4 Great Quotes by to Fuel Your Day by Daisaku Ikeda

We practice Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism...chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo (meaning: I fuse my life with the mystic law of cause and effect through sound vibration) every morning and evening and growing our lives, our happiness, our fulfillment by tapping into our greatest powerful selves! Here are some quotes from Daisaku Ikeda, the third president of the Soka Gakkai: 

1. EVERYTHING is contained in the single word, faith. 
It encompasses 
truth, 
courage, 
wisdom 
and good fortune. 
It includes compassion and humanity 
as well as peace, culture and happiness. 
Faith is eternal hope; 
it is the secret to limitless self-development. 
Faith is the most basic principle for growth.
2. THIS is the age of self-indulgence. 
Therefore, those who lack a clear direction in life inadvertently drift towards merrymaking 
and pleasure-seeking. 
The organization of kosen-rufu and SGI activities 
direct one towards self-improvement 
and towards realizing true fulfillment in life. 
No action taken based on faith is wasted. 
In every respect, 
such actions will come to take on the greatest significance.
3. OPTIMISTS are raised by good mothers. 
It is important for mothers to be optimistic 
and not brood over their troubles. 
Such cheerfulness, 
while not only being beneficial for the mother herself, 
will also become a source of strength for the children throughout their lives. 
If a mother is full of vitality, 
then her children will be also. 
Thus, she will enable the whole family 
and those around them to feel at ease 
to go about their activities full of hope.
4. THERE are innumerable types of suffering. 
What we should realize 
is that the times when we suffer severely 
are also when we challenge and change our karma, 
and unlock the door to great good fortune. 
True happiness means 
to establish a condition in which we can gladly face 
even the greatest suffering and overcome it.

This last quote speaks volumes to many of us. I am here in Ohio, and Ben's interview was moved to today. Yesterday my life-condition dipped and I felt angry and emotional. That's how we know our life condition is low - when everything makes us mad! I chanted last night and today I awakened very early, moved my body, and now I sit down to chant. There is no such thing as no hope! 
I am chanting for all of you, and that each one of you reads something here in these many blogposts that strengthens and fortifies your mind of faith so you can USE that muscle of faith and make whatever you want happen! 

12 Ways Nichiren (SGI) Buddhism is Different ~ Please share

Why do we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, and what makes this practice different than any other form of Buddhism? 

Click on the SGI Portal to the right to find out more about our organization. 

You have happened upon a practice that is very unique indeed. Some of the ways this practice is different include these points:

1. You do not have to convert to Buddhism to chant. Anyone can chant. It's like meditation or yoga..it's a practice. 

2. The goal of this practice is RESULTS, also called actual proof, or benefits. In other words - you get what you chant for- or something better - as long as you do not give up. 

3. In this practice, each person is a Buddha and possesses the entire power of the universe within their own lives. This is the awakening that the original Buddha experienced under the Bodhi tree. 

We all possess the potential for bringing forth our own Buddhahood (happiness and strength) through chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, right now, in this lifetime  ~ without having to focus on making other changes in our lives. 

4. We have a Living Mentor ~ 
Daisaku Ikeda is the President of the Soka Gakkai International. I write about him often. Several of the posts last week were on the mentor and disciple relationship. Daisaku Ikeda is an extraordinary human being that we connect  with through his writings, his speeches, his actions and through our own hearts. 

5.There are no lifestyle, diets, rules of behavior or “paths” to memorize or carefully trod. There is the keen awareness that life operates under the strict law of cause and effect, and at each moment WE are creating our lives, but most of us knew that already! 

6. Desire is not the enemy. Your desires lead you to chant...when you chant you change your karma. Each person chants for their desires from their heart. Alleviation of desire is not the goal of this practice. Neither is mindlessness. We focus when we chant.  

7. There are no clergy, no robes and no temples. YOU have direct access to the power of the universe, your own Buddha power within. No intermediaries are needed. We SGI members practice together because we grow and learn together. There are SGI (Soka Gakkai - Value Creating Organization) community centers, and many smaller meetings are held in people’s homes. We are all normal people in the world living extraordinarily happy lives.  

8. We are changing our karma every time we chant. We can change our karma. Karma is not immutable. Suffering is not "Noble", but it is part of life. The goal of chanting is HAPPINESS, not to learn to be better sufferers. 

9. We do not chant “to” anything outside of us. There is no Higher Power in this practice. When we are chanting we access our own wisdom and power as a the Buddha, or awakened one. We are chanting to our own lives. 

10. The main practice is reciting the words Nam-myoho-renge-kyo over and over and over. Everyone on earth recites the same phrase. It means: "I fuse my life with the mystic (unfathomable) law of cause and effect through sound vibration"

11. The SGI does not discriminate for any reason. All people...ALL people have the right to access the Mystic Law within their own lives. 

12. There is no guilt, there is only the awareness of the law of cause and effect. 

And it's easy to start chanting. You can start with only 5 minutes in the morning and 5 in the evening, and see results. If you click on the SGI Portal link to the right you can find members in your area. 

Saying "Thank You" Makes Our Hearts Sparkle ~*

Yesterday I read every word in the April Living Buddhism  ~  published by the Soka Gakkai. It's the monthly American publication available in the US by calling 310-260-8900. I am grateful for this publication and our wonderful SGI organization. Click on the link to the right to learn more and connect to your local members. 

In April's issue there is an article by Daisaku Ikeda called 

"The Power of Thank You.

Praise, gratitude and appreciation brings happiness." 

In this article, Daisaku Ikeda says that during all of his travels he always learned the local word for thank you ~ because it is the most important sentiment and word. 

"A person who can sincerely say thank you 
has a healthy, vital spirit, 
and each time we say it 
our hearts sparkle 
and our life force rises up powerfully 
from the depths of our being...

When we cannot say thank you, 
our personal growth stops. 
When we are growing 
we can see how wonderful others are, too. 
When we stop growing, 
all we see are other people's faults."

LIVING BUDDHISM APRIL 2014, P. 16

The spirit of gratitude generates the energy of life in our bodies and our hearts.

Right now, as many of you know,my son Ben is in the hospital. At 3:00 today he is interviewing to go into a program that might help him. I look at my life right now and all I can feel is gratitude for this wonderful son who makes me chant so much. My life has grown because of him! I am happier, stronger, healthier and wiser because of the Daimoku I have chanted for him. And I am deeply grateful that he is alive, and that I gave birth to this Buddha Boy. As I was chanting my hour this morning, my heart was overflowing with gratitude...to him...to my life...to Daisaku Ikeda...to you...and to all who have helped and supported me on this journey. I know Ben will win and encourage many people. He already has! 

Daisaku Ikeda is right! Gratitude brings Happiness. 
How many people can you thank today? 
How many gifts of heart can you bestow today? 
How many ways can you make your own heart sparkle by saying Thank You today? 

Who Says We Can Chant for Anything We Want? Sensei!

"In our lives, 
as we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo 
and dedicate our lives to the mystic law, 
we transform delusion into enlightenment, 
and transform the chains of the suffering 
of birth, aging, sickness and death 
into a state of complete freedom 
imbued with the four noble virtues of 
eternity, 
happiness, 
true self and 
purity. 
There is surely no system of practice more dynamic, 
no philosophy that offers such unsurpassed hope."

Daisaku Ikeda

From the April Living Buddhism, page 31

I get emails from people asking me if they can chant for a man (or a goal) that people have told them not to chant for. 
As far as Daisaku Ikeda is concerned, when we chant for what we want, and work for the Mystic law (attend meetings, do shakubuku, study the Gosho) our prayers transform, and our desires and LIVES transform. Chant for what you want! 

I have chanted for things that some people would say I "shouldn't have been chanting for," and it strengthened my practice. I REALLY wanted these things. Over time, my desires transformed, but they were the entry way for chanting. I chanted harder, more focused. I know I strengthened my life and my practice. 

Chanting for what we want IS enlightenment!  

Daisaku Ikeda's Thoughts on May 3rd ~

I am setting determinations to achieve by May 3rd. Here's sensei's inspiration for all of us as we set our sights on this upcoming date. We have an opportunity to reach into our lives and make new determinations towards May 3rd. 

MAY 3 is our initial starting point, 
and simultaneously, 

the day we make 

our final declaration of complete victory. 

It is the grand anniversary which celebrates our efforts to realize a golden age of supreme spiritual triumph and glory. May 3 is invincible, unshaken by raging tempests. 

May 3 is filled with jubilation 

and ever-victorious hope. 

May 3 is the day which our friends around the world rejoice,
celebrate and deepen their determination to keep striving for
kosen-rufu. 

WHEN one dedicates himself/herself to the Gohonzon 
and advances in practice 
for the sake of his/her own enlightenment 
and for kosen-rufu, then, without doubt, 

he/she will become capable of truly loving others, 

and others in turn will say to themselves 

that there is something about him/her that shines.

BY arousing sincere faith 
in the Gohonzon of the Three Great Secret
Laws inscribed by Nichiren Daishonin,
and striving to chant daimoku and propagate the Law, 
you can tap the power of the Buddha and the Law
inherent in the Gohonzon and 
transform the negative karma in your life. 
Everyone can thus attain Buddhahood.

COURAGE and effort are extremely important, 
for they lead to glory and victory. 
Life is like a marathon. 
Even if you should fall a little bit behind the others 
during the race, 
there is no need to be impatient;
as long as you win in the end. 
The person who breaks the tape at the finish line 
is the true victor.

ONLY after surviving the harsh trial of winter 
can seeds burst into fresh growth in the springtime. 
Similarly, only by surmounting hardships 
can we be victorious in life and savor real, lasting joy.
Conversely, if we shun difficulties 
and lose our challenging spirit,

then all we will be left with in the end is failure and regret. Therefore, please blaze a trail 

through the "forest of difficulty" 

we find ourselves in and 

let's work again energetically for

kosen-rufu.

Source: Daily guidance by Daisaku Ikeda

PowerPrayer for Overcoming our BIGGEST Problem

What do we do when we have a problem that looks like it is bigger than Nam-myoho-renge-kyo? (Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the name of the rhythm of life itself - learn more about chanting by clicking the SGI-USA link to the right) 
Have you ever had a problem like this ~

When you think to yourself...

"Oh well, all those other Buddhists, 
they've never seen THIS problem." 

And although you have seen results from your practice, somehow you think THIS problem is different. In your heart you know that nothing is more powerful than your prayer...but also, in your heart, you are struggling to summon absolute faith that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo can overcome THIS one? 

What do you do? 

The answer to this question lies in our SGI organization. It is precisely for this reason, and many others, that we practice together. We study together. We encourage each other. 

As we know from our studies of the Gosho by Nichiren Daishonin:
"Nam-myoho-renge-kyo 
is like the roar of a lion. 
What sickness 
can therefore be an obstacle?"

I'm here in Ohio, preparing for the next phase of helping my son. He will stay in this hospital and we will return here every weekend for awhile. 

I have engraved in my life the words of one of my mentors in faith: 

"This is just another opportunity for your life to stand up and tell your fundamental darkness who is BOSS. This is just another WAVE, just another WAVE. You MUST stand up to it. You must chant with the conviction that there is no other way than your victory. You must summon that conviction from within your heart." 


PowerPrayer for 
Overcoming Our BIGGEST Problems
by Jamie Lee Silver from Chantforhappiness.com

Read this before chanting and summon your inner conviction. These exact words are not important - the strength of your chanting and your heart IS important! 

Life~ !!!
Fundamental Darkness ~ doubt ~ fear ~ 
that exists in my life and in the lives of others
YOU ARE NO MATCH FOR NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO
THIS Daimoku, 
right her, right now  
is obliterating my fundamental darkness 
and the world's fundamental darkness 
and clearing the path for ______________________. 
I claim my victory
I claim my life
I feel Nam-myoho-renge-kyo 
flowing from within my life 
to all around me. 
I shine like the sun
I VOW to change the karma 
that reveals itself in this problem. 
I vow to change whatever it is, 
and to root the cause of this suffering 
out of my life forever. 
I show proof of this victory right now. 
I radiate love and hope to all I meet. 
I choose the best possible choice at every moment. 
I feel wisdom welling forth in my life. 
I will win over this problem 
and I use this experience to help others~!!!
Right here!
Right NOW
I VOW TO WIN~ No Matter what!  

Perseverance ~ Inner Strength ~ Some Quotes by Daisaku Ikeda

Perseverance 

by Daisaku Ikeda:

"No matter what the circumstances, 
you should never concede defeat. 
Never conclude that you've reached a dead-end, 
that everything is finished. 

You possess a glorious future.

Precisely because of that, 
you must persevere and study. 

Life is eternal. 
We need to focus 
on the two existences of the present and the future 
and not get caught up in worry about the past. 
We must always have the spirit to begin anew 
"from this moment," 
to initiate a new struggle each day."  

From Faith in Action page 146. 

"We must put down strong roots, 
we must be strong. 
Inner strength is a prerequisite for happiness, 
a prerequisite for upholding justice and one's beliefs. 
One of the Buddha's titles is 

"He Who Can Forebear."

To courageously endure, 
persevere 
and overcome 
all difficulties 
~ the Buddha, 
is the ultimate embodiment of the virtue of forbearance. The power of faith 
gives us the strength 
to weather and survive any storm. 
Perseverance is the essence of a Buddha."

Faith in Action, by Daisaku Ikeda, page 147. 

Today I leave you with my favorite quote 
from Daisaku Ikeda:

"When one sun rises, 
everything is illuminated."