Karma and its potential to motivate people to create change was the focus last week at a discussion led by several members of Soka Gakkai International (SGI).
SGI is a grassroots movement of global citizens working for happiness and world peace. Members follow the teachings and philosophy of Nichiren Buddhism. This practice encompasses the final revelation of Buddha, which stressed that everyone is capable of attaining enlightenment in his or her current lifetime.
According to the Nichiren Buddhists, karma is the total sum of one’s past actions, which ultimately leads one to his or her present situation.
“Everything happening to you now affects your current state,” said Anna Ikeda, a GSIS student. “Everything [that is happening to you] is part of the current moment, so you have control [of what happens to you], based upon your present actions.”
Nichiren Buddhism teaches that everyone has a different mission to contribute to society because each individual actually chooses to be born with his or her karma, ultimately “[giving] one the opportunity to prove the power in his or her life.”
Karma is a personal philosophy, but it is still capable of affecting other people. Martin Luther King Jr. was used as an example in the discussion to illustrate an individual who used his karmic mission to actually change the karma of humanity. According to discussion leaders, King procured racial awareness among great masses of people, along with the revolution to recognize and practice equality.
Karma wholly encompasses the concept of directionality in life, where embracing one’s chosen mission grants the power to propel the individual towards fulfillment.
Another major facet of karma practiced by Nichiren Buddhists is the chanting of “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo,” which translates as “devotion to the mystic law of cause and effect.”
There are two types of benefits reaped from chanting: conspicuous and inconspicuous. The latter frequently reveals itself only after one has come to complete satisfaction and realization of his or her karma, while the former is more direct in its results. Chanting is, however, by no means magical. Rather, chanting and taking action go hand-in-hand. As described by one of the Nichiren Buddhist members, “[It] awakens your wisdom to take action [in your life].”
The Nichiren Buddhists encourage every individual to embrace his or her karmic mission along with the personal power and direction it provides: “Karma is part of the natural rhythm of life,” said Ikeda. “Whatever you put into it comes back to you.”
