The Practice of Chanting Odaimoku 

The most essential practice of Nichiren Buddhism is simply to chant Namu Myoho Renge Kyo. We can do this anytime, anywhere, and no special religious accessories are needed. According to Nichiren, we do not even need to know or think about its meaning. I can’t help but feel, however, that he was able to say this because he knew that his contemporaries had a general understanding of Buddhism and were already familiar with the attitudes, insights, and aspirations associated with the Lotus Sutra and chanting its Odaimoku. This would be similar to how many people in English-speaking countries today have a general sense of Biblical stories and teachings, even if they have not themselves read the Bible.

Different schools of Buddhism have different prayers, invocations, or mantras that are commonly chanted. Nichiren taught that the best way to practice Buddhism would be to focus upon and contemplate the true spirit of Shakyamuni Buddha’s teachings by chanting Namu Myoho Renge Kyo. In English, this means “I devote myself to the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.” Namu is the Japanese way of pronouncing the two Chinese characters 南無 which are used in East Asia to transliterate the Sanskrit word namas which means “homage to.” Nichiren understood it to mean dedicating or offering one’s life to the subject of homage. Myoho Renge Kyo is the Japanese way of pronouncing the five Chinese characters 妙法蓮華經 used to translate Saddharma-pundarika-sutra, the full Sanskrit title of the Lotus Sutra. Myoho is saddharma. In English, it can be translated as “Wonderful Dharma,” the truest, most refined, and most subtle Dharma or teaching of the Buddha. Renge is pundarika, the white lotus flower which has been a symbol of the blossoming of purity and spiritual awakening in Buddhism from the beginning. Kyo is sutra, which is literally a “thread of discourse.” In this case, the discourse is the Buddha’s ultimate teaching. Therefore, chanting the Odaimoku is a statement of intent and a heartfelt expression of the Buddha’s highest teaching and practice, which is expressed as the Lotus Sutra. Chanting Namu Myoho Renge Kyo is the practice of “devotion to the Teaching of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.”

In Nichiren Buddhism, the Odaimoku can be practiced anywhere and anytime. Nothing more is needed than our sincere faith to practice it. Even if we cannot chant it out loud, it is a statement of intent that we can contemplate silently. Even more than something to reflect upon, the seven Chinese characters of the Odaimoku represent a way of living that is positively oriented towards the True Dharma as it is clarified in the Lotus Sutra, even when we may not be consciously thinking of it. If I had to sum up the attitude towards life that I believe the Odaimoku practice represents in my own very inadequate words I think it would be something like this: “to live with the confidence that all beings can attain unsurpassed, perfect, and complete awakening (and treat them accordingly); and, more importantly, that the spirit of this unsurpassed, perfect, and complete awakening is here and now at work in, around, and among all beings.”

At the very least, Odaimoku chanting should express our trust and confidence in the Wonderful Dharma of the Lotus Flower Teaching. It is an affirmation of the conviction that all beings have buddha-nature. What is buddha-nature? It is that quality we all have that is selfless and reality-centered instead of self-centered and deluded. It is a treasure house within our hearts of loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, equanimity, generosity, virtue, patience, enthusiasm, focus, and transcendent wisdom — all the fruits of Buddhist practice. Odaimoku chanting is the practice in which we “abide firmly with resolute conviction that we are buddhas in a state of clearness, tranquility, and freedom.” Odaimoku practice is where our expression of faith in the Lotus Sutra and the peaceful abiding of buddhahood come together.

Here I’d like to share a passage about Odaimoku chanting from the Shutei Nichiren Shu Hoyo Shiki (The Standard Nichiren Shu Ceremonies and Protocols), which itself cites a passage from an earlier work on rules and procedures called Jugoen Raiju-giki. It is an instruction for Nichiren Shu clergy, but I believe all Nichiren Buddhist practitioners should keep it in mind.

The Raiju-giki warns against “…chanting Daimoku in a gloomy, lazy, or distracted fashion. Don’t chant Daimoku with a scatter-brained or flippant manner. Chanting as if it were a hardship is folly whereas chanting it joyfully is wise. The intention of our practice is to chant joyfully.” [It advises:] “As part of daily practice, we should chant it three hundred times, each time mindfully in a moderate tempo free of distraction or drowsiness but with a courageous effort. Finally, we should chant it ten more times at a slower tempo with deep sincerity and clarity so that everyone is focused and mindful [of the Daimoku].” In short, because chanting Daimoku is the main practice we should chant it often with sincerity and mindfulness.

The Shutei Nichiren Shu Hoyo Shiki further states: “Namu” and “Ge” must be pronounced as spelled. The pronunciations “Nanmyo” and “Gei” are unacceptable.” It also says that when chanting tens of times, as opposed to hundreds, the last three times “must always be in a slower tempo." The Odaimoku is also chanted using six beats. “Namu” is given a single beat, and each of the following five syllables of the Odaimoku is given a single beat.

Though I said that we can practice Odaimoku anywhere and anytime, I would like to suggest that it is most helpful to have a consistent daily practice. Set aside some time each day just for Odaimoku practice. Optimally, the practice can be performed in the morning (or whenever you get up for the day) once you are dressed and ready, and again in the evening (or whenever you retire for the day) just before going to bed. I have found that chanting three hundred Odaimoku at a moderate tempo followed by ten at a slower tempo, as recommended by the Hoyo Shiki, generally takes about twelve minutes, though certainly you are encouraged to chant for as long as you like.

Find a place where you can sit comfortably, free of distractions, and safe from interruptions. Sit in a stable upright position and put your hands together in the añjali mudra, a gesture of greeting and reverence that is called gassho (合掌) in Japanese. It is formed by putting the palms together, as though in prayer, at the level of the heart with the fingers pointing up. If you are practicing with your eyes open, I would suggest resting your gaze softly on something that will not distract you, such as a blank wall, an uncluttered floor, or a garden. Elswhere will explain the use of Buddhist prayer beads and the setting up of a home shrine. For now, I am assuming that you do not have these things, nor are they essential to one’s practice. Only the Odaimoku and your own confidence and joy in the practice are essential.

Chant out loud if you can, but there is no need to shout. Chant from the diaphragm, and not shallowly from the lungs or in a breathy or nasal fashion. Do not dissipate your energy by shaking your body or nervously rubbing prayer beads. Cultivate a still firmness, centered and grounded in the lower abdomen, known in East Asia as the “elixir field” (C. dantian; J. tanden; 丹田), a spot that is said to be three finger widths beneath and two finger widths behind the navel. That is beneath the area that expands and contracts during diaphragmatic breathing. It is the still point physically and mentally which abides in the midst of changing phenomena. It is our center of gravity and is said to be a reservoir of what the Chinese call qi (J. ki; 氣), meaning life force or vital energy. Reciting chapters or passages from the Lotus Sutra should also come from the diaphragm.

Once when I was chanting passages from the Lotus Sutra with my sensei, the Ven. Ryusho Matsuda, my shoulders and body were moving up and down in rhythm with the chanting. While continuing to set the rhythm on a percussion instrument called a mokusho (木柾) with his right hand, my sensei reached out and put his left hand on my right shoulder, reminding me to keep my body still and energy grounded in the tanden even as I continued to powerfully project my voice while chanting the sutra. My chanting became more focused and the energy calm rather than frenzied.

When chanting do not ignore, fight off, or override any feelings, thoughts, or sensations. Simply center your awareness on the Odaimoku and let whatever comes come, and whatever goes go, and keep returning your attention to the Odaimoku if and when you become distracted. Don’t let the chanting become rote while you daydream about something else. Bring your attention back to it and just let whatever else is happening inside or outside be what it is — illuminated by the Odaimoku.

At one time, the Ven. Ryusho Matsuda was leading a session of Odaimoku chanting when a spider came crawling toward him. He saw it out of the corner of his eye as he was holding a hand drum in one hand and beating out the rhythm with a drumstick in his other hand. He could not do anything about the spider, as it would cause him to break the rhythm of the beat. So he just let it be and turned his attention back to the Odaimoku. Fortunately, the spider did not crawl onto his robe but went off in another direction. He told us about this afterward. Distractions are like this spider. They may be disturbing, but most are harmless and will usually just go away on their own. Don’t let them bug you — keep chanting.