Does Chanting Work? How?

Does Chanting Work?

I often run into this question or questions like it, all over the Internet. Firstly, I think this is a faulty question. I understand what is being asked, but, whether you are a beginner or experienced Buddhist or simply curious about the Buddhist method, the first question should be, “what is the “work””. In other words, to know or have evidence that something “works”, we first must know what is the nature of the work we are hoping to accomplish. If our task is to paint a house, it is useless to know if a lawn mower works. So, what is the nature of the work in Buddhism?
The goal of Buddhism is to evolve a mental state that is free of internal dialog or thoughts, stopping all influences and distractions such that we might experience clearly, and without obstruction, a constant awareness of our life experience from moment to moment. If you have ever tried to simply sit in a “quiet” place with your eyes closed you will quickly notice a constant stream of thoughts and conversations flying through your mind. Stopping these thoughts is a gargantuan task bordering on the impossible. Monks practice their entire lives to slowly develop the skill to cease each and every one of the thoughts arising in the mind. It is a very long process to do unaided.

Shakyamuni and Nichiren developed the method to enable ALL sentient beings of any stature to attain full Buddha mind awakening simply through consistent practice of a method to assist the lay-person or lay-monk, to attain this state of ceasing thoughts much more quickly, so that by getting there one might gain proof and support for the possibility of arriving at clarity (to unite with the innate Buddha mind). The use of a mantra or repeated words is used as a point of focus to derail the mind’s constant desire for attention to its desires and “needs” (this is the mano consciousness or human mind). By occupying the mind with diligence in repeating the same phrase over and over, thoughts that continue to arise will be met with interference and slowly will cease in arising lest you allow them to interrupt your chanting. This becomes easier as your determination to focus on the chanting begins to be less about the words and more about a rhythm and sound that trains the mind into a trance-like state. The more experience with this, the greater depth of the trance. The trance assuages the mind’s need for arising thoughts (although they will still manage to pop up until a great deal of experience is gained) and results in a developing awareness of the clear mind space that Buddhism prescribes for experiencing the Buddha mind or Amala consciousness that is the true nature of all phenomena.

Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo, is a five character mantra representing all the Buddha’s teaching and therefore the Buddha-mind itself (the Amala consciousness). So when chanting the mantra NamuMyoHoRenGeKyo, we actually invoke the goal of the Buddhist method as we shut down our arising thoughts and inner distractions. You certainly are free to simply sit and meditate to achieve this, but the mantra method accelerates development so quickly, without having to be a hermit in a mountainside, that one would wonder why not Chant as a much more efficient way to practice in our modern everyday lives. In addition, the visual component of the Gohonzon, an inscription of the ultimate teaching in specialized characters of the sermon of the Lotus Sutra again drives our focus to the ultimate teaching of this mantra and the Bodhisattva practice to further unite our meditation with our Buddha mind.
This is why the Lotus Sutra, is considered to be the ultimate and greatest of the Buddha’s teaching to achieve the goal of a practice the can be easily achieved by anyone of any status or education to liberate them from the bondage of a constant stream of mental desires and cravings that all lead to dissatisfaction and negative emotions in our lives (dhukka).