‘If You Think the Law Is Outside Yourself, You Are Not Embracing the Mystic Law’

At work here is the principle of “cause and effect in a single moment of life,”^[3] in which faith is the cause and manifesting the life state of Buddhahood is the effect. When we continue chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo through times of both suffering and joy while striving for our own happiness and that of others, we can establish as the core and innermost essence of our lives the benefit of the cause and effect for attaining Buddhahood—which are themselves contained within the practice of chanting. When we do so, the indomitable state of Buddhahood emerges within us. This is the meaning of “attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime.”

In his treatise “The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind,” Nichiren states: “Shakyamuni Buddha, who has attained perfect enlightenment, is our own flesh and blood. His practices and the resulting virtues are our bones and marrow” (WND-1, 365). He explains that to embrace Myoho-renge-kyo is in itself attaining enlightenment.^[4] The power of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo enables us to actualize cause and effect in a single moment of life—that is, faith (cause) leading to the manifestation of our Buddhahood (effect).

Considered in this light, one’s voice chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the voice of unshakable faith and seeking spirit that breaks through the inner darkness of ignorance and illusion, and sweeps away obstacles and devilish functions. It is also the courageous lion’s roar that issues forth from the Buddhahood one reveals as a result of chanting.

The chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is not only the voice of faith of ordinary people; it is also the voice of Buddhahood. For that reason, we should always try to chant resoundingly, with a vibrant and vigorous rhythm like that of a galloping horse.

It can also be said that the chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is an action by which we affirm that we ourselves are inherently entities of Myoho-renge-kyo. It represents a struggle to return to our true, original selves and tap the innate life force that we have possessed from time without beginning.

Nichiren declares: “There is no true happiness for human beings other than chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo” (“Happiness in This World,” WND-1, 681). This happiness, he says, is the “boundless joy of the Law.”^[5] “Joy of the Law” describes the unshakable happiness and peace of mind inherent in all existence. To experience this joy means to fully savor and enjoy the infinite life force that is one with the Mystic Law. Nichiren explains that the only way for us to taste the joy of the Mystic Law is through chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

The Mystic Law and Incomplete Teachings

Given that chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo has such profound meaning, it is crucial to remember when we chant that Myoho-renge-kyo is our lives themselves. If we lose sight of this point, then no matter how much we may chant, we will have departed from the practice of chanting taught by Nichiren Daishonin.

Therefore, in “On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime,” Nichiren writes in stern warning, “Even though you chant and believe in Myoho-renge-kyo, if you think the Law is outside yourself, you are embracing not the Mystic Law but an inferior teaching” (WND-1, 3). “Inferior” here means “incomplete.” The Mystic Law is the ultimate truth that is perfect and complete; in contrast, an incomplete teaching sets forth only a partial truth.

The above passage contains a profound philosophy that overcomes one of the serious pitfalls to which religion tends to succumb. It also embodies a crucial philosophy of faith for attaining genuine happiness.

Religion is generally held to be a universal endeavor to connect the human being to the infinite, absolute and sacred. While in a sense this may be true, it seems that many religions postulate from the outset a separation between the secular and the sacred, and between human beings and gods or Buddhas, and thus seek to bridge that gap.

Nichiren, however, regards teachings that view the absolute or sacred as separate from human beings as incomplete. And he cites as an example the provisional, pre-Lotus Sutra teachings, which do not set forth the principles or practices that enable ordinary people to attain Buddhahood in this lifetime. Rather, they espouse that one must first undergo innumerable kalpas^[6] of austere practice before enlightenment can be achieved.

In the provisional, pre-Lotus Sutra teachings, a virtually insurmountable gulf exists between Buddhas and ordinary people. Only a very few exceptional practitioners, after having undergone austerities for countless kalpas, can even attempt to reach the goal of enlightenment. Moreover, according to these teachings, it is inconceivable for someone who has become a Buddha to go back to being an ordinary person. As a rule, according to these teachings, the world where Buddhas dwell is not this strife-filled saha world where ordinary people reside. Buddhas and ordinary people are completely separate. Therefore, as long as that divide exists between the world of Buddhahood and the nine worlds (the realm of ordinary beings), it naturally follows that there is no way for all people to attain enlightenment. In this worldview, ordinary people and the idealized Buddhas are poles apart, thus leaving ordinary people with no option but to aspire for salvation through the assistance or intervention of such Buddhas.

This perceived separation between the nine worlds and the world of Buddhahood^[7] is demolished by the Lotus Sutra doctrine of “three thousand realms in a single moment of life”—in other words, the teaching that “the nine worlds have the potential for Buddhahood and that Buddhahood retains the nine worlds” (“The Selection of the Time,” WND-1, 539).^[8] Here we can see the immense importance of the Lotus Sutra principle of the “mutual possession of the Ten Worlds.”

Nichiren opened the way to actualizing this latter principle, which is the key to attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime, by establishing the practice of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. This constitutes in its fullest and most complete form the teaching of Buddhism that seeks enlightenment for all human beings.

Summoning Forth and Manifesting the Buddha Nature

The Mystic Law is the fundamental law of the universe. Its universality transcends our individual selves. As indicated by its description as the “mystic truth that is originally inherent in all living beings,” however, the Mystic Law also exists within our lives (“On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime,” WND-1, 3). It both resides within us and transcends us. Put another way, the Mystic Law is inherent in our lives because it is the all-embracing Law that pervades everything in the universe.

In his writing “How Those Initially Aspiring to the Way Can Attain Buddhahood through the Lotus Sutra,” Nichiren explains the essence of Myoho-renge-kyo as follows: “As for the meaning of Myoho-renge-kyo: The Buddha nature inherent in us, ordinary people; the Buddha nature of Brahma, Shakra, and the other deities; the Buddha nature of Shariputra, Maudgalyayana, and the other voice-hearers; the Buddha nature of Manjushri, Maitreya, and the other bodhisattvas; and the Mystic Law that is the enlightenment of the Buddhas of the three existences, are one and identical. This principle is called Myoho-renge-kyo” (WND-1, 887).

Not only is Myoho-renge-kyo our own Buddha nature, he says, but it is also the Buddha nature of all heavenly deities, voice-hearers, bodhisattvas and so on. Moreover, this Buddha nature is identical to the Mystic Law to which the Buddhas of the three existences—past, present and future—are enlightened.

Nichiren then goes on to explain that the chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is a practice in which we “summon forth and manifest” the Buddha nature inherent in the lives of all beings of the Ten Worlds: “Therefore, when once we chant Myoho-renge-kyo, with just that single sound we summon forth and manifest the Buddha nature of all Buddhas; all existences; all bodhisattvas; all voice-hearers; all the deities such as Brahma, Shakra and King Yama; the sun and moon, and the myriad stars; the heavenly gods and earthly deities, on down to hell-dwellers, hungry spirits, animals, asuras, human and heavenly beings, and all other living beings. This blessing is immeasurable and boundless” (WND-1, 887).

Regarding the meaning of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, he further states: “When we revere Myoho-renge-kyo inherent in our own life as the object of devotion, the Buddha nature within us is summoned forth and manifested by our chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. This is what is meant by ‘Buddha’” (WND-1, 887). The expression “is summoned forth and manifested” points to the profound significance of the Mystic Law.

Nichiren uses a wonderful metaphor to explain this principle of calling forth and revealing the inner Buddha nature: “When a caged bird sings, birds who are flying in the sky are thereby summoned and gather around, and when the birds flying in the sky gather around, the bird in the cage strives to get out” (WND-1, 887).

The singing of the caged bird refers to the chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo by ordinary people who, shackled in the chains of fundamental darkness and earthly desires, arouse faith in the Mystic Law. In other words, it is the chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with faith, which is expressed as the determination to win over all obstacles and become happy without fail through the power of the Mystic Law.

The power of such strong, determined chanting calls forth the Buddha nature in all living beings. Not only does the Buddha nature of Brahma and Shakra and of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas throughout the universe manifest, but those chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo can also sever the chains of fundamental darkness and illusion, and reveal their own Buddha nature. In other words, it is the power of our voices chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo that connects our lives with the Mystic Law pervading all phenomena of the three thousand realms.^[9]

In “Letter to Niike,” Nichiren further explains the significance of chanting through the analogy of a mother bird and an egg.^[10] He says that the chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is “like the warmth of the mother bird” (WND-1, 1030). At first there is nothing inside the egg but liquid, but as a result of being warmed by the mother bird, the beak, eyes and feathers are formed. Eventually, the baby bird breaks through the shell and hatches, and is soon flying into the sky like its mother. In this analogy, the substance within the egg represents the Buddha nature of living beings, while the mother bird represents the Buddha who leads others to enlightenment. The chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is at once the voice of faith of ordinary people and a function of the life state of Buddhahood.

Nichiren’s most important admonition in regard to attaining enlightenment through chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is that we must not view the Law as something outside ourselves. If we think the Law exists externally, then we are reverting to the kind of divide between Buddhas and ordinary people found in the pre-Lotus Sutra teachings.

Perceiving That One’s Own Life Is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo

The chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo has immeasurable beneficial power. Josei Toda, the second Soka Gakkai president, described the infinite power of the Mystic Law as follows: “It is like lying sprawled on your back in a wide-open space looking up at the sky. All that you wish for immediately appears. No matter how much you may give away, there is always more. It is never exhausted. Try and see if you can attain this state of life.”

Indeed, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo can be likened to a “wish-granting jewel.” How can we develop the boundless state of life that enables us to bring forth whatever strength is necessary? President Toda often used to say, “If you really want to achieve such a state of life, you have to fight with every ounce of your being for the Lotus Sutra, for kosen-rufu!”

Such was the vast and untrammeled spirit of my mentor: the spirit to strive forever together with the Buddhas of the three existences and with the life-affirming functions of the universe such as Brahma and Shakra, wherever in the universe we might find ourselves; the spirit to actualize a world of happiness and peace dedicated to value creation, by helping people overcome misery and misfortune and the sufferings of birth, aging, sickness and death.

Throughout everything, Mr. Toda steadfastly continued to seek the Law that exists nowhere but within our own lives. And he stressed the importance of living true to oneself. His starting point was his profound realization in prison that the Buddha is life itself and his awakening to his identity as a Bodhisattva of the Earth.

He also often spoke of the spirit of faith we need in order to perceive the Mystic Law within us, saying: “You have to be resolved that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is your own life!” or “Propagating the Mystic Law in the Latter Day means firmly believing that your life is nothing apart from Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!” This is the spirit Nichiren teaches in the passage “When you chant myoho and recite renge, you must summon up deep faith that Myoho-renge-kyo is your life itself” (“On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime,” WND-1, 3).

A Universal Religion for the Happiness of All Humankind

Generally speaking, religions expound some infinite and eternal entity that transcends both human beings and the impermanence of this world, using such terms as God or law. Different religions regard this infinite and eternal entity variously as a source of fear and awe, an object of adoration, a great void of emptiness or a wellspring of all-embracing love.

Nichiren Daishonin saw the power of the Mystic Law that encompasses and sustains all things in the universe as existing within human beings, and he established a means for actually manifesting that Law in their lives.

During my second lecture at Harvard University (in September 1993), I proposed three areas where Mahayana Buddhism could contribute to modern civilization: 1) in fostering the creation of peace; 2) in paving the way toward the restoration and rejuvenation of humanity; and 3) in providing a philosophical basis for the symbiotic coexistence of all things. In connection with the second point, I stressed the important significance of the approach of Nichiren Buddhism, which teaches neither an exclusive reliance on the “power of self” nor on the “power of other.” This perspective has resonated deeply with many scholars.

Only by communing and fusing with the power of other—which is eternal and transcends our limited, finite selves—can we wholly activate the power of self. At the same time, however, this eternal, all-encompassing power of other actually exists inherently in our lives. Nichiren writes: “People are certainly self-empowered, and yet they are not self-empowered. … People are certainly other-empowered, and yet they are not other-empowered” (“The Meaning of the Sacred Teachings of the Buddha’s Lifetime,” WND-2, 62).^[11] What this means, I believe, is that by relying neither exclusively on the power of other nor on the power of self, we can manifest the power that exists within us yet transcends ourselves. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo enables us to do this.

In this way, Nichiren Buddhism opens up a broad new vision of a universal religion for the happiness of all humankind—one that transcends the approach of teachings that strictly divide external power and the individual’s own power and that emphasize one over the other.

From the August 2026 Living Buddhism