For a clearer understanding of Namu Myoho Renge Kyo, let us take a closer look at each of the words.

• Namu comes from the Sanskrit word Nnmas, which means “I devote myself to.” This affirms that when all other self-oriented methods of attaining happiness have failed, we come to recognize that true happiness is only found in the True Dharma.
• Myoho means “True Dharma” or “Wonderful Dharma.” It refers to the dynamic and interdependent true nature of life, in which everything exists through mutual support and transformation. In fact, the Buddha-nature is another name for life’s inherent potential to recognize its own true nature.
• Renge means “Lotus Flower.” This illustrates the workings of the Wonderful Dharma by symbolizing the unity of cause and effect–in this case aspiration and realization–because the lotus produces flowers and seeds simultaneously. It also symbolizes the blossoming of the puriry of Buddhahood from out of the muddy water of ordinary life, just as the pure white lotus flower blooms from th depths of a muddy swamp.
• Kyo mean “Sutra,” which is what the Buddhist scriptures are called. Sutra means “a thread of discourse.” In this context, it refers to all the teachings of the Buddha which culminate in the Lotus Sutra. In a larger sense, because all phenomena manifest the buddha’s teachings, all phenomena can be considred the Buddha’s teachings and actual manifestations of the truth of the Lotus Sutra. Likewise, the Buddha’s teaching reflects the true nature of all phenomena.