The Buddha in Daily Life

By Vernon Marshall View Profile
This book is not a coffee table book but a book of some substance. It is a work of 300 pages of some detail written from the standpoint, not of an objective academic, but of a convert to Buddhism. Much of the book deals with the basic teachings of Buddhism. The writer, however, was a convert to the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin and the book is a fairly full explication of the world of the this form of Buddhism.

Adherents of Soka Gakkai, of which there are millions, are renowned for their constant chanting of the mantra Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, and no less than 126 pages alone are devoted to the philosophy of this practice. It is a deep but comprehensive explanation that warrants careful reading for those serious enough to seek to understand why it is such an attraction to young people and to many wealthy business people and individuals from show business.

The second section of the book deals with the practice of Soka Gakkai Buddhism. There is a clear explanation of the Gohonzon, the object of worship, and this is where it becomes so clear that Nichiren Daishonin held a very different view of Buddhism than did most of contemporaries. There are also details as to how the organisation of Soka Gakkai operates and its aims. Finally, there is a short thesis on the goal of peace. In it there is a clear line drawn between Nichiren’s approach to Buddhism and, for example, the Pure Land Buddhism.

Overall this is an excellent introduction to Nichiren Daishonin and Soka Gakkai. For any student of Buddhism there is no other book that offers such information with such clarity and comprehension. All students of world religions should have this book in their collections.

By Sunamika
This book transformed my life – it taught me to tap the limitless power of all things good and happy - the Mystic Law inherent in our lives. It made me understand that Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism does not simply provide a means to view the world in a theoretical way. It is not as if by coming to understand about the ten worlds, or cause and effect that we just have a new pair of glasses through which to look at the world. It is much, much more than this.

This books explains clearly how through our sincere chanting, we find ourselves changing, inside, in how we react, in how we see ourselves, in how far we treasure ourselves and in many other respects. The things we started by chanting about may come to be seen by us as all related to something inside and as we change that 'something' our experience of all these other things changes too. Because we change, how we cause the world to come to us changes profoundly.

Thus there is no substantial difference between the ordinary human being and the Buddha. The difference lies in our minds and in our actions. In other words, we reveal Buddhahood in our present form as we are. We cause this through our Buddhist practice and through developing faith in Nam-myoho- renge-kyo.