It was during my second monthly meeting of the BSGI (Bharat Soka Gakkai International) members in Bangalore in October that I actually hit upon the idea of starting a blog to record my journey through this Practice. I thought if I put down my thoughts and experiences about the Practice in a concrete way it would be a way of understanding it better and having that clarity of thought about what I wanted out of life, where I was heading, and what kind of a person I was turning out to be. Also a way of recording my growth (spiritual, emotional, material and whatever else) as a human being.
Having said that, let me start from the beginning. Rinkoo, my co-worker from Idiom had been practicing for almost 8 years when she first mentioned this Practice to me. At that time, I was going through a rather tough phase in life: problems in convincing my parents about Shreyas and me, our difficult financial situation, my own insecurities about several things in life. I needed something to hang on to, something to guide me, to show me the way. Rinkoo herself, had had several challenging situations in her life and I was deeply inspired by her fortitude and her attitude towards life. So when she spoke about the Practice, I was obviously curious. She told me to chant ‘Nam Myoho Renge Kyo’ everyday and that all difficulties would sort itself. That I did, chanting the dimoku 3 times everyday, without any rhythm, not knowing if I was doing it right and wondering what magical effects it would have on my life. I read up about the Practice on the internet and sometimes spoke with Rinkoo about it.
As she started to tell me more about the Practice, about the many members who in the face of adversity found the strength of character to fight back, about herself, I found myself being more and more interested in it. What attracted me was the fact that here was something that did not base itself on rituals that I could not comprehend, something that was all about finding happiness, about doing good to everyone and making the world a better to live. It was a simple philosophy. I was never as religious as I was spiritual. I always believed that the purpose of religion, no matter which one, was to teach one how to lead a righteous life. It is a path to find your own God. It is a means to an end and not the end itself. So here was something that talked about being responsible for your own actions and your destiny, being good and doing good, spreading happiness and cheer in the world and over that being able to find the strength to face challenges in life. I was instantly attracted to it.
Although I was interested, it took me several months to seriously start the Practice. After Rinkoo had introduced me to it, I chanted sporadically, all the while telling myself to start thinking and practicing it more seriously and diligently. Finally on Rinkoo’s insistence, I decided to go to a member’s house for chanting. That was my first experience and exposure to chanting the dimoku the correct way. I did not chant that day. I only listened and I can sure say that I felt the vibrations in the air. The sound of the chant did run through my body. I was formally introduced to the practice by Rohini whose house we went to and given a book to read about the Practice. Over the next days, I decided to chant regularly and this time in proper rhythm. I think that was when I decided to take up the Practice seriously and from then on I have been chanting regularly.
