Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō  Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō (; sometimes truncated phonetically as Nam Myōhō Renge Kyō) (English: "”Devotion to the Mystic Law of the Lotus Sutra”" / “"Glory to the Dharma of the Lotus Sutra"”) are religious words chanted within all forms of Nichiren Buddhism. The words "Myōhō Renge Kyō" refer to the Japanese title of the Lotus Sūtra. The mantra is referred to as  or, in honorific form, "O-daimoku" (お題目) meaning "title" and was first publicly declared by the Japanese Buddhist priest Nichiren on 28 March 1253 atop of Mount Kiyosumi, now memorialized by Seichō-ji temple in Kamogawa, Chiba prefecture, Japan. The practice of prolonged chanting is referred to as "Shōdai" (唱題) while mainstream believers claim that the purpose of chanting is to reduce sufferings by eradicating negative karma along with reducing karmic punishments both from previous and present lifetimes, with the goal to attain perfect and complete awakening. The Tendai monks Saicho and Genshin are said to have originated the Daimoku while the Buddhist priest Nichiren is known today as the greatest proponent. The mantra is an homage to the Lotus Sutra which is widely credited as the "king of scriptures" and "final word on Buddhism". According to American author Jacqueline Stone, the Tendai founder Saicho popularized the mantra" "Namu Ichijo Myoho Renge Kyo" "as a way to honor the Lotus Sutra as the One Vehicle teaching of the Buddha. Accordingly, the Tendai monk Genshin popularized the mantra" "Namu Amida, Namu Kanzeon, Namu Myoho Renge Kyo"" to honor the three jewels of Japanese Buddhism. Nichiren, who himself was a Tendai monk, edited these chants down to "Namu Myoho Renge Kyo" and Nichiren Buddhists are responsible for its wide popularity and usage all over the world today. The Japanese Buddhist priest Nichiren was a known advocate of this recitation, claiming it is the exclusive method to happiness and salvation suited for the Third Age of Buddhism. According to varying believers, Nichiren reputedly cited the mantra in his "Ongi Kuden", a transcription of his lectures about the Lotus Sutra, "Namu" (南無) is a transliteration into Japanese of the Sanskrit ""namas"", and "Myōhō Renge Kyō" is the Sino-Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese title of the Lotus Sutra (hence, "Daimoku", which is a Japanese word meaning 'title'), in the translation by Kumārajīva.