Why is our primary practice chanting and not some form of silent meditation?
When the Buddha realized Awakening, he questioned what he should do. Brahma came to him and said, “Great Master, you must teach the people so they too may be Free. The Buddha looked across the World and saw all the many beings, great and small, strong and weak, smart and dull and observed that they are all like beautiful Lotus Flowers growing in the muddy pond. He vowed, I will teach this Wonderful Dharma, the Way Things Are, the Path to Freedom from Suffering. This shall be known as the Teaching of the Blossoming Lotuses of the Wonderful Dharma. The Buddha saw how hard life is and because of his Great Compassion, he wrapped his Awakening in the Five Characters of Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo and gave it to the people of World so they too would Awaken and become buddhas.
On April 1274, from his exile on Sado Island, Nichiren wrote in Kanjin Honzon Sho to Toki Jonin:
“For those who are incapable of understanding the truth of the “3,000 existences contained in one thought,” Lord Shakyamuni Buddha, with His great compassion, wraps this jewel with the five characters of Myō, Hō, Ren, Ge, and Kyō and hangs it around the neck of the ignorant in the Latter Age of Degeneration.”
Nichiren gifted us with chanting the Title of the Lotus Sutra as an essential practice because it is an accessible shorthand practice for people of all kinds for "reciting the sutra." Some say that mantra chanting is uniquely suited for today’s hyper-stimulated culture, where distractions abound, and sensory input is overwhelming. Being able to “sit” and chant allows one to over-ride the chaos of modern societies noise of chaos and constant drone of one’s inner thoughts - one’s ‘default mode’ network - better than silent meditation can.
However, we should not think of the Odaimoku as only (or merely) the formal verbal mantra chanting practice - though that is the initial and manifest seed for the rest in terms of Nichiren Buddhism.
The Odaimoku as the practice of “keeping” is meant to express (and elicit the authentic feeling of) the single moment of faith and rejoicing that is the necessary preliminary of any more involved practices such as reading, reciting, copying, and expounding or developing wisdom, compassion, and gentleness. These are the unfolding or flowering of the deepening feeling of the Odaimoku.
The practice of Nichiren Buddhism is more than just vocalizing the Odaimoku. As a verbal practice it is the Odaimoku as a mantra, as a mental practice it is the single moment of faith and rejoicing, as activity in daily life it appears as wiser and more compassionate choices in each moment. All of it, chanting, the mental posture, the awakened and awakening activity, are all the Odaimoku expressed in terms of thought, word, and deed.
Since all the Buddha's teachings are incorporated by reference into the Lotus Sutra, this means we chant to try and live out those teachings in our lives. And all of those practices are to help us to live as Bodhisattva Never Disparaging did (Bodhisattva Never Disparaging, Chapter 20) "entering the room, sitting on the throne, and wearing the cloak" of the Buddha.
But why is chanting our essential and primary practice? I think I found a reason in Master Zhiyi (Chih-I, T’ien-t’ai) Great Calming and Contemplation:
“If you become extremely weary, tormented by disease, or overcome by drowsiness, or if internal and external obstacles intrude upon and displace correct [concentrated] mindfulness so that you are not able to dispel [these distractions], then you should singularly and wholeheartedly chant the name of a single Buddha, and with humility and repentance trust in the Buddha as if your life depends on it. [Singularly and wholeheartedly chanting the name of one Buddha] is equal in merit to chanting the names of the Buddhas of [all] ten directions.”
“Why is this so? It is as when people who are choked up with grief or joy are uplifted when they [voice their emotions and] cry out in sorrow or sing with laughter. It is the same for one who practices [contemplation]. When the [inner] wind [of breath] encounters the seven places [of the body], the physical act [for producing a verbal sound] is completed, and when the voice vibrates [“echoes”] and emerges from the lips, the vocal act is completed.
“These two [actions] can assist in mentally perfecting your capacity [for enlightenment and provide the opportunity] to experience the Buddha, who has “bent down” and “descended” [to our level].”
“[Singularly and wholeheartedly chanting a Buddha’s name] is like someone pulling a heavy load who is unable to advance by one’s own power; provisionally engaging the help and assistance of a bystander the load can be lifted easily. [The situation] is the same for one who practices [contemplation]. When you are mentally weak and not able to banish the obstacles [to contemplation], chanting the name [of a Buddha] and soliciting their protection keeps evil conditions [such as those listed above] from destroying your concentration.”
So what does this mean to us?
Single-mindedly and wholeheartedly chant Namu Myoho Renge Kyo with humility and repentance, trusting in Namu Myoho Renge Kyo as if your life depends on it.
Namu means taking refuge; finding solace, safety and sanctuary; placing our faith – our deepest trust and confidence in this Wonderful Dharma of the Lotus Flower Sutra.
We activate the Buddha’s gift of his Merits and Virtues so the seeds of our own buddha hood sprout and our own beautiful lotus blossom grows up through the mud, through the water, into the sun and blooms on its own and we too Awaken becoming buddhas, manifesting the shapes, color and fragrances of the Lotus:
Virtue: Compassion and Loving Kindness. Manifesting the Eightfold Path and the Six Perfections in our daily lives.
Wisdom: Feel clearly, letting go of debilitating attachments. See clearly, responding to circumstances in a positive and healthy manner. Think clearly, acting with wisdom and compassion.
Power: The strength and courage to live with joy, openness and equanimity. The power over our small-mind and egotistical thoughts of “I, me, mine.”
Fearlessness: To be free of fear and anxiety amidst the burning fires of the Latter Age
Meditations: Being able to chant the Odaimoku everyday.
Concentration: Living each moment with Mindfulness.
Liberation: Being free of crippling self-doubt, anger and fear to experience and engage each moment fully.