Lighting the Lamp of Hope from Florida !

This egret is walking along St. Pete Beach on a beautiful day recently. I think he was posing for me. 

On Sunday I went to my local SGI Center and chanted for 4 hours for the Lions of Justice Festival, 50K youth gathering across America on September 23rd. 
I chanted for the youth of the world to realize their power to make the world a better place...and to be happy...
I chanted...
...for all the youth who are going to the festival to have a breakthrough in their lives...
...for all who registered to overcome obstacles and be able to attend...
...for safety, great weather, and operations to go smoothly...
...for all who are supporting and chanting for this festival to have breakthroughs...
...for every member everywhere to feel an incredible connection to the power within their own lives when chanting to the Gohonzon...
...and to have conviction in my own Buddha Nature... 

It's been a while since I chanted that much daimoku at one time. I sat right up front and supported the people who were leading the chanting. I love doing that...listening to their rhythm, and expanding it.

And, of course, yesterday, Monday, I was energetic and focused. I launched a project at work involving teamwork and leadership...and it flowed naturally. Later this week, on my birthday, I'm going to my High School reunion feeling healthy and happy with that Florida Glow. 

When we chant for others we are also chanting for ourselves. We are all interconnected. We are all one being. When we chant for those who are giving us problems in life, we are opening our channels of compassion and expanding our capacity to feel joy, love, and happiness. Who can you chant for? How can we each expand our capacity to love and be loved? 

No matter where you are in life, or what's happening, you can always launch a new rocket of hope into your life. Chanting nam-myoho-renge-kyo infused your life with the life of the universe...and chanting is YOURS. For FREE. 

Join with your fellow SGI members, make a fresh determination. Refuse to give in to ANYTHING that is getting you down. Your life IS the Buddha. Chant to feel this with your life at every moment. Let's all be radiantly happy and victorious together! 

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

Nichiren Daishonin. From the Gosho Reply to Kyo'o

Inspiring Experience from Shara Gulati, YWD in India

From Shara Gulati: 

I am glad that I am able to share my delightful experience.

Chanting 'Nam-myoho-renge-kyo' has worked like Magic.

I am a masters graduate from The University of Manchester. I currently live with my parents in India. After spending one and a half years in the UK, I came back to India this year in January, to live with my family.

Looking back at the past 6 months is a nightmare.

I was extremely depressed. I have never lived idle in my life. But the struggle to find the perfect job has its own repercussions. I stopped socializing, meeting friends or anyone else with the fear that people would ask me what I would do next and I would look like a failure. I used to chicken-out of any conversation that was related to my career. Long story short, I was miserable.

Then Buddhism came into my life and things started changing.

I met a distant relative who encouraged me (I am very grateful to her)  to start chanting. Not knowing what that meant, I started searching Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and SGI Buddhism on google and that very day I felt different, I felt good, I felt like myself after a long time.

That happened and then I have another relative who is an SGI district leader, who motivated me further more and sent me two books for more knowledge.

All this happened in late July and things started turning so much better in just a month's time. 

I found an amazing woman from Quora who has been there through my thick and thin, to motivate me and keep my Daimoku strong, so strong that I can conquer anything and come out victorious.

I started chanting for 5 minutes a day which has now changed to 2 hours a day.

I could feel that I started caring more about other people's happiness too.

I have now taken full charge of my life and have stopped blaming anyone for my condition.

My friend's grandmother got extremely ill and ghospitalized sed not once but thrice. I kept my faith strong and chanted for her everyday. I chanted with the aim that she should be healthy and should get discharged by 28th Aug. Mystically, she got discharged on the same day.

My niece got diagnosed with eczema and she is just three years old. It took 5 doctors to diagnose something like that until we found out what exactly appeared on her cheeks. I kept chanting for her and also prayed that her skin condition improves by 28th Aug and miraculously the skin ailment vanished completely by then.

I have also been considering to get help from a good recruitment agency for an overseas career. I found one. My family and I got in touch with them. It took us 10 days to have faith in them and be ready to pay the amount the next day.

I chanted to be saved from any fraudulent act. I chanted that 'if the company is not genuine, I should not pay the amount the next day'. Mystically, the very next day I got up late and I forgot to ask my father to get the amount deposited. 

In the evening, one of the employees of the company, who I had been in touch with, contacted me and to quote her exact words 'I believe in Karma. I believe if you do good to others, you get things back. So I would suggest you not to rely on this company as my other colleagues stop taking calls once the candidate has paid the amount.

So mystic, isnt it?

That's the power of daimoku, that is the power of our Gohonzon.

With this practise, I am determined to report four victories by the end of this year.

"Chant abundant Daimoku and pray to the Gohonzon. Ask the Gohonzon for whatever you need. Everything will come true as you wish, and the path of kosen-rufu will open up in front of you.

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

From Jamie: 

Thank you, Shara! Thank you for your enthusiasm and determination. Thank you for submitting your experience to me. 

And to the readers of ChantforHappiness.com, please have renewed hope that you can accomplish all your dreams. 

Chant for conviction in your Buddha Nature! Chant to realize your life as the beautiful Buddha you are! 

Today I am taking my pen in hand to write down as many goals as I can for my life. What number will I achieve? 100? 200? Danny Nagashima encouraged us to do this in 1993 in San Francisco when he was the center leader there. I wrote 200+ goals and met Sensei that year. Go for your goals! Live your beautiful lives! Sending love from sunny Florida, Jamie

Great Insights from Kate Randolph

My Dear friend Kate

Hello, my friends! Thanks for all the emails prodding me back into writing. You have always been on my mind! 

I'm sitting here in paradise on St. Pete Beach with a few moments on my hands because I'm off work today. I have a great full-time job helping families go through the difficult maze of figuring out the best place for their loved one to live when they can no longer take care of themselves. I enjoy giving people hope, changing the lives of seniors, and infusing love into my community.

There's so much to share! Ben's Memorial Mile (Bensmemorialmile.com) took place in June with hundreds of attendees running, walking, playing and having fun in my son Ben's name. We are about to reach our goal of contributing $50,000 for research to cure schizophrenia, and taking concrete action to prevent suicide through "Hope for the Day." We're already planning an amazing event in Downers Grove, Illinois, USA next June. I'll keep you posted. 

And, many of you know that Kate Randolph is battling the same kind of cancer that just killed John McCain, a glioblastoma brain tumor. Kate was diagnosed right after we went to the Florida Nature Culture Center together in November of 2017. She's challenging three hours of daimoku (chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo) a day, and is fighting a fierce battle. 

The other day I reached her in LA and she had important words for all for us when I told her about a goal I'm determined to reach. Kate said: 

"There's only one thing you need to do. 

There's only one prayer you need to have. Along with chanting for the youth of the world and the 50K Lions of Justice Festivals in America and around the world, 

Chant for 

absolute and total conviction

 in your Buddha Nature

and everything you want will fall in line. 

Don't keep searching for what you desire - 

use this prayer, use the power of your daimoku. 

Pray that THIS TIME you are changing your karma forever...for you, for your parents, 

for your descendants. 

Pray that THIS PRAYER changes your karma forever."

Let that sink in! 

I'll tell you it's a challenge. When I'm chanting I latch onto that prayer, and I'm quickly pulled off of it by some distraction (fundamental darkness) in my mind. But it's real. And powerful. It takes strong determination to stay on this prayer...and let other prayers bubble up...for my family, my coworkers, the youth of the world. It's a daily challenge to keep praying while chanting - not just letting my mind wander and wondering about stuff. But that's where the magic is...the sustained launching of our prayer on the wings of Daimoku.  

I hope this post finds you well...and that you keep strong determination. As Nichiren Daishonin states in the Gosho Letter to Nikke, 
"Chanting nam-myoho-renge-kyo is like the roar of a lion. What sickness can, therefore, be an obstacle?"

Whatever you are facing don't give up. Don't give up! We are here for a reason. We chose this life. We even chose our problems. In the August 17th World Tribune on page 7, Daisaku Ikeda, my mentor in life, quotes the words of the Argentine poet Almafuerte: 

"Sometimes a great destiny sleeps to be awakened by anguish."
He goes on to say: 
"Buddhism teaches that suffering is the springboard to enlightenment. No one is free from problems and worries - nor is any family or region. 
"Life is a struggle against problems. What's important is how we solve the problems that weigh down on us. We need to call forth all our wisdom and make repeated efforts to overcome those problems and reach the victory that lies beyond them. 
"Dreaming about what life might be like if only you didn't have any problems is just an escape from reality into a fantasy realm. It only leads to defeat in life. People who are always making positive efforts, thinking about how to overcome each problem and transform it into a source of value and victory are the winners in life. 
"Your resolve determines your life. I hope you will all be great actors in your own dramas of victory, brilliantly proving this truth, and be people who encourage and impart self-confidence to everyone around you."

Yes! Write that drama brilliantly! Smile and carry on! Chant and study and encourage your fellow members! Sending love to you!