Wow What a Week!

I feel like I lived an entire month in this last week! Do you know what I mean? 

My Dad and Jan were in town so my sister and I entertained a lot. We love having them visit! 

And it was a week of big events at all three of my campuses. I am the Director of Community and Alumni Relations for three colleges and this was a week of wonderful activities of giving back to the community. Busy, busy, busy! 

I am so GLAD that I have time this weekend to chant! I am so glad I know about Nam Myoho Renge Kyo...and that I realize, with all my heart that ALL the power I need, all the wisdom I need, all the determination I need will be drawn from WITHIN my life by my chanting these precious words... 

I've gotten a lot of actual proof this week. This week my son Ben wrote me a poem called "Mother oh Mother" and this is my favorite stanza:

"Mother, oh Mother,
You've always been so warm 
You welcomed me to this world
To you I was a whole world in your arms."


Isn't that beautiful? What mother wouldn't feel that last line with all her heart? I have such incredible fortune, indeed~!

And I greet the weekend with fresh resolve and a thirst for more Daimoku. (Chanting of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo) I don't even know how much I chanted today...a LOT! And I am seeing once again the things I need to change in my life, and feeling the need to fuel my internal resolve to accomplish my goals and show complete victory of faith. I am fueling my resolve with Daimoku and fresh determinations:

Some of the determinations I made today:

I am determined to live healthy every moment of every day. I am determined to find the right combinations of foods/supplements/exercises that make me feel my very best at all times. I am determined to have vibrant energy and to be moving my life forward in every possible happy way. 
I am determined to show actual proof in all aspects of my life...
health...
career...
relationships...
publishing. 

I am determined to have a vibrant, happy district full of SGI members whose lives are overflowing with benefit. 

I am determined to write engaging, encouraging blog posts for YOU that will really help you to change your life and become the happiest possible YOU! I'm determined to write the kind of blog posts you can't wait to send along to everyone others so that the spread of Kosen Rufu continues on and on more and more people become happy!  

And I am determined to have that one, cherished, special relationship...just like I know so many of you are also searching for. Believe me, when I get the answer I will share it with you! Right now I am chanting for wisdom! We can all use that, right! ? 

Please share your successes and challenges with me and with the other readers! You encourage us all with your posts and emails! 

Great Gosho Quotes to Live By!

As many of you know, the Gosho are the letters that Nichiren Daishonin wrote to his followers encouraging them. Each one of these contains gems of wisdom that you can use to navigate through life. 

Chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is all about having the courage to chant. I know it sounds a little odd...why would it take courage to chant. Chanting is the ultimate self-reflection. And really looking at yourself is not easy. Looking at yourself every morning and every evening...is for LIONS who can roar their greatest existence into life. 
This blog is written for the courageous! 

Here are some quotes to keep you inspired. Even one quote that you carry in your heart can get you over the choppy seas of life and keep you inspired! 


"Your faith alone will determine all these things. A sword will be useless in the hands of a coward."


From Reply to Kyo'o


And from one of my favorite Goshos:


If you wish to free yourself from the sufferings of birth and death you have endured though eternity and attain supreme enlightenment in this lifetime, you must awaken to the mystic truth which has always been within your life. This truth is Myoho renge kyo. Chanting Myoho renge kyo will therefor enable you to grasp the mystic truth within you...


It is called the mystic law because it explains the mutually inclusive relationship of life and all phenomenon...


When you chant the mystic law and recite the Lotus Sutra, you must summon up deep conviction that Myoho Renge Kyo is your life itself. 


Above quotes are from the Gosho "On Attaining Buddhahood"


"One who hears even a sentence or phrase of the Lotus Sutra and cherishes it deep in his heart may be likened to a ship which navigates the sea of suffering. The Great Teacher Miao-lo stated, Even a single phrase cherished deep in one's heart will without fail help him reach the opposite shore. To ponder one phrase and practice it is to exercise navigation..." 


From "A Ship to Cross the Sea of Suffering"

Nothing is Impossible!

Kind of a cool quote isn't it? 

We can even become more youthful through this practice. I know many of you have experienced this! Please send me your experiences and pictures to share with other readers. 

It is almost 7:00 in the morning here in Chicago. This has been a very busy week for me at work, and I have my family visiting from North Carolina as well. It's beautiful and chilly here. The trees are on fire...it's fall in the Midwest! 

Today I share this quote with you from our mentor, Daisaku Ikeda:

"Through faith, with each passing year, our hearts become increasingly youthful. We advance vigorously and filled with a sense of boundless hope for the future. This is true health. This is true longevity. Those who dedicate their lives to kosen-rufu can definitely achieve such a state. That is why we practice faith." 

May your day be filled with a boundless sense of hope for the future! Through chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo we FILL our lives with the rhythm of the universe...we directly experience all that is our birthright, and we can pass along this experience and knowledge to others. That is our gift...our gift to ourselves...our gift to the world. May you all be filled with a sense of hope. Remember, chant for what you want, chant until you feel certain that it is already yours. Chant in appreciation even if you don't feel appreciation right now...and soon you will! 

Have a great day!

For all my new friends, and old ones!

Welcome to the Blog Chantforhappiness!

I am Jamie Lee Silver and I live in the Western suburbs of the Chicago area. I'm about to celebrate my Gohonzon birthday on October 20th! I've been chanting since 1985 and was looking for this practice for many years...my whole life, in fact, before I moved to San Francisco and met Delores Hepburn and Kate Randolph and began an earnest practice then. 

I embraced this practice wholeheartedly from the beginning. I was fortunate enough to have enough suffering in my life that I was really motivated! 

Over the years I have changed everything that I chanted about, and live a life of glorious victory with my mentor Daisaku Ikeda, my SGI members (I'm a District leader here and hold meetings at my house every Wednesday) and all of my blog readers. I live my life to help others discover this Buddhism, and put it to use in their lives. 

I have raised two amazing sons as Buddhists. They are 22 and 19 (almost 20!) and they are discovering more and more of their own power every single moment. Aaron is in his first year of Med School (as many of you know), Ben is in his second year of undergraduate study). Every day living life with them is an honor and benefit for me! They are joining us all in awakening to their Buddha Nature. 

We all know that we can practice Buddhism and we can PRACTICE Buddhism! If we really want to change our sufferings into brilliant sparkling diamonds it requires real work, guts, courage and determination. I write this blog to IGNITE your practice and help you to take it to the highest level where you are vibrant, alive, creating benefit for yourself and others and fulfilling YOUR mission for Kosen Rufu! 

I am available by email, and by phone, (you can email me about that)
 I try to respond to every email even though it may take me a few days. 

There are many posts on this blog you might want to explore...I have been writing it over three years now! Check out the older posts too! 

Please forward this blog to your fellow members and friends and help us to expand our reach for Kosen Rufu! (World Peace founded on respect for life!) You can translate this blog into almost any language using the button at the top left! 

And for today, please realize that every single problem you have - none of them are bigger than Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!!! Your prayers for others CHANGE THEIR LIVES! You are that powerful! Your prayers for yourself change your karma in the past and the future for your family...and there is nothing you can't change! Just keep chanting, follow Daisaku Ikeda's guidance, stick close to the lifeblood of faith - the SGI, keep smiling and chanting and crying when you need to, and you will polish your sparkling life! And above all, do not give up! Realize your obstacles are actually tailor made for you to create the best life possible! You are meant to overcome these exact obstacles and become happy. You can chant for whatever you want...your heart is pure and will become more and more and more pure. Do not doubt yourself or your practice. Chant every day - twice a day! You can do it! We can do it together with our mentor !!! Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!!! Brilliant YOU!

Have a great day! 

Give YourSELF Credit!

Think of how far you have come! All day today, think of what you have achieved and reflect on your progress so far. It IS so easy to look at how much farther we have to go....it is so easy to think of the long road in front of us, or the amount of changes/results we still have to produce. For Today - honor your progress!!

I got an email from a reader I've been corresponding with for some time. She has been challenging a fear she has...and showing progress. She has now been given responsibility in the SGI and isn't sure she's quite ready to be able to inspire others....and I say: 

Congratulations! you are absolutely ready to inspire others. Even in the midst of your challenges you can inspire others. Even in the middle of your struggles...you can be at your MOST inspiring. Seeing someone struggle and continue to chant and make positive causes IS inspiring. Never doubt your ability to encourage others...and keep sharpening your skills at encouraging others. How do you do it? You chant for them first. Then when you talk to them you will already have established a life to life connection. THIS is precisely the key for you to all of us to Build our happiest and strongest selves. 

So for today, and all this week. Please give yourself credit. You are a courageous pioneer of the mystic law...you are a roaring lion of your life and an inspiration to others. Praise your life! Chant to praise your life!!! So many of us need to learn this lesson! Be the one who shows others the way!

Happy Monday!

Here's a picture of me, Aaron and my Dad from yesterday. He and Jan are up visiting from North Carolina and we all had a great weekend with them!

Good Monday Morning!

Daisaku Ikeda wrote this for us on January 2nd, 2012...his 84th birthday.

 "Hope Is Life's Treasure"

Hope is
life's treasure.

Those
who have hope
are always happy.

One can have
all the wealth, power and fame
in the world,
but if one loses hope,
one will falter and stumble
in life.

The ancient Roman orator
Cicero wrote:
"Our capital is invested in hope
rather than in money;
if that hope be abandoned,
all else will be amassed
only to be lost later on."

The arrogant
who ridicule the hopeful
invariably fall in defeat,
left with naught but regret.

On no account
must we ruin
our lives,
which shine with such promise!

Hope is
a jewel that inspires and uplifts.
As long as we have hope,
we will never be deadlocked.

Victory always awaits
and happy smiles spread
where there is hope.

In the words of
the admirable Wangari Maathai,
the Kenyan environmental activist
and friend whom my wife and I
will never forget:
"Hope is like a flower,
which, when it blooms,
does so no matter
what mood it's in
or who is watching.
It always gives its best.
We can too."

Hope is
a flower that blossoms
in effort and perseverance.
Hope is
the noble visible reward
of those who accumulate unseen virtue.

People who live out their lives
with hope
never become jaded
or apathetic.

A contributive life
of giving hope
to those who are suffering
is a source of growth,
fulfillment,
learning,
creativity
and solidarity.

The great Spanish author
Miguel de Cervantes wrote,
"Just as light shines
more brightly in darkness,
so hope should be
more steadfast in trials."

Hope is the hallmark
of invincible fortitude.
Life is a struggle -
hence, our challenge is to live
with optimism and strength,
year after year.

InazoNitobe,
the great Tohoku-born educator,
friend of first Soka Gakkai president
Tsunesaburo Makiguchi,
declared that hope
can be found
even in the darkest gloom.

Such hope, he said,
is "visible only
to the eye of
faith and courage."

Even while imprisones dor his beliefs,
President Makiguchi wrote serenely,
"Depending on one's frame of mind,
even hell can be enjoyable."

Josei Toda later said
in gratitude to his martyred mentor,
"In your vast and boundless compassion,
you let me accompany you
even to prison."

As the third Soka Gakkai president,
I have steadfastly walked
the profoundly solemn
path of selfless dedication
of mentor and disciple.

I have given my life
to realizing all
the cherished hopes of
my mentor.
My heart is clear and bright,
without a cloud of regret.

As Nichiren Daishonin writes,
"The sun breaks through
the pitch-black dark."
Courageous faith is
the sun of limitless hope.

Mentor and disciple
committed to the noblest cause
will rise above all trials and adversity;
the unsurpassed brilliance of their lives
shining on forever.

Infinite hope!
The mystic law is the source.
A boundless state of life!
Faith and practice are the key.

In the Lotus Sutra,
we find these truly generous words:
"We beg that the merit (we have) gained...
may be spread far and wide to everyone,
so that we and other beings
all together may attain the Buddha way."

Kosen-rufu us
the supreme and colossal hope
of elevating
all humanity
to a vast life-state
of peace and happiness.

Ah---
Hope! Hope! Hope!
Hope is life's treasure.

At the start of a new year,
a new day,
let us set forth,
brimming with bright hope,
the sun of time without beginning
brimming in our hearts!

Let us boldly break through
even the deepest turmoil
of these troubled times,
and be the ones to create new hope!

Let us advance in triumph,
imparting the hope
of absolute victory
to one person after another!

The French writer and activist
Romain Rolland said,
"The last hope of our day
lies in youth."

I now wish to declare for all to hear:
"The greatest hope for the future lies in Soka youth."

My young friends,
never be defeated!

No matter what trials and hardships
may befall you,
never lose sight of
the golden light of hope!

Oh my friends,
my beloved friends
whom I trust with all my heart,
live out your lives with hope!
Be victorious without fail!

Daisaku Ikeda
--on my 84th birthday,
January 2nd, 2012

The Universe is in the Palm of Your Hand! Be joyful!

It's true. You hold the key to the entire universe that is already within you. All the power of the rushing waterfalls of the earth...all the power of the exploding supernovas...all the power of one person's triumph over evil, all the good and the bad that exists ANYWHERE  - You and I are microcosms of this power. We know this in our hearts. We feel it with our cellular memory. Science is lining up with it at an ever-increasing rate. And WE, you and I, are ahead of the game with the gem of chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo in our lives. 

We are ALL pioneers. We are all learning from each other. I'll bet if you and I sat down and had a cup of tea together we would each learn from each other. Soka Gakkai members (Value Creating Society) are mirrors of each other, and together are increase everyone's benefit. 

When we chant we SUMMON this power that is already in our lives. We awaken the knowledge and experience of our OWN power. We OWN it...we own all of it, the good, the bad and the ugly. We don't have to cower at the things we don't like about ourselves, or the unhappiness that still exists in our lives. We can continue to vanquish it through our chanting and determination. 
Through my years of practice I know my own inherent darkness well. It emerges as a voice that makes me feel lonely alone and without hope. But I have raised my awareness of it to the point that I understand it for what it is...just my inherent darkness coming forth...NOT anything REAL, and I can vanquish these thoughts by chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo and saying "No! No inherent darkness is arriving to darken MY day! Be gone! I replace dark thoughts with smiles and feeling of JOY and happiness and fulfillment! I am a Buddha! I have the power!"

We ALL can have determinations that make our lives sparkle! Today I am chanting:

"I now raise my life condition and experience every moment of this day as a Buddha. I will soak up every possible sparkling moment of happiness. I will be easy and unstressed! I will enjoy my wonderful family and create memories that will last forever. Everyone will have a great time at my house today, and we'll enjoy this beautiful fall weather and the pleasure of each other's company. I chant to expand my capacity for feeling joy all the way down to my toes! I expand my capacity for connection and love and warmth! Today, on this Beautiful Sunday when my Dad and Mom-Jan are visiting from Asheville North Carolina we will create a brilliant, sparkling memory of song, laughter and joy!" 

What sparkling determination can YOU have today? You BUDDHA You!