PowerPrayer to Make it Happen NOW! Roooaaarrr!

Roarrrrr!

As practitioners of the Lotus Sutra, we chant the Mystic Law every single day. Intoning Nam-myoho-renge-kyo (which means: I fuse my life with the Mystic law of cause and effect through sound vibration) is a noble cause. It elevates our life condition, and the life condition and vibration of all of life. 
We chant for ourselves. 
We chant for others. 
We chant for this life and this world. 
We change our karma 
for the sake of changing the whole world's karma.  
We are the noble Boddhisatvas of the earth 
and Votaries of the Lotus Sutra. 
When we chant we TELL our lives what we want. 
We do not ask for favors from a force outside of our lives. 
We ARE Nam-myoho-renge-kyo! 
We know that the goal of our practice is to have faith like flowing water...so we chant every day, twice a day...we study...we encourage each other, introduce others and attend our SGI meetings. (Click on the link to the right to find out more about the SGI)

And....Sometimes it seems like it is taking quite a while for a benefit to arrive, or an obstacle to go away, doesn't it? Even though we KNOW the answer lies within our own karma, and in doing our human revolution, sometimes we just have to get mad at our own life and wake those Shoten Zenjin UP! 

In the February 2014 Living Buddhism Magazine
(published by the SGI-USA and available by calling 800-835-4558) one of my favorite Gosho passages appeared. In this Gosho, Nichiren Daishonin has been persecuted by the government and is being taken away to Tatsunokuchi Beach to be beheaded. On the way, he sees a statue of Hachiman, one of the Buddhist deities (which represent functions within our own lives). 

He makes the entourage stop so he can address the statue of Hachiman. (The full Gosho quote is below)

What I love about this moment in the Gosho is that he basically yells at the Buddhist God and says "you had better show your support to me RIGHT NOW because that is the pledge you made. If I die I will report you! Get to work!" Of course, after he yells at the statue, when Nichiren is taken to the beach to be beheaded, a huge orb comes out of the sky lighting up the faces of his would-be assassins, they all run scared, and he is saved from death. 

Nichiren's indignant attitude when he addresses the statue shows us we can summon our power and direct it at the forces within our life. We can all pray in front of our own Gohonzons with fury and with fire. 

PowerPrayer to MAKE IT HAPPEN!
By Jamie Lee Silver of ChantforHappiness.com

"Gohonzon! 
Shoten Zenjin! 
Life! 
SOME KIND OF WAY 
this HAS TO CHANGE NOW!!! 
I Don't know HOW to make it happen. 
I just know it HAS TO!!
Some Kind of Way! 
It is time for me to see results in these areas. 
NOW!
 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________

We can all summon this fiery attitude at the crucial moment - we are ALL dignified votaries of the Lotus Sutra, we can all command the fundamental forces that are within our lives and represented on the Gohonzon. 

Here is the Gosho passage: 

Nichiren stops at the statue and shouts: 

'Great Boddhisatva Hachiman, are you truly a god?...Now I, Nichiren, and the foremost votary of the Lotus Sutra in all of Japan, and am entirely without guilt. I have expounded the doctrine to save all the people of Japan from falling into the great citadel of the hell of incessant suffering for slandering the Lotus Sutra....When Shakyamuni Buddha expounded the Lotus Sutra, Many Treasures Buddha and the Buddhas and Boddhisatvas of the ten-directions gathered, shining like so many suns and moons, stars and mirrors. In the presence of the countless heavenly gods as well as the benevolent deities and sages of India, China and Japan. Shakyamuni Buddha urged each one to submit a written pledge to protect the votary of the Lotus Sutra at all times. Each and every one of you gods made this pledge. I should not have to remind you. Why do you not appear at once to fulfill your solemn oath? ....If I am executed tonight and go to the pure land of Eagle Peak, I will dare to report to Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, that the Sun Goddess and Great Boddhisatva Hachiman are the deities who have broken their oath to him. If you feel this will go hard with you, you had better do something about it right away!' (WND - 1, 766-67)

Great Gongyo = Immediate Great Results!

This looks like my car!

Creating financial benefits through donations is not a new concept. I first learned about it through the great Unity Minister Catherine ponder in her many books on the power of the word and the power of tithing. Giving away a portion of earnings seems to be a widely knows spiritual principle. As of this May contribution campaign I decided I would donate a percentage of my income after every paycheck. 

As you know, the SGI is a unique organization. There are no dues to pay and no suggested amounts. But some of us choose to show our appreciation for this practice through financial contributions...knowing that making this financial cause also creates a profound financial cause in our lives. I am not telling anyone to donate, or presenting the SGI as any kind of pay-for-benefit organization. That's not the way it works. Donations come from the heart. I just live my life to be an example that the impossible is possible! 

Last week after I got my paycheck I computed the portion to donate and immediately went to the SGI website and sent it. Then I began perfecting Gongyo as I mentioned in the previous posts. I now read each silent prayer until I feel it in my heart, and I start and complete Gongyo with NO interruptions (if I get interrupted I start again). I'm also chanting as much Daimoku as I can!  

All I can say is the benefits are coming and they keep on coming!

As we all know, some things are harder for some people. One of my challenges has had to do with my car. I have the sweetest car, a white Acura that my wise Stepmom Janis originally bought in 2001. It has a sun roof, a great radio, and is super reliable. I've loved this sweet little car since the day I bought it from her in 2007. It marked the day I went from a mini-van to a coup. I entered a new phase of my life. 

After 2007 I went through some challenging times, had a few anxiety attacks, and put messed up the front bumper pretty badly. The anxiety attacks are gone now...but the bumper has looked bad ever since. Fixing it has been a daunting financial challenge. Suddenly, with my new financial determination and the new way I'm concentrating on Gongyo - Boom - tomorrow or Saturday I will leave the shop with a brand new car. 

Without going into details I will just say that this came about through a bunch of things happening in the right way at the right time - and here I am - in rhythm with what I really desire. And it was easy. It had a few bumps that were really humorous too.  The estimator called and told me it would be more than he'd thought and I got so upset I locked my keys in the car with the trunk open. I actually had to crawl into the trunk to get my car unlocked....laughing all the while. And when I told the estimator what had happened (still laughing - I never got mad) he brought the price down, then my Dad and Jan offered to help with the cost!  And I have a replacement car to drive while the car is in the shop (that, of course, was one of the reasons I hadn't gotten it fixed a while ago)

So once again I see actual proof of this practice. Even something as hard for me as a car repair can "magically" happen. (I know, some people find this easy...but for me it was almost impossible) But we all know it's not magic. It's a result that has a cause. It starts every day...every single day...with morning Gongyo and fresh determinations! 

If I can make the impossible possible so can you! 

16 Tips and a PowerPrayer for Overcoming Despair!

You Can Do it!

16 Tips and a PowerPrayer for overcoming despair

It is possible to permanently change your basic state of life. I know. I did it. And I know countless other Buddhists  who have. Occasionally I may still feel sad. But I never, ever experience the sadness I used to live with most of my life. And I am not on any medication. (Not that you should just stop taking yours. Buddhism is common sense. Please chant for the wisdom to know what to do, and work with your medical practitioner if you are on medications)

Jamie’s 16 tips to rid your life of Despair:

by Jamie Lee Silver from ChantforHappiness.com

Tip #1

Chant as much as you can. 

Ask someone to chant with you!

Get support! 

Tip #2:

Study Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism. 

There are a few quotes from the Gosho I've embedded in my life: 

"Suffer what there is to suffer and enjoy what there is to enjoy, and continue chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo no matter what happens...then you will experience boundless joy from the law."

From Happiness in This World, Writings of Nichiren Daishonin 

One of my favorite quotes from Daisaku Ikeda (from the book Learning from the writings. The Hope-Filled Teachings of Nichiren Daishonin. Page 277:

"Seen from the perspective of Buddhism, 

everything has profound meaning. 

There is no need whatsoever to vacillate 

between elation and despair at each turn of events. 

There is no such thing as a storm that will 

continue blowing and wreaking havoc without end. 

In the same way, 

there is no hardship that will continue forever. 

There are clear days and there are rainy days. 

If we are swayed by our environment, 

rejoicing one moment and despairing the next 

amid ever-changing circumstances, 

then we will not be able to accomplish 

a true revolution in our state of life.

The important thing 

is to always believe in the mystic law 

and to enter the powerful orbit of faith, 

practice and study. 

Entering the orbit - the orbit of human revolution 

and of changing our karma - 

is the way to construct a life of good fortune and happiness 

that will endure throughout eternity. 

No matter what happens, 

we will enjoy the unerring protection of the Gohonzon. 

Instead of drawing conclusions about the world of faith 

from a superficial viewpoint, 

we need to calmly discern 

the true reality and significance of things 

and keep pressing forward. 

With the passage of time, 

it will definitely become clear

 that everything has unfolded 

in the best possible manner." 

When I feel despair ~ I write. I write all the sadness out. Sometimes I write to my Mom who died several years ago. I just write what I am feeling and it makes me feel better. 

Tip #3:

I take plenty of Vitamin D. For me, sometimes I just need more Vitamin D. 

Also I drink a LOT of water! 

Tip #4:

Encourage someone else! Give a stranger a Nam-myoho-renge-kyo card. Talk to someone you know about past benefits you've had. Doing this will remind you of how you've broken through in the past, and you'll gain more hope for the present. 

Tip #5:

Take a bath with salt in it...the more salt the better! 

Tip #6: 

Clean your Butsudan and altar area. The altar in your home is a reflection of your own life. When you treat it with respect, your environment and all the people in it treat you with respect. If you do not yet have a Gohonzon you can still set up an altar where you chant with offerings to your life...fruit, water, a plant, candles, and incense if you like. 

Tip #7: 

Call a true friend. And if you don't have one, see the PowerPrayer for making friends. 

This is how I made so many friends. 

Tip #8: 

As soon as you can, get back in front of the altar to chant. And don't be afraid to cry in front of the Gohonzon or while you are chanting. heck, for the first couple of years I cried all the time when I chanted. It was as if my life had to release years and years of  emotion. 

Tip #9: 

Move your body. Go for a walk! Get your energy and your blood flowing! 

Tip #10:

Study~

Read the Gosho or President Ikeda's writings! When you read these things - read them with your life. Choose a phrase or a passage and chant to realize its deeper meaning with your life. Chant to share the heart of Daisaku Ikeda. He has a heart beating with the fervent drum of Kosen Rufu (World Peace and the happiness of all beings). 

Tip #11:

Write! I write everything. It helps to clear my mind. I write fresh determinations. I write letters to my loved ones...even the loved ones who are no longer here. I write poetry. 

Tip #12:

Change “Why me?” to “Yes me!”

Change what you are saying to yourself, and the questions you are asking yourself in your mind. If your constant refrain is "Why me? How can this be happening to me again?" it is important to change that thought. Replace it with a more positive thought. You choose that thought, you have the power to choose a better one! How about "Things are getting better and better for me, I just know it...sometimes it is hard to see, but I am definitely on my way!" or "Don't give up (insert your name) it's always darkest before the dawn!" 

Tip #13:

Breathe deeply. When we are feeling low we tend to breathe in a really shallow way, and it adds to our depression to breathe this way. Sit down and focus on your breathing. Fill your body with air. Picture that air as a bright light coming down from the top of your head...slowly moving down your body as your grey depressive mood seeps out your fingers and toes. Try this. It really does work! 

Tip #14:

Smile! Go look at yourself in the mirror and smile. Look in your eyes and smile. Did you know it is almost impossible to be depressed when you are smiling?

Tip #15: 

Look up! That's right, look up. Tony Robbins, the inspirational success coach and mentor says that looking down has been proven to actually bring people down, while looking up has the opposite effect. 

Tip #16:

PowerPrayer to Rid your Life of Despair 

When you are chanting - direct your thoughts in a positive prayer:

"Gohonzon (my life itself!) 

Now is the time for me to rise from these emotions 

so I can show actual proof of the power of this law. 

NOW is the time for me 

to vanquish these feelings of hopelessness. 

I will NO LONGER allow these feelings to run my life. 

NOW I CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY! 

I am a precious child of the Buddha, 

I will not stand for these feelings anymore. I

 vow to win in all aspects of my life. 

I vow to win!"