yet the sages say that it is consciousness that gives rise to matter and reality. Wisdom is knowing that they are in fact a singularity. Healing through the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra enables the dysfunctional cellular memory of disease to be erased and equilibrium restored. Diseases like cancer, diabetes, and even AIDS are therefore mutable. Treatment, even with its uncomfortable side effects, coupled with mantra-powered visualization, can induce profound wellness, even when all seems lost. Even in death there is no real extinction of life – There is no ebb and flow of birth and death, only Jakkodo, the realm of extinction and actualization.
Belief is powerful medicine, but a natural law does not require faith or the power of suggestion to operate. For this reason, Myoho-renge-kyo is the most important medicine of mind and body in the entire world.
Relax, Close Your Eyes, and Embrace the Sound
Look inside your mind. So much chatter, isn’t there? The true voice of your being cuts through the clamor. “Thank you, life! Thank you, blood cells! Thank you organs,” and so on. Savor this awareness of mind, reaching out to body. Really, they are one and indivisible. What you know intellectually, spiritually, unconsciously, so does every cell. Every joy, every fear, every desire, flaw or fantasy is known. For this reason, intention is power - non-attachment the sacred ground.
“May perfection be with you!” Aware of your disease, begin with Nam(u) if you will. Hold that sound for as long as can, then breathe deeply.
Intone Myooooo for maybe ten seconds, then, without taking another breath, Hooooo.
Take a deep breath and say Rennnn Geeee, Kyoooo. Hold that kyo for as long as you can. Repeat this cleansing process three times.
Now chant one complete daimoku for every 4-5 seconds.
What is your problem? Focus your awareness there. The internal chatter should be quelled, like the silence after a lion’s roar. If not, repeat the three long daimoku.
Continue to chant one daimoku every five seconds. With awareness of your body, summon your internal great physician, to harmonize all the systems of your body into perfect balance, and perfect accord with perfect health. Technically, the exact mechanisms to restore wellness is an utter mystery to us, but it is no mystery to the latent intelligence of our cells – to our life. Command the great physician to erase the memory of dysfunction from our body, our cells, from our lives, and imprint perfect function.
Visualization springs from this image and gives rise to healing. The greater life, unbounded by eternity, true self, joy, and purity unites the macro with the micro into a singularity of Will.
At this moment, we may envision the first beams of eternally tranquil light. Jakkodo is the name of this phenomenon. No malady, no karma can fail to be transformed or transcended from this vision and voice. Even in the face of death, fear is vanquished in that singular moment of beginningless time. Now is more than the last moment, more than the first moment, it is the eternal moment, and we are embracing its life forming sound. Continue to chant in this fashion until your heart is full of satisfaction – be it a few minutes or hours.
The secret of mantra-powered visualization is becoming one with the sound. When you become one with the ultimate primordial sound, conscious communication with your physical body becomes synchronous and your visualization directs true healing.