12 Incredible Buddhist Quotes for Overcoming Illness ~ Please share

For any of you who are facing illness - this should raise your spirits! 

The person who originally compiled these quotes 

was able to use this practice and modern medicine 

to overcome breast cancer completely. 

Please feel free to forward the link to this post 

to anyone who is suffering from illness. 

From President Ikeda's Lecture series "The Hope-filled Teachings of Nichiren Daishonin: On Prolonging One's Life Span - Faith for Leading a Long and healthy Life" in the July-August 08 Living Buddhism. (Thank you to my friend Melissa Bradford for compiling these great quotes!)

1. “Suffering from illness is a means by which you can eradicate your negative karma.”  
President Toda, as quoted by President Ikeda. - pg 70 

2. “To see illness as an opportunity to transform our karma – this strong spirit and resolve can break through all obstacles and devilish functions and open wide the path to happiness.  Like a rocket blasting out of the earth’s atmosphere, the passionate conviction of faith that comes from viewing illness as an opportunity to transform our karma can become a powerful engine propelling us forward not only in this existence but throughout eternity, enabling us to freely savor everlasting happiness.”  Pg 74

3. “Becoming ill in itself is certainly not a sign of defeat.  Even the Buddha, who is said to have ‘few ills and few worries’ (LS, 214), struggles with sickness from time to time.  Accordingly, there will be times when we are confronted with illness.  The important point above all is not to be defeated mentally or emotionally by the prospect of being ill.  Faith is the source of the fighting spirit to stand up to illness.  Therefore, as we noted earlier, Nichiren Daishonin first of all talks about the ‘treasure of faith’.  Pg 77

4. “As Nichiren says, ‘Illness gives rise to the resolve to attain the way’ (The Good Medicine for All Ills, WND-1, 937).  If a practitioner who upholds faith in the Mystic Law becomes ill, it definitely has some profound meaning.  It could be said that confronting illness is one route to awakening to the eternity of life.  President Toda often said, ‘A person who has overcome a major illness knows how to deeply savor life.’” Pg78

5. From Matilda Buck’s guidance, World Tribune 4/27/01 pg 10 “When We Face Disappointment” – regarding SGI leaders who overcame cancer and chanted this way:  

Through this experience, I will become someone who does not doubt the Gohonzon (my life), no matter what happens.
As a Bodhisattva of the Earth, I have the mission to experience this, and as a Bodhisattva of the Earth, I have the mission to create a victory.
I will share the power of Buddhism with others, even as I grapple with this experience.
I won’t let my spirits stay down.  I won’t make a place in my life for negativity to settle.

6.From The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra Volume 6:  “Praying with doubt is like trying to keep water in a bathtub with the plug pulled.  Our good fortune and benefit will drain away.  A passage from the ‘Perceiver of the World’s Sounds’ chapter reads, ‘from thought to thought never entertaining doubt!’  A confident prayer will reverberate powerfully throughout the entire universe.”  Pg 88

From Buddhism Day by Day:

7. “Buddhism views illness as an opportunity to attain a higher, nobler state of life.  It teaches that, instead of agonizing over a serious disease, or despairing of ever overcoming it, we should use illness as a means to build a strong, compassionate self, which in turn will make it possible for us to be truly victorious.”  pg 300

8. “The expansive world lies not in some distant place; it exists right where you are.  That is why you need to win where you are right now.  Today’s victory is linked to your eternal victory.”  Page 314

9, “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.  And 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 the past.  We must always have the spirit to begin anew ‘from this moment,’ to initiate a new struggle each day.” Pg 315

10. “The air around us is filled with radio waves of various frequencies.  While these are invisible, a television set can collect them and turn them into visible images.  The practice of chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo aligns the rhythm of our own lives with the world of Buddhahood in the universe.  It ‘tunes’ our lives, so to speak, so that we can manifest the power of Buddhahood in our very beings.”  Pg 314



11. From For Today and Tomorrow Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda: Sept 20 pg 288:  When your determination changes, everything else will begin to move in the direction you desire.  The moment you resolve to be victorious, every nerve and fiber in your being will immediately orient itself toward your success.  On the other hand, if you think “This is never going to work out,” then at that instant every cell in your being will be deflated and give up the fight, and then everything really will move in the direction of failure.

12. Aug 15 pg 249:  The first thing is to pray.  From the moment we begin to pray, things start moving.  The darker the night, the closer the dawn.  From the moment we chant daimoku with a deep and powerful resolve, the sun begins to rise in our hearts.  Hope – prayer is the sun of hope.  To chant daimoku each time we face a problem, overcoming it and elevating our life-condition as a result – this is the path of “changing earthly desires into enlightenment,” taught in Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism.

Gongyo is a Grand and Noble Rite, by Daisaku Ikeda

Gongyo is a Grand and Noble Rite: 

"I would like to take the opportunity provided by today’s training session of the youth division to present a succinct and easily comprehensible discussion of the significance of gongyo. Because of the limitations of time I cannot pursue the subject in all its details, so I would like all of you to consider and explore this topic on your own afterwards as well. 

Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism teaches that our existence is identical to the universe as a whole, and the universe as a whole is identical to our existence. Each individual human life is a microcosm. 

The practice of gongyo is a grand and noble rite to achieve the vital communication to the microcosm of each person’s existence with the universe, based on the Gohonzon. 

The correspondence of each part of our bodies to parts of the universe is proof that our existence is a microcosm. Our heads are round like the heavens above us are round, and our eyes are like the sun and the moon. We close them and open them, like day and night. Our hair shines like the sparkling stars. Our eyebrows are like the seven stars of the Big Dipper. 
Our breath is the wind, 
and the quiet breathing from our nostrils is like the still air of the valleys and dales. 

There are some 360 joints in the human body
 and they stand for the days of the year. 
The twelve major joints signify the twelve months. 

The warm, front side of our body — our abdomen and stomach — is spring and summer. The cold hard back is fall and winter. 

Our blood vessels and arteries are streams and rivers. 
When we suffer a cerebral hemorrhage, it is as if a dam or dike has burst. 
Our bones are stones, and our skin and muscle are like the earth. 
Our body hair is a forest. 
Buddhist scriptures discuss in detail these correspondences i
ncluding each of the internal organs, 
teaching that our body is indeed a universe in miniature. 

There are clouds in the heavens. The wind blows, the stars twinkle. There are oceans on earth. The rivers flow. Volcanoes erupt. And great quantities of metals and minerals — gold, silver, copper, potassium, calcium — lie in the earth’s depths. 

The activities and qualities of all these materials are also incorporated in our bodies. 

The infinite elementary particles of the cosmos — atoms, protons, photons, electrons, neutrons, and all the rest — microscopic animals such as bacteria, the activities of good and evil, and the laws of gravity, the conservation of mass and energy, and all other laws of the universe also apply in almost the same fashion to the microcosm of our bodies. 

A look at the operation of our bodies suggests that they are great pharmaceutical plants. They have the capability to produce the drugs we need to preserve our health. They take in food and transform it into nourishment and energy. 

The human brain has the capability of a giant computer — even though we may not always be able to use it! 

The sixty trillion cells of our bodies work together 
in their established order in a perfect biorhythm. This is the original order of things. 

The Great Law That Pervades Individual Existence and the Universe 
Our existence is the universe, and its life processes are sublime. A slight change in the heat of the sun will enormously affect not only the Earth but all the other planets. If the Earth’s rotation were to stop for the briefest instant, or if its axis were to tilt the slightest degree, all living things would be threatened with extinction. 

That is how subtle the natural order is. And further, a firm and irrevocable law of the universe exists. This holds true for the microcosm as well. 

It is science that pursues this invisible but truly existent law, and technology is the invention of machines and other devices based on the fruits of scientific research. 

Nichiren Daishonin discovered and awoke to the great law of all existence that underlies all the partial laws governing all spiritual and physical phenomena, and it was he who revealed that law to humanity as Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. This Mystic Law applies equally to the universe as a whole and to each and every individual human existence. The universe and the individual are one in this Mystic Law. 

Under certain circumstances, an invisible law takes form as a visible existence. The individual human existence, for example, emerges out of its state of fusion with the rest of the universe by taking shape in the womb and being born in the world. 

A ship can be regarded as a tangible representation of the law of buoyancy, just as an airplane is a representation of the laws of aerodynamics, a radio or television program a representation of the law of electromagnetic waves. All of these objects give shape to invisible laws. 

The fundamental law of the universe and individual existence is also invisible. The Daishonin inscribed the Gohonzon as a visual representation of that Mystic Law for the people of the world. The Lotus Sutra and other Buddhist scriptures are the instruction manuals for the Gohonzon. 

Josei Toda, my teacher and the second president of the Soka Gakkai, explained the Gohonzon in an easily comprehensible way as "a machine to produce happiness." 

When we practice gongyo and chant daimoku before the Gohonzon, our individual existence is perfectly harmonized with the universe. 

Both the universe and our individual existence are the concrete manifestation of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as is the Gohonzon. That is why when we practice gongyo and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with faith in the Gohonzon, our existence and the universe mesh as perfectly as two gears, and with an initial creak begin to work together. 

The single life-moment (ichinen) of the individual becomes one with the three thousand (sanzen) factors and realms of the universe and begins to produce great value. This is the concrete practice of ichinen sanzen. 

Through that practice we can acquire wisdom and good fortune, 
and glow with the energy to overcome any obstacle throughout the four seasons, 
three hundred sixty-five days a year; 
we can enter the way to the eternal happiness 
and attain eternity, joy, true self and purity (jo raku ga jo). 

Gongyo is a practice 
which calls forth and activates 
the infinite power that the microcosm 
inherently possesses. 
It transforms your fate, 
breaks through any apparent dead end 
and converts sufferings into happiness. 
It creates a transformation, 
a revolution of the microcosm. 
It is a diagram in miniature of kosen-rufu in our lives. 

The kosen-rufu that is our aim is a movement to transform the universe, the Earth and human society into a world of peace, comfort and harmony in accord with the rhythm of the Mystic Law. 

The Practice of Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime, Which Leads to Eternal Happiness 
If you let an automobile or any other machine fall into disuse, it will rust and stop working correctly. You have to use it and maintain it regularly and properly. Why, the same thing is even true of the hair on our heads: If we don’t wash it regularly we’ll be encrusted with dandruff! 

Gongyo and chanting daimoku 
are like starting the automobile’s engine every day 
and driving in the direction of happiness and truth. 

By doing so day after day, you will gradually attain perfect unity with the universe and the Law. That state is the state of the Buddha. 

Once that has happened, you will be able to enjoy yourself with complete freedom for all eternity. Your existence will be a diamond that will never perish throughout the three existences. 

To attain Buddhahood in this life, the Daishonin warns us with firm concern that we must never retreat in our practice. 

Even though we may experience a period of sadness 
or depression, 
the principle that earthly desires are enlightenment 
teaches us that great sufferings 
are bound to be transformed 
into equally great joy, progress and value. 
There is nothing to fear, 
since the Gohonzon possesses 
the infinite power of the Law and the Buddha. 

We often say that strong faith, valiant and untiring practice and courageous acts are important. This is an expression of the truth that without a strong will and courageous practice it is impossible to achieve great things. 

You will not be able to communicate in a discussion with another unless you are clear and direct. If you lack the courage of your convictions and mumble vague things, you won’t make any impression on your listener. Nor can you strike a chord in his heart. And of course you will not be able to move or convince him. To do that you need to be very determined and sure.

Isn’t the same thing true of love? 

It’s certainly true in a job interview. Unless you present your thoughts clearly and forcefully, you won’t make any impression on the interviewer. In other words, mental determination and courageous actions can change any situation and they possess a critical capability to produce happiness. 

The Victory Song of Life Is to Be Found in Action 
To fly, a plane needs the extra push it gets by acceleration down a runway. To get good grades in school, you need the extra push of study before a test. 

Whatever you do, to achieve something better, to reach a higher level, you need a push. 

Buddhism teaches practice for oneself and practice for others. If either one is lacking, you cannot practice properly. 

The Gohonzon is the concrete manifestation of the very existence of Nichiren Daishonin, who taught kosen-rufu. Because of that, if you only practice gongyo and chant the daimoku and don’t take any other action for the sake of kosen rufu or improving your own life, the Gohonzon will not have its true, full effect. 

If, however, you take actions to achieve kosen-rufu, they will serve as that extra push for your own life and help you leap to higher and higher states of mind in your gongyo and chanting as well. 

And it is only natural that the energy you acquire through the gongyo practice for yourself will be channeled back into your activities for others, for kosen-rufu. 

The fact is that the practice of gongyo and your actions in service of kosen-rufu will become one, and together they will unlock the infinite power of the Mystic Law in your life. 

In Buddhism, practice is faith. That means action is faith, and without action there can be no true faith. The action I speak of is the way of practice for oneself and for others that is taught in Nichiren Daishonin’s writings. 

Action is the source of blessings and merits. In propagating the teachings, for example, whether the person you are presenting the teachings to arouses faith or not is his problem. The effects of our action of propagating will vary, depending on the person’s capacities and other conditions. 

There is no need at all to rejoice or lament over each effect. You can be proud that you have practiced the truest, most wonderful law of life in the universe to the best of your ability and go forward with your head held high. One who has acted for the sake of kosen-rufu is already a great victor in life. 

The words "the heads of those who cause affliction will be split in seven pieces" are written on the Gohonzon. 

This is a warning that it is wrong to seek to harm this law of your own being. 

Abandoning the teachings or slandering them are self-destructive actions that are bound to split you apart. 

We also find the words "those who make offerings will acquire blessings surpassing the Buddha’s ten names." 
This forceful statement tells us that the merits of one who make offerings to the Gohonzon and spreads the teaching will be far greater than the magnificent merits of the one who makes offerings to Shakyamuni Buddha. This is a promise that our personal microcosm will absorb the nourishment of all the blessings in the macrocosm, the whole universe, and be elevated to a state of existence of the highest happiness itself. 

Thus we know that the children of the Buddha who strive for kosen-rufu are each guaranteed to attain the ultimate degree of happiness. There is no one who will be more blessed. 

Faith in Present and Future 
"For both the present and the future" is also written on the Gohonzon. For present and future. That is what faith is for, what the Buddhist Law is for. 

When we worship the Gohonzon, the eternal life of time without beginning wells up within us. Our faith is that every day, every instant begins from time without beginning. 

We are always setting out, full of hope, from today to the future, from this moment to eternal happiness. We are always young, always beginning. 

My message to you is that you must be absolutely certain of this and live your wonderful lives without regret, with joy and brightness, always moving forward."  

This essay is from the collected speeches of Daisaku Ikeda in "To My Young American Friends" 

7 Keys to Vanquishing Recurring Karma Once and For All!

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

"Strength is Happiness. 
Strength is itself victory. 
In weakness and cowardice there is no happiness. 
When you wage a struggle, 
you might win or you might lose. 
But regardless of the short-term outcome, 
the very fact of your continuing to struggle 
is proof of your victory as a human being. 
A strong spirit, strong faith and strong prayer - 
developing these is victory 
and the world of Buddhahood."

Daisaku Ikeda, For Today and Tomorrow, page 50 

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

We all have it. That karmic pattern that we've chanted to end forever...and somehow, it ends for a bit then resurfaces in a different time and place. 

For some people it's a financial challenge, for others it might be within relationships, but at the core of it all, it's OUR karma and we need to keep our determination to change it. And for me, it usually involves some kind of courageous conversation, and drawing some resource from within my own life using wisdom to overcome, not cower from it. 

I picture our lives and karma like a spiral going upwards, and as I come around a bend, the karma resurfaces in some way...and it's up to me once again to write the story of my life. 

At a study meeting the other day, a leader reminded me: "Whenever I encounter a trouble I remind myself I WRITE THE STORY OF MY LIFE. I'm the protagonist and the author. I'm sure I wrote a happy ending!" I loved that. It made me laugh! Of course, we made a happy ending. And right here, right now...we are building that happiness. We can vanquish recurring karma once and for all. 

How do we do this?

7 KEYS to Vanquishing Recurring Karma Once and for ALL

By Jamie Lee Silver of ChantforHappiness.com

1. Have a strong determination to prove the power of this faith through your own life so you can encourage others. We practice to change ourselves and to change the world. Keep reminding yourself of your brilliant mission. 
You are a Buddha!!! Always! Eternally and at every moment! 

2. Keep going to meetings! 

3. Keep studying! 

4. Encourage others!

5. Take good care of yourself! 
Get enough sleep, eat well, exercise.
Appreciate yourself. Appreciate everything

6. Be open to new resources. 
Our powerful Daimoku leads us to resources that help us. 

7. Keep chanting! 
Every morning and evening and every morning and evening! You can do it! 

GO Buddha Go! 

I've been spending much of my time promoting Ben's Memorial Mile. This event will honor Ben's life, bring the community together, and raise money for a cure for Schizophrenia. It's June 11th in Downers Grove Illinois. You are all invited! There will be races for all age groups of varying lengths. This is incredibly hard for me...but I am persevering! For more info go to BensMemorialMile.com

STRENGTH! 
STRENGTH!
STRENGTH! 

Happy Mother's Day! Nam-myoho-renge-kyo

Today I saw Aaron for the first time in 6 weeks. He and Meg had a great time in Australia, and we're in the final countdown to his graduation from Stritch Loyola Medical School on May 21st.  

As you can imagine, it's an interesting time for me, the first mother's day since Ben began his next journey. Although he is here with me in spirit, and continues to write to me constantly through my own hand, he is my "Forever Ben" now, and my life as a mother is changed.

Yesterday I chanted for an hour with my friend Nina. It had been a while since I chanted that long, and it felt like a really long time to chant!  It's so interesting how sometimes time flies...and other times it stands still. But I had to chant with as much concentration as possible so I could face mother's day today. I did not look away from the Gohonzon for more than a few seconds. Focused concentration...chanting for Kosen Rufu to flow endlessly through me...to alleviate my fear...to feel the beautiful flow of my life every moment...

And last night I did EFT Tapping with my new friend Betsy via Skype so I could be calm today. (Please write me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com if you want to learn about having a session with me) Tapping is so fascinating...it's like acupuncture without needles. Great for clearing emotion. 
So today Aaron and I spent the day in the sun making golden memories. We visited the Bahai Temple in Wilmette, one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. I wrote about this building a year ago when Ben and I went there. This time Aaron and I were making new memories. And we went to the beach. 

I hope you all honored yourselves, your Mothers and your families with love this Mother's Day! 
Nam-myoho-rnege-kyo! 

No More Waiting - We Make it happen! Happy May 3rd!

(Excerpted from Linda Johnson's speech on May 3rd, 2015)
On this day, May 3rd, we each renew our determination to work for kosen rufu - world peace. I'd like to start with a quote from Daisaku Ikeda from page 60 of the May Living Buddhism. 

"Some people are never in the limelight, never in a position to receive praise and recognition from others. But "It is the heart that is important" (WND-1000). A person's greatness is not determined by social status. Our happiness isn't determined by our environment. A vast universe exists in our hearts, in our lives. We practice Nichiren Buddhism to open up that boundless inner realm.
"When we open that magnificent realm of the spirit, we will be champions wherever we might be. We will savor without end the wondrous delights of a truly profound existence. 
Many people seek success and importance in the eyes of the world, but few aspire to become truly great human beings. 

Many wish to be showered with praise and attention, but few strive to build an inner happiness that will remain undiminished until the moment of their death and extend throughout the three existences of past, present and future. 
Our greatness and happiness as human beings are determined by the strength of our life force, and our Buddhist faith and practice dedicated to kosen-rufu. 
We are striving day after day for kosen-rufu, an unprecedented ideal in the history of humankind. It requires incredible perseverance. Yet, because of that, we are absolutely certain to build lives of true fulfillment. 
How others view us is not important. Temporary successes or failures also do not matter. What counts is whether our faces shine with happy smiles at the very end of our lives. If we can look back and say, "My life was victorious. It was enjoyable. I have no regrets," then we are victors." 
May Living Buddhism, page 60. 

Nichiren Buddhism demystifies life because he explains all of life has two sides, the positive and the negative. And the reason we suffer is that we're unaware we have the same power within us that caused the sun to come up today. 

Having knowledge of this is of no value unless we can unlock this power. 
We each are in this movie we call life. We are the writer, the producer, the director and the protagonist. We direct the film every day with our thoughts, words and actions. Every one. 
This is both the source of our fortune and the source of our suffering. 

We practice to become happy. Happiness is not the absence of problems. Happiness is the ability to confront our problems head on and create value from our problems 

We need to learn we have control of our destiny and stop waiting for someone else to make us happy. 
Nichiren says that nothing outside of us is separate from us. All our actors in our movie reflect us. Some reflect wonderful us - and some don't. But they are the most important because we can't change what we cannot see. The person who causes you to suffer is there to help you decide "I'm gonna change my life today." 

We need to look inside. Any suffering has to be connected to our lives or we couldn't be experiencing it. But we can change it. 

Human revolution says "I'm going to pray to transform that suffering so I can be an example for others. My experience will inspire others." 

What is the number one requirement for all of us to live a victorious life? 

Courage. 

Faith exists for us to make the impossible possible. We don't practice to do what we could already do. 

As we mature in faith our intellect persuades us that things are not possible. We buy into the "reality" of our lives and don't seek to challenge them. 

Faith makes the impossible possible. 

We need to chant to transform obstacles even when the intellect has no strategy. 

When you take charge of your life what matters is your heart. 
"I'm making this happen with every Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!" 

I met a young woman who hadn't gotten her citizenship interview and she told me "It's out of my hands." Well, she said that to the wrong person. As a Nichiren Buddhist nothing is out of your hands. I told her to chant "I'm making it happen right now!" This was Saturday. By Monday she had gotten a call for her interview. 

A terminal diagnosis from medical science just tells you medical science can't help you, but the great medicine of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo works for everyone. We need to challenge our lives with courage. 
A member in New York was given 3 months to live and 7 1/2 years later she is still living cancer free. 

We need to courageously use our faith to take charge of our lives. 

Nothing is more powerful than Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. 
Chant courageously and boldly for your dreams. 

Your dreams are the best gift you can give yourself. 
No one else can give them to you...
So starting today, from May 3rd create the greatest life beyond all expectations because you deserve it!

From May 3rd, 2015 speech. Chicago Illinois


                            

What is Success in Life?

"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 inside. 
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."

Daisaku Ikeda, For Today and Tomorrow, page 131

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

What is it that makes us burn with this hard, gemlike flame? What is it that drives each one of us? 

For almost seven years writing this blog has been something that makes me incredibly happy. I have overcome each and every challenge with a "turning poison into medicine" attitude. Lately I've been listening to some interesting audios and just learned that psychology calls this a "Thriving Mentality." Exactly. We all get this! 

We know that our practice has not quite hit the mainstream yet. We know how unique we are. And look at us, ahead of the game in so many ways. Living lives turning poison into medicine is the best, most fulfilling way to live. 

I'm still in the midst of turning the biggest poison into medicine. I'm not done yet. We shall see it all unfold. And the most important thing is this: I am not giving up. I can never give up. And we all possess the greatest treasure...Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and our Soka Gakkai International. 

Let's treasure our lives more than ever!

This Day Changed Our Lives Forever!

On this day in 1253 Nichiren Daishonin chanted Nam-myoho-renge-kyo for the first time and reclaimed the practice of Buddhism for the happiness of us all. 

It's fascinating to imagine what it would have been like for him that day. I wonder what he felt when he was pondering the true practice for the age. Remember, he'd made a vow at the age of twelve to be the wisest man in Japan. He'd traveled to Buddhist temples all over reading the sacred scrolls and asking himself the same question over and over: 

"What is the REAL practice for this age? What will lead people to happiness? What is the true lifeblood of Buddhism NOW?" 

He put every cell of his body into finding the answer to this question. There were many forms of Buddhism at the time. All of them promised rewards in the future, but no fulfillment right now. The Pure Land sect said the only happiness you could ever have came only after death when you were born again in the Pure Land. Other sects said you had to attone for every single negative cause you had ever made and after many, many lifetimes attain Buddhahood. Others said you had to be reborn as a man. 

But NONE said that Happiness exists in the here and now, and you can attain Buddhahood, happiness, enlightenment, right here right now in your present form. 

And THAT school was the one Nichiren founded, beginning 760 years ago today by chanting the title of the Lotus Sutra for the first time. I can just imagine the shivers going through his body. I can just imagine the responses of the people around him who were all attached to their own particular beliefs. It took an amazing amount of energy and strength. 

And he continued his religious revolution every day from then on. In the face of multiple persecutions, attacks, hatred...you name it. But he KNEW. He KNEW that one day you and I would be chanting this phrase and changing the world by infusing our lives with the energy of this vibration, and advancing, step by step with Nichiren and our mentor in faith Daisaku Ikeda. 

What courage. What strength. 

Those of us who have read the writings Nichiren wrote to his followers know what he went through...being exiled to a gardener's hut with holes in the walls and the ceiling with no provisions in the cold of winter in a graveyard no less...not even a graveyard actually, a place where dead bodies were just left on Sado Island. People were told not to go near the hut or help this man or they would be killed. And it was from this hut where he wrote the Opening of the Eyes and many of his most important letters "Gosho" saying "I am the happiest man in all japan!" Why was he so happy? Because his persecutions confirmed that this was the correct teachings. We can learn so much through his actions and attitude. I could go on and on. 

Today marks the first time he chanted. Today marks the establishment of Practical Buddhism for the Latter Day of the Law. Breathtaking really. 


The following passage is largely taken from the SGI website on Nichiren's Life. 


"While Nichiren demonstrated a severely critical stance toward what he regarded as distortion or corruption of the core message of Buddhism, his letters of guidance and encouragement to his followers record a tender concern for people who were disregarded within medieval Japanese society."

Nichiren (1222-1282), the priest who established the form of Buddhism practiced by the members of the SGI, is a unique figure in Japanese social and religious history. In a society where great emphasis has often been placed on keeping conflict hidden from sight, Nichiren was outspoken in his criticism of the established Buddhist sects and secular authorities. His chosen method of propagation was "shakubuku"--a sharp and relentless dialectic between different perspectives in quest of truth...

For instance, he wrote many letters to female lay believers in which he showed a remarkable understanding of their sufferings and emphasized the Lotus Sutra's message that all people can become enlightened as they are, men and women.

Nichiren's sympathy for the downtrodden in society is related to the circumstances of his birth. His father was a fisherman on the seacoast to the east of what is now Tokyo, and as such Nichiren identified himself as "the son of a chandala [untouchable caste] family." Life in feudal Japan was harsh and brutal, especially for the masses at the bottom of the strict social hierarchy. Experiencing firsthand the misery of the common people, Nichiren had from an early age been driven by a powerful desire to find a way of resolving the problem of human suffering.

SGI President Daisaku Ikeda has noted that the wisdom we are able to unleash from within is proportionate to our sense of responsibility. The young Nichiren was moved by a burning sense of responsibility to alleviate the enormous misery he saw about him, and it was this that enabled him to gain insight into the essential nature of human life and reality.

Nichiren began an exhaustive study of the multitude of often contradictory teachings and sutras of Buddhism. From age 16 to 32, Nichiren traveled to Kamakura and Kyoto, visiting the major centers of Buddhism, studying the massive volume of sutras, treatises and commentaries. The conclusion he reached was that the heart of Shakyamuni's enlightenment is to be found in the Lotus Sutra and that the principle or law to which all Buddhas are enlightened is expressed in the phrase "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo," from the title, or daimoku, of that sutra.

At the same time, he understood clearly that to promote faith in the Lotus Sutra as the exclusive vehicle for enlightenment would be to engage in public criticism of existing schools of Buddhism, many of which taught that access to the Buddha Land was only possible after death. While Nichiren advocated using Buddhist practice to challenge one's circumstances and develop inner strength, the traditional schools encouraged resignation and passivity. A strong counterreaction could be anticipated, and Nichiren writes of his own inner struggle over the question of whether or not to speak out.

Persecution

Deciding that to remain silent would be to lack compassion, on the 28th day of the fourth month (according to the lunar calendar) of 1253, Nichiren made a public declaration of his beliefs. As anticipated, his insistence on the sole efficacy of the Lotus Sutra--with its core tenet that all people are in fact Buddhas--in the present era of confusion and corruption was met with disbelief and hostility. The steward of the region, a devout follower of the Pure Land school, took steps to have Nichiren arrested. And from this point on, Nichiren's life would be a succession of harassment, persecution and abuse.

One reason for this is that the authorities recognized Nichiren's uncompromising insistence on the equality of all people as a direct threat to the established power structure, which victimized the impoverished majority. The established schools of Buddhism had been incorporated into this structure, providing an effective means for the feudal authorities to strengthen and extend their power over the populace. Priests of these schools, who occupied a privileged position within the social hierarchy, were deeply implicated in this exploitative system and had no reason to challenge the status quo. This is a further reason why Nichiren was able to attract a significant following despite the risks that such allegiance would entail.

The Lotus Sutra predicts that those who attempt to spread its teachings in the corrupt latter days will meet severe trials. Nichiren interpreted the persecutions that befell him as evidence that he was fulfilling his mission in life.

In 1260, in the wake of a series of devastating natural disasters, Nichiren wrote his most famous tract, the Rissho ankoku ron (On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land). In it, he developed the idea that only by reviving a spirit of reverence for the sanctity and perfectibility of human life through faith in the Lotus Sutra could a truly peaceful order be restored and further disaster forestalled. He presented this treatise to the highest political authorities of Japan and urged them to sponsor a public debate with representatives of other schools of Buddhism. The call for public debate--which Nichiren would repeat throughout his life--was ignored, and he was banished to the Izu Peninsula.

The years that followed brought further banishment and the decisive crisis of his life--an attempt to execute him on the beach of Tatsunokuchi. By his account, moments before the executioner's sword was to fall, a luminous object--perhaps a meteor--traversed the sky with such brilliance that the terrified officials called off the execution. Nichiren was banished to Sado Island where, amidst extreme deprivation, he continued to make converts and write treatises and letters.

In part because the predictions he had made in the Rissho ankoku ron had come true, after almost two and a half years on Sado, Nichiren was pardoned and returned to the political center of Kamakura. It is said he was offered a temple and official patronage if he would desist from his criticism of other schools of Buddhism, but he refused. Nichiren retreated to Mount Minobu, and there he wrote copiously and trained his successors.

Transmission

During this period, the priest Nikko, who had accompanied Nichiren throughout his tumultuous career and would inherit the teachings, was gaining converts in nearby Atsuhara village. The priests of a Tendai temple in the area, angered at this, began harassing the converts. Eventually, they instigated an attack by samurai against unarmed peasant converts and their arrest on false charges of theft. Twenty of the peasants were arrested and tortured, and three were executed in 1279.

Where earlier persecutions had targeted Nichiren himself, this time it was the lay believers who were the victims. Despite their lack of an in-depth theoretical knowledge of their newly adopted faith, these peasant followers remained steadfast in the face of the ultimate threat. For Nichiren, this signaled a crucial turning point, inspiring his confidence that his teachings would be maintained and practiced after his own passing. Where he had to date inscribed sacred mandalas (Gohonzon) for individual believers, he now inscribed the mandala explicitly dedicated to the happiness and enlightenment of all humankind. This symbolized the establishment of Nichiren Buddhism as a universal faith. Nichiren died of old age three years later, his mission complete. Transmission of his teachings and the fulfillment of his vision of peace founded on respect for the sanctity of life is the central inspiration for SGI members worldwide.

[Courtesy October 2004 SGI Quarterly]

We Made the Cover of the Newspaper ~

Ben's Memorial Mile is June 11th, 2016. Last week my sister Alison and I were on the cover of the local newspaper. Here's the link. 
http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/2016/04/13/bens-memorial-run-remembers-downers-grove-athlete-raises-money-for-mental-illness-research/abos9sj/

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Daily Guidance from "For Today and Tomorrow" by Daisaku Ikeda, April 25th, Page 127:

"Adversity gives birth to greatness. 
The greater the challenges and difficulties we face, 
the greater opportunity we have to grow as people. 
A life without adversity, 
a life of ease and comfort, 
produces nothing and leaves us with nothing. 
This is one of the indisputable facts of life." 

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

Yes,  I think we know adversity gives rise to greatness...or at least it CAN give rise to greatness. What is the formula for making this happen? For me, it is consistency to the best of my ability. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the secret to continual forward movement. Every morning when we chant...we advance. 

This year has been a real journey for me...chanting through my tears and wonderment...and here we are, just a month away from Ben's Memorial Mile. And even though it has been difficult at times...I keep forging ahead. 

I've produced Ben's Memorial Mile posters, postcards, sponsor letters...and it's all coming together. Check out the website at BensMemorialMile.com, 
and you can sign up to run or walk, or donate to find a cure for schizophrenia. All proceeds are going to the National Alliance for Mental Illness, Dupage, Illinois, and the Body and Behavior Institute. 

Right now I'm working on sponsorships and donations to Ben's Memorial Mile, and making sure everyone who wants to attend knows about it. I just secured a film team to film people telling their stories about Ben. You don't have to have known Ben to be part of his story. Many of you have chanted for him...some have chanted hours a day. YOU are part of Ben's story too. If you film yourself telling your Ben story, it can be included. Email me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com if you're interested in doing this. 

Right now I'm busy chanting and tapping. I completed two levels of training as an EFT practitioner. This is such powerful work. I am calmer, happier, and more serene through tapping. For my certification I'll be completing 50 individual tapping sessions with people. Let me know by email if you are interested: chantforhappiness@gmail.com. 

Happy Monday!

How to Chant for Kosen-Rufu - Happiness and Fulfillment for all

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"When we are aware 
that each moment of each day, 
each gesture and step we take, 
is truly mystical 
and full of wonder, 
we will live our lives 
with greater thought and care. 
We will also have greater respect 
and appreciation 
for the lives of others." 

Daisaku Ikeda, Buddhism By Day, Wisdom for Modern Life, page 135
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There are many ways to chant for Kosen-Rufu - a world of respect for all. We all chant in the most natural way possible. This is one idea for you:

This morning, this PowerPrayer came to mind. I'm experiencing the blooming of Ben's Memorial Mile all around me...it is growing and expanding every day. My life feels truly mystical. I've been learning and practicing EFT, and I feel calm. This morning this short Kosen-Rufu prayer came to me to tell you: 

Short PowerPrayer for Kosen-Rufu
By Jamie Lee Silver, Chantforhappiness.com
Powerprayers are for inspiration - to fuel our determination. We allow them to come into our minds when chanting...and see how they feel when we chant with them in mind. 

I chant for the FULL EXPRESSION of all my talents to flow through me for the greatest good of all...

For this moment, as I'm chanting, I don't have to figure anything out...I don't have to decide anything.

As I am chanting I am connecting with Daisaku Ikeda's heart, and flow of purest energy. We are all chanting for our best, highest good to flow through us throughout the world...

For this moment, I chant purely for the flow, the full flow of kosen-rufu...the best good for everything...the highest possible source of all energy, all thought, all action to flow freely through me for the greatest good of all! 

Internet Wizard Needed!

Hello readers!

Are you a wizard on the WEB? 
Chantforhappiness.com 
seeks a paypal/web design/webinar intern.

Let's work together for mutual success!

Email me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com