Daimoku Campaign Tips

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"Anyone who has ever made a resolution discovers that the strength of that determination fades in time. The moment you feel that is when you should make a fresh determination. Tell yourself, “OK! I will start again from now!” If you fall down seven times, get up an eighth. Don’t give up when you feel discouraged—just pick yourself up and renew your determination each time."

Daisaku Ikeda, Ikedaquotes.org
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I started my two hour a day Daimoku Campaign on Sunday, and the whole world looks different today. 

No matter how many years I have been chanting, I am still blown away by the power of Daimoku, the power within my own life. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo taps into that brilliance, that power within. 

Making a new Daimoku target and sticking with it has power in itself...it serves to draw a line in the sand for our happiness. And every time we accomplish our Daimoku goal we feel the victory in our lives. At the same time, WHILE we are chanting, wisdom is pouring into our lives. 
Solutions to problems magically appear...and inside our hearts we begin to dance. 

People write me to ask many technical questions. How long should I chant? Does it matter if I chant in the car or in front of my Gohonzon? (Yes, I think it matters, but you can chant in the care anyway - your main practice is in front of the Gohonzon!) 
How do I do a Daimoku Campaign?

Thhat there are no hard and fast "rules" in this practice. Maybe a Daimoku campaign for you is chanting 15 minutes in the evening and 15 minutes in the morning. That will change your life if you haven't been chanting that much Daimoku. 

Maybe a campaign for you is actually committing to Gongyo twice a day. Maybe it's a full hour every morning....

The important thing is to have a goal!

We can make our own campaign and build from it. 
Start with more than you are doing now. Start with a goal you can achieve. And find a buddy to do it with you!

I know from experience that two hours a day brightens my life...it helped me get through my Mom's death and it is raising me from the sadness I've been feeling with Ben's death. I still honor him every moment, but KNOW he would want me to be happy. 

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"People do not grow when their environment is too comfortable, when they are not challenged. It is in the midst of suffering and hardship that strength of character is formed.

Daisaku Ikeda, Ikedaquotes.org" 
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"When You Continue To Advance" By Daisaku Ikeda

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"It may be difficult indeed not to look back. 

The deep scars within your heart may not heal quickly. 
Yet brace yourself so you can look forward. 
you have to advance, even a step. 
You should strive to move on. 
Cutting through the clouds in your heart. 
As long as you advance, new hope will be born. 
The sun will rise. 
Only when you continue to advance 
can you encounter an even better, more wonderful you. 
A new life will unfold for you."

Daisaku Ikeda, Faith into Action, Love and Relationships 
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These words were sent in a card from readers Karla Doane, Tama Driskill and Mina Capulin. 
They sent this card to Ben when he was requesting reading material, and they included a gift card for Barnes and Noble. Little did we all know that their words would come to comfort me today. My heart is filled with gratitude. I chant for all of you every day, as I know so many of you are chanting for me. 

Continuing in the Daimoku campaign I must mention what I call "Campaign backlash." Sometimes after a lot of daimoku, I get a bit of backlash...heightened emotions...a recurring problem...some difficulty. This is bound to happen. Challenge it and move on...consider it as transitory as a dream and forge on! 

3 Keys to a Successful Daimoku Campaign

Happiness is not a life without worries or struggles. Happiness is the robust sense of fulfillment one feels when bravely confronting hardship. It is that elevation of the spirit, like an airplane gaining lift from the air resistance against its wings.

Daisaku Ikeda, Ikedaquotes.org

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Hi! It's my birthday today. 
All the numbers are pretty cool. It's, of course, the 22nd, (my favorite number), and on the 20th of October I'll reach the end of my 30th year of practice. And today I turn 55. Great numbers! 

In case anyone thinks 55 is old - it's not! 
Old is a state of mind! 

Sunday I began a two hour a day Daimoku Campaign. I had to. I just got tired of feeling sad! Not only was I feeling sad, but I was yelling at myself in my head a lot, and I have to cut that out! So I said to myself "Jamie! You have a perfect target for a campaign - one month from now you'll have completed 30 years  -  what a great time to start a 2 hour campaign!" And on Saturday night one of my friends said she was ready to do a two hour a day campaign so we are doing it together. We're reporting when we chant and texting each other when we start. It's easy. And it's great to have a campaign buddy. 

3 Keys to a Successful Daimoku Campaign

1. Have a great reason to chant! 
I've found that setbacks, sadness, despair and unhappiness are GREAT motivators. Sooner or later I say "NO" and open myself to the great "YES" - the greater possibility of what my life can be. Or...a great goal is a perfect reason to begin a campaign. Or...a deadline. What a great motivator! 

2. Find a campaign buddy! 
Here's how it works:
You both set a goal of the number of hours you want to chant a day. 
You text each other in the morning when you begin to chant. 
You connect by text or phone every day to stay inspired!

3. Chant your two hours (or however many hours you have decided) every day. 
What about interruptions? What about having to use the restroom, or refreshing your drink? How about those phone calls you really have to take when you are chanting? 

Ok, for the most part, I don't take any calls while chanting, and I have my phone in the other room. Today, since it's my birthday, I kept my phone out. When I picked up the phone I noted the time, and added that much time onto the time I was going to chant. Today I was going to chant from 6:30 until 8:30, and I got a call from Aaron at 8:00. The call lasted 15 minutes, so I added 15 minutes onto my time and ended at 8:45 instead. See how that works?

I just finished a call with one of my best friends and we laughed and laughed. How nice to have such a high life condition on a day like this...a day I was thinking I would be so sad!  

Enjoy your high life condition from chanting! 
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A Song for you by John Denver - "For You"

John Denver ~ part of my heart and soul. 
I share this beautiful song with you from my heart to yours. 
I hope you enjoy it. You can find many more of his songs on YouTube. His heart was Buddhist, his life was lived for the entire world. He was a great and positive influence in my life from my earliest days ... and he still is...his music...his heart...lives forever! 

A few short days from now, on October 7th I'll be heading to Aspen Colorado to join a group of people who convene there every year to sing his songs, to laugh, to hike, and to be together! That a thrill!

This morning I chanted for two hours as if it were two minutes. One month from today I will complete 30 years of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to the Gohonzon. 
I am in a deep dialogue with my life to have peace of mind, a feeling of flowing at one with the universe, happiness and purpose...

I'll be chanting two hours a day between now and my anniversary...and writing my goals. Join me! You can set your sights on any date you please, November 18th, or a significant date for you. There are no hard and fast "rules" to creating your own campaign...it is whatever works for you. I want to dig deeper...to understand more fully, and to dance as the Boddhisatva I AM...along with YOU my dear friends! 

What Does Nam-myoho-renge-kyo Mean, and Why Do We Chant It? For Sharing...

What does Nam-myoho-renge-kyo mean, 

and why do we chant it? 

By Jamie Lee Silver of ChantforHappiness.com - 

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Translate button is at the top right.)

The literal translation is:

"I fuse my life 

with the mystic law of cause and effect 

through sound vibration (or sutra)." 

It is the title of the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha's highest teaching that declares that ALL people possess the Buddha Nature...all people ARE Buddhas...and we can access this nature by calling it forth in our lives using this phrase. 

Being a Buddha - 
is tapping the river of life that runs through ALL life - summoning the mystic law 
by realizing 
we ARE the Mystic Law. 
We not only chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo ~ 
we ARE Nam-myoho-renge-kyo ~the Mystic Law. 

I like to think of it as "I am one with the rhythm of all life." It is the rhythm that exists within all of life...the reason for the turning of the tides...the reason for the seasons...the atoms that exist within every single cell...from an elephant to a spec of dust...to the cells in our hearts and minds. Everything possesses this connectedness...this rhythm.  
It is all encompassing and contains the wisdom and energy of all of life itself...the whole universe. 

When we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo we tap into that energy and access it for our lives...directed towards our desires and for the fulfillment of happiness for all. In this practice, it's okay to have desires. More than okay! We don't have to alleviate them. Desires make us who we are and lead us to chant. 

When we chant we change the internal life within our lives. We change the core and fiber of our lives. We change our karma. And when we make that internal change, our ENVIRONMENT (meaning everything that is not within our own skin, our jobs, our relationships, our sense of self, everything we experience and think) ALL of that changes to reflect our internal change. We call this "Human Revolution."

When we chant we harness the energy that is our birthright. And we chant twice a day, every single day, to get and keep our lives in rhythm. 

When we are in rhythm we are in the right place at the right time... to find out about and get the job...or to meet the man of our dreams...or to protect our child from danger. When we are in rhythm life isn't so much of a struggle as it is a joy...we see the beauty in everything and we feel our lives overflowing with appreciation. 

We chant for something and get it or something better. We get access to internal happiness and strength that cannot be blown away by any event or obstacles. 

In fact we view obstacles themselves as benefits, as strange as that may sound....because obstacles make us chant more, and when we chant more we draw even higher life conditions and deeper satisfaction into our lives. 

What can we chant FOR? Anything. We chant for others, we chant for our planet, our countries, and ouselves. 
We can chant for whatever our desire may be...even if it might not be the "right" desire for us. In the act of chanting, we will change our karma and our desires themselves will naturally begin to shift. We will open our lives to the deeper wisdom within...the deeper yearning, the REAL desires that we have forgotten or given up on. We will grow. We will prosper and we will blossom. 

We will gain the wisdom of the right action to take - because ACTION springs from wisdom. 

The challenge is...we need to DO it. We have to chant to bring all this rhythm and harmony out. And that's why we practice together as an organization, the SGI, The Soka Gakkai, our fellowship of friends who support each other, chant for each other, and create a new Soka family for each practitioner. We are so fortunate. 

I hear from people all over the world, and some have strong SGI groups in their towns and others are completely alone. I love that we can connect through the power of the internet. From the moment I began chanting almost 30 years ago I have had the deep desire to share this practice, this practice that WORKS, with everyone who is looking for the real, practical means of creating happiness and results in their lives. 

We are in this life together...sharing our challenges and our successes. If you are not yet connected to the SGI please go to sgi-usa.com and find your local members. You will be so glad you did. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Some Powerful Quotes from Daisaku Ikeda:

THIS moment, this instant, is important, 
not some unknown time in the future. 
Today, this very day is what matters. 
You must put your whole being 
into the time that exists now. 
For future victory rests in the present moment.

BUDDHISM holds that 
everything is in a constant state of flux. 
Thus, the question is 
whether we are to accept change passively 
and be swept away by it, 
or whether we are to take the lead 
and create positive changes on our own initiative. 
While conservatism and self-protection
might be likened to winter, night and death, 
the spirit of pioneering and attempting to realize 
the ideals evokes the images of spring,
morning and birth.

DO gongyo and chant daimoku with a fresh spirit. 
And, filled with renewed vitality, 

build a history of accumulating fresh benefit.

All quotes from Ikedaquotes.org

Loving Chanting Daimoku = Loving the Moment

A few days ago I saw a picture on Facebook. It was a much older woman, next to a younger woman saying "time flies" enjoy the moment. And it really made me reflect. 

When I was a young mother I knew I had to enjoy the moments with my kids...I wanted to freeze time. I cried at every year's "first day of school" and wished they could stay young forever. Yes. 

But many times now, I just feel I want to speed things up...like I have to get TO somewhere...but I'm not sure where...just moving...and moving...

And although I feel appreciation in my heart...sometimes I don't "stop to smell the roses." I think it is partly the time we are in...the culture we belong to...we are all in such a hurry, right? (At least here int he States)

Seeing this picture of the old woman telling the young woman how time flies, I decided to experiment with chanting a little more slowly, and relishing each Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. A mentor of mine in San Francisco said you should approach the Gohonzon as if you were approaching a lover...or eating the finest food. Relishing each moment. 

So I slowed it down for part of my hour. 

Later that day, after an energy alignment session with my dear friend Joy, of Path to Joy Wellness, I went for a walk, and decided to just enjoy moving my body, not going as fast as I usually do. 

Now, I don't think I got a great aerobic workout, but I sure did love being in my body...feeling the air, moving my hips. It just felt so good....

So, I'm not saying we should slow down or speed up chanting...I think the speed we chant is up to each person. I just thought this was interesting and wanted to share it with you. 

Just FIVE More Minutes~* YOU Can Do It! Persevere!

"When you think, “I can’t do anymore. I need a break,” that is the time to challenge yourself to keep going another five minutes. Those who persevere for even an extra five minutes will win in life."

Daisaku Ikeda, Ikedaquotes.org
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This blog is written by Jamie Lee Silver, an SGI member for 30 years as of October 20th this year. I do not speak officially for the SGI, although I am an active member. I speak from my own heart.)

Just FIVE more minutes! Or just START with FIVE minutes. That's what I did. When I first began chanting the name of the Mystic law, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, I could only chant for five minutes in the morning and the evening. And those FIVE minutes were not easy ~ I will tell you!. I kept a timer next to me and sometimes really struggled. 

I hear from some of you how hard it is to chant, and that your life is really hard, and believe me, I get it. I know how hard life can be and I know how hard it can be to chant. I really mean this. I also know that when I challenge myself to complete gongyo, to complete the time I've set aside to chant, and to wake up early to get that hour in  - well, it makes the REST of my life go that much more smoothly. No doubt. No doubt. 

I hear from you "I can't chant" and I say "that is an obstacle! You can overcome it! " ...Find someone to chant with...make yourself chant...go for FIVE minutes and it will change your life. Do it every morning and evening and you are on your way - you are tuning your life to the rhythm of the universe. 
I've also had questions about chanting in your head. Does it work...is it enough? 

Yes, obstacles occur. They HAVE to occur and they are supposed to occur. Our attitude about those obstacles defines who we are and what we achieve. I just had one of the biggest obstacles, right? It feels funny even calling the death of my son an "obstacle," but, that's what it was. And I have a choice...will I be fooled by this...stop chanting...say "Oh chanting doesn't work..." or will I be fueled by this and say "BECAUSE of this, not in spite of it, I will make my life that much stronger and I will help more people than ever?" You know what I chose. 

It is a choice. And it is up to us. 

My birthday is coming. September 22nd. My first birthday without my boy. And Aaron is gone too, He's in LA doing a rotation for his fourth year of Medical School. The thought of my birthday this year fills me with emotion.  

AND I lost my two favorite rings. I have looked everywhere...except where they ARE! And I knew I should not wear the tiny ring I bought for myself when Ben went through a terrible time and survived, with my grandmother's tiny little diamond ring. I wore them together, took them off somewhere and now they are gone. This one is tough to get out of my mind because I am so mad at myself. I am chanting to find them. They must be somewhere! 

So my birthday is next week. If anyone wants to send a birthday greeting my address is Jamie Lee Silver, 17w702 Butterfield, #104, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181. Your messages and cards always light up my day. 

This week I am giving a keynote speech. It's called "Lessons for Living Healthier Lives." And I think there will be about 300 people there. Friday. The day starts early. Very exciting.