3 Important Questions to Ask While Chanting

Many of us have read Daisaku Ikeda's essay "Buddhism is the Clear Mirror that Reflects our Lives."

Here is the link to the "Clear Mirror Guidance" that asserts "The Gohonzon (scroll we face while chanting) is the clearest of all mirrors that reflects the entire universe exactly as it is. When you chant to the Gohonzon, you can perceive the true aspect of your life and tap the inexhaustible life force of Buddhahood." 

Read the entire guidance through this link:

http://www.sgi-usa.org/memberresources/womensdivision/docs/2010/WT_Clear%20Mirror.pdf

Sensei has said that our ability to bring our own wisdom to the surface through chanting is the key. How can we expand our ability to do exactly that? 

3 Important Questions to ask our lives while Chanting:

1. Life! Illuminate what I need to change...what I need to see and how I can improve. 
2. Life! What can I reveal to myself about the inner workings of my mind, my life, my actions and words that will free me from the blocks that still exist for me? 
3. Life! What actions do I need to take so that I can affect real, lasting, positive change in my life?

See what these questions reveal for you. This kind of inquiry takes concentration and courage. 

As I sat down to write for you today I opened "My Dear American Friends" and turned to the essay "The Age of Soft Power" that Daisaku Ikeda delivered at Harvard University on September 26th of 1991. In it he states: 

"One of the important Buddhist concepts, dependent origination holds that all beings and phenomena exist or occur in relation to other beings or phenomena.  All things are linked in an intricate web of causation and connection, and nothing, whether in the realm of human affairs or natural phenomenon, can exist or occur solely of its own accord. 
...It is the fusion of the self and others. At the same time it is the expansion of the limited, ego-shackled self toward a greater self whose scale is as limitless and unbounded as the universe...In practical terms, the most important question for us as individuals is how to activate the inner sources sof energy and wisdom existing within our lives...
...Our society today urgently needs the kind of inwardly directed spirituality to strengthen self-control and restraint. It is a quality that deepens our respect for the dignity of life. In a world where interpersonal relationships are becoming increasingly tenuous, greater self-control and discipline would also help restore and rejuvenate endangered feelings, including friendship, trust, and love, for without them there can be no meaningful bonds between people."

We have the capacity to use our Buddhist practice to gain self-control, express ourselves clearly, with composure, forethought, and mutual respect to strengthen our relationships, and build our environments into worlds of absolute happiness and fulfillment. 

This is a worthwhile endeavor, don't you think?

I offer you some additional quotes from
"For Today Onward" by Daisaku Ikeda:

"Why is it that sometimes our prayer seems not to be answered? This is a manifestation of the Buddha's wisdom - so that we can deepen our prayers, become stronger people, live more profound lives and secure deeper, more lasting good fortune. If our slightest prayer were answered immediately, we'd become lazy and degenerate. And we couldn't hope to build a life of great dignity and substance."  Page 89. 

"There may be times when life seems gloomy and dull. When we feel stuck in some situation or other, when we are negative toward everything, when we feel lost and bewildered, not sure which way to turn ~ at such times we must transform our passive mind-set and determine "I will proceed along this path," "I will pursue my mission today." When we do so a genuine springtime arrives in our hearts, and flowers start to blossom."
Page 88. 

And:
"Viewing events and situations in a positive light is important. The strength, wisdom and cheerfulness that accompany such an attitude lead to happiness. To regard everything in a positive light or with a spirit of goodwill, however, does not mean being foolishly gullible and allowing people to take advantage of our good nature. It means having the wisdom and perception to actually move things in a positive direction by seeing things in their best light, while all the time keeping our eyes firmly focused on reality."
Page 29.

Daily Guidance by Daisaku Ikeda

Tuesday

4th March

THE Law of Myoho is eternal. It possesses infinite power. Therefore, basing oneself on correct faith in the Law of Myoho is like having an engine with infinite power. Only through Myoho, which exists forever as the fundamental law of the universe, can one surely construct a correct and secure course in life based on the eternal boundless power of the universe itself.


UNDER no circumstances does Buddhism discriminate among people on the basis of race, class, social standing or both. And it is precisely for this reason that it has spread throughout the world. Equality is the spirit of the world religion that is Buddhism.


THE driving force that enables us to open the supreme palace of happiness is faith and chanting daimoku. A person of daimoku, a person who can conquer the self, will be able to enjoy life to the full throughout the three existences.


IT is important that you possess the inner strength and common sense to always have the spirit to learn everything you can where you are, to develop the means by which to support your life, to pursue substance rather than surface, and to explore the depths of your potential. And it is vital that you become irreplaceable wherever you are.


WE must not spend our lives lost in dreams and driven by illusionary pleasures. Our life itself is a great palace. By chanting and propagating the Mystic Law, we open for ourselves and others a great palace of life imbued with eternity that will never perish throughout t

Winter Always Turns to Spring

Even here is Chicago, winter will turn to spring. We are still facing dangerous temperatures around 0 degrees here, even though the norm is about 41 degrees for this time of year. Please join me in chanting for spring to come to Chicago! This post was forwarded to me from Nalini Prakash and is from the Singapore SGI organization. 

Winter Always Turns to Spring - Advancing Fearlessly towards the Spring of Victory

Those who believe in the Lotus Sutra are a if in winter, but winter always turn to spring. Never, from ancient times on, has anyone heard or seen of winter turning back to autumn. Nor have we ever heard of a believer in the Lotus Sutra who turned into an ordinary person. The sutra reads, “If there are those who hear the Law, then not one will fail to attain Buddhahood.”

(The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Vol 1, p997)

This letter, written in the fifth month of 1275 when Nichiren Daishonin was 54, was addressed to lay nun Myoichi, who lived in Kamakura.

Lay nun Myoichi and her husband were strong believers who maintained pure faith throughout the most difficult times of the Daishonin’s life from the Tatsunokuchi Persecution to the Sado exile.

But because of their faith in the Lotus Sutra, their estate was confiscated and on top of this, Myoichi’s husband passed away before the Daishonin was pardoned from his sentence of exile on Sado. Besides losing her husband, Myoichi was struggling to raise her children alone. Despite her many difficulties, Myoichi sent her attendant to where the Daishonin was in Sado to serve and protect him.

Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter to encourage her, explaining that believers of the Lotus Sutra are as if in the midst of winter, but that winter unfailingly turns to spring. The Daishonin assured her that there is no doubt about her husband’s attainment of enlightenment since he displayed strong faith by continuing to follow the Daishonin even when his estate was confiscated because of his faith.

**********

Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism is a teaching of hope that expounds the possibility of changing any kind of karma. The purpose of our practice of faith is to accumulate good fortune each time we overcome hardships in life to attain a life state of absolute happiness that remain indestructible for eternity.

Even though we may be in the midst of a harsh winter in life, there is no doubt that we will usher in the spring of life underscored by victory. The winter of life is filled with harsh adversities is in fact, a turning point that serves as an opportunity for us to establish a life state of Buddhahood, that is, absolute happiness.

This was precisely what Nichiren Daishonin perceived in the life of Myoichi. The Daishonin perceived that this was the crucial moment for Myoichi. She must have been experiencing extreme hardship having lost her husband and left alone to raise her children, one of whom was sickly.

However, from the perspective of the eternity of life, there is absolutely no doubt that both Myoichi and her husband who strove together with the Daishonin through the most difficult times, had already entered the orbit of attaining Buddhahood, that is, realizing a life state of absolute happiness that remains indestructible for eternity.

The Daishonin experienced successive persecutions, some of which were life-threatening, for the sake of propagating the teaching of the Mystic Law that leads all people in the Latter Day to happiness. However, no matter how great the persecution, the Daishonin’s heart remained undefeated. Even in the midst of adversities, the Daishonin wrote, “Not once have I thought of retreat” (WND-2, p465); “I feel immeasurable delight” (WND-1, p386).

The Daishonin established a magnificent life state that remained unaffected by the trials and tribulations in life. Not only did he remain undefeated, the Daishonin waged a tremendous struggle and turned the tables around by actually returning to mainland Japan alive from his exile on Sado, scoring an unprecedented victory.

On top of this, the righteousness of the Daishonin’s teachings was proven when his prediction of foreign invasion was realized with the Mongols’ invasion of Japan.

Based on these actual proofs of victories that the Daishonin demonstrated with his life, the Daishonin called forth to Myoichi with absolute conviction: “Those who believe in the Lotus Sutra are as if in winter, but winter always turns to spring.” The Daishonin powerfully convinced Myoichi that it is simply not possible that one who believes in the Lotus Sutra would continue suffering forever.

Through these words, the Daishonin urged Myoichi that she must never harbour any doubts in her practice of faith and that she must continue forging ahead, no matter how difficult it is.

SGI President said in his novel, The New Human Revolution, “When the spring of victory comes after a winter of harsh trials, everything is transformed into happiness and joy. Without having cried, you cannot genuinely laugh; without having suffered, you cannot savor real joy. I’m sure there are times when, in the midst of some difficulties, you think, ‘Why me?’ But that in fact is your change to fulfill the mission you have chosen. The deeper your suffering, the greater your mission.”

Let’s us be convinced of the spring of victory in our lives and continue in our courageous endeavor to construct a youthful SGI.

(Translated and adapted from the February 2012 issue of The Daibyakurenge, the Soka Gakkai's monthly study journal.)

Problems Can Be Our Greatest Benefits ~ They are SPRINGBOARDS to our Happiness

I just finished chanting 4 hours of daimoku, and then spent a joyful hour and a half teaching gongyo to a new young woman. How wonderful!
After I write this post I'm off to re-enshrine a dear friend's Gohonzon, then I'm off to a play with one of my new friends from work. LIfe is good!

When we are practicing Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism, problems galvanize our lives. 
For every problem I've ever had, I can look back on it and say "If it weren't for that problem I would not have achieved__________." 
Problems make us focus. Problems make us chant. 
They really are our benefits. Nichiren Buddhists say this all the time, and we are telling the truth. 

When we can view our problems...even the really big ones, through this lens of positivity - and USE them to fuel our chanting, fuel our actions for kosen-rufu and make even fiercer determinations to create value in our lives...THEN we are truly practicing as Nichiren Daishonin and Daisaku Ikeda have taught us. 

But we don't always immediately greet our problems with a big yahoo, do we? At least I don't. Not always. With the recent challenge I've been facing, I have had my moments of tears and sadness...and I have spent some time decompressing and watching a bit of TV. But I never skipped Gongyo, did my best to chant, studied every day, and rose in spirits through helping others. I know it's an age-old adage, but helping others really IS the direct route to getting out of our own suffering. 

We KNOW that each problem is the springboard to something new, exciting and positive in our life and in the lives of others. How do we know this? We are Votaries of the Lotus Sutra. We chant the name of the Mystic Law, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, and help others to the best of our ability. We will win! 

Practicing together is so important. We grow when we learn. We grow when we teach. We need each other if we really want to be victorious in this practice. 

Our Soka Gakkai friendships are golden.

Daisaku Ikeda says: 
"Those who make many friends have greater opportunities for growth and self-development; they make society a better place and lead happy, satisfying lives. In every situation, human relations ~ communication and personal interactions ~ are vital. We need to initiate and nurture friendships and contacts with many people, both within the organization and in society at large. Our lives will open and be enriched to the extent that we do so." 
Faith in Action page 221

Daily Guidance by Daisaku Ikeda

By Daisaku Ikeda

LIFE is eternal. We have been fortunate enough to embrace the Mystic Law in this lifetime and have a wonderful opportunity to accumulate good fortune. If we do not do so when we can, we will be the ones who lose out. In particular, the good fortune we accumulate through our efforts for kosen-rufu will form the foundation of our eternal happiness. As a result of such efforts, it is absolutely certain that we will be reborn in lifetime after lifetime as Buddhas, as champions of life. For that reason, let’s do our utmost now!


BUDDHISM teaches the principle of the oneness of life and death. Those who deeply study the principles of life and put them into practice will not fear death because they have the ability to attain eternal fulfilment and happiness.


EVERYONE has a unique mission that only they can fulfil. This does not mean, however, that you should sit around and do nothing, waiting for someone to tell you what it is. It is fundamental that you discover your mission on your own.


THE tree provides an apt analogy for life. No matter under what adverse circumstances they might find themselves in, those who have deepened their roots with the determination that the place where they are is the land of their mission will be victorious. Complaining accomplishes nothing.


I am convinced that true religious faith must not be at odds with reason. From the time I was young, I have treasured the words of a philosopher that true religious faith is the extension of reason. True reason seeks true faith, and true faith allows elevated reason to shine in its own light.

Daily Guidance by Daisaku Ikeda

THE true stage of your Buddhist practice and action for kosen-rufu is
none other than your place of work, your community, or in short, the
place where you exist right now. Please have deep conviction that
right here is the place where you must exert yourself for the sake of
kosen-rufu and for your own enlightenment.


YOU must never be defeated by the struggles that confront you. You
must never retreat. You must never be daunted. Your daily activities
to make your faith manifest itself in your lives will become solid
roots for your victory and happiness over the three existences.


WITHOUT the world of intellect that education opens, religion and
faith are in danger of becoming blind. But with the light of intellect
produced by education, the spirit of religion also shines with a
brighter light.


WHEN we interact with others with true sincerity, the other person
will more often than not come to respect and value our own character.
And this is all the more so when our actions are based on prayer.
Conversely, holding others in contempt only leads to being held in
contempt oneself. One whose life is tainted by feelings of hate
towards others will come to be reviled by others.


CULTIVATING harmonious relations with and winning the support of
people of diverse characters and persuasions are part of our Buddhist
practice. This is a necessary pre-condition for the organisation to
move forward as a while and for our own individual development and
growth. It also enables us to forge a solid self-identity so that we
can confidently meet and talk with all kinds of people.

Personal Guidance from Akemi

Winter always turns to Spring, right? 

Isn't this the coolest bonzai tree? I wonder how old it is. 

Yesterday, after that blogpost about how hard it is to chant sometimes,  I ended up chanting at least 2 hours. I was so fortunate ~ a friend in faith came over to chant for an hour, and we head a tozo here last night. Thank goodness for the Soka Gakkai and our family of practitioners. We all take turns helping each other to help themselves. We are all Buddhas!

This weekend I was able to get guidance from our new SGI National Women's Leader Akemi Bailey-Haynie and I am finally able to chant with my full heart using the guidance she gave me. 

Seeking guidance is, in itself, a profound cause. 

She said to chant: 

Whatever there is in my life that has allowed me to have such a child who is suffering so much - I resolve to change it. 

I offer this guidance to you in case it may help you in any way. 

We look INSIDE for the answers. Not outside. That is why this practice is so profound. That is also why it can be sooooo difficult to do. Buddhism is not for cowards. The great Gosho quote says "A sword will be useless in the hands of a coward." 

How courageous can we be?