Daily Guidance by Daisaku Ikeda

Daily guidance by Daisaku Ikeda

WHEN we dwell in the world of the Mystic Law, 
the sun of hope continually rises in our hearts 
and we experience a new dawning of life at each moment. Kosen-rufu is an activity for the purpose 
of building a glorious land 
where shines the sun of eternal peace. 
It is a battle to rid the world of misery and unhappiness, 
and call forth the dawn of happiness and security.

OUR daily life is a constant struggle 
to break through deadlocks. 
Yet, no matter what may happen to us, 
there is no need to become pessimistic. 
Viewed from a more profound perspective, 
every problem is a test of our faith; 
it provides us with an opportunity, 
and a turning point, 
to increase our happiness 
and further advance towards attaining Buddhahood.

A mirror that is tarnished or dirty will not reflect anything. 
It must be polished. 
Chanting daimoku with faith in the Gohonzon 
is the act whereby we polish the mirror of our life. 
The Daishonin established the Gohonzon 
solely so that people could polish their lives and
powerfully manifest the Gohonzon existing within.

WINNING is not a matter of form or appearances. 
It has nothing to do with vanity. 
Nor is it a matter of simply navigating one's way
smoothly through an organization 
that has already been created.
Victory in life 
ultimately hinges on whether one has truly strived,
whether one has truly advanced.

A struggle means making strenuous, 
painstaking efforts behind the scenes, 
always being the first to take action on all fronts, 
always thinking ahead 
and being well prepared in advance, 
in order to open a sure path to victory.

Daisaku Ikeda

YOU are the Hero of Your Own Life!

"It is important to have a long-range view. No great achievement is accomplished overnight or without difficulty. Should benefit be obtained easily, without our making serious efforts in our Buddhist practice, we'd probably easily abandon our faith and end up miserable. "

Daisaku Ikeda, Faith in Action page 145, under perseverance.

Yes, even though we might not like this, it is true. We do need to have a long range view. Yesterday I wrote about my overcoming my suffering where men were concerned. I talked about a certain 4 hour tozo where I yanked the karma of suffering over men out of my life by its very roots. This whole process did not happen overnight. I had to suffer for quite some time until I finally got to the point where I could pray THAT deeply...I had to go through the pain until I was absolutely DONE with that pain. It gave me the power to pray as if I were making fire from a stone. I had to build my life to the point of RESOLVE. Pure RESOLVE. 

Each of us can get to that point in our lives. But it is a building process. I love this quote:

"Buddhism teaches us that the individual writes and performs the script for his or her own life. Neither chance nor a divine being writes the script for us. We write it, and we are the actors who play it. This is an extremely positive philosophy, inherent in the teaching of 3,000 realms in a single moment of life. You are the author and the hero. To perform your play well, it is important to pound the script into your head so thoroughly that you can see it vividly before your eyes. You may need to rehearse in your mind. Sometimes it helps to write down your goals, copying them over and over and over until they are inscribed within your heart. 
Daisaku Ikeda, Faith in Action, page 35, under Goals. 

So we need to persevere and trust our process. 

Sensei says:
'Because life is long, you should not be impatient. What matters most is that you embrace the Gohonzon throughout your life. It is vitally important to continually challenge yourself to chant even a little more daimoku and to pray before the Gohonzon for the fulfillment of your desires."
Faith in Action page 145. 

Our daily practice provides the building blocks and the foundation for us to be strong in difficult times. As I have mentioned I have a difficult time going on right now, as do many of you. The important thing is for us all to keep persevering, keep studying, keep encouraging others and keep taking action in our lives! 

Last night we had a wonderful hour tozo (chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo) at my house and spent some time in discussion of our benefits and challenges. How I love my Gakkai family. I hope each of you are etablishing loving Gakkai families in your lives. You can click on the SGI portal on the right to be connected, or email me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com and I will do all I can to help. 

Four Reasons Practical Buddhists are so Happy

Why are Practical Buddhist so Happy? 

What is so special 

about this twice-daily practice 

of chanting 

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo?

What do I mean by "Practical Buddhist?"
True 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. We encourage each other and attend Soka Gakkai meetings.  We introduce others to the practice because we are delighted with the results we see in our own lives from chanting. 

We are known by several names:
SGI Buddhists (there are different names in different countries)
Soka Gakkai Members ~ SGI Members
Practical Buddhists
Nichiren Buddhists  ~ (although we follow the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin, I don't use this name because there are Nichiren Buddhists who do not practice with the SGI)

Reasons we are so HAPPY ~

1. Our Happiness is not based on our happiness alone. And 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. But when we chant, we do not chant to be happy for the sake of happiness itself. No, we chant to be happy so that I can prove to others that happiness is a choice, and that 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!"

(I just had my high school reunion. And I am clearly an incredibly different person than I was those many years ago. Because of this practice I have confidence. I glow. I was most excited about the fact that one of the classmates I respect the most is married to a Practical Buddhist who reads my blog every day. My ability to use my happiness and determination to help and inspire others IS my greatest happiness!) 

2. We KNOW we have the POWER, and the TOOL to overcome our own negativity ~ and raise our "Life Condition" and become happy!

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" in our minds telling us we can't do it, that we aren't strong enough and who do we think we 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. 

Whether we have studied eastern religions or not, we are all familiar with karma no matter what name we call it. Karma is passed down from one generation to another. Karma is reoccurring problems...you know the odd way in which people marry one person, move on to the next and have the exact same problems crop up. 
Karma is nothing to be afraid of. It is only 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. 

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 concept I love 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. 

Note: Chanting is a courageous practice, and keeping on target and maintaining practice can be a challenge. I am offering personal coaching by phone or skype. Email me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com to find out more. 

How is Our Practice Different from the "Law of Attraction" or The Secret?

I received a question from a reader asking how our Buddhist practice is different from the law of attraction, and wanting more clarification about the Gohonzon. 

I am very familiar with the law of attraction. I have read the Secret and I attended many talks by Abraham (Esther and Jerry Hicks) and I DO believe that what we focus on is very important. 

We need to focus on what is positive, and what we want to bring into our lives. The thing the Secret is missing is any recognition of karma, and a consistent practice to elevate each person's vibration. Every day, by chanting, we elevating our life-condition. We intone the rhythm of the name of the universe itself, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, meaning: I fuse my life with the mystic law of cause and effect through sound vibration.

Let's face it, some things are easier to change than others, right? For some things you can just focus on them, watch how others are accomplishing them and just make the change and make it happen. Other things, well...they could take years; they are more embedded karma, but they CAN be changed with this practice. 

Without the tool to tap into the source vibration itself and elevate our life condition, some of the things we want to change may never change. This is why we chant. And we receive actual proof every day that this practice works! 

We know that changing our karma is not easy. That's why we chant twice a day - every day! We fight to change our karma. We know that we must not just change our own karma and become happy for ourselves ~ but we also are in the daily process of helping others achieve happiness too, and spreading the word of the mystic law. If the law of attraction by itself really worked for all people, wouldn't everyone who focuses on what they want already have achieved their goals? 

As we know, Karma is the sum total of all our past deeds of every lifetime we have ever lived. Karma is not our FAULT, we are not bad people for having karma. We all have karma. SGI Buddhism tells us we don't have to spend lifetime after lifetime paying our karmic debt. We can change it right here, right now by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and challenging ourselves in faith, practice and study. 

What does this mean? It means that we get out of chanting what we put into it. The Gohonzon is a mirror of our lives. It is the vast sonic mirror that reflects the highest potential life condition, the life condition of Nichiren Daishonin, the Buddha who was predicted to be born in the Latter Day of the Law and teach us all the correct Buddhist practice for our time. After studying and researching for years, Nichiren realized that the title of Shakyamumi's highest teaching, the Lotus Sutra, was the correct practice and he began chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo in the 1200s in Japan. He inscribed the Gohonzon to enable people to bring out the highest state of life within each person. 

Even though the Gohonzon, the scroll we face when we chant, is our object of worship, we are not praying TO it. Since the Gohonzon is depicting our highest life condition, it is actually within all of us. We chant to bring forth the wisdom, the energy, the Buddhahood we ALREADY possess. 

When we chant we are chanting to our own life, our own essence, our own Buddha nature. We don't chant to Buddha! We chant to our own highest selves...deeper than our subconscious minds...the part of us that is connected to the whole universe. It is, of course, impossible to explain and must be experienced. If you are reading this blog and haven't experienced chanting you need to chant to feel it. 

When I started, I chanted 5 minutes every morning and 5 minutes every evening, and I went to SGI meetings to learn more.  I had a "seeking spirit" and felt I was onto something. 28 year later I am still "onto something" and live my life to help others tap into the power within themselves. When we live this way life is an incredible joy...and all our problems FUEL our happiness! To find a meeting in your area, click the SGI Portal on the right. 

What is the Gohonzon?

This is from the SGI-USA.org Website. I am posting this in answer to a question I got today about the Gohonzon. More clarification is in the next post as well:

The Gohonzon is the object of devotion, in the form of a scroll, that practitioners of Nichiren Buddhism enshrine in their homes and is the focal point of their daily practice of morning and evening sutra recitation and chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. (Go means "honorable" and honzon, "object of devotion.")

"This Gohonzon is the essence of the Lotus Sutra and the eye of all the scriptures," Nichiren Daishonin states. "It is like the sun and the moon in the heavens, a great ruler on earth, the heart in a human being, the wish-granting jewel among treasures, and the pillar of a house" ("On Upholding Faith in the Gohonzon," The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 624).

In the center column of the Gohonzon are the characters "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" and under that, "Nichiren," surrounded by various other Chinese and Sanskrit characters that depict historical and mythological Buddhist figures. Together they represent profound philosophical principles and conditions of life.

Like a musical piece or a painting that reflects the life-state of the person who created it, the Gohonzon reflects Nichiren's life-state: Buddhahood. It is not merely a symbol, or something to focus on while chanting. Since it embodies the state of enlightenment, Nichiren's life, it is the actual reality of the Buddha's life. It is the link between the Buddha state within ourselves and in the environment. It is an instrument to see our true potential and use it. Therefore, by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to the Gohonzon, we call forth our own Buddhahood, tapping our inherent wisdom, compassion and life force. Gradually, day after day, our own life-state is influenced and strengthened through our daily practice to the Gohonzon.

SGI President Ikeda states, "Just as a mirror is indispensable for putting your face and hair in order, you need a mirror that reveals the depths of your life if you are to lead a happier and more beautiful existence" (My Dear Friends in America, p. 94).

Nichiren cautions: "Never seek this Gohonzon outside yourself. The Gohonzon exists only within the mortal flesh of us ordinary people who embrace the Lotus Sutra and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" ("The Real Aspect of the Gohonzon," WND-1, 832). In other words, our faith and practice make the Gohonzon an external stimulus to awaken our internal life of Buddhahood.

PowerPrayer for Winning No Matter What

Midwest Sunset

PowerPrayer for Winning - No Matter What!

I will win, 
I will WIN
I WILL WIN!
No matter what
by forging my steel-like determination

Each Nam-myoho-renge-kyo
strengthens my life 
and casts away my worries

No matter how daunting 
my situation may become
I will never give in
something deep in my heart has changed.

I will win over________________________________
I will achieve victory in_________________________
I will not give up on___________________________

I will report victory in__________________________

And I will not give up!

I am definitely going to win
I am absolutely going to make it happen!

PowerPrayer for Doing Shakubuku ~ Introducing Others to this Practice

Our lives blossom when we introduce others to this practice. (Shakubuku)

Shakubuku is easy, not hard. There are so many people who are seeking the solution to their problems. There are so many who are suffering with no solution, but look at us... We know we can transform any poison into medicine. We are changing our karma right here, right now. I do shakubuku out of compassion for those who are still searching.

I looked for this practice for the first half of my life. I knew it HAD to exist. I kept finding practices that said my desires were the cause of my suffering...and that I somehow had to stop desire in my life and I kept looking. Somehow I KNEW that my desires weren't bad...that they were a part of me, a lovely, beautiful part of me. And I have been so grateful for the last 29 years to be able to chant and sing the story ~ CREATE the story of my life.

So everywhere I go I bring cards. I made them myself but you can usually buy them at the SGI Centers. I have the words Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and the phonetic pronunciation. They also say: Chant these words and become happier than you ever imagined, and have my blog and the contact info for the Chicago Center are on them. I have cards with my own contact information on them too.

I hand people a card, even if I've just met them for a moment at a store, or in line somewhere. 

I say "I just have to let you know about this - Have you ever heard of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo? This is truly amazing. When you chant these words and think about what you want you become happier than you ever imagined."

And if they are interested and want to know more I answer their questions. I usually say something about this being something they can do no matter what religion they are, and that they get to keep  - and chant for - their desires.
I usually mention a recent benefit too! 
Everyone says Thank You!
Almost NEVER does anyone respond negatively. 
And with each person I am planting a seed. It might not sprout now, but it might sprout when the NEXT person tells them, or when a family member starts chanting.  At any rate it it a great cause for YOUR life too!

It all starts with Daimoku.
I chant this PowerPrayer to meet the people who are seeking this practice.
There are Bodhisatvas out there who made the vow to return at this time to prove the power of this law, but they haven't found it yet. YOU can be the one who helps them live out their vow.

PowerPrayer for Shakubuku 

(to introduce others to this practice) 

When you are experiencing benefits and your life is glowing like the sun, you will naturally want to share your secret with other people. 

Simply put, Shakubuku means sharing Nichiren Buddhism with others. From the Japanese, it means “to clear away illusions that prevent one from recognizing the ultimate truth or reality.” This truth is that we are all Buddhas. Every time you share Nichiren Buddhism with others you are doing the work of the Buddha, in helping others to attain happiness by realizing that they are Buddhas, too. Each time, you bring people one important step closer to knowing who they are and their absolute happiness.

Life,

Bring me the people who are ready to hear about 

this practice.

Let me meet the people who want to practice right now!

Give me the courage to tell them about it

and the heart and wisdom to touch their lives.

Give me the confidence that 

every time I share Nam-myoho-renge-kyo

I am a planting a seed

and no seed is wasted.

Each seed is a profound cause

for my happiness

for their happiness

for Kosen Rufu.

PowerPrayer for Chanting for Loved Ones Having Troubles

I know that I am not alone in being concerned for those I love who are facing difficult times. I know there are many of you who are also chanting for your loved ones. These PowerPrayers are from my upcoming book The BuddhaZone, PowerPrayers for Chanting for your Absolute Happiness:

PowerPrayer for a Loved one having trouble

(male version, female version to follow)

I Surround                

(my child/husband/father/friend, etc)

with bright and healing energy.

I send Daimoku

deep into his life,

his DNA

and every cell in his body

I Protect him from all of his lower tendencies 

and help him to see his brilliant self.

Awaken his Buddha 

Awaken his hope!

Awaken his determination! 

Awaken his mind to his brilliant mission!

Surround him with powerful protection.

I'm determined that this problem will be the catalyst that will turn poison into medicine for  ________! 

My prayer alone will make this happen!!!

PowerPrayer for a Loved One Having Trouble

(female version)

I Surround                

(my daughter/mother/friend, etc)

with bright and healing energy.

I send Daimoku

deep into her life,

her DNA

and every cell in her body

I Protect her from all of his lower tendencies 

and help her to see his brilliant self.

Awaken her Buddha 

Awaken her hope!

Awaken her determination! 

Awaken her mind to his brilliant mission!

Surround her with powerful protection.

I'm determined that this problem will be the catalyst that will turn poison into medicine for__________! My prayer alone will make this happen!!!

Tips for Chanting a Million Daimoku! Join Us and WIN in your Life!

I'm receiving so many emails from those of you who are joining this WorldWide Million Daimoku Campaign! It is not too late to join! You can chant as much as you can every day. I am chanting at least 2 hours a day and my goal is to have chanted a million Daimoku (Nam-myoho-renge-kyo) by the end of the year. That works out to be 2 hours a day for me. But you can join us no matter what. The important thing is to have a chart - you can make your own with 300 spaces (each equals an hour of chanting) and write your goals. You can end your campaign whenever you want. That's it! 

If you want to join the Campaign send me an email at chantforhappiness@gmail.com and you can send a picture of yourself and let me know your goals if you wish. I am chanting for all of you but YOU are the Buddha and your prayers are the ones that will generate the breakthrough for you! Dream big! And set goals you will achieve by November 18th too!

A reader wrote in and asked what to do about falling asleep while chanting.  She said she works all day and is really trying to chant two hours a day. My answer is this: I don't know your exact schedule or each of your lives, I can only say that Buddhism is common sense, and your body does need to sleep. Chant as much as you can, and chant to have the kind of life where you can easily chant as much as you wish. In the meantime DO get enough sleep, and take care of what's important. Just make every Daimoku count to help you create the life you want to be living. 

And do tons of shakubuku! It's easy!
Here's how:
I chant to meet the people who most want to practice. I chant to meet the seekers, and those who are ready to get the Gohonzon. I know the rules are different in every country for getting Gohonzon - so I can't say much about the rules in your area for that...but I can say that every person you encourage to chant will change YOUR karma, and theirs, and the world. So be fearless, people want to hear about this practice. 

Send me your questions and I will do my best to answer. 

Sending my love to all my fellow Million Daimoku friends! 

How to Stay Focused as Your Chant for Longer Times! Tips for Chanting A Million Daimoku!

When I first began chanting a leader told me our lives and our karma can be compared to a glass with dirt at the bottom...the dirt represents the karma that exists inside our lives. She said when you start to chant you stir up that dirt and see it swirling around...and if you want to really dig deep and clear it out, you might want to chant for a goal with a set amount of time you chant per day...to do a Million Daimoku Campaign we call it. 

I know many of you have joined our Million Daimoku Campaign to chant a million Daimoku by the end of the year and realize VICTORY in our lives by November 18th. 

A reader requested I share some ideas about chanting joyfully, and with concentration - especially since so many of you are challenging yourselves to chant for longer periods of time. Thank you for asking.

How to joyfully chant for longer times.

1. Realize that what you are about to do...chanting longer than usual, for many days - and accomplishing a million Daimoku...has profound significance for your life. Give yourself credit for this worthy goal, and set a chanting time goal for yourself for each day. 

2. Write your goal or goals! (Some of these goals may occur to you naturally as you're chanting) Write yourself a Power Prayer connected to the greater good...to the real difference you want to make in the world. 

Remember that you are a precious votary of the Lotus Sutra and when you break through, the energy is forever changed. You are paving the way for others to break through. 

So address that in your goals and in your chanting For instance: 

"I am determined to have the most beautiful, loving relationship so that I can totally inspire other people that great relationships are possible ...I can show actual proof with my life, and be able to introduce others to this practice!" 

President Ikeda's guidance says you can chant to have 10,000 times more power in your prayer. So I usually dedicate some time to chanting to increase the power of my daimoku by 10,000 times! 

3. Have your favorite drinks close by...tea...water...soft drinks...whatever you like. 

4. DEMAND your results! YOU are the Buddha! Do not beg favors from a 'higher power." Remember the Gohonzon cannot get down off the scroll and do the Buddha's work in the world. YOU actually are the Gohonzon; it is inside your life. The scroll is a reflection of the highest life condition that exists within your own life. So when you are chanting CLAIM what is yours! Yes, the Gohonzon consists of the functions in the universe that are in our lives. Tell your life what you want. And know that all real change comes from within.

5. All change comes from within. Take responsibility for your life...not blame. Realize whatever you are going through, whatever is causing you to chant...it's your karma..not your FAULT. Chant to reach the very core of that karma and change it forever. THEN your life circumstances and environment will change to reflect it. You don't have to figure out the deeper cause, don't worry about getting it right. Chanting is experiential, not an intellectual exercise.  

6. Keep your favorite study material close by...whatever touches your heart when you read it. And if you find yourself losing focus open it up to any page you want. I have "For Today and Tomorrow" next to me right now. I just opened it for you right now...I read "When we chant sonorous daimoku, the sun rises in our hearts. We are filled with power. Compassion wells forth. Our lives are lit with joy. Our wisdom shines. All Buddhas and Buddhist deities throughout the universe go to work on our behalf. Life becomes exhilarating." Read your passage and get right back to chanting!!!

7. Invite others to chant with you!

8. Have pen and paper handy. You'll want to write down those brilliant ideas that come into your mind while you're chanting. You'll also want to write down some of those pesky thoughts and reminders that keep coming back...things like "remember to buy dog food." Just write it down and eject it from your brain so you can focus on what really matters.

9. Put your telephone away. Tell people you are busy. 

10. After you chant write in your journal. Write to me too. I love to hear your successes and your challenges. 

11. Expect some obstacles to arise after your tozo. And just say "Hello obstacles! I was expecting you!" When you take on the mission to chnge your karma for yourself and others you can compare it to turning your speedboat to HIGH. The faster you go, the more resistance you feel. 

Above all - Don't give up! You CAN change your problems into benefits. You ARE the Buddha! 

Thank you SOOOO much for spreading the words about this campaign to chant 2 hours a day between now and the end of the year and realize victory on November 18th. Thank you for sending the link chantforhappiness to everyone! 

I am chanting for you to accomplish your goals and shine with happiness. 

Thank you SO much for sending me testimonials about the use of PowerPrayers in your practice. 

I am using these in my book proposal. 

If you are using the PowerPrayers please let me know how they are working for you! Email me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com

I'd love to hear from those of you who have connected to the SGI through my blog!
I am sharing your stories with Daisaku Ikeda, Sensei. 

Need A Job? Want to Change Jobs? Chant with this PowerPrayer in Mind~

The Beautiful White Lotus - Symbol of our Lives. 

The Lotus blossoms and seeds at the same time, signifying the law of cause and effect. The exact second that we make the cause - ANY cause - the effect is already there in our lives and will manifest. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the best cause we can make for our lives...along with doing shakubuku - introducing others to this practice. 

I have been enjoying our million Daimoku Campaign and chanting two hours a day. Yesterday a family member found an item of mine that had been lost for four years...my extra set of car keys with the remote opener attached. 

I opened the trunk of my car with one click for the first time in sooo long! 

I didn't have to unlock the car door with the key, lean down to the floor and hit the switch. I know, it might not seem like such a big thing to you, but it is delightful to me! I would have replaced the lost key years ago but that little gizmo costs about $130 and I just couldn't bring myself to pay that much for something so small!

 And I know that's just the tip of the iceberg as far a benefits that are accruing with the determination to chant two hours a day. Yesterday I heard the perfect guidance (I shared it in yesterday's post) And I have overwhelming confidence and hope in all areas of my life. 

I have time to chant for everyone, and to really dig deep into my own karma. It's not too late to join the million Daimoku Campaign. Come along with us! See the previous posts to learn how and email me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com! A million Daimoku is 300 hours - with goals!

Here is a PowerPrayer from our upcoming book for you. In reality, what is really necessary when chanting for a job is to chant for the best job for your life, and the best job for kosen-rufu! We've found the following PowerPrayers helpful too:

Confidence, Job Creation Power Prayer

All the Best is coming to me now. 

The best job of my life joyfully emerges right now. 

I now attract all that I need. 

All the right people, resources, connections and opportunities are flowing my way, at just the right time and I am ready for them! 

I have confidence in my own life

I am determined to keep my spirits up. 

I am determined to stop any negativity from coming into my mind. 

As I am chanting, everything is lining up so that I find work that uses all my talents, and pays well with benefits. 

I am determined to be around people whom I appreciate and respect and who appreciate and respect me!

I am determined to show actual proof of the power of this practice through my own life!

In order to help crystalize your desires, write a list of your talents and goals below regarding your dream job:

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Making a deadline galvanizes you prayer and helps it manifest ~

If the deadline passes, make a new one and keep chanting no matter what! 

My Do-date ___________________________________________________

Power Prayer to Reveal my True Self and create the Profession that uses ALL my talents:

Today, I am willing to discard everything that no longer serves me. 

I discard all doubt, negativity and any feelings of not being good enough or not knowing what I should do.

My mind is becoming crystal clear. 

I am determined to be full-filled in every possible way, and to utilize every single one of my skills

joy

and potentials. 

I am in an organization that is thriving with self-fulfilled individuals living their passion every day.  My professional environment reflects my true identity, my real, magnificent self, and is filled with appreciation and love. I am richly compensated.

I am DONE with the karma of being unappreciated. I permanently root that pattern out of my life.

I permanently wash doubt and negativity from my life. I don't care how many times it arises. Each time I feel doubt I will chant and chase it out of my brain like the fierce lioness I am. 

I can already feel the excitement of my new full-filled professional life!

Actual Proof ~ Experience of Faith

When you actually accept your karma, 

and are dedicated to changing it - 

you can make the impossible possible. 

Here's an experience of actual proof:

My Life Changing Experience - from a reader in India

I encountered Nichiren Buddhism in June 2012. I was introduced to this practice by one of my dear colleagues when I was under deep depression. My marriage was breaking down. I was completely hopeless and had been crying from months. As guided by my senior leaders, I started chanting for my husband and my 3 yrs old son’s happiness. I was facing challenges on a daily basis and used to feel very weak and victimized. 
Due to this personal challenge, my performance at work also went below acceptance level. I continued chanting. More information started getting revealed which was hidden for the past 5 years of my marriage. I was intensely hurt. My husband declared several times that we must get mutually divorced as I am no longer happy with him and our situation will never change. He seemed not bothered about me and our son. I always felt betrayed.
After a month, courage started building up somewhere deep inside me. And when things got above my tolerance level, I moved out of my husband’s house along with my son.
 I shifted to my parent’s house in another city. There I joined the local BSG community. My leader guided me to pray for my high life condition. I continued chanting for long hours. My desire was to be with my husband ~ however not at the cost of my self-respect. I wanted him to value us. I blamed him for my pain ~ deep wounds in my heart created lots of negativity inside me. I had even developed the fear of talking to my husband on the phone. Even his name was giving me sleepless nights. However, I didn’t want to leave him. I cared for him, but his rejection made me feel powerless and helpless.
I prayed for my Buddha nature to emerge. I started studying and taking part in kosen rufu activities. Slowly I developed acceptance that this is my karma and my environment is a mere reflection. The Buddhist concept of cause & effect gave me power. The emotional baggage started going away when I took responsibility for problems and my own life. I determined "I will change my situation." I will exert in my Buddhist practice and will make all the right causes to manifest the future I desire.
My regular daily practice of gongyo and abundant daimoku gave me calmness and courage. I was a happy person again. I was changing at a fundamental level, as if all my deep rooted sorrows (since childhood) was vanishing. Years of pain were vanishing. Earlier I used to get affected by every little thing, I was so emotionally weak. But now I was much stronger.
In the first week of November, I decided to find a job. I prayed sincerely to get a job by November 18th and made all the efforts through various job portals. I started my new job on November 18th with exactly the salary package and job location I chanted for. My faith strengthened and I felt blessed and fortunate to have this Buddhist practice with me. This was my first conspicuous benefit.
In February 2013, I was presented with a mutual consent divorce paper from my husband.  My family also agreed on this. But my ichinen was different. I cried to the Gohonzon that I do not want this divorce and want to work on our relationship with this new courage and for my son’s future. Mystically the next day my father refused for this divorce to happen. It gave me relief. When we refused to accept this divorce, my husband could not do anything about it. I started feeling powerful. Before that my decisions were focused on what others wanted or did not want. I never had the courage to refuse and say what I wanted. This practice made me a courageous person.
Although the decision of divorce was averted, there was lots of negativity between me and my husband. I then determined to change this poison into medicine. I earnestly chanted for his happiness. I prayed to over come my fundamental darkness and undergo my human revolution. Within weeks I dropped all the negativity from my heart and was fearless and compassionate enough to have a dialogue with him. I was praying consistently and doing kosenrufu activities. One day my father suddenly called him up and asked us to initiate the talk. That day we spoke for 3 hours. I could feel that through my prayers, negativity was not only removed from me but also from his end just like a mirror's reflection.
May 3rd was approaching; I determined to gain my complete victory as a real Kosenrufu person.
In May 2013, we had series of healthy dialogues and we decided to work on our relationship for the future of our son. I finished my pending assignments at work and came back to my husband’s house in June 2013. 
Our relationship is much better than ever. Our son is really happy to see his happy parents around. We are the same and there are Challenges. But fundamental changes in me through my Buddhist practice makes me realize how beautiful life is. I have learned to identify problems for what they truly are – They are opportunities to grow and actually make your life even better.
I pay my sincere gratitude to all my senior leaders and friends in Sokka Gakkai for supporting me through out with their prayers and guidance. 
I have accomplished my Human Revolution, changed my karma and fulfilled my various wishes.


I want to mention some key learnings I had during my struggle:
No matter what problems are daunting us today. They are going to change. We must accept them and understand that we are responsible for our own problems. We can only change them. Making others responsible for our problems make us feel powerless.
We must earnestly pray till the end. Some problems take more time to change. But through our prayers, life will always get unfolded in the best possible way. 
The combination of faith, study and practice always yields results. Study increases our wisdom about life and gives us right direction. It helps us remain stronger in adverse situations.
Kosenrufu is very crucial part of our practice. When we lift somebody else’s life, we lift our lives at the same time. Kosenrufu is a vow we took as the bodhisattvas of the earth.
It is our duty to do it till the end.
Transforming your life through Nichiren Buddhism is a process. It doesn’t happen overnight. It is a struggle. It starts with our own Human revolution. We must chant to make changes in ourselves  first. The changes in our environment are eventually reflected.
Prayers must be based on our own ichinen. With our profound wisdom and high life condition gained through chanting, we must take actions in the direction of our ichinen and not opposite to it. No matter who says what.

I hereby dedicate my new life for KosenRufu. 

Thank you

Linda Kay's Experience ~

I am relatively new to chanting, having only been at it for about 3 months now. I was introduced to it during a time in my life when I was searching for a way to connect on a deeper level with what I call the “mystical.” Having meditated for years, I found myself looking for new and different ways to connect to the “powers” that exist deep inside me, and that are present in my daily life.

My first experience at a district meeting filled me with an energy and deep appreciation for the others in the room.  I found myself experiencing a similar “energy” or vibration when I chanted at home and over the recent month, have committed to chanting twice a day.

Back in March of this year, I lost my job at a clinic where I was a director. Desperate and fearful, I sent my resume out for every job that even “sounded” like a possibility. Then I was introduced to chanting. 

A new job quickly surfaced. Actually, several opportunities quickly surfaced, and I was called for interviews for the majority of them. One company contacted me, flew me out for an interview and made an offer within several days.  I was thrilled to be working again, and I chanted in deep appreciation and gratitude.

Within the first few weeks I began to feel something was terribly wrong with my job. First of all everyone was under such tight deadlines and pressure that they yelled at each other. The owner of the company was receiving chemo therapy for colon cancer during the day, but working till 2:00 am on projects once she got home. The company overpromised each and every client. 

I was under deep stress and found myself almost having an “out-of-body” experience just to cope. The stress and work never stopped. I would wake up at 6:00 am to do work before the day started, and work until 10:00 pm to get caught up. Finally, after working each weekend, I asked another employ on  Sunday about working weekends and was told that “we are expected to be on call 24/7 7 days a week.”

I began to panic and feel very sick. I began to chant earnestly for help, happiness and good health. I can remember coming to one of the meeting, feeling less-than human, but leaving feeling like my old self again. 

One day, barely a month into the new job, I was so stressed that I began to have heart palpations. I thought about calling my doctor but knew that she would want me to go to the emergency room. I had too much work to do, and could not make the time. 

The next day I was fired. 

I know that my chanting protected me. I believe that my job loss was a gift and I am now chanting in deep appreciation for the help, my happiness and good health. 

I have several new job opportunities, and am expected by end of day to commit to one of them. I don’t think that I will take it. I am chanting for something much more than just a job, I am chanting for my own legacy – and while this job will certainly pay my bills, it is nothing more than that, a job that will pay my bills. 

I have two other jobs in the “hopper”. Both of them are exciting and what I am trained and love to do! I think I will hold out for the full-deal, and I am chanting for strength and courage while these opportunities come forward. 

I hope that you learn something from me sharing my experience, I certainly have learned so much from each of you when you share yours.