Buddhist Practice That Turns Impossible into Inevitable | Nichiren Buddhism

When we hear the words, only Nam-myoho-renge-kyo can do so, we might wonder what makes this practice so special. What is it that only this mystic law can accomplish, that nothing else in the entire universe can achieve? The answer lies not in human opinion or wishful thinking, but in the testimony of the greatest beings who have ever existed. Picture this scene. Countless Buddhas from every corner of the universe, Bodhisattvas emerging from the earth like particles of dust from a thousand worlds, and the eternal Buddha Shakyamuni himself, all bearing witness to one profound truth. They have looked across all of time and space, examined every teaching and every practice, and reached the same conclusion. Only Nam-myoho-renge-kyo possesses the power to accomplish what needs to be done for all living beings. This is not a small claim. We are talking about the combined wisdom of beings who have seen the beginning and end of countless worlds, who understand the deepest workings of life itself. When Nietzsche and Daishonin wrote these words, he was not expressing his personal preference or making a bold marketing statement. He was declaring what these enlightened beings had confirmed through their infinite wisdom. But what exactly can only Nam-myoho-renge-kyo do? The answer touches the very heart of why we exist and what we are capable of becoming. In the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha revealed that every person, without exception, possesses the Buddha nature. This means that within each of us lies the same enlightened life condition that Shakyamuni himself attained. However, knowing this truth and actually manifesting it are two very different things. Think of it like having a beautiful diamond buried deep underground. You might know it's there, but unless you have the right tools to dig it up and polish it, that diamond remains hidden and useless. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the ultimate tool, the one practice that can unearth and polish the diamond of our Buddha nature until it shines with brilliant light. Throughout history, many teachings and practices have emerged to help people improve their lives and find happiness. Some focus on ethical behavior, others on meditation or study. While these approaches may bring temporary benefits, they work only within certain limits. A person might become more peaceful through meditation or more knowledgeable through study, but these changes often remain shallow and fragile. When faced with truly severe challenges, such partial improvements may crumble like a house built on sand. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo works differently. It reaches into the very foundation of our lives, the place where all our thoughts, feelings, and actions originate. The Lotus Sutra calls this the One Vehicle, meaning it is the one path that leads directly to complete enlightenment. Other teachings might be compared to different types of transportation. Some are like bicycles, others like cars or trains. Each has its purpose and can take you somewhere. But Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is like a rocket that can carry you beyond the atmosphere into infinite space. When Shakyamuni Buddha preached the Lotus Sutra, he made clear that all his previous teachings had been provisional, like elementary lessons preparing students for the final exam. In the Expedient Means chapter, he declares, the Buddhas, the world-honored ones, wish to open the door of Buddha wisdom to all living beings to allow them to attain purity. That is why they appear in the world. They wish to show the Buddha wisdom to living beings, and therefore they appear in the world. They wish to cause living beings to awaken to the Buddha wisdom, and therefore they appear in the world. They wish to induce living beings to enter the path of Buddha wisdom, and therefore they appear in the world. This Buddha wisdom that Shakyamuni wanted to share with everyone is contained within Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. When we chant these words, we are not just reciting a phrase or performing a ritual. We are connecting with the fundamental law that governs all existence, the same law that enabled Shakyamuni to become a Buddha in the first place. But why do we need the testimony of many treasures, Buddha, and all the other Buddhas and Bodhisattvas? Why isn't Shakyamuni's word alone sufficient? The answer reveals something profound about the nature of truth itself. When something is truly ultimate and universal, it must be recognized as such by all who have the wisdom to perceive it. If only one person claimed that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo was supreme, we might suspect personal bias or limited understanding. But when countless enlightened beings, each having achieved perfect wisdom independently, all reach the same conclusion, we can trust that this truth transcends any individual perspective. In the Treasure Tower chapter of the Lotus Sutra, Many Treasures Buddha emerges from the earth in his magnificent tower to bear witness to Shakyamuni's teaching. His presence serves as confirmation that the Lotus Sutra represents the ultimate truth, not just for one time or place, but for all times and all places. Many Treasures Buddha had achieved enlightenment in a different world system, yet he traveled across vast distances of space to affirm what Shakyamuni was teaching. This shows that the law contained in Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is universal, transcending any particular culture, era, or circumstance. The Bodhisattvas who emerged from the earth as numerous as the dust particles of a thousand worlds represent another level of confirmation. These are not ordinary Bodhisattvas, but beings who have been practicing the mystic law since time without beginning. They appear specifically to spread Nam-myoho-renge-kyo in the evil age after Shakyamuni's death. Their vast numbers suggest that the power needed to accomplish this mission is enormous, and their ancient wisdom confirms that only this practice has the strength to transform the human condition in the most challenging times. What makes Nam-myoho-renge-kyo so uniquely powerful? The answer lies in its all-encompassing nature. Other practices typically address specific aspects of human suffering or development. Prayer might help with emotional needs, philosophy with intellectual questions, medicine with physical ailments. But human beings are complex, integrated wholes. Our bodies, minds, and spirits are interconnected, and our individual lives are woven together with countless others Nam-myoho-renge-kyo works on all these levels simultaneously. When we chant, we are not just trying to fix one problem or improve one area of our lives. We are harmonizing our entire being with the rhythm of the universe itself. This creates changes that ripple outward, affecting not only ourselves, but everyone and everything around us. Nichiren Daishonin explained this principle when he wrote, If you wish to free yourself from the sufferings of birth and death you have endured since time without beginning, and to attain without fail unsurpassed enlightenment in this lifetime, you must perceive the mystic truth that is originally inherent in all living beings. This truth is myoho-renge-kyo. Chanting myoho-renge-kyo will therefore enable you to grasp the mystic truth innate in all life. Notice that he says this mystic truth is originally inherent in all living beings. This means we are not trying to become something we are not, or to acquire something from outside ourselves. Instead, we are awakening to what we have always been at the deepest level. This is why nam-myoho-renge-kyo can accomplish what nothing else can. It alone has the power to reveal our original enlightened nature completely and permanently. The practical implications of this are staggering. If our fundamental nature is already enlightened, then no external circumstance can ultimately defeat us. Poverty cannot diminish our inherent worth, illness cannot destroy our essential vitality, and even death cannot touch our eternal Buddha nature. This doesn't mean we become immune to problems or challenges, but rather that we develop an unshakable core of strength and wisdom that can transform any situation into an opportunity for growth and value creation. Consider how different this is from approaches that depend on changing external conditions to find happiness. If our joy depends on having enough money, good health, and favorable circumstances, then we remain forever vulnerable to forces beyond our control. But if our happiness springs from an internal source that no external power can touch, then we become truly free. This is what the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas recognized when they determined that only nam-myoho-renge-kyo could accomplish the ultimate purpose of human existence. They saw that while many practices might bring temporary relief or partial improvement, only this law could establish people in an unshakable state of absolute happiness and creative power. The Lotus Sutra describes this transformation in the Parable of the Poor Son. A wealthy man's son becomes lost and spends years living in poverty, working menial jobs, and believing himself to be worthless. Meanwhile, his father searches for him constantly, never giving up hope. When they finally reunite, the father gradually helps his son realize his true identity and claim his inheritance. The son had always been wealthy. He simply didn't know it. Similarly, we have always possessed the treasure of Buddha nature, but we have forgotten our true identity and become lost in delusions about our limitations and weaknesses. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is like the father's voice calling to us, gradually awakening us to remember who we really are and claim our rightful inheritance of enlightenment. This awakening process is not always smooth or easy. Just as the poor son in the parable initially feels overwhelmed and unworthy when he learns of his true status, we may sometimes feel resistance or doubt when we begin to chant nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Our smaller, deluded self may rebel against the idea that we are capable of such greatness, but this resistance is actually proof that the practice is working, stirring up the depths of our consciousness and bringing hidden negativity to the surface where it can be transformed. Nichiren Daishonin faced tremendous persecution precisely because he insisted on the supremacy of nam-myoho-renge-kyo. If this practice were just one option among many, why would anyone have bothered to oppose him so fiercely? The intensity of the resistance he encountered confirms the power of what he was teaching. Those who opposed him understood, perhaps unconsciously, that widespread acceptance of his message would fundamentally transform society by empowering ordinary people with extraordinary spiritual strength. The fact that nam-myoho-renge-kyo alone can accomplish the Buddha's true purpose becomes even more significant when we consider the condition of our current world. We face challenges that earlier generations could hardly imagine. Global warming, nuclear weapons, economic inequality on a massive scale, and social divisions that threaten the very fabric of civilization. Traditional solutions, while valuable in their own spheres, seem inadequate to address problems of such magnitude and complexity. Only a practice that can transform human nature itself at the most fundamental level offers real hope for solving these seemingly impossible challenges. When people awaken to their Buddha nature through chanting nam-myoho-renge-kyo, they naturally develop the wisdom to see beyond narrow self-interest, the compassion to care for all life, and the courage to take action even in the face of overwhelming odds. This is not mere idealism or wishful thinking. It is the practical recognition that outer transformation must be based on inner transformation. We cannot create a peaceful world with the same consciousness that created war. We cannot solve environmental problems with the same thinking that caused them. Only by accessing our deepest wisdom and compassion can we find solutions that address root causes rather than just symptoms. The witness of Shakyamuni, many treasures, the Buddhas of the Ten Directions, and the countless Bodhisattvas is not ancient history, but a living reality that continues to unfold today. Every time someone chants nam-myoho-renge-kyo with sincere seeking spirit, these same enlightened beings celebrate and support that person's efforts. The determination that only this practice can accomplish the ultimate goal remains as relevant now as it was when the Lotus Sutra was first preached. Understanding this gives our practice tremendous dignity and purpose. We are not just trying to improve our personal circumstances, though that naturally happens as a result. We are participating in the grandest mission in the universe, helping all living beings realize their innate Buddha nature and create a world of lasting peace and happiness. This mission is so important that countless enlightened beings have dedicated their eternal lives to supporting it. When we truly grasp this, our daily practice of chanting nam-myoho-renge-kyo becomes an act of profound faith and determination. We are aligning ourselves with the deepest currents of cosmic purpose, adding our voice to a course that began before time and will continue beyond all imaginable futures. In doing so, we discover that what seemed impossible becomes not only possible but inevitable because we are working with the fundamental law of existence itself rather than against it. This is why only nam-myoho-renge-kyo can do what needs to be done, not because it is the strongest among many powerful practices, but because it alone reveals the truth that makes all other truths possible, the truth that every living being is already a Buddha waiting only for the right key to unlock that infinite potential. That key is nam-myoho-renge-kyo, and in the hands of ordinary people with extraordinary faith, it opens doors that nothing else can even approach.