This title and thence the mantra may be familiar to some of you, but our version is more measured and contemplative than many of the more traditional ways you will hear of chanting it. We came across it "by accident" in a book we "found" at the studios and I knew straight away that it was important that we recorded it there and then, despite the inclusion of a vocal track not being our intention at the outset. However, Mark has a pretty good singing voice and is a conscious and trance channel and so used to merging with the energies of Masters and Guides, and we knew that if he opened to the consciousness of Master Nichiren he would be guided to produce the right sounds in the right way for what was required. Indeed, the resulting product is full of a very powerful energy and the whole engineering process and completion of the track went remarkably smoothly. We are already working with the mantra in healing shares, workshops and other teaching with very interesting results, and so we are planning to record other mantras and chants on our next visit!
The Sutra's name is taken from the title of perhaps the greatest teaching of Siddhartha Gautama Buddha, who lived around 500 BC. This teaching is called the "Lotus Sutra" and it declares that "ALL living beings, regardless of gender or intelligence have the potential to attain Buddha-hood". In the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha taught that within each one of us is a Universal Truth known as our "Buddha Nature" - those in the Western world may also know this as the "Christ(ed) Self". Basing our lives on this inherent Truth enables us to experience absolute happiness and to act at all times with boundless compassion - to BE our Buddha/Christ Self. Achieving and BEing in such a state is called Enlightenment. When we are truly enlightened we realise that ALL things that exist throughout our Universe are connected: sentient and non-sentient and regardless of Plane or Dimension. Thus we come to understand and know that as we change ourselves, so we change the World.
In the 13th Century a Japanese priest called Nichiren realised that the message of the Lotus Sutra was summed up by its title, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, and declared that all of the benefits of the wisdom contained in the Lotus Sutra (including achieving perfect health, happiness, wisdom and compassion) can be realised through chanting this mantra. The goal of chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo therefore is to manifest the enlightenment of the Buddha Nature (connecting with our Higher Christed/Divine Selves) in our own lives, thus fulfilling our whole and complete potential as individuals and thence allowing the process of our Self-transformation to imbue, permeate and transform our World.
NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO - Tracks are offered in 3 time-spans of rolling sound: one of around 12 minutes; one of around 25 minutes and one of around 35 minutes, thus allowing any single track to be played without a break for any of those times, or for the full version of around 70 minutes to be played with 1 break between each track.