Nichiren practitioner Johnny Edward Dean Jr. displays on how his every day follow and chanting the Odaimoku from the Lotus Sutra helped him navigate psychological well being challenges throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
At a time in my life, nothing was going as I anticipated it to. I used to be dwelling in Chicago, Illinois, going to highschool for a second grasp’s diploma, freelancing, consulting, working a rental unit, and dealing to construct a non-profit group within the metropolis. It was hectic, but it surely appeared comfy on the time. Although I used to be attempting to deal with my psychological well being by taking remedy for despair and ADHD, I used to be burning out and turning into overly stimulated. When the Covid-19 pandemic surfaced in 2020, all my targets and so-called alternatives vanished one after the other.
One night time, I used to be sitting alone in my condo, newly single and just lately fired from my job. I made a decision to name a cousin dwelling in Tucson, Arizona, packed up two suitcases, and left Chicago for Tucson with the hopes of constructing a change. I quickly found that I had no entry to psychological well being care help in Tucson, and the difficulties of fixing my medical health insurance have been tough to navigate. Inside a number of weeks, I started listening to voices from the partitions. This expertise coupled with my despair and ADHD was terrifying. I heard voices creeping round me saying that they might discover and kill me, and that it doesn’t matter what I did, I’d fail and die. These auditory hallucinations made me really feel like there was an audio gadget in my head, or somebody following me and hacking my telephone, or I used to be caught in some psycho horror movie. I used to be paranoid and remoted. How might I take note of the current second underneath these situations?
After we chant, it’s like our mouths grow to be the palms of the buddha.
I turned to Nichiren bishop Myokei Caine-Barrett, Shonin, for recommendation, who jogged my memory to have religion and to make my follow the inspiration of my life, by referencing Nichiren’s writing Reply to Kyo’o. On this writing, Nichiren sends encouragement to Kyo’o, Shijo Kingo’s toddler daughter who grew to become severely in poor health. As a type of encouragement, Nichiren writes to Kyo’o, “Namu-myoho-renge-kyo is just like the roar of a lion. What illness can subsequently be an impediment?”
The Thirteenth-century Buddhist priest Nichiren Daishonin held a sheer dedication to unfold the teachings of the Lotus Sutra, regardless of enduring a lifetime of hardships. In my very own struggles with psychological well being, his story has served as inspiration, showcasing how a agency resolve in a single’s follow might help overcome obstacles.
In Nichiren’s writing Nakatsukasa Saemonnojo-do-no (Reply to Nakatsukasa Saemon-no-jo), he explains sickness to a religious follower and samurai, Shijo Kingo. There are two sorts of sickness, he says: sickness of the physique and sickness of the thoughts. Nichiren tells Shijo that it doesn’t require a buddha to remedy sickness of the physique, which I see as true, as we’ve got skillful docs working inside their specialised craft for these in want. Nonetheless, it may well require greater than a skillful physician to heal the thoughts. As a substitute, says Nichiren, curing the sickness of our minds requires our every day follow.
Those that uphold the Lotus Sutra imagine that we’re all buddhas in our current physique. Moreover, even if you happen to don’t imagine the Lotus Sutra, however rejoice on the listening to of the Odaimoku, the advantage acquired is gigantic.
Regardless of the every day hardships of life, our religion stays sturdy in our follow. However, we typically discover ourselves overwhelmed by the complexities of life, which may negatively affect our psychological well being. The inevitable overwhelm of life, coupled with growing charges of prescribed psychological well being remedy in the US, allude to a nationwide psychological well being disaster. In 2020, The Nationwide Alliance on Psychological Sickness shared that one in 5 adults within the U.S. — roughly 52.9 million folks — have skilled psychological sickness.
Human becomers, rising in direction of the attractive second through which we will all grow to be buddhas.
There are two largely unrecognized teams going through psychological well being points in the US: Black and Hispanic males. In Tori DeAngelis’ article titled “Black Males’s Psychological Well being Issues,” she states that solely 26.4% of Black and Hispanic males ages 18 to 44 who expertise every day anxiousness assaults and despair are seemingly to make use of psychological well being companies, in comparison with the 45.4% of non-Hispanic white males who make the most of these companies. In accordance with the American Psychiatric Affiliation, just one in three Black adults who want psychological well being care companies obtain it, indicating that whereas Black and Hispanic males do make the most of some companies, it’s tough to realize entry. Total, there exists an absence of well being suppliers recognizing the distinctive contextual variations of Black and Hispanic sufferers.
When my psychological well being waned, I found that getting severe with my follow helped. Within the Nichiren follow, we chant the Odaimoku: Namu Myoho Renge Kyo. After we chant, it’s like our mouths grow to be the palms of the buddha, and our minds grow to be the thoughts of the buddha. After I was struggling the toughest, I obtained up, and I chanted, even because the voices in my head droned on. I chanted earlier than I went to mattress, and listened to recordings of the Odiamoku whereas I slept. On the times I felt like giving up, I had my sangha supporting me and giving me love. I didn’t chant for something particular, however to mature from the scenario I used to be in. I submerged myself within the Odaimoku. Over time, the voices settled to mere whispers at any time when I obtained anxious. The scenario didn’t change, however my view did: I wasn’t afraid anymore. My religion was strengthened and polished by this harsh scenario — as concern dissolved, knowledge grew.
My journey isn’t over. There may be nonetheless a lot for me to be taught and overcome, however I share my story to encourage others to maintain their heads held excessive. For those who chant the Odiamoku, hold chanting it. If one other Buddhist follow works for you, I counsel you retain at it. Do not forget that ultimately, we’re all human becomers, rising in direction of the attractive second through which we will all grow to be buddhas. In life, there will likely be bother, however practitioners could make “good bother,” because the Civil Rights icon and late U.S. Consultant John Lewis referred to as it, as a result of there are political points at hand that require our assist as bodhisattvas. Belief in your follow.
It’s promised by Shakyamuni Buddha to Star-King Flower in Chapter 23 of the Lotus Sutra that “this sutra saves all dwelling beings.” It doesn’t matter what scenario you might be in, have interaction within the follow that connects you to the cosmic regulation. If the end result appears to be like dire, dreadful, or some type of doubt nestles upon your coronary heart, that’s the second when the Odaimoku faucets you and reminds you that you’re the hopes and desires of the enslaved, the persecuted, the misplaced, the ignored, the forgotten, and the oppressed — so rise!
This text isn’t supposed to supply or change therapy choices for many who could endure from scientific despair or different types of psychological sickness.
In case you are in want of assist, you possibly can name the Nationwide Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to entry free, 24/7 confidential service for folks in suicidal disaster or emotional misery, or these round them. The Lifeline gives assist, data, and native assets. You too can textual content the Disaster Textual content Line at 741-741 without cost 24/7 assist with a educated disaster counselor immediately.
For associated readings, view our archive of Buddhist views on psychological well being.