About this Blog

I started this blog in July of 2009 when I was at a crossroads and realizing some key things in my life.

Whereas:

I was heading into my 25th year of chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, and soon to be entering my 50th year of Life...

Whereas:

I still had some negative karma I was working on changing....

Whereas:

I had an aching heart...and was very aware of the fundamental darkness inside my life...

AND after being a Buddhist for 24 years I knew that I already had the key to changing my life for the better...and it starts with making new determination (goals put into action) ...and chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

I decided:

To chant two entire hours every single day with set goals in mind, and blog the two hour a day campaign (daimoku campaign as we call it) so I could inspire others by my certain success.

At the Beginning:

When I started the campaign and blog I was in a marriage that was not happy, and hadn't been for some time. I was employed working for a senior living community and enjoyed my job in sales/marketing and public speaking. I had also been limping for several years with pain in my right leg from the hip to the foot and was trying all sorts of ways to heal the pain. Also, I practiced Buddhism within the Soka Gakkai organization, but I did not currently hold any position of leadership. I was also, as i mentioned above, aching in my heart.

What happened:

Immediately in 2009 I was asked to co-lead the Downers Grove District and embraced it wholeheartedly. There were two or three members coming out to meetings, and I knew my co-leader and I would be able to create a happy thriving district. I chanted every day then, and still do now, for every single member to be so happy that they are overflowing with happiness and telling other people about chanting because it's impossible NOT TO when happiness is coming through every cell! Now we have 15-20 people coming to meetings every single week and new members are joining us every month!

In the fall of 2009 my beautiful, sweet Mommy died, and I know that my chanting for two hours a day carried me through that experience. We held an great life celebration for her. We were very close, my Mom and I, and I miss her every day, but know she is cheering for me still, just like she did when she was alive.

Then I decided that my husband and I had completed our mission together of having and raising two brilliant Buddha Boys, and we decided to split, but remain together in the same house until Ben's graduation in 2011.

Right after that I was laid off, went to California to visit friends and came back to face the realization that the only way out of my leg pain was through a total hip replacement surgery. Yikes! I did that, and I've now recovered and am focusing now on creating my future!

The district is strong...I am strong...and I am still blogging away and invite you to join me! Send me your experiences with chanting and I'll publish them in the blog. Feel free to forward this blog link to anyone you would like to share it with.

The Meaning of Faith

In this unique practice of chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo,

what does it mean to have faith?

What do we have faith in?

Great question!

Since we are ALL Buddhas, and we ALL possess the power of the entire universe within us, we have faith in our ability to tap that vital life force inside us, and make it manifest in the direction we so choose.

There is a famous phrase in the writings of Nichiren Daishonin that states:

"Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is like the roar of a lion. What sickness can therefore be an obstacle?"

Sickness can mean physical ailment, but it also has a much broader meaning...any kind of suffering can be inserted here. The point is, that chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is stronger than any kind of problem one might have. By chanting these words victory is assured.

The point of having strong faith is to summon up, WHILE we are chanting, the conviction that we WILL accomplish whatever it is we are chanting about. While we are chanting we are vowing success in our minds...AS we chant. Chanting with this strong conviction held in our minds fills a person with endless vitality and FAITH.

Right now many Soka Gakkai members are making determinations towards the date of February 27th, 2011. On that date we will be gathering together and sharing our successes from our determinations.

My determination is to get a job to support the next phase of my life...one where I can make enough money to move out, support myself, and one that fulfills my list of requirements. I have several possibilities working now...let's see what I create.

I also will write some query letters about turning this blog into a book. It has such a great story from beginning to end. Every time I sit down to work on a book proposal or query letter I hear all kinds of doubt in my brain. I am determined either to rid my brain of doubt, or to get the query letters done even WITH the doubt in my brain.

How about YOU? Can you summon up determination and faith to make something important happen in your life by the 27th of February?

What could it be?

Around the first of the year I made a determination to get over a sad feeling that was lingering. And by the first of the year I was able to get rid of that feeling!

Dear friend in Bombay

Oh, my heart goes out to you Anamika!!

Please take the words I am going to tell you to heart.

(I received an email from a new friend in Bombay and this is my response - what I am saying here can encourage anyone and is meant specifically for Anamika) Her comment can be found under my posting of February 2nd.

Dear Anamika, please do not give up! Above all do not give up! You say you have been chanting since June. Are you in a District? Do you have friends in faith? Do you have the words of President Ikeda to read? Do you have your Gohonzon enshrined in a safe place in the heart of your home?

This Buddhism is the sure way for you to create happiness in your life. Please do not doubt this. Chant every single day for as long as you possibly can. Chant for exactly what you want and need. Make a specific list of what you need and want...the things you need for your life and safety, and the way you want to feel inside. Please chant from the bottom of your heart to connect with the spirit and the energy of Daisaku Ikeda, and chant to do your Human Revolution so you can experience true happiness. Your current suffering is actually your MISSION in life to CHANGE!!! And by changing this suffering you will inspire others to be able to change their karma too.

When you are chanting make a great vow to achieve VICTORY in all areas of your life. Remember that when you chant you are not asking anyone to bestow favors upon you. You are instead ACTIVATING THE POWERFUL UNIVERSE WITHIN YOUR LIFE. Chant with determination that you will WIN!!!

Remember that your karma is CHANGEABLE...(IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT)!!! You will create the BIGGEST HAPPINESS AND FORTUNE IN YOUR LIFE by chanting. Do not have any doubt. From the depths of the muddy swamp comes a brilliant lotus flower...a life of brilliance shining like the sun.

Do not give up hope. Chant as often as you possibly can. Chant for exactly what you need. Be specific. Be BOLD. Chant hard. When you chant...chant from the depths of your body...feel the energy flowing through every chakra.

Chant with the conviction that YOU CANNOT FAIL. You ARE A BUDDHA!!! YOU MUST SUCCEED for the sake of your own happiness and that of your son. Don't worry about your son not talking to you right now. Chant for his happiness every day and you will be reunited at some time in the future. Don't worry. Chant instead.

Do you have an email address I can email directly? I will write to you often and chant for you and help you in any way I can. One of the members in my district is in Delhi right now and I'll bet she would be able to talk to you by phone if you want. Can you send me a picture of you? I will share your story with the members of my district and they will chant for you too. You can also write President Ikeda and tell him of your struggles and determinations.

Have you heard of Tina Turner or seen her movie "What's Love Got to Do With It?" She is a big pop star, and was living a tortured relationship with Ike Turner before she discovered chanting. She was able to break from him and start a brilliant new life! She made her movie to show people that from the muddiest swamp comes the most beautiful flower. That is the reality of YOUR LIFE. You will be a brilliant beaming flower. Chant chant chant and write me again and again. I am Sincerely chanting for your happiness!

Watching the World...having a revolution...

Chanting for the people...and chanting for Anderson Cooper who was hit in the head today on the streets of Cairo...

Look at what is happening in Egypt and across the Arab World.

The people are taking their power back. The people are rising!

Daisaku Ikeda is always writing about the power of the people...and that in the end...the people themselves cannot be stopped...the people themselves are what is important. And Look at what is happening. There is momentum...the efforts to stop them have only fueled their determination.

The revolution of the people is the mirror image of the human revolution that happens within each person when they chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. The obstacles that arise when we embrace the interior revolution of banishing the darkness inherent in all lives...the darkness inherent in OUR lives...only serve as fuel for the fire...only make you want to chant more...BRING IT ON! Is the cry of the true Buddhist. I will remain undaunted...I will redetermine to win...I will vow to overcome my suffering and win in my life.

I am enjoying every moment here...going out with some interesting gentlemen, enjoying Ben choosing his college, and I'm interviewing for jobs. I'm exercising every day and bringing light and joy into my body. I'm chanting two hours a day in such joy and light. I'm in a space where Ican even savor and enjoy my sorrow...does that sound weird to you? Last week I went to a beautiful funeral for a friend's mother. I cried through the service and came home and spent the afternoon cocooned in my room listening to music that lets my tears flow...and I actually savored the sweet release of emotion...the joy of being a human and being able to cry. Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.

My tears that afternoon were an example of the ten worlds being contained in the ten worlds. Although one might express my life state at the time as being in the world of hell...I was in the world of Buddhahood at the same time. In my tears was the realization of the beautiful life I have led, and the life that lies in front of me because of this practice. I was living one of my favorite Gosho quotes: "Suffer what there is to suffer, and enjoy what there is to enjoy, and continue chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo no matter what happens, then you will experience boundless joy from the law."

Such Determination and fun!

I carry on, ever forward with the light of President Ikeda's heart burning in mine. I have so much to accomplish...so many of what other people may call "problems" but I choose to look at as opportunities. I must find a job, find a new place to live where I can continue to hold meetings, and learn for the first time how to support myself.

The field I was most recently in is having a very difficult time in this economy. And I am looking at new and creative ways to make money.

I am coaching people in spiritual weight loss...and considering some other things.

Yesterday I went to the Illinois school of broadcasting and did an audition tape. I am not kidding you when I say they told me it was the best audition tape in 2 and a half years. I thought they were just sweet talking me to get me to go to the school, but they insisted they were being sincere.

How nice!

I love to read out loud. They said I had great articulation and color. Cool. Now I'm going to explore getting funding for this school...and other ways that I can use my voice to do the Buddha's work.

Today I had lunch with my precious adoring and adored friend, and I am basking in the glow...

...and today I've chanted with friends all over the world...in India and in California. The heart goes so easily across the miles...distances are gone.

...Tonight I watched a few episodes of Modern Family with Ben and we howled in laughter. Tomorrow he goes to Illinois for an official visit with a car full of other runner recruits.

Tomorrow I have a full list of fun things to do including two parties!

What a great life I lead. Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!

Faith is LIGHT

Faith is LIGHT.

The hearts of those with strong faith are filled with Light.

A radiance envelops their lives.

People with unshakable conviction in faith

enjoy a happiness that is luminous as the full moon on a dark night,

as dazzling as the sun on a clear day.

Daisaku Ikeda

Quote from Daisaku Ikeda

"The Real Benefit of the Mystic Law is inconspicuous.

Just as trees grow taller and stronger year after year,

adding growth rings

that are imperceptible to the human eye,

we too will grow toward a victorious existence.

For this reason it is important that we lead tenacious and balanced lives based on faith."

From For Today and Tomorrow

Chanting for YOU

Part of my chanting each day is dedicated to you. Yes you!

Even if we don't know each other personally, I can chant for you.

I AM CHANTING FOR YOU.

You can send me comments and questions to help me direct my prayers, and help you to focus yours. Remember that our intention and focus while chanting is very significant.

My prayers are not any better than yours...you are as powerful a Buddha as I am. But prayers from another on your behalf are always good!!

Results, Results, Results~!

Why do people chant?

To get results!

Last night's meeting was filled with the benefits that people are getting from chanting.

We went around the room and here are some of the reports:

One young man in his twenties looked fantastic...he had been chanting about 4 months, and said he'd had quite a week. A barrage of challenges came his way, and he calmly handles all of them! He was so peaceful and serene. he has the peace of mind that so many long for.

One young woman who turned 20 this year has been chanting about 5 months. She talked about how her Mom's company was just sold and her Mom was worried about keeping her job. She's been chanting for her Mom and things are looking good.

One woman has been chanting about 2 weeks, and she said that last night she had sweet dreams instead of nightmares. I can feel her energy rising and the light returning to her face. She's been suffering from sadness, and I can see she is starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. When I started chanting I was very sad. My prayer was "get me out of this! I've been happy before, I can be happy again!" and very quickly I felt a change in my heart...a lightness...a feeling of hope...of rising from the depths! And I saw results all around me...I got a job...I became much more active and I felt excited about my life again.

Another person talked about a near-miss car accident. She was chanting and knows that chanting helped protect her from harm.

I'm personally all excited because a University in California wants to fly Ben out for a visit...and I am very optimistic about my future! I'm exploring ways to publish my book...Chant for Happiness...based on this blog.

Every person at the discussion meeting had a positive story to tell...everyone was glowing...everyone was showing the power of using this magnificent chant to accomplish their goals and create a happy life.

Discussion meetings a fun...short...a great away to connect. They last an hour and a half. For the first half hour you chant. After that there is open discussion, study and sharing. Friends are made. Lives are changed. You can find your nearest SGI discussion meeting by going to sgi-usa.org and calling the center closest to you. There is no cost and all are welcome! My meeting is in Downers Grove Illinois, USA. Every Wednesday. All are welcome!

Ready to start chanting?

Here are a few tips for chanting:

1. Breathe when you need to! Don't skip breathing. Take as long a breath as you need to and hop back into the rhythm of your chant.

2. The words are pronounced

NAHM MEYO HO RAIN GAY KEYO. (all Os are long Os)

When you chant it should be in a steady rhythm like the sound of horses running. You can change pitch occasionally, but it usually works best to stay steady on one pitch for a while.

3. You can just print out the words at first and read them.

4. After a while you can start thinking about what you want in your life...after you get the hang of the chant itself.

5. Go to the Website sgi-usa.org right away and find your local culture center...or call the national center and find someone in your area who chants. SGI Buddhists are everywhere. This person will be so happy you called and will really help you learn to chant.

6. Pick a spot in your house to chant. make it one where you feel really comfortable, and not a place that people will be walking through all the time...unless this is your only option.

7. make your list of what you want to see happen in your life. Date it.

8. Chant at least 5 minutes a day - every morning and afternoon.

9. Go to as many Buddhist meetings as you can.

10. Watch your life fully blossom into the sweetest, most beautiful life you always wanted. Go YOU!

Aah, tis a gift to inspire!

Oh Mannn, I love to inspire people! And I love to inspire people who inspire others, that's for sure. Today was the greatest buddhist Meeting at the Chicago Buddhist Center.

It was a meeting for District Leaders...to learn together and to set the course for the next two years.

I was able to spend a few moments sharing the success of the District that I co-lead here in Downers Grove.

Our success all stems from what we call the Master/Disciple relationship. Anyone can call themselves a Buddhist...but to truly embrace the incredible gold that lies within the master/disciple relationship is a lofty, golden, wonderful opportunity. At all times I ask myself "How would President Ikeda see this situation?"

I chant to see the world through his wise eyes, hear the world through his ears and make decisions based on his wisdom. When I chant for the members in my district, I chant for them to be incredibly happy and for them to know this relationship as well.

I picture President Ikeda as a great spinning motor...he is a normal person with exceptional Ichinen (will put into action). He accomplishes in one day what it takes many weeks to do. I chant to meld my energy with his.

Because of this, our district flourishes. Every member is receiving benefits and growing in faith every day. New members are joining us every month!

On the wall by my altar is a picture of all the members, and I chant for each one, and we all chant for each other.

I begin each meeting greeting every person who comes in...it is a party-like feeling.

We celebrate all of our successes and also mourn our losses together.

I teach Gongyo (the recitation of the Lotus Sutra) by doing what I call Echo Gongyo. It is the same way I taught my kids...similar to the way music can be learned. I say a line in perfect rhythm and with energy...and the group repeats it the same way. When we get to the end of each section we go back and say it all together perfectly! People learn so quickly!

We also take full advantage of all the technical tools at our disposal. I send colorful, bright emails, and we text as often as we like. Some people love texting, others don't. We have incredible growth and happiness in our district. I am always happy to help others learn what we are doing right!

Chanting two hours a day, of course is the key as well!

Aaahh this is a great way to live!

Chanting for all involved

Right now I am focusing my prayers on the lives of all those killed on Saturday, and on the recovery of the injured. I don't know all the details of the people who remain in the hospital, but I am chanting for a complete miracle for Congresswoman Giffords. It's a brain injury...she could have a total recovery. I know it's not expected...but I also know that a lot of people are chanting/praying and wishing her well.

I am picturing her brain and surrounding it with healing energy. I am picturing the area where the shooting took place and surrounding it all with healing energy. Although, as I said, I don't know every detail, I can still send my prayers.

I am chanting for all of us...for the country...to realize we are all Americans. We are all in this together. Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!

The Video I just posted below

Hi everyone.

I just posted my first video on this spiritual blog, because I think it has an important message for all of us in America. It is a message for us all.

I have been chanting for all the families involved in this event...for everyone involved...and for Sara Palin as well. It is time for our country to heed the wise words of this commentator. NONE of us should be speaking in violent rhetoric. He makes so many good points here.

I am always thinking "What would President Ikeda, say, think and do?"

And after chanting about this today, I feel certain that he is chanting for the families involved, the communities involved and for every single American as well.

Peace. Really. And love.

Keith Olbermann Special Comment On Gabrielle Giffords Shooting

A Message for the New Year

I prepared these quotes for the enshrinement ceremony taking place in Ukiah California for my dear friend Julia. She and my friend Danielle sprang like Boddhisatvas out of the earth this fall - both deciding to fully appreciate and embrace this faith...based on seeds I planted when I lived in California over the expanse of many years. When I first shared this practice with them they were not ready to chant...but after seeing the amazing changes and the actual proof within my life...when I visited them this year...they have both been chanting and experiencing huge benefits and changing their suffering into triumphs.

I hope you enjoy these quotes today, January 2nd, 2011.

It is my ichinen for each one of YOU to experience boundless joy from the law this year....and to enter 2012 entirely victorious!!!

President Ikeda quotes previous High Priest Nittatsu :

Wherever the Gohonzon is enshrined, that place, in a broad sense, takes on the significance of the high sanctuary. The sincere daimoku you chant to that Gohonzon with a concentrated mind free of all extraneous thoughts is instantly received by the Dai Gohonzon of the High Sanctuary of True Buddhism. The place where you chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is instantly transformed into Eagle Peak. And this is where you attain Buddhahood in your present form (November 23, 1977)

A few other really cool quotes:

From My Dear Friends in America, a collection of Daisaku Ikeda's essays in America 1990-1996...just the greatest book - I remember cherishing each of these essays as they came out in the World Tribune...

"Faith is light The hearts of those with strong faith are filled with light. A radiance envelops their lives. People with unshakable conviction in faith enjoy a happiness that is as luminous as the full moon on a dark night, as dazzling as the sun on a clear day."

And you'll love this...from the essay in the same book called "Worshipping the Gohonzon Opens Your Life":

Nichiren Daishonin's basic object of devotion, (the Gohonzon) however, consists of writing, of words. Rather than a graphic image, the Daishonin made the written expression of the world of the intellect - the object of high reverence.

Words are mysterious, they have tremendous power....

When you worship the Gohonzon, the door to your microcosm is opened to the entire universe, the macrocosm, and you experience a great, boundless joy, as if you were looking out over the entire cosmos. You feel great satisfaction and rejoicing, a great wisdom --as if you held the entire universe in your palm. The microcosm enfolded by the macrocosm reaches out to enfold the macrocosm in its own embrace.

Just as we might look down on a bright, clear scene of the world below from a lofty mountain's highest peak, we can climb the peak of the mountain of wisdom (supreme enlightenment). We can attain a state of eternal bliss, experiencing the infinite expanse and depth of life moment after moment, as if we were flying through the universe and gazing at blazing comets, the brilliantly shining Milky Way and all of the beautiful stars.

And one last quote from the incredible essay "Gongyo is a Grand and Noble Rite." in the same book:

"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 single 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.

All my love!

Jamie

New Years is here

Now is the time for renewal...now is the time to rejuvenate our faith. New year's Day is such an opportunity to make a new start...to demonstrate Hon Nim Myo in our lives. Hon Nin Myo means "from this moment forth".

It is the perfect expression of the fact that the past is past...there is nothing we can do about it, and from this moment forth is all that truly matters. It's all that matters. Every moment of life is Hon Nim Myo!

Last night ten energetic members gathered at my house to chant a rousing hour of daimoku (Nam Myoho Renge Kyo over and over). We chanted for a fresh start to the new year...we chanted for each other and our fresh determinations...we chanted for our families and our hopes and dreams! Truly this is an exciting way of life!

On Saturday a new member of our district will be getting her Gohonzon. All of us are gathering to support her and celebrate her new birthday. It's a fantastic way to start the new year!

Merry Christmas!

Chanted three hours today! I am so determined to have a breakthrough by the first of the year.

Such a magical time! Tonight Aaron and Ben and I went to see Tangled at the Tivoli theater. The Tivoli is a cool old time theater that plays movies at a discount and hands you free peppermints as you're leaving. The first time I went to this theater I left with tears of gratitude in my eyes for this home town treasure.

And today we saw Tangled...in 3D, Disney's impressive 50th animated movie. It was FANTASTIC. Even better than UP...on a par with Mulan which is one of my all time faves. If you've never seen Mulan you're missing out! It is incredible girl power!

Tangled brought me to grateful tears over and over...it was beautiful and inspiring and humorous...and not as dark as some of those Disney movies can be.

Then, here we are, on Christmas evening, leaving the theater and it's a winter wonderland outside and the song "Let it Snow, Let it Snow" is playing on the outside speakers and Aaron and Ben and I just stopped and took in the splendor of a perfect, snowing, Christmas night in our chosen home town.

I said "let's never forget this night and this moment."

And we spent the next hour driving all around town taking in the beautiful homes and Christmas Lights. Oh how I wish I could freeze this moment forever. By writing about it I have. I will never forget this Christmas~It's the year I turned 50, Aaron will be 21 in the Spring and Ben just turned 18. We've spent the last week laughing together and chanting together. I have incredible fortune of the heart. Nam Myoho Renge Kyo! Now we're all hanging out in my butsudan room and they are playing on the same team in the Age of Empires...so creative and fun. They are best friends my Buddha Boys....incredible!

We each have a noble mission to WIN!!!!

I would like all of you to realize how NOBLE and PRECIOUS you are....and how important you are to the flow of life itself. Whenever you achieve a victory in your life, you achieve that victory for the entire web of all of life...leading us in Kosen Rufu (world peace). Remember that your karma is also your mission...and when you can elevate your problems and see them as your chosen mission to change...then you can raise yourself out of your suffering. I am doing battle with my own inner darkness and fulfill my desires every single day...and when I win everyday...we all win...everyone wins. Seeing my challenges in this way reminds me that I made a VOW to win over this darkness. I made a VOW to make my dreams come true! And I sit in front of my Gohonzon and VOW once again to win over my suffering...and to SEE my desires fulfilled...it is nobel...I am worthy. We are all noble and worthy Buddhas! AND WE WILL ALL WIN - provided we don't give up! Let's keep winning together! Chant enough daimoku to make your life condition really high ...and you have already won!!!

Ben Silver is in the house!

Today we went to Dick Pond's Running Store on the way to getting our tree. Jokingly I said "I called ahead to notify them that the Silver boys were coming." We walked in to the store and a man turned to us and said loudly "OMG Ben Silver's here...everyone...this is Ben Silver...and his entourage are here! He's a really big deal...tenth in state!"

And we laughed and laughed!

See what I mean!

Aaron is home!

That's right! Last night my Buddha Boy came home and he'll be here for a whole month. I love the University of Illinois for that!

He's a pre-med student taking unbelievably hard classes...and uses chanting to get the extra edge to accomplish his goals.

This semester he got a 4.0, and will be receiving $100 from his fraternity for his grades. He says he chants every day...and he doesn't feel like he's given life it's ALL...like he's done everything he can...until he has chanted.

He sent an email to his neuro professor thanking him for his teaching style, and for really helping him to understand the material. His neuro professor replied thanking him sincerely for his feedback and telling him that he's gotten an A+ in class. How wonderful! How wonderful to be a person filled with appreciation and insight and a man of action. I am so proud of both my Buddha Boys!

Ben continues to weigh offers from colleges. The coach at San Diego State just called and told him he'd send Ben's info to admissions...and they had pre-approved him! Since it's REALLY hard for anyone to get in from out of state, Ben was really excited. These coaches want him...and after his hard hard work, he deserves this kind of attention. Where will it all lead? I'll let you know!

Last night the members of Downers District got together for a holiday party and it was a blast. I just love the fact that we have all ages laughing and having fun together. We're taking a break from our regular Wednesday night meetings...it's a Soka Gakkai tradition starting this year...having a break from meetings during the month of December so we can do fun things like go to parties and do home visits. Everyone really misses the meetings on Wednesdays tho...so we decided to get together this Wednesday...and probably next one too.

I hope you're enjoying your holidays.

Today we get and decorate our live tree!

Deep Prayers

What a lovely time for me...starting each day with two hours of chanting. I'm chanting to reveal my true identity...chanting to have my book based on this blog published...chanting for the happiness of my family.

Here we are getting ready for Christmas...listening to Christmas music all the time. On Saturday the four of us will go to our favorite Christmas tree lot and choose our tree. Our friend...we call him the mountain man, from way north in Wisconsin even knows our names....we'll put up our tree, listen to Christmas music and watch White Christmas together. I'll put mulled cider on the stove and it will make the house smell so good. I love the holidays. I love my life. I am so happy I am constantly glowing from within.

My prayer is also to have appreciation at every moment for my delightful life. It's working.

Yesterday I gave my first class in Chanting for Happiness at the Chicagoland Wellness Center. I am excited about that. I'll be teaching every two weeks for a few months. Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!!!!

Wonderful Home Visits!

Today has been the absolute best! I feel so fortunate to have all this time to chant right now. So far today I have had three people over at different times to chant. I've been teaching gongyo and giving (and getting) encouragement.

I am watching each person use the power of their own lives come through strongly by chanting these words. How marvelous is it to have a practice that works ~ that I can teach others~ and that I can use myself.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is like the roar of a Lion ~ what sickness can therefor be an obstacle? from the gosho by Nichiren Daishonin

New Practitioners

Isn't it truly an amazing thing to have something so deep, so profound and so USEFUL to share with people.

Today I talked to my friends in California who just started chanting. It is amazing how deeply they understand that this practice of Chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is, in fact, the TRUE lineage of Shakyamuni Buddha for the age we are living in RIGHT NOW.

It is mystifying because it is so EASY, and yet so HARD:

There are no rules of any kind

-no dietary rules

-no "path" rules

-no lifestyle rules

-EVERYONE is a Buddha

-we are all equal

-there are no "life lessons" to learn and relearn

-we are not here to master suffering, we practice to WIN in life!

-karma is changeable, chanting changes it

-there is no clergy of decision/rule makers

-we are all lay believers (not clergy)

-this is a Buddhism OF the people! for all, no one is left out

-It produces results - when you chant, your life connects with the mystic law of cause and effect, and you GET the effect...maybe not right away, but you will get it...

All you do is chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, connect with the fellowship of believers at sgi-usa.org, study the writings of Nichiren Daishonin and help others find out about chanting....and have the COURAGE to FACE YOUR LIFE. That's the hard part. That's why we practice together. We all help each other. Join us! And make your list of what you want to see happen. You ROCK!

Awakening the Poetic Soul ~

THE POETIC SPIRIT by Daisaku Ikeda

“The cloud-seas of the heavens are riled by waves.

The moon a ship rowed into hiding behind a forest of stars.”

This waka-style poem was written some 1,300 years ago. It is included in the “Manyoshu” (“A Collection of 10,000 Leaves”), the oldest extant collection of Japanese poems. Today we have sent human beings beyond the reaches of Earth’s atmosphere; we have stood on the surface of the moon. Yet, reading this poem one has to wonder if people in ancient times didn’t sense the presence of the moon and stars more intimately than we do today. Is it possible they lived richer, more expansive lives than we, who for all our material comfort, rarely remember to look up to the sky?

The eyes of a poet discover in each person a unique and irreplaceable humanity. While arrogant intellect seeks to control and manipulate the world, the poetic spirit bows with reverence before its mysteries.

Human beings are each a microcosm. Living here on Earth, we breathe the rhythms of a universe that extends infinitely above us. When resonant harmonies arise between this vast outer cosmos and the inner human cosmos, poetry is born. At one time, perhaps, all people were poets, in intimate dialogue with Nature. In Japan, the Manyoshu collection comprised poems written by people of all classes. And almost half of the poems are marked “Poet unknown.”

These poems were not written to leave behind a name. Poems and songs penned as an unstoppable outpouring of the heart take on a life of their own. They transcend the limits of nationality and time as they pass from person to person, from one heart to another.

The poetic spirit has the power to “retune” and reconnect a discordant, divided world. True poets stand firm, confronting life’s conflicts and complexities. Harm done to anyone, anywhere, causes agony in the poet’s heart.

A poet is one who offers people words of courage and hope, seeking the perspective—one step deeper, one step higher –that makes tangible the enduring spiritual realities of our lives.

Now more than ever, we need the thunderous, rousing voice of poetry. We need the poet’s impassioned songs of peace, of the shared and mutually supportive existence of all things. We need to reawaken the poetic spirit within us, the youthful, vital energy and wisdom that enable us to live to the fullest. We must all be poets.

An ancient Japanese Poet wrote; “Poets arise as 10,000 leaves of language from the seeds of people’s hearts.”

Our planet is scarred and damaged, its life-systems threatened with collapse. WE must shade and protect Earth with “leaves of language” arising from the depths of life. Modern civilization will be healthy only when the poetic spirit regains its rightful place.

This article is reprinted from THE JAPAN TIMES, October12, 2006

Daisaku Ikeda is President of Soka Gakkai International, and Founder of Soka University and the Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research. He is also a Poet Laureate.

A wood burning fireplace

Here I am in the living room, watching the embers of a dying fire. It was roaring not that long ago...I'm still trying to figure the real-wood fire out! Those fake logs...I've got them down pat!

So this morning, who comes sauntering into my bedroom saying meow? You guessed it! My escapee~Myoho. Don't know where he'd been, but he had a bunch of new mats in his fur. People all day have been asking me "Where was he?" and I keep responding "He won't tell!"

But he's home! Most of the mats are gone by now. I brushed him this afternoon. So all is back to normal.

I learned a lot during the ride to Champaign last night. I learned that Ben's time on the Footlocker race last week was in the all time top 100 times...and on the way down a coach called to recruit him. Isn't it wonderful that Ben is in this position? Especially since he was injured for 5 weeks in the middle of his season. I just keep chanting for him, even when he doesn't have the time. It's a challenge to be a senior and get all the applications in to colleges and take 5 advanced placement classes AND be an all-state runner at the same time. Right now I hear him playing his guitar and I'm so happy he can take the time to write a song tonight!

I determined a while ago, through watching my friends who are Buddhist parents that the kids chant when they can...but my prayers are so powerful that they don't have to. A year ago my friend chanted for 6 hours one day so her daughter could break through and get a lead in the play...and she got it. I chant like that for my kids. Yes, it's nice when they can chant...but I can chant for them when they can't!

BASKETBALL and an escaped cat...and chanting to trust my life!

Well life sure has its ups and downs. Even though the door blew open and my gorgeous himalayan cat (Myoho) got out, I am trying to focus on the great things...and chanting for the beautiful beast!

I have the door open and the wind blowing as I'm writing this...

And at 3:30 Ben and I head out to the Illinois/UNC game in Champaign! I got new tires this morning and while I was gone the door blew open and the cat got out. I hope he's having a grand adventure...and I hope he returns.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.

Lately I am chanting to trust the power of my life...to not overthink everything I do...and to have faith that what I am chanting about will happen. I am chanting to trust the power of my prayer...and to stop thinking that one mistake is going to blow everything. I am chanting to relax in peace of mind! I deserve all the good that I know is coming to me...I am chanting to quiet all the noise in my brain!!!!

Holiday Season~and BASKETBALL!

Wow...it really is winter here. All the leaves are gone, and the sky looks like snow. I hope the snow holds off until at least Wednesday because tomorrow is a big day! The coach at Illinois is working on recruiting Ben...and gave him tickets to the UNC/Illinois game tomorrow and GUESS WHO is going? That's right! Ben and Aaron and I will be there! Woohoo!

I LOVE live basketball. When I was in High School at Oak Park High my entire family went to every basketball game, at home and away. My junior year we played at the University of Illinois and came in third in the state. What a golden memory!

Ben's hearing from a lot of coaches. He is going to have many choices when it comes to college. Of course, as his Mom, I just want him to be happy!

Aaron was just home for Thanksgiving break and we chanted together often...the three of us. There is nothing like it. NOTHING.