Thursday, August 22, 2013

PowerPrayer for Revealing YOUR Buddhahood - Your Brilliant Sparkling and Powerful Self



PowerPrayer for Revealing 
Your Buddha Nature 
and Appreciating YourSELF

"I chant to reveal the pure, sparkling Diamond
of resilience, strength, wisdom-heart
that lies within me. 
I chant to be more and more aware 
of how wonderful I am every single day. 
that every cause I make, 
at every single moment of every day 
is a great cause for my life, 
and all of life, 
and leads me to see more and more of my Buddha nature. 
I chant that my Buddha Nature emerge 
and flow from my life touching everyone I see. 
I chant that I see my life 
as the brilliant sparkling Diamond that it is. 
I chant that throughout the day 
I say only kind words to myself. 
That I praise myself with my every thought. 
I chant to believe in my own goodness 
and to see it revealed in my actions. 
I pray to realize my life as the Buddha I am.
I chant that those around me 
are inspired to begin chanting, 
or to strengthen their practice 
just by seeing my happiness flow. 
I chant to meet the people 
who are looking for the Mystic Law 
and to be able to help them practice.



Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Look at this! We ARE the universe and we can solve ALL our problems!

Our eyes, our nebulae!

Buddhist thought holds that we are microcosms of the universe. Science is moving closer to Buddhist thought all the time. This picture really intrigued me. It's just mesmerizing isn't it? And we access the power of the entire universe every time we chant. 

And when we look around our lives we see that our lives actually do reflect how we feel, what we see, and how we experience the world. 

Through chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo (it means: I fuse my life with the mystic law of cause and effect through sound vibration) we can set our entire lives right. 

We can change ANY poison into medicine. 
We can change anything. 
Life is eternal. 
Some things take longer than others, 
I know, we all know. 
But the important thing, as Daisaku Ikeda says, 
is to keep chanting until we DO change it. 

The important thing is to not give up, and to take every challenge and make fresh determinations around it.

As some of you know,  my son Ben is in the hospital. I have been chanting for him for some time. My determination is that he comes out of this experience happier, more fulfilled, and full of faith and hope in the future. I am also determined that this experience bring all members of the family closer and be a catalyst for the happiness of all. I am chanting for each one of the people who is taking care of Ben right now...that somehow through being with him and our family that their lives be filled with hope too. 

ANY experience can be a catalyst for greater happiness when we meet it right in front of the Gohonzon, and don't run from it! The key is to keep chanting for human revolution, doing shakubuku and studying. 

How much Daimoku should you chant? I am chanting two hours a day and I'm so grateful to mySELF for making this happen. 

How much should you chant? It depends on your goals, your state of life, and as you have pointed out - you DO need to sleep! So I say ~ chant as much as you need to keep your life condition elevated! Only you know how long that is. And whatever you do ~ when confronted by obstacles and "problems" meet them head on in front of the Gohonzon and say 

"Life! I summoned this storm and I will USE it to revolutionalize (my word!) MY LIFE! I will use this as fuel for my life and the lives of others! I will prove the power of my life and this practice right here. RIGHT NOW!" 

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

What Can You Accomplish By Chanting?


What can you accomplish through chanting? 

You can change your problems, your attitude, your basic life tendencies and your karma!

The power of chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo 
is bigger than your biggest problem. 

"There are many elements involved in a prayer being answered, but the important thing is to keep praying until it is. By continuing to pray, you can reflect on yourself with unflinching honesty and begin to move your life in a positive direction on the path of earnest, steady effort. Even if your prayer doesn't produce concrete results immediately, your continual prayer will at some time manifest in a form greater than you had ever hoped." 
~ President Ikeda  (From Faith in Action page 152)

What are some examples of actual proof I've accomplished through chanting?

I have raised my life condition permanently from a state of sadness to one of almost continual happiness. 

When you raise your life condition EVERYTHING changes. People around you change. Opportunities come more easily. Everything changes because YOU have changed on the inside and because of the interconnectivity of all of life your environment has to change to reflect those changes.

As Nichiren Daishonin says in the Gosho The Three Kinds of Treasure: "Buddhism teaches that when the Buddha nature manifests itself from within, it will obtain protection from without. This is one of its fundamental principles.

I have permanently changed the following in my life:

Hopelessness - I now look forward to every day
Depression - Now almost nonexistent for me
Anxiety - Almost NEVER do I feel anxiety now.
Sadness - I am truly a different person now...
Fear - Hardly ever...
Loneliness - I went from having very few friends to having many friends, and to being happier when I'm alone as well. 
Health - I am healthier than I've ever been. 

Also:

I have alleviated the feeling of endless longing for what I do not or cannot have. Words cannot describe how wonderful this benefit has been for me. 
I've lost 50 pounds and feel younger and stronger than ever.
I just sent my book off yesterday to an agent. I am living the life of my dreams. This, along with the blog you are reading now is my greatest passion....helping people alleviate their suffering by introducing them to Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. 

I have peace of mind.

The list goes on and on.....

There are also many other categories of changes people have made in their lives. 

I remember chanting for my first car. I chanted for a reliable car for kosen-rufu (world peace) so that I could drive people to SGI meetings in San Francisco. 
I chanted for a beautiful house to hold Buddhist meetings in...one that would inspire people that anything was possible!
I'll never forget the looks on the movers' faces when they arrived at my beautiful kosen rufu home on the hill with the gorgeous view! It was such a contrast from my tiny little apartment on lower Nob Hill in San Francisco! 
And I've chanted for financial benefits. We need money to live and to give us opportunities. 
It is not bad to chant for money. Money is necessary. 

You can chant for anything. 
Health
Family Relationships
Happiness for others
Love
Career
YOU NAME IT. 
You are accessing the power within your own life. 

There are so many things... feelings...experiences... that you can chant for. And the biggest benefit of all is that as you are chanting for these things you are developing a stronger sense of self...a stronger inner core...a strength so powerful that NO PROBLEM CAN DEFEAT YOU. EVER. That is truly the best benefit of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
And remember that when you chant you are not asking anyone for anything...you are drawing power from your own precious life! Go YOU!

I'm celebrating today. Readership this blog is getting close to 1,000 a day! Thanl you so much for helping me reach my goal of 50,000 a month by November 18th! Thank you for passing the link chantforhappiness.com 
on to your fellow members, friends, family and anyone you want to introduce to this practice, or encourage. And thank you for passing it on to people who speak languages other than English since there's a translation button on the top right ...And thank you so much for writing me. I love knowing what is on your mind and I adore hearing your successes. I am so grateful to you.


Monday, August 19, 2013

Do You Have a Dream? The Power of the Gohonzon Has No Limits



….Sensei Says - Do You Have A Dream….
“Many of us have some problems that we avoid chanting about, because we are afraid to look at them directly and prefer not to think about them. Others may have dreams locked up in their hearts that they are afraid to admit even to themselves let alone chant for, because they feel they do not deserve to be happy, or because they are afraid of being disappointed should they not succeed in attaining their goal.
Nichiren Daishonin teaches us that the power of the Gohonzon has no limit. It is we who impose limits on it with our doubts and fears. How tragic it would be if, having encountered the Mystic Law, we could not fully enjoy it's benefit because we lacked the courage to pray with all our hearts for what we truly wanted.
Surely nothing would be more bitter than to have to look back over one's life and feel, 'I never accomplished what I really wanted to.'
Nichiren Daishonin, out of his compassion, teaches us how to live so that we will have no regrets. Since we have been fortunate enough to meet the Gohonzon, why don't we place our full trust in it, pray courageously for what we desire and fulfill all our dreams in this lifetime.”
Daisaku Ikeda

The Universal PowerPrayer


I heard Linda Johnson, the incredible SGI-USA Women's Division leader talk about the Universal Prayer a few years ago. She talked about a person suffering from a jaw disease. She recommended they chant the Universal Prayer and they were able to cure their disease. I had never heard of this prayer, but I've been chanting it ever since. This is my version of it, feel free to devise your own. I like to picture every single one of you in front of your Gohonzons chanting, and feel my prayer going straight to you. I pray just like this:



Universal PowerPrayer

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! 



Sunday, August 18, 2013

Let's Enjoy our Lives!

I love this picture, and it is so true. 
In front of the Gohonzon, we create our lives. 
We tell our lives exactly what we want. 
And when we are not in front of the Gohonzon sometimes we have to just take a deep breath 
and enjoy the moment...
just live in the moment. 

Sending you love and peace on this Sunday afternoon. 
My dear friend just agreed to get her Gohonzon on Wednesday. 
May you ALL have friends who decide to practice this month! See the shakubuku PowerPrayer from a few days back. 

PowerPrayers to Strengthen Your Practice and for Unlimited Self Esteem

Good morning. It's early on Sunday morning and I'm heading off downtown to the Tozo going on now.

At the Chicago Buddhist Center I will be chanting for all of you to achieve every single one of your goals and to grow in faith as you complete your million daimoku towards your goals. Please remember you are WORTHY and you are not asking anyone or anything to fulfill your prayers...you are TELLING your life the way it's going to be. "LIFE this is what I want!" and email me if you want to join the campaign or share your goals and pictures with me: chantforhappiness@gmail.com

ALSO ~ do you have any requests for powerprayers on a particular subject...ones that might help great numbers of people? I am about to submit my book soon! Email me! 

Here are two PowerPrayers from my upcoming book of PowerPrayers. The first is for strengthening your practice. The second is for unlimited self-esteem:

PowerPrayer to Establish a Strong Practice 
for Chanting My Way to Absolute Happiness! 

I will chant every morning and every evening 
no matter what. 
I will no longer allow anything to stop me! 
I am establishing the strongest practice imaginable 
and I am becoming so fully resourced in self esteem 
that I fully commit to myself:
I keep my promise 
to myself 
first and foremost 
with the understanding that 
I can only really love/help others 
when I myself have become strong and self-loving.
And it’s very natural for me now to share Nam-myoho-renge-kyo because my life is overflowing with benefits. 

The more I chant, the more I want to chant. 
I look forward to my time with myself 
dialoguing with my own life
and discovering who I really am. 
I feel the connection more deeply every time I chant. 
I see actual proof that my self esteem is rising:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Nothing can stop me from getting to discussion meetings 
and studying SGI periodicals and books. 
I am deepening my understanding of what I study with every Daimoku I chant. 
My eyes are opening.
My depth of understanding is growing! 
Study helps me to see the connection 
between my chanting 
and what I see happening in my life. 
What a privilege! 

PowerPrayer for Unlimited Self Esteem

As I am chanting, 
I am becoming a woman/man/person 
of unlimited self esteem. 
I open my heart to myself and my life. 
I am determined to really love my-self 
in a way I have never done before. 
I am determined to take 
the best and most tender care of myself 
and to learn to really want 
and manifest 
all the very best things my life has to offer me 
and this world has to offer. 
From this moment forward 
I am a person of unlimited self-esteem. 
I learn from my mistakes, 
I don’t dwell on them or in them. 
I understand that I am Nam-myoho-renge-kyo 
and I have unlimited power 
to focus on the things I do right. 
I spend more and more time 
in self-appreciation and gratitude.
And it feels wonderful.

These are the qualities I appreciate in myself:
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

These are the qualities I am strengthening in myself and my life as I chant:. 
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________