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!
I am so grateful for yesterday's Gosho study. Even though I have been practicing for almost 30 years, I still need refreshers in faith too.
We are all Buddhas and we are all learning together in our precious SGI.
I have had a lot of obstacles of all kinds over the last few weeks. Yesterday I studied the August Gosho with an open heart and one thing just sprang out at me. I have always known that the three devils and the four obstacles arise as evidence that we are practicing correctly. Now I realize I have summoned them.
They are natural functions (fundamental darkness ~ not actual devils) that arise as a reaction to our positive actions for Kosen Rufu (World Peace). Obstacles HAVE to arise from our lives so we can clear this fundamental darkness away and reveal our own Buddhahood.
The Gosho is called "The Three Obstacles and Four Devils" and was written in November of 1277 to the youngest Ikegami Munenega after his brother had been disowned by his father for his faith in Nichiren Buddhism.
President Ikeda says these things about obstacles:
Though we speak of the "three obstacles and four devils" appearing, no one wishes to have to face adversity.
That is surely a natural human reaction.
But Nichiren says that
the appearance of the three obstacles and four devils
is a source of JOY.
How could that be? It doesn't seem possible.
But it is, in fact,
by overcoming the steep hills and inclines of obstacles
we can forge our lives
and ascend the summit of Buddhahood,
where we can savor the sublime vista of
eternity, happiness, true self and purity."
He goes on to say:
"We need to "own" them as something we ourselves have summoned up...we are in charge, we are the protagonists...the struggle against the three obstacles and four devils is indeed a great joy."
President Ikeda goes on to say:
"As Nichiren Daishonin writes: "When a tiger roars, gales blow; when a dragon intones, clouds gather" (The Workings of Brahma and Shakra," WND-1, 799) When we adopt this attitude ~ "I summoned this storm!" ~ our hearts will be filled with the bright sense of hope and purpose." (All quotes from the August Living Buddhism, pages 21, 22)
OKAY! I summoned my obstacles and problems. I get it!
Now I am redetermining to vanquish them and starting a new Million Daimoku Chart. You can download a Daimoku Chart for yourself at
http://daimokucharts.org/
I am starting today. I am determined to chant a million Daimoku by the end of 2013, and I have many goals to fulfill by November 18th ~the day we open the new castle for Kosen Rufu in Tokyo - The SGI World Headquarters. There are 300 hours in a Million Daimoku Campaign.
That averages to chanting 1 1/2 hours a day to finish One Million Daimoku by the end of the year, and three hours a day to finish by November 18th. I don't know if I can commit to three hours a day, but I will definitely finish by the end of the year or sooner.
I am making a long list of what I plan on overcoming and I can share a couple of highlights with you:
I am determined to live a courageous life and overcome fear in any of its forms.
I am determined to live my absolute best life each and every day...to chant strong daimoku and never be defeated - not even for a single moment.
I am determined to have a signed publishing agreement for The BuddhaZone, PowerPrayers for Chanting Your Way to Absolute Happiness.
I'm chanting that every single one of you who reads this blog will gain a new understanding, new fire, new conviction in the power of your own life and chant your way to ABSOLUTE HAPPINESS, and share this blog and the SGI with everyone who is suffering and seeking solutions!
I am determined that the youth in the world and in my district lead lives brimming with hope and enthusiasm! I'm chanting for millions of youth to join the SGI to create lives of hope and happiness and lead us all to Kosen Rufu!
I'm chanting for the health and happiness of all my family members.
Please join me! Write me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com and let me know that we are joining together to WIN!!!
