by Gabe

Created on: January 30, 2010   Last Updated: February 09, 2010

"If you wish to free yourself from the sufferings of birth and death you have endured since time without beginning and to attain without fail unsurpassed enlightenment in this lifetime, you must perceive the mystic truth that is originally inherent in all living beings. This truth is Myoho-renge-kyo. Chanting Myoho-renge-kyo will therefore enable you to grasp the mystic truth innate in all life." - The writings of Nichiren, On attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime.

I am a Buddha. So are you. I read this passage often to remind myself of who I am, because sometimes I forget. I have to make money, feed myself, interact with my friends and my family. It's easy to forget this fundamental truth: The Mystic Law of Cause and Effect is always working in my life. Always.

"The Lotus Sutra is the king of sutras, the direct path to enlightenment, for it explains that the entity of our life, which manifests either good or evil at each moment, is in fact the entity of the Mystic Law. If you chant Myoho-renge-kyo with deep faith in this principle, you are certain to attain Buddhahood in this lifetime." - Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime

This entity of our lives is our minds. Each individuals mind manifests either good or evil at each moment. This too is easy to forget. Think of the difference between how a joyful person and a depressed person might see the world, walking down the same street at the same time. One will see children playing, perhaps beautiful artwork. The other will see homeless people, graffiti, dirt. It's still the same street, but the entity of their minds manifests a completely different reality.

I chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo with complete faith that I can attain enlightenment as soon as I chant it and that I will reap good fortune in the future and clear away all the evil Karma I have accumulated. It is said that Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo is like the roar of a lion. When I chant I become unstoppable. It clears away the negativity, the fundamental darkness that is within me so I can bring out the best in myself in even the most challenging situations.

Chanting is when I drink deeply of my divinity, the world around me becomes a reflection of my divine presence.

This is my daily practice. I am the mystic law. I am the Buddha. I am the universe.

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