Is Chanting the Same as Meditating? 

With increasingly hectic lives, many people in the U.S. have taken to popular meditation practices for its benefits—reduced stress and anxiety, better heart health and more.^[1]

Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo goes further, activating the dynamic qualities of our Buddha nature at the core of our mental, physical and spiritual selves. 

The Buddhist concept of the “nine levels of consciousness” provides insight into how chanting reveals our fundamental goodness. 

The first five levels of consciousness correspond to our five senses, while the sixth integrates them to understand and respond to the external world. The seventh, or mano-consciousness, is where awareness and attachment to the self originate. It represents the internal realm that corresponds to the Western concept of ego and is where we form narratives about who we are. Meditation engages these first seven levels. 

Chanting reaches two additional levels. The eighth, or alaya-consciousness, is known as the “karmic storehouse,” where past causes from this and previous lives are stored. The ninth, or amala-consciousness, represents the purest state of Buddhahood. By chanting to the Gohonzon, the clear mirror of life that enables us to “observe our minds,” we illuminate all levels of consciousness with this highest state.^[2]

Ikeda Sensei says: 

Being able to see the true nature of our mind, or attain enlightenment, is not something achieved through conceptual thought or meditative practice; faith is the foundation. That is why, [Nichiren Daishonin] writes, “This Gohonzon also is found only in the two characters for faith.”^[3] (The Teachings for Victory, vol. 4, p. 11)

A longtime SGI member who teaches yoga professionally says mindful meditation helps people transform limiting beliefs and live in the present. However, she credits chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with helping her overcome personal struggles, saying, “Turning poison into medicine (changing karma) and transforming it into something that’s powerful and joyful is something that I feel only our SGI Buddhist practice is able to do.”

Former Zen monk and author of Waking the Buddha, Clark Strand, also observed that many who meditate seek spiritual insight without addressing real-life challenges, whereas chanting empowers people to take action while inspiring others.^[4]

Seeking Self-Mastery and Forging Meaningful Connections

Meditation is often solitary, but Nichiren Buddhism emphasizes having a personal and collective practice. 

Nichiren urges his disciples to look within to “grasp the mystic truth innate in all life” (“On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 3) while also creating harmonious bonds with one another like “fish and the water in which they swim” (“The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life,” WND-1, 217). 

In addition to engaging in our personal practice of chanting twice daily, we also gather to chant, visit with members and attend meetings where we share our experiences of overcoming obstacles and reaching our goals. Sharing in the highs and lows of life and encouraging one another spurs us to deepen our faith and practice, and fosters our connections. 

The practice of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with the SGI helps us awaken our Buddha nature, transform deep-seated karma and foster personal and social change. By seeking self-mastery and building strong connections, we lay the foundation for lasting peace and happiness. 

—Prepared by the SGI-USA Study Department

February 7, 2025 World Tribune, p. 10