You can Chant for Anything! Here's a Benefit!

Experience from a reader: 

"I just wanted to let you know I did put Gohonzon in my house on 18 july and I continue to chant twice a day on your blog so basically I feel I'm chanting with you every day. My son and my husband chant with me at night before we sleep. I see little change in my son he is calmer than before and will keep you posted always about my life. I read all your blogs I think you write beautifully and forward it to the other people too. My son had made a drastic mistake in summer he forgot the date of project for his on line class and did not submit the project and the project was due on 3 august and he mistook it for 23. He realized that after 5 days when teacher put missed project on line. The teacher had said clearly he would give some marks if it's delayed for 4 days but after that it will be a 0 and realized after 5 days so was crying that his grade will be really bad even if he got 95 or 100 in the three left quizzes. I  went and started chanting  in front of my gohnzon and said please give him some marks and not a 0 and teacher replied back saying he could maximum get 40 if he still did project then he did the project same day and sent it to him and got A's in the rest of 3 quizzes . He got 40 in the project and ended up with a B+ which is better than a C or a B- which he may have ended up for his carelessness and learnt a big lesson of his life since he has two more on line classes this semester. I just wanted to share this small experience with you.

I really want my kids to turn up like your kids you are my inspiration.

Thanks,"

How wonderful! Your whole family is chanting!!! And what a great benefit. You really turned that situation around! You will all be seeing so many benefits in your lives by chanting together. You are in rhythm! 

What if you aren't sure what you want?

That's easy! 

Chant to know what you really want! 

Chant to discover what would make you happy. 

For years I chanted to understand, know and fulfill my mission in life. 

It worked!

Make Your Mighty Determinations!

Today!

Why not? 

It's your life!

What is a determination? 

It's a goal, and it's a call of your spirit. It's a paragraph that conveys what you really want. 

When Kathy was chanting for her job she had a deep determination. She determined that she was going to find her retirement job...the job she'd stay in until she retired. She determined it would have all the bells and whistles, great benefits, the hours she wanted, the income she wanted...vacation etc. She determined it would be a "home" for her, full of warm people who appreciate her. She determined that it would be a job that showed actual proof of the Gohonzon and that it would inspire others to chant to achieve their goals. She also determined that while she was unemployed she and her family would not suffer in any way. 

All of these determinations were realized! 


She had her first day at her new job on Monday. It was amazing. She immediately felt welcomed. SHe got there early with the other early people, and discovered they have one of those cool gourmet one-cup-at-a-time coffee makers. At her last job they didn't have any coffee at all, and she had to bring a carafe from home. I know that's the tip of the iceberg for her. I know that each day she will reveal another benefit of this job. Last night she was invited out to a celebratory dinner with her co-workers. On her first day her boss called her in and said that her position had been open for a long, long time...and they had chosen her very carefully!!

Isn't that awesome?

What is YOUR determination? 

Would you like to share it with us? 

Transforming Difficult Relationships

What do you do when you have a difficult relationship? Maybe there's a family member you don't get along with, maybe it is someone at work. What is the best course of action to take...well, if you are practicing Practical Buddhism the answer is an easy one. 

Chant for their happiness. 

Okay, I know, it's not really easy...but think of it as strengthening that spiritual muscle of compassion and making an excellent, wonderful, life changing and karma changing cause. Sit and think of that person with a huge smile on their face...a huge smile. And chant for their happiness, whether it is a sincere prayer or not. And do you know what will happen. Sooner or later it will turn into a sincere prayer. And you will have changed. And so will the other person!
Remember, you can't always feel it or see it, but all of life is interconnected. Chanting for someone else's happiness is as good as chanting for your own. Maybe even better!

Today I want to remind you that when you want to change a difficult relationship into a great one, determinations and chanting are important, but please remember that your everyday actions make a huge difference. 

If people come to you saying bad things about the person you are focusing on - you must not join the party of people speaking ill of that person! Your everyday actions, thoughts and words are ALL CAUSES that you are making. You want to focus on making good causes at all times. 

If you want to change a troubling relationship into a fabulous one, watch your actions, and refuse to join the folks who are badmouthing the person whose happiness you are chanting for so deeply. 

All of this is up to you. 

Your happiness rests on you doing your own human revolution. You may think that your chanting for the difficult person is about THEM. But NO! It is about your human revolution. It is about YOU creating the flow of energy that will attract only amazingly great things into your life! It is about you changing from the inside so that you can build a solid sense of self that will be strong and happy NO MATTER WHAT your circumstances!!! It is about YOU, and the other person...and YOU are leading the way for the happiness of all humanity. YOU are opening the door to happiness in your life, in the life of the "difficult" person, and in the happiness of us all because, as you know so well...we are all interconnected!!!

Encouragement for you!

The real thrill about being a Practical Buddhist and chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo every day is this:

Even when I don't get what I want...I get what I want. When I keep chanting, and keep focused...what I want is always on its way. The challenge is to not let my own doubt and negativity overshadow things.

Right now I am chanting with appreciation for my life, for being able to chant and for knowing, that NO MATTER WHAT I will be victorious is all areas of my life. I base my life on reading Daisaku Ikeda's writings, encouraging my fellow members and the readers of my blog. My entire life is tied to helping others be happy, and living as an example that NO MATTER WHAT, I will win in all aspects of my life.

Has everything "finished" in my life? No! And it never will! Am I enjoying the process along the way? YES! When you base your life on the mystic law it is possible to even enjoy your own sadness...because you see it for what it is...fuel for the fire of your Daimoku (chanting).

And because you can always turn poison into medicine...NOTHING will ever stop you.

I had a friend in Japan who always used to say "I love it when I get BIG PROBLEMS! Because I know that a BIG BENEFIT is on its way!"

He is so right! As long as you keep chanting, keep reading President Ikeda's guidance, and keep encouraging people...you can't lose.

And if you are at the beginning stage of chanting...just face the Gohonzon and pray about what you want. You deserve to be happy. Don't ever listen to the people who tell you that you don't deserve to be happy....you know you deserve happiness and you have ALWAYS known this. Tap into your life force of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. Be fearless. Make your glorious life overflow with benefits!

The (im) Possible Dream

Yesterday I saw Man of La Mancha, one of my favorite musicals.  This song "The Impossible Dream" perfectly describes the quest we are all on. Don Quixote was alone. 
We have each other and our mentor Daisaku Ikeda. How wonderful!
I tried to copy a link from Youtube onto this post. Please go to Youtube and type in "The Impossible Dream from Man of La Mancha" Enjoy!

The Impossible Dream

To dream ... the impossible dream ...
To fight ... the unbeatable foe ...
To bear ... with unbearable sorrow ...
To run ... where the brave dare not go ...
To right ... the unrightable wrong ...
To love ... pure and chaste from afar ...
To try ... when your arms are too weary ...
To reach ... the unreachable star ... 

This is my quest, to follow that star ... 
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far ... 
To fight for the right, without question or pause ... 
To be willing to march into Hell, for a Heavenly cause ... 

And I know if I'll only be true, to this glorious quest, 
That my heart will lie will lie peaceful and calm, 
when I'm laid to my rest ... 
And the world will be better for this: 
That one man, scorned and covered with scars, 
Still strove, with his last ounce of courage, 
To reach ... the unreachable star ...

This captures our chanting quest for bettering our lives...for kosen rufu...for our willingness to "march into hell for a heavenly cause" as we confront our own inner darkness, overcome it and march on for the sake of our lives, for the sake of our loved ones, for the sake of the world. 

We all have such noble missions! I salute you on your quest this Monday Morning!!!

You Knew I had to Show you!

Aaron in his white coat. 

The ceremony today was meaningful and moving. After every first-year medical student got their white coats they all stood, along with every doctor in the house and recite the Hippocratic Oath. 

It was beautiful...and Aaron really looks like a doctor, doesn't he?! 

Paging Dr. Silver, Paging Dr. Silver!