{"id":1339,"date":"2020-01-29T16:49:43","date_gmt":"2020-01-29T16:49:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/happychanter.com\/?p=1339"},"modified":"2020-01-29T16:49:43","modified_gmt":"2020-01-29T16:49:43","slug":"nam-myoho-renge-kyo-meaning-and-interpretations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/2020\/01\/29\/nam-myoho-renge-kyo-meaning-and-interpretations\/","title":{"rendered":"Nam Myoho Renge Kyo – Meaning and Interpretations"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chanting nam myoho renge kyo<\/strong> <\/em>is a truly powerful practice which can transform your life and mindset in hugely positive ways. There are a few ways you can focus your mind when chanting<\/a>, but the practice becomes even more profound when you focus your attention on the meaning of what you’re actually saying. Not just the literal translation of the words, but what they represent. This mantra is rich in history and symbolism and can be interpreted in various ways, but all really coming down to the same general idea.<\/p>\n

Back To The Beginning<\/h3>\n

Let’s start with a brief (and very basic) history lesson to really understand the significance of these words.<\/p>\n

Everyone knows the gist of the story of the Buddha, the prince who renounced his privileged lifestyle and went off in search of solutions to the problem of human suffering. After years of asceticism and meditation, he eventually became awakened to the true nature of reality, or enlightened<\/em>, while meditating under a Bodhi tree. After his Awakening, he spent the next 50 years travelling around the region of modern-day India and Nepal, teaching his insights. His teachings were passed down by word of mouth, and eventually captured in writing in what are known as the Buddhist sutras<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Throughout the time that he travelled and taught, his teachings were honed and refined as his own understanding of reality evolved. Therefore, the content of the various sutras differs slightly depending on when the teachings were delivered.<\/p>\n

The Lotus Sutra<\/strong> is said to contain the Buddha’s most evolved teachings that he delivered towards the end of his life. One of the most significant aspects of the Lotus Sutra is that the Buddha came to realise that all beings, regardless of their karmic balance, poverty level, gender or physical condition, can become enlightened, within this lifetime<\/em>. Previously, it was believed that people needed to generate good karma over several lifetimes in order to achieve enlightenment, so this was a profound development in the Buddha’s teachings.<\/p>\n

A couple of thousand years later (give or take), along came a Japanese monk called Nichiren<\/strong>. After spending years studying all the Buddhist sutras, he concluded that the Lotus Sutra does indeed capture the essence of the Buddha’s final teachings. Taking things one step further, he also declared that any person could achieve enlightenment, and connect with their inner Buddha nature, simply by reciting the title of the sutra<\/em>. Thus Nichiren Buddhism, and the practice of chanting nam myoho renge kyo<\/em><\/strong>, was born.<\/p>\n

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The Meaning of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo<\/h3>\n

The main body of the mantra, Myoho Renge Kyo<\/em>, is the kanji (Japanese interpretation of Chinese symbols) translation of the title of the Lotus Sutra.<\/p>\n