Ikeda Sensei: When we do gongyo and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, we conduct a ceremony in which we praise the Gohonzon and the great pure Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. On one level, it could be said that our daily chanting is like a paean for the Buddha and for Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the fundamental Law of the universe. At the same time, we are also praising the eternal life of the universe and the world of Buddhahood in our own lives.
When we chant to the Gohonzon, right then and there the doors of the microcosm within us open completely to the macrocosm, and we can experience a great and serene sense of happiness, as though gazing out over the entire universe. We savor tremendous fulfillment and joy and gain access to a great and all-embracing wisdom. The microcosm that is encompassed by the universe in turn encompasses the entire universe.
Our morning and evening practice is an invigorating ceremony of beginningless time that revitalizes us from the very depths of our being. Therefore, the important thing is to chant each day filled with a sense of rhythm and cadence—like a horse galloping through the heavens. I hope you will chant in a way that leaves you refreshed and revitalized in both body and mind.
The Lotus Sutra is the king of sutras, the scripture that calls out to all people. It is a living teaching that embodies the Buddha’s compassion and egalitarian outlook. It is a scripture of renaissance overflowing with the spirit of revitalization that makes human beings strong and wise. And the “Expedient Means” and “Life Span” chapters are the heart of the sutra.
No practice is as universally accessible to all people as the practice of reciting the sutra and chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo set forth by Nichiren Daishonin. This is the Buddhist practice that is most open and accessible to all people. (The Heart of the Lotus Sutra, pp. 14–15)
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