3 Benefits of Consistent Practice and 4 Secrets to Establishing it

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Greetings from paradise...here in St. Pete Beach Florida!
I've been receiving emails from readers who have many challenges, and are not chanting consistently, and I think "If only they knew what a joy it is to practice consistently...many problems just fade away!"

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"Living in the saha world, it is impossible to stop the winds of suffering from blowing. Our only alternative is to become strong. 
Daisaku Ikeda, August Living Buddhism, page 50

"The Japanese word for fellow member, (doshi) can also be read as "shared resolve," or commitment. The SGI (Soka Gakkai International) is a gathering of fellow members, friends in faith, who share the same resolve and purpose. 
Daisaku Ikeda, September 2015 Living Buddhism, page 39

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Always remember how noble and important you are!

How do we become strong? By strengthening our resolve, and our practice. 

When we do our practice every morning and evening our problems get smaller because we raise our life condition. It's like this: 
We can each picture our problems as a big wall in front of us. When we practice consistently our life condition rises, just as if we are a big balloon rising to the sky. What looked like an insurmountable wall is now a tiny little ridge - way below us. We can step right over it. 

How can we establish and maintain a consistent practice? 

How can we reinforce our determination to practice twice a day every day, strengthen our lives and create unshakable benefit? 

3 benefits of consistent practice 
(Doing morning and evening gongyo and chanting daimoku consistently) 

1. It's easier. Once you establish the practice you just greet your life twice a day in front of the Gohonzon (Buddhist altar in our homes, for more info email me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com) without having to force yourself to do it. It just becomes part of your life. 

2. Benefits flow more consistently, 

3. It WORKS! You change your karma, embrace your challenges and win over any challenge you face. You get what you want and so much more. 

4 Dynamic ways 
to establish a consistent practice

1. Determine that you want to use this practice to the best of your ability! Chanting consistently means winning the battle over your lesser self. Make your list of determinations and goals.  What have you decided is impossible in your life? We chant to make the impossible possible. Go for it. You are in charge of your destiny. YOU are the Buddha! 

2. Embrace your friends in the SGI. And make sure you have a mentor. You can chant to find this mentor, and 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. 

3. Establish a "Chanting Buddy" to chant with you. And if you don't have one, chant for one, and take action to find one. In the meantime, use your phone as a timer to chant your desired time. There are no rules for length of time to chant, but establishing consistency leads to real victory in your life. 

4. Establish a Tele-Toso Chanting Buddy
If you can't chant together in person you can do it by telephone, or by text. Just establish a time and contact each other before and after. If you want, you can keep the telephone connection while you chant. (It's better if one person turns the volume down.) Or you can just call or text before and after. 

An Experience in Chanting Consistently: 

Chanting consistently must be experienced to be understood. 
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 different she felt. 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! 

You may have other ways of creating and maintaining your consistent practice. Please share them with me and I'll share them with the other readers of this blog. Email me at chantforhappiness.com with your ideas, questions, suggestions, victories and challenges. 

Universal Power Prayer for Ourselves and the Planet

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As Nichiren Buddhists, we are the Buddha  ~  
as we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo summoning our fathomless wisdom while steering our life in the direction of our innermost desires...both for ourselves and for others. 

We chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo over and over and over again. We call this "chanting Daimoku"(Die-MOH-Koo). Daimoku means title. The title of the Lotus Sutra (Shakyamuni Buddha’s self-proclaimed highest teaching) is  Myoho-Renge-Kyo.  

Nichiren Daishonin added "Nam" (devotion - focusing) before Myoho-renge-kyo to make the phrase mean “I devote my life to the mystic law of cause and effect through sound vibration,” or, “I am one with the very rhythm of life.”

“Myoho-renge-kyo is the name of the ultimate mystic truth, and Nam-myoho-renge-kyo  is the name of the life state of Buddhas who embody and reveal this truth.” 

p.28 Lectures on “On Attaining Buddhahood in this Lifetime”, Daisaku Ikeda

What follows is a Universal PowerPrayer to tap into our desire for happiness for all beings...the real vow we all make as Buddhas! 

Here's a PowerPrayer for you. You can read this before chanting to help focus your brain while chanting: 

Universal PowerPrayer 
for the Happiness for ALL

By Jamie Lee Silver of Chantforhappiness.com

Every Daimoku I chant 
remakes my VOW as a Buddha 
for Victory in my own life 
so that all others can achieve VICTORY in theirs! 

reaches every other person who is chanting. 
I see everyone chanting...
tapping into the deepest prayer they have ever felt ~

At this moment 
I deepen the power of my prayer by 10,000 times
Just like my mentor describes ~

so that all who are chanting can also deepen their faith, 
and bring forth the results they desire 
as we 
spread the word of this great teaching 

to those still suffering

we all 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, and feel 

within every cell in their body

the power welling forth 
with each Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!!

Together we create kosen-rufu
the total energy shift of our planet! 

10 Powerful Quotes on Prayer by Daisaku Ikeda

Daisaku Ikeda's 
10 Powerful Quotes on Prayer 

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~ 1 ~

Prayer entails an intense challenge 
to believe in yourself 
and stop diminishing yourself. 
To belittle yourself 
is to disparage Buddhism 
and the Buddha within your life.

~ 2 ~

Prayer is the way to destroy all fear. 
It is the way to banish sorrow, 
the way to light a torch of hope. 
It is the revolution 
that rewrites the scenario of our destiny.

~ 3 ~

Prayers are invisible, 
but if we pray steadfastly 
They will definitely effect clear results in our lives 
and surroundings over time. 
This is the principle of the true entity of all phenomena. Faith means having confidence in this invisible realm.

~ 4 ~

Prayer is not a feeble consolation; 
it is a powerful, unyielding conviction. 
And prayer must become manifest in action. 
To put it another way, 
if our prayers are in earnest, 
they will definitely give rise to action. 

~ 5 ~

Prayer is the courage to persevere. 
It is the struggle to overcome our own weakness 
and lack of confidence in ourselves. 
It is the act of impressing 
in the very depths of our being 
the conviction that we can change the situation 
without fail. 

~ 6 ~

Prayer is an attempt 
to merge the inner workings of our life 
with the rhythm of the universe. 
When we pray in such a way, 
all the workings of the universe 
will function to protect us 
and the endless cycle of painful reality 
will be transformed 
into a cycle of victory and happiness. 
Prayer is the key to open the door 
to unleash 
that infinite human potential within our lives. 

~ 7 ~

The important thing 
is to firmly fix our gaze 
on our own weaknesses, 
not run away from them, 
but to battle them head-on 
and establish a solid self that nothing can sway. Hardships forge and polish our lives, 
so that eventually 
they shine with brilliant fortune and benefit. 
If left in its raw, unpolished form, 
even the most magnificent gem will not sparkle. 
The same applies to our lives. 

~ 8 ~

Prayer is not of the realm of logic or intellect. 
It transcends these. 

~ 9 ~

Prayer is an act 
of which we give expression 
to the pressing and powerful wishes 
in the depths of our being 
and yearn for their fulfillment. 

~ 10 ~ 

"What kind of future do I envision for myself? 
What kind of self and I trying to develop? 
What do I want to accomplish in my life?" 
The thing is to paint this vision of your life in your heart 
as specifically as possible. 
That "painting" itself becomes the design of your future. The power of the heart 
enables us to actually create with our lives 
a wonderful masterpiece 
in accordance with that design. 

It is not about others. 
It is about you winning, 
and winning over yourself. 
By doing so, you will provide inspiration 
and encouragement to all around you. 

From Ikedaquotes.org

Karma Changing Chanting NOW!

RESOLVE

"The benefit of all the other sutras is uncertain, 
because they teach that one must first 
make good causes and only then 
can one become a Buddha at some later time. 
With regard to the Lotus Sutra, 
when one's hand takes it up, 
that hand immediately attains Buddhahood,  
and when one's mouth chants it, 
that mouth is itself the Buddha, 
as for example, 
the moon is reflected in the water 
the moment it appears from behind the eastern mountains, or as a sound and its echo arise simultaneously."

From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin - WND, p.1099
Wu-lung and I-lung. Written to the lay nun Ueno on November 15th.

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How can we, as Buddhists really make a difference in the world? We see the news. We know this is a crucial moment. 

We are in the age of Mapo...a time of great challenges and darkness, and we chose to be born now so we can make a difference. We, as microcosms of the universe, can make the changes we need to make by changing ourselves first, by doing shakubuku to enable others to do this as well, and by taking the correct actions to stand up in faith and in the world. 

And, for me, it starts in the conviction 
of the power of the Daimoku 
I am chanting this very moment. 

RIGHT NOW, WITH THIS DAIMOKU, 
I am changing my life, 
and all of life. 

I have become aware of some karmic patterns I am determined to change. 

Today I have deep resolve that RIGHT NOW, WITH THIS DAIMOKU, I am changing these patterns and changing this karma forever...just like the quote above so mystically says. 

"The moon is reflected in the water 
the moment it appears 
from behind the eastern mountains, 
or as a sound and its echo 
arise simultaneously."

As I chant I summon up the deep conviction, expressed as the thoughts in my head, that each and every daimoku is changing my karma RIGHT NOW, not at some time in the future.  

"THIS DAIMOKU 
IS changing this specific karma 
right this very second."

I write down the nature of the karma I am changing. 

I dig deep into the feelings within my gut - these inner rumblings of fear, and doubt and pure emotion -  to change these feelings forever...to be rid of the doubt that my prayer would not work. I do not chant "wishful Daimoku" 
I chant "Right here right now I am changing my karma FOREVER" Daimoku. 

I pray to deeply realize that this very morning the Daimoku I chanted is a DONE DEAL. I pray to have the conviction that I JUST CHANGED my karma, and I will not be swayed by any doubt. 
I believe in my Buddhahood and the Buddhahood of others. I believe in the power of the Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. 
I have faith in the power of my prayer 
and the power of my life 
and my Buddhahood. 
I can, and will continue to change my karma, change the karma of our troubled world, and create a world for respect for all beings (kosen-rufu) through my own life. 

What Does Nam-myoho-renge-kyo Mean and Why Do We Chant it?

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 of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo 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  

ALL people possess the Buddha Nature...

all people ARE Buddhas...

and we can access our own Buddhahood ~ our inherent wisdom, determination, power to take the best action for our lives while benefiting others, sense of vitality, ability to make a difference, find fulfillment and happiness, and the strength to turn 

EVERY POISON INTO MEDICINE 

~by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. 

That's it. We don't need to change our diets, memorize lists of paths, change our lifestyles, shave our heads, wear robes, or "purify our desires." This form of Buddhism is radically different than most forms you may have encountered. SGI (Soka Gakkai Buddhism is accessible to ALL. 

AND the most important aspect of our prayer is to do our own human revolution...to change the very core of our lives...change our karma, and by doing so, change the world around us as well. 
We chant for "Kosen-Rufu," a world of respect for all life, and for all who are suffering to be happy. Through our own happiness, we create happiness for all. We can all win in life together. 

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. 

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. Make sure to write your list, and rewrite it when you achieve those goals. Ultimately, our goal is to change our own selves...to overcome our doubt and negativity, and to experience life as the Buddhas we are. When WE change, our environment changes. We are all interconnected. 

We chant for others, we chant for our planet, our countries, and ourselves. 
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. 

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. 
If you live in or around St. Pete Beach Florida you can connect with me through chantforhappiness@gmail.com. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~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

Easiest Goal Setting Ever!

My view as I write! 

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I'm writing from my beautiful apartment overlooking the Gulf of Mexico and St. Pete Beach. This weekend I brought in the new year dancing (my foot is almost entirely healed) with Ric, and yesterday he set up this great writing space and helped me make this space my own. Thank you!

My appreciation for my life is boundless. Every time I sit down to chant I start with a sincere THANK YOU for all the benefits, protection, fun and happiness I am experiencing right now. 

Since it's a new year, I thought I'd share what I'm doing for goal setting this year. 

First of all, as you know, I'm chanting three hours a day, but don't let that discourage you. Every moment you spend chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is important. Every moment connects you to the deepest, best and most magnificent essence of YOU in rhythm with the entire cosmos. Every single Nam-myoho-rnge-kyo makes a difference. 

Over the last few hours of chanting I kept my journals close, and every time I connected with a goal/desire/determination I wrote it down in one place. 

One of my goals for this year is to be more organized in my goal setting/life creation. I will read and redetermine my goals every day. 

It may take a few days to get my fresh determinations all written out, but that's okay. One of the keys is not to get down on myself for anything I haven't accomplished yet.

Sure, there are a ton of things on my list that have been there for years and have not yet been accomplished. But, so what? Every time I rewrite them, and redetermine to accomplish them I strengthen my muscle of faith. 

Getting down on myself - self slandering is not useful. Let's be gentle with ourselves and really determined. Let's continue to know that we are striving to achieve our goals because we are wayfarers for others...we are the lights that shine with the brilliance of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Everything I chant for, I chant with the mind of: I will accomplish THIS so I can light the way for others and show them the power of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. 

Let me meet the people who are wanting to learn about this practice...every day I have Nam-myoho-renge-kyo cards with hand out to people. Every day I ask myself what else can I do to relieve people's sufferings in the world. How can I help? 

SGI President Ikeda's New Year's Message is lighting the way for me. From the January 1st World Tribune, page 2 he states:

"Whatever the time or place, 

those who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo 

can bring the sun of time without beginning 

- the brilliance of their innate Buddhahood - 

to shine in their lives. 

Therefore, no matter what our age, 

we can always live in a way that is true to ourselves 

with a fresh and completely rejuvenated life force.

Nichiren assures us, 

"You will grow younger, 

and your good fortune will accumulate" 

(The Unity of Husband and Wife," 

The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Volume 1, page 464). 

For us, each passing year 

brings greater joy and fulfillment 

as we strive with a youthful spirit 

to vibrantly expand our state of life, 

heighten our efforts to connect others to Buddhism 

and increase our good fortune."

Thank you for writing to me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com. I love hearing about your victories, and sharing your struggles. Sometimes I get behind in replying, or emails just get lost. Please send another email if I haven't replied. 

Happy Year of Developing Youth in the New Era of Worldwide Kosen-rufu!

As I write this I am here in my new apartment overlooking the glorious Gulf of Mexico on St. Pete Beach. I just talked to Kate Randolph who recently had a brain tumor removed, but will have to undergo further treatment because it was an aggressive tumor. She and her family are chanting up a storm. She's chanting four hours a day. And she sounds great. And happy. 
She and her family are determined to create unprecedented victory in their lives, and for the world. They are chanting for every single person who is chanting for Kate to have incredible breakthroughs as well. I am joining her on her Daimoku (Nam-myoho-renge-kyo) journey. I invite you to join me. 

The January 1st SGI World Tribune came today and a paragraph of President Ikeda's jumped right off the page for me. 

On page two he says:

"Change is occurring at an ever-accelerating pace. 
That's what makes it so important 
to chant strongly on a daily basis 
to summon forth the 
"wisdom of the truth 
that functions in accordance 
with changing circumstances" 
(The Record of Orally Transmitted Teachings, p.10). 
Based on that wisdom, 
we can then rise boldly to every challenge 
and enact our own hope-filled dramas 
of human revolution 
and help others do the same."

Daisaku Ikeda

I will be chanting to summon forth the wisdom of the truth that functions in accordance with changing circumstances! 
What a great prayer. 

My determinations are many. I'm chanting to be fearless, and to believe in my Buddhahood more than I believe in my faults and fears. I'm chanting to find a job for kosen-rufu - one where I can bring all my talents to the forefront, and continue doing shakubuku and public speaking...a job where I am involved, meeting new people, laying the foundation for my new life in my new city...a job where I am happy and looking forward to each new day.
I'm chanting for friends, and for the SGI here...for the YOUTH, and to meet the people who really want to hear about this great practice. I'm chanting to be filled with appreciation and joy, and to spread joy everywhere I go...while telling people about the great power of the mystic law. 

I am happy. I love my life. 

I wish all of you an incredibly victorious new year...taking each of your challenges and creating lives of overflowing benefit, in the SGI, along with our mentor Daisaku Ikeda...moving boldly forth every day advancing with Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the rhythm of the universe that flows through all life.