On spirituality - and my practice

This post is a very personal take on my Buddhist practice.  It hopes to promote understanding and,  if it so happens those who feel inclined might wish to try it.  Thank you for reading.  

I have written before on why I am a Buddhist. To me, it is a philosophy - not a religion in the strictest sense of the word.  

So I am spiritual but not religious.  I am part of a religious organization by way of having a support network for community or fellowship - to be connected with others who also practice this philosophy.

I like this Huff Post article (https://www.huffpost.com/entry/religious-vs-spiritual_b_576b1b14e4b083e0c02350c1) on the difference between spirituality and religion - of course there are shades of grey (no offense intended for borrowing the infamous phrase of the title of the book 😅)

Of particular interest are these phrases :  Spiritual person knows that there is only one truth and they are in fact in charge of their own evolution and destiny. They also know that nothing is “written” and all our futures are shaped by our desires and the power of our minds.

Do you believe in the power of your own self and that you are in charge of your destiny? In this case you are spiritual.

So when I share that I chant, what am I actually doing ? The action of chanting is based on the core teaching of the Lotus Sutra that the essence of life is cause and effect - this goes beyond existential and visible realms but also transcends space and time.

In effect, I am tapping into my highest state of life called Buddhahood (which everyone absolutely possesses. The chant of Nam-myo-ho renge-kyo is like a clarion call to this state to emerge. All phenomena have 10 states or life conditions - the lowest of which is hell while the pinnacle is where Buddha nature resides.

When we chant, we are clearing the debris of the lower worlds to reveal the highest life state. It has often been likened to polishing our inner tarnished mirror.

So - in the 33 years of practice, we are still learning about our practice. With the internet, others who are doing the same from all corners of the world also share their experiences. I came across this reminder of how we should chant for our desires (btw, earthly desires are enlightenment contrary to traditional belief that we should be totally detached from the world)

First : set specific goals or objectives that you are chanting for. These should include people, timeline and most important - the outcome that you want to see.

Second : make it into a campaign with amount of chant that you commit to do. This is about galloping chant that is resolute and sonorous. All the time keeping the ‘outcome’ in mind. No strategizing or scheming because the universe would find the ladened chant to heavy to realize.

Third : when you are distracted as you definitely would be, refocus to go back to keep up the momentum.

Fourth : Because you have started the campaign and the chant has been triggered in the universe, you must practice wisdom to look out for prompts or steps that are related to your ‘outcome’ - a phone call, a connection that has resurfaced or a referral that suddenly emerged etc. This is important - we do not encourage blind faith but action-based practice.

Fifth : Perhaps most vital : keep chanting.

That’s what I do - and it’s even for the most rudimentary things in my life. After all, our happiness which is what we live for is surely not a high brow notion alone but embedded in every aspect of our daily existence.

May you find your path to happiness too.