CHANT FOR
PEACE PROJECT
The
purpose of this page is to bring people together to chant for peace and to stop
advancement towards war in Iraq. I
believe in the very difficult times ahead it is critical all people who, want an
end to the horror of war, division of people and spread of hatred work together
to bring about change in our world through peaceful, ethical means. It is critical to stay focused on each
individual life that will be lost or caused to suffer and grieve without end as
a result of our actions.
What are we chanting anyway?
I am a
Nichiren Buddhist. Its basis is world
peace and personal happiness through compassionate action and dialogue. When we chant to bring about change and
peace we chant what is called Daimoku or “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo” this prayer or
chant is the name of the Mystic Law that governs life eternally throughout the
universe. Nam- meaning
devotion, Myoho- Meaning Mystic Law, Renge- meaning
“lotus flower” which seeds and blooms at the same time and is representative of
the lotus sutra which is the bases of practice and Kyo –Sound or
teaching. The chants only purpose is
creating value in our lives and helping others to do the same. The chant brings forth from within ourselves
the highest life condition and the wisdom to take correct action.
Do you have to become a Buddhist or
chant to participate?
No. If you are of another faith and you believe
in working for peace and nonviolence and you pray or chant, then pray for
peace; pray for a solution different than the one we are headed for. Get together in groups, at your community
center, with your chapter or district, or by yourself . It doesn’t matter where you are or who
you’re with, choose to make a commitment for peace and
Just do
it!
This
is about bringing people together and sharing the responsibility of holding on
to our humanity. It’s about honoring
each other. It’s about respecting and
appreciating our differences and sharing and enjoying our common ground. It’s about bringing about change that values
the sacredness of each individual life on this planet.
The Proposed Chant
Making
time to chant every Wednesday from 7-9 P.M. until we are no longer with the
threat of war in Iraq. We need to chant
for clarity of thought of our leaders.
We need to chant for their happiness.
We need to chant for them to be shown a different path. We need to chant for everyone who’s lives
are in danger and everyone who is creating that danger. We need to chant for a change of heart and a
change of mindset until that change comes.
Links
More
about Nichiren Buddhism: http://www.sgi-usa.org/
Terms
and concepts in Buddhism http://www.sgi-usa.org/buddhism/library/
Information
about the United Nations policies and actions. http://www.un.org/peace/
Happenings
and Policies dealing with Iraq from the Carnegie Endowment for International
Peace
Human
Rights Issues dealing with refugees and victims of war
Human
Rights Watch site http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/iraq/
Amnesty
International http://www.amnestyusa.org/countries/iraq/
Information
and ideas from some US veterans
http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/
BACK
TO THE PEACE PROJECT
PEACE!…AND THANKS FOR TAKING PART
IN SOMETHING WONDERFUL
NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO
