●Teachings of HONMON BUTSURYUSHU

8. Practices Performed by HBS

The importance of chanting the"Odaimoku"out loud, rather than a silent prayer within your heart, cannot be emphasized enough.

Buddhism is practiced by using the body(Shin), the speech(Ku), and the conscience of thoughts(I). The application of these elements in the worshipping process are illustrated in the following examples.

Some people practice religion with their bodies by meditating under the waterfalls, depriving themselves of food and sleep for days in a closed sanctuary, or taking a treacherous hike in mountains and valleys in remote areas. These religious practices, however, can be accomplished only by a healthy person who possesses the endurance to withstand harsh and difficult conditions. These practices are at times, hazardous, if not time consuming. In these modern times, most people do not have the time to engage themselves in these practices. Because of the limitations inherent in these practices involving the body, this form of practice is not recommended to most individuals.

The thought-conscience practice is usually accomplished through meditation. It calms your soul from the frustrations of life and helps to awaken the `Buddhist nature'. This practice, however, is neither suited nor easily accomplished by an ordinary person. Deep within one's soul is a dark unconscious world which one cannot reach nor control no matter how much you try through meditation. Even one's conscious soul cannot be controlled by one's thought process. This phenomenon can be observed in many situations where one react or do things that one knows better not to, such as overeating, smoking and getting angry. Because most people have difficulties controlling their actions, despite what they know intellectually, the practice of meditation centered on thought concentration is found to be most difficult to achieve.

Next. [Teachings] 8-a. Practice which can be performed by anyone.