Lighting the Lamp of Hope ~ From Florida!

Hello my friends. Yes, I am here in St. Pete proving the power of the Gohonzon -  the power of my own life.

Our POWER is LIMITLESS. We are life itself...more and more we are knowing and experiencing this great truth. 

I have been reading "On Attaining Buddhahood," by Nichiren Daishonin, the reformist monk, who founded this practice and realized that chanting "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the title of the Lotus Sutra, is the key to life, happiness, strength and fulfillment. I have been reading his words for 32 years, and "On Attaining Buddhahood" is one of my favorites. 

"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. 
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 phenomena. 
That is why this sutra is the wisdom of all Buddhas.

"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 aspects of phenomena. 
One awakened to this truth embodies this relationship. However, 
even if 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." 
From The Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Volume 1, page 3

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I like to read the Gosho by inscribing its words upon my heart...and repeating them over and over. The LAW IS WITHIN US. It's our birthright. And chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is our key to realizing and tapping into that truth. We are true microcosms of the universe. We are Buddhas. 

We are deep into the planning stages of the second annual Ben's Memorial Mile. As I've mentioned, last year we 
(a small committee consisting of family and friends) raised $22,000 for Schizophrenia research and mental illness  This year Ben's Memorial Mile will be June 17th in Downers Grove, Illinois, and more exciting than ever. 

Check out BensMemorialMile.com to take a look at what we are doing. (I don't mention this as a solicitation, only as some insight into my life, and what I have been doing to honor Ben's legacy to turn poison into medicine.) It's a pretty cool website with some of Ben's videos (He was a singer/songwriter) and pictures of last year's event. 

I hope this post finds you well - and happy. And no matter what - persevering!