From the essay Buddhism is the Clear Mirror to Reflect Our Lives, in To My American Friends, by Daisaku Ikeda, Page 99.
"When people worship the Gohonzon, all Buddhas and bodhisattvas in the entire universe immediately respond to their prayers by lending their protection. If they slander the Gohonzon the affect will be exactly the opposite.
For this reason one's mind of faith is extremely important. The mind of faith has a subtle and far-reaching influence.
There may be times, for instance, when you feel reluctant to do gongyo or take part in activities. That state of mind is precisely reflected on the entire universe, as if on the surface of a clear mirror. The heavenly deities will then also feel reluctant to play their part, and they will naturally fail to exert their full power of protection.
On the other hand, when you joyfully do gongyo and carry out activities with the determination to accumulate more good fortune in your life. the heavenly deities will be delighted and will valiantly perform their duty. If you must take some action anyway, it is to your advantage that you do so spontaneously and with a feeling of joy. If you practice reluctantly with a sense that it's a waste of time, disbelief and complaints will erode your good fortune. If you continue to practice in this way, you will not experience remarkable benefits, and this will only serve to convince you that your practice is in vain. This is a vicious circle.
If you practice while doubting the effects, you will get results that are, at best, unsatisfactory. This is the reflection of your own weak faith on the mirror of the cosmos.
On the other hand, when you stand up with strong confidence, you will receive limitless blessings. While controlling your mind, which is at once extremely subtle and solemnly profound, you should elevate your faith with freshness and vigor. When you do so both your life and surroundings will open wide before you, and every action you take will become a source of benefit. Understanding the subtle workings of one's mind is the key to faith and to attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime.
PowerPrayer
for Strengthening Your Mind of Faith.
PowerPrayers are suggested ways to focus your mind while chanting. They are not to be chanted themselves. While chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo let your mind focus on some aspect of this PowerPrayer if you wish...for added strength and focus. If you like this PowerPrayer and want to share it, feel free to share it on Facebook or email a link using the links at the bottom. Thanks!
Life!
I love this practice!
I love my life!
I am determined to chant every morning and every evening no matter what.
I no longer allow anything to stop me!
I establish an unshakable practice at the core of my life.
And I see the results immediately!
I keep this promise
to myself
first and foremost
and the rest of my life flows effortlessly!
With every Daimoku I chant -
I love my life more and more.
Every Nam-myoho-renge-kyo strengthens my life!
With every Nam-myoho-renge-kyo I feel Buddhahood Rising!
I am overflowing with wisdom, compassion and love for mySELF and others!
The more I chant, the more I want to chant.
I look forward to my chanting time
dialoguing with my own life
and discovering who I really am.
I feel the connection more deeply every time I chant.
Every day I see positive changes!
I feel myself becoming stronger in these ways:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I am determined to enjoy my time chanting and being with my fellow Gakkai members. I chant to bring my full self to every meeting, and to participate with joy.
If there is something I don’t like about my meetings, I make a fresh determination to do my Human Revolution so I can cheerfully make a difference in my own district!
I am chanting specifically for these people and these results: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I am deepening my understanding of what I study with every Daimoku I chant.
My eyes are opening.
My depth of understanding is growing!
I love to study!
I read the Gosho and President Ikeda’s Guidance every day, and chant to understand it with my life!
Whenever I study I see the inner working of my life, and my prayer becomes deeper, and deeper and deeper!
I am Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!
