3 Ways to Make This Your Best Valentine's Day Ever!

Valentine's Day is February 14th in America. Many people have a love/hate relationship with this holiday because it's traditionally when you receive a token of love from someone who loves you...
But what if you're not in a relationship? Or, worse yet, what if you have a significant other who doesn't "believe" in Valentine's day, calls it a "Hallmark Holiday" and refuses to participate. There are many ways to be disappointed or sad when Valentine's Day comes along. 

Not for me. Not anymore! 

Several years ago I embarked on the greatest love of all...cultivating my love for myself from within my own life.

I truly believe as Louise Hay states, that loving ourselves is the greatest journey we can take, and all love that surrounds us stems from love of ourselves. 

So now, when Valentine's Day comes around I follow my own traditions: 

3 Ways 

to Have a 

Fabulous Valentine's Day!

1. Spread the love! 
Make Valentine's Day about SHOWING your love...not about waiting for someone to give it to you. I've already spent a few hours writing and addressing cards to those I love..girlfriends...family members...even new business friends. Every day this week I've given gifts and surprises to people...bringing them joy, and ME joy! If you don't have a lot of friends, this is the perfect time to reach out to new potential friends. Be bold! 

2. Reach Out!
Call some friends you haven't talked to in a while. I set a dinner date with a dear friend, and I've called some friends I haven't spoken to recently. 

3. Love YourSelf!
Show YourSelf some love! You are special! Express your love to yourself. Recently I bought myself a token to commemorate the day that Ben was accepted into his new community. Every time I look at it I feel new appreciation for the fortune within my own life. 
And this week I plan on buying myself some flowers, and continuing to express my love to myself and others. I started walking regularly, as I mentioned, and it feels great! I'll treat myself to yoga. 
On Valentine's Day I have a new friend coming over to chant, and I'll think up some surprises for other friends. 

Make it fun. Valentine's Day is about love. It's up to all of us to bring love, to feel love, to build love. 
I'm sending love to YOU right now ~* 

3 Benefits of Chanting to Master Your Mind

As some of you know, I have chosen the month of February 2015 to chant to master my mind. I am using the PowerPrayer from the post of February 4th every time I chant. And I can really see the results. 

So far I see 3 Major Benefits of Chanting to Master My Mind: 

1. Clarity of purpose. 
2. Better Organizational Skills.
3. Increased Energy and Vibrancy. 

How does this show up in my life? 
In my 30 years of practice,  I've heard about mastering the mind, but I've never really chanted about it. For one thing, I thought if I mastered my mind I would lose my spontaneity, my spark, my Jamie-ness. I thought I would become, well, boring. Impossible! Right? 
Occasionally I'd get guidance that stressed NOT to follow what my mind dictates, and I struggled to understand what that meant. If I master my mind, who AM I? 
Now I'm seeing the answers. 

This week was a spectacular one from a business standpoint. Lately, I am doing public speaking almost every week. I present a speech I created called: 
Growing Bolder. 
Tools and Techniques for Thriving at Every Age. 
I present the latest research 
that shows that life GETS BETTER as we age...
and the more aware we are of this, 
the better we usher in 
our own happiness and fulfillment at ANY age. 
I talk about the value of using our words not just to describe our lives, but to PREDICT our course in life. 
Our words determine our experience. Think of the difference between using the word "Overwhelmed" in which we are victims, and the phrase "In Demand" which portrays us an anything BUT victims. 
When we are in demand we are important, and we have choices on where we will put our energy. I ask my audiences "Which would you rather be, a victim, or important?" I give examples of people who made this switch of language, and catapulted themselves to increased success and happiness, both in their personal lives and in their careers. 

Originally, I gained passion and confidence in public speaking by emceeing SGI meetings when I was a youthful Buddha. As I prepared for each and every meeting I chanted that each person who attended would leave the meeting incredibly inspired. I chanted that their cells would rearrange and they would NEVER be the same. 
Just from this one meeting. 
As a district leader, I continued to chant this way. For years. And I chant this way before every speech. No wonder I am "in demand" as a speaker! 

And, yesterday, owing to the prayer to master my mind, I made huge inroads. I chanted an hour and a half with a member. I finalized the terms of a legal matter. I worked out for the first time in a while (I've been sick this winter) and rediscovered how much my body loves to dance on the treadmill to my favorite tunes. And I started exercising my upper body as well. It's been a while. I feel great. Then I deep cleaned my refrigerator and cleared out a cluttered area in my apartment. Boy does that feel great. Then I spent the evening sharing poetry and song with a friend in faith. Great day!

Today I've already chanted an hour to master my mind. I worked out again. Now I am writing you, and I will spend the afternoon researching and preparing new material for some speeches I've been asked to give on topics I love: How to Make Friends, How to Really Love Ourselves. Looks like another great day! 

PowerPrayer for Mastering Your Mind

A PowerPrayer is a fresh determination. We use PowerPrayer to face the Gohonzon (our lives) and chant with focus. You can use this PowerPrayer anyway you wish. You can change it, reword, or embed it in your heart. Some readers print them out. Others read them just before starting to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. 

PowerPrayer for Mastering Your Mind
by Jamie Lee Silver of Chantforhappiness.com

Life!
With the immeasurable power of my life
I am chanting to master my mind. 
I am mastering my mind as I chant right now... 
In this moment. 

I will master my mind for the sake of the law. 
I WILL master my mind 
to show actual proof of this practice. 
I don't care how many times I have to remake this determination...I will keep chanting to master my mind! 
All day I will see the benefits of this exact prayer. 
As I master my mind I master my life. 
As I master my mind I master my emotions. 
As I master my mind I strengthen my life. 
As I master my mind I build fortune of the heart. 
As I master my mind I gain the courage and wisdom to take the right action, right now, to reveal and attain my goals. 
Mastering my mind makes me even more useful 
as a Votary of the Lotus Sutra. 
Mastering my mind gives me more power to encourage and help others!

16 Tips and a PowerPrayer for Overcoming Despair

You Can Do it!

16 Tips and a PowerPrayer for overcoming despair

It is possible to permanently change your basic state of life. I know. I did it. And I know countless other Buddhists  who have. Occasionally I may still feel sad. But I never, ever experience the sadness I used to live with most of my life. And I am not on any medication. (Not that you should just stop taking yours. Buddhism is common sense. Please chant for the wisdom to know what to do, and work with your medical practitioner if you are on medications)

Jamie’s 16 tips to rid your life of Despair:

by Jamie Lee Silver from ChantforHappiness.com

Tip #1

Chant as much as you can. 

Ask someone to chant with you!

Get support! 

Tip #2:

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 

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 #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. For the first couple of years I cried a lot 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! 

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:

Write! I write everything. It helps to clear my mind. I write fresh determinations. I write letters to my loved ones. I write poetry. 

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 that 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!" 

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 gray 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:

PowerPrayer to Rid your Life of Despair
by Jamie Lee Silver, Chantforhappiness.com 

Read before chanting to fuel your mind!

"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!" 

Mastering our Minds

Here are a few shots of the great blizzard of 2015 in Chicago. It came in yesterday...and today we have some blue skies. It's beautiful and cold! How I long for palm trees and ocean breezes! 

Here we are...three days into February and I've been chanting to Master my Mind...and to truly grasp the profundity of this teaching.  

It's so interesting how the Gohonzon truly is a mirror of our lives. As I am chanting to master my mind, I am becoming more aware of all the ways that I live that I do NOT master my mind...and it is not so comfortable. But that's why we have the Gohonzon (the scroll Nichiren Daishonin inscribed that represents our highest nature...and all the power of the universe that exists within all of us). Those of us who practice this courageous teaching must be brave. It may not be enjoyable to perceive our shortcomings, but without perceiving them, how can we change them? I am going to continue chanting to master my mind no matter what. 

Another thing that was happening when I was chanting was the rebirth of some dreams I have set aside in my day-to-day comings and goings. What would happen if I actually put the pedal to the metal and made those dreams come true? After chanting I took some small steps into making them come true. 

I also chanted to cherish and praise my life...and in deep appreciation for having this Gohonzon in my life. 
These last 18 months of my son's illness have been pretty consuming. For the moment, I can concentrate on other things as well.  

Onward and upward. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo! 

4 Ways to Strengthen Your Practice and Your Life

"First you must be strong. 

There is no hope of winning in this chaotic world 

if you are weak. 

No matter what others do or say, 

it is important to develop your ability 

and put that ability to use. 

Strong faith, of course, 

is the best means 

for drawing out one's inner strength. 

You each have a very important mission 

and I hope you will awaken to it 

and take pride in that mission." 

Daisaku Ikeda, Faith in Action, page 139

I received an emal from a reader recently. She wrote that she chants consistently for one week, and then stops chanting for a week and her anxiety and depression immediately comes back. Every other week she forces herself to chant again, and then stops. She said she was struggling and not overcoming her problems. 

Chanting inconsistently is a very difficult way to practice. It is much easier to establish a twice a day practice and stick with it. But how do we do this? 

How can we reinforce our determination to practice twice a day every day, strengthen our lives and create unshakable benefit? 

The benefits of consistent practice are many. 
For one, it's easier. Once you establish the practice you just greet your life twice a day in front of the Gohonzon without having to force yourself to do it. It becomes part of your life. With consistent practice, we strengthen our lives and raise our life conditions. 

With consistent practice chanting is easier, life is easier, benefits flow more consistently, and we change our karma, embrace our challenges and win over any challenge we face. With consistent practice, we change our lives for the better. This is the way it works. 

Positive Psychologists talk about something called "Activation Energy." 
It is the energy to get something new up and running. 

We can compare the launching of our consistent practice to an airplane taking off. Each airplane has to advance down the runway with engines firing. Once the plane gets in the air it switches to a steady maintenance energy, but it HAS to fire those rockets to get off the ground. 

How do you fire your own rockets? 

Three Ways to Strengthen Your Practice:

1. Be active in the SGI

Being a part of the SGI, attending meetings and practicing with your friends in faith is essential. (You can click on the SGI Portal to the right to find your local SGI, if you're not connected yet. Remember there are no dues or rules or priests. The SGI is an organization of people working together for their own happiness and the sake of others.) 

The friends you make in the SGI are friends who will help you get those engines firing and help you lift into the air. And the beautiful thing is, as another is helping YOU, they are also helping themselves. That is just the way it works. And you can be this friend for others and help them chant too. To join, use the link at the right or go to SGI-USA.org


"The mind of faith is invisible. 
Those who advance together 
with the organization 
dedicated to Kosen-rufu 
will evolve the correct mind of faith 
that matches the time. 
With this mind of faith, 
you can fill the canvas of your lives 
with portraits of happiness 
in which all your wishes are fulfilled."

Daisaku Ikeda, Faith in Action, Page. 138

2. Chant as often as possible 
with your Friends in Faith

When I was first chanting, my SGI friend and mentor came to my house every morning for a few weeks to help me generate "activation energy" to help me establish a consistent practice. I liked the feeling of doing gongyo consistently, and was able to keep my plane in the air after that. 

Only those who practice twice a day know how great it is ~ 
My dear "Baby Buddha" (the nickname she chose for herself) heard me tell her for two years to chant every morning and evening, and she replied that she doesn't do ANYTHING consistently and wasn't going to do this. No way. I kept chanting for her and inviting her to chant. And one day, she just made the decision to try chanting twice a day to see how it felt. She couldn't believe how it changed her life. She also realized a deep desire and began to chant for it to happen. Now she lives in Colorado - she got what she was chanting for! THIS is why we practice. Our desires are worth chanting for! 

3. Chant with Others Even if You're Not Together

When I began this blog and my two-hour a day chanting campaign, my friend Melissa and I would text each other twice a day when we began chanting. She lived far away so we only chanted together about once a week, but just knowing we were chanting at the same time really helped. Sometimes we would call each other before we chanted and tell each other what we were focusing on for that hour so we could chant specifically for each other's desires. 

4. Chant to Strengthen your Practice and Your Life!
AND DO SHAKUBUKU!

When we introduce others to this practice our lives grow. Our faith grows. We watch them as they change their lives. We see their benefits so clearly. AND we change our karma@ 

Universal PowerPrayer for Peace and Happiness for ALL

I developed PowerPrayers to keep determinations in mind while chanting. I read them before chanting to help focus my thoughts and direct my prayers while chanting the name of the Mystic Law - Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. This is my adaptation of the universal PowerPrayer...the prayer for each person who is sitting in front of their Gohonzon to realize their dream of kosen rufu and happiness. 

Universal PowerPrayer for Happiness for ALL

Every Daimoku I chant

reaches every other person who is chanting

I deepen the power of my faith by 10,000

so that all who are chanting can also deepen their faith, spread the word of this great teaching 

to those still suffering

become absolutely happy

and create a happy and peaceful world!

I chant that every single person who is chanting 

feels the full power 

sees the full power

experiences the full power

of this faith in their lives. 

I chant for all members to have faith

receive incredible 

benefits

and to know, within their DNA itself 

within every cell in their body

that this practice works!

I chant for all who are chanting. 

May my prayer increase the power of their prayer.
May everyone, and this entire planet see benefit!