Frequently the Buddha will not respond until he has been asked the same question three times or until he has been assured of some thing three different times. This repetition is an indication of the significance of a certain thing. It is a test of sincerity. It is a test of commitment. It is not intended to be viewed as being cruel or teasing. Three times is almost as if a seal has been made or a serious vow has been offered.

Notice that the Lotus Sutra requests us to understand by faith, not believe. This is a key distinction and something that is rare to come across in religion. Nichiren teaches that faith comes from practice and study. A tripod with its three legs can stand on any irregular surface, there is a mathematical explanation for this but it is unique in that ability. How many of us have sat down at a table or on a chair of four legs and had it wobble on us because of an uneven floor? The three legs of Buddhism, the legs which can support us on any of the various uneven surfaces of life, are faith, practice and study. With those three we can overcome any situation enabling the realization of enlightenment regardless of the circumstances.

Questioning the teaching helps to lead to further study and exploration of life, which leads to firmer and stronger faith. In Buddhism faith is actually enhanced by questions and practicing. Faith is one part questioning and another part practicing and applying. I personally believe that we should flee from anyone or any teaching that tries to lie outside the realm of questions. Refusing to answer questions or implying that questioning is wrong or unfaithful should be an automatic warning that something just isn’t quite right.

Chapter II of the Lotus Sutra encourages us to approach the sutra based upon faith, and Chapter XVI opens with the Buddha saying that understanding is by faith. Frequently when the word faith is used there is a subtext present when some people hear it that informs them there should be absolute belief without question in order for faith to be present. It is important to understand that faith in Buddhism is about questioning and exploring. Faith and questioning are not incompatible or exclusive of each other. Our questions are not indicators of doubt and should not be viewed with suspicion or fear.

The Buddha cautions us in Chapter II to be wary of trying to end suffering by doing things that actually increase suffering. Using the teachings found in the Lotus Sutra, using the map of the Ten Worlds, following Nichiren’s instructions found in his major writings, are all advice on how to end suffering by doing the most beneficial practices.

Chanting Odaimoku begins by praising and expressing our appreciation to the Lotus Sutra. Nichiren understood that when we develop a mind of gratitude, praise, and devotion to the very teaching of the Lotus Sutra itself, we are creating the most fundamental cause possible to actualizing all the benefits contained in the Lotus Sutra. This is what the Buddha tells us in Chapter II as well as many other places in the Lotus Sutra.

People frequently ask me how does chanting Namu Myoho Renge Kyo work or how do we practice the Lotus Sutra. The Buddha gives us many clues to just what practicing the Lotus Sutra entails. Fundamentally, though, praising the Lotus Sutra is key. Think about this: You do not praise things you don’t like, at least not normally. When you praise something, you are expressing your gratitude. Modern science has done studies that show that people who are able to express gratitude increase their overall sense of well-being and happiness. This is where it starts for us as Buddhists in our practice of the Lotus Sutra.

The Buddha calls upon us to not seek this enlightenment outside of our lives but to realize that we already are equal to the Buddha the difference being that the Buddha has awakened to this truth and we have not yet done so. The Buddha, in teaching the Lotus Sutra, seeks to remove the imaginary barrier that we think exists between our lives and Buddhahood. The Buddha is telling us that his greatest desire is that we manifest a life equal to that of all Buddhas.

The truth of the Single Buddha Vehicle is more than simply a replacement or a merging of all the other practices of sravakas, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas. It is the faith and the practice of the Buddha being already manifest in our very lives. It isn’t about becoming something but of being that thing. We are Buddhas when we awaken to that in our own lives, which we can only do by first practicing with faith, not by reasoning.