PowerPrayer for Happiness to FLOW!

"Life contains the capacity, like flames that reach toward heaven, to transform suffering and pain into the energy needed for value creation, into light that illuminates  darkness. Like the wind traversing the vast spaces unhindered, life has the power to uproot and overturn all obstacles and difficulties. Like clear flowing water, it can wash away all stains and impurities. And, finally, life, like the great earth that sustains vegetation, impartially protects all people with its compassionate, nurturing force." 

Daisaku Ikeda, Buddhism Day by Day, page 64

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

Ok, I am just determined to end this suffering! Winter does me in...the endlessly low grey skies of Chicago....OOF!

So, I was able, through this new chiropractic work I'm getting, to start walking on my treadmill again. And I'm eating more healthy. This affects me immediately. It was my Valentine's Day gift to myself. 

Last night I booked a much needed trip to the sun - because the doors opened in a really cool way! 

AND, my prayer right now, from the depths of my heart, is openness...essentially non-attachment. A kind of surrender. As I chant my hour in the morning, with my phone in the other room, I have this PowerPrayer in my heart - not all my challenges - not all the things I have to solve:

PowerPrayer for Happiness to FLOW ! 
By Jamie Lee Silver Chantforhappiness.com

"Right now I draw all the wisdom of life through me. Gohonzon, my life, 
we already know my deepest desires! 
Right now I draw forth the wisdom I already possess. 
I draw forth that wisdom for my own happiness...
because I know MY happiness 
makes a difference in the world. 
This Daimoku IS the cause, 
And leads me to make the right causes
And bring forth the wisdom
and ACT on that wisdom 
so my life can flow with kosen rufu power for all!
All the right doors open now, 
and I joyfully step through them! "

The Life-Giving Power of Each Character of Gongyo!

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In the Gosho "Letter to Horen," the Daishonin describes the characters of the Lotus Sutra as individual Buddhas emitting beams of light...able to find all those, living and dead, with whom we are connected. 
Wow.
What a great thing to learn about while we are all striving to perfect our Gongyo and deepen our faith. 

Daisaku Ikeda states in Living Buddhism, 
June 2015, page 32:

"...Through chanting the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, we can transmit benefit even to deceased family members, relatives, friends or acquaintances who may have opposed our Buddhist practice - benefit that will warmly embrace them and lead them to a state of profound peace and comfort.

Similarly, through the power of the Mystic Law, our family members and friends who have passed away in the course of the journey for kosen-rufu - whether from illness or as a result of unexpected accidents or natural disasters - will also be able to enter the path of Buddhahood. 

The best offering we can make for the eternal happiness of the departed is to live fully and strive vibrantly for kosen-rufu in their stead..."

"The Daishonin says that 
each of the 510 characters 
of the verse section 
of the "Life Span" chapter 
of the Lotus Sutra, 
from "ji ga toku burrai" 
(Since I attained Buddhahood) (LSOC, 270) 
to "soku joju busshin" 
(quickly acquire the body of the Buddha) (LSOC, 273), changes into a sun 
and then into a Buddha. 
It emits great beams of light 
that pervade every corner of the universe, 
finding Kyoshin's father wherever he might be 
and illuminating him 
(see WND-I, 517-18).
In other words, 
each chapter 
of the verse section of the "LifeSpan" chapter 
recited by Kyoshin 
becomes the Buddha, 
shining with the brilliant light of compassion 
that reaches his deceased father
in whatever state of being he may reside, 
relieving him of his suffering 
and guiding him to enlightenment."

What a wonderful life-giving practice we have!

Forging Onward Full of Life! Meeting Neha, my new friend and reader.

Me and Neha, my new friend from India

Today's daily guidance from 

For Today and Tomorrow by Daisaku Ikeda:

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

"Unless we live fully right now, 

not sometime in the future, 

true fulfillment in life will forever elude us. 

Rather than putting things off till the future, 

we should find meaning in life, 

thinking and doing what is most important right now, 

- right where we are - 

setting our hearts aflame and igniting our lives. 

Otherwise, we cannot lead an inspired existence." 

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

Yes! It is every single moment that counts! I just finished chanting to realize this every moment with my life. 

This past week has opened up many opportunities for me...forging onward in every way.  

I just love days that are full of surprises. 

Yesterday morning Crystal came over to learn more about the practice.  We read "Gongyo is a Grand and Noble Rite" out loud. I'm so proud of Crystal....she has such a great seeking spirit. She calls me regularly, I am chanting for her every day, and she is practicing! In the short time she's been chanting - just a month, she enrolled in the next level of education to expand her ability to make a difference in the world of criminal justice, she chanted successfully for her daughter to find the perfect job, and her other daughter just enrolled in a new school too. How fantastic!

After chanting, I embarked on a project to change some of the pictures on my bulletin board. I'm keeping some treasures of Ben up, and adding more Aaron and the people I love and chant for, both near and far, living and eternal! Just then, I checked my email and saw one from Neha Sharma, a blog reader and YWD from Delhi who was in town on business - 

and 2 blocks away!

How exciting 

Neha and I spent the rest of the day getting to know each other, chanting, having dinner and inspiring one another. You know I made a determination at the beginning of the year to be present with every person? Well, this determination opens us up to inspiration and depth of learning from others.  Each person we meet expands our life as we expand theirs. Making each person count...really listening...brings us immense treasures of the heart!

Neha is great! She's an air hostess for Air India so she is seeing much of the world. She and her mother began chanting this summer when her mother experienced a health challenge, and she has  gained peace of mind through chanting. Peace of Mind! What a Buddha! At 30 years of age she is poised, self-assured, and on her way to a victorious future with the Mystic Law in her life. I'm sure I'll be writing more about my new friend. 

Today I am about to head to several superbowl parties and hopefully have a guest at Kosen Rufu Gongyo at 1:00

Have a great day!  

Here's a question for you: 

I'm considering taking Aaron to the Great hall of the Vow of Kosen rufu on the first Wednesday in June. Would any of you like to join us? Email me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com

The Universal Prayer - Powerful!

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As Nichiren Buddhists, we are the Buddha  ~  
as we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo summoning our fathomless wisdom while steering our life in the direction of our innermost desires...both for ourselves and for others. 

We chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo over and over and over again. We call this "chanting Daimoku"(Die-MOH-Koo). Daimoku means title. The title of the Lotus Sutra (Shakyamuni Buddha’s self-proclaimed highest teaching) is  Myoho-Renge-Kyo.  

Nichiren Daishonin added "Nam" (devotion - focusing) before Myoho-renge-kyo to make the phrase mean “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-myoho-renge-kyo  is the name of the life state of Buddhas who embody and reveal this truth.” 

p.28 Lectures on “On Attaining Buddhahood in this Lifetime”, Daisaku Ikeda

I learned about this prayer from Linda Johnson. I've written my own version of the universal prayer. When I have this in my heart I picture all of you, and all practitioners chanting to their Gohonzons all over the world...and connecting to their prayer like never before.  

What follows is a Universal PowerPrayer to tap into our desire for happiness for all beings...the real vow we all make as Buddhas! 

Universal PowerPrayer 
for the Happiness for ALL

By Jamie Lee Silver of Chantforhappiness.com

Every Daimoku I chant 
remakes my VOW as a Buddha 
for Victory in my own life 
so that all others can achieve VICTORY in theirs! 

Every Daimoku I chant
Reaches every other person who is chanting. 
I see everyone chanting...
tapping into the deepest prayer they have ever felt ~

At this moment 
I deepen the power of my prayer by 10,000 times
Just like my mentor describes ~

so that all who are chanting can also deepen their faith, 
and bring forth the results they desire 
as we 
spread the word of this great teaching 

to those still suffering

we all 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, and feel 

within every cell in their body

the power welling forth 
with each Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!!

Together we create kosen-rufu
the total energy shift of our planet! 

Turning Karma Into Mission ~ Every Single Day

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

"Chanting Daimoku 

is the foundation of the Daishonin's Buddhism. 

When we chant sonorous daimoku (Nam-myoho-renge-kyo)

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. 

Daisaku Ikeda, For Today and Tomorrow, p. 182

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

When faced with a life challenge we would NEVER have chosen for ourselves - what do we do? 

How can Practicing Buddhism help? 
What is the REAL power of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo? How can it help in practical terms? 

As you know, my beloved son Ben died this summer from Schizophrenia which caused him to take his own life. 

Every day I am using Buddhism to fuel my life as I transform my personal tragedy into a personal triumph. Or, as we Buddhists say, "Turning Karma into Mission."

Now, I don't know why my karma included this experience of having my son die, but I don't have to know the reason. All I need is the determination to change it into mission. 

Along the way, I have joined a club I never wanted to be a member of - the club no one wants to be a member of, the Suicide Survivor's club. And, as anyone would expect, I am meeting people who are at various stages of the grieving journey. Guilt, sadness, peace...

Because of my practice, I am not tormented like I was right after it happened. At that time, I was wracked with thoughts of what I could have done differently. Even though I knew I'd done my best, I felt like I had failed at my most important mission in life...being a Mom. And I chanted about these thoughts...and I realized they were my own fundamental darkness. I'm a Buddhist! I know I can fight fundamental darkness with my prayer by facing it and saying NO! 

I chanted to alleviate this feeling of guilt and to turn my pain into something I could use to help others. And through chanting, I am free from these tormenting feelings. 

I continue to write to Ben and he writes back to me through my own hand. Life is eternal. This is natural. Have any of you tried this? I can teach you how. Let me know if you are interested. 

Ben has explained everything. He says there is nothing I could have done. And I believe him.

I'm grateful for all I've been through, and all I'm going through right now. I feel a deep connection to Ben...and to all who are suffering. Ben answers my questions. He reassures me in all the things I am doing. And he encourages me daily. 

Because of my daily Buddhist practice, I'm protected. I'm safe, secure, learning about myself, and in an excellent support group of other suicide survivors. It's professionally facilitated and includes a mother whose son died ten years ago, and another whose son died 3 years ago. They share their coping skills with the rest of us. It's a healing process

Thank YOU for your notes. Dear friends, we share the noblest of missions! WhatEVER you are facing - you can turn YOUR karma into mission! We are the votaries of the Lotus Sutra. By chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, reading the words of our mentor Daisaku Ikeda, joining together with our SGI friends, and introducing others to this victorious way of life...we can overcome any challenges! 

On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land

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I was up at 5 am today to chant for an hour before picking up three fellow practitioners to go to the Chicago Culture Center today. It was perfect, I left the house before 8, and we were at the Center by 9:00 in time to get a parking spot in the parking lot. Woohoo!

It was a lecture on 

"On Establishing the Correct Teaching 

for the Peace of the Land" 

Engaging in dialogues of hope 

to bring happiness and peace to all people.

There was a good discussion about slander of our own life and of others. It left me more determined than ever to grow as a human being and to be more aware of self-slander and slander of others. In Buddhism, as you know, we are all interconnected. (We are all worthy Buddhas. Slandering ourselves - doubting our capabilities, calling ourselves denigrating names) - or speaking behind people's backs - can take away all our good fortune. 

We need to have the courage and wisdom to speak TO people, not ABOUT people...to be kind, of course, and to not harbor grudges against ANYONE. That's a tall order for all of us - and one worth chanting about. 

One of the leaders told a story about a district he was in where they were doing everything right...but slandering each other...and everyone's benefit was eroded. Important lessons. 

And we discussed having the courage to do shakubuku (introduce people to this practice) - which starts with Daimoku. That's how my new shakubuku Crystal came into my life...I chanted and she showed up with her great seeking spirit! I chanted to meet someone who is ready. and here she is! 
Today was her first time at the Chicago Culture Center. I chanted an hour yesterday for her, and another hour this morning just for her...she is just an inspiration to me. She worked until late last night and still came out this morning.

GO Buddha Go! 

I hope you are practicing with the SGI. If not, click on the link to the right to find a district in your area! 

The Heart of the Lotus Sutra ~ We are the Buddhas of Absolute Happiness

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I've been reading the Lotus Sutra every day lately. I'm rereading the incredible book by Daisaku Ikeda "The Heart of the Lotus Sutra," and also the translation in the back of the Gongyo book we recite each day. And it's fascinating me. 

We are Buddhas, we are all Buddhas. This is the message of the Buddha. This is the message of Nichiren Daishonin and Daisaku Ikeda. 

And we access our Buddhahood by chanting the name of the Mystic Law inherent in our lives...Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. 

We have heard this time and again, and part of the reason we chant is to bring forth this feeling, this conviction, this knowing with our own lives. We are spending our lives exploring what it means to be a Buddha. 

So, it says at the back of the Gongyo book:

'Since I attained Buddhahood

the number of kalpas that have passed

is an immeasurable hundreds, 

thousands, ten thousands, 

millions, trillions, asamkhyas. 

Constantly I have preached the law, 

teaching, converting 

countless millions of living beings, 

causing them to enter the Buddha way, 

all this for immeasurable kalpas. 

In order to save living beings, 

as an expedient means I appear to enter nirvana

but in truth I do not pass into extinction. 

I am always here, preaching the law. 

I am always here, 

but through my transcendental powers

I make it so that living beings in their befuddlement

do not see me even when close by." 

The Liturgy of the Soka Gakkai International, page 22

If WE are the Buddha, as we know we are...this passage is further proof that we are eternal...that we are each eternal. 

We are the Buddha. Ben is the Buddha. We are all the Buddha, in the process of revealing this to ourselves. 

This morning I chanted two hours when I first woke up, and feel so grounded and centered after communing with my highest and best self. 

We are so fortunate to have this altar, this practice, and this Gohonzon to center our thoughts and focus our appreciation and desires. 

I am chanting for every door to open to me...for all I need to be shown to me...to change from the inside out, and accept all the good that is coming to me. I am chanting to be more useful for kosen-rufu than I HAVE EVER BEEN...that this year I (and all of us Boddhisatvas) truly, happily, joyously expand our lives...expand our happiness...expand our capabilities  ~ while welcoming in person after person who wants to join us in this lovely, beautiful dance of joy! 

Nam-myoho--renge-kyo!

What is True Success in Life?

The sun is always there - but we can't always see it! 

I've been riding on a high for these last few days, feeling the flow and momentum of the new year, and the excitement of a fun weekend and BOOM, we are hit with freezing cold weather, and I have a speech tomorrow, and suddenly some of the sadness and hopelessness resurfaces...

But, thankfully, my friend in faith came over and we chanted about 45 minutes. Part of that daimoku was "wondering Daimoku." That's what I call the type of chanting where you are not really praying, but just rolling ideas around in your head. I don't like it when I do this, but it is not a reason to stop...it's more a reason to keep going until I break out of it. By the end, I felt more rejuvenated and I'm going to bed early to wake up early for my speech. 

Once again, the importance of having friends in faith, and in never giving up, is crucial. I hope you all have friends in faith, and if you don't - it's a great goal to chant about!

Here are two of my favorite quotes:  

"What is success in life? 
Who are the truly successful? 
There are famous and powerful people 
who become pitiful figures in their old age. 
There are people who die alone, 
feeling empty and desolate. 
Just what is success? 
The English thinker Walter Pater (1839-94) wrote:
"To burn always with this hard, gemlike flame, to maintain this ecstasy, is success in life."

The person who lives life fully, glowing with life's energy, is the person who lives a successful life."



"Such things as money, fame and material possessions 
offer fleeting satisfaction 
that can be called relative happiness. 
However, when we transform our lives internally, 
when we develop within ourselves a brilliant inner palace, then we can be said 
to have established absolute happiness."

Daisaku Ikeda

Faith into Action, page 56

4 Ways to Strengthen our Muscle of Gratitude - the Real Key to Happiness!

Daisaku Ikeda writes in Faith into Action, page 7 (under Appreciation)
"To "enjoy what there is to enjoy" means to cause the "mystic lotus of the heart" to blossom brightly with a sense of appreciation and joy. Someone who can find joy, who can feel appreciation, experiences a snowballing exhilaration and joy in life. Such is the heart's function."

How can we do this? Try this!  

4 Tips for More Appreciation in Our Lives! 

Gratitude is attitude. It starts with US. It is a muscle we can build. And once we build it....ahhh the benefits that begin to flow! 

Tip #1
List Ten Things
Before we get out of bed think about ten things we are grateful for that very day. They can be ANYTHING. We can be grateful for sight, hearing, feeling. We can be grateful to be alive...grateful to have woken up! I've mentioned before that when my Mom was feeling depressed I gave her this tip, and her depression lifted. She told me it was this one action that changed her life. 

Tip #2
SMILE! 
Smiling is a cause not an affect. 
The more we smile, 
the more reasons we will have to smile!
Make your smile light your day. 

I like to think of the song by Carol King:

You've got to get up every morning

And show the world

All the love in your heart!

When we smile, we physically create happiness hormones. There have been studies done recently about this. Also, when we smile at another person, they automatically feel better...their brain registers happiness even if they do not smile back at us. Isn't that cool? Smile! 

Tip #3
Write a Rampage of Appreciation
Take a notebook and put titles as the top of each page. Titles could be:
My body
My work
My relationship with _______
My parents
My children
My home
My car
My self
My practice
My________
...and on and on...you get the idea. 

Then list all the things you are grateful for under each heading...or all the things you COULD BE grateful for. 


Tip #4 
Chant in Gratitude
While chanting  ~ generate these feelings of gratitude and happiness. Our gratitude will amplify and spread.

What do you do to build the muscle of appreciation into your life? Write me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com

12 Ways You Can Love Yourself Now

12 Ways You Can 

Love Yourself Now

By Louise Hay

I have found that there is 

only one thing that heals every problem, 

and that is: to love yourself. 

When people start to love themselves more each day, 

it’s amazing how their lives get better. 

They feel better. 

They get the jobs they want. 

They have the money they need. 

Their relationships either improve, 

or the negative ones dissolve and new ones begin.

Loving yourself is a wonderful adventure; 

it’s like learning to fly. 

Imagine if we all had the power to fly at will? 

How exciting it would be! 

Let’s begin to love ourselves now.

1. Stop All Criticism.

Criticism never changes a thing. 

Refuse to criticize yourself. 

Accept yourself exactly as you are. 

Everybody changes. 

When you criticize yourself, 

your changes are negative. 

When you approve of yourself, your changes are positive.

2. Forgive Yourself.

Let the past go. 

You did the best you could at the time 

with the understanding, awareness, 

and knowledge that you had. 

Now you are growing and changing, 

and you will live life differently.

3. Don’t Scare Yourself.

Stop terrorizing yourself with your thoughts. 

It's a dreadful way to live. 

Find a mental image that gives you pleasure, and 

immediately switch your scary thought to a pleasure thought.

4. Be Gentle and Kind and Patient.

Be gentle with yourself. 

Be kind to yourself. 

Be patient with yourself 

as you learn the new ways of thinking. 

Treat yourself as you would someone you really loved.

5. Be Kind to Your Mind.

Self-hatred is only hating your own thoughts. 

Don't hate yourself for having the thoughts. 

Gently change your thoughts.

6. Praise Yourself.

Criticism breaks down the inner spirit. 

Praise builds it up. 

Praise yourself as much as you can. 

Tell yourself how well you are doing with every little thing.

7. Support Yourself.

Find ways to support yourself. 

Reach out to friends and allow them to help you. 

It is being strong to ask for help when you need it.

8. Be Loving to Your Negatives.

Acknowledge that you created them to fulfill a need. 

Now you are finding new, positive ways 

to fulfill those needs. 

So lovingly release the old negative patterns.

9. Take Care of Your Body.

Learn about nutrition. 

What kind of fuel does your body need 

in order to have optimum energy and vitality? 

Learn about exercise. 

What kind of exercise do you enjoy? 

Cherish and revere the temple you live in.

10. Do Mirror Work.

Look into your eyes often.

Express this growing sense of love you have for yourself

Forgive yourself while looking into the mirror. 

Talk to your parents while looking into the mirror. 

Forgive them, too. 

At least once a day, say, I love you, I really love you!

11. Love Yourself . . . Do It Now.

Don't wait until you get well, 

or lose the weight, 

or get the new job, 

or find the new relationship. 

Begin now—and do the best you can.

12. Have Fun.

Remember the things that gave you joy as a child.

 Incorporate them into your life now. 

Find a way to have fun with everything you do. 

Let yourself express the joy of living. 

Smile. 

Laugh. 

Rejoice, and the Universe rejoices with you!



Note from Jamie ~ 

I hope you are enjoying these holidays! 

I'm a bit behind on answering emails but I will get to them. 

My email is chantforhappiness@gmail.com