In the Lotus Sutra - no! - Throughout all of the Buddhist sutras, Shakyamuni speaks of freedom from outflows, the danger of desire, and the perils of attachment.
Attachment is found in our connection with people, possessions, and circumstances. How can one live and not acquire a sense of attachment? We love and develop a sense of attachment to others, especially our own existence. We live and acquire things that matter to us. We hope and long for certain outcomes. From these connections, we form attachment and when there is change – and change is inevitable, we suffer.
Namu-myoho-renge-kyo can enable us to enjoy our relationship with loved ones, possessions, and our hopes without becoming a victim to the certainty of change. Relationships go up and down and end. Loved one’s die, fall ill, or become estranged. Prized possessions wear out, are lost, stolen, or have to be sold. Our current situation is in a constant state of change. Dreams for the future quite often don’t work out the way we intended. All of these changes and losses are a source of suffering unless we become grounded in the power of Namu-myoho-renge-kyo. With daimoku, one can awaken to the truth that change is constant and to hold on, only leads to more suffering. Easier said than done.
Certain sects state that our earthly desires equal enlightenment and then urge their members to practice what has been humorously termed “gimmie Buddhism,” of chanting for all kinds of things like money, possessions, and specific circumstances. It’s not even strange for members to chant for drugs or sex, or for whatever thing they feel will satisfy them. I did this myself long ago, and have no regrets about it - the universe is utterlly impartial. In certain sects, there is no understanding or perhaps distinction between targeted prayer that specifies a certain result and open-ended prayer that makes one open to whatever the universe can provide. Maybe this is so because the science that has studied and compiled data on non-specific and open-ended prayer is only about twenty years old. It is my opinion that equating desire with acquisition of personal “things” is a misreading of the concept of earthly desires equal enlightenment. Instead, it should mean that those latent desires that we possess should drive us toward deeper faith, not more acquisition. Is it wrong to pray for things? I would say that we are conditioned to believe that it is natural to pray for things and in some cases it is the right thing to do, but as a general rule, non-specific or attatched prayer is supreme. However, my belief is that when we pray for things we are only spinning the wheel of more desire, not channeling innate desire into wisdom or contentment. I agree that as believers that the right way to conduct oneself is to desire little and be grateful for what we have.
Regarding attachment, when we have appreciation for those we love and what little we have without clinging, we move closer to the Buddha’s ideal of being free from that which leads to suffering from inevitable loss.