"A student from Soka Gakkai High School (inJapan)
asked President Ikeda the following question :
"What should i expect from chanting Daimoku?"
(Daimoku means chanting"Nam Myoho Renge Kyo)
Ikeda Sensei replied,
"When you chant 1 hour of Daimoku,
you will see changes in yourself.
When you chant 2 hours of Daimoku,
you will see changes in other people.
When you chant 3 hours of Daimoku,
you will see changes in your environment.
When you chant 5 hours of Daimoku,
you will experiences miracle in your life.
When you chant 1 million Daimoku, you will feel your fortune.
When you chant 7 million of Daimoku,
your foundation as human being will change.
When you chant 20 million Daimoku, even though your try to escape from it, fortune will continue to follow you.
When you chant 70 million Daimoku,
you can become the king of Faith ..........".
For those whom this guidance has been beneficial to, that's great. I am sure that whoever created this more than likely meant well, however it is not guidance from President Ikeda. I base this claim off the fact that there is no reference; and also because it is quite contrary to his other guidances concerning quality vs quantity.
President Daisaki Ikeda's guidance, while poetic, is known to be very pragmatic. Thus he is unlikely to specify any kind of quantity of Daimoku needed to chant. When asked about quantity vs quality during a Q&A session during the North Italy Representative Leaders Meeting on July 3, 1992, Ikeda highlights that quantity and quality both matter. He also said, "The most important thing is to be filled with a satisfying sense of revitalization after chanting. When we continue chanting in this way each day, we will naturally come to experience a life in which all our desires are fulfilled." To further prove my point, he apparently gave this guidance on May 4, 1993 at a Kansai general meeting in Tokyo, which was supposedly printed in the October 29, 1999 World Tribune. Someone asked President Ikeda if it was true that they could break through any obstacle if they chanted 10 hours. President Ikeda said, " So great is the benefit of chanting daimoku. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo even once produces tremendous benefit, eternal benefit. This is the essence of our faith. We should have great confidence in this point.
Basing his remarks on a passage of the Lotus Sutra, Nichiren Daishonin states: 'And yet we read that the blessings acquired by one who recites no more than a single word of the Lotus Sutra are the one thing [the Buddha Wisdom] cannot fathom. How, then, could ordinary people like ourselves, who have committed grave offenses, possibly understand these blessings?' (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol 1, p.68)...
It goes without saying, of course, that if you chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo a lot, it is all to the good. However, ultimately each of us must decide for ourselves the amount we chant based on our awareness and determination. The amount we chant is certainly not a matter of obligation or formality.
For instance, from time to time, I hear of people chanting eight or 10 hours in a single day. I bow my head to the intensity and earnestness of faith of these members. If, however, they neglect their responsibilities and commitments and just chant away, they cannot be said to be practicing in accord with the principle "faith manifests itself in daily life." You must not allow your daily life to fall by the wayside or cause others, including members of your family, suffering and inconvenience because of your many hours of chanting. Nor should you go around boasting of the long hours you have chanted in a day.
Carrying on in such a way can easily give rise to various misunderstandings among those around you. A person who has such an attitude may be viewed by neighbors as something of a fanatic. The result may be that the person loses others' trust and degrades the Law.
The same is true within the organization. There are instances where an organizational unit formally conducts a '10-hour daimoku campaign' or the like. While there is nothing wrong with an activity of this kind, if it is voluntarily undertaken by two or three willing people, difficulties arise when an attempt is made to impose such a rigid regimen equally on many people. People have different daily schedules; they have different amounts of time available to them; they have different physical stamina and so on.
Consequently, it is possible that holding such an activity might impose unreasonable demands on any number of people. It is always necessary to exercise careful consideration. Moreover, we must never attempt to make participation in such activities compulsory. You must not goad people into activities by making extreme statements, such as saying, 'If you fail to attend, you will not be following the way of the SGI.'
It is important that people derive joy, peace of mind, and hope from their practice of faith. We must strictly refrain from giving guidance that oppresses people or causes them suffering. In giving guidance, leaders should always take into account the circumstances and conditions of their members.
Thus, I hope that leaders will give clear direction that, while based on firm recognition of the great benefit of chanting, demonstrates wisdom and common sense, so that all may joyously advance in accord with the principle of 'faith equals daily life.'
If a leader wishes to launch a major chanting campaign and get a rhythm of more chanting going, the important thing is for that person to lead by offering deep strong prayers."
In a nutshell, there must be a balance between daily life and duration of chanting.
Some may ask, "What's wrong with the first guidance?" Well
1. It is discouraging to someone who wants to change their life, but lacks the stamina or time to chant 60+ minutes a day.
2. It is not necessarily true.
2a. About 29 months ago, I made the determination to change myself so that my life, family, and finances would improve. In the beginning, I was not chanting 60+ minutes, but I was consistent, and have made breakthroughs ever since.
2b. When I started chanting on August 24, 2013, I did not start off chanting 60+ minutes a day, but I definitely saw benefits in my life during that 18-month period before I received my Gohonzon.
2c. Chanting 60 minutes a day is still a challenge. If I manage to chant 60(+) a day, it just so happened because of a pressing need. However I have still garnered benefits from practice.
3. It can definitely be perceived as fanatical, especially if the practitioner is failing to honor their commitments by chanting for a lengthy duration, or if the practitioner is inconveniencing others by chanting at 3-4 AM in order to achieve a Daimoku target before work or class. While there are people who marvel at that level of intensity, determination and conviction in faith, as a former agnostic-atheist, I can see how that can be perceived as fanatical.
4. The bottom part excludes women since women cannot become kings.
5. Becoming a supposed king/queen of faith is not determined by quantity of Daimoku. Rather it is determined by having continued in faith until the very end of one's life, no matter what. And unfortunately, continuing in faith is only easy in theory. In reality, it is very difficult. Ask someone who has battled a life-threatening illness, foreclosure, bankruptcy, death of someone they loved and or admired, or sudden catastrophes.
So let's not attribute this quote, which means well yet is still problematic, to President Ikeda.
