As we practice reading and reciting the sutra the place we are — the place in which we practice our devotion to the Lotus Sutra — is where the Three Treasures of the ultimate truth of the Buddha appear. It is also the place where the protective forces of the universe accept our offering of the nourishment of the Dharma. In fact your practice space becomes the Buddha’s Pure Land of Eternally Tranquil Light, and your body becomes awakened to the Dharma-body, the Manifest-body, and the Reward-body of the Buddha. The sutra is where the Buddhas of the past, present, and future put their mark of certification, their swearing to the truth of the highest teaching of Shakyamuni Buddha contained in the Lotus Sutra.

Every phrase, every character of the Lotus Sutra is contained in Myoho Renge Kyo. The five Chinese characters contain every stroke and every mark of all the 69,384 characters comprising the Lotus Sutra. All of the virtues of the entire 28 chapters of the text are all contained within the five characters of the title. Every single character within the text of the sutra contains all the virtues of the five character title. Neither is too small, nor too large. Neither is required to expand or contract to accommodate or fill the other. Every character produces virtue due to its relationship with and inclusion of all the other characters. To ignore the text or to ignore the title deprives us of the mutual benefit of the two together. I imagine this much like the relationship of beans and rice. Both contain protein yet when combined the total protein is greater than the sum of their individual proteins. That is perhaps why, even without understanding the science of protein analysis, you can find some version of a beans and rice combination food staple in cultures throughout the world. And so it is with the characters of the title of the sutra and the body text.

“Each character produces virtue just as the wish fulfilling jewel constantly rains down many other jewels. Even one jewel is enough, while 10,000 jewels are not too many. No matter the quantity what is produced in sufficient. You should know that each character and sound spreads throughout the Dharma-realm go propagate the Buddha’s teaching in the past, present, and future, bringing benefit to all beings.”

Shutei Hoyo Shiki, page 394

Both the title [of the Lotus Sutra] and the text are deeply connected and both are necessary. Myoho Renge Kyo is the key to open a locked door. The following 28 chapters are what is to be opened. To consider one separately from the other would be like trying to enter your home through a locked door without pulling the key out of your pocket and inserting it into the lock. While it is true that you have the key, without actually utilizing it you will have difficulty entering your home. Even in the case of my electronic lock, without either the key or my cell phone the magic of automatic entry or backup manual entry is not possible. Like my electronic door lock, which automatically unlocks when I pull into my driveway, the benefits of the Lotus Sutra come to us when we both practice and study, even without our full understanding. This is faith.

Contained within the teachings of the Lotus Sutra are limitless resources for us to navigate our life situation. We will never know them if we ignore reading, reciting, and studying. As Nichiren says in the Shoho Jisso Sho, “Endeavor, endeavor to strengthen your faith.” As Wu-chin says, our small voices are relayed to the King of the Brahma Heaven. And this pleases not only the living and the dead, it also pleases the Brahma King. It’s always nice to make the Brahma King happy.

I feel as if I am being a bit redundant here so rather than continuing to repeat myself and the wise ancient elders, I’ll wrap it up by simply encouraging you to pursue with joy, with vigor, with determination the practice of reciting the sutra. Get a hold of a copy of the Romanized version of the Shindoku text of the Lotus Sutra and practice reciting in this way. If you are unable to do that right now have it as an eventual goal and recite from the English a portion of the Lotus Sutra every day. Your life will change, and your faith with strengthen.

I wish for you great joy. This is a powerful statement. What’s even more beautiful about this wish based upon the Lotus Sutra is that it doesn’t contain any mention of what that joy might be. It is up to everyone to determine what their great joy is. That is why when I pray for someone who has requested a specific prayer from me I simply pray that they have the necessary resources to solve their situation. I am not capable of knowing exactly what someone needs. I can’t know the specifics, but I can easily put my life energy into a prayer for the necessary resources, whatever they may be.

Hear me roar like the lion!

“The Buddha is the unexcelled King of the Dharma. Once we chant what he preached with his golden lips, the spiritual phrases of the sacred teachings, those words will become a Dharma-wheel that travels throughout the earth. The yakshas chant to the sky as an offering to the Four Heavenly Kings. After the Heavenly Kings hear it, they then pass it on until it reaches the King ofthe Brahma Heaven. This chanting spreads out to the dead and to the living. The dragon-gods are as pleased as when people listen to the speech ofa king. Who would not praise it? The merit of chanting is like this.”

Wu-chin, Goho-ron (Treatise on Protecting the Dharma), Shute Hoyo Shiki, page 393

Even though our ears are not fine-tuned and so are unable to hear many frequencies, our voices are heard and cause the universe to move. We can have a voice of love or of hate, and then what we hear in return, what we experience is in accord with our voice. Think how the universe is moved when we recite the words of the Buddha. Even our small voice reaches the heavens.

I wonder if in our time we have somehow relegated passion to the bin or feel it inappropriate, or even substandard to intellectual mastery. It’s as if intellectualism has been divorced from passion. Your words — whether eloquent or not — when coupled with your passion of faith can move people and cause them to become happy. Your passion for the Dharma and the joy it brings you can awaken the Buddha in those you meet. That little spark of your passion is like a small jolt of electricity that startles the slumbering Buddha, causing it to open its eyes and begin to seek out its full awakening. You may not see it, you may think your efforts are inconsequential, but that is the mistake of the intellect. In Chapter XXII we are told our mission is to cause people to have great joy simply by sharing any truth of the Buddha’s teachings. Causing people to have great joy is not about convincing someone of some intellectual or philosophical profundity. It is about having great joy in yourself for them and the Buddha already in their lives.

I’m guessing the first time you recited the sutra alone you were just as shy and timid as in a group. To chant the sutra takes incredible courage. The sutra talks about the roar of the lion, yet when we first start chanting a lion is not what would come to mind for many. Over time you overcame those doubts and fears, you were manifesting the behavior of a lion, though you probably didn’t think about it at the time. The lion is fearless, and over time you become fearless in your recitation.

The lion, besides being fearless, focuses on the task at hand. So too, even though we may be confident in our recitation and chanting Odaimoku, we need to remain focused on the sutra, the task at hand, acquiring the nourishment of the Dharma.

“If a Phrase of the sutra fills your heart it will be an aid to reaching the other shore. By deeply reflecting on and mastering the Dharma it will become a great vessel for crossing over. Being able to see and hear the Dharma follows upon its joyful reception, as a vassal always follow after his lord. Whether somebody accepts this teaching or abandons it, they will form a causal connection with it through hearing. Whether somebody follows it or goes against it, they will finally be able to achieve liberation through hearing it.”

Venerable Ching-hsi, Hokkemongu-ki; Shutei Hoyo Shiki, page 392

It is noteworthy that the quote above does not say, ‘When you have memorized a phrase,’ nor does it say, ‘When you have comprehended a phrase.’ ”

Instead it says when your heart is full of the sutra – that is when you have joy and excitement, even irrationally. With that joy you have the tool you need to liberate yourself from suffering.

The concentration one can achieve by chanting can elevate the mind and life condition in ways I do not believe silent sitting can. The transcendent effect of meditation is multiplied when the mind is carried into the heart of the sutra or Odaimoku through concentrated meditative active presence.

What I’m about to say won’t end the debate over whether chanting or sutra reciting is meditation, yet I am going to once again say that in every way it is as much meditation as anything is, including silent sitting. Silent sitting and all the permutations of mindfulness practice are mostly a Western phenomena. Silent meditation is not now nor has it ever been a primary practice for Buddhists. Even today the most common form of practice is sutra chanting. This is not a Japanese thing. This is a Buddhist thing.