From the very beginning of our Buddhist practice, MVO and I were encouraged to chant a lot every day. We were assured that this would help us change our karma, accumulate fortune and realize our dreams. Since Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the ninth consciousness, by chanting we can illuminate and change our karma (the eighth consciousness) and our subconscious (the seventh).
We took this advice to heart and, from the very beginning, chanted almost every day. This enabled us to challenge major obstacles like my depression and MVO's MS. Over the years, our chanting, like a savings account, has enabled us to more quickly overcome problems in the same way that it is much easier to accelerate a train that is already moving than a train that has fully stopped.
One of the aspects of practicing in the SGI that I like is that no one tells us how much or how often to chant. Instead, we are solely responsible for the quality and quantity of our own daily practice. Likewise, we don't have a concept of guilt. Instead, we can learn from both our successes and mistakes and then make new determinations. But this doesn't mean we will get the effects we desire without making the necessary causes. Oh, if that were only the case!
If chanting every day is the engine, then faith and study have been the fuel for our continued growth and development. However, without chanting, faith and study would have been merely mental constructs. It is through sincere chanting that we have continued to change our negative karma to achieve positive results.
As a child and teenager, I took jazz piano lessons and played in a soul group in East Los Angeles. I dreamed of being a rock musician and writer. Then MVO and I left home and were introduced to this practice. At just 19 and 18, getting jobs and an education, introducing others to the practice, and learning how to communicate with each other were our most important objectives. So, I put music and writing aside with little expectation that either would enter my life again.
Twenty years later, I began writing articles for the World Tribune newspaper, published several books, and was hired to pen a regular business column. Flash forward 30 more years, and after a successful consulting and writing career, I played harmonica and sang in a blues band, Good Karma Blues for several years! And now I'm playing a digital jazz and blues piano. While focused elsewhere, my daily chanting made room for all my dreams to come true.
There are hundreds of reasons not to chant each morning. In some instances, this makes sense. But, over the long haul, being an SGI member without having a consistent daily practice, is like being a member of a gym without regularly exercising and then being disappointed with the results. Just another example of how we can trick our mind, but not our karma.