(Photo above by Ron Lach / Pexels)
We’re trying to love ourselves, but our negative self-talk keeps getting in the way. It’s easy to get trapped into thinking that the negative voice in our head is the truth about who we are.
But, we’re here to say, It’s not. Buddhism is a philosophy about uncovering the inherent goodness and value within each person’s life. No one is an exception to that truth.
Buddhism is a philosophy about uncovering the inherent goodness and value within each person’s life. No one is an exception to that truth.
While this sounds like something we can all get behind, it’s easier said than done. So how do we make loving ourselves a reality each day?
Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo out loud is like saying, “I love myself” at the deepest level
How is chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo an act of self-love? In the same way that our name represents who we are, when we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo we are affirming everything that is taught in the Lotus Sutra.
Namely, that every single person is deserving of respect and inherently worthy of love.
When describing the impact of this Buddhist mantra, the Buddhist philosopher Daisaku Ikeda explains:
Through chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, you can transform the four sufferings of birth, aging, sickness and death into four castle walls or ramparts that fortify the palace of your life. Though it might be difficult to appreciate at first, the “mud” of our suffering provides the building material from which we can erect a solid bulwark for our palace of happiness within. The deeper the mire of suffering, the more indomitable a palace we can establish.
Discussions on Youth, p. 23
And what better way to express love for ourselves than to believe in our inherent value. We don’t need to become someone else. In fact, it’s the opposite.
With chanting, we can become the type of person we’ve always wanted to be.
The 13th-century Buddhist reformer Nichiren Daishonin describes what happens to our lives when we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo saying, “They display the dignified attributes that they inherently possess” (“The Real Aspect of the Gohonzon,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 832).
Meaning, if we’re shy, chanting enables us to use our shyness for good and become a person who can listen well and say what needs to be said at the important moment.
Or, if we tend to get angry easily, that’s OK too! Maybe when we see something unjust, we will be quick to stand up for others in a way that creates value for all involved.
Chanting allows us to love every aspect of ourselves.
Chanting allows us to love every aspect of ourselves.
Why? Because from the Buddhist perspective, the truth of our lives is that we are dignified and irreplaceable. Chanting just helps us see it for ourselves. And this feeling goes beyond just us as individuals. Because Buddhism teaches that we are interconnected, we simultaneously see the value in others.
Ikeda shares, “True love should be transformative, a process that amplifies our capacity to cherish not just one person but all people.” (daisakuikeda.org/sub/quotations)
So, as we’re expressing love for ourselves it’s even more powerful when we extend that love to other people we are connected with. Even if it’s to just one person, that’s huge. Because if we can become happy, so can everyone else.
True love should be transformative, a process that amplifies our capacity to cherish not just one person but all people.
- Daisaku Ikeda