Real Life with Ryuei

Odaimoku as our Primary Practice

I would like to say a few words about how Nichiren Buddhism is practiced in
Nichiren Shu.

First of all - the Odaimoku is the primary essential practice for
us.

Simply chanting Namu Myoho Renge Kyo is a prayer, a vow, an
aspiration, a meditation, an expression of faith and joy, and many
other things.

Going by chapters 10, and 17-19 of the Lotus Sutra the one thing that
will bring more merit than even the first five perfections of
generosity, virtue, patience, energy, and concentration is to have a
single moment of faith and rejoicing in the Wonderful Dharma of the
Lotus Flower Sutra.

In this sense faith is not blind belief but rather an abiding trust
and confidence in the Wonderful Dharma to the extent that one's
heart is full to overflowing with joy.

And the Wonderful Dharma is what is revealed in chapter 16 - the
Eternal Life of the Buddha. But this is not about trusting that
there is some Buddha-in-the-Sky or merely in some idea of
everlasting life. Rather, the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha of chapter
16 personally manifests the Unborn, the Deathless, that which is the
ineffable and unconditioned true nature of life. By opening our
minds and hearts to this - one is freed of suffering and able to
experience a boundless freedom and joy in this very life - even in
the midsts of continuing challenges and problems.

Speaking for myself, I see the Odaimoku as an expression of our
aspiration to attain buddhahood for the sake of all beings, as an
expression of the realization of the Unborn and Deathless nature of
buddhahood which embraces us and also resides within our lives in
every moment, and finally as an expression of our dedication to
share this practice and its incalculable merit with others.

We do not have to self-consciously ruminate on any of these things
but it makes our practice of Odaimoku much more meaningful, I think,
to have them in our awareness as we chant Odaimoku.

As I have said in other places and at other times, when chanting
Odaimoku I think we should have the conviction that if we are
chanting with sincerity and faith then we are in the presence of the
Gohonzon, wherever we are and regardless of whether we have some
Omandala or other representation of it enshrined or not. The
Gohonzon is the true nature of our life just as it is, and Odaimoku
can act like a key that can open up our awareness of it.

In chanting Odaimoku with faith in the presence of the Gohonzon, we
should present ourselves just as we are - with all of our worries,
hopes, fears, anxieties, concerns, determinations, wishes, issues,
and aspirations. We should allow the Odaimoku to embrace all of it
and raise it up to illuminate all of it in the light of the Buddha-
nature. All of these things are the raw material of our life, and
all of it is the nourishing muddy water out of which our buddhahood
will blossom. But we do not need to neurotically fixate on these
things either. We should chant about them and just let them go, and
return to just abiding in faith with the sound of Odaimoku. If
concerns or wishes or fears or regrets or hope come up again, just
be aware of them, illuminate them with Odaimoku, and let them go. If
we start to reflect on the deeper meaning of Odaimoku as I discussed
above, just be aware of that, illuminate it also, and let it go.
Accept who you are and what you are as the raw material of
buddhahood. Embrace it all - and keep centering of the Odaimoku.
There is no right or wrong way to do this besides just chanting and
being present with the Odaimoku as the expression of our Buddha-
nature in action.

Now the Odaimoku is an expression of intent. The Odaimoku or Sacred
Title can be chanted in other ways. Linguists have told me Nichiren
may have pronounced it slighly differently than we do. And Nichiren
never said the seven characters of Odaimoku should only be
pronounced the Sino-Japanese way. Different Chinese dialects, and
other languages that use Chinese characters like Korean or
Vietnamese all have their own way of pronouncing those characters.
One might also try the Sanskrit title. But the important thing is to
express one's personal heart-felt faith and joy in the Wonderful
Dharma of the Lotus Sutra as it has been handed down to us from
Kumarajiva to Chih-i to Miao-lo to Saicho to Nichiren and now to us.
Do not confuse linguistics and lip service for faith and sincerity.
Nichiren also admonished people not to praise the sutra with their
lips but then slander it in their hearts. I personally think there
is a powerful linkage back to that whole lineage by chanting the
Odaimoku in Sino-Japanese as I have personally received it from my
own teachers, but I hope that people don't superstitiously get
attached to the mere words or pronounciation but look more deeply
into what Odaimoku is pointing to and expressing. It is something
beyond speech that neverthless embraces speech.

So the Odaimoku is our primary essential practice as Nichiren
Buddhists, and I want to make sure no one is confused on that point.
We do have many other practices that are supportive of Odaimoku -
reciting the Lotus Sutra (esp. chapters 2 and 16), copying the
Odaimoku, or the Lotus Sutra, or images of the buddhas and
bodhisattvas, and protective deities, studying and discussing the
Lotus Sutra and gosho and Buddha Dharma in general, silent
meditation, guided meditation, walking meditation, liturgical hymns
(shomyo) and many other ways of developing and expression our
devotion (Namu) to the Wonderful Dharma (Myoho) of the Lotus Flower
(Renge) Teaching (Kyo). But all of them point back to Odaimoku as
the primary essential practice and the Odaimoku points us to the
Unborn and Deathless true nature of life.

Perhaps, due to different tastes and associations and
individual attachments and aversions, not everyone will feel a
connection with Odaimoku. That should be respected. We can not and
should not try to force people to take up a practice that they don't
feel is right for them. But I do believe that if given a chance,
Odaimoku can prove to be quite multi-faceted and indeed I believe
its practice will mature as the practitioner matures and that it
will more than facilitate that maturation. In fact, I believe it can
act as a catalyst for spiritual growth if given a chance and not
blocked by our own blindness or stubborness (and even that might be
broken through). So for some the Odaimoku might start out as a way
of feeling magically in control of one's life. Then it might become
a way of feeling empowered, a kind of all-purpose affirmation. Then
it might become a mantra for meditation, or a koan for
contemplation. It might be an expression of devotion to the Eternal
Buddha and a way of praising and feeling embraced by the Eternal
Buddha. Others might use it as a way of being mindful of the Dharma
at all times. And then of practitioners may experience it as the
unfolding of faith into wisdom. So the Odaimoku may seem to be a
single simple practice, but I believe it actually embodies many
different practices and approaches.

But the important thing in Nichiren Shu is just this - just chant
Odaimoku and see where it takes you. If all these other approaches
or methods can help you deepen your faith, appreciation, and
understanding than take advantage of them. But the important thing
is to just chant Odaimoku for that is the heart of Buddha Dharma in
the faith, teaching, and practice of our school of Buddhism.

If someone were coming to me for the first time and wanted to begin
learning about Nichiren Buddhism - this is where I would start. And
it would be a constant reference point throughout. And in the end,
whatever else may be studied or whatever other practices I might
help someone cultivate - they would all come back to this.

Namu Myoho Renge Kyo,
Ryuei

Posted by Ryuei at October 24, 2005 04:35 PM