3 Benefits of Consistent Practice and 4 Secrets to Establishing it

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Greetings from paradise...here in St. Pete Beach Florida!
I've been receiving emails from readers who have many challenges, and are not chanting consistently, and I think "If only they knew what a joy it is to practice consistently...many problems just fade away!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Living in the saha world, it is impossible to stop the winds of suffering from blowing. Our only alternative is to become strong. 
Daisaku Ikeda, August Living Buddhism, page 50

"The Japanese word for fellow member, (doshi) can also be read as "shared resolve," or commitment. The SGI (Soka Gakkai International) is a gathering of fellow members, friends in faith, who share the same resolve and purpose. 
Daisaku Ikeda, September 2015 Living Buddhism, page 39

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

Always remember how noble and important you are!

How do we become strong? By strengthening our resolve, and our practice. 

When we do our practice every morning and evening our problems get smaller because we raise our life condition. It's like this: 
We can each picture our problems as a big wall in front of us. When we practice consistently our life condition rises, just as if we are a big balloon rising to the sky. What looked like an insurmountable wall is now a tiny little ridge - way below us. We can step right over it. 

How can we establish and maintain a consistent practice? 

How can we reinforce our determination to practice twice a day every day, strengthen our lives and create unshakable benefit? 

3 benefits of consistent practice 
(Doing morning and evening gongyo and chanting daimoku consistently) 

1. It's easier. Once you establish the practice you just greet your life twice a day in front of the Gohonzon (Buddhist altar in our homes, for more info email me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com) without having to force yourself to do it. It just becomes part of your life. 

2. Benefits flow more consistently, 

3. It WORKS! You change your karma, embrace your challenges and win over any challenge you face. You get what you want and so much more. 

4 Dynamic ways 
to establish a consistent practice

1. Determine that you want to use this practice to the best of your ability! Chanting consistently means winning the battle over your lesser self. Make your list of determinations and goals.  What have you decided is impossible in your life? We chant to make the impossible possible. Go for it. You are in charge of your destiny. YOU are the Buddha! 

2. Embrace your friends in the SGI. And make sure you have a mentor. You can chant to find this mentor, and click on the SGI Portal to the right to find your local SGI, if you're not connected yet. Remember there are no dues or rules or priests. The SGI is an organization of people working together for their own happiness and the sake of others. 

3. Establish a "Chanting Buddy" to chant with you. And if you don't have one, chant for one, and take action to find one. In the meantime, use your phone as a timer to chant your desired time. There are no rules for length of time to chant, but establishing consistency leads to real victory in your life. 

4. Establish a Tele-Toso Chanting Buddy
If you can't chant together in person you can do it by telephone, or by text. Just establish a time and contact each other before and after. If you want, you can keep the telephone connection while you chant. (It's better if one person turns the volume down.) Or you can just call or text before and after. 

An Experience in Chanting Consistently: 

Chanting consistently must be experienced to be understood. 
My dear "Baby Buddha" (the nickname she chose for herself) heard me tell her for two years to chant every morning and evening, and she replied that she doesn't do ANYTHING consistently and wasn't going to do this. No way. I kept chanting for her and inviting her to chant. And one day, she just made the decision to try chanting twice a day to see how it felt. She couldn't believe how different she felt. She also realized a deep desire and began to chant for it to happen. Now she lives in Colorado - she got what she was chanting for! THIS is why we practice. Our desires are worth chanting for! 

You may have other ways of creating and maintaining your consistent practice. Please share them with me and I'll share them with the other readers of this blog. Email me at chantforhappiness.com with your ideas, questions, suggestions, victories and challenges. 

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 - 

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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 (or sutra)." 

It 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, ability to make a difference, find fulfillment and 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

Easiest Goal Setting Ever!

My view as I write! 

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I'm writing from my beautiful apartment overlooking the Gulf of Mexico and St. Pete Beach. This weekend I brought in the new year dancing (my foot is almost entirely healed) with Ric, and yesterday he set up this great writing space and helped me make this space my own. Thank you!

My appreciation for my life is boundless. Every time I sit down to chant I start with a sincere THANK YOU for all the benefits, protection, fun and happiness I am experiencing right now. 

Since it's a new year, I thought I'd share what I'm doing for goal setting this year. 

First of all, as you know, I'm chanting three hours a day, but don't let that discourage you. Every moment you spend chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is important. Every moment connects you to the deepest, best and most magnificent essence of YOU in rhythm with the entire cosmos. Every single Nam-myoho-rnge-kyo makes a difference. 

Over the last few hours of chanting I kept my journals close, and every time I connected with a goal/desire/determination I wrote it down in one place. 

One of my goals for this year is to be more organized in my goal setting/life creation. I will read and redetermine my goals every day. 

It may take a few days to get my fresh determinations all written out, but that's okay. One of the keys is not to get down on myself for anything I haven't accomplished yet.

Sure, there are a ton of things on my list that have been there for years and have not yet been accomplished. But, so what? Every time I rewrite them, and redetermine to accomplish them I strengthen my muscle of faith. 

Getting down on myself - self slandering is not useful. Let's be gentle with ourselves and really determined. Let's continue to know that we are striving to achieve our goals because we are wayfarers for others...we are the lights that shine with the brilliance of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Everything I chant for, I chant with the mind of: I will accomplish THIS so I can light the way for others and show them the power of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. 

Let me meet the people who are wanting to learn about this practice...every day I have Nam-myoho-renge-kyo cards with hand out to people. Every day I ask myself what else can I do to relieve people's sufferings in the world. How can I help? 

SGI President Ikeda's New Year's Message is lighting the way for me. From the January 1st World Tribune, page 2 he states:

"Whatever the time or place, 

those who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo 

can bring the sun of time without beginning 

- the brilliance of their innate Buddhahood - 

to shine in their lives. 

Therefore, no matter what our age, 

we can always live in a way that is true to ourselves 

with a fresh and completely rejuvenated life force.

Nichiren assures us, 

"You will grow younger, 

and your good fortune will accumulate" 

(The Unity of Husband and Wife," 

The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Volume 1, page 464). 

For us, each passing year 

brings greater joy and fulfillment 

as we strive with a youthful spirit 

to vibrantly expand our state of life, 

heighten our efforts to connect others to Buddhism 

and increase our good fortune."

Thank you for writing to me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com. I love hearing about your victories, and sharing your struggles. Sometimes I get behind in replying, or emails just get lost. Please send another email if I haven't replied. 

Happy Year of Developing Youth in the New Era of Worldwide Kosen-rufu!

As I write this I am here in my new apartment overlooking the glorious Gulf of Mexico on St. Pete Beach. I just talked to Kate Randolph who recently had a brain tumor removed, but will have to undergo further treatment because it was an aggressive tumor. She and her family are chanting up a storm. She's chanting four hours a day. And she sounds great. And happy. 
She and her family are determined to create unprecedented victory in their lives, and for the world. They are chanting for every single person who is chanting for Kate to have incredible breakthroughs as well. I am joining her on her Daimoku (Nam-myoho-renge-kyo) journey. I invite you to join me. 

The January 1st SGI World Tribune came today and a paragraph of President Ikeda's jumped right off the page for me. 

On page two he says:

"Change is occurring at an ever-accelerating pace. 
That's what makes it so important 
to chant strongly on a daily basis 
to summon forth the 
"wisdom of the truth 
that functions in accordance 
with changing circumstances" 
(The Record of Orally Transmitted Teachings, p.10). 
Based on that wisdom, 
we can then rise boldly to every challenge 
and enact our own hope-filled dramas 
of human revolution 
and help others do the same."

Daisaku Ikeda

I will be chanting to summon forth the wisdom of the truth that functions in accordance with changing circumstances! 
What a great prayer. 

My determinations are many. I'm chanting to be fearless, and to believe in my Buddhahood more than I believe in my faults and fears. I'm chanting to find a job for kosen-rufu - one where I can bring all my talents to the forefront, and continue doing shakubuku and public speaking...a job where I am involved, meeting new people, laying the foundation for my new life in my new city...a job where I am happy and looking forward to each new day.
I'm chanting for friends, and for the SGI here...for the YOUTH, and to meet the people who really want to hear about this great practice. I'm chanting to be filled with appreciation and joy, and to spread joy everywhere I go...while telling people about the great power of the mystic law. 

I am happy. I love my life. 

I wish all of you an incredibly victorious new year...taking each of your challenges and creating lives of overflowing benefit, in the SGI, along with our mentor Daisaku Ikeda...moving boldly forth every day advancing with Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the rhythm of the universe that flows through all life. 

4 Surprising Reasons Nichiren Buddhists Are So Happy ! Please share

Why are Nichiren 
(also known as SGI, Soka Gakkai or Practical) 
Buddhists so Happy? 

What is so special 

about this twice-daily practice 

of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo?

What is a Nichiren Buddhist? Why are we also called "Practical Buddhists?" The two titles are interchangeable. 
Practical Buddhists chant every morning and evening and EVERY MORNING and evening. We study the works of Nichiren Daishonin, and the writings of Daisaku Ikeda, to learn the workings of the practice, and how and why chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo  (meaning: I fuse my life with the Mystic Law of Cause and Effect Through Sound Vibration) draws forth the power innate in every life to find fulfillment and become happy. The more we study, the more we deepen our ability to tap this power. We encourage each other and attend Soka Gakkai meetings.  (To find a meeting near you click on the link to the right) We introduce others to the practice because we are delighted with the results we see in our own lives from chanting. 

4 Surprising Reasons 
Nichiren Buddhists are so HAPPY ~

1. Our Happiness is not based on our happiness alone. It is based on the profound results we see in our own lives - and in the lives of others as we chant. We base our practice on RESULTS! We GET what we chant for, or something better, as long as we don't give up! 

Our happiness has a higher purpose. Don't get me wrong...happiness for any reason is great. Happiness is the purpose of our practice, and we join our own happiness with the happiness of ALL. We call this kosen-rufu...a world of respect for all of life. We chant to be happy so that we can prove through our own lives the validity of chanting the name of the Mystic Law - and to prove everyone can generate happiness if they chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. 

With every problem we face we chant: 

"I will defeat THIS problem for the sake of Kosen-rufu 
(the happiness of ALL) 
And one by one I will knock all my problems down. 
I achieve all my goals. 
I will succeed is all areas of my life to prove the power of the law! 
I vow to win in all areas of my life!"

2. We KNOW we have the POWER, and the TOOL to overcome our own negativity ~ and raise our "Life Condition" and become happy! To us, Happiness means winning over ourselves. 

It's true. When we chant the name of the rhythm of life itself ~ Nam-myoho-renge-kyo ~ we see results. And what will we WIN over? Ourselves. We are fighting and winning the biggest and most worthy battle of all...the battle over our own negativity. And the thing is, no one can do that but US. We are the only ones. And our negativity never entirely goes away, but our daily practice keeps it away, and is the source of our happiness. We talk about the "evil twin - or critical mind" we hear in our minds telling us we can't do it, that we aren't strong enough and asking us "who do you think you are?" When we chant consistently that voice recedes, and our true and powerful Buddha nature emerges.  And we DO succeed!

3. We KNOW we can change our karma and make the impossible possible. And we do it together with our fellow SGI Members. 

Whether we have studied eastern religions or not, we are all familiar with karma no matter what name we call it. Cause and Effect ~ Karma. Karma is passed down from one generation to another. Karma is reoccurring problems...you know, the way in which people marry one person, move on to the next and have the exact same problems crop up. 
Nichiren Buddhists know Karma is nothing to be afraid of. Karma is the sum total of every cause we have ever made through every existence we have ever had. And since, according to Nichiren Daishonin, those existences number more than grains of sand in the ocean, what need is there to fret about karma? And we do not need to spend countless lifetimes trying to undo every negative thing we have ever done. How could we? We don't even know what these things were. 
What we can do, is make the absolute most positive causes NOW. When we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo we are making the most positive cause for our lives. When we introduce others, these causes are magnified across many existences because we have introduced them to the power to change their own and their family's karma. 
And chanting with and for our fellow members is a huge part of our practice. We join our "family" for meetings and individually to surmount challenges. If you have not yet found your SGI family you can use the SGI-USA.org link to the right or search on Soka Gakkai International. 

4. We are aware of the interconnectivity of life and know that when we change our inner life, our outer life changes as well. We are Power-FULL not Power-LESS and we can chant for others as well! 

There's a Buddhist term called "Esho Funi". It means that we see and experience ourselves as separate from our environment (our environment is everything outside of our skin - the air we breathe, the couch we are sitting on, the music we hear, and each person, thing, animal in our environment and throughout the entire universe). But we are intricately connected to everything. That is why we can chant and change our lives. We change our inner lives, and because of the interconnectivity of life (also called "dependent origination") we are able to influence our environment. This is the fulcrum of true happiness and true power in our lives. 

By Daisaku Ikeda from Ikedaquotes.org: 

Faith in Buddhism is not blind faith that rejects reason. It is in fact a rational function, a process of the cultivation of wisdom that begins with a spirit of reverent searching. The impulse of true reason is to continuously and eternally transcend the confines of the present self. It aims to reach beyond its grasp, always higher, always transcending itself. The source of energy and foundation for that constant search is faith in something larger than oneself. Faith purifies reason, strengthens it, and elevates it.

Storm Hitting Florida Right Now!

It's my first storm coming in to St. Pete Beach

The main place it will hit is north of here, but it's a pretty big storm so we are getting a lot of the water and wind. It's still building steam...not officially hitting land until a few hours from now. 

This is the scene right out my window. I'm okay up here on the 5th floor, but I am concerned about my car, and all the people who are NOT on the 5th floor. 

At any rate I'm up here with plenty of food in a good, solid building...with a Gohonzon! 

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to you!

Having Doubt-Free Practice! A new YWD Joins today!

Jamie, Kelly, Nikki and Josh

Today, Kelly joined the SGI and received her Gohonzon. Nikki and Josh introduced me to Kelly and she has wholeheartedly embraced this wonderful practice! The youth are our future! 

Today's meeting at the Tampa/St. Pete Activity Center was great! One of the speakers made the point that in the recent shooting here in Florida - 48 young people died, and the shooter was, himself, only 29 years old. We need to do shakubuku more than ever before. People who embrace this practice embrace the law of cause and effect and have the means to become happy and help others become happy. Each person we introduce helps us break the cycle of violence! 

Today, Betsy Epstein, the 4 Division Zone Leader for Florida spoke. She said she'd been told many years ago that she couldn't have children. She went for guidance and realized "This isn't a medical problem - it's a karmic one!" And she decided to chant to believe in the Gohonzon with her whole life and develop "doubt-free faith." She now has children and grandchildren, and even a grand-dog! 

As I write this I'm watching the huge waves on the Gulf of Mexico, the surfers giving it their all, and the pelicans flying close by. I can see the dark rain over the water heading our way. It's been rainy and stormy lately - perfect for writing and reading and chanting! Earlier this week, right outside my window, I watched a man climb a ladder, then attach himself by a rope to get to the top of our 5 story palm tree so he could trim it. This is truly a marvelous land! 

Have a great week my friends! Introduce those who are suffering! Be so happy yourself, have such a high life condition through chanting that everyone around you will want to practice. When you can do this you spread happiness everywhere, and become happy yourself! 

Notes from Paradise - Our Own Human Revolution Changes the World

From my apartment in the early morning sun

Hello, here we are at the brink of August. I'm celebrating being in my new apartment in Florida for one month, seven years of this blog, and the anniversary of Daisaku Ikeda meeting Josei Toda and finding his new mentor and philosophy of life.

Lately, every time I read the poem Daisaku Ikeda composed and recited to Josei Toda at his first meeting, it brings tears to my eyes:

"Traveler,
From whence do you come?
And where are you going?
The moon has set.
But the sun has not yet risen.
In the chaos of darkness before the dawn
seeking the light,
I advance
To dispel the dark clouds from my mind
To find a great tree unbowed by the tempest
I emerge from the earth."

August 2016, Living Buddhism, cover

I imagine this scene over and over in my mind. I take it to be a meeting of two joined hearts...a re-meeting of hearts...as if they had always known each other, and reencountered each other at this meeting.

The words of the poem strike me in so many ways. Remember the time? 
Japan was still in ruins...people were wondering what kind of hope to have...and in whom to believe. 
"The moon has set."
The war is over...
"but the sun has not yet risen". 
What will the future hold? 

We can all relate to this in different ways. 
In my life, the moon has set. I have begun my new life without my son, and I have moved 1200 miles away from my friends and family...
"But the sun has not yet risen"
....I am rebuilding my life...making new friends...finding my way in a new land, a new paradise. Last night, and many nights, I walk along the beach and marvel at the incredibly beautiful sky. And I see lovers of all ages, and families with little sweet boys playing together...and I think "Keep smiling Jamie you are building your future...you just got here less than a month ago!"

And I set my own sights on my mentor in faith Daisaku Ikeda. He is a man of peace...a man of prayer...a man of action. Every day I chant to see the world through his eyes...to have wisdom...to have creativity and drive to do shakubuku! (I have someone set to get the Gohonzon next weekend...and am chanting for her every day. I'll let you know more next week.) And I chant and strive to see that my life has meaning...that all of our lives have meaning. We have the most profound philosophy. Are we living in a way that lights the way for others...
We are continually striving!  

And we are all living in this in-between time in America. We are seeing the potential rise of fascism...one man...one self-centered egomaniac who wants to command all...and many of us are concerned. I have been chanting ceaselessly for kosen-rufu to come through my own life...my own life!

And doing shakubuku has never been more important. 
As each new person gives rise to human revolution within their life...we change ALL of life. 

Let's all keep chanting and bringing forth the power of the universe from within our lives! 

Notes from Paradise - Our Own Human Revolution Changes the World

From my apartment in the early morning sun

Hello, here we are at the brink of August. I'm celebrating being in my new apartment in Florida for one month, seven years of this blog, and the anniversary of Daisaku Ikeda meeting Josei Toda and finding his new mentor and philosophy of life.

Lately, every time I read the poem Daisaku Ikeda composed and recited to Josei Toda at his first meeting, it brings tears to my eyes:

"Traveler,
From whence do you come?
And where are you going?
The moon has set.
But the sun has not yet risen.
In the chaos of darkness before the dawn
seeking the light,
I advance
To dispel the dark clouds from my mind
To find a great tree unbowed by the tempest
I emerge from the earth."

August 2016, Living Buddhism, cover

I imagine this scene over and over in my mind. I take it to be a meeting of two joined hearts...a re-meeting of hearts...as if they had always known each other, and reencountered each other at this meeting.

The words of the poem strike me in so many ways. Remember the time? 
Japan was still in ruins...people were wondering what kind of hope to have...and in whom to believe. 
"The moon has set."
The war is over...
"but the sun has not yet risen". 
What will the future hold? 

We can all relate to this in different ways. 
In my life, the moon has set. I have begun my new life without my son, and I have moved 1200 miles away from my friends and family...
"But the sun has not yet risen"
....I am rebuilding my life...making new friends...finding my way in a new land, a new paradise. Last night, and many nights, I walk along the beach and marvel at the incredibly beautiful sky. And I see lovers of all ages, and families with little sweet boys playing together...and I think "Keep smiling Jamie you are building your future...you just got here less than a month ago!"

And I set my own sights on my mentor in faith Daisaku Ikeda. He is a man of peace...a man of prayer...a man of action. Every day I chant to see the world through his eyes...to have wisdom...to have creativity and drive to do shakubuku! (I have someone set to get the Gohonzon next weekend...and am chanting for her every day. I'll let you know more next week.) And I chant and strive to see that my life has meaning...that all of our lives have meaning. We have the most profound philosophy. Are we living in a way that lights the way for others...
We are continually striving!  

And we are all living in this in-between time in America. We are seeing the potential rise of fascism...one man...one self-centered egomaniac who wants to command all...and many of us are concerned. I have been chanting ceaselessly for kosen-rufu to come through my own life...my own life!

And doing shakubuku has never been more important. 
As each new person gives rise to human revolution within their life...we change ALL of life. 

Let's all keep chanting and bringing forth the power of the universe from within our lives! 

We Make Everything Magical and Every Moment Count!

"Know you, I salute the air, the ocean and the land, 

Every day at sundown for your dear sake my love."

From Walt Whitman's poem "Out of the Rolling Ocean the Crowd"

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I'm doing it! 
I am blessing most of my possessions 
and offering them to people who will love them and appreciate them just like I did, 
so I can travel to my next home. 

Every morning I am chanting in appreciation that I have become this brave person ready to take on this great adventure of going to live on the beach. 
Alone...with all the new friends I am going to make...and all my treasured friends available by technology, including you!  
I was meant to live in the beach in the warmth. 
It is time to begin my new life. 
I'm one of those people that loves hot and humid weather. 
I always have. And I adore the ocean/water. 
Will I love Florida? I embrace it with an open heart...and we'll take it from there. 

Every morning I chant to be where I can be my happiest self and make the biggest difference in the world. I will host a book launch for the book I just wrote with Ben called "Our Forever Ben." It's the poetry he and I have been writing back and forth since last summer. I just put my pen to the paper and write to him, keep my pen on the paper and he writes back to me. Incredible messages. Every time. I am working on this for you. I'll let you know when it's available! I'll publish some excerpts for you, too. 
Ben's last two lines of the book are: 
"Close your eyes.
I'll still be right here." 

Chanting brings such fortune. I'm mostly calm, happy, enjoying every moment of the goodbyes, and staying centered on my Gohonzon...on my life and the depth of my prayer. I'm bringing forth every ounce of power through chanting the name of the Mystic Law of the Universe, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. I feel it. 
Yesterday morning I chanted for 2 hours washing my worries away and feeling great. When I get to St. Pete Beach I plan on having a long daimoku toso on Saturday the 2nd of July, the anniversary of Ben becoming eternal. I am chanting for the state of the world as well. Shoten Zenjin, protective forces of the universe...NOW IS YOUR TIME! 

I'm chanting with Daisaku Ikeda's words below in mind:

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

"Pray that instead of devils or negative, 

destructive forces infiltrating your being, 
Brahma, (Bonten in Japanese), 
Shakra, (Taishaku in Japanese) 
and the gods of the Sun and the Moon - 
~ the positive, protective forces of the universe - 
will enter your life! 
Pray that they will enter the lives 
of all the members in your region 
and the entire membership of the SGI, as well. 
If you do this, 
your strength will multiply a hundredfold, a thousandfold. 
With such prayer, 
with such faith, 
you will realize a fundamental transformation 
in the very depths of your life. 
This is the secret to achieving your human revolution." 

Daisaku Ikeda World Tribune, 9/8/2000

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

My greatest good fortune is that my friend Tracy is helping me almost every day. Fortune, as you know, is the precious treasure that money can't buy. Having Tracy show up happily and willingly to help me now is a my great, great fortune, and a further sign that I am not alone in this. The protective forces of the universe, and our eternal Ben are right here with me. 

Last Monday I called Tracy right after I gave notice at work. And she said unexpectedly said: 

"Wow! I just downsized and sold my 3 bedroom, 2 bath house so I know just what to do to support you. Everything is fresh in my mind. I'm free till after the fourth of July so I can come right over and give you a hand." 

And she has taken over the managing of the move in a way that makes me feel the deepest appreciation imaginable. We are laughing, working, enjoying each other's company. She is patiently listening to the stories I tell when I see a picture of Ben, Aaron...my whole life, and listening to my various stories as I sort through all of my possessions and find the "treasures." These I keep, the rest is going.  
And when I ask her "Should I keep this thing or give it away?" she answers: "Well...I don't think it will fit in your backpack when you travel around the world." And I think "She does have a point," and bless it on its way. 

My goal is to put all I need into my wonderful 2000 Lexus Rx 3000 - my new car I call "Champagne," and drive to St. Pete Beach in Florida (with Tracy, bless her heart) where I am renting a furnished studio overlooking the vast waters of the Gulf of Mexico and every single sunset. Ben and I are going to love this! All I'm taking is will fit inside or on top of my car. I feel like Louise Hay. She left everything behind when she left the east coast to find her incredible fortune and happiness. She inspires us all as the founder of the Hay House Publishing empire. I love you Louise! She's in her 80's saying "EVERY decade of my life is the best decade EVER!" 

Did I tell you we raised over $21,000 for Schizophrenia research (less expenses) in the glorious Ben's Memorial Mile? We are still accepting donations at BensMemorialMile.com through the month of July, when we will close out this year's books and begin to work on next year. My personal goal is to have it net $22,000, which is the age he became eternal, and my favorite number since I was born on September 22nd. It looks like we will have it at Downers Grove North High School on June 10th, 2017, but we are waiting for confirmation from the school. I will let you know. 

Goodness, I have to go to bed so I can enjoy my last few days here in Chicago making every moment count!  

Have No Fear!

"Nam-myoho-renge-kyo 
enables us 
to make any hardship or setback 
the source of our new advancement 
and our treasure for the future. 
Therefore, 
you don't have to be afraid of making a mistake or encountering an obstacle. 
In short, 
as long as you are devoted 
to staying in the correct orbit of faith, 
you won't ever cease to advance toward your victory, 
even if you may go through 
some twists and turns in life." 

Daisaku Ikeda
Buddhism Day by Day, June 7, page 85
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This was the perfect wisdom for me today. 
I don't know about you, but I am one of those people who can be afraid to make a mistake. I feel like it's "part of who I am." Sometimes I'm bold...but also I can be afraid.

And, as we all know, we don't practice Buddhism to just settle...to just say "Oh well...that's just me." If we are going to have that kind of attitude, we might as well not even practice Buddhism.  

This quote just says it all. 

We don't have to be afraid of making a mistake because there are no mistakes if we keep our practice strong and stay in the orbit of faith. We can turn any "mistake" into a benefit. ANYTHING. So we can put it all on the line and forge fearlessly on. 

Even if we've made a "wrong turn" if we keep chanting to turn poison into medicine...keep chanting for kosen rufu every morning and evening...DO our practice...we will keep winning! 

As we know... 

We practice Buddhism to break through the shell of our lesser selves...to become people we never thought we could be...and to practice expansion in all we desire. 

This is the Year of EXPANSION! 

I'm making some huge and fearless goals. I'm chanting for strength, wisdom, and to live every breath of my life as an inspiration to others that anything is possible. Let's expand together!