It all Comes Down to Us

Chant for What YOU Want. Exactly what you want.

I get letters frequently from readers who are wondering why their prayer is not being answered as fast as they would like it to be, and asking me if they should switch to some other prayer. This is a great question. 

My answer is always the same. 
Chant for what you want. 
Chant for exactly what you want. 
Only YOU can have your desires. 
Write them down. 
Clarify them for yourself.

I am familiar with relationship problems, as many of you know. And the pain of wanting someone who does not want you runs deep. I know. I know. And beneath that prayer you have a deeper prayer. You have a prayer for the deepest fulfillment in love. It is FINE to chant specifically for one person to become yours. I did it for a long time. And my prayer was answered. It was answered long enough for me to see that even beyond that person I wanted more for my life...a complete union in happiness. And I've written every word of what that means for me. And I chant for it. I am totally at peace about the process, and the whole realm of dating is changing for me. There's just no suffering involved. Wow.

Underneath all our prayers there is the deeper prayer of how we want to feel and what we want to experience. Chanting works no matter what. Chant just for what you want. Just for what you want. What would really make you happy?

You deserve the best and most exquisite happiness in THIS lifetime. CHANT to be HAPPY! Chant to be fulfilled! Chant for your most radiant self to shine through.

And as President

Ikeda says, chant naturally what is in your heart. If you are hurt or troubled...chant naturally. There is no need for pretext in front of the Gohonzon. you are the Gohonzon and the Gohonzon is YOU.

Don't give up on your dreams!!! Keep chanting, going to meetings, doing shakubuku, studying and encouraging others...what a wonderful formula for complete success!

Faith is Like the Sun

You can Overcome ALL Your Problems! Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo WORKS!

I know I say it over and over, and Daisaku Ikeda, and all of us KNOW that we are the Buddha...but how often do we chant in the sublime recongnition of being the Buddha and seeing through the Buddha's eyes? 

In our daily lives sometimes it seems there is just so much to chant for that we don't know where to start. Whenever I feel this way it is a signal to me to chant to see through the eyes of the Buddha and realize I am the Buddha at every moment. I also focus on chanting for others, kosen-rufu and elevating my life condition. 
If we have this perspectice on our lives it puts all of our problems into perspective. 

When I first began chanting almost 30 years ago in San Francisco I would ask my leaders "I am chanting every day, I am doing shakubuku with every breath I take, and I just bought a car so I can drive my beloved YWD to meetings...WHY am I having these personal problems?" 

And some of you have written me with similar questions. 

I was given this answer: "You are a leader for kosen-rufu...(world peace) one day, your members will come to you with problems just like you have now, and you will REALLY know how they feel, and you will know exactly how to encourage people." And they also told me that whatever I was going through, I was expiating karma for my life, and for my children's lives as well...seven generations back, and seven generations in the future. I learned to focus on the big picture...not just on all my problems, but on chanting for kosen-rufu and the happiness of my district members and all members...and not just members, but the whole world. Every day I would ask in my prayers while chanting "What is my mission in life? What is my mission in life?" and I knew the answer even as I was chanting...I knew I wanted to help people who were suffering like I was before I began chanting, and to help them find out about this practice and try it. 
Whoever you are - reading these words right now ~ I want you to know you HAVE found the solution, and you can use this practice to overcome suffering of ANY kind. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, practicing with the SGI, studying and introducing others to this practice is the formula for incredible happiness and strength. One day, you will look back on the hard times and realize they were golden moments that strengthened your life and your practice! 

My life proves it. 
Your life will prove it too. 
We Soka Gakkai members are proving the power of the law with our lives. 
As many of you know I've faced a tremendous challenge with the illness of one of my children. And every day I have used this practice to remain strong and to persevere and to WIN. I have chanted to be a better person, and to bring out my inner wisdom, and to work together with the health professionals to bring him back to wellness. Sometimes I have had to say difficult things. But every morning, with my focused prayer, I have set the course for a day filled with wisdom and power. I am steering the ship...even if I can't control everything, I can control myself and set goals. 

Now I have some peace! 
All week I've been side-by-side with my son who was recently released from the hospital and I've been cherishing every minute, every laugh, every experience.  The joy I feel in my heart just to be with him is immense. Every daimoku right now is filled with gratitude. I feel I have already won! 

Some Recent Comments from Readers

Thank you so much for writing to chantforhappiness@gmail.com. 
I love to hear what you think and receive your insights. you can email me with questions or comments or you can post directly on the blog. 

Comments from Readers:

"No matter what difficulties we encounter, it's important that we live with fortitude and strength. Everyone has problems and sufferings. We mustn't let them defeat us. We practise the Daishonin's Buddhism so as not to be defeated "When we strive wholeheartedly for kosen-rufu, the benefit we gain is immeasurable. "Second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda always said: 'Have invincible courage! Have an indomitable fighting spirit! They are the driving force for realising happiness.'" on Inspiration from a new YWD member ~ Upsana Arora in Kolkata, India!

"Extremely happy to learn and absorb.. with and in such an easy way - how you've put it and explained with highlights. It's just the right right-up for me to read after all these times. I heard/read - "Nam-Myoho-Renge-kyo" for the very first time in my life earlier on 4 Nov 2012 in the evening through an sms (mobile long distance communication) from a very caring person who actually introduced me for the very first time in my life. Thank you so much for such a nice and concise piece for a beginner and always a learner like me. Please keep up the good work. Regards and respect, Kishalaya Namaram (Dodo) 24 Sept 2013 - 01:11:40 pm on Unique Buddhism! Some Facts about Practical (SGI) Buddhism to Share

"Hello, Today was my first time chanting. I don't have much of an altar, but it is my altar. I had not memorized the prayers yet, but I just read them. When it came to the fourth prayer, I became emotional. When I started blessing the deceased. I had 4 relatives die around the same time in the year 2006. It was a crazy time. I started out with my uncle, then my grandfather, and when I came to my grandmother I lost it. I started crying as I chimed the bells. Even right now I still miss my grandmother. She was my friend. I talked to her a lot. Chanting right now feels like I can talk to her. It feels like I can reach out to her and know that she is in a great place. I miss her terribly, and I know it is crazy after 7 years still feeling like this. I can't help it. I think I have found a way to release all of my internal stresses and things holding me back from enjoying life through these chants. So I just thought I'd share my experience. Peace be with you on Crying and feeling emotional while Chanting?

Hi Jamie. I read your blog nearly everyday. Starting going to an introduction course in Dublin, Ireland and have not missed out on one meeting and gathering since then. This is the most powerful following and I find such peace and joy and harmony and love and fulfillment when I am around Buddhists. I have even shared my experiences in the groups and I LOVE chanting and learning the Sutra and practice eachday. Looking forward to one day holding the biggest meeting in my home for Dublin. Keep up encouraging soooooo many people, you are wonderful. I hope your son is recovering. Take care and enjoy your desires. xxx on Four Reasons Practical Buddhists are so HappyRemove content | Delete | Spam

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo PowerPrayer for Absolute Happiness

What is absolute happiness? It is the strength to withstand anything. The courage to be unbowed in the face of any storm. No Matter What! 

Daisaku Ikeda states (from Ikedaquotes.org)

"It is vital to have a resilient spirit so that without complaints or feelings of disaffection, one is able to always look on the bright side of a situation and find in it a source of hope and happiness. Such wisdom makes it possible to lead a thoroughly fulfilled life."

"Relative happiness is happiness that depends on things outside ourselves, such as affluence or social standing. While the happiness such things bring us is certainly real, it shatters easily when external conditions alter. Absolute happiness, on the other hand, is something we must find within. It means establishing a state of life in which we are never defeated by difficulties, and where just being alive is a source of great joy"

Right now I am finding absolute happiness amidst the winds of life. This morning, as I was chanting, I had the words of this PowerPrayer in mind: 

PowerPrayer for Absolute Happiness 

(even in difficult times)

Gohonzon! Life! 

Today, all day,  I will see through the eyes of the Buddha that I am. 

Every cause I make, 

every thought I think, 

every word I speak 

is the best, most positive cause for my life 

and the lives of all others I touch. 

Life! Bring me the wisdom to know the right actions to take, the right words to say...all the wisdom is springing forth from my highest life-condition possible! 

I am determined to experience my brilliant Buddha-self. 

I am determined to raise my life condition. 

I am determined to develop a strong — strong 

core of life  

I am determined to strengthen my life from deep within 

and to radiate happiness wherever I go. 

16 Tips to Defeat Despair

If you're a frequent reader of this blog you know that I began writing it in a depressed state. It was my determination to rid my life of the deep sadness that had always been present in my life, and I decided to chant two hours a day and write this blog to prove it could be done, and inpire others that they could do it too. 

Through chanting I have succeeded in getting rid of my life-long depression. Here are some of the ways I did it as I chanted my two hours a day:

Jamie’s 16 tips to rid your life of Despair: (Excerpted from The BuddhaZone, PowerPrayers foe Chanting Your Way to Absolute Happiness)

Please do not copy and paste this copywritten material. You can share it by referring people to this blog. Thanks! 

Tip #1

Study Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism. 

There are a few quotes from the Gosho I've embedded in my life: 

"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."

From Happiness in This World, Writings of Nichiren Daishonin p.

One of my favorite quotes from Daisaku Ikeda (from the book Learning from the writings. The Hope-Filled Teachings of Nichiren Daishonin. Page 277:

"Seen from the perspective of Buddhism, 

everything has profound meaning. 

There is no need whatsoever to vacillate 

between elation and despair at each turn of events. 

There is no such thing as a storm that will 

continue blowing and wreaking havoc without end. 

In the same way, 

there is no hardship that will continue forever. 

There are clear days and there are rainy days. 

If we are swayed by our environment, 

rejoicing one moment and despairing the next 

amid ever-changing circumstances, 

then we will not be able to accomplish a true revolution in our state of life.

The important thing is to always believe in the mystic law 

and to enter the powerful orbit of faith, 

practice and study. 

Entering the orbit - the orbit of human revolution 

and of changing our karma - 

is the way to construct a life of good fortune and happiness 

that will endure throughout eternity. 

No matter what happens, 

we will enjoy the unerring protection of the Gohonzon. 

Instead of drawing conclusions about the world of faith 

from a superficial viewpoint, 

we need to calmly discern 

the true reality and significance of things 

and keep pressing forward. 

With the passage of time, 

it will definitely become clear

 that everything has unfolded in the best possible manner." 

Tip #2:

When I feel despair ~ I write. I write all the sadness out. Sometimes I write to my Mom who died several years ago. I just write what I am feeling and it makes me feel better. 

Tip #3:

I take plenty of Vitamin D. For me, sometimes I just need more Vitamin D. 

Also I drink a LOT of water! 

Tip #4:

Encourage someone else! Give a stranger a Nam-myoho-renge-kyo card. Talk to someone you know about past benefits you've had. Doing this will remind you of how you've broken through in the past, and you'll gain more hope for the present. 

Tip #5:

Take a bath with salt in it...the more salt the better! 

Tip #6: 

Clean your Butsudan and altar area. The altar in your home is a reflection of your own life. When you treat it with respect, your environment and all the people in it treat you with respect. If you do not yet have a Gohonzon you can still set up an altar where you chant with offerings to your life...fruit, water, a plant, candles, and incense if you like. 

Tip #7: 

Call a true friend. And if you don't have one, see the PowerPrayer for making friends. 

This is how I made so many friends. 

Tip #8: 

As soon as you can, get back in front of the altar to chant. And don't be afraid to cry in front of the Gohonzon or while you are chanting. heck, for the first couple of years I cried frequently when I chanted. It was as if my life had to release years and years of emotion. 

Tip #9: 

Move your body. Go for a walk! Get your energy and your blood flowing! Everyday!

Tip #10:

Study~

Read the Gosho or President Ikeda's writings. When you read these things - read them with your life. Choose a phrase or a passage and chant to realize its deeper meaning with your life. Chant to share the heart of Daisaku Ikeda. He has a heart beating with the fervent drum of Kosen Rufu (World Peace and the happiness of all beings). 

Tip #11: 

Ask someone to chant with you!

Get support! 

Tip #12:

Change “Why me?” to “Yes me!”

Change what you are saying to yourself, and the questions you are asking yourself in your mind. If your constant refrain is "Why me? How can this be happening to me again?" it is important to change that thought. Replace it with a more positive thought. You chose the negative thought, you have the power to choose a better one! How about "Things are getting better and better for me, I just know it...sometimes it is hard to see, but I am definitely on my way!" or "Don't give up (insert your name) it's always darkest before the dawn!" or "All the Best is coming to me now!"

Tip #13:

Breathe deeply. When we are feeling low we tend to breathe in a really shallow way, and it adds to our depression to breathe this way. Sit down and focus on your breathing. Fill your body with air. Picture that air as a bright light coming down from the top of your head...slowly moving down your body as your grey depressive mood seeps out your fingers and toes. Try this. It really does work! 

Tip #14:

Smile! Go look at yourself in the mirror and smile. Look in your eyes and smile. Did you know it is almost impossible to be depressed when you are smiling?

Tip #15: 

Look up! That's right, look up. Tony Robbins, the inspirational success coach and mentor says that looking down has been proven to actually bring people down, while looking up has the opposite effect. 

Tip #16:

Use the PowerPrayers ~ 

When you are chanting - direct your thoughts like this:

"Gohonzon (my life itself!)

 Now is the time for me to rise from these emotions 

so I can show actual proof of the power of this law. 

NOW is the time for me to vanquish these feelings of hopelessness. 

I will NO LONGER allow these feelings to run my life. 

NOW I CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY! 

I am a precious child of the Buddha, 

I will not stand for these feelings anymore.

I vow to win in all aspects of my life. I vow to win!" 

Email me with your questions and comments at chantforhappiness@gmail.com.