DIS-Couraged or EN-Couraged ~ Some Quotes to Inspire

In all of our lives we sometimes experience frustration, right? We all have things we've chanted about for a long time and we think maybe they will never happen...and we face the choice of being discouraged, or encouraged. 
Let's think about those words for a moment: 

DIS-COURAGED. 
Lost courage. 
No more courage. 
Negative courage. 

We do feel this from time to time, I know. It is at exactly this point that we can put our faith to its best use. We have a unique tool. 
We have faith we can use to re-EN-COURAGE us. 

En-Courage
Filled with courage
Inner courage
In the state of courage

Much better, right? 

Daisaku Ikeda's writings always encourage me. 
In Faith in Action he writes in the section Perseverance:

"It is important to take a long range view. 
No great achievement is accomplished overnight 
or without difficulty. 
Should benefit be obtained easily, 
and without making serious efforts in our Buddhist practice, we'd probably easily abandon our faith 
and end up miserable." 
p. 145 

And he continues on the next page: 

"It is important to become strong 
and to not be defeated. 
Don't become the kind of people 
who are always depending or leaning on others 
or who weakly and timidly 
leave hard work and responsibility to others. 
Whatever obstacles you may encounter, 
please use them as a launching pad for your growth 
and keep advancing, 
bravely enduring all hardships, 
telling yourselves, 
"I'll show them what I'm made of!" 
p. 146

And:

"No matter what the circumstances, 
you should never concede defeat. 
Never conclude that you've reached a dead end. 
You possess a glorious future. 
Precisely because of that, 
you must persevere and study. 
Life is eternal. 
We need to focus on the two existences 
of the present and the future 
and not get caught up in worry about the past. 
We must always have the spirit to begin anew 
"from this moment," 
to initiate a new struggle each day." 
p. 146

I was also thinking about the wise words of my own personal mentor and good friend in faith Kate Randolph. She explained the concept of setting deadlines, and what it means to our Buddhist practice and our lives in this wise way:


"We set deadlines to motivate OURSELVES into action. 
A deadline is not for the universe to respond to us. 
We chant. 
We take action. 
The deadline comes. 
We either win or we don't. 
If we don't get the result by the deadline 
we pick ourselves right up again and redetermine. 
The goal is to never be defeated. 
Sensei always says "To win in life is to never be defeated." That does not mean that we will never fail. 
It's our spirit that matters. 
The battle we fight is not with the universe. 
It's with our inner demons...
the ones that say things like 
"obviously chanting doesn't work 
because I did not get my dream by my deadline...or...maybe I should have a different goal...
maybe I wasn't MEANT to have that thing!....
or what am I doing wrong? 
Maybe I wasn't chanting the RIGHT way!" 
It is at that juncture that we must recognize 
the opportunity to deepen our faith and our understanding of the profundity of Buddhism. 
ANYTHING that DRAINS OUR LIFE FORCE 
is the negative function. 
Any inner voice that causes us doubt and hopelessness 
IS the negative function. 
Once we decide we will win no matter what ~ 
we need only to continue. 
We've already won. 
The battle is with the negative function within. 
Ultimately, deadlines are irrelevant. 
Set them if you need them to motivate yourself. 
But decide from the onset that you will win no matter what. And hold YOURSELF accountable. Not the universe. 
If it is a crucial moment and you are in a dire predicament, financially, or health-wise, it is time to DEMAND the protection of the Shoten Zenjin. 

No prayer of a votary of the Lotus Sutra will go unanswered. If your prayer is going unanswered find out what it means to be a votary of the Lotus Sutra. STUDY. And as you are chanting DEMAND the result that you want through your prayer. Awaken to your mission and realize that all your suffering is your opportunity to encourage other people. That is what is meant by turning Karma into Mission."

Welcome Dr. Akemi Bailey Haynie! "Illness Has Been My Greatest Benefit."

Dr. Akemi Bailey Haynie is the new 

SGI-USA National Women's Division Leader. 

On Sunday, October 6th, 2013 those of us who attended the World Peace Prayer Meeting in Chicago were treated to an historic changing of the guard where our beloved Linda Johnson passed on her title as National Women's Division leader to Dr. Akemi Bailey-Haynie. Central Territory is so fortunate. Linda Johnson will remain our Women's Division Territory Leader as well as being National Women's Division Advisor. 

It was an emotional and exciting moment for Chicago. I attempted to write down every word said, but of course I missed quite a few! I can share some of them with you, but I want to let you kow these are not official or formal notes, they are my best attempt to capture what resonated with me. 

Dr. Akemi Bailey Haynie came from a poor, and difficult family. Her mother is a survivor of the Hiroshima atomic bombing and she just wrote and published her mother's memoirs in a book entitled "Winter Always Turns To Spring". This passage is taken from the Friesen Press Website: 

Sachiko Takata (Dr. Bailey Haynie's mother) was 14 years-old when an atomic bomb dropped on her hometown of Hiroshima, Japan. In an instant her world was changed. Her mother died shortly after Japan’s surrender. The devastation of war and the loss of her mother awakened in Sachiko’s heart a deep resolve to devote her life to building a world of peace where the dignity of all human beings is respected and the peril and haunting specter of nuclear war is nonexistent.

Given her experience with war, it was ironic that she would marry an American soldier, LeRoy Bailey. It was in the United States that she was introduced to Nichiren Buddhism and credits her practice of Buddhism, as well as her mentor, Daisaku Ikeda, with saving and transforming her life. Through his example, she was able to learn how to tap the innate power of her spirit to weather life’s storms; to change poison into medicine; to win over all obstacles, and to turn winter into spring.

Because of her growth and understanding of life, Sachiko Takata Bailey now thinks of August 6, 1945, as Victory Day, because the victorious and optimistic person she became emerged from the ashes and ruins of Hiroshima.

Dr. Bailey Haynie started chanting at the age of 9. She immediately became able to respond without shame when her teachers called on her. She said she has always taken President Ikeda's guidance into her life...and to be FEARLESS no matter what happens! She was a YWD leader for 18 years anda Women's Division leader for 19 years. 

She battled cancer 4 times and had 22 surgeries. Many days she chanted 3 to 10 hours a day through her illnesses. She said President Ikeda says that:
ILLNESS is not a sign of misfortune. Suffering is the fuel of wisdom - through suffering you gain insight into the meaning of life. Illness gives rise to the way. She said "Illness has been the greatest benefit of my life!"

Her life shines with victory. She lives with a dancing spirit. Dr. Akemi Bailey Haynie has her B.A., M.A., and Ph.D....all paid for by her employers, more than $300,000 in education so far. She is a trainer in the field of education who introduces President Ikeda and his educational theories on the first day of every training. She has introduced 162 people to this practice and is determined to be a winner, not a victim in all areas of her life. She's been happily married for more than 20 years to her partner for kosen-rufu and has raised two wonderful young men who both practice. 

Dr. Akemi Bailey Haynie says that our relationship with our mentor helps us perceive our own weaknesses and confront them with courage. 

How encouraging! What an historic time! 
I'll tell you, when Dr. Bailey-Haynie said "Illness has been the greatest benefit of my life" it really hit me. It put all I have been going though in new and refreshing perspective. 

Here we are, 40 days away from November 18th...it is crunch time for all of us all over the world. Let's all ring in November 18th with incredible victory. We have the tool to accomplish worldwide kosen-rufu (peace and happiness in a world with respect for all!) and to accomplish our dreams and create our own happiness. We have Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, our mentor and the SGI. 
We can do it. All we have to do is the hardest and most important thing of all...win over ourselves! How do we do that? Put our practice first, put shakubuku first, study, chant, move for kosen-rufu. I hope you all are joining with your fellow members and creating golden memories you will NEVER forget!!! 

Chant for What YOU Want. Exactly what you want.

I get letters frequently from readers who are wondering why their prayer is not being answered as fast as they would like it to be, and asking me if they should switch to some other prayer. This is a great question. 

My answer is always the same. 
Chant for what you want. 
Chant for exactly what you want. 
Only YOU can have your desires. 
Write them down. 
Clarify them for yourself.

I am familiar with relationship problems, as many of you know. And the pain of wanting someone who does not want you runs deep. I know. I know. And beneath that prayer you have a deeper prayer. You have a prayer for the deepest fulfillment in love. It is FINE to chant specifically for one person to become yours. I did it for a long time. And my prayer was answered. It was answered long enough for me to see that even beyond that person I wanted more for my life...a complete union in happiness. And I've written every word of what that means for me. And I chant for it. I am totally at peace about the process, and the whole realm of dating is changing for me. There's just no suffering involved. Wow.

Underneath all our prayers there is the deeper prayer of how we want to feel and what we want to experience. Chanting works no matter what. Chant just for what you want. Just for what you want. What would really make you happy?

You deserve the best and most exquisite happiness in THIS lifetime. CHANT to be HAPPY! Chant to be fulfilled! Chant for your most radiant self to shine through.

And as President

Ikeda says, chant naturally what is in your heart. If you are hurt or troubled...chant naturally. There is no need for pretext in front of the Gohonzon. you are the Gohonzon and the Gohonzon is YOU.

Don't give up on your dreams!!! Keep chanting, going to meetings, doing shakubuku, studying and encouraging others...what a wonderful formula for complete success!

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. 

Unique Buddhism! Some Facts about Practical (SGI) Buddhism to Share

Why do we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, and what makes this practice different than any other form of Buddhism? 

Click on the SGI Portal to the right to find out more about our organization. 

You have happened upon a practice that is very unique indeed. Some of the ways this practice is different include these points:

~ People do not have to “convert” to Buddhism to chant. Anyone can chant. It's like meditation, or yoga..it's a practice. 

~ The goal of this practice is RESULTS, also called actual proof, or benefits. In other words - you get what you chant for- or something better - as long as you do not give up. 

~ In this practice, each person is a Buddha, and possesses the entire power of the universe within their own lives. This is the awakening that the original Buddha experienced under the Bodhi tree. 

We all possess the potential for bringing forth our own Buddhahood (happiness and strength) through chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, right now, in this lifetime  ~ without having to focus on making other changes in our lives. 
~ We have a Living Mentor ~ 
Daisaku Ikeda is the President of the Soka Gakkai International. I write about him often. Several of the posts last week were on the mentor and disciple relationship. Daisaku Ikeda is an extraordinary human being that we connect  with through his writings, his speeches, his actions and through our own hearts. 

~There are no lifestyle, diet or rules of behavior and no “paths” to memorize or carefully trod. There is the keen awareness that life operates under the strict law of cause and effect, and at each moment WE are creating our lives, but most of us knew that already! FInally, by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo we have the MEANS to steer our life-craft in the direction we want it to go...not only in the direction the wind is going...

~ Desire is not the enemy. As I always say - the more desires you have the BETTER. Your desires lead you to chant...when you chant you change your karma. Each person chants for their desires from their heart. Alleviation of desire is NOT the goal of this practice.  

~ There are no clergy, no robes and no temples. YOU have direct access to the power of the universe, your own Buddha power within. No intermediaries are needed. We SGI members practice together because we grow and learn together. There are SGI (Soka Gakkai - Value Creating Organization) community centers, and many smaller meetings are held in people’s homes. We are all normal people in the world living extraordinarily happy lives.  

~ We are changing our karma every time we chant. We can change our karma. Karma is not immutable. Suffering is not "Noble", but it is part of life. The goal of chanting is HAPPINESS, not to learn to be better sufferers. 

~ We do not chant “to” anything outside of us. There is no Higher Power in this practice. When we are chanting we access our own wisdom and power as a the Buddha, or awakened one. We are chanting to our own lives. 

~The main practice is reciting the words Nam-myoho-renge-kyo over and over and over. Everyone on earth recites the same phrase. It means: "I fuse my life with the mystic (unfathomable) law of cause and effect through sound vibration"

~There are no lifestyle rules of any kind. All people...ALL people are welcome. 

~ There is no guilt, there is only the awareness of the law of cause and effect. 

And it's easy to start chanting. When I began I chanted 5 minutes in the morning and 5 in the evening, and I immediately saw results. If you click on the SGI Portal link to the right you can find members in your area. You can also email me with any questions at chantforhappiness@gmail.com

Shikha's Health Experience

I originally posted this last year, and wanted to make sure you all see it. Thank you Shikha! Please send your experiences to chantforhappiness@gmail.com

I was introduced to the practice by my sister's friend three years back.  I felt protected instantly  after chanting during some of the darkest moments . Initally like most of us, I chanted 5-10 minutes and then didn't for weeks. Thanks to some of the critical situations in life and the leaders' persistence I continued and became more active.

I have overcome a number of obstacles both from within and without during these years and have experienced many benefits (which I'll share with all of you soon).

This year in August my father, who suffers from chronic pancreatitus, suddenly got another acute attack on august 15th. After getting admitted to the hospital, his condition worsened and he was shifted to Fortis ICU for respiratory distress syndrome and acute pancreatitus. His serum amylase and lipase (indicator of pancreas) were above 1600 and the normal level is below 200. The normal PO2 level(indicator of lung function) is above 80 and his was 50. In such cases they put patients on ventilators but the doctors negligence turned out to be a benefit for us. His face used to be almost blue during those days.

This was a few days after I recieved my gohonzon and I just had complete faith that it has to be a benefit so that he has an even healthier life. Also On the same day I got an oppurtunity to be the MC for the August SGI meeting and I joyfully accepted it chanting through the night for a vibrant zadankai (meeting) and all members to be inspired. I determined to do my own human revolution by not panicing in such crisis instead giving faith and courage to my sister and mother who were clearly in utter panic.

Whenever I was in doubt, I read sensei's lecture on the gosho "The good medicine for all ills".  Josei Toda wrote,"Dont let anything shake you. Just chant with your whole life. Never lose heart. Activate the positive forces of the universe.  I chanted sincerely to change the poison in his pancreas to amrita . I visualised waving a sword of nam myoho renge kyo in his pancreas .

Papa's serum amylase and lipase- an indicator of pancreas dropped back to below 200 which is normal by august 19th i.e. within 4-5 days which was extremely remarkable .

We received protection in the form of my doctor aunt who dropped everything and came to our city  and instructed the low skilled staff of "a hospital in india " to handle his lungs better .
My sister also started chanting more seriously and started seeing results herself. His lung condition was still very weak. She chanted for papa to do spirometery exercises every hour as instructed  even though he was very weak. She chanted for him to want to get better and not give up even in the extreme condition of the ICU .

However, the infection in his body i.e. the TLC counts kept shooting up. In spite of that,  he started looking and feeling better. By the end of the week his TLC was as high as 30,000 (normal is below 11000) and the doctor in fortis said it's unbelievable that he doesn't look as sick as his reports say he is. I smiled, of course.

I read the gosho again and again. At the risk of sounding stupid to my family full of doctors, I encouraged them to read it. Sensei says, " The Buddha is likened to a physician because he teaches people the "medicine of immortality. " The medicine of immortality is "amrita". Elsewhere Nichiren daishonin says," Amrita is nam myoho renge kyo " .

Meanwhile The doctor insisted for him to get neckline since all his other veins were swollen. Now, the neckline can cause many more infections for a lung patient esp in the ICU and by then he had developed hospital aided pnuemonia. The doctor gave us one hour to decide and sign the consent form. I started chanting very strongly and within minutes one of the male nurse found a perfect vein in the arm somewhere which lasted three days.

Because of staying calm and being in a high life condition, we could decide immediately without even our mom to take him out of "A hospital in our city" to " Hospital in another city " where my aunt is an HOD. I was chanting all throughout the way. We met with many obstacles , the ambulance met with an accident , the ac didnt work  but papa's vitals didn't change a bit throughout the journey and he safely shifted to a private ward. Again, he didn't see us frown when any of this was happening, rather all he heard was Nam myoho renge kyo .

We met the best of doctors in the other city. The doctor again suggested a neck line but my sister had determined by then to not let that happen and well it didn't. His TLC i.e. the infection count came down to normal within 3-4 days. And within a week he was out of the hospital walking, talking a bit, urinating, defecating all by himself. His pancreas is damaged 40-50% but he can have a normal life with even half the pancreas. There is no damage to any other vital organ which is very good after an acute attack like this. His lung capacity is actually better than before now.  He has been a chain smoker since 50 years and he has not smoked since over a month now and has no intention of doing so. Like I said, his face is way brighter than before, and he walks twice a day by himself, eats healthy meals, has breakfast and is on the road to full recovery. My mother remarked yesterday that it was impossible to think that we'll all have a lifestyle where  no one smokes in the house and we have have fruits and breakfast on the dinner table. She said life has actually become 180 degrees better.

All this while I chanted for the medicine king buddha to manifest in his life. Leaders told me to read out the gosho" actual proof " to him during our stay and I did. I chanted for all our relatives to see actual proof through this experience. I chanted for my human revolution and to stay calm through it all. We (my sister, me and mom ) had just three small arguments through such high stress period and managed to be  encouraging and always smiling around papa. My sister and brother in law have started chanting and my brother in law already has had an experience.
I determine to keep showing actual proof through this practice and encourage each and everyone who's watching my life.

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.

The Universal PowerPrayer

I heard Linda Johnson, the incredible SGI-USA Women's Division leader talk about the Universal Prayer a few years ago. She talked about a person suffering from a jaw disease. She recommended they chant the Universal Prayer and they were able to cure their disease. I had never heard of this prayer, but I've been chanting it ever since. This is my version of it, feel free to devise your own. I like to picture every single one of you in front of your Gohonzons chanting, and feel my prayer going straight to you. I pray just like this:

Universal PowerPrayer

Every Daimoku I chant

reaches every other person who is chanting

I deepen the power of my faith by 10,000

so that all who are chanting can also deepen their faith, spread the word of this great teaching 

to those still suffering

become absolutely happy

and create a happy and peaceful world!

I chant that every single person who is chanting 

feels the full power 

sees the full power

experiences the full power

of this faith in their lives. 

I chant for all members to have faith

receive incredible 

benefits

and to know, within their DNA itself 

within every cell in their body

that this practice works!

I chant for all who are chanting. 

May my prayer increase the power of their prayer! 

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.

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! 

What's this Blog All About? How Does Chanting Work?

The following is a Passage from Julia Landis' and Jamie Lee Silver's upcoming book, The BuddhaZone, PowerPrayers for Chanting Your Way to Absolute Happiness:

As Nichiren (SGI) Buddhists we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to summon up our fathomless wisdom while steering our life-craft in the direction of our innermost desires. We chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo over and over and over again. We call this chanting Daimoku 
(Die-MOH-Koo). Daimoku means title and the title of the Lotus Sutra is  Myoho-Renge-Kyo.  The founder of this practice, Nichiren Daishonin, added to Myoho-renge-kyo  the syllable Nam which means “I devote my life to.” 

So, a brief translation of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is, 

“I devote my life to the mystic law of cause and effect through sound vibration,” or, “I am one with the very rhythm of life.”

“Myoho-renge-kyo is the name of the ultimate mystic truth, and Nam-myo-ho-renge-kyo  is the name of the life state of Buddhas who embody and reveal this truth.” 
p.28 On Attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime.

It actually becomes very natural over time to focus on a personal PowerPrayer while chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.  It is nothing more than putting your deepest fundamental wish into action. By chanting and focusing on our most cherished desire, we come to steer our lives with confidence in the direction of Buddhahood. Our lives become lives of immense creativity, wisdom and value, and most of all Love. For as we chant, rhythmically and powerfully, we exude into our environment a music that evokes our deepest, innermost  capacity and transforms any manner of poison (problem) into a medicine (benefit), and further, into a nectar (deep and absolute happiness). 

Love's Got to do with it

A PowerPrayer is infused with love. That's the source of its power. When we chant for what we really want it comes from a real love for ourselves. All love begins with self love. However, you don't have to come to this practice in a state of self-love. This practice will take you there. Chanting Daimoku will itself bring about this state in your life. As the well known writer in the personal growth movement, Louise Hay, has said at the age eighty-two, “self love is the most important thing of all.” When you love yourself, everything in your environment loves you back. Your environment is a reflection of your own state of life and connection to the source of all happiness. 

Sadly, in general, Human beings tend to project this source outside of themselves. In fact, we are most comfortable, it seems in today's spiritual culture, when we project both the source of our mystical power and, also, its recipient outside of our lives. (Everyone seems to be praying to a power outside of themselves for a person who isn't them!) A great majority of souls, and you, yourself, we imagine, have prayed with love in your heart for the happiness of someone else, invoking a power that you have come to believe is “higher” than your own life. It has become commonplace.

But how often have you prayed with immense love...
for your own life, 
for your own happiness, 
for your own well-being? 
And more importantly, how often have you prayed...
from your own life
to your own life 
for the very best things 
and experiences for you
in short, for your own happiness?

We have found that, as it has been written, if we intone our voice with Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, we can summon up great love, the kind of love that is required of us if we want to awaken to our true potential. And that is another name for Buddhas: Beings who have realized their infinitely positive wise and loving potentials.

It is our PowerPrayer that as you are reading, these words are activating within you the curiosity and courage it will take to sustain you on this journey. For the Lotus won't give its seed if one's hand is not open. It is our prayer that you open your hand in such a way that you open your mind, heart, and Life, as well. And you chant! 

Listen to the secret we whisper into your ear:

You are the Buddha of Infinite Potential. Yes, YOU are the Buddha. Your life story is one of awakening. Through chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo you will be able to solve your problems and awaken to your own Buddhahood that has always been your birthright. 

The above passage is part of the preface to the book Julia and I have been writing for you. It is almost finished and is packed with PowerPrayers to strengthen your life and your practice. 
On this blog I have written many posts for people who are interested in chanting, and I invite your questions and comments. You may email me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com. 

A Note to Us All from Sensei ~ Daisaku Ikeda

"One should not fall into the trap 
thinking that just by praying alone, 
everything will be all right. 
The true power of prayer is only manifested 
to its fullest extent 
when it is accompanied by action. 
Buddhism is a teaching of reason.
Your constant practice for yourself and for others 
will enable you to lead a true sense of fulfillment 
in the depths of your life. 
At the same time, 
you will greatly develop your life-condition. 
Such efforts in practice 
will also allow you to accumulate immeasurable benefits while setting your life on a course towards happiness. Please keep this in mind.
TO actively promote young people of outstanding ability 
to positions of responsibility, 
and allow them to give free rein to their potential, 
accords with the spirit of Buddhism. 
It is also the spirit of the... SGI, 
and it ought to be the spirit of each member-organization. The reason for this is that 
the dynamic activities of young people 
are the fundamental driving force for fresh development.
Having faith in the Gohonzon is important. 
When we as common mortals 
chant daimoku with sincere faith, 
our lives are naturally polished 
and come to emit the brilliance of Buddhahood. 
This brilliance is manifested 
outwardly 
in our daily lives 
in the form of benefits and good fortune, 
and inwardly 
as refreshing humanity, 
rich wisdom and 
vigorous life force.
LIFE is making practical efforts. 
It is challenging ourselves. 
It is advancing. 
Your youth will never come again. 
Please leave behind some achievement; 
please create something, 
as a record of your existence in this world.
By Daisaku Ikeda

Whatever You do, Don't Give Up!

The caption of this picture says: 

"When everything seems to be going against you, 

remember that 

the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it." 

Henry Ford

Yesterday I posted before and after pictures of myself. 

How did I finally lose so much weight and keep it off? 

I did not give up.

Yes, that's it, that's really it. Did I lose the weight and gain it back? More times than I can count. Did I give up? No. I fought for my victory. I fought to be able to live life free of the endless hunger. Over and over I chanted with this prayer that I got from my dear mentor Kate Randolph:

"I don't care how many times I have to come back here and chant for this victory. 
I don't CARE that it still feels impossible. 
I will WIN! 
I am the Buddha
I AM Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!
I will win not just for me, 
but for the sake of others who are suffering. 
I will win. I will win. I will win." 

And I took massive action. I tried diet after diet, scheme after scheme, exercise after exercise. And I will continue every day improving how I look and feel in my body. It is the only one I have. And I concluded that it must be my MISSION to use my victory to help others. 

What karma do you have that you could turn into your mission? Once you make the change in your determination you will open the door to fresh energy and enthusiasm. You will not bemoan your fate but see it as the gift it it. 

And every day we get the chance to begin anew. 

"No matter what the circumstances, 
you should never concede defeat. 
Never conclude that you've reached a dead end, 
that everything is finished. 

You possess a glorious future. 

Precisely because of that, 
you must persevere and study. 
Life is eternal. 
We need to focus on the two existences 
of the present and the future 
and not get caught up in worry about the past. 
We must always 
have the spirit to begin anew 
"from this moment," 
to initiate a new struggle each day. 

Daisaku Ikeda
From Faith in Action Page 466. 

PowerPrayer to Establish a Strong Buddhist Practice for Chanting My Way to Happiness!

Establishing our strong Buddhist practice will lead us to happiness for ourselves and others, and to a happier world for all. Establishing a strong practice is not "hard" or difficult to figure out. It just requires putting OurSelves, and our practice first, so that we can be more useful to the world, and HAPPY! 
Absolute Happiness is the goal of chanting....establishing such a strong life-condition that no matter what happens we are unswayed and possess strong determination. 
Julia and I wrote this PowerPrayer for you yesterday. Please give me feedback on how this strengthens your practice for the book we are writing. 

PowerPrayer to Establish 

a Strong Buddhist Practice 

for Chanting My Way to 

Absolute Happiness! 

I will do Gongyo and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo
every morning and every evening 
no matter what. 
I will no longer allow anything to stop me! 
I am establishing the strongest practice imaginable 
and I am becoming so fully resourced in self esteem 
that I fully commit to myself:
I keep my promise 
to myself 
first and foremost 
with the understanding that I can only really love/help others 
when I myself have become strong and self-loving.
And it’s very natural for me now 
to share Nam-myoho-renge-kyo 
because my life is overflowing with benefits. 

The more I chant, the more I want to chant. 
I look forward to my time with myself 
dialoguing with my own life
and discovering who I really am. 
I feel the connection more deeply every time I chant. 
I see actual proof that my self esteem is rising:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Nothing can stop me from getting to discussion meetings 
and studying SGI periodicals and books. 
I love studying because it makes me a better person. 
Study helps me to see the connection between my chanting 
and what I see happening in my life. 
What a privilege!