What does nam(u) myoho renge kyo actually mean?
The commonly used translation (mostly SGI) :
Nam(u) (南無) from the Sanskrit namas meaning 'devotion to'
Myō (妙) meaning 'strange', 'mystery', 'miracle', cleverness'
Hō (法) meaning 'law', 'principle', 'doctrine'
Myōhō (妙法) meaning 'supreme (marvelous) law of Buddha'
Ren (蓮) meaning 'lotus'
Ge (華) meaning 'flower'
Kyō (経) meaning 'sutra' or 'teaching'
Directly translated; devotion to the good/wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra
Eastern Languages translations:
Sanskrit: सद्धर्मपुण्डरीकसूत्र Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtra
Chinese: 妙法蓮華經 miàofǎ liánhuá jīng, shortened to 法華經 fǎhuá jīng
Japanese: 妙法蓮華経 myōhō-renge-kyō, shortened to 法華経 hokke-kyō, hoke-kyō
Korean: 묘법연화경 myobeop yeonhwa gyeong, shortened to 법화경 beophwa gyeong
Standard Tibetan: དམ་ཆོས་པད་མ་དཀར་པོའི་མདོ dam chos pad-ma dkar po'i mdo
Vietnamese: Diệu pháp liên hoa kinh, shortened to Pháp hoa kinh
Sinhala language: Arya Saddharma Pundareeka Suthraya
My translation;
To actively become aware that with every single word, thought and action, you are creating karma, for yourself and for the entire planet and that these choices have far reaching consequences on the world we live in.
Through the daily practice of chanting nam(u) myoho renge kyo we begin to sift through the layers of our minds, emotions, egos, and personalities to try to reveal a part of ourselves that ultimately gives us the courage to become truly happy and in that help transform the world into a place for abundance and joy.
Chanting is a mindful process, it takes effort, time and consistency. Do not expect to transform all your challenges and personal issues in 5 minutes. It can take a lifetime of inner transformation to reveal your true nature, but the wonderful thing about Nichiren's Buddhism, is that there is always hope.
Nichiren's Buddhism is always concerned with winning and surmounting all obstacles in life no matter what.
You may ask then "why does it take so long?" Well the answer is quite simply that the power is in the journey, through that process of transformation occurs, that is where your consciousness grows expands and becomes something more, with every passing day of being in human form.
Onward and upward on the path towards a lifestate that supports and encourages unshakable happiness.
How to begin chanting?
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