Monday, February 27, 2012

Two kinds of benefits

I got an email from someone who recently started chanting 15 minutes a day. They said the first few months they saw lots of changes...it felt like miracles were happening...but now, the benefits have slowed down for a time and they don't see any changes. 


My first response is to keep going and do not give up. My second is to say fight even harder for your life!


When you are not seeing huge benefits coming forth you are still getting results from your practice. I'll explain how it works. 


There are two kinds of benefits, the kind you see right away, Conspicuous benefits, and the kind that go deep into your life creating fortune just when you need it, called Inconspicuous benefits. You are getting both kinds every time you chant. It can be frustrating to think "I'm chanting and nothing is happening" but that is really not the case. Seasoned buddhists know exactly what I'm talking about. The fortune from chanting is building a daimoku bank for you. Those inconspicuous benefits will emerge from your life just when you need them...at a crucial moment!


I remember in the early days of my practice...in the first year or two. I spoke to a senior leader (one who'd been chanting much longer than myself) about an aspect of my life I was challenging through my prayer. I think it was job related. She compared my life to a glass of water that had dirt in it. She said we easily stir up the dirt at the top when we first begin chanting, but to get to the dirt (karma - things we want to change) on the bottom we had to really dig deeper. That was the day I sat down on a bright and beautiful day and determined to chant 10 hours to change this suffering. 


Believe me...I saw changes right away after that. I felt like I was walking on air for days.


The person who wrote me the email said they'd been chanting 15 minutes a day for some time. I think 15 minutes a day is great, and your life will tell you when you're ready to chant for longer periods of time. Perhaps that is what this person should do...increase their level of daimoku. And study! And go to as many meetings as possible, and encourage others to chant. If your benefits slow down...that is the time to dig deeper, go further, be even more determined than ever you show proof of the power of this practice, and don't give up!!!!

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