Friday 18 July 2014
MY BUDDHIST BLOG NUMBER 52
Hi Everybody,
amazing day today. I was in the park by 7.30 jogging with Gatsby and already the sun was hot on my neck. Tomorrow, Lemnos and blue sky and blue sea and the whizz of a windsurfer. Can't wait. And happily today's theme is...action, taking the action.
' This is the esential third pillar of the practice, which anchors the chanting and the study and the basic values of the philosophy into the reality of every day. Taking the action, putting it into practice, the struggle some would say, to fold Buddhist principles and values completely into the fabric of our daily life, so that they are lived rather than just perceived or understood. It is simply but memorably illustrated in the example of cooking the rice. If you want to eat rice the story goes, you can prepare it, put it in the pot, and put the pot on the stove. Then you can go off and chant. You can chant until you are blue in the face but of course not a grain of rice will be cooked...until you take the action...until you get up off your knees and light the fire tha tis. So the chanting is the essential prelude, the summoning of the wisdom and the courage and the compassion and the life force, to enable you to take the right action to realise the change that you seek in your life.
And the reason why we might well use the word struggle in that list of action words above is because we are so often deeply involved in change; we're seeking to change and improve the things that don't work or that we don't like about our lives, and, as we all know, few things are more difficult to change than ingrained, often unconscious patterns of thought or behaviour. They might be driven, those patterns, by lack of awareness for example, or by habitual anger, or selfishness, or a basic lack of concern for other people's needs or views. That is part of all our experience. We are all aware of just how loudly our own needs or wishesspeak to us, over the concerns of others. What happens is that the Buddhist practice, which has compassion and altruism at its very heart drives the inner transformation towards a fundamental, deeply-felt respect for the lives of all others. It's not of course a one-way journey, far from it. One step forwards two steps back is a common experience, but as we continue with the practice, so we get better at living it out in our lives. '
And it works I promise you. From my heart. I've moved a long long way in my personal journey away from a basically abrasive, selfish, self-seeking William towards a generous and compassionate and altruistic and value creating one, and the impact on my profound sesne of well-being and being at ease with myself and my life has been immense. Immense.
See you next time.
William
The Case for Buddhism is available from Amazon and on Kindle.
Tuesday 15 July 2014
my buddhist blog number 51
Hi Everybody,
I'm off on my hols next week, hoping to climb onto a windsurfer in Lemnos Bay, so I'm going to try to fit in a couple of extra episodes this week, just to keep up the pace. Had a great e-mail from the jazz singer Cleve Douglass Jazz this week saying that he'd just picked up one of my books in the SGI culture Centre in NY and, he went on... he thought it was one of the best books he'd had the pleasure of reading for introducing people to the principles and values of Nichiren Buddhism! Can't tell you what a powerful impact it has when someone just takes the trouble to pen a few words. Every writer needs feedback. We love it of course when it's good, but it's just as important when it's critical because it sharpens our focus...how can we improve things. Anyway...I was well pleased. Thanks Cleve!
OK so let's move on from the examination of chanting to looking at the second main pillar of the practice which is study. Once again Buddhism is esentially like any other subject we might be interested in, in that to gain the greatest value from our practice, then clearly we have to spend a reasonable amount of time studying it, in order to understand more fully its basic principles and beleifs. That is part and parcel if you like of the commitment, part and parcel of the responsibility that we accept in taking up the practice; studying a wide range of things from the letters and other writings of Nichiren himself, which are still extant, to commentaries by Buddhist scholars and accounts by individual Buddhists of the ways in which their practice has changed their lives. Nichiren makes no bones about its importance. Indded he goes so far as to say,
' Exert yourself in the two ways of practice and study. Without practice and study there is no Buddhism.'
It could scarcely be expressed more bluntly could it...without practice and study there is no Buddhism! Indeed study becomes a continuous process. many practitioners fold it into their daily lives, spending a few minutes each day reading or studying a Buddhist text or a piece of commentary, because it is such a broad ranging philosophy.
But tha thaving been said it is equally important to emphasise that this is not in any way an intellectual practice. The practice is not about knowledge so much as about spirit. So the study is not about acquiring knowledge in a sort of egocentric way, knowledge as an end in itself. It is wholly about deepening our understanding of the principles that inform the practiceand how they play out in everyday life. Because of course, in the final analysis, that is what we are talking about, it's about our values and our behaviour above all, about how we personally seek to create value through the situations and the people we encounter as we go about our daily lives.
So that's a few words on study. next time we look at action and an important issue that we tend to call actual proof.
See you then.
All my best wishes,
William
I'm off on my hols next week, hoping to climb onto a windsurfer in Lemnos Bay, so I'm going to try to fit in a couple of extra episodes this week, just to keep up the pace. Had a great e-mail from the jazz singer Cleve Douglass Jazz this week saying that he'd just picked up one of my books in the SGI culture Centre in NY and, he went on... he thought it was one of the best books he'd had the pleasure of reading for introducing people to the principles and values of Nichiren Buddhism! Can't tell you what a powerful impact it has when someone just takes the trouble to pen a few words. Every writer needs feedback. We love it of course when it's good, but it's just as important when it's critical because it sharpens our focus...how can we improve things. Anyway...I was well pleased. Thanks Cleve!
OK so let's move on from the examination of chanting to looking at the second main pillar of the practice which is study. Once again Buddhism is esentially like any other subject we might be interested in, in that to gain the greatest value from our practice, then clearly we have to spend a reasonable amount of time studying it, in order to understand more fully its basic principles and beleifs. That is part and parcel if you like of the commitment, part and parcel of the responsibility that we accept in taking up the practice; studying a wide range of things from the letters and other writings of Nichiren himself, which are still extant, to commentaries by Buddhist scholars and accounts by individual Buddhists of the ways in which their practice has changed their lives. Nichiren makes no bones about its importance. Indded he goes so far as to say,
' Exert yourself in the two ways of practice and study. Without practice and study there is no Buddhism.'
It could scarcely be expressed more bluntly could it...without practice and study there is no Buddhism! Indeed study becomes a continuous process. many practitioners fold it into their daily lives, spending a few minutes each day reading or studying a Buddhist text or a piece of commentary, because it is such a broad ranging philosophy.
But tha thaving been said it is equally important to emphasise that this is not in any way an intellectual practice. The practice is not about knowledge so much as about spirit. So the study is not about acquiring knowledge in a sort of egocentric way, knowledge as an end in itself. It is wholly about deepening our understanding of the principles that inform the practiceand how they play out in everyday life. Because of course, in the final analysis, that is what we are talking about, it's about our values and our behaviour above all, about how we personally seek to create value through the situations and the people we encounter as we go about our daily lives.
So that's a few words on study. next time we look at action and an important issue that we tend to call actual proof.
See you then.
All my best wishes,
William
Thursday 10 July 2014
my buddhist blog number 50
Hi Everybody,
Number 50 already! How time flies when your enjoying yourself! But it has gone quickly, for me anyway, if not for you, and 50 seems to be about the half way point in the book. It would be really great for me if at this half way stage anybody who is listening to this out there were to do me the hugest favour of introducing one other person, so in a trice we would double the circulation! Do you think it's possible? I would be hugely grateful. Anyway, today's sub heading is what do we chant for.
' That's ann important question isn't it? We are chanting essentially to tap into this potential, this resource within ourselves, that helps us to live with a higher life state more of the time. So, more optimism, more hope, more courage, more resilience, whatever the turbulence in our lives or whatever circumstance we happen to be living through. That is the dominant underlying thought. But the plain fact is, as we've said so often, Buddhism is daily life, so people chant for any goal they wish to achieve in their lives, or in the lives of those around them. People don't often start chanting because they want to save the planet so to speak, although they may of course. They are much more likely to start chanting for reasons that are much closer to home, much more personal; for courage in the face of serious nillness for example, ( as I did with my cancer ) or for a more satisfying or rewarding job, or to heal a rift in a relationship, or just to have a great day. Many people chant for these and other utterly normal worldly desires every day of the week. They are very much part of our ordinary humanity, and real enough, and therefore part and parcel our Buddhist practice.
I have no doubt whatsoeverthat my Buddhist practice brings immense value into every area of my life on a daily basis. It enriches and strengthens my marriage for example in ways that are too numerous to mention. No marriage is without tension and conflict, an din that sense Buddhism is a great marital aid! Or a great partnership aid perhaps, whichever is appropriate. Why? Because arguments between people who share intimately in each other's lives can be the most destructive, because both parties know so well the other's vulnerabilities. The point is that the daily practice delivers into the hands of both parties, a most powerful mechanism, not simply for slicing through those arguments rapidly, but for healing the wounds and for creating genuine learning out of the situation. I speak only from experience!.
What about material things?
Chanting to achieve things in our life, including material things, runs directly counter of course to a widely-held perception of Buddhism, that it is esentially about renunciation, about giving up worldly things, as a necessary step along the road to achieving a higher spiritual state. Nichiren Buddhism however teaches that the mere act of renunciation of itself brings no benefits to our lives. How can it? It argues on the contrary that desire is basic to all human life, and that as long as there is life, there will be the instinctive desire in then hearts of men and women to make the very most of that life; to live and to grow and to love and to have.
Nichiren saw with great clarity that little was to be gained from people expending huge amounts of thought and time and energy trying to extinguish a force that lies right at the core of our lives. On the contrary a great deal more is to be achieved by accepting it as an essential part of everyone's humanity and therefore harnessing it, as a powerful engine for individual growth. And indeed there are countless stories to be told of people who have started chanting driven largely by what they saw as their personal needs, who now look back and smile at those somewhat shallow beginnings, in the knowledge of just how profoundly their lives and their concerns and values have changed towards the creation of value, not just in their own lives, but taking in the well-being of family and friends and work colleagues. Perhaps I may mention purely en passant, that one of the biggest changes in my own life has been the awareness of a profound sense of compassion for everyone I encounter, and it has come completely unconsciously if I may put it that way. It's just there, and it constantly takes me by surprise.
But whatever we may be seeking for our own lives at any particular point in time, it's important to hang onto the vision, the goal. And the ultimate goal of Nichiren Buddhism is a world made up of people and communities at every level, that live in peace one with another, and with respect for one another. We chant for it, and we work for it, on a daily basis. '
That's enough for one swallow isn't it? So hope to see you next time. And it would be great if you could do that passing the blog onto another person trick.
Best wishes,
William
The Case for Buddhism is available as abook from Amazon and as a download from Kindle.
Number 50 already! How time flies when your enjoying yourself! But it has gone quickly, for me anyway, if not for you, and 50 seems to be about the half way point in the book. It would be really great for me if at this half way stage anybody who is listening to this out there were to do me the hugest favour of introducing one other person, so in a trice we would double the circulation! Do you think it's possible? I would be hugely grateful. Anyway, today's sub heading is what do we chant for.
' That's ann important question isn't it? We are chanting essentially to tap into this potential, this resource within ourselves, that helps us to live with a higher life state more of the time. So, more optimism, more hope, more courage, more resilience, whatever the turbulence in our lives or whatever circumstance we happen to be living through. That is the dominant underlying thought. But the plain fact is, as we've said so often, Buddhism is daily life, so people chant for any goal they wish to achieve in their lives, or in the lives of those around them. People don't often start chanting because they want to save the planet so to speak, although they may of course. They are much more likely to start chanting for reasons that are much closer to home, much more personal; for courage in the face of serious nillness for example, ( as I did with my cancer ) or for a more satisfying or rewarding job, or to heal a rift in a relationship, or just to have a great day. Many people chant for these and other utterly normal worldly desires every day of the week. They are very much part of our ordinary humanity, and real enough, and therefore part and parcel our Buddhist practice.
I have no doubt whatsoeverthat my Buddhist practice brings immense value into every area of my life on a daily basis. It enriches and strengthens my marriage for example in ways that are too numerous to mention. No marriage is without tension and conflict, an din that sense Buddhism is a great marital aid! Or a great partnership aid perhaps, whichever is appropriate. Why? Because arguments between people who share intimately in each other's lives can be the most destructive, because both parties know so well the other's vulnerabilities. The point is that the daily practice delivers into the hands of both parties, a most powerful mechanism, not simply for slicing through those arguments rapidly, but for healing the wounds and for creating genuine learning out of the situation. I speak only from experience!.
What about material things?
Chanting to achieve things in our life, including material things, runs directly counter of course to a widely-held perception of Buddhism, that it is esentially about renunciation, about giving up worldly things, as a necessary step along the road to achieving a higher spiritual state. Nichiren Buddhism however teaches that the mere act of renunciation of itself brings no benefits to our lives. How can it? It argues on the contrary that desire is basic to all human life, and that as long as there is life, there will be the instinctive desire in then hearts of men and women to make the very most of that life; to live and to grow and to love and to have.
Nichiren saw with great clarity that little was to be gained from people expending huge amounts of thought and time and energy trying to extinguish a force that lies right at the core of our lives. On the contrary a great deal more is to be achieved by accepting it as an essential part of everyone's humanity and therefore harnessing it, as a powerful engine for individual growth. And indeed there are countless stories to be told of people who have started chanting driven largely by what they saw as their personal needs, who now look back and smile at those somewhat shallow beginnings, in the knowledge of just how profoundly their lives and their concerns and values have changed towards the creation of value, not just in their own lives, but taking in the well-being of family and friends and work colleagues. Perhaps I may mention purely en passant, that one of the biggest changes in my own life has been the awareness of a profound sense of compassion for everyone I encounter, and it has come completely unconsciously if I may put it that way. It's just there, and it constantly takes me by surprise.
But whatever we may be seeking for our own lives at any particular point in time, it's important to hang onto the vision, the goal. And the ultimate goal of Nichiren Buddhism is a world made up of people and communities at every level, that live in peace one with another, and with respect for one another. We chant for it, and we work for it, on a daily basis. '
That's enough for one swallow isn't it? So hope to see you next time. And it would be great if you could do that passing the blog onto another person trick.
Best wishes,
William
The Case for Buddhism is available as abook from Amazon and as a download from Kindle.
Sunday 6 July 2014
my buddhist blog number 49
Hi Everybody,
Herbert Benson is an eminent professor of Medicine at Harvard. He has a world wide reputation for the range and quality of his research, and he happens to have a particular interest in the role of religious belief in human well-being. In the 1990's for example he carried out substantial series of studies on the effects on health and general well-being of a wide range of religious beliefs. The results were set out in his detailed account, Timeless Healing: The Power and Biology of Belief. His conclusions essentially were that many forms of prayer, arising from belief, can have a powerfully beneficial effect on critical physiological factors such as lower blood pressure, stable heart rates and heightened immune systems. More recent research might be described as going even further, it actually looks at the effect of chanting and meditation on the way in which particular genes in a number of oindividuals' DNA were switched on or off. So it delves if you like into the very basis of our humanity.
Very briefly, the research group was quite small, some 26 volunteers, a key factor being that none of them had any previous experience of chanting or meditation. Initially Benson and his colleagues carried out an analysis of the complete genomes of all 26, and then they were all taught a brief 20 minute routine of chanting and breathing rhythmically, and ' emptying the mind. ' The volunteers then proceeded to carry out that routine, that practice if you like, every day for the following 8 weeks.
At the end of that time the genomes of all the volunteers were re-analysed. The results were quite startling. As the report in the scientific journal New Scientist expresses it,
' Clusters of beneficial genes had become more active and harmful ones less so. '
The specific ' beneficial ' effects were related to the energy efficiency of cells, the level of insulin production, which improves control of blood sugar, and certain effects of ageing. The clusters of genes that became less active were associated with chronic inflammation, which can lead to high nblood pressure and heart disease.
So, the process of chanting not only creates what we might call emotional space. So that if we find ourselves in a troubling or challenging situation, by chanting about it, it becomes possible to clear the mind to some extent, so that we can respond to that situation in a more positive and creative way, rather than simply reacting to it impulsively. But it would seem from Professor Benson's research, that the process of regular chanting can be a truly re-vitalising and re-energising a ctivity. That has always been part of the practitioners experience, and that experience now receives very considerable support from this extraodinary piece of research, that has only been made possible of course, because of the huge advances in our understanding of genetics.
I have to say I found that research absolutely fascinating. And without in any way overstating it, undoubtedly generally supportive of the benefits arising from the basic Buddhist practices of meditation and chanting. Next time around we look at what we chant for.
See you then.
Good reading,
William
Herbert Benson is an eminent professor of Medicine at Harvard. He has a world wide reputation for the range and quality of his research, and he happens to have a particular interest in the role of religious belief in human well-being. In the 1990's for example he carried out substantial series of studies on the effects on health and general well-being of a wide range of religious beliefs. The results were set out in his detailed account, Timeless Healing: The Power and Biology of Belief. His conclusions essentially were that many forms of prayer, arising from belief, can have a powerfully beneficial effect on critical physiological factors such as lower blood pressure, stable heart rates and heightened immune systems. More recent research might be described as going even further, it actually looks at the effect of chanting and meditation on the way in which particular genes in a number of oindividuals' DNA were switched on or off. So it delves if you like into the very basis of our humanity.
Very briefly, the research group was quite small, some 26 volunteers, a key factor being that none of them had any previous experience of chanting or meditation. Initially Benson and his colleagues carried out an analysis of the complete genomes of all 26, and then they were all taught a brief 20 minute routine of chanting and breathing rhythmically, and ' emptying the mind. ' The volunteers then proceeded to carry out that routine, that practice if you like, every day for the following 8 weeks.
At the end of that time the genomes of all the volunteers were re-analysed. The results were quite startling. As the report in the scientific journal New Scientist expresses it,
' Clusters of beneficial genes had become more active and harmful ones less so. '
The specific ' beneficial ' effects were related to the energy efficiency of cells, the level of insulin production, which improves control of blood sugar, and certain effects of ageing. The clusters of genes that became less active were associated with chronic inflammation, which can lead to high nblood pressure and heart disease.
So, the process of chanting not only creates what we might call emotional space. So that if we find ourselves in a troubling or challenging situation, by chanting about it, it becomes possible to clear the mind to some extent, so that we can respond to that situation in a more positive and creative way, rather than simply reacting to it impulsively. But it would seem from Professor Benson's research, that the process of regular chanting can be a truly re-vitalising and re-energising a ctivity. That has always been part of the practitioners experience, and that experience now receives very considerable support from this extraodinary piece of research, that has only been made possible of course, because of the huge advances in our understanding of genetics.
I have to say I found that research absolutely fascinating. And without in any way overstating it, undoubtedly generally supportive of the benefits arising from the basic Buddhist practices of meditation and chanting. Next time around we look at what we chant for.
See you then.
Good reading,
William
Tuesday 1 July 2014
my buddhist blog number 48
Hi Everybody,
There's been a little hiatus, I've been so busy with a writing commission, but here goes with episode 48, working title...Getting to grips with the practice. Because it is obviously so important there is an extended and more detailed version of this chapter in Appendix B in the book. all I set out to do here is to give someone who hasn't come across Nichiren Buddhism before, a general understanding of what the practice is about so that the word doesn't trouble them whenever it pops up, as it has already of course many times. I am all too keenly aware of that.
' So the elements of the practice of Nichiren Buddhism may be expressed in various ways, but if we sqeeze it down to it's essentials there are three, namely chanting, study, and taking action. So let's spend this episode looking at chanting. The primary element of the practice is chanting the phrase Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. Chanting out loud that is rather than repeating a mantra silently withinm one's head as in meditation. The phrase itself is the title in classical Japanese of the Lotus Sutra, and some of its manifold meanings are explained in greater detail in Appendix. The first thing you notice is that it is of course a physical action rather than primarily a mental one, so it has clear physiological effects. You are for example moving considerable volumes of air in and out of the lungs, and that tends to stimulate the circulation, so it feels pleasant, indeed there are many who say it's very good for the complexion because it sets the skin tingling! Certainly people tend to look stimulated, blooming even, after a chanting session. But above all it is the sound that has the greatest effect. To hear a group of people chanting in unison is altogether an uplifting experience, and that seems to be the case, whether or not you happen to be a practising Buddhist. Just to give a very brief example, I was visiting a friend recently who was very sick in hopsital, in intensive care in fact, and I sat just chanting very quietly beside his bed for half an hour or so as he slept. As I was leaving, some visitors from a nearby bed came up to me and asked me what that beautiful sound was.
There is no set time, nor any set period for chanting. As with so many other aspects of the Buddhist practice, that is entirely up to the individual. It's your life, so you can chant for as long or as little as you can manage before you have to dash out of the door to work. The practice is immensely flexible, to fit in with the demands of modern life. But normally we would chant twice a day. In the morning, to launch us into the day with a positive, generous, up-beat life state...we seethings as we are remember...so we seek that positive life state to shape our perception of our environment. In the evenings we are chanting basically in the spirit of gratitude for the day that we've had, whatever it has been like. If it's been good there is plenty to be grateful for ( and gratitude is a powerfully life-enhancing attitude ). If it's been altogether a bad hair day, then the chanting will help us to lift our life state to so that we can get over the frustrations and tackle tomorrow with more confidence.
And I should emphasise that those aren't just casual claims. Not in any way. They are very much an account of my own experience, and that of many others. Many people for example find that they are at their lowest ebb first thing in the morning, not for any particular reason, just because that happens to be their natural rhythm. They fidn that just 20 or 30 minutes of strong and focused chanting before they dash out of the door can really lift their spirits enough to put a smile on their face and an extra bounce in their step. And even a few minutes, if it is properly focused, can have a noticeable effect on how they feel. As daisaku Ikeda has expressed it,
' The on-going moment -to-moment transformation in our hearts and minds that we achieve through chanting daimoku not only leads to a fundamental inner change, but a change in the entire way we live our lives.' ( Daimoku is the phrase Nam Myoho Renge Kyo )
And as we can all understand, as with any form of practice in any field of endeavour, the key thing is the regularity, the daily-ness of the practice. Chanting is no different. Better ten minutes twice a day than an hour every other Friday morning. What do we think about while we're chanting? That's a good question, and it raises an important issue. In general I think mit's true to say that the western world doesn't place a great deal of value on repetitive chanting, mainly because it's clearly not part of our cultural tradition, but also because it's commonly regarded as a sort of mindless activity, as if we were taking the brain out of gear.
But that of course is precisely the point. It is a time to clear the mind, and give the intellect, the fat controller so to speak, a rest. To allow other immensely valuable bits of the psyche to emerge. So the intention is not to think, but to listen to the sound, relax into the rhythm, enjoy the chanting for its own sake. The time for thought is before you start, what do you want to chant about, and after you have finished when the mind is clear and the spirit is high, and you are deciding on what action you need to take, if any. '
So that's a brief look at chanting. Next time we look at some very interesting research carried out by Herbert Benson at Harvard in this area, and we move on to look at what we might chant for.
Hope to see you then.
William
There's been a little hiatus, I've been so busy with a writing commission, but here goes with episode 48, working title...Getting to grips with the practice. Because it is obviously so important there is an extended and more detailed version of this chapter in Appendix B in the book. all I set out to do here is to give someone who hasn't come across Nichiren Buddhism before, a general understanding of what the practice is about so that the word doesn't trouble them whenever it pops up, as it has already of course many times. I am all too keenly aware of that.
' So the elements of the practice of Nichiren Buddhism may be expressed in various ways, but if we sqeeze it down to it's essentials there are three, namely chanting, study, and taking action. So let's spend this episode looking at chanting. The primary element of the practice is chanting the phrase Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. Chanting out loud that is rather than repeating a mantra silently withinm one's head as in meditation. The phrase itself is the title in classical Japanese of the Lotus Sutra, and some of its manifold meanings are explained in greater detail in Appendix. The first thing you notice is that it is of course a physical action rather than primarily a mental one, so it has clear physiological effects. You are for example moving considerable volumes of air in and out of the lungs, and that tends to stimulate the circulation, so it feels pleasant, indeed there are many who say it's very good for the complexion because it sets the skin tingling! Certainly people tend to look stimulated, blooming even, after a chanting session. But above all it is the sound that has the greatest effect. To hear a group of people chanting in unison is altogether an uplifting experience, and that seems to be the case, whether or not you happen to be a practising Buddhist. Just to give a very brief example, I was visiting a friend recently who was very sick in hopsital, in intensive care in fact, and I sat just chanting very quietly beside his bed for half an hour or so as he slept. As I was leaving, some visitors from a nearby bed came up to me and asked me what that beautiful sound was.
There is no set time, nor any set period for chanting. As with so many other aspects of the Buddhist practice, that is entirely up to the individual. It's your life, so you can chant for as long or as little as you can manage before you have to dash out of the door to work. The practice is immensely flexible, to fit in with the demands of modern life. But normally we would chant twice a day. In the morning, to launch us into the day with a positive, generous, up-beat life state...we seethings as we are remember...so we seek that positive life state to shape our perception of our environment. In the evenings we are chanting basically in the spirit of gratitude for the day that we've had, whatever it has been like. If it's been good there is plenty to be grateful for ( and gratitude is a powerfully life-enhancing attitude ). If it's been altogether a bad hair day, then the chanting will help us to lift our life state to so that we can get over the frustrations and tackle tomorrow with more confidence.
And I should emphasise that those aren't just casual claims. Not in any way. They are very much an account of my own experience, and that of many others. Many people for example find that they are at their lowest ebb first thing in the morning, not for any particular reason, just because that happens to be their natural rhythm. They fidn that just 20 or 30 minutes of strong and focused chanting before they dash out of the door can really lift their spirits enough to put a smile on their face and an extra bounce in their step. And even a few minutes, if it is properly focused, can have a noticeable effect on how they feel. As daisaku Ikeda has expressed it,
' The on-going moment -to-moment transformation in our hearts and minds that we achieve through chanting daimoku not only leads to a fundamental inner change, but a change in the entire way we live our lives.' ( Daimoku is the phrase Nam Myoho Renge Kyo )
And as we can all understand, as with any form of practice in any field of endeavour, the key thing is the regularity, the daily-ness of the practice. Chanting is no different. Better ten minutes twice a day than an hour every other Friday morning. What do we think about while we're chanting? That's a good question, and it raises an important issue. In general I think mit's true to say that the western world doesn't place a great deal of value on repetitive chanting, mainly because it's clearly not part of our cultural tradition, but also because it's commonly regarded as a sort of mindless activity, as if we were taking the brain out of gear.
But that of course is precisely the point. It is a time to clear the mind, and give the intellect, the fat controller so to speak, a rest. To allow other immensely valuable bits of the psyche to emerge. So the intention is not to think, but to listen to the sound, relax into the rhythm, enjoy the chanting for its own sake. The time for thought is before you start, what do you want to chant about, and after you have finished when the mind is clear and the spirit is high, and you are deciding on what action you need to take, if any. '
So that's a brief look at chanting. Next time we look at some very interesting research carried out by Herbert Benson at Harvard in this area, and we move on to look at what we might chant for.
Hope to see you then.
William
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