Inspiring Experience from Shara Gulati, YWD in India

From Shara Gulati: 

I am glad that I am able to share my delightful experience.

Chanting 'Nam-myoho-renge-kyo' has worked like Magic.

I am a masters graduate from The University of Manchester. I currently live with my parents in India. After spending one and a half years in the UK, I came back to India this year in January, to live with my family.

Looking back at the past 6 months is a nightmare.

I was extremely depressed. I have never lived idle in my life. But the struggle to find the perfect job has its own repercussions. I stopped socializing, meeting friends or anyone else with the fear that people would ask me what I would do next and I would look like a failure. I used to chicken-out of any conversation that was related to my career. Long story short, I was miserable.

Then Buddhism came into my life and things started changing.

I met a distant relative who encouraged me (I am very grateful to her)  to start chanting. Not knowing what that meant, I started searching Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and SGI Buddhism on google and that very day I felt different, I felt good, I felt like myself after a long time.

That happened and then I have another relative who is an SGI district leader, who motivated me further more and sent me two books for more knowledge.

All this happened in late July and things started turning so much better in just a month's time. 

I found an amazing woman from Quora who has been there through my thick and thin, to motivate me and keep my Daimoku strong, so strong that I can conquer anything and come out victorious.

I started chanting for 5 minutes a day which has now changed to 2 hours a day.

I could feel that I started caring more about other people's happiness too.

I have now taken full charge of my life and have stopped blaming anyone for my condition.

My friend's grandmother got extremely ill and ghospitalized sed not once but thrice. I kept my faith strong and chanted for her everyday. I chanted with the aim that she should be healthy and should get discharged by 28th Aug. Mystically, she got discharged on the same day.

My niece got diagnosed with eczema and she is just three years old. It took 5 doctors to diagnose something like that until we found out what exactly appeared on her cheeks. I kept chanting for her and also prayed that her skin condition improves by 28th Aug and miraculously the skin ailment vanished completely by then.

I have also been considering to get help from a good recruitment agency for an overseas career. I found one. My family and I got in touch with them. It took us 10 days to have faith in them and be ready to pay the amount the next day.

I chanted to be saved from any fraudulent act. I chanted that 'if the company is not genuine, I should not pay the amount the next day'. Mystically, the very next day I got up late and I forgot to ask my father to get the amount deposited. 

In the evening, one of the employees of the company, who I had been in touch with, contacted me and to quote her exact words 'I believe in Karma. I believe if you do good to others, you get things back. So I would suggest you not to rely on this company as my other colleagues stop taking calls once the candidate has paid the amount.

So mystic, isnt it?

That's the power of daimoku, that is the power of our Gohonzon.

With this practise, I am determined to report four victories by the end of this year.

"Chant abundant Daimoku and pray to the Gohonzon. Ask the Gohonzon for whatever you need. Everything will come true as you wish, and the path of kosen-rufu will open up in front of you.

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

From Jamie: 

Thank you, Shara! Thank you for your enthusiasm and determination. Thank you for submitting your experience to me. 

And to the readers of ChantforHappiness.com, please have renewed hope that you can accomplish all your dreams. 

Chant for conviction in your Buddha Nature! Chant to realize your life as the beautiful Buddha you are! 

Today I am taking my pen in hand to write down as many goals as I can for my life. What number will I achieve? 100? 200? Danny Nagashima encouraged us to do this in 1993 in San Francisco when he was the center leader there. I wrote 200+ goals and met Sensei that year. Go for your goals! Live your beautiful lives! Sending love from sunny Florida, Jamie

Change Your Attitude ~ Change Your Life!

Greetings from St. Pete Beach Florida with another beautiful sunset.
Thank you so much for your patience! I know it's been ages since I wrote something new for you from the heart. 

And, you're probably asking, what IS the key to changing our lives, Jamie? We know to chant, we know to do shakubuku, we know to study and encourage others, but what if a problem is just staying stuck, and we can't find a way out through our determined prayer? 

I faced such a moment about a month ago, regarding a situation I was in, where I REALLY THOUGHT it was the other people's fault. I knew THEY were the ones causing my suffering. (Even though, as a Buddhist, I know I create my own life, and it's a reflection of me - it really felt as if THIS problem was coming from the outside) Exactly. 

Well, thank goodness for the Buddhist concept of getting guidance. I made a call to one of my local leaders and requested guidance. She, in all her wisdom, connected me to a region leader whom I'd not met yet, and we got together at the center. It was a good meeting and we established a friendship, and she said I could call anytime. 

Establishing friendships with our senior leaders right where we are is crucial. That's why, when you write to me for guidance, I ask you to consult with your local leaders. They are there for you! Please reach out to them. They can help you challenge your problems. 

We are responsible for building these relationships through daimoku and action. We can chant to connect with a leader who inspires us. 

So, when push came to shove and my suffering over this situation was growing, I reached out to this region leader and she gently reminded me that whatever I was feeling, any suffering and frustration, was already in my life due to causes I made in the past, and the ONLY way to change the situation was to chant to change my attitude. My attitude. Yikes. I've been chanting for 33 years, and I still need these reminders from time to time, right? 

So the next morning, I woke up and chanted as if to draw fire from wet stone. I chanted that this daimoku today was changing my attitude, and I pondered what the word attitude really means. I chanted to change my energy, and to turn all my anger into love and appreciation. I scanned my body in my mind and chanted to change every cell in my body...every attitude about this problem from within. I chanted to open myself to a new possibility, and for my daimoku to have immediate results as the people around me felt my new heart, my new attitude and I proved the power of this incredible law once again! 

And, from that moment forth (hon nim myo) everything changed. Daimoku is that powerful! They DID feel my heart. Everything improved. And I started winning again, not whining! 

So now, with every problem or challenge I face, I am chanting to change my attitude...and I feel the richness and the depth of the power of Chanting nam-myoho-renge-kyo deepening more and more! 

I'm chanting, as we all are, for the youth of the world, and here in America I'm seeing the results. 

And May 3rd is only a few days away. Let's each challenge a breakthrough! Let me hear from you at chantforhappiness@gmail.com. Share your breakthroughs! 

Experience from Neelam Kumar, author of "To Cancer, With Love"

Experience—March 2018, Zadenkai

(As I publish this blog tonight, Neelam's mother has been very ill. 

Please join me in chanting for Neelam's Mother's full recovery (Jamie) 

Two years back, I was at the peak of my life’s contentment. I had faced the struggles of 23 years of widowhood bravely; had completed my duties of getting my 2 children married off; had spent more than two decades in a top position in a top company and had written 5 popular fiction books. I was all set to sit back and heave a sigh of relief when Cancer struck me with a vengeance a 2^nd time.

 I must admit, lying alone on that cold hospital stretcher, I asked myself whether there was really any purpose left to my life.  With my doting husband gone, nobody actually needed me anymore.

That day, I read Sensei’s powerful words, “Everyone born in this world has a unique role that only he or she can fulfill. Were this not the case, we would not be here. The universe never acts without cause; everything invariably has a reason for being. Even the weeds people love to loathe serve a purpose.”

Under attack, my weak body collapsed, but my spirit, forged in the fire of 12 years of Buddhist practice soared high, bright and resilient. The first decision I made was an important one. I would live--joyously and meaningfully. The second decision: I would cling to the Gosho and chant daimoku with  “ a never-say-die attitude” to get clarity of why I had been spared.

Disappointed at not finding any “happy literature” on Cancer in India, I simply decided to write one to cheer myself up. To my surprise, that book, “To Cancer, With Love—My Journey of Joy” zoomed up to become a bestseller, emerging as India’s 1^st joyous book on Cancer. More importantly, readers from all over the world began contacting me and telling me how my words had given them hope, courage and the strength to fight on.

I was taken aback by readers’ response. Cancer fighters began reaching out to me to say what a hellish state they felt they were in.

At that time I came across Sensei’s guidance: “The world of Hell is a state in which life is itself painful; where anything you see makes you feel miserable. Such people need someone—anyone—to be at their side. They need someone who will be there for them, to listen and offer even just a few words of encouragement.”  I decided I would be that person. And would use each dialogue as an opportunity to talk about Buddhism.

I had no hair, no eyelashes, no eyebrows, but to my surprise, at that juncture, I suddenly became famous! I began to be approached by newspapers and magazines for interviews. To my horror, even while I was shuddering inside like a coward at this wave of public adulation, people actually started celebrating me as a symbol of courage! I took a deep breath, chanted soundlessly and smiled. So, Gohonzon… this is the role you have in mind for me, I asked?  But I needed the strength of the strongest armor to cloak me.

So I plunged myself into my Practise. I launched on my 7^th million daimoku; never missed my gongyo even on crazily busy days; woke up early to pack in at least an hour of chanting before leaving for work; home visited and shaku bukud with immense vigour, focused on winning in all the campaigns and targets Sensei set for us. I backed all this up with solid Study, not missing a single meeting. The Block in which I was earlier, became a Shinichi district and I began to be called “Shaku buku Queen.” I do not remember a day when I have missed reading the Gosho. I am now on the second reading of Gosho 1 and Gosho 2.

Emboldened by the success of my book, I decided to write India’s first Graphic Novel—comic book--on Cancer that would cater to our rushed, deadline-driven times of short attention spans. When I learnt that the funds to create it were unaffordable, I left it to Gohonzon. Sure enough, mystically, 2 Indian legends-Mr Ratan Tata and Mr Amitabh Bachchan stepped forward to praise my writing, to fund it and ensure that I wrote my comic book for these grim times when India is sitting on a Cancer time bomb. The funds were so generous that I wrote not one but 3 books on Cancer.

What was so special about them? The fact that in each book I have described how my faith in Nichiren Buddhism has helped me overcome the doctors’ diagnosis. This, I told Gohonzon are my kosen rufu books.

The Daishonin has assured us that when we concentrate on kosen rufu, benefits pour into our lives from thousands of miles away. 

Sure enough, benefits flooded in.

In October 2017, my 88 year old mother was handed back to me from ICU. I was told that I must take her home as her crater-like, pus filled bedsore was untreatable and would not make her last more than 48 hours. I nursed her at home, pouring daimoku into her wound. 5 months later, today, her bedsore is completely gone and she is better than ever.

I began to be invited to give Motivational Talks at hitherto unimaginable places—fancy corporates, institutes and organizations. And, pumped on the power of hours of daimoku, each time I would launch on my favorite topic,  Buddhism, the moment the audience asked me—So how did you get the courage to face it?

My big benefit was, receiving a personal message from Sensei for my books.

And then came the awards—all from unimaginable places.

1.The very Convent School that had labelled me as “Wood Sitting on Wood” and predicted I would never learn the English language honored me with a Trophy for being an Outstanding Alumni.

2. The Nargis Dutt Memorial Trophy for outstanding work in the field of creating cancer awareness through my books has been another surprise.

3. This month, 2 significant awards have come my way—the Inspiring Indian Woman Award 2018 from IIW, London as well as Glenmark’s  V Wash 2018 Woman of the Year award for changing the narrative of Cancer in India from grimness to hope.

I must admit, I asked Gohonzon one day, I wish I was my younger, pretty self. I would have looked nice receiving these awards. That day I read Sensei’s words, “There is no retirement age in faith.”  Nichiren Daishonin has said about those who embrace the Mystic Law, “You will grow younger and your good fortune will accumulate.”

That day, a big company approached me for a few shots they wanted to take of me on Madh Island. I embraced the excitement of being made up and clothed by a stylist, of being asked to pose on a boat and the beach. I sank into the warm feeling of being pampered like a star.

Last week I woke up to pictures of me perched atop Bangalore’s MG Road. The 30 by 20 hoarding says—“When Cancer visited me a second time, I pulled out the mightiest weapon—my pen”

Had I ever imagined that I would be modelling at my age? That people would actually look at my photo shopped face and say—you look so pretty. And better—so young!

My heart is filled with gratitude as I realize that actually this phase of my life is not mine at all. It is for those countless Indians who draw strength from just looking at me and label me as Inspirational. This phase of my life is my actual Kosen rufu phase. In these grim times when 1,500 Indians are succumbing to Cancer each day, I am so grateful for getting the opportunity to touch a million lives with my written and spoken words and shine the powerful beacon of hope, courage and joy embodied in Buddhism into their lives.

Finally, the hurt of my 3 younger devars dispossessing me of our ancestral home after I was widowed, is healing. Finally, I am NEEDED. The stage is my entire country; its inhabitants are my kosen rufu family.

Dear Cancer, thank you for visiting me twice and revealing to me my mission in this life.

Dear Gohonzon, now I realise why my life has been spared. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to turn “poison into medicine.”

Dear Sensei, as you turn 90, I realise the magnitude of the kosen rufu I must do through my life to become your worthy disciple.

I determine to use my pen, my words, my body and each remaining breath for the eternal honor of spreading kosen rufu.

Ikeda Sensei says, “May you live in such a way

That others will say,

“She is a woman who, though ordinary,

Somehow stands out,

And has a beautiful story to tell.”

Thank you!

Neelam Kumar
corporate.lounge@gmail.com

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

Excellent Family-Karma-Changing Experience

  

Hi….this  is Surashree. I am a part of Bsg family from last year. I  belong to a small city Raipur.  My relationship with my parents  has a void as both my parents  and  grandparents  were working and  maids took care of us. As parents did not have any time I always held a grudge  against them also felt  alone and frustrated. Also from childhood I was a stubborn person and a loner who avoided  people. When I completed my schooling all these qualities surfaced even more . My sister was facing the same issues. She suffered from obesity and was always  irritable. Till date, she has no  friend. Sometimes she used to speak very harshly. And I’ve seen her crying too. My sister and I always had problems with each other.  I am also suffering from a skin disorder. Overall, We were facing deep relationship karma within the family.

The first person from our family who encountered the Nichiren Buddhism was my elder sister. She introduced my mother too.  I went to Nagpur for my Graduation. More than studies to get  away from  parents. When I was in Nagpur, Didi and Maa both started practicing Nichiren Buddhism and each time I  returned home on vacations, I always noticed some improvement in my family environment. Everyone started taking responsibilities rather than blaming each other. I saw my sister becoming calmer and mature; and my mother became more serious about the family.

Still being a stubborn person, I used to fight repeatedly blaming my parents for never having time for me. One day my mother said sorry to me for not spending much time with us. My mother told me that if you want your karma to change, accept the hard realities of my life. This is only way that move towards happiness. After this, our family bonding  grew stronger , though  She also told me about the practice, but I ignored it.

Almost  8 years after this incident, When I saw huge victories in my mothers life, I thought of giving this practice a try. I seriously wanted change in my life. I was struggling with my office responsibilities, and I was tired of being alone also  very confused about the  course of my  life . As a girl in mid 20s, I thought It is better to spend some time with the family  so in spite of others opposition I resigned from my job and returned back to my hometown. I felt very  positive  that everything will be good from here on-wards.

I'm happy to report that it was then when I started practicing. I came across lines from Sensei Ikeda, ”You must have impossible dreams and then the courage to challenge them so that you can prove the power of the Mystic Law.”  Buddhism is the mirror that perfectly reflects the depths of our lives.” Soon  I realized that I never put any efforts in my relationships. I always behaved selfishly.  It was due to my own karma that I have suffered. And Buddhism is the way through which I can change my destiny.

Gradually, My relationship with my mother became good, though my  relationship with sister and father was not that great. I determined change the relationship with my father. He  is a very calm and fun loving person. He had issues with me due to my stubborn behavior. He  always wanted us to pursue music as career as we hail from a music family. It was only  after resigning, I started working on small stage shows with my father and helped him emotionally. After sometime, he started trusting me and our relationship grew stronger.

One day while studying, I came across gosho lines from the chapter, On Prolonging Life, “One day of life is more valuable than all the treasures of the universe, so first you must muster sincere faith.”  It explained how we can have an influence on our environment by practicing Buddhism and chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. I realized avoiding  problems will not help me. So, I strongly determined few things:

First, I would no longer hold my life back through fear and insecurity.

Second, No matter what, I’ll  strengthen my faith as much as possible for which I started reading about the concepts or books related to Nichiren Buddhism as much as possible.

Third, I determine to always put the concept of “ten worlds” in my daily life and to constantly check myself not to fall towards lower 4 worlds. Anytime time if I feel I'm spending more time in any of the lower worlds, I try to pull myself out from the situation and try to work on myself to become better. Sometimes I fail, but my practice gave me the strength to try again.

Fourth, I decided that I will have no hatred or anger towards anyone. Whenever I do, I confess it front of the Gohonzon and pray to give me the strength to overcome these negative feelings. Also, If I am angry on someone or I dislike someone, I pray for his/her happiness and their Buddha nature to emerge. I’ve experienced that if you chant for the happiness of the person who made you unhappy, the environment works for you, and everything will fall into place making your situation and those relations smoother than before.

Sensei says, “Dialogue requires heart-to-heart connection. You can have dialogue in your heart with anyone anywhere at any time, living or dead. The first step to touch another person's heart is “Appreciation”. Chant to develop appreciation. The path of the Bodhisattva lies in developing and expressing appreciation. Appreciation and joy multiply our good fortune. Complaint and negativity erase it”. After reading these lines, I took my fifth determination that I will always try to do heart to heart dialogue with everyone around me. I’ll appreciate every effort made by anyone surrounding me, no matter who that person is or which community he belongs to.

It is my observation that Even if any practitioner applies simple & small concepts from the book, “Basics of Buddhism”, One will surely receive tremendous benefits, conspicuous and inconspicuous both.

I got married last year. As a newly married, I started facing adjustment issues in the new environment, which even lead to arguments between me and my husband Saurabh. The drastic lifestyle-change became a huge challenge for me.  My practice gives me the courage to see the obstacles in life as an opportunity to change my karma. Instead of blaming others, I began to feel more confident in coping with problems in life and learned to live more creatively. My life has changed and become better since I started practicing this Buddhism. My husband and I are now great friends. He helps me in household chores and other things.  sometimes,  in office or in personal lives I face difficulty  I remember  Sensei Ikeda’s words, “Even if things don’t work out the way you hoped or imagined, when you look back later, you’ll understand on a much more profound level that it was the best possible result. This is tremendous inconspicuous benefit.”

I am happy to report that Environment in my family is much better and peaceful than what it was 12 years back. We all have very good & friendly relation with each other. I determine that I'll pray for my sister’s health & happiness and I’ll struggle and change my family karma completely. I’ll win no matter what…..

Lastly I would like to thank all my district members who always encouraged me whenever I needed. I would also like to thank my husband  who always supported me . I  thank my mom who introduced me into this practice and changed our lives completely.