Personal Experiences and Insights

As part of my research for this project I went to the Nichiren Buddhist Sangha of San Francisco and participated in their weekly meeting and service as well as practicing chanting on my own.

Individual Practice

The core practice of Nichiren is the ritual chanting of Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō, the daimoku. The daimoku was very easy to pick up for my own personal practice. Rev. Ryuei of the Sangha of San Francisco had some excellent instructions for beginning one's practice of chanting that I found quite helpful.

The act of chanting is both a form of meditation and a method of energizing yourself. I found the words of the daimoku easy to pick up. At first the daimoku came softly as I tried to say the daimoku correctly, and as I became more comfortable with the words the daimoku resonated louder and with more energy. I could easily feel the energy of words resonating throughout my core. It did take some effort to maintain my position and over time I found I could chant the daimoku for longer and longer periods. The centering that resulted for me from chanting stayed with me throughout my days and was a great source of stress reduction for me personally. I often found myself hearing the daimoku in my head as would go about during my day which in turn would remind me of the peace I felt when chanting.

Group Practice

The Faithful Fools building on Hyde St.

The Sangha that I visited to participate in a group meeting belongs to the Nichiren Shū school and is located in Hyde St. in an Francisco, inside the Faithful Fools Street Ministry building. This was not a formal temple, but rather a meeting place that is shared with other schools of Buddhism.

The room which the Nichiren Shū group met was small, sparse and welcoming. Rev. Ryuei Michael McCormick was at the door of the room greeting everyone in the small group. Rev. Ryuei, also known as Michael, was incredibly excited that I was at their meeting to learn more about Nichiren as were other members of the small group. 

The San Francisco group's meeting follows a simple structure. First there is a sitting meditation for 40 minutes, followed by 40 minutes of discussion on Buddhism and Buddhist works and finally in the last 40 minutes of the meeting there is a traditional Nichiren Shū service.

Unlike other Nichiren schools, the Nichiren Shū observe a quiet meditation as part of their practice. Rev. Ryuei explained that the Buddha had adapted two methods, samādhi and prajñā,  from the Yogi traditions that had existed in India for calming and wisdom respectively. And as his sensei taught him, "all Buddhists meditate." Rev. Ryuei also explained that we meditate first for the following reasons: meditation serves to calm us down as we come in from outside, it places our attention and focus on our center, it opens our awareness to what is going on around us and within us.

For the meditation we assumed a specific pose. First place the left hand on top of the right hand, both hands being palm up, and touch the thumbs together to form a triangle. The hands are then placed just below the naval. For the meditation one can either be sitting in a lotus-form posture or on the edge of a chair. The key is to both be comfortable and able to focus on the area of your body behind your hands as it is the center.

The meditation began with Rev. Ryuei ringing the bell-bowl and everyone as a group chanting "Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō" three times and bowing before settling into the meditation, which for many meant turning to fall the walls of the room. The sitting meditation was easy to fall into with the sound of the rain outside adding to the aura of peacefulness in the room. At the end of the meditation Rev. Ryuei rang the bell again and after chanting the daimoku three more times we all returned to face the center.

We then moved to the discussion portion of the meeting. Rev. Ryuei explained to me that he uses this time to discuss various Buddhist writings and concepts in a setting similar to a study group.  In recent weeks the group had been discussion the writings of Dogen, however for my visit, which happened to coincide with several others visiting the sangha for the first time, Rev. Ryuei took the time to go over the different parts of the service to follow.

Rev. Ryuei is not Japanese, he was one of the first non-Japanese speaking priests ordained into the priesthood, he prefers to follow a highly traditional service. Similar to other traditional churches of other faiths we were handed service books which held all of the text that was to be read and chanted.

The service began with a chanted incantation that stated our purpose for the service and asking for the space in which we gathered to be considered holy and to be blessed. We then chanted a statement of our intent and hope for the enlightenment that would come to us through the Lotus Sutra. This was followed by chanting two chapters of the Lotus Sutra, one from the perspective of the historical Buddha and the other form the perspective of the divine Buddha. We then began to chant the daimoku with Rev. Ryuei using the drum to keep the rhythm and with another practitioner chiming the bell at specific time. This was highly intense and powerful. It was followed by a prayer session for those who had passed on within the last 49 days and those who needed some prayer. (Most Buddhists believe that seven weeks after a person dies they are then reincarnated and are thus remembered in prayers for seven weeks until they are born again.) Prayers were followed by chanting affirmations of the teachings and principles. We then chanted our thanks for the divinity of the service and the blessing of the space.

Rev. Ryuei pictured with the alter in the meditation room.

Rev. Ryuei made it incredibly easy to follow along with the service. The power and reverence that came from the words and chants could easily be felt vibrating throughout my body. Afterward I felt at peace with myself and as though I was one of their family.

Nichiren Practice to Others

In talking to a variety of Nichiren practitioners, both highly devout and casual, Nichiren has been a source of peace and balance for all. Most of the younger people I interviewed were introduced to Nichiren either by a roommate or friend who practiced Nichiren. "I was introduced to Nichiren at a very pivotal point in my life. It was 2004. I crossed paths with an amazing woman and she had such a peaceful, happy aura about her. No matter how trying the times might have been," stated Shawna, a casual practitioner. People who were introduced to Nichiren prior to the Ninties tended to have their first experience with Nichiren as a result of the lay group Soka Gakkai International's (SGI) outreach programs. No matter how they were introduced to Nichiren, it was the power of chanting the daimoku that spoke to them in one way or another.

Chanting of the daimoku has been a source of strength and comfort to many practitioners through a variety of situations. Rev. Ryuei told me that the word "Namu" means "I believe" and thus chanting "Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō" is a profession of one's belief in the teaching and power contained within the Lotus Sutra. Anthony, a member of the SGI, shared his experience with the power of the daimoku.

Right after I was out of the hospital I was told I may have to go through heart surgery to fix one of my valves that would have be very risky. I chanted daimoku for over 5 hours crying in pain and fear. Alone in my house a light illuminated my home. Out of nowhere I felt an immense warmth and sense of bliss unlike anything I had felt. So strong was it I fell out of consciousness. When I awoke I found myself at peace, completely happy and without fear. I was able to know that by some miracle, without a shadow of a doubt, that everything would be okay. Later the next day I went to the cardiologist. Nothing was found wrong with my heart. They couldn't find anything.

Experiences chanting the daimoku such as Anthony's may not be the norm, but they are no less powerful and effective.

Personal Reflections

In my study of Nichiren my eyes were opened to a vast and diverse religion that I knew nothing about except a name and that they were known for chanting. The people I met and talked to were both highly intelligent and approachable. As a visitor I felt welcomed and as though I was a part of the community. I was given an open invitation to return regardless of whether or not I wanted to convert. This fact alone made me feel more at home than I have at many other churches and religious establishments.

for all of the research I did prior to going to the sangha, none of it completely fit together until I was actually there and suddenly it all made sense. The tolerance, the tradition, the daimoku and the peacefulness. It was a wonderful experience and I have a new found respect for members of Nichiren.


References

Dharma: Nichiren-Shu Service Book. Nichiren Buddhist International Center