Happiness...true...authentic...unshakable Happiness!

Happiness
by Daisaku Ikeda

The purpose of life is to attain happiness.
Happiness is something you have to feel inside.
It is something you have to build for yourself.
It is something that lives within you.
That is why the state of your inner realm, your life,
is so crucial to your being happy.
Happiness is not in some far off place.
Happiness exists within your own life.
It is within a single thought in your mind.
You, yourself are the most precious of all.
You have no need to be envious of anyone
or to long for things far away.
Faith and one's single minded desire
to achieve Kosen Rufu (world peace)
are what makes this self of yours shine its brightest
and develop its highest potential;
they are what fill you with good fortune,
satisfaction and eternal joy.
This is the essence of true happiness,
A palace exists within your own life.
When you open that palace
you can be happy wherever you are.

Thanks for the comments!

I hear you all - not giving up~!!


That's what I'm talking about! 


You will all be victorious!


For those who asked, my email is silversunsinger@gmail.com

The Buddha Land will Blossom all around YOU

It is true...we live in a world where suffering is everywhere...and many people don't know how to solve their own problems...so they lash out at others in anger.


I recently found myself face-to-Face with such a world....and I had a choice to make. Did I just want to say forget it...I really don't want to be responsible for turning poison into medicine right now? Well...I must admit, I was tempted. The people around me were so nasty to each other...I thought "I'll never be able to succeed here...before I know it there will be arrows in my back too."


And I was tempted to say "No thanks."


But I knew I was in the situation because of the prayers I had chanted...and I KNEW I could turn it around...because I AM a BUDDHA....and when I determine to change inside my own life....my environment HAS to change to reflect my own inner human revolution. There is no doubt. It HAS to happen. We seem to be separate from our environment, but in fact we are as interconnected as can be. 


So what did I do? I greatly upped my level of daimoku...and reconnected with my real true desires in life. These desires weren't necessarily connected to the situation. As a matter of fact I focused my prayer on MY OWN HUMAN REVOLUTION. I chanted to change myself...to elevate my life condition so that my environment would change....I also chanted with passion for some other goals I have...and I mean with PASSION.  When you chant with Passion you move the world...I promise. 


This is not a passive practice! It takes guts, determination, fortitude, and a strong body....sometimes my back and lungs hurt... but that's what we have massage for! I regularly have a massage and I work out physically at least 4 days a week. And I never give up.


I am starting to see the situation change already...I have a new pep in my step...I am letting my light outshine the darkness. It is just like Nichiren Daishonin says: "If I end up in hell I will transform it to the land of tranquil light" (not an exact quote) but it is true! 


You are soooo powerful!!! Never give up!!!

Turn your Karma into MISSION!!!! True Happiness every moment!

I had to show this picture one more time....this is a photo of my sons getting to know their grandfather for the first time EVER. I chanted for a long time to have this wonderful man, Eli, be found...and to become part of the family again after almost 50 years. And here he is! Actual Proof!! Daimoku Works!!!




What does it mean to turn 
Karma into mission?


Take Your Deepest Desires and Accomplish Them!


Let me give you an example.


Say you have something you are trying to change. One day you think "YES ~ I CAN CHANGE THIS!!!", then the next day you are discouraged and feel hopeless again. If you can recognize the hopelessness for what it is ~ a negative function in your life seeking to hold you back, then you can elevate your understanding of every single challenge that you face.


As some of you know, my husband of many years and I are in the process of splitting up. We have 
raised two great children together and it's time for us to move on. I don't see it as a failure...but really as a victory since we are both headed towards more compatible relationships. I chant for his happiness and deeply desire it for him. I know we will always be friends....


AND...Right now...my deepest wish (among others) is to love and be loved. I want to feel REALLY cherished. I want to have the kind of love I sometimes see in other couples. When I was on my cruise I met two couples who inspired me right down to my toes. I could feel their love for each other...I could see the admiration in their eyes, and most of all, I could see the real pleasure they got in making each other feel good! THAT'S what I want! Nothing less!


And whenever I start to get that feeling of hopelessness, I turn it around in a few seconds by realizing...THIS IS MY MISSION. I VOW in front of the Gohonzon that I will have this kind of love, and not just for myself. I MUST have this kind of love because I need to inspire my district, my blog readers...I NEED TO MOVE THE UNIVERSE with my prayer. EVERYONE DESERVES THIS!!!
And everyone CAN HAVE IT. I'm in the process of proving it.


Then ~ how can I be unhappy? I know victory is certain. I have proven the power of this Gohonzon 
(in other words - the power of my own life ~ over and over....) I can do it again!!! I will do it again.
I chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo! I have so many victories to shout from the rooftops! This will be one more of them....


And remember  - if it's easy ~ then it isn't the kind of karma I'm talking about! Everyone has things that are easy...things you can master quickly...and everyone has things that are "stuck"! THAT's the kind of karma I'm talking about.
And you, yes YOU have the power within you through chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo...studying the writings of Nichiren Daishonin and Daisaku Ikeda, going to SGI meetings, and telling people about this practice....if you do those things....YOU WILL WIN!!!! NO DOUBT!!!

Eli and Aaron and Ben!

Here we are at Millenium Park in Chicago yesterday. Now Eli, who lives in Australia, with his wonderful daughter Debbie,  is a part of his Grandson's lives. We've sat around telling stories and enjoying each other all weekend. Eli is 80 years old. 
This is truly an example of actual proof. 

Happy Easter

Another beautiful thing about being a Buddhist is you can celebrate any holiday you want to! 


Some years we have a Passover Seder...some years we celebrate Easter...and some years we do both. 


I was raised celebrating Easter...culturally. We got our Easter dresses and had an egg hunt and a family brunch. 


Today, on this holiday celebrating spring, we had a great time! 


My sister and her fiance, and my nephew and his girlfriend joined us along with Eli and we had a blast! 


Eli and I hid eggs filled with money and candy and my sister cooked a great meal at my house. Fun Fun Fun. 


And yesterday we went downtown and showed Eli Chicago and took him to some live jazz...


At every moment I am thinking how grateful I am to have the practice I have...the chanting I do brings me above any of the things that used to annoy me...and puts me constantly in the right place at the right time...like having the email about free live jazz tickets come to me a few days before Eli arrived. NICE. 


We all watched the jazz and laughed together and just had a great time...every moment I am so appreciative...thank you life! Nam Myoho Renge Kyo! I hope you are enjoying this day too!

Incredible Benefit...the most authentic happiness ever!

We have had an amazing benefit here for our family...something some might call a "miracle", but I know it had a profound cause...chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.


My husband has been separated from his father since he was five years old. We had one picture of his father (Eli) holding him and laughing with him when he was just an infant. I could see so much love in that photo...and warmth. No one knew where Eli was...but there were rumors that he was in Australia.


I had a picture of Eli on my altar for many years. I chanted for them to be reunited, and to have a relationship. I looked at my beautiful children and thought how sad it was that Eli did not know his grandchildren, and I kept chanting. For many years I saw no result...but I just kept chanting.


A few years ago Eli was found in Australia.


Yesterday, on my first son's 21st birthday, Eli arrived in Chicago to stay with us for a long weekend.


Amazing actual proof.


Just looking at him, his grandsons, and his son...is mind blowing.
He looks just like them...of course!


Whatever you are chanting for....do not give up!!!!


Daimoku WORKS absolutely!!!!

Beginning Chanting

Does is matter how you sit when you chant? 

First of all, there are no "rules" to how to sit. You do not have to cross your legs or sit on the floor or kneel in any kind of uncomfortable position. I do recommend that you keep your back straight so you can feel the energy flowing through your body. Many times when I chant I am focusing and feeling the energy flowing up from my root chakra, and I can feel the power of nam Myoho Renge Kyo in my body. That's not something that's prescribed by anyone ~ I just like it. If you never feel the energy it DOES NOT mean you are chanting WRONG! So don't worry about that. 

Chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is supposed to sound like horses running...it is supposed to have energy and drive. I usually chant pretty fast, but there are times I slow it down as well. It's important when we all chant together to match each other's rhythm and harmonize together. That's what makes it so beautiful. In the Patch article there was a video of me chanting. I'll see if I can either put that video on this blog or make a new one. 

And of course, the most important thing is what you are thinking when you are chanting. At first, you are probably just concentrating on the words, but after you get the words to flow let your mind flow to your desires....ALL your desires...don't hold back. You deserve to be happy...you deserve to let your desires flow....

And most of all...coming to SGI District meetings is the absolute best way to practice. You make friends, learn about the practice and strengthen your practice, your prayer and your FAITH. Faith in this practice means expectation...you KNOW that you will either achieve what you are chanting for...or something much better! THAT is faith!!!

Every Wednesday night we have a meeting at my house in Downers Grove Illinois! Join us! Send me a comment if you need directions! 

To Hoshi and all, About Overcoming Obstacles...Changing Your Karma!!

Dear Hoshi and readers, 


Congratulations Hoshi! You told me you have been chanting for a few months and all your smaller prayers have been answered...and now you are faced with your biggest desire and suddenly it is harder to chant and you seem to be stepping away from your practice.  There are three things I want to say:


1. Congratulations! You are meeting a chunk of karma that will make a difference throughout YOUR WHOLE LIFE when you overcome it! It is TOTALLY NORMAL to WANT TO STEP BACK AT THIS POINT, because this is when the "the three obstacles and four devils" come into play. They are nothing but functions within your own life that seek to HOLD YOU BACK. 
THIS is why we practice together and have friends in faith! These obstacles are nothing to be afraid of...it sounds like they are appearing as DOUBT and HOPELESSNESS. 


And I can tell you Hoshi and all, I have been there. Oh how I have been there. I can easily recite the litany that goes through my head..."Oh, I will never accomplish this...I've been trying so long and nothing has happened yet...what makes me think that chanting these words will get my life to break through...and besides...maybe I'm not good enough...maybe I don't chant correctly...maybe I'll never accomplish this"


When you have thoughts like this you should think "YES! I MUST be practicing correctly...I WILL BREAK THROUGH !!!"


And here's the crucial point:


2. If you keep steadfast...chant harder then ever....you WILL break through! This is what we mean by overcoming karma. If it were easy ...everyone would do it! IT TAKES COURAGE!!! It TAKES defeating those voices in your brain...but I'll tell you...YOU CAN DO IT...but only if you DON'T GIVE UP. If you slacken in your faith those voices will overtake your desire and you will be defeated. Don't let it happen to you. You are a Buddha. 


"Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is like the ROAR of a LION, what sickness (meaning what obstacle) can therefore be an obstacle" Nichiren Daishonin


And when I say chant harder...I MEAN what I say. 


Gaze up at the Gohonzon, which IS your own life and Tell Your Life:


"I don't CARE how many times these doubts and fears appear before me...I have the GOHONZON now...and I can chant. I will NEVER give in. MY LIfe will be victorious because I have to PROVE the power of the Gohonzon, the power of my own life, so that I can stop suffering, achieve my desires, and I can be an example to those around me that chanting works!


And when you pray like this YES, obstacles will arise. They are supposed to!!!!
Just defeat them...don't let them get the better of you. 
Study the World Tribune and President Ikeda's writings and the Gosho as much as you can. Tell people about this practice to the best of your ability, and Hoshi...you will be writing me your victories in life. Don't worry about it taking a while...if you are chanting like this you will enjoy many benefits along the way. 


3. And consider EVERYTHING in your life as a benefit. Even the bad things. They are all fuel for the fire of your desire. Say THANK YOU to your life, smile through your tears and KEEP ON CHANTING!!!

Chanting for Your Desires To Come True!

OK, so I spent all last week chanting at full strength, 2-3 hours every day. 


I had in mind exactly what I wanted....I prayed so hard for this desire to come true...

And guess what happened?

I got something better! WAY BETTER!!!

Let this be a lesson to you!!! It is true.

You can chant for what you really want.

Don't hold back.

Pour your whole heart, breath, body, mind 
into your prayer. 
Pray that you should have this for Kosen Rufu (World Peace) and that this thing you want (whatever it is) is YOUR BIRTHRIGHT! 


You deserve it! 
You want it in order to show proof of this practice. When you pray tell your life it is time...and that you want it by a certain date.

And wham!!!

Don't give up and watch what happens!

Do any of you have a similar story for me?

Write me!

Learning Gongyo

Hello!

I spent the afternoon teaching Gongyo. Gongyo is the recitation of the Lotus Sutra (just two of the chapters) that we recite every morning and evening at our altars.

It is a very deep cause we make for our lives. It is a recitation of the actual words of the Lotus Sutra...the words of the Buddha (and remember, he didn't start expounding the Lotus Sutra until he was 72 years old...that is SO inspiring to me!)

When you recite Gongyo you are speaking the words of the Buddha. I like to think of it as a renewed declaration that you know you ARE in fact, The BUDDHA!

When we recite Gongyo it has absolutely precise pronunciation and rhythm. Once you master it, you can do Gongyo with anyone, anywhere in the world...but the most important thing I can tell you is this:

Learn Gongyo correctly!!! Make a determination to absolutely master it so that you can teach anyone, and you can master your own life. It is one of the very first things to do when you begin your practice, and I promise it will make a difference in your life. I will always be grateful to Terri Wong, my District leader in San Francisco. At one point she led the way and all of us took every syllable and got it absolutely right. That is the reason I can be such a good teacher today. I can lead Gongyo anytime anywhere and feel totally confident...because early in my practice I sat down with a pencil and the gongyo book and learned it. I treated it like learning music and circled the parts I found difficult, and wrote the phonetic spelling of anything I found tricky. And it is tricky!

Gongyo is a sacred rite. When you do Gongyo and chant Daimoku (Nam Myoho Renge Kyo over and over) you are joining the microcosm of your life with the macrocosm of the universe. It is a sacred rite, and honor, NOT a duty! When you view it in that manner, living itself becomes a sacred rite...and your problems melt away. You see them instead as part of your mission, not your burden. These are important distinctions.

And the point of this blog is THIS:

It is easier to learn Gongyo correctly the FIRST time, then it is to RELEARN what you've gotten wrong. Learn it perfectly and you won't be sorry. make it a determination for your own happiness and watch your life so beautifully unfold!!!!

Your Prayers!

Remember!!!

You are not asking anyone or any thing or any god for ANYTHING when you chant.

you are summoning up the power of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo which has ALWAYS BEEN within your life.

Chant for ANYTHING!!! Chant to be an example that chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Works!!!!!! You are invincible. There is no problem too big for Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!!! The Law of the universe within you, expressed by you can rise up in your life...bring you deep everlasting happiness!!!

Don't wait! If you're not already chanting try it now. "

Nam myoho Renge Kyo is Like the roar of a lion! What sickness can therefore be an obstacle?" Nichiren Daishonin

In this case "sickness" can be any challenge...health...love sickness...a broken heart...finding a job...money...you name it. ROAR like the lion you are!!! Demand results from inside your life. YOU ARE THE BUDDHA!! Go YOU!!!!

Wow!!! Four comments on the last blog post!!!

Thank you for your comments!!! I love hearing from you!!!

And to answer your questions:

No, you do not need to wait until you have a Gohonzon to start chanting, but you will want to get one as soon as you can. The only way to do that is to go to meetings of your local Soka Gakkai district. It's easy to get connected. All you have to do is go to SGI-USA.org and look up the community center closest to you (search on the nearest big city) and give them a call. If you have any problem at all getting connected send me a comment and I will do all i can to help you! It's important to connect with the people close to you who chant...they will become like family to you...just wait! It's awesome.

~And to start chanting without a Gohonzon you can still set up an altar or your sacred space. Pick a place in your home that you feel comfortable, that doesn't have too much traffic and is not in front of a window. Decide what you are going to sit in, chairs are fine...I like a really comfy one! And hang a picture on your wall that has a focal point.

When I first started chanting I had a picture of Mono Lake with a beautiful moon over it and a beautiful blue sky. I put the picture a little higher than my line of vision and focused on the moon.

I chanted that way for about two months...and was overjoyed when I got my Gohonzon!!!! Think of your altar as your "home base". Treat it just like YOU want to be treated. Keep it clean, put food on it...some put fruit, or something you like to eat. One of our new members puts her favorite candy! I like to burn candles on my altar. Some burn incense, but it makes me sneeze! Then you're ready to chant away! Chant away!

And the question about where I got my Butsudan...I got it at my local Community Center but I have my eye on another one I'll tell you about soon!

I have been chanting so much Daimoku...about 5 hours over the last two days. Good thing too....the challenges at my new job keep coming...but finally I feel more composed and better able to take them on. And both of my sons have had a string of challenges so I am chanting so hard for them. A matter of the heart has gotten me all fired up and I feel as if I can chant all day and all night! I love it when the fire burns!

You can have a Beautiful Altar in your Home too

Let's Chant!

Do I get everything I want Right Away? Where's My Benefit!

The real thrill about being a Practical Buddhist and chanting Nam Myoho REnge Kyo every day is this:

Even when I don't get what I want...I get what I want. When I keep chanting, and keep focused...what I want is always on its way. The challenge is to not let my own doubt and negativity overshadow things.

Right now I am chanting with appreciation for my life, for being able to chant and for knowing, that NO MATTER WHAT I will be victorious is all areas of my life. I base my life on reading Daisaku Ikeda's writings, encouraging my fellow members and the readers of my blog. My entire life is tied to helping others be happy, and living as an example that NO MATTER WHAT, I will win in all aspects of my life.

Has everything "finished" in my life? No! And it never will! Am I enjoying the process along the way? YES! When you base your life on the mystic law it is possible to even enjoy your own sadness...because you see it for what it is...fuel for the fire of your Daimoku (chanting).

And because you can always turn poison into medicine...NOTHING will ever stop you.

I had a friend in Japan who always used to say "I love it when I get BIG PROBLEMS! Because I know that a BIG BENEFIT is on its way!"

He is so right! As long as you keep chanting, keep reading President Ikeda's guidance, and keep encouraging people...you can't lose.

And if you are at the beginning stage of chanting...just face the Gohonzon and pray about what you want. You deserve to be happy. Don't ever listen to the people who tell you that you don't deserve to be happy....you know you deserve happiness and you have ALWAYS known this. Tap into your life force of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. Be fearless. Make your glorious life overflow with benefits!

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo! The power is within you!

This is such an awesome practice because it makes so much sense.

From My Favorite Gosho, the writings of Nichiren Daishonin:

On Attaining Buddhahood:

"If you wish to free yourself from the sufferings of birth and death you have endured through eternity and attain supreme enlightenment in this lifetime, you must awaken to the mystic truth which has always been within your life. This truth is Myoho Renge Kyo. Chanting Myoho Renge Kyo will therefore enable you to grasp the mystic truth within you. Myoho Renge Kyo is the king of sutras, flawless in both letter and principle. Its words are the reality of life and the reality of life is the mystic law (myoho). It is called the mystic law because it explains the mutually inclusive relationship of life and ALL phenomenon.

Life at each moment encompasses both body and spirit and both self and environment of all sentient beings in every condition of life, as well as insentient beings~ plants, sky and earth, on down to the most minute particles of dust. Life at each moment permeates the universe and is revealed in all phenomena. One awakened to this truth himself embodies this relationship. However, even though you chant and believe in Myoho Renge Kyo, if you think the law is outside yourself, you are embracing not the Mystic Law but some inferior teaching...

when you chant the mystic law and recite the Lotus Sutra you must summon up deep conviction that Myoho Renge Kyo is your life itself."

In other words...you ARE the mystic law...your very life essense is the same as the power of the entire universe.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo means: I fuse my life with the mystic law of cause and effect through sound vibration.

When you chant these words and think about what you want you get it...and furthermore...you keep getting to a deeper and deeper realization of what you really want in life...as as you do this, if you are chanting, your CONVICTION that you are this law, and that you DESERVE to be happy will grow and grow and grow. And that's also where the real power lives. Because once you experience this you will feel the need within you to tell other people about it...and your benefits will continue to flow and flow and flow!

From My Heart to Yours

When I look at all the benefits I've gotten from chanting, there is one that stands out...and it is more important than any other. I am not afraid of anything. I am confident in my own success. I know that Nam Myoho Renge Kyo can cure anything...and that my problems just serve as the logs on the fire that fuel my benefits.

And, as so many of you are writing me right now...it is possible to get over a broken heart...and even to recover a lost love...you deserve fulfillment in love and it is possible for you to have this. Don't give up!

Right now, I do have some mighty big challenges...but none that I can't surmount. I know I have a deep mission in this lifetime, and that telling people about this practice and watching them become happy is my greatest joy in life! My next step is to get this blog, and my writing distributed more broadly. Tell your publishing friends about me. I am ready to take this blog to the next level! I am ready for a publisher with vision to call me! I am ready to receive!

I mean, how could life get any better than this? I know that all my challenges will turn into benefits. I've seen this happen time and time again. Just last night I had a pretty painful experience with a date that suddenly went way wrong. My date became very belligerent and drank too much...and I parted ways permanently with no ill effects.

My prayer this morning was focused on appreciation for my wonderful life...appreciation for all the good that is in my life...and for life itself...Thank you Gohonzon...Thank you My Life!

And this lead to a miraculous and loving time today with someone who is so dear to me. Poison into benefit....once again...

I returned to the Gohonzon with a full heart...of appreciation and wonder.

My goals are changing...life itself is really in flux. Right now there are some things I am chanting strongly about that I can't really share with you yet.

Remember the most important things....

You can change ANY poison into benefit in this practice....if you chant twice a day every day, chant what is in your heart sincerely...don't wonder if you are worthy of getting what you want. YOU ARE WORTHY OF HAPPINESS and of having everything you want. Everything. Study the writings of Nichiren Daishonin and Daisaku Ikeda, and tell people about this practice. Join your fellow SGI members. If you don't have your Gohonzon...receive one! Once the benefits start flowing you won't be able to NOT tell people about the practice!!!! Trust me!

How do you know when you're chanting enough?

This is a great question.

How DO you know when you are chanting enough Daimoku?

(Nam Myoho Renge Kyo)

Well, I'll tell you...when I am chanting enough, it feels as if I am walking on a pillow of daimoku.

When I am "walking on a pillow of Daimoku, I just know, that at every moment, my life is expressing itself with wisdom, compassion, love and energy. I can feel the power of the universe shining from within me. When I'm in this state I rarely say something I regret. I don't take the wrong turn. I choose the right line, or, if I choose the line that takes longer, I make a new friend in that line, or I laugh to myself about it and don't feel frustrated. I feel as if I'm in the right place at the right time. I take action that prevents me from a snag in the future. I'm smiling and happy. I bring smiles to other's faces. I am in rhythm.

And this feeling isn't always related to how LONG I chant...but it is related to how deeply I connect with my own life WHILE chanting, how much Buddhist studying I am doing, and how many people I am telling about the joy of this practice and encouraging. Aaaahhh. That's where it all comes together. This is also why it's important to attend SGI Buddhist discussion meetings. (Go to sgi-usa.com to find meetings in your area). This is essential for deepening your faith and increasing your happiness!

When you chant, whether it's for 5 minutes, or whether it's for longer...summon appreciation for your life...summon the conviction that Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is YOUR LIFE ITSELF...feel the realization that YOU ARE THE BUDDHA. And focus on what you want.

Lately, I am chanting for composure, for wisdom, and to open my life to learn all that I can in my new job. I am chanting for every reader of this blog, and for all the people I still haven't reached. I am chanting for every person who is suffering, and looking for this very practical practice to FIND IT. I am chanting for opportunities to have this blog spread wider and wider and help more people. I am chanting for all who are suffering. I am chanting to show actual proof with my life of how amazing this simple (yet not always easy) practice is.

There is a line from the Lotus Sutra that we recite every day in Gongyo. We recite the actual words of the Lotus Sutra when we say (translation) "I think every moment, how can I quickly cause all people to end their suffering and attain the body of the Buddha".

One of the members of our District in Downers Grove (which has the most rocking Buddhist meetings every Wednesday night) has been chanting only a short while. She says that her dreams have turned from nightmares into a peaceful, peaceful state. Her face has changed as well. Her depression is lifting. This is what I am talking about. This, and more is possible through chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo and tapping into the very life-force that it your birthright!!!!!

Great Results! The Universe is Yours to Command!!!

The key to creating results in your life through chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is to attach your prayers to your mission, make a strong determination, and chant with conviction that your life has the power to deliver what you want.

I begin praying each day by chanting to meld my heart with President Ikeda's. I chant to share his heart...literally. I chant to pray as deeply as he does for the welfare of the entire world...and for my life to be a shining example that lights the way for others. If I can be happy - the whole world can be happy. If I can overcome my fundamental darkness (which is nothing more than the ignorance that I am a Buddha), well, so can everyone else!

You know I just got the exact job I wanted, right? It only took me a month and a half to find it. I decided to look for a job on the 15th of January. By February 27th (actually by the 24th) I'd had my first interview at the college where I now work.

I made my determination to get a job by the 27th of February because we were having women's division victory meetings on that day, and we were reporting to President Ikeda, and the other women in the territory.

When I faced the Gohonzon to chant, I prayed that I HAD to get the job I wanted by this date so that I could show actual proof to my District Members, and my Blog readers!...of the power of chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. I demanded this result from inside my life. Chanting to the Gohonzon gives you the power to demand your benefits from the universe.

And I chanted to have the job BY THIS DATE, February 27th, Mrs. Ikeda's birthday!!!!

My friend sent me an email with the job description for this job opening attached. I knew it was my job the minute I saw it because it was the perfect blending of my talents, the perfect location, and I'd get to use all my connections.

Now I am using the power of daimoku every day to learn a new field...to grow...to absorb...to have wisdom and infuse this college campus with the light from inside my life.

Losing the weight was the same way.

First I wrote down ALL the reasons I wanted to be thinner. I read this all the time. Then I visualized myself walking into my favorite store and picking clothes off the smaller sizes rack, taking them into the dressing room and trying them on! I made myself a book of pictures and inspirational quotes to look at every day. I found one diet that worked then I found another, and I also worked out...walking or riding my exercise bike....chanting all the while to show actual proof.

If you are determined...if you summon faith that Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is your life itself...the universe will be yours to command!

Important to remember: you will get the best results from your practice if you join with other members in the SGI-USA.

Go to the website sgi-usa.org to find the people in your area who practice. There really is no substitute for practicing with fellow members. Your benefits increase and you get the support you need to make it through the inevitable challenges you'll face in life!

Chanting for Success on the Job!

If there is one thing I can say...and I'll say it LOUD and CLEAR...it is the same thing that my mentor Daisaku Ikeda has said over and over...DON'T GIVE UP!!!!! Just don't give up!!!

I am always honest with you...I was not looking forward to this weekend. My sons are in LA with their father...on a vacation I would have been on, if I had not made the choice I did to choose this time to make a new life for myself. I had anticipated being really sad when my boys went away...and I was not with them...but I've been fine.

And, because I have been able to "tune in to my base camp", by chanting sincerely, this weekend has been really incredibly blissful! I bought a whole bunch of new clothes (that I really need for work - remember, I was quite a bit heavier the last time I was employed) - and I accomplished some major household initiatives....and now, I am sitting here listening to a lovely thunderstorm...thinking how great my life is.

Aaaaahhh...I have a cool new job....I'm dating and having fun. I am focusing on my prayer for the happiness of all ....life is good! If I can do it so can you...

Remember....

Your prayer is a VOW...not a request. Whatever you want....VOW to make it happen. It is a deep vow within your life, to your life and from your life!

I always chant to be an inspiration to those around me. I HAVE to succeed! I HAVE to be happy. There is no doubt about it!!! It is my VOW~****

This vow is a huge part of having success in practical Buddhism.

As in so many things ~ attitude is important!

You can do it!

I am chanting to expand my capacity in all areas...to grasp and remember all the new concepts and terms I am learning for my new job....so that I can succeed and shine! and for the brightness of my own life to shine brighter than ever!

That is, of course what en~light~enment is all about!!!!

Go you!!!! Succeed~

How is it going? Let me know!!!!