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! 

We Align with Buddhahood through Daimoku

"The air is filled with radio waves 
of various frequencies. 
While these are invisible,
a television set can collect them 
and turn them into visible images. 
The practice of chanting daimoku 
(Nam-myoho-renge-kyo) 
to the Gohonzon 
aligns the rhythm of our own lives 
with the world of Budhahood in the universe. 
It "tunes" our lives, so to speak, 
so that we can manifest 
the power of Buddhahood in our very beings."

and 

"Everything becomes a source of value, 
everything is brought to live, 
when we base ourselves on Daimoku. 
The Daishonin teaches 
that myo in Nam-myoho-renge-kyo
means "to revive, to return to life."
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo rejuvenates all knowledge;
it revitalizes our daily lives."


Daisaku Ikeda from Faith in Action p.118 in the Gongyo and Daimoku section. 

And I have great news! Ben was officially accepted into the place that will herald the next positive phase of his life. This is a place that has a great track record of helping people who have illnesses like Ben's to learn to live their lives successfully, and happily...with purpose. You know I am dancing in joy. We will be driving him the 8 hours to this location sometime in the next few days. Nam-myoho-rnege-kyo! 

What is TRUE Success in Life?

I love reading President Ikeda's words. They are infused with the energy of life...

This morning I chanted for over an hour and did gongyo. It is an important day, I have a speech to give in the morning, a presentation to business referral sources in the afternoon, and it is also a big day personally. 

My son is being interviewed for placement in a community that will be very positive for his life. The results they show regarding the people who have lived there are remarkable. People are living lives of value...just the answer to my prayer for my son. It is two states away...about an 8 hour drive, but I'm sure, as any parent would know, that I would fly with him to the moon and back if I thought it would be a positive experience for him that would impact his life. I will miss him. But I am happy for him. It is the answer to my prayer. It IS the result of trusting the Gohonzon (the power within my own life).

So I pulled out my favorite book of Daisaku Ikeda quotes for you - Faith in Action. It has quotes arranges by category. I truly could just publish the whole book on this blog because every one of the quotes is impactful, but for today I'll just choose a few under SUCCESS. 
From Faith in Action, page 68:

"What is success in life? 
Who are the truly successful? 
There are famous and powerful people 
who become pitiful figures in their old age. 
There are people who die alone, 
feeling empty and desolate. 
Just what is success? 

The English thinker Walter Pater (1839-94) wrote:

"To burn always with this hard, gemlike flame, to maintain this ecstasy, is success in life."

The person who lives life fully, glowing with life's energy, is the person who lives a successful life."

Yes! 

and on the same page:

"Such things as money, fame and material possessions 
offer fleeting satisfaction 
that can be called relative happiness. 
However, when we transform our lives internally, 
when we develop within ourselves a brilliant inner palace, then we can be said 
to have established absolute happiness."

Daisaku Ikeda

Now, that's not to say that we can't, or should not have wealth, or fortunes of the storehouse. This practice is not about taking a vow of poverty. But we all know, that yes, money is great because we can do so much good with it, but money alone does not bring happiness. It is our inner state of life, our towering conviction that NO MATTER WHAT LIFE PRESENTS TO US - No matter what.. We will win. We can bring forth our own Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and win. That is fortune! 

3 Secrets to Setting and Achieving Our Goals

"This Lifetime will never come again; 
it is precious and irreplaceable. 
To live without regret, 
it is crucial for us to have a concrete purpose 
and continually set goals and challenges for ourselves. 
It is equally important 
that we keep moving toward specific targets 
steadily and tenaciously, one step at a time." 
Daisaku Ikeda, For Today and Tomorrow, page 55. 

We all know we need to make lists and write down our targets and goals, don't we? We've seen the studies that report that college graduates with clear goals achieve more success than others who don't have written goals. But still, somehow it is difficult to write them out and make them. 

Why is Setting Goals difficult? 
1. Many of us have set goals and failed to reach them. Ugh. For more years than I could count I set a goal to lose x amount of weight by my birthday. Raise your hands if you've ever done the same. And we've seen those targets breeze by...losing faith in ourselves. These failures mean nothing. We should make goals anyway. Read on. 
2. Sometimes it's hard for us to decide what our goals ARE. Maybe this does not describe you. Maybe YOU can set clear goals and targets and achieve them every time. Well, for the rest of us it is more difficult. For whatever reason, sometimes I just have the hardest time deciding. So I chant about making the correct decision and bringing wisdom forth from my life. 
3. We're afraid we won't reach our goals. That's a version of number 1 above. Or...maybe we're afraid we WILL reach them, and regret the outcome. 

So as I am making my list of goals I am remembering what some of my favorite mentors have to say about goal setting. 

3 Secrets For Setting Goals 
and Reaching Them! 
By Jamie Lee Silver from Chantforhappiness.com, based on the teachings of Tony Robbins. 

1. For every goal you have be clear on WHY you want to achieve that goal. Write your goal...and write WHY you want to achieve it. As a Votary of the Lotus Sutra, all of my goals include the vow to show actual proof through my own life that the impossible is possible. Years ago before I lost about 50 pounds I wrote down all of the reasons I wanted to lose this weight. I still have that list and have referred to it over and over through the years. 

2. Make yourself an inspiring name for this goal. I have a friend who embarked upon a fitness regime with a trainer. After a few days she was feeling discouraged, and I suggested she come up with a name for herself for this endeavor. She exclaimed "Fitgirl!" and has told me over and over how calling herself "Fitgirl" gets her out of bed and to her workout every day. What name can you come up with for yourself to invigorate (great word - meaning "give life to") your goals?

3. Schedule it. 

So here we are, January 20th. Be bold. Be Brave. Make your list. If I can do it...so can you! Go Buddha Go!  

Chanting Every Morning..Every Evening...Every Morning...Every Evening!!!!

I'm getting a lot of emails from readers lately and many of them have a theme I'd like to touch on. Many of you are asking how long to chant and when and where to chant. 

I know many of us come from highly structured religions with a lot of rules to them. Our practice of Buddhism does not have these rules. It is truly a self-directed practice. 

The only "rule" I talk about and adhere to, is doing morning and evening Gongyo every single day. I also determine to chant an hour each morning.  Of course, there are days when I don't chant an hour in the morning...but I ALWAYS do gongyo every morning.  I base my life on these practices. And I adjust when I have to. If I have a plane to catch and I'm waking up at 3am, I don't usually chant an hour, but that doesn't happen very often! But the point is, the practice is UP TO US!

How much are we suffering? How determined are we to change? 

And remember, there is no guilt in this practice...there is only the law of cause and effect! 

So if you miss, don't feel bad, just determine to do better and get yourself the support you need. When I first started chanting my sponsor came over every day for a week to help me get evening gongyo established in my life as a practice.  I have helped others in this way. We have each other in the Soka Gakkai. 

My five keys to a successful practice outline the other guidelines...study, introducing others...encouraging others.
You can get them using the link to the right. 

The MOST importnat thing is do not give up. Whatever you are facing you can win. Chant every morning and evening! You can do it! 

(I'm about to go give a very brief experience about Ben at our chapter meeting. We have found a place where he can begin the next phase of his life. He has not been accepted yet, but he is so much better and so much more the Ben I know right now. I know it is my Daimoku...my deep determination that NO MATTER WHAT he will live a life of value...a life that matters to him. He is my child...we have shared karma...and I have been chanting for my OWN happiness to flow from me and affect the world - I have to leave for the meeting now - have a great day!) 

Making Our Troubles No More than "Dust in the Wind"

In the important Gosho "The Opening of the Eyes", Nichiren Daishonin displays for us, engraves for us, and explains for us his towering life force...the same life force that we all, as Votaries of the Lotus Sutra possess. He brought this life force out of himself and we can too. That's one of the purposes of this practice...to be happy amidst the struggles of daily life, not in spite of them and not begrudging them. 

It's words really hit home for me since I feel I have been assailed with extreme "persecutions" for the last year and a half. His words helped me to see once again that I can change my view of what is going on, no matter how jaw-dropping it is. I have the choice, and so do all of us, to embrace our karma, vow to change it, and remain as unshakable as Nichiren. 

In The Opening of The Eyes, Nichiren Daishonin writes:

"This I will state. Let the gods forsake me. Let all persecutions assail me. Still I will give my life for the sake of the law...

"Here I will make a great vow. Though I might be offered the rulership of Japan if I would only abandon the Lotus Sutra, accept the teachings of the Meditation Sutra, and look forward to rebirth in the Pure Land, though I might be told that my father and mother will have their heads cut off if I do not recite the Nembutsu - whatever obstacles I might encounter, so long as persons of wisdom do not prove my teachings to be false, I will never yield! 

All other troubles are no more to me than dust in the wind.

Although I and my disciples may encounter various difficulties, if we do not harbor doubt in our hearts, we will, as a matter of course attain Buddhahood. Do not have doubts simply because heaven does not lend you protection. Do not be discouraged because you do not enjoy an easy and secure existence in this life. This is what I have taught to my disciples morning and evening, and yet they begin to harbor doubts and abandon their faith. 
Foolish men are likely to forget the promises they have made when the crucial moment comes."

From The Opening of the Eyes by Nichiren Daishonin. 

I wish I could write more, but I have to run off this morning. In the meantime I am thinking of the vision of all my troubles being dust in the wind...and having the confidence that I am a worthy Bodhisattva of the Earth and my happiness is important. Just like yours! 

PowerPrayer for the Dynamic Year of the Development of YOU!

This morning I woke up still not feeling well and I called my wonderful leader for guidance on how to chant to overcome this illness. 
She said I need to focus on myself, and not just my karma, but also my own happiness. She reminded me how important my own happiness is. She said my sons are the reflection of me, and I need to focus on my happiness so that they can be happy. 
She reminded me that this is the year of dynamic development. She told me she had her own determination to make this the year of Dynamic Development for herself and I thought that made excellent sense. So I just finished chanting an hour of daimoku and feel a million times better. As I was chanting I was thinking these powerful thoughts for writing a PowerPrayer for you. Here it is:

PowerPrayer for the Dynamic Year of the Development of ___________________your name here! 

My life has Immeasurable Power!
I now tap into the immeasurable power of my own life! 
I now focus on changing my thoughts, words and deeds so that I can be HAPPY!
I embrace my karma as my mission!
I welcome this opportunity to create my own happiness. 
Fundamental darkness - you have no place here!
Fundamental darkness you have the wrong address!
I rid my life of all self-slander. 
I celebrate my life. 
I bask in appreciation 
for my own immeasurably powerful life~ ! 

Sensei on Chanting for our TRUE Desires

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 Darker the Night the Nearer the Dawn

"When facing adversity, 
we may think we've reached our limit, 
but actually 
the more trying the circumstances, 
the closer we are to making a breakthrough. The darker the night 
the nearer the dawn. 
Victory in life is decided 
by that last concentrated burst of energy filled with the resolve to win."
Daisaku Ikeda

Happy New Year. I am ready to break through. How about you? Let's all bring out that concentrated burst of energy and resolve. I'm going to chant about this quote and write a power prayer based on it later today. Happy 2015!

PowerPrayer for a PowerFULL New Year 2015

PowerPrayer for a PowerFULL 2015

By Jamie Lee Silver of Chantforhappiness.com
(I developed PowerPrayers to read before chanting as a tool to maintain strong determination, focus and inspiration while chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Feel free to adapt and change any PowerPrayer to make it yours! I start my PowerPrayers with the word LIFE! because when we chant we are addressing our own lives. If you wish to share this, please share the blog chantforhappiness.com. Thanks!)

Life! 

Last year is last year. 
I now let it go...

I release all of 2014 and my entire past.  
I choose to recognize that I am always doing my best, no matter what!

I release 2014 and welcome in the Dynamic New Year of Happiness, Security and Flow! 
I now forgive myself for any imperfections and chant for the wisdom to be WISER and take inspired action in 2015!

This year, 2015 - I am determined to continue growing my own love for my own self. 
I am determined to keep learning...keep exploring...
and create victory 
every single moment of every single day...
Not just to create victory -- also to FEEL and see VICTORY in each moment. (Even when it feels like defeat) 

I chant to recognize my own brilliance, 
my own passion, 
my own love. 
I chant to love and appreciate myself more than ever, and express appreciation to others even more than ever. 

No Matter what ~ I now focus on the POSITIVE and do NOT COMPLAIN! 

I vow to deepen my relationships. I will be more attentive to others. I will LISTEN even better than ever before. I am determined to deepen my compassion and ability to care for friends and family. 

I am determined to foster youth and adults in the SGI and give out Nam-myoho-renge-kyo cards every day. 
I am determined, and I WILL, help my shakubukus learn gongyo,  study and build lives of rock-solid absolute happiness! 

I am determined and I demand of my own life a deeper understanding of the law of cause and effect...a deeper understanding of this practice...a deeper understanding of the mentor/disciple relationship. I will study everyday!

I determine to feel with Sensei's heart, see through Sensei's eyes, learn with Sensei's mind. 

I determine to build rock-solid understanding of my financial affairs and be independent and informed. I'm determined to create a financial plan for my life that is concrete and attainable, and to develop the financial habits to make it happen. 

I'm determined to listen to my body every day, and to continue creating the healthiest body I have ever had. 

I'm determined to excel at my work, be trusted and develop even more capabilities. I am determined to be a contribution every day. 

Life! 
I feel, see, know and ACCESS the power in my own life. 
I have Daimoku. 
I have the Gohonzon. 
I now pull the lid off 
what I thought I was capable of achieving. 
I now blow my own mind 
with the power of the life force I tap into every day through chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. 
I am determined to respect my own life and see that respect echoed all around me in my environment. 

I chant for the DYNAMIC growth of the SGI. 
I chant for the happiness and peace of the planet!
I chant to transform my own life so that the world can be transformed! 

Welcome 2015!

New Year's Day at the Chicago SGI Center

Kathy and my guest Bella

With Kendall and LaShelle

What a great new year...
so many great causes to start the year.
First thing this morning I chanted my hour of Daimoku for the new year. I went out and visited Ben, and visited my friend Mary to chant with her for New Year's Day. Then I picked up Kathy and Bella, and had my new friend Padma also meet us at the Center. I bought Bella a bell...she is starting her practice!

This year is going to be solid.

Ben will find his way. We will find the best place for him and he will begin to live his life of value.
I am going to do a ton of shakubuku
because I LOVE to do shakubuku.
I love seeing people's lives change when they chant.
I love seeing people's dreams come true!

And I will, after all publish my book. It will be a compilation of all the best PowerPrayers and blog postings. It will be born easily and it will flow.

Speaking of flow -I will live in a state of feeling the flow of the universe and the rightness of my place in it. I'm going to stop trying so hard and just enjoy life more.

I'm determined to be a source of inspiration through my own life experiences. I just survived one of the most challenging years...no THE most challenging year. My son almost lost his life twice in the last two months. He is okay now and a new year has started. I feel the power of my own life through chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

Feel the power of your own life and demand your results!

New Year's Day 2015 

at the 

Chicago Culture Center with my 

         Gakkai Family!

Happy New Year!

I'm off to visit Ben in the hospital, 
then pick up my guests and head for New Year's Day at the Chicago SGI Center! I hope all of you are celebrating this day with your Gakkai friends! Sending love!