BUDDHISM HAS TRANSFORMED MY LIFE.............................................................:):):)
MY GRATITUDE TO THE PEOPLE AND THAT POWER WHICH INTRODUCED ME TO BUDDHISM...............WILL ALWAYS BE GRATEFUL............................................................
Over 37,000 people in the country have been chanting their way to happiness. We look at how the Buddhist mantra, Nam myoho renge kyo, has become a movement in itself ...
It’s half past ten on a sticky Sunday morning when an assortment of men and women between the ages of 25 and 45 troop into a plush apartment in Delhi’s Friends Colony locality. The living room has been cleared of furniture and glasses of water are placed in one corner. One among these 40-odd people leads a Buddhist chant —Nam-myoho-renge-kyo—to a chorus for ten minutes. It’s followed by a short speech on the significance of the Soka Gakkai International, a global association that promotes the philosophy of the 13th century Japanese Buddhist, Nichiren Daishonin, that has found resonance in India among over 37,000 people.
The forum is then open for all gathered, people begin talking about their problems, sharing experiences about how this prayer has transformed their lives. For one and a half hours, twice a month, members of the Bharat Soka Gakkai gather on Sundays in different parts of India, (there are chapters in over 50 Delhi colonies alone), to chant, talk about life and their sorrows and to gain strength to surmount problems, together as a group.
“Typically, people have issues in three spheres of their lives; relationships, health or finances,” says Akash K Ouchi, deputy director-general of the Bharat Soka Gakkai. Of Japanese origin, Ouchi first came to India in the 1970s as a PhD student at JNU and stayed on. Ouchi’s family is also involved in Nirichen Buddhism, headquartered in Japan. He registered the Bharat Soka Gakkai in 1986. Till 2002, they had just 10,000 members but the numbers have multiplied several times since then.
“The philosophy advocates accepting your karma but not being bound by it. We all have the power to change our lives and bring about transformations within,” explains Ouchi. The Nichiren sect of Buddhism says the potential for enlightenment lies within us but chanting is the path to actualise and reach it.
Among the followers, there are several examples of how chanting has transformed lives. Zayed Khan, 40, till recently was a hugely successful Delhi-based garment exporter, in partnership with a friend. Business started dipping and before he knew it, Khan had accumulated Rs 40 crore in debt with creditors parked on his doorstep 24x7. His relationship with his partner deteriorated. “I didn’t want to live, I just... wanted to die,” says Khan. Sheer desperation drove him to take a friend’s advice. He joined a Buddhist group and started chanting. “Of course, it’s no miracle cure,” says Khan. “But slowly, I found an inner peace. Chanting gives me strength and it has become an important ritual in my daily life.” Khan has since paid back most of his debt and is currently resurrecting his business. He remains a devoted chanter.
Connecting to your higher spiritual self and finding happiness in urban India, where day-to-day life can be tough is a challenge that people are struggling with. However, confiding your problems to strangers or going for group therapy is still uncommon. “Unburdening yourself of emotional baggage is cathartic and an important step to enter the pure space of being,” says Chaitanya Keerti, head, Osho World.
The bi-monthly meetings in neighbourhoods held by rotation at different member’s homes are an important part of Nirichen Buddhism. Similar to group therapy, people speak freely in the presence of strangers. Listening to others experiences helps put their own problems in perspective. The chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is a mix of Chinese-Japanese-Sanskrit and roughly translates into, ‘I dedicate my life to the mystic law of cause and effect’.
Nirichen Buddhism is based on the Lotus Sutra, a 28-chapter guide Gautam Buddha put together at the end of his life where he says everyone can attain peace. It’s a philosophy, not a religion and the Soka Gakkai advocates continuing with your faith. This is just in addition to tap your spiritual potential. “I have a strong tendency towards pessimism,” smiles Tisca Chopra wryly, the actor who played Darsheel Safary’s mother in the critically acclaimed Taare Zameen Par. Chopra has been chanting regularly since 1997. She says in an industry full of uncertainty, chanting has given her confidence to compete. “I struggled before finding my feet in Bombay and chanting was my coping tool,” says Chopra.
For the better. India is tenth on the list in the number of followers and is the fastest-growing.
“We don’t offer any solutions but at times we chant and pray for fellow members’ suffering to finish,” says Prachi Vaidya, 40, editor of Eternal Ganges Press that publishes books on spiritualism.
Vaidya has been practicing chanting for 12 years, is a group leader in her Housing Society in Delhi and has introduced several new people to it. When members are not comfortable talking about issues in the meeting, they sometimes confide only in the leader. “Over the years, I’ve heard so many painful stories on domestic abuse, alcoholism, depression. But I’ve seen how coping can become easier with chanting,” says Vaidya, quoting her own example of divorce.
Ruchi Asrani, 28, was devastated by her mother’s death six years ago. Recently married, unable to adjust to her new home and bereavement, she says she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown when her sister-in-law introduced her to chanting. “I’m definitely happier now and it became easier coming to terms with my mother’s loss,” she says. Asrani’s husband is also part of the chanting circuit now.
Of the members, over 10 per cent of the spouses become active chanters after they see the benefits on their partners and women members outnumber the men. Most members swear by the benefits of the group meetings, which they say foster a bond between people.“When you’re having problems, there’s a general disconnect with friends and family,” says Vandana Jain, an English teacher at the British Council in Delhi. “This becomes a space to speak your mind.” Jain is an active chanter and has been part of the movement since 1988. She has started a peace education module, which translates the humanism of Nirichen Buddhism to children. Students of St Columbus and Don Bosco in Delhi are learning the value of non-violence through some innovative exercises. “Kids face stress like bullying and groupism. I think the earlier they understand how to deal with it, the better,” states Jain. The exercises involve giving kids a balloon and a pin and putting on music. The longer they can resist bursting the balloon, the better. “We’re telling them, it’s tougher to be non-violent, than it is to be violent. They’ve also started keeping a peace diary to record how often they get into fist fights,” smiles Jain.
Ouchi says, usually, people start chanting or join... the movement because they have an unresolved problem. Sometimes when the issue is sorted out, they don’t come back. “The dropout rate is just 20 per cent but people return whenever they feel the need at any point in their lives,” he says. To join a chapter, an existing member has to recommend you, and he has to have known you for six months at least. “We don’t allow people to become leaders of their groups for a year, nor do we permit donations for two years,” says Ouchi. The practice involves earnest chanting twice a day for at least ten minutes.
As the faith grows, members are given the Gohonzon, a double-door wooden cabinet, the altar of Nirichen Buddhism. The secret to enlightenment, they say, lies in the three pillars—faith, practice and study....
NICHIREN DAISHONINS BUDDHISM IS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS HAPPENED IN MY LIFE...........
I CANNOT IMAGINE MYSELF WITHOUT THAT......................................................................
THIS IS A VERY BEAUTIFUL LIFE PHILOSOPHY........................................................................
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