Chanting for Benefits
The term ‘chanting for benefits’ refers to the act of chanting a phrase repeatedly so that one can obtain some kind of benefit. Chanting is something that is taught in many spiritual traditions, and whilst the benefits are often described in non-tangible terms, some schools encourage their members to chant for tangible benefits too.
Adherents of Nichiren Buddhism advocate Diamoku (chanting ‘Nam Myoho Renge Kyo’) and say that it can bring a great many benefits regardless of whether one believes in the power of chanting or not. Indeed, many followers of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism started out with nothing but the willingness to give chanting a try, and were so impressed with the positive effects they experienced from the practice that they later embraced Nichiren Buddhism as a whole.
Those of you who are looking for a religious or philosophical framework for living a happy and productive life may well be interested in exploring Nichiren Buddhism from the outset. In that case you will find many resources on the internet – simply visit a search engine and perform a search on “Nichiren Buddhism” for starters. The Soka Gakkai International or SGI is the biggest lay organisation in Nichiren Buddhism but there are also plenty of independent Nichiren Buddhists who practice privately without joining any organisation, so do explore all of the possibilities before deciding which, if any, interests you the most.
Of course, many of you may not be interested in pursuing Nichiren Buddhism at all at this time, but in that case you can still enjoy the benefits of chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. What those benefits will be is something that every person must discover for themselves. Some have chanted for – and received – new jobs, cars, homes, seemingly miraculous solutions to money and/or health problems and even new life partners, to name just a few of the tangible benefits that have been reported. Then there are intangible benefits such as peace of mind, inner strength, a more positive outlook and greater levels of courage, wisdom and compassion.
Can the simple act of chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo really bring all of these benefits and even more? Our advice is to try it and see. Diamoku costs nothing more than an open mind a little of your time, and we think you will be very surprised at just how powerful chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo can be.
