07/02/2026
Patrick Dean Jonathan Browning
“The Art of Strategy in the Lotus Sutra”
Comrades, always remember!
Chanting the daimoku is not to pass obstacles for you,
but to awaken the life force within you that can overcome them.
Our mentor has repeatedly and rigorously reminded us:
If faith becomes mere dependence on Buddhist power,
without awakening one’s own subjectivity and initiative,
it will deviate from the true path of Buddhism.
Some comrades hold such a mindset:
They diligently chant the daimoku and sutras morning and evening,
yet when facing life’s difficulties, an unconscious thought arises:
“As long as I chant, I will surely be protected,
and the problem will naturally pass.”
Once such a mindset quietly takes root,
faith can easily slide from a “human revolution”
into mere “psychological reliance.”
Remember well!
The Gohonzon is not an existence that bears life’s challenges on our behalf.
The true meaning of chanting
is not to escape reality, but to confront reality head-on.
The mentor clearly states:
Buddhism never makes people dependent;
it makes people strong.
If, after chanting, one is still unwilling to reflect,
unwilling to change, unwilling to act, unwilling to strive—
then Buddhist power cannot manifest in real life.
It is not that the Buddha lacks compassion;
rather, people treat Buddhism as a “protective amulet”
instead of a “mirror of awakening.”
The strictness of the mentor’s guidance lies precisely here:
Buddhist power never replaces human responsibility;
it only awakens the courage and wisdom
to take responsibility.
A true practitioner, after chanting, does not ask:
“Why didn’t the Gohonzon help me?”
but instead asks:
“How should I change my own life condition
to break through this difficult barrier?”
Chanting the daimoku makes us more awake,
more humble, and more willing to act.
At that moment, Buddhist power and human action become one.
Difficulties are not a failure of practice.
On the contrary, avoiding difficulties is the real danger to faith.
May all comrades firmly remember the mentor’s rigorous guidance:
Chanting is not to make problems disappear,
but to become a life capable of facing any problem.
Always remember the mentor’s guidance:
Chanting the daimoku is not to pass obstacles for you,
but to awaken the life force within you that can overcome them.
