Endo: With regard to prayer, people frequently bring up the problem of extraneous thoughts occurring to them while they are chanting. Ikeda: there is nothing wrong with having an active mind while chanting. This is a natural human tendency. The important thing is to face the Gohonzon just as we are, without affectation. Having extraneous thoughts is an inherent part of our lives in that we are entities of the principle of 3000 realms in a single moment of life. Therefore, through Daimoku we can turn even though thoughts into benefit. There are no rules governing how we should pray. Theres no need to be something we arent. Even if we were to try to control our thoughts by making our prayer rigid and forced, our minds would still tend to wander. As we deepen our faith, we also strengthen our ability to concentrate. Actually, since the thoughts or ideas that come to mind as we chant represent issues that concern us at that moment, we should not consider them extraneous. Instead, we should pray earnestly about each one, whatever it may be. Rather than chant only about large issues, we should pray specifically about every issue we face, winning over each one and strengthening our foundation as we go. There is of course no need to be tense or nervous when praying. What matters is that we are completely ourselves. Endo: people also wonder whether it is alright to chant for many things at the same time, or if they should concentrate on one issue at a time. Ikeda: theres no limit to how many things we can pray about. It just means that the more desires we have, the more sincere and abundant our prayer will be. Its just like if you want to do a lot of shopping, you need a lot of money. Buddhism is reason. Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, Vol 6 pages 108 - 109
Posted on: Fri, 05 Sep 2014 10:27:08 +0000
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