This series highlights how Buddhism can enhance daily living. As Nichiren Daishonin says: “When the skies are clear, the ground is illuminated. Similarly, when one knows the Lotus Sutra, one understands the meaning of all worldly affairs.”[1]
Overwhelmed. This word has been popping up more frequently in conversations lately. Maybe it’s because of the rise in the news about daunting issues like the climate crisis, political friction, multiple large-scale wars and the threat of nuclear war. Or, no less important, maybe it’s due to the stress caused by managing everyday realities, such as health, relationships, work, school and family obligations. Whatever the case, it seems that more and more people today feel stretched to their limits.
An SGI-USA leader once asked Ikeda Sensei what to do when you’re so exhausted that you can’t even feel your own life.
His response was twofold.
First, he emphasized the immense value of dedicating our lives to spreading the Mystic Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. “When we do so,” he said, “our lives fall in rhythm with the positive energy of the universe, enabling us to advance on a course of eternal happiness. We can savor the most wonderful state of being, where we can experience joy in both life and death.”[2]
A Symphony in Three Movements
His second point was to live a poetic life. He said, “To create a harmonious balance between work, rest and play—like a seamlessly interwoven symphony—is a manifestation of the wisdom of the Mystic Law.”[3]
If we liken life to a symphony, we are like the conductor wisely and melodiously orchestrating the movements of “work, rest and play.”
What do these movements entail?
“Work” might include our efforts based on our Buddhist practice toward self-improvement, supporting others and spreading Buddhism. In one sense, we could view it as overcoming the various daily challenges and doing our best to help others and advance kosen-rufu, the widespread propagation of Nichiren Buddhism.
However, only focusing on such “work” can lead to burnout.
This is why the second movement of “rest” is so vital. It connects to our health and well-being, including praying for good health each day and doing practical things like exercising, eating nutritious foods and sleeping well. Taking care of our health means respecting our lives as vessels for kosen-rufu.
We also create harmonious balance by giving time to “play” or enjoyment. There are many ways to enjoy life—watching movies, reading, listening to music, being creative, playing games, chatting with friends, being out in nature, etc. Things that make our hearts sing help us become fully human.
Sensei says: “If all you talk about is ‘fighting and winning,’ it may turn people off. Talking to people about their hobbies or interests, or about life in general, and listening to their complaints or what they have to say until they are satisfied can actually serve to inspire and invigorate them.”[4]
Cultivating the Poetic Spirit
Living a poetic life means harmonizing each movement of this symphony and cultivating in our hearts the spirit to recognize and praise the world replete with beauty, interconnectedness and vitality. Sensei writes:
Living here on earth, we breathe the rhythms of a universe that extends infinitely above us. When resonant harmonies arise between this vast outer cosmos and the inner human cosmos, poetry is born. …
The poetic spirit has the power to “retune” and reconnect a discordant, divided world. …
Now more than ever, we need the thunderous, rousing voice of poetry. We need the poet’s impassioned songs of peace, of the shared and mutually supportive existence of all things. We need to reawaken the poetic spirit within us, the youthful, vital energy and wisdom that enable us to live to the fullest.[5]
When we feel drained, overwhelmed, and pulled in all different directions, it can also be easy to feel estranged from the beauty of the world and the vitality of humanity. By engaging in our Buddhist practice, chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to the Gohonzon and striving to live a poetic life in tune with ourselves and the universe, we can relish beauty, opportunity and hope in every moment.
—Prepared by the SGI-USA Study Department
You are reading {{ meterCount }} of {{ meterMax }} free premium articles