7 Quotes on Gratitude by Daisaku Ikeda

 Lower Mill Pond in Brewster Massachusetts, 

in Cape Cod USA

The view of the pond from the houses

I'm sitting outside looking down on the pond from the terrace. This is such a special place. On this pond, people can have homes, but they cannot tear down the trees in front of their homes. 

So you can see, in the first picture, that the pond looks pristine...as it probably did 200 years ago. There are also no motor boats allowed, no jet skis, nothing to disturb the quiet - except the birdsong and the wind rustling the trees. It is a true paradise. 

I'm sitting here today exercising my muscle of gratitude. Realizing once again, that gratitude is CHOSEN, not just fallen into. Sure, you could say, it's easy for me to have gratitude, sitting on this pond during my vacation...but you must remember, I have just had a loss that I still search for the words to describe...so I must exercise that muscle of gratitude more than ever. 

So today, I focus on all that is right in my world...

The fact that I am here...still standing...still writing...still living...

The fact that I am HERE in these beautiful surroundings...about to head to the beach with my wonderful son Aaron...

The fact that I am healthy...still breathing...still able to smile...
And I can chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to experience my life as a Buddha at every moment! 

And I feel immense gratitude to YOU, and to Daisaku Ikeda, and the entire SGI, to Nichiren Daishonin and Presidents Makiguchi and Toda. Without them, I have no idea how I would be living my life right now! 

Here are some quotes on gratitude from our mentor Daisaku Ikeda, from IkedaQuotes.org:

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

To feel gratitude to one’s parents sounds like a trivial thing, but this is the mark of true maturity and growth as a human being.

People whose hearts are full of gratitude and appreciation are truly beautiful. A humble heart is the wellspring of great growth and development.

None of us can exist in isolation. Our lives and existence are supported by others in seen and unseen ways, be it by parents, mentors or society at large. To be aware of these connections, to feel appreciation for them, and to strive to give something back to society in a spirit of gratitude is the proper way for human beings to live.

Gratitude makes a person modest. A sense of gratitude expands the heart.

The ungrateful feel that it is below them to show any kind of appreciation. They are under the delusion that showing gratitude to others diminishes their own worth. But it is this sense of appreciation that elevates, enriches and expands the human spirit. A lack of gratitude is actually a sign of arrogance.

Happiness is not a life without worries or struggles. Happiness is the robust sense of fulfillment one feels when bravely confronting hardship. It is that elevation of the spirit, like an airplane gaining lift from the air resistance against its wings.

Happiness is to be found within your own life, in your thoughts at this very moment. You yourself are most noble and precious. You have no need to be envious of anyone or to long for far-off things.

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

We are ALL Changing the Face of Aging!

Today I'm giving my speech "Goddesses Never Age" based on Christiane Northrup MD's book of the same name, and my own research. 

It is all about how our thoughts WORDS and deeds determine how we "move through time" (Not AGE!) 

She says what we consider "aging" is actually the effect of the lack of resistance to gravity. In other words, we can NOT decline as we advance through time  -  if we continue to move our bodies, expand our minds, redefine our language, and keep our social structures strong by having positive tribes of friends around us. 

This applies to men as well as women! 

We need to redefine aging...and stop thinking we are declining. Doesn't this accord perfectly with the wisdom of Buddhism. Hon-nim-myo! From this moment forth life begins! We must reprogram ourselves to thrive and advance joyfully through time! 

We need to look forward to our lives and have the same outlook centenarians (who are growing at the rate of 70,000 a year in the states) have - they are future oriented, they are rebels, and they stand up for themselves! They savor life. Theres a new department of "savoring" at Loyola University in Chicago. I'm going to look into that! 

Science is backing up the idea that finding pleasure and joy in life can actually override our genes. (And they've already found that how we age is only 25% genes and 75% lifestyle.) And we can even override that 25% based on the findings of the new study of Epigenetics. There is so much to learn and report! 

Check this out! 
There's a woman named Barbara Beskind, who, at the age of 93, wrote an introductory letter to the Silicon Valley company IDEO (which designs products for older adults.) She told them "I have never stopped learning. I have been an inventor my whole life, and now I have more wisdom than ever, and I AM your target market. You should hire me." 
And they DID. At 93! She has low vision and takes the train and a bus from her retirement community. She loves her job and her colleagues love her!

We must always have something to look forward to. Life is getting better - not declining. It's up to us! 

Christiane suggests we should not tell our age. And, if asked, we can either say "My biological age is 35 and getting younger, and my wisdom age is about 300!" or say "I'm in my ageless years." Aren't both of those responses wonderful! 

And as always, I prepare for this speech as I do for every Buddhist meeting I have ever held or attended...I chant for every single person to be forever changed in a positive way...for EACH person to leave permanently refreshed, exuberant and enlivened...with new tools to enhance their outlooks! Yes! 

I could go on and on,  but I have a speech to give! More later! Have a great day! 

100 Day Gongyo Challenge !

Do you have any idea what this is? 

If you look closely, you can see that this is a flower blooming from an artichoke! I found this in Ojai. 
Now, who would ever think that inside an artichoke - which is already beautiful and unusual - that there is a purple flower waiting to burst forth if properly tended? I bet you can see where I'm going with this...

Our Buddha nature is just like this. It is already part of our life...we are already Buddhas, and chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo gives us the exact tools and prescription to bring it out and let it bloom. 

As Daisaku Ikeda writes in 
The Heart of the Lotus Sutra: 

"In general, every time we do gongyo 
and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, 
we praise the Buddha nature in our own lives. 
We also praise the Buddha nature 
in the lives of all others, 
and we commune 
with the Buddha nature of the universe. 
What a solemn ceremony this is! 
How fortunate we are 
to live according to the principle 
that faith expresses itself in daily life."

And we perform this sacred ceremony twice a day...every day. We are so incredibly fortunate to have encountered this amazing tool. 

I like the line above that says "faith expresses itself in daily life." To me, this means that when we exert ourselves in faith...when we chant twice a day, and continually work to improve our practice. When we study, encourage others, go to SGI meetings and do shakubuku we WILL, without fail, see the positive effects of this practice in our lives. 

I have a recommendation to make, 
one more time, 
from my heart. 
And that recommendation 
is to do Gongyo, 
twice a day, 
every day. 

If you set a goal to do this for 100 days I promise you, that the things that are looming as problems in your life will look very different VERY soon! 

Go ahead and make your list of what you want. 

Challenge yourself to do Gongyo twice a day, 
and YOUR LIFE WILL RESPOND. Just like this flower that bloomed from an artichoke ~ Your life will respond in a very positive way! 

Write me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com

9 More Types of Fortune from Reader Simran Kalsi

1. Fortune is having a family who supports you like a rock.
2. Fortune is having Gakkai friends who will help you without asking for anything in return.
3. Fortune is knowing each and every second of the day that the protection of the Gohonzon is there with you.
4. Fortune is to be able to sit and chant in the most favourite part of your house.
5. Fortune is to see people changing around you when you least expected them to.
6. Fortune is to be able to see each problem as an opportunity for growth.
7. Fortune is knowing that you have the treasure house of good karma through so much practice which is more precious than all the gold of the whole gold put together.
8. Fortune is knowing that come what may you always have something so beautiful like this practice to go to.
9. Fortune is encountering this practice and to be able to see things and understand them in such a wonderful way.

Appreciation for the Protective Forces of the Universe

The protective forces within all life. 
We call them Shoten Zenjin. I love them, no matter what they are called. Yesterday they helped my son Ben one more time. And he is back in the hospital again.

This morning my friend Georgine is coming over to chant, my own personal shoten zenjin. My view is shoten zenjin manifest in many forms at any time. One of the people who helped Ben yesterday overheard me use the word "myoho." He said "I don't often hear people speaking Japanese." Of course, I told him I was a 30 year practicing Buddhist. He told me he'd been chanting in the SGI since the age of 12. Myoho indeed. Shoten zenjin indeed. 

Once more I sit down to chant in deep gratitude for Ben's life, for my life, for my family, for the members, for you, and for his shoten zenjin yesterday. I am more determined than ever to change my own karma so that my environment will change. 

"Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is like the roar of a lion. What sickness could therefore be an obstacle." 
Nichiren Daishonin

10 Powerful Quotes on Prayer by Daisaku Ikeda

Daisaku Ikeda's 
10 Powerful Quotes on Prayer 

(You can subscribe to this blog by putting your email in the box to the right)
~ 1 ~

Prayer entails an intense challenge 
to believe in yourself 
and stop diminishing yourself. 
To belittle yourself 
is to disparage Buddhism 
and the Buddha within your life.

~ 2 ~

Prayer is the way to destroy all fear. 
It is the way to banish sorrow, 
the way to light a torch of hope. 
It is the revolution 
that rewrites the scenario of our destiny.

~ 3 ~

Prayers are invisible, 
but if we pray steadfastly 
They will definitely effect clear results in our lives 
and surroundings over time. 
This is the principle of the true entity of all phenomena. Faith means having confidence in this invisible realm.

~ 4 ~

Prayer is not a feeble consolation; 
it is a powerful, unyielding conviction. 
And prayer must become manifest in action. 
To put it another way, 
if our prayers are in earnest, 
they will definitely give rise to action. 

~ 5 ~

Prayer is the courage to persevere. 
It is the struggle to overcome our own weakness 
and lack of confidence in ourselves. 
It is the act of impressing 
in the very depths of our being 
the conviction that we can change the situation 
without fail. 

~ 6 ~

Prayer is an attempt 
to merge the inner workings of our life 
with the rhythm of the universe. 
When we pray in such a way, 
all the workings of the universe 
will function to protect us 
and the endless cycle of painful reality 
will be transformed 
into a cycle of victory and happiness. 
Prayer is the key to open the door 
to unleash 
that infinite human potential within our lives. 

~ 7 ~

The important thing 
is to firmly fix our gaze 
on our own weaknesses, 
not run away from them, 
but to battle them head-on 
and establish a solid self that nothing can sway. Hardships forge and polish our lives, 
so that eventually 
they shine with brilliant fortune and benefit. 
If left in its raw, unpolished form, 
even the most magnificent gem will not sparkle. 
The same applies to our lives. 

~ 8 ~

Prayer is not of the realm of logic or intellect. 
It transcends these. 

~ 9 ~

Prayer is an act 
of which we give expression 
to the pressing and powerful wishes 
in the depths of our being 
and yearn for their fulfillment. 

~ 10 ~ 

"What kind of future do I envision for myself? 
What kind of self and I trying to develop? 
What do I want to accomplish in my life?" 
The thing is to paint this vision of your life in your heart 
as specifically as possible. 
That "painting" itself becomes the design of your future. The power of the heart 
enables us to actually create with our lives 
a wonderful masterpiece 
in accordance with that design. 

It is not about others. 
It is about you winning, 
and winning over yourself. 
By doing so, you will provide inspiration 
and encouragement to all around you. 

From Ikedaquotes.org

What Does Nam-myoho-renge-kyo Mean and Why Do We Chant It?

What does Nam-myoho-renge-kyo mean, 

and why do we chant it? 

By Jamie Lee Silver of ChantforHappiness.com - 
Not an official SGI site

(Subscribe by putting your email in the box to the right. 

Translate button is at the top right.)

The literal translation is:

"I fuse my life 

with the mystic law of cause and effect 

through sound vibration (or sutra)." 

It is the title of the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha's highest teaching that declares that ALL people possess the Buddha Nature...all people ARE Buddhas...and we can access this nature by calling it forth in our lives using this phrase. 

Being a Buddha - 
is tapping the river of life that runs through ALL life - summoning the mystic law 
by realizing 
we ARE the Mystic Law. 
We not only chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo ~ 
we ARE Nam-myoho-renge-kyo ~the Mystic Law. 

I like to think of it as "I am one with the rhythm of all life." It is the rhythm that exists within all of life...the reason for the turning of the tides...the reason for the seasons...the atoms that exist within every single cell...from an elephant to a spec of dust...to the cells in our hearts and minds. Everything possesses this connectedness...this rhythm.  
It is all encompassing and contains the wisdom and energy of all of life itself...the whole universe. 

When we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo we tap into that energy and access it for our lives...directed towards our desires and for the fulfillment of happiness for all. In this practice, it's okay to have desires. More than okay! We don't have to alleviate them. Desires make us who we are and lead us to chant. 

When we chant we change the internal life within our lives. We change the core and fiber of our lives. We change our karma. And when we make that internal change, our ENVIRONMENT (meaning everything that is not within our own skin, our jobs, our relationships, our sense of self, everything we experience and think) ALL of that changes to reflect our internal change. We call this "Human Revolution."

When we chant we harness the energy that is our birthright. And we chant twice a day, every single day, to get and keep our lives in rhythm. 

When we are in rhythm we are in the right place at the right time... to find out about and get the job...or to meet the man of our dreams...or to protect our child from danger. When we are in rhythm life isn't so much of a struggle as it is a joy...we see the beauty in everything and we feel our lives overflowing with appreciation. 

We chant for something and get it or something better. We get access to internal happiness and strength that cannot be blown away by any event or obstacles. 

In fact we view obstacles themselves as benefits, as strange as that may sound....because obstacles make us chant more, and when we chant more we draw even higher life conditions and deeper satisfaction into our lives. 

What can we chant FOR? Anything. We chant for others, we chant for our planet, our countries, and ouselves. 
We can chant for whatever our desire may be...even if it might not be the "right" desire for us. In the act of chanting, we will change our karma and our desires themselves will naturally begin to shift. We will open our lives to the deeper wisdom within...the deeper yearning, the REAL desires that we have forgotten or given up on. We will grow. We will prosper and we will blossom. 

We will gain the wisdom of the right action to take - because ACTION springs from wisdom. 

The challenge is...we need to DO it. We have to chant to bring all this rhythm and harmony out. And that's why we practice together as an organization, the SGI, The Soka Gakkai, our fellowship of friends who support each other, chant for each other, and create a new Soka family for each practitioner. We are so fortunate. 

I hear from people all over the world, and some have strong SGI groups in their towns and others are completely alone. I love that we can connect through the power of the internet. From the moment I began chanting almost 30 years ago I have had the deep desire to share this practice, this practice that WORKS, with everyone who is looking for the real, practical means of creating happiness and results in their lives. 

We are in this life together...sharing our challenges and our successes. If you are not yet connected to the SGI please go to sgi-usa.com and find your local members. You will be so glad you did. 

Some Powerful Quotes from Daisaku Ikeda:

THIS moment, this instant, is important, 
not some unknown time in the future. 
Today, this very day is what matters. 
You must put your whole being 
into the time that exists now. 
For future victory rests in the present moment.

BUDDHISM holds that 
everything is in a constant state of flux. 
Thus, the question is 
whether we are to accept change passively 
and be swept away by it, 
or whether we are to take the lead 
and create positive changes on our own initiative. 
While conservatism and self-protection
might be likened to winter, night and death, 
the spirit of pioneering and attempting to realize 
the ideals evokes the images of spring,
morning and birth.

DO gongyo and chant daimoku with a fresh spirit. 
And, filled with renewed vitality, 
build a history of accumulating fresh benefit.

6 Point Plan for Achieving Our Goals By May 3rd! Human Revolution in a week!

I have had quite a week. Highs and lows. I've gotten more responsibility at work,  Ben is back in the hospital...and we need a viable plan for his life that will make him happy...and an end to his suffering.

And this week it all felt like too much. I had several "not that old karma again" moments this week...and by this morning I was done. 

I felt like giving up. I said I just can't do this anymore. 

And the beauty of our practice is this:

I chanted Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. I took action. I went and walked on the treadmill to boost my spirits. 

After chanting I called for support from my girlfriends. I set an appointment for a massage.  I also arranged to get together with my friend of 33 years tonight. Little did I know this "home visit" was going to change my life. 

Throughout the day

my mood remained low. 

All day I felt hopeless. 

For one day. 

I talked to Kate Randolph, my dear friend and Buddhist sponsor in LA, and she read me a quote from the April Living Buddhism about how Human Revolution takes place in an instant...and changes EVERYTHING...and I started to feel the old me coming back. I will get that quote tomorrow and add it here. 

When I got to my friend's house she told me her cancerous tumor had grown. We both decided NOW is the time. May 3rd is a week away. We created this plan of success. 

Would you like to join us? Are you ready for a change? 

Would you like to create a ONE WEEK HUMAN REVOLUTION?

Join us! 

Here's Our 

6 Point Plan to Achieving Our Goals by May 3rd!

By Jamie Lee Silver of chantforhappiness.com 

1. Clarify and write your goals. What do you HAVE to breakthrough to declare a victory on May 3rd? What are you willing to do to achieve it? Study? Encourage people? Chant more regularly? Clean your altar (always a life-changing thing to do) What goal would light your fire?

Mary wants to look and feel great for an event, and buy a new TV. I want certainty in a few areas, among other things. 

2. Decide how will you support your well being. I made a goal to walk for 20 minutes every day. "When there's movement in your body  - there's movement in your life."  

3. Set a chanting goal. I'm chanting 2 hours a day this week to accomplish my goals. Join me if you'd like - or set your own goal. 

4. You may want to find a chanting partner. The beauty of this is you encourage another while encouraging yourself. We shared our written goals and plans with each other. If you don't have a chanting partner you can share your goals and plans with me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com.

5. Make your schedule for success. 

We wrote out the days and times we will chant together and chant apart. You can find someone to do this with, or join me every morning and evening. 

6. Plan a celebration for your victory! We planned a celebration for Saturday night...we're not quite sure what we will do but it will be great! 

Join us!

May third is Sunday! 

Let's create Human Revolution by then. We can do it. 

What will you accomplish and what are you willing to do for it? How much does your life hurt? Enough to chant two hours a day with me? Enough to make your list, polish your gongyo? Do shakubuku? 

What's at stake and what do you have to gain? 

Let's go for it. Go Buddha Go!

PowerPrayer for Excelling at Work

Have you read "The Heart of the Lotus Sutra" by Daisaku Ikeda? I read the first chapter called "Impressions on my Mentor's State of Life" yesterday, and have been thinking about what a revolutionary practice we have. I was struck again by how accessible this practice is to all people. 
This is the FIRST form of Buddhism where people who are not priests chant the prayers. 
We tap into our highest potential, the life of the universe itself, every time we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
Each day, by doing gongyo (recitation of the Lotus Sutra) and daimoku (chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo) we practice Nichiren Buddhism as Votaries of the Lotus Sutra....as the Buddhas we are!

What does being a "Votary" mean? According to Daisaku Ikeda it means "those who dedicate themselves to the mission of saving all people throughout the entire world" and "individuals, basing themselves on the Mystic Law, contribute to others and to society as "votaries," that is PEOPLE OF ACTION." All of US!

We all want to make the world a better place through our own thoughts, words, and actions. 

"President Toda initiated the great struggle to spread the Lotus Sutra of the Latter Day for the sake of those laboring under the dire consequences after World War II. "I want to banish the word 'misery' from the world and rid the world of poverty and sickness." This passionate cry of my mentor, who stood up alone after the war, still resounds in my ears. This cry of the spirit is none other than the heart of the Lotus Sutra."
From The Heart of the Lotus Sutra by Daisaku Ikeda, page 7

I know that I also carry that "cry" in my heart, as a disciple of Daisaku Ikeda and Josei Toda. 

PowerPrayer to Do a Great Job at Work!
A PowerPrayer is a focused determination, meant to be read before chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.. so we can use each moment of prayer with laser-like precision. These have worked for me, and I offer them to you as a fellow practitioner, not as an official voice of the SGI. 
by Jamie Lee Silver from Chantforhappiness.com

Life!

I am determined to shine as a votary of the Lotus Sutra 
at work. 

I am determined to fully grasp 
what is expected of me 
and exceed it.  
I pave the way for a great future 
by doing a great job today.  
I take understandable notes that power me forward.
I sharpen my memory and my mind
make a clear plan of action and execute it. 
Each moment 
I shine with the light of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. 
Each moment, I do shakubuku with my life by being cheerful, 
respectful, 
appreciative, 
caring 
and productive. 
I am determined to pave the way for my growth, success, and happiness, and to be an INDISPENSABLE employee!

Shoten zenjin! Support me in my every effort! 

I show actual proof of this practice every day. 
These are my goals for today and this week:___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Have a great day, or evening! 
As always, write me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com - Some of you may have ideas for improving this PowerPrayer. I'd love to hear them.