Prayer is central to the practice of Nichiren Buddhism. SGI members often relate experiences of "offering earnest prayer," or "praying from the bottom of my heart." They also speak of having their prayers "answered." What do SGI members mean when they make such statements?

The Webster's Third International Dictionary defines prayer as "a solemn and humble approach to Divinity in word or thought, usually involving beseeching, petition, confession, praise, or thanksgiving."

In what ways does the Buddhist understanding of prayer accord with this definition, and how does it differ?

Prayer appears to be a universal human activity. There is evidence to suggest that humans have been engaged in some form of "prayer" since the earliest days of our species. As soon as humans developed a consciousness of their relative powerlessness before the forces of nature, the precariousness of their existence and their own mortality, they no doubt began giving expression to intense feelings of petition, praise or thanksgiving.

SGI President Daisaku Ikeda has written that religion grew from prayer; that the sentiment and act of prayer precedes the forms which different religious traditions have since given this primordial human act. Buddhist prayer likewise may be thought of as a focused expression of these same sentiments of yearning, commitment and appreciation. It is, however, distinguished by the fact that Buddhism locates the divine within the life of the individual practitioner. The purpose of Buddhist prayer is to awaken our innate inner capacities of strength, courage and wisdom rather than to petition external forces.

Also, as in many Eastern spiritual practices, there is an emphasis on a specific physical form of prayer. For practitioners of Nichiren Buddhism this means the reciting of portions of the Lotus Sutra and the repeated chanting of the phrase "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo," the name of the mystic law that lies within all life derived by Nichiren from the title of the Lotus Sutra. That the chant is audibly intoned expresses the fact that in Nichiren Buddhism prayer is not a purely meditative turning inward, but an act making manifest inner qualities, bringing them out into the real world.

SGI members direct their prayer to the Gohonzon, or object of veneration. This is a mandala, a symbolic representation of the ideal state of Buddhahood, or enlightenment, in which all the tendencies and impulses of life--from the most debased to the most noble--function in harmony toward happiness and creativity. The Gohonzon is not an "idol" or "god" to be supplicated or appeased but a means for reflection and a catalyst for inner change.

SGI members are encouraged to make their prayers specific, concrete and focused on the real-life problems, hopes and concerns they confront. Nichiren Buddhism stresses the inseparability of "earthly desires" and enlightenment. Nichiren states that it is by burning the "firewood" of our desires--through the act of prayer--that we are able to bring forth the flame of renewed energy and the light of our inner wisdom. Buddhist prayer is the process by which our intensely felt desires and sufferings are transformed into compassion and wisdom. In this sense, it inevitably involves self-reflection, including a sometimes painful confrontation with our own deeply-rooted destructive tendencies. To quote Nichiren again, "Your mastery of the Buddhist teachings will not relieve you of mortal sufferings in the least unless you perceive the nature of your own life."

SGI members are also encouraged to view prayer as fully integrated with the actions and behavior of daily life. Prayer only becomes genuine prayer when it is acted upon. To succeed in life we need determination and prayer, effort and ingenuity.

Most fundamentally, prayer is the process of bringing forth the supreme state of life referred to as our "Buddha nature." A potential possessed equally by all people, the Buddha nature is the fundamental, compassionate life force inherent in the cosmos. Prayer is the process of realigning our individual lives (the lesser self, with all its impulses and desires) with the rhythm of the living cosmos (the greater self). In doing this we unleash previously untapped sources of self-knowledge, wisdom, vitality and perseverance. And because, in Buddhist philosophy, there is no separation between the internal world of human beings and their environment, changes that occur in our inner life are reflected in our external circumstances. The experience of having one's prayers "answered" is the manifest result of this process.

Daisaku Ikeda has written that the ultimate form of prayer is in fact a vow--a vow to contribute to the happiness of others and the development of human society.

It is this vow and pledge to action that most profoundly attunes our lives to the larger life of the universe and brings forth our highest, most noble "selves."

In an age when science and technology have advanced at an ever-increasing rate in the world about us, it is perhaps surprising that in many ways we still seem to have made relatively small advances in bettering the human condition and understanding the world which lies within us. Admittedly, we have eradicated many of the illnesses that once took so many lives, but it seems that as one area of suffering in life is removed another appears to take its place.

Malaria and typhoid have almost disappeared from the tropical countries, but in their place we have dengue fever, AIDS, escalating cancer, mental illness and crime.

The social sciences of psychology and sociology have been able to pinpoint many of the reasons for the ills in present-day society, but still they persist and multiply, appearing in ever more intractable forms. Fortunately, there is for many people a growing awareness that somehow we as individuals are responsible for the state of the world. Many people will claim to know themselves but unfortunately this often means only that we know our failings and weaknesses.

The Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin states that the root causes of the sufferings in the world are incorrect philosophies on which people base their lives in thought, word and deed.
Buddhism presents the way to know ourselves by illuminating our lives with an awareness of our potential rather than our limitations. Such a positive stance enables us not only to tackle the difficulties in our own lives, but also to be able to look outward to society with hope and courage

The image many of us have of Buddhism is often based on various deities enshrined in the temples, robed monks, Taoist priests; vegetarianism?

Probably. Whilst the philosophy and its pacifist basis may be seen as very laudable, for many, the Buddhist philosophy might appear to be rather idealistic and ‘other worldly’, without too much direct application to present-day society.

Despite such understandably mistaken views, the fact is that an increasing number of people are turning to the Buddhist philosophy, not as some kind of spiritual panacea, but as a practical system of thought and deed, with a direct application to daily life. Soka Gakkai International (SGI), the lay society of Nichiren Buddhism, now numbers some twelve million adherents in 192 countries and territories.

Many of these have come upon the practice over the past three or four decades, breaking what must have often been generations of adherence to some other religion or philosophy Soka Gakkai Malaysia (SGM) established in 1984 is a locally registered organisation which has affiliation with SGI

The Gohonzon is the object of devotion, in the form of a scroll, that practitioners of Nichiren Buddhism enshrine in their homes and is the focal point of their daily practice of morning and evening sutra recitation and chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. (Go means “honorable” and honzon, “object of devotion.”)
“This Gohonzon is the essence of the Lotus Sutra and the eye of all the scriptures,”Nichiren Daishonin states. “It is like the sun and the moon in the heavens, a great ruler on earth, the heart in a human being, the wish-granting jewel among treasures, and the pillar of a house” (“On Upholding Faith in the Gohonzon,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 624).

In the center column of the Gohonzon are the characters “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo” and under that, “Nichiren,” surrounded by various other Chinese and Sanskrit characters that depict historical and mythological Buddhist figures. Together they represent profound philosophical principles and conditions of life.

Like a musical piece or a painting that reflects the life-state of the person who created it, the Gohonzon reflects Nichiren’s life-state: Buddhahood. It is not merely a symbol, or something to focus on while chanting. Since it embodies the state of enlightenment, Nichiren’s life, it is the actual reality of the Buddha’s life. It is the link between the Buddha state within ourselves and in the environment. It is an instrument to see our true potential and use it. Therefore, by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to the Gohonzon, we call forth our own Buddhahood, tapping our inherent wisdom, compassion and life force. Gradually, day after day, our own life-state is influenced and strengthened through our daily practice to the Gohonzon.
SGI President Ikeda states, “Just as a mirror is indispensable for putting your face and hair in order, you need a mirror that reveals the depths of your life if you are to lead a happier and more beautiful existence” (My Dear Friends in America, p. 94).

Nichiren cautions: “Never seek this Gohonzon outside yourself. The Gohonzon exists only within the mortal flesh of us ordinary people who embrace the Lotus Sutra and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo” (“The Real Aspect of the Gohonzon,” WND-1, 832). In other words, our faith and practice make the Gohonzon an external stimulus to awaken our internal life of Buddhahood.

Literally, gongyo means “assiduous (constant) practice.” In Nichiren Buddhism, gongyo means to recite part of the Expedient Means (2nd) chapter and the verse section of the Lifespan (16th) chapter of the Lotus Sutra and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo in front of the Gohonzon. The recitation of the sutra is the preparatory practice which helps to manifest the benefits of the primary practice, chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Gongyo is performed each morning and evening, and is the most fundamental practice of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism.

The question of destiny or karma has greatly preoccupied philosophers in both the West and the East. One theory is that when we are born, our lives are like a sheet of white paper on which nothing is written. Each life then develops as a result of its surroundings and the forces acting on it — parents, friends, society, the dominant culture, and so on.

Buddhism, however, teaches that we have lived countless lives already. This means that we are not born as blank pages, but pages on which countless impressions have already been made. But how is this so, when we can remember nothing of our former lives, and when we so clearly die and even our bodies eventually fade away to nothing? Buddhism explains the mystery through the concept of the eternity of life. According to Buddhism, life is forever existing in the cosmos; sometimes it is manifest and sometimes latent. To understand this concept of “manifest and latent life”, consider the following. When one is deeply grieved, one feels intense sorrow, which after a while abates and one’s normal life resumes. But if one happens to recall that misfortune, the same sorrow may overwhelm one. Between the prior and present grief there is a mysterious continuity. A similar phenomenon may be observed when we sleep and then awaken; our conscious mind awakens and our body feels refreshed. But between the sleeping and awakening, our consciousness carries on.

In talking about the continuity or eternity of life, Buddhism teaches not that the body dies and life is condensed into the soul, but that the same life continues eternally, either in a manifest, seen form (life as we know it), or a latent, unseen form (death). In terms of the eternity of life, death is as much a part of living as sleep is part of the process of living.

Karma is thus the accumulation of effects from the good and bad causes that we bring with us from our former lives, as well as from the good and bad causes we have made in this lifetime, which shapes our future.

Karma is a Sanskrit word that means “action”. Karma is created by actions — our thoughts, words and deeds — and manifests itself in our appearance, behaviour, attitudes, good and bad fortune, where we are born or live — in short, everything about us. It is all the negative and positive influences or causes that make up our complete reality in this world.

Unlike some other philosophies, though, Buddhism does not consider one’s karma or destiny to be fixed; since our minds change from moment to moment, even the habitual and destructive tendencies we all possess to varying degrees can be altered. In other words, Buddhism teaches that individuals have within themselves the potential to change their own karma.

All that we do in one lifetime affects the negative and positive balance of our karma. For example, if we are born poor in this lifetime and spend our life giving to others whatever we can give, we are making causes to change the negative karma of being poor. On the other hand, if we spend our life envying or hating rich people or even stealing from others, we are adding to our negative balance of karma.

To understand in more depth how this works, let us go back to the moment a child is born. Buddhism teaches that when the circumstances are right for a life with a particular karma to manifest itself, this life appears, first as an embryo, then a fetus, then eventually as a newborn baby. The parents of this particular baby with this particular karma are not responsible for its karma, although they each have a karma of their own which created exactly the right situation for their child’s life to appear.

Suppose a boy is born into a family where the father is a crook and leaves the child for long periods because he is in jail. Suppose the mother breaks up the home by going off with someone else. To the child, all of this is desperately painful; he is affected by it for the rest of his life.

What is important here, however, is not so much the events that happened to the child, but the child’s reactions to the events. Such reactions — his thoughts, words and deeds — not only are his karma, they shape his future karma, too. For instance, if the child resented the father’s long absences, his way of life, he may later live a scrupulously honest life to compensate, yet his resentment may make him feel nothing is good enough. He may remain deeply ill-at-ease with himself and with others. Or, he may find it impossible to trust anyone because he was abandoned by his mother. In other words, his karma is his approach to life. Whatever this approach is will continue to direct him; thus he recreates his destiny with every thought, word and deed.

How can all this change? We can change only by changing our habitual reactions and bringing out different ones. Buddhism teaches we have all amassed negative karma throughout countless lives and that we not only experience the effects of this karma now, but we continue to recreate it.

However, the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin teaches that there is an area of our life that is unaffected by our karma — our Buddhahood or Buddha nature. The purpose of our Buddhist practice of gongyo and chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, and regularly studying Buddhist teachings, is to reveal this area to ourselves. The purpose of our Buddhist practice for others (discussion meetings, teaching others, home visits, etc) is to help others also discover this “hidden treasure” in their lives, while allowing us to see this area working in our lives, too, so that we can come to believe in it.

Thus, by taking responsibility for our particular karma, and by chanting to reveal our Buddha nature, we can change it. As President Ikeda explained:

It (the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin) enables the pure life force of the Buddha state, which has existed within us since time without beginning, to well forth in unceasing currents. It changes all the tragic causes and effects that lie between and unveils the pure causes and effects which exist from the beginning less past towards the present and the future. This is liberation from the heavy shackles of destiny we have carried from the past. This is the establishment of free individuals in the truest sense of the term

Chanting is neither meditation, nor positive thinking, though it reaps the benefits of both these practices and much more. The essence of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is that in the very act of doing so we are expressing our Buddha nature. Meditation and positive thinking do not have Buddhahood as their objective. It is not possible to express Buddhahood through these means. Although meditation and positive thinking may have value they cannot change the fundamental element in our lives which makes us unhappy and unfulfilled as human beings — our karma, nor can they bring out the highest condition of life, Buddhahood.
Meditation is a more passive exercise than chanting; one usually calms one’s mind by concentrating on a particular phrase or image. At first glance this may seem close to the practice of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism, but actually the difference is apparent. The practice of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo enables us to express and experience our innate Buddhahood and release the powerful energy contained within that, rather than to calm our minds or negate certain ways of thinking.

Again, while it is true that our thinking does become more positive as a result of chanting, this is because chanting draws out our Buddhahood which, in turn, influences every aspect of our lives, both mental and physical. Therefore, chanting is not so much a question of “thinking positively” or exercising “mind over matter,” which implies restriction; rather, through chanting, our highest state of life naturally influences our thoughts and actions towards the most valuable ends.