Many people feel very vulnerable when they fall ill. *Chanting the lion's roar of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the only way to vanquish the devilish functions that undermine our confidence. When our lives reverberate with that all-powerful lion's roar, we have nothing to fear.*
In "Reply to Kyo'o", the Daishonin also says: "Wherever your daughter may frolic or play, no harm will come to her; she will move about without fear like the lion king." (WND-1, p. 412)
*As long as we continue to chant the lion's roar of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, then no matter what illness, hardship, or misfortune we face, we can "move about without fear like the lion king". We will experience a state of complete happiness and freedom in accord with the Lotus Sutra passage that says "living beings enjoy themselves at ease".* (LSOC16, p. 272)
Chanting this way may be difficult for a child as young as Kyo'o. Even adults can find it hard to do gongyo and chant daimoku when in the hospital or struggling with a serious illness. Sometimes they have no choice but to chant silently in their hearts. *But the lion's roar of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo chanted by their family and fellow members will reach and permeate their lives without fail. "What sickness can therefore be an obstacle?" (WND-1, p. 412), writes the Daishonin. Let us have deep conviction in these words.*
Excerpts from: President Ikeda's Study Lecture Series THE BUDDHISM OF THE SUN, ILLUMINATING THE WORLD on "Towards a Century of Health: The Wisdom for Leading a Long Life of Good Fortune and Benefit", pg.17-18
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