Sunday, January 26, 2014

Preparing for a Three Hour Toso Today ( Three hours of Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo)


I have just finished my second full week of work and I am loving my new position. A whole world of new people and experiences is opening to me as Senior Community Outreach Specialist for a company committed to helping people ages 55 and better live their best lives. 
As you can imagine, I love meeting new people, making new friends and becoming an indispensable member of the team.  
AND I am finding it is really hard to chant my normal hour to an hour and a half every morning! I know you know what I mean. And I don't always have time at night to catch up. 

Daimoku powers my life. My deep chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo gives me peace of mind, powers my intentions, and has a real effect on my life at every moment. 

So I'm going to chant three hours this morning, and set a goal to chant three hours every Sunday morning whenever possible. This is a decision I made, based on my years of practice and my own ichinen (will put into action). No one ever has to chant for three hours. Please don't think it is a required part of Practical Buddhism. Each person chants as much as they want ~ there are no prescriptions or rules to how much to chant. 

To prepare for this three hour toso I woke up early, got ready for my day, invited a chanting buddy, wrote in my journal, decided what I will focus on, and made my tea. 

By the end of these three hours ~

I am determined to feel that 
every action I take throughout this week 
will be guided my my greater self, 
with perfect timing, 
perfect wisdom 
and be a solid, positive cause for my happiness 
and the happiness of others. 
I am determined to shine at every moment 
as the brilliant Buddha I am, 
and use wisdom 
and presence of mind in every encounter. 
I will concentrate on the person in front of me 
at every moment 
and think before I speak. 
I am chanting for the people I love, 
for my district 
and for you. 

As Daisaku Ikeda says:
"The air around us is filled with radio waves of various frequencies. While these are invisible, a television set can collect them and turn them into visible images. The practice of chanting daimoku to the Gohonzon aligns the rhythm of our own lives with the world of Buddhahood in the universe. It "tunes" our lives, so to speak, so that we can manifest the power of Buddhahood in our very beings."
from Faith in Action, p. 118

No comments:

Post a Comment