Buddha Purnima is being celebrated today. It not only marks the day when Gautam Buddha was born but also the day when he attained Nirvana under the Mahabodhi tree at Bodh Gaya in Bihar.
This day is commemorated by Buddhists and Hindus all over the world and is a major festival in countries like India, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma, Thailand, Tibet, Korea, Laos, Vietnam, Mongolia, Cambodia, Singapore, Indonesia and Sri Lanka.
Famous Buddha chanting mantra including ‘Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō’ is chanted across all forms of Nichiren Buddhism as well as Tendai Buddhism. It is the Lotus Sutra that helps in attaining mental peace and people believe it cures them of all problems.
In Buddhism, the chanting of mantras sets the mind in the state of meditation. The common Theravada chants are usually based on Pali Canon, Mahayana and Vajrayana chants.
There are various chanting mantras in Buddhism, the most common happens to be from Nichiren Buddhism which is chanting of the five characters of Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō, meaning a tribute to the true dharma of the Lotus Sutra. This comes under the Mahayana Sutra chants.