The record of Shakyamuni’s teachings to awaken others was captured
for posterity in numerous Buddhist sutras. The culmination of these
teachings is the Lotus Sutra. In Japanese, “Lotus Sutra” is rendered as Myoho-renge-kyo.
Over
a thousand years after Shakyamuni, amidst the turbulence of
13th-century Japan, Nichiren similarly began a quest to recover the
essence of Buddhism for the sake of the suffering masses. Awakening to
the law of life himself, Nichiren was able to discern that this
fundamental law is contained within Shakyamuni’s Lotus Sutra and that it
is encapsulated and concisely expressed in the sutra’s
title—Myoho-renge-kyo. Nichiren designated the title of the sutra as the
name of the law and established the practice of reciting
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as a practical way for all people to focus their
hearts and minds upon this law and manifest its transformative power in
reality. Nam comes from the Sanskrit namas, meaning to devote or dedicate oneself.
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo
is thus a vow, an expression of determination, to embrace and manifest
our Buddha nature. It is a pledge to oneself to never yield to
difficulties and to win over one’s suffering. At the same time, it is a
vow to help others reveal this law in their own lives and achieve
happiness.
The individual characters that make up Myoho-renge-kyo express key characteristics of this law. Myo can be translated as mystic or wonderful, and ho means
law. This law is called mystic because it is difficult to comprehend.
What exactly is it that is difficult to comprehend? It is the wonder of
ordinary people, beset by delusion and suffering, awakening to the
fundamental law in their own lives, bringing forth wisdom and compassion
and realizing that they are inherently Buddhas able to solve their own
problems and those of others. The Mystic Law transforms the life of
anyone—even the unhappiest person, at any time and in any
circumstances—into a life of supreme happiness.
Renge,
meaning lotus blossom, is a metaphor that offers further insight into
the qualities of this Mystic Law. The lotus flower is pure and fragrant,
unsullied by the muddy water in which it grows. Similarly, the beauty
and dignity of our humanity is brought forth amidst the sufferings of
daily reality.
Further, unlike other plants, the lotus puts forth
flowers and fruit at the same time. In most plants, the fruit develops
after the flower has bloomed and the petals of the flower have fallen
away. The fruit of the lotus plant, however, develops simultaneously
with the flower, and when the flower opens, the fruit is there within
it. This illustrates the principle of the simultaneity of cause and
effect; we do not have to wait to become someone perfect in the future,
we can bring forth the power of the Mystic Law from within our lives at
any time.
The principle of the simultaneity of cause and effect
clarifies that our lives are fundamentally equipped with the great life
state of the Buddha and that the attainment of Buddhahood is possible by
simply opening up and bringing forth this state. Sutras other than the
Lotus Sutra taught that people could attain Buddhahood only by carrying
out Buddhist practice over several lifetimes, acquiring the traits of
the Buddha one by one. The Lotus Sutra overturns this idea, teaching
that all the traits of the Buddha are present within our lives from the
beginning.
Kyo literally means sutra
and here indicates the Mystic Law likened to a lotus flower, the
fundamental law that permeates life and the universe, the eternal truth.
The Chinese character kyo also implies the idea of a “thread.”
When a fabric is woven, first, the vertical threads are put in place.
These represent the basic reality of life. They are the stable framework
through which the horizontal threads are woven. These horizontal
threads, representing the varied activities of our daily lives, make up
the pattern of the fabric, imparting color and variation. The fabric of
our lives is comprised of both a fundamental and enduring truth as well
as the busy reality of our daily existence with its uniqueness and
variety. A life that is only horizontal threads quickly unravels.
These
are some of the ways in which the name “Myoho-renge-kyo” describes the
Mystic Law, of which our lives are an expression. To chant
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is an act of faith in the Mystic Law and in the
magnitude of life’s inherent possibilities. Throughout his writings,
Nichiren emphasizes the primacy of faith. He writes, for instance: “The
Lotus Sutra . . . says that one can ‘gain entrance through faith alone.’
. . . Thus faith is the basic requirement for entering the way of the
Buddha.” The Mystic Law is the unlimited strength inherent in one’s
life. To believe in the Mystic Law and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is to
have faith in one’s unlimited potential. It is not a mystical phrase
that brings forth supernatural power, nor is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo an
entity transcending ourselves that we rely upon. It is the principle
that those who live normal lives and make consistent efforts will duly
triumph.
To chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is to bring forth the pure
and fundamental energy of life, honoring the dignity and possibility of
our ordinary lives.
