Welcome back to Budability.

We're on break from new interviews, but excited to continue our special Q&A mini-series with you in the meantime.

Each week, we're answering one question that a listener asks about any aspect of Buddhist

practice or how to apply Buddhism to daily life. I'm your host, Chiijali.

Here's today's question. Do I have to believe in chanting Nam Yo Ho Reng Keiko for it to work?

I love this question so much because I certainly had the same one when I first

became consistent with chanting, and I think a lot of people do when they're first introduced to

Buddhism. Unless spirituality or a chanting-like practice has already been part of your life for a while,

it can feel very new and hard to believe in.

But this is also why I love Buddhism's answer to the question.

I want to approach it from a few angles, but first the answer point blank.

No. When you first start chanting, you do not have to believe in it or understand it for it to work.

My favorite advice on how to start chanting is simply to have an open mind and approach it like an experiment.

Choose a set time frame like 30 days or three months and how many minutes a day you will chant, say, five or ten minutes, if not more,

and see for yourself how you feel and how things begin to change along the way.

In other words, blind faith is certainly not a prerequisite for participation.

Buddhism doesn't ask you to immediately believe. All you need is an open mind and

willingness to try out the practice. Once you begin practicing, you will experience proof because your

life will look or feel different. That's what countless people I've interviewed and met through my

own practice have shared in their own words,

and a huge reason why having discussion-based meetings where we can test out, apply, and share

about our experiences with chanting is so integral to the community aspect of Buddhism.

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