What does Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo mean, and why do we chant it?

What does Nam-myoho-renge-kyo mean, 

and why do we chant it? 

By Jamie Lee Silver of ChantforHappiness.com - 

(You can subscribe by putting your email in the box to the right. 

Translate button is at the top right.)

The literal translation of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is:

"I fuse my life 

with the Mystic Law
 of cause and effect 

through sound vibration." 

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo 
is the title of the Lotus Sutra, 

the Buddha's highest teaching 

that declares  

ALL people possess the Buddha Nature...

all people ARE Buddhas...

and we can access our own Buddhahood ~ our inherent wisdom, determination, power to take the best action for our lives while benefiting others, sense of vitality and ability to make a difference. 
We can create fulfillment, happiness, 
and the strength to turn 

EVERY POISON INTO MEDICINE 

~by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. 

That's it. We don't need to change our diets, memorize lists of paths, change our lifestyles, shave our heads, wear robes, or "purify our desires." This form of Buddhism is radically different than most forms you may have encountered. SGI (Soka Gakkai Buddhism is accessible to ALL. 

AND the most important aspect of our prayer is to do our own human revolution...to change the very core of our lives...change our karma, and by doing so, change the world around us as well. 
We chant for "Kosen-Rufu," a world of respect for all life, and for all who are suffering to be happy. Through our own happiness, we create happiness for all. We can all win in life together. 

When we chant, we harness the energy that is our birthright. And we chant twice a day, every single day, to get and keep our lives in rhythm. 

When we are in rhythm we are in the right place at the right time... to find out about and get the job...or to meet the man of our dreams...or to protect our child from danger. When we are in rhythm, life isn't so much of a struggle as it is a joy...we see the beauty in everything and we feel our lives overflowing with appreciation. 

In fact, we view obstacles themselves as benefits, as strange as that may sound....because obstacles make us chant more, and when we chant more we draw even higher life conditions and deeper satisfaction into our lives. 

What can we chant FOR? 
Anything. Make sure to write your list, and rewrite it when you achieve those goals. Ultimately, our goal is to change our own selves...to overcome our doubt and negativity, and to experience life as the Buddhas we are. When WE change, our environment changes. We are all interconnected. 

We chant for others, 
we chant for our planet, 
our countries, and ourselves. 
We can chant for whatever our desire may be...even if it might not be the "right" desire for us. In the act of chanting, we will change our karma and our desires themselves will naturally begin to shift. We will open our lives to the deeper wisdom within...the deeper yearning, the REAL desires that we have forgotten or given up on. We will grow. We will prosper and we will blossom. 

We will gain the wisdom of the right action to take - because ACTION springs from wisdom. 

The challenge is...we need to DO it. We have to chant to bring all this rhythm and harmony out. And that's why we practice together as an organization, the SGI, The Soka Gakkai, our fellowship of friends who support each other, chant for each other, and create a new Soka family for each practitioner. We are so fortunate. 

We are in this life together...sharing our challenges and our successes. If you are not yet connected to the SGI please go to sgi-usa.com and find your local members. You will be so glad you did. 
If you live in or around St. Pete Beach Florida you can connect with me through chantforhappiness@gmail.com. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Some Powerful Quotes from Daisaku Ikeda:

THIS moment, this instant, is important, 
not some unknown time in the future. 
Today, this very day is what matters. 
You must put your whole being 
into the time that exists now. 
For future victory rests in the present moment.

BUDDHISM holds that 
everything is in a constant state of flux. 
Thus, the question is 
whether we are to accept change passively 
and be swept away by it, 
or whether we are to take the lead 
and create positive changes on our own initiative. 
While conservatism and self-protection
might be likened to winter, night and death, 
the spirit of pioneering and attempting to realize 
the ideals evokes the images of spring,
morning and birth.

Do gongyo and chant daimoku with a fresh spirit. 
And, filled with renewed vitality, 

build a history of accumulating fresh benefit.

All quotes from Ikedaquotes.org

You Possess a Glorious Future! Have the Spirit to Begin Anew!

A bad day doesn't mean a bad practice. We all have them...days when we feel we really can't connect to our source of strength via chanting and using the ultimate tool, the Gohonzon. (Scroll which represents our highest life condition. See sgi-usa.org for more explanation.) 

Do you ever sit down with clear intention to chant, but then get interrupted, or just not be able to really give it your all? This happens to the best of believers...to every single one of us. (If it NEVER happens to you, please write me and tell me your secret.) 

And the important thing is not to think "oh, this really doesn't work...or I should just give up...what's the use anyway? I can't chant this morning, so I won't try tonight", and suddenly tomorrow comes and it's too hard to chant that day too?

Here's the slippery slope. 

And the antidote, I believe, is to treat every gongyo as the sacred session with your own life that it truly is. If you can't do it in the morning, or you don't feel like you were able to feel that connection...well, in the evening, make another determination and don't fall off the bandwagon as they say. And if that doesn't work, make the determination to start the next day with a bright and fresh gongyo and daimoku.

Aahhhh, when you do this continually, and never concede defeat, your life will shine!

Daisaku Ikeda says, in Faith Into Action, page 146, under "Perseverance":

"No matter what the circumstances, 
you should never concede defeat. 
Never conclude that you've reached a dead end, 
that everything is finished. 
You possess a glorious future. 
Precisely because of that, 
you must persevere and study. 
Life is eternal. 
We need to focus on the two existences 
of the present and the future, 
and not get caught up in worry about the past. 
We must always have the spirit to begin anew 
"from this moment,"
to initiate a new struggle each day."

Lighting the Lamp of Hope from Florida!

Hello, Hello! 

It's been a busy, busy Christmas season filled with travels, parties and my fantastic new job. It is such a thrill to help families with their loved ones who need care. I love my job! I am just having a blast with my new life in my new city. 

Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the source and power of every fantastic moment in my life. Every morning I chant. Every evening I chant. And THIS month one of my dearest new friends received her Gohonzon! She's so inspiring! My friend Deb is so excited about this practice. She's been through a lot this year, losing both her parents within three months of each other. 

And from the moment she started chanting she could feel the power in her life. She could feel herself surrounded by all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas in the universe. We set up a spectacular altar for her using a beautiful piece of furniture she already owned, and a new Butsudan. And you know what? Every day she inspires ME even more. Doing shakubuku is so amazing. The minute you shakubuku someone THEY start encouraging your practice! 

This Christmas season was especially sweet. Last year at this time I had to move, and I had a broken foot, and it was just my second Christmas since Ben became eternal. This year I've been filled with appreciation every single moment. I appreciate this practice, my new and old friends, my health and my family. I feel the incredible surge of fortune in my life. 

Keep practicing, don 't give up, and turn every poison into medicine and you will make your life shine too! 

This is the Buddhism of CHANGING our Karma - not just Learning from it ~

(You can now subscribe to this blog by putting your email in the box to the right)

The other day a practicing Buddhist said to me "Well I guess I just have to keep going through this until I learn the lesson from it. That's what life is, learning lessons from our suffering." and I said 'That is not what Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism is all about!" 

Yes, I know the Gosho says 'Suffer what there is to suffer and enjoy what there is to enjoy." (From Happiness in This World by Nichiren Daishonin.)  But the Gosho "Reply to Kyo'o" states: "A sword will be useless in the hands of a coward." 

As Buddhas we can be fearless! 

I do not think it's important to "learn from our karma". Of course we can learn from the causes we make, and stop making negative causes...but that is not the same as having the belief that we have to repeat karma over and over again until we "learn" from it."

I think it's important to change it! 

When I first began chanting in San Francisco I got a job with an abusive, screaming, swearing boss. He wasn't swearing and screaming at me, but that was not something I ever wanted to experience again. Every morning, I chanted a solid hour of daimoku to CHANGE THIS KARMA forever...and never, ever have an abusive boss again. I chanted for this boss's happiness, and the happiness of all involved. After chanting this way for a significant amount of time I gained the strength to stand up to this man and stop him when he abused my coworkers. 

Eventually, that job ended and I had a series of wonderful bosses, and lots of business success. Some time later that karma resurfaced, but not in quite as bad a way. I got a boss who drove me crazy with her anxiety. At this time I did not say to myself "Wow, this Buddhism doesn't work, I can't believe I got another boss who makes me suffer."

No. I just dug right back into my practice, made a new determination and chanted with all my might for her happiness, for my success, for my future and all my dreams. At the time, I really wanted to move from San Francisco. This boss ended up giving me a substantial severance package - enough so that I could take the holiday season off to be with my babies and then move back to Chicago to raise my kids close to my Mom in the good old midwest. 

Did I "learn" from these instances. YES! I learned I can change whatever karma I want by chanting. I learned I am a powerful Buddha. 
I did not have to learn "why am I attracting this into my life?" No! I just learned to change it! 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Daisaku Ikeda writes in the October 16th, 2015 World Tribune, in the essay "Making Hope", page 6:

"I do not believe that people are powerless. The philosophical tradition that I embrace, on the most fundamental dimension - that of life itself - teaches that each human life partakes of the limitless life force of the cosmos. The same power that moves the universe exists within our own lives. Each individual has immense potential, and a great change in the inner dimension of one individual's life has the power to touch the lives of others and transform society. Everything begins with us." 

Meeting Every Challenge With Joy

Life is about challenges 
and joy is something we build for ourselves 
through chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, 
choosing our words carefully, 
and taking correct action for our lives 
with the recognition 
that everything we do 
is a CAUSE for our own happiness, 
and the happiness of others. 

We are Bodhisattvas of the earth with deep missions and deep vows. If you read this and think "I never quite understood about the vow part," let me give you my brief insight on this. 

Remember, I am a practicing Buddhist, just like you. Next Friday, October 20th,  I will celebrate my 33rd anniversary of receiving the Gohonzon. 

Right now, Kate Randolph, my beautiful and wise mentor (who introduced me to this practice) is challenging a brain tumor of the worst kind. It was diagnosed last Thanksgiving ~ right after she got back from our visit to FNCC. 

I will always remember when we were doing Gongyo together at my apartment, she turned to me and said. "I just have to tell you, Jamie, I really, really love you." And of course, I got tears in my eyes filled with love for my dear, dear, friend. She went back to LA and got this horrible diagnosis. 

Please join me in chanting for my dear friend, and wise woman, Kate Randolph. 

When we talk about our vow for kosen rufu, it's something that is present in my daimoku (chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo) every day. My vow is my determination that through my accessing the incredible power of the universe within me ~ by chanting nam-myoho-renge-kyo, that I will make the world a better place. I chant to access the most powerful power I have, so that I can be an inspiration to others as they watch me overcoming challenge after challenge. 

And I have had challenges, just like you. Mine are mine alone, just as yours are yours alone. But the thread that connects us is the ability and determination to turn poison into medicine time and time again. Not just for ourselves, but to make the world a better place. I chant "BECAUSE of this HUGE challenge, I can change my karma! Thank you to my life."

Boy, do we ever have a lot to chant about right now, right? My friends in Northern California did not lose their houses, but they lost their "land" when all the houses around them burned. They lost their neighborhoods and landmarks. They lost their past, present and future, just like our friends in Puerto Rico, Houston, the wildfires in the northwest, and on and on...not just in the US but all over the world. 
We can chant for all these places, people...and our whole world. Now, more than ever, we are at our crucial point, and can use our vow of happiness to strengthen our lives and bring peace and harmony to the world, not just through our prayers, but through our actions. 

My determination is to SEE my life and make the changes I need to make, deep inside my character, so that my life can purify all I touch and see, and all I can't see. Science has proven that we all exist in the web of life together. Our changes, our human revolution, changes the world. It HAS to. My daily causes are important. So are yours. 

So, everyday, I bring my smile to all around me, every day. I'm working as sales director in a senior living community and it is great joy to interact with our precious seniors and their families. I bring my "A game" of compassion, wisdom and the healing power of LISTENING, and empathizing to every personal encounter. 

WE are the gift to the world. WE are the ones who can surmount our sufferings and help others learn this wonderful chant. We are the ones who can help and inspire the youth of our time. This is our vow!

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo for the youth! Nam myoho renge kyo for the unity of the SGI organization. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo for YOUR happiness and the happiness of all around you! 

How do we Fight With The Heart of the Lion King?

I wanted to write to you all about how we are renting an RV and heading to South Carolina to see the total eclipse of the sun. It is so exciting! 
Then I got home and heard the latest news and did some studying and want to share this: 

The youth are studying "The Opening of the Eyes" so I picked up a copy to study along with them. 

From the Opening of the Eyes, chapter entitled
"Why the Votary Encounters Persecutions", page 121. 

By Daisaku Ikeda, 

"In my mind I can hear the Daishonin 
calling out vigorously to his followers: 
"If you are not going to fight now, when will you fight? 
My followers, stand up with courage! 
If you fight with the heart of the lion king, 
you will expiate all past offenses 
and transform your karma!
Let us lead to enlightenment even the icchantikas 
(persons of incorrigible disbelief), 
and help free humankind from fundamental darkness!
(illusion, xenophobia (fear of people from other countries)hatred, fear, prejudice and the forces that stop us from practicing, notes from me)
Let us establish the correct teaching for the peace of the land and construct a world where we can all live together happily and peacefully."

What does it take to "fight with the heart of a lion king?" Well, as I always mention, I am not employed by the SGI and don't speak for them, but I do practice this Buddhism as hard as I can to change my karma, and change the karma of the world. So I will tell you what this means to me. 

Fighting with the heart of a lion king means looking fearlessly at our own lives, making the deepest vow possible as votaries of the Lotus Sutra to change ourselves, change our karma, SEE ourselves, and chant to change all illusion, all self-slander, all doubt, all in the name of being happy, and in creating a happy world for ourselves and others. It means vowing to have victory in our lives, not just for ourselves, but for kosen-rufu - to show others what is possible.
And it means chanting for the youth. Chanting hard for the youth. In a few seconds, I'll be joining my district's toso to spend an hour chanting for the youth. They are our beacons of hope and they need our daimoku more than ever. They need our prayers more than ever...they are searching for this practice. NOW is the time! 

Let's all be fearless. Let's all join together and chant for the sake of our youth, for the sake of our country and for the sake of our beautiful world! 

Lighting the Lamp of Hope from Florida

With Melanie Warner, Author of Defining Moments: Coping with the Loss of a Child

I've just returned from the Compassionate Friends Conference, where I met many other parents who've discovered new missions after the loss of a child. Compassionate Friends is an international organization dedicated to bringing grieving parents and siblings together to learn and be inspired. 

 With Alan Pedersen, Executive Director of Compassionate Friends, holding my book "Our Forever Ben, One Mom's Letters to her Son-in-Spirit and his Poetic Replies" 

                                  With Mitch Carmody who presented various kinds of after death                                                                communications (ADC)

With Jeralyn Glass, who plays crystal singing bowls

I keep moving forward, looking for more people to reach, more lives to touch. Every morning and every evening I center myself on chanting to reach the most people and to help them alleviate the deepest of grief by connection to their loved-ones-in spirit through the written word. I chant for kosen rufu, and I pass out Nam-myoho-renge-kyo cards wherever I go. We are, all of us, making the human revolution we need to make to make this world a better place. 

Now, I'm following up on the leads to write articles and speak at conferences...and to keep doing my Grief to Relief work. I'm not sure where my journey will lead...but I keep chanting, keep studying, keep taking action...keep my eyes open to make a difference. 

I've received some emails from those of you who are suffering, and frustrated. And the wisest words I can give to you are the same words our mentor Daisaku Ikeda repeats often: "Don't Give Up!" Whatever you are going through, GO THROUGH IT, and get to the other side. Don't eradicate your fortune by complaining. Replace "WHY ME?" With "Why Not?" and get moving, take action! Keep chanting, and realize you are chanting TO your life, not begging for favors from something outside yourself. YOU are the Buddha. YOU are the Buddha. We are all here to lead the world to happiness through our own actual proof. If you're not getting actual proof right now, demand it in your prayers. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is like the roar of a lion, what sickness can therefore be an obstacle? Chant, study the Gosho, en-courage others, chant every morning and evening! Do Not Give Up!!!

Going From Grief to Relief!

Here's a picture of me and my son Ben. Many of you know him, or chanted for him when he was sick, and when he became eternal on July 2nd, 2015, when he was 22.  

Ever since I got back from Ben's Memorial Mile in June,  I've been preparing for tonight's talk at First Unity Spiritual Center in St. Petersburg, Florida. Go From Grief to Relief. Chanting three hours a day for everyone who attends to have some kind of permanent relief!  

It will be my first talk in my new city. 

It's amazing how fast a year flies. This time last year I was here in Florida finishing my book "Our Forever Ben, One Mom's Letters to her Son-in-Spirit and his poetic replies." (Available on Amazon).  It was difficult to write the book because I had to overcome all the thoughts of not being good enough. One day I thought I could write the book, the next day I was sure I could never write it....but I kept chanting and kept writing to Ben and somehow gave birth to this book. Right now it's helping people with grief all over the world. 

Being a Buddhist isn't easy, is it? We HAVE to turn poison into medicine. But when you think about it, isn't that what we want to do anyway? Take anything bad and make it great? We have that power when we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with all our hearts. Then, as my son Aaron says, when we've really chanted and taken action, we know we are at our best. We know we are doing the best we can do. And that feels good. 

I've been hearing from you to post more often so I'm going to do my best to more frequently. 
Just don't give up. 
Get guidance from your local leaders. Study. Chant. Take action. Do shakubuku. That's the formula for happiness. And chant for kosen-rufu! 

Tonight I will teach people to write letters to their loved ones, and have their loved ones write back to them through their own hand (or imagining that their loved ones are writing back to them). This is something I developed. It's not part of Buddhism, but the belief that life is eternal fits.
It's not necessary that you believe this is possible, or you do it to be a Buddhist. This is my gift, and talent to teach.    

Whatever you are doing, wherever you are, no matter how dark it seems ~ DO Not Give UP! 
Sending love, Jamie
Jamie@jamieleesilver.com 

Every Day is New Year's Day!

Every single day we get the chance to remake our determinations...review how far we've come, and make a fresh step towards our dreams. Our term "Hon-nin-myo" means "from this moment forth." The past does not matter. What matters is this moment. 
Our failures...the things we regret...none of this matters at this very moment. What matters is our determination. 
My friend in faith Amos used to say: 
"How many times do you get to make a new determination? How many times do you get to not live up to that determination, and to remake it the next day? An infinite amount of times! Just keep making that determination every day, chanting about it, and not giving up! That's where your power lies!" 
WE are the Buddha. We embody Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. It is our life...and everything else. Nothing is NOT Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Our sincere prayer to raise our life conditions, strengthen our lives, shakubuku others, work for kosen-rufu and be the absolute proof that this practice works bring US happiness, and makes the world a better place. 

This week was a blast for me. I did a ton of networking...meeting new people...doing shakubuku. My prayers come true every day. I chant to change myself...and see the truth at every moment....and to enjoy my life! 

"Hon-nin-myo" is a profound part of the teachings of this practice. Every moment begins anew. Our past brought us to where we are but does not determine the future. 

I just passed a milestone, as I mentioned. I passed the second anniversary of the "death" of my son Ben. I put "death" in quotes because I don't like the word. BEN didn't die. His body died. But he is very much alive in spirit. He and I converse every day, or whenever I want to talk with him, he's there, ready to talk with me. 

This Tuesday will be the first "From Grief to Relief" workshop I've given. I hope to do many more because I know I have something to teach that can bring people comfort. The workshop will be very interactive. 
Everyone will share about the main person they are grieving. And everyone will process the pain, the guilt, the sadness using EFT techniques, and then we'll move on to the writing section. It will be so much fun. We'll also chant for each person as I introduce the Buddhist concepts that allow me to be open to the eternity of life. 

I'm preparing for this the same way I prepare for every Buddhist meeting...by chanting for each person. Each person will experience permanent change. They'll leave with tools to use. And, they will have the opportunity to choose to work with me one-on-one at a later date if they desire. 

New Year's Day. This week I began a new exercise routine, a new visualization exercise, and I started doing Dahn yoga again at home. This week was my New Year's Eve. Any day can be New Year's Ever for us. ANY DAY. It doesn't have to be a milestone. All it takes is a fresh determination! Do you want to start something anew? Go for it. Happy New Years. Every single day! 

What Does Nam-myoho-renge-kyo Mean and Why Do We Chant it?

What does Nam-myoho-renge-kyo mean, 

and why do we chant it? 

By Jamie Lee Silver of ChantforHappiness.com - 
Not an official SGI site

(Subscribe by putting your email in the box to the right. 

Translate button is at the top right.)

The literal translation is:

"I fuse my life 

with the mystic law of cause and effect 

through sound vibration (or sutra)." 

It is the title of the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha's highest teaching that declares that ALL people possess the Buddha Nature...all people ARE Buddhas...and we can access this nature by calling it forth in our lives using this phrase. 

Being a Buddha - 
is tapping the river of life that runs through ALL life - summoning the mystic law 
by realizing 
we ARE the Mystic Law. 
We not only chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo ~ 
we ARE Nam-myoho-renge-kyo ~the Mystic Law. 

I like to think of it as "I am one with the rhythm of all life." It is the rhythm that exists within all of life...the reason for the turning of the tides...the reason for the seasons...the atoms that exist within every single cell...from an elephant to a spec of dust...to the cells in our hearts and minds. Everything possesses this connectedness...this rhythm.  
It is all encompassing and contains the wisdom and energy of all of life itself...the whole universe. 

When we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo we tap into that energy and access it for our lives...directed towards our desires and for the fulfillment of happiness for all. In this practice, it's okay to have desires. More than okay! We don't have to alleviate them. Desires make us who we are and lead us to chant. 

When we chant we change the internal life within our lives. We change the core and fiber of our lives. We change our karma. And when we make that internal change, our ENVIRONMENT (meaning everything that is not within our own skin, our jobs, our relationships, our sense of self, everything we experience and think) ALL of that changes to reflect our internal change. We call this "Human Revolution."

When we chant we harness the energy that is our birthright. And we chant twice a day, every single day, to get and keep our lives in rhythm. 

When we are in rhythm we are in the right place at the right time... to find out about and get the job...or to meet the man of our dreams...or to protect our child from danger. When we are in rhythm life isn't so much of a struggle as it is a joy...we see the beauty in everything and we feel our lives overflowing with appreciation. 

We chant for something and get it or something better. We get access to internal happiness and strength that cannot be blown away by any event or obstacles. 

In fact we view obstacles themselves as benefits, as strange as that may sound....because obstacles make us chant more, and when we chant more we draw even higher life conditions and deeper satisfaction into our lives. 

What can we chant FOR? Anything. We chant for others, we chant for our planet, our countries, and ourselves. 
We can chant for whatever our desire may be...even if it might not be the "right" desire for us. In the act of chanting, we will change our karma and our desires themselves will naturally begin to shift. We will open our lives to the deeper wisdom within...the deeper yearning, the REAL desires that we have forgotten or given up on. We will grow. We will prosper and we will blossom. 

We will gain the wisdom of the right action to take - because ACTION springs from wisdom. 

The challenge is...we need to DO it. We have to chant to bring all this rhythm and harmony out. And that's why we practice together as an organization, the SGI, The Soka Gakkai, our fellowship of friends who support each other, chant for each other, and create a new Soka family for each practitioner. We are so fortunate. 

I hear from people all over the world, and some have strong SGI groups in their towns and others are completely alone. I love that we can connect through the power of the internet. From the moment I began chanting 32 years ago I have had the deep desire to share this practice, this practice that WORKS, with everyone who is looking for the real, practical means of creating happiness and results in their lives. 

We are in this life together...sharing our challenges and our successes. If you are not yet connected to the SGI please go to sgi-usa.com and find your local members. You will be so glad you did. 

Some Powerful Quotes from Daisaku Ikeda from Ikedaquotes.org:

THIS moment, this instant, is important, 
not some unknown time in the future. 
Today, this very day is what matters. 
You must put your whole being 
into the time that exists now. 
For future victory rests in the present moment.

BUDDHISM holds that 
everything is in a constant state of flux. 
Thus, the question is 
whether we are to accept change passively 
and be swept away by it, 
or whether we are to take the lead 
and create positive changes on our own initiative. 
While conservatism and self-protection
might be likened to winter, night and death, 
the spirit of pioneering and attempting to realize 
the ideals evokes the images of spring,
morning and birth.

DO gongyo and chant daimoku with a fresh spirit. 
And, filled with renewed vitality, 

build a history of accumulating fresh benefit.

Overcoming Challenges and Accessing the Power of Our Own Lives!

Hello! Here I am in paradise...and life has come along with me. I still have the same types of challenges within myself and I still have to overcome them no matter what. I am a Buddha. I made my vow, (and remake my vow daily) to show actual proof so that I can rid the world of suffering through my own life. I live to inspire others. If I (this common mortal) can be happy, then so can anyone. Anyone. I use my practice of Buddhism, and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo every morning and evening to accomplish my goals and rid my life of negativity. 

I am a regular person. I am no better than anyone else. But maybe, because of my deep suffering, because of the depression I have battled throughout my life, and the great loss I experienced when my precious son Ben died, I feel that I HAVE to prove the power of this law through my life now more than ever. I prove this power over and over and over! The power of my own life, my own Buddha Nature through chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to the Gohonzon never stops! I can access happiness anytime, anywhere. 

And it's not easy, is it? We all have our devils, our demons, they are the voices in our heads that say negative things like "See, you are a total failure," or "There you go, messing up again!" Or..."Why chant? It's no use anyway!"

We all have these voices in our heads. Linda Johnson calls those voices our "Evil Twin," and she says they NEVER TAKE A VACATION! I love that. So we must chant every day!

And the main thing is to keep going. I've had some challenges to overcome...and it's easy to go down that slippery slope where you chant less and less, and then it is next to impossible to chant. That's when we have to say "Enough!" That's when we need to put our cell phones in the other room, set a daimoku (chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo) target for ourselves and fulfill it. 

One of my challenges has been nights of not sleeping. I've had insomnia in various forms all my life, and it affects how I function during the day, and it affects my mood a lot! Last night I DID sleep, and woke up this morning and chanted for two hours. 

My prayer today was to bring back the spring in my step. Bring back the hopeful feeling of anticipation. Lighten my heavy thoughts and bring me sunshine in my mind. 

I chanted for all of you, and for Kate's brain. I pictured her brain glowing in health. (Many of you are familiar with Kate Randolph, my Buddhist mentor through this blog. She is my best Buddha Buddy, my inspiration, my heart. This is her 40th year of practice, and she was recently diagnosed with a glioma brain tumor. Thank you for chanting for her!) 

And now, here I am writing to you, and feeling like a breath of fresh air just came from within my own life. 

This is the power of Daimoku. This is the spirit to stand alone and not give up. This is what brings on kosen-rufu and will bring 50,000 youth together in the US on November 18th, 2018. 

Whatever you are going through, please don't despair. Please use this practice to bring light and life and happiness to yourself, and your loved ones. Please VOW to show actual proof through your life and inspire others to chant and to be happy. You can be happy, your families can be happy. YOU are the Buddha creating Kosen-rufu (a world of peace and respect for all) and YOU make a difference every single day!

Go Buddha Go! 

If you'd like to submit an experience for this blog, please email me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com. 

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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!