Become a Person of Unlimited Self Esteem

I have very good news I will be sharing with you this week. I have broken through in all the areas I've been challenging with my practice. Some of it is still in flux, but I am confident that I have absolutely broken through. I have to run to an appointment this morning and I want to share with you one of my favorite essays by Danny Nagashima. Enjoy!

….How to become Men/Women of Unlimited Self Esteem….
By Danny Nagashima, SGI General Director (USA)

You can analyze your situation all you want. You have to get to the root of why “I don’t believe in the greatness of my life”. You have to grab it by the roots and yank it out of your life. The answer is probably so simple, but we tend to over-analyze, it gets complicated and the solution seems far away. Your mission as a Buddhist is to become happy – not to master suffering. We have the negative and positive sides of us – one says, “who are you kidding”, the other, “you can do it”. You have to fight to not to give in to your negativity. This is not about being a writer, an artist, an actor, etc. It is about becoming the man or woman that you always wanted to become, a man or woman who really values his/her life.

The obstacles you face are the answer to your prayer.

Those feelings of self-doubt, those feelings that “I am a failure” – those are the feelings that you have to face and to address. How you feel about yourself, that feeling of self-loathing, of not being good enough, of being a sham. Those are the feelings you have to face. Your talent is not being questioned; it is about how you feel about yourself. That is the karma. You have to value your own life, to appreciate that it has nothing to do with anybody else validating you. Follow your heart; follow your Buddhahood and the effect from that, the benefit from that will be massive.

You need to follow your heart, truly treasure your life. When Nichiren Daishonin inscribed the Gohonzon, he was already chanting daimoku out of the greatness of his life, his Buddhahood, his enlightened state; he inscribed the Gohonzon for all humanity so that everyone could relieve his or her suffering. When you sit in front of the Gohonzon and chant, you have to have the most reverence for your life, the same as the Daishonin’s; therefore your life deserves that kind of reverence.

If you chant for two weeks to really be a person of unlimited self-esteem and to really, truly appreciate your life including your flaws, your accomplishments, your defeats and your losses, your victories, all that you have created and to truly appreciate your talent as XYZ for two weeks, everything will change.

Forget about the past garbage. Put it away. That will only make you feel impotent. From today on, really chant about being that man/woman of unlimited self-esteem. Really appreciate everything about your life; all the things that make you incredibly unique and wonderful. All your sufferings, problems, heartaches, will be the stuff you need, in order to share your experience, to encourage and to inspire others. Focus on really, truly awakening to your greatness. This is the opportunity (sufferings, obstacles, lack of self-esteem) you needed to go through in order to become outrageously successful – so you can fulfill your dream. If you focus on this – really valuing your life now, then everything will fall into place in a much bigger way. This is something no one can give you; the universe is showing you what you need to tackle. When you first chant this way, a lot of garbage may come out of your life, a lot of negativity, awful feelings may surface. We always bring into our lives what matches our life condition. So chant to feel incredible joy about your worth and you will feel and know self worth and greatness.

You not being able to do whatever you determine is a manifestation deep down of your feeling of fear, that you are not good enough, that you do not have it in you. You must get yourself to a place where there is the greatness of your life, then everything will be transformed. We have to believe in our Buddhahood. When we face the Gohonzon, we should say, “I am going to praise my wonderful life”. It is important to awaken to your own greatness. Your life is the Gohonzon. Now is the time for you to start over.

When you pray to a deity, your prayer becomes passive. Our voice is the Mystic Law. This law is not outside of you. When you get a benefit, it was you who created it. You must awaken to your greatness, appreciate and value your own life. It is no different to the enlightened life of Nichiren Daishonin, embodied in the Gohonzon.

Just as a beautiful piece of art elicits a response, or a great book touches your life in a certain way, we must elicit the Buddha nature from our own lives. It is right here, and the Gohonzon is the perfect vehicle to bring out that strength, joy and vibrant life condition; then you take that to the world and change the environment. 

We are not necessarily chanting for the house, the car, the job, the relationship, but we are chanting to elevate our life condition to attract that happiness. The results that we see in our lives are a reflection of our life condition. 

Every day as you chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo consciously call forth your Buddhahood to manifest itself consistently. 

Chant to rise above your basic tendency of disbelief, or continually thinking that you are a common mortal who does not deserve good fortune in this life. Do not negate your life when you sit in front of the Gohonzon. Do not beg. Do not scream. Do not berate the Gohonzon. Believe in the greatness of your life; manifest the extraordinary side of you. The Gohonzon is the tool we need to bring out our Buddhahood. "My life is the Gohonzon." Do not slander your life. The doubt is necessary to prove to myself that “I am a Buddha. I will fulfill every one of my dreams for myself”.

We already possess something incredible – our Buddha nature, the Gohonzon. But we do not believe that the good fortune, the “million dollars” is truly mine. I will not be able to get it, or to enjoy it. Trust that the Gohonzon, your prayer, is the absolute means for you to transform your life. Trust and faith are the key words.

Chant with the expectation that every one of your wildest dreams will be fulfilled beyond your wildest imagination. Chant to believe in your Buddhahood. Trust in the greatness of your life. 

In “On Attaining Buddhahood”, Nichiren Daishonin made a primary point: to free ourselves from the suffering of birth and death which we have endured in lifetime after lifetime, and to attain absolute happiness, we need to awaken to the mystic truth that has always been within our lives. That truth is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. That truth is “I am a Buddha”. Trust that you have everything you need for your happiness.

TEN POINTS TO BECOME A PERSON OF UNLIMITED SELF-ESTEEM

1. Chant to become a person of unlimited self-esteem
2. Chant to awaken to your own greatness
3. Chant to appreciate your life, including flaws, accomplishments, defeats, losses, and victories and truly appreciate all that makes you a unique and wonderful person
4. Chant to make the impossible possible
5. Chant to consistently manifest your Buddha nature and rise above your basic tendencies and overcome your inherent negativities in your life
6. Believe that you are a Buddha and create all the benefits for yourself
7. Believe you are the Gohonzon
8. Trust that in the Gohonzon, (your life itself) you have the means to fulfill each and every desire to become extraordinarily happy
9. Chant to display your Buddhahood and to bring forth that strength, joy, vibrant life condition
10. And then take it to the world and change the environment.

Sensei's Tribute to Nelson Mandela

Sensei's Tribute to Nelson Mandela: 

In Memory of Nelson Mandela (1918–2013)

I extend my heartfelt condolences upon the passing of former South African President Nelson Mandela.

Mr. Mandela was a lion of humanitarian causes and human rights who inspired hope and courage in the hearts of those around the world victimized by conflict, racism and injustice.

His smile was like a refreshing spring breeze. To know that I will never see that smile again fills my heart with grief. I am convinced that his unwavering and passionate stance calling for a world that respects the dignity of all people will eternally shine as a guiding star for humankind.

He was a great man whose vision penetrated the core of injustice, through which both the oppressed and the oppressors were deprived of their humanity. He stated: "I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination." I believe it was the strength of his lofty character that enabled him to realize a new era of harmony.

Mr. Mandela, more than anyone, loved young people and valued the power of education. He was focused on these concerns above all when I met him for the first time in 1990 in Tokyo, soon after his release from prison, and again when we met in 1995.

He once said, "[My country's] greatest wealth is its people, finer and truer than the purest diamonds." With his words in my heart, I am determined to further develop a solidarity of the people, working together with the youth who will shoulder the future, to construct a century of peace and creative coexistence.

Daisaku Ikeda, Soka Gakkai International President

* * *

SGI President Daisaku Ikeda met Nelson Mandela twice in Tokyo, first in October 1990, the year of his release, when he visited Japan as vice president of the African National Congress (ANC), and in 1995 as President of South Africa. During his imprisonment, Mr. Mandela had encountered some writings on the power of youth by Mr. Ikeda.

In his first meeting with Mr. Mandela, Mr. Ikeda proposed several initiatives, including an antiapartheid exhibition that toured Japan, an international exhibition on human rights, and various cultural exchange programs between Japan and South Africa. These activities became the starting point for SGI's ongoing activities in the field of human rights educa

You Can Change ANYTHING through Chanting! YOU are the Buddha~

I know I say it over and over, and Daisaku Ikeda, and all of us KNOW that we are the Buddha...but how often do we chant in the sublime recongnition of being the Buddha and seeing through the Buddha's eyes? 

In our daily lives sometimes it seems there is just so much to chant for that we don't know where to start. Whenever I feel this way it is a signal to me to chant to see through the eyes of the Buddha and realize I am the Buddha at every moment. I also focus on chanting for others, kosen-rufu and elevating my life condition. 
If we have this perspectice on our lives it puts all of our problems into perspective. 

When I first began chanting almost 30 years ago in San Francisco I would ask my leaders "I am chanting every day, I am doing shakubuku with every breath I take, and I just bought a car so I can drive my beloved YWD to meetings...WHY am I having these personal problems?" 

And some of you have written me with similar questions. 

I was given this answer: "You are a leader for kosen-rufu...(world peace) one day, your members will come to you with problems just like you have now, and you will REALLY know how they feel, and you will know exactly how to encourage people." And they also told me that whatever I was going through, I was expiating karma from my life, and for my children's lives as well...seven generations back, and seven generations in the future. I learned to focus on the big picture...not just on all my problems, but on chanting for kosen-rufu and the happiness of my district members and all members...and the happiness of the whole world. Every day I would ask in my prayers while chanting "What is my mission in life? What is my mission in life?" and I knew the answer even as I was chanting...I knew I wanted to help people who were suffering like I was before I began chanting, and to help them find out about this practice and try it. 
Whoever you are - reading these words right now ~ I want you to know you HAVE found the solution, and you can use this practice to overcome suffering of ANY kind. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, practicing with the SGI, challenging yourself to understand and live the mentor/disciple relationship, studying and introducing others to this practice is the formula for incredible happiness and strength. One day, you will look back on the hard times and realize they were golden moments that strengthened your life and your practice! 

My life proves it. 
Your life will prove it too. 
We Soka Gakkai members are proving the power of the law with our lives. 

We can solve financial hardships, health problems, weight issues, relationship problems...we can stop worrying and start enjoying life. We can find better places to live, and deepen all our relationships. We can evolve into beings living truly vibrant and fulfilling lives who contribute to the well being of others and stop suffering and start living. The Mystic law is THAT powerful. 

Whatever your challenge may be, the important thing is to not give up. I have had breakthrough after breakthrough this week. I got the job! My son is better! I am living each day with vibrant energy. I am studying this Buddhism. 

I have to run off to have a really wonderful day in my gorgeous city at the Art Institute. 

Please remember to chant for whatever you want. You do not have to ask anyone permission about chanting. Chant what is in your heart. There are no wrong prayers. If you want it...chant for it! 

Feeling Stuck? PowerPrayer to Open Your Life to Change

How do we use PowerPrayers? We read them before chanting to get our minds focused for prayer. And when we are chanting we bring these words to mind...maybe one sentence...maybe a few phrases. There is no need to memorize the entire prayer...just to get the feeling for it, and allow it to bring focus to our daimoku as we chant the name of the Mystic Law  ~ Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with all our heart! 

Powerful Power Prayer to Open Our Lives to Change:

I chant to realize and see the basic life tendencies that don't serve me and are holding me back. 

I chant to see them and root them forever out of my life. 

I chant to release my resistance to change!

I chant to make every action, thought, prayer and feeling a positive cause for my own happiness and for kosen-rufu. I envision a world of happiness for all beings. 

I chant for the wisdom to know what action to take, and then to take it decisively. 

I chant for my life to unfold like the brilliant Lotus it is, and for every day to brim with happiness and hope-full-ness, magic and fulfillment. Every day I chant to make a positive impact in my own life and the lives of those around me. 

I begin my day chanting in gratitude for my health, my protection, my mentor - Daisaku Ikeda, and for having the ichinen (will put into action) to continue to chant. 

Today I also focus my prayer on_____________________________________(you fill in the blank) I am determined to accomplish __________________ to show actual proof of this practice in my life, and to lead others to the law of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo through my sparkling example of happiness. 

I will defeat every negative function that attempts to hold me back NOW! 

Shoten Zenjin! (Protective forces of the universe in me and in everything) Activate in every way for me NOW!!!


Daisaku Ikeda states in Faith in Action (page 87):

"Buddhism means putting the teachings into practice. Practice equals faith. With a practice of sincere prayer and action, our desires cannot possible fail to be fulfilled. When you continue to apply yourselves to your Buddhist practice towards kosen-rufu. solidifying and gaining mastery in faith, all your prayers will definitely be answered."

Conspicuous and Inconspicuous Benefits ~ What we See, and What is Revealed Later

No Matter what ~ Don't give up. And don't waste your energy on worrying. When my sweet Mommy was alive she would tell me she was worrying and I'd say "Don't worry! Chant Instead!" and sometimes she would follow my advice, and immediately feel better.  

Even when we do not see the benefits we are chanting for appear right now, our fortune is accruing through chanting. Sensei once talked about each Gongyo being a sheet of paper on our desks. It builds slowly...but it does build. And sooner or later the inconspicuous benefits will reveal themselves in our lives...just when we need them most. Dont' take my word for it. Prove it to yourself. 

Here is a quote for your day:

"There are two kinds of benefit 
that derive from faith in the Gohonzon: 
conspicuous and inconspicuous. 
Conspicuous benefit is the obvious, 
visible benefit of being protected 
or being quickly able 
to surmount a problem when it arises, 
be it an illness 
or a conflict in a personal relationship. 
Inconspicuous benefit 
is good fortune accumulated slowly but steadily, 
like the growth of a tree 
or the rising of the tide, 
which results in the forging 
of a rich and expansive state of life. 
We might not discern any change from day to day, 
but as the years pass, 
it will be clear that we've become happy, 
that we've grown as individuals. "

Daisaku Ikeda

Overcome Bullying NOW!

Have you ever been bullied? 
Do you know anyone who is? 
Would you like to help them 
with this one simple realization and practice? 

Practical Buddhism is PRACTICAL. When we chant we solve our real world problems. No matter what the problem is, if we keep chanting we can change it. 

I HATE bullying. I have hated bullying ever since I was a young child and stepped in time and time again to stop bullying. And I also suffered from emotional and mental bullying. Because of asthma I was heavier than other girls, and sometimes it seemed like every boy at my High School just had to tell me how unacceptable I was. I KNEW there had to be a solution to this pain and it fueled my search for Buddhism.

Very early in my practice I learned I could stop bullying with one easy (yet difficult) technique. 
Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo for the bully's happiness can STOP all kinds of bullying now. How can this be possible? 

First - a little background. As many of you know, Buddhist practice is based on each person awakening to the Mystic Law within them. The Mystic Law is the energy, the rhythm, the chord that runs through all of life, all sentient, all insentient beings, all rocks and all trees...all people. It is the law that binds us all together...and it has a name: Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. It means: "I fuse my life with the mystic law of cause and effect through sound vibration."

Anyone can gain benefit by intoning this name...Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Anyone can chant. No one has to convert to Buddhism, change their way of thinking, change what they eat, how they act, who they are. Not in this practice. All we have to do is chant. The best way to chant and see the proof of practical Buddhism is to chant twice a day, every day, to join with fellow practitioners in the Soka Gakkai, the group of lay believers who are NOT run by any priesthood, and who help and support each other, and to study the works of Nichiren Daishonin and Daisaku Ikeda. 

(I write many posts about how to chant, and I can send you information about chanting if you email me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com. You can find out about the Soka Gakkai by clicking on the SGI portal to the right.) 

How do we get rid of bullies? Simple. We chant for their happiness. Truth. That is what we do. That is it. The secret formula. And at the beginning we don't even have to mean it. We just have to do it. And, because of the interconnectivity of all of life, what Buddhism calls "dependent origination", our prayers for people's happiness is also a prayer for our happiness. 

In my experience when we chant for people's happiness one of two things will happen: 

1. They will leave your environment...OR 
2. You and that person will become friends

This happens EVERY TIME. Don't take my word for it. You just have to experience it. 

You may ask "How can I chant for a person I don't even like?" You may also wonder "How can I chant for their happiness if I really don't desire their happiness?" 

These are valid questions. 

Here are the answers:

Even though these people seem totally separate from us, they are part of the web of life and we are all interconnected. The only reason they are bullies is that they are unhappy. Chanting for them changes US and changes THEM. We start out not wanting their happiness. That is fine. We can train ourselves to picture them with big smiles on their faces...huge smiles...and chant that way...day after day. Soon, we usually notice we actually do desire their happiness. We actually do. 

It doesn't matter if we have to fake it at the beginning. 
The result is the same. 

The first time I chanted for a bully's happiness was difficult for me too, at first. But I could see the connection. If she was happy, maybe she wouldn't be so mean to me all the time. (This was a person who worked in production department at the newspaper I sold advertising for) 
My results blew me away. 

I chanted for her happiness every day for a few weeks and she fell in love and moved away. 

I was thrilled! Since then I have used this technique every time I had someone in my life who was oppresing me or driving me crazy.  Each time they have either left my life, or we have become friends. 

My son changed a bully in third grade into a friend by chanting for him. 

My young member erased three bullies from her life by chanting for their happiness. All three of them moved away. Boom. Boom. Boom. At first she found it hard to chant for their happiness. but she did it. And now she has a story to tell. 

We are one with all of life. 

EVERYONE's unhappiness is our unhappiness. 

Everyone's Happiness is OUR Happiness! 

When you chant for a bully's happiness it WORKS!

Try it!

Email me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com

Great Family Revolution Experience ~

Ricky Ng and his family - Ricky is on the far left

This is Ricky Ng's experience from Canada - from the Soka Gakkai International Facebook Page:



My early life saw many struggles and, when I was at university, I started to wonder if I would ever be happy or have a sense of what life was really about. The few religions I had tried had not answered my questions. In the end, I was always left dealing with the limitations on my life--my pessimism and a constant yearning for everything. The difference between happiness and unhappiness was plain to me, but I was unable to find a way out of my unhappiness.

My desire to find something I could depend on was so pressing that I was led like a magnet to Buddhism. A young woman invited me to a Buddhist meeting at the SGI Toronto Culture Centre. I peppered some of the men there with my questions about life. Their answers struck me with their honesty and insight. One answer detailed a daily Buddhist practice that would strengthen my shaky inner life state. I dropped any skepticism and tried it.

The simple chant of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo allowed any negative feelings I had been harboring to climb into a hopeful joy. I felt "right with the world," able to appreciate other people and life as they were. While many people want a complete scientific explanation for the working of this practice, the fact that it worked was all the proof that I needed at the time. Although I was chanting for only 10 minutes, twice a day, I kept it up steadily, attended small group meetings in my local area and could feel myself starting to change at the very core.

Yet for the first two years after encountering the practice in 2003, I was cautious about committing to the practice and didn't receive the Gohonzon. By this time, I was in a relationship with Carina, the young woman who had invited me to the first meeting, and I wanted to be absolutely sure it was not just something I was doing for her.

One day, I was really struck by what one of the men's group leaders said to me. He said that since I was chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, I was also the only one who could lead my family to the "shore of happiness." His words really struck me. My family had always struggled with misery. If anyone was going to help my parents and brother to become absolutely happy, it had to be me. I ended up committing to both the practice and Carina, and we were married in 2010.

My family's dynamics had never been the greatest. My parents argued frequently and my own exchanges with them were cold and brief. So, with the idea of transforming my family karma, I decided to receive my Gohonzon in 2005, just a few months before an SGI youth culture festival. I made a serious commitment to help my parents and my brother realize the power of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo in their lives, just as I had. My older brother Donny soon took to the practice and joined the youth band for the culture festival. With the support and encouragement of one of the youth members, Donny became less introverted and more sociable and happy. I was so happy to see my brother unconcerned about what others thought of him, so relaxed and at ease.

When my mother noticed how sociable and confident her older son was becoming, she started chanting as well and, through the friendship of a Cantonese-speaking women's group leader, she also grew more optimistic and cheerful. In 2009, my mother and brother received their Gohonzons at the same time. However, my father had not yet shown any interest in the practice.

Ricky with his father

The biggest obstacle in helping my father understand how this Buddhist practice could make a difference to his life was his hearing impairment. When he was younger, an extremely bad ear infection left him with no hearing in his right ear and only 10 per cent hearing in the left. Though he had started wearing hearing aids some 30 years previously, his hearing had deteriorated and he was almost totally deaf. He was completely reliant on lip reading for what he could understand in Cantonese. I really wanted to tell him about the practice but his lack of hearing and my lack of Cantonese made that impossible. Since we were unable to communicate even on paper, our relationship felt nonexistent. I didn't know how it could ever be possible for my father to hear Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, but I continued to chant with hope.

After a routine checkup, my father's doctor referred him to a new audiologist who informed my father that he might be a suitable candidate for new cochlear implants that could help him to hear again. Previous doctors had assumed that his ability to hear had been completely destroyed. My father booked an appointment with a specialist to see what remained of his cochlear nerves. My mother, brother and I were excited for him and chanted with other SGI members for a good result. The tests found that despite his complete hearing loss, the nerves in his left ear were still intact and the specialist recommended that he proceed with the surgery. Despite the usual one year waiting list for this procedure my father only had to wait six months.

Many SGI members of the Chinese group in our area chanted for the success of my father's surgery at regular chanting sessions. I was deeply moved when my father sat silently among them, prayer beads in hand. By now, I was chanting powerfully for the success of his surgery, and immersed myself in studying SGI President Daisaku Ikeda's guidance and the writings of Nichiren. As Nichiren says, I chanted Nam-myoho-renge-kyo "as surely as an arrow aimed at the earth cannot miss its target." My target was for my father to regain his hearing.

A month after the operation, the audiologist fitted my father with a hearing device and turned it on. For the first time in over 15 years he was able to hear. His face broke into a smile of pure joy. In exact accordance with my mother's prayers, his recovery was quick and painless without the need of medication. When he arrived home, with my mother's encouragement and to my surprise, my father knelt down and chanted Nam-myoho-renge-kyo several times, in appreciation for all the support he had received from the local SGI members. These days, he is more cheerful. This experience has planted a seed of enlightenment in his life and it has deepened my family's faith.

So much fear, anger, anxiety and misery have been brushed away through this practice. By studying the experiences of President Ikeda, my mentor in life, I have learned to embrace all my struggles as an opportunity to develop a strong and invincible core. As he writes: "For what purpose do we struggle? To become happy. To build a strong self that can never be defeated. To carry out our human revolution. We also struggle for the sake of the happiness of others and for the peace and prosperity of society . . . The key to winning in any endeavor is to first win over oneself."

There are two things that drive me now: the desire to demonstrate my gratitude for finding Nichiren Buddhism and my desire to work for world peace and the happiness of others through the principles of Buddhism. President Ikeda says "Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism is a great philosophy of hope that empowers us to forge ahead in our lives bravely and vigorously with fresh courage and determination, always focused on the present and the future, moving forward from this day on." 

[Adapted from September 2012 issue of Soka, SGI-Canada; photos courtesy of SGI-Canada]

Inspiring Quotes from Daisaku Ikeda

These quotes are from Ikedaquotes.org, 

The Power of the Heart by Daisaku Ikeda:

When the doors of your heart are shut

and you feel dark and isolated, 

look up to the sky and greet the clouds. 

Let the blue expanse open wide 

the window to your heart 

and let in beauty and light. 

Climb upon the clouds and 

let your heart soar freely in the open air!

The human spirit is as expansive as the cosmos. This is why it is so tragic to belittle yourself or to question your worth. No matter what happens, continue to push back the boundaries of your inner life. The confidence to prevail over any problem, the strength to overcome adversity and unbounded hope—all reside within you.

My mentor would often tell me, “So much about a person can be learned from their voice.” Treasure your voice. It is a powerful force that can give courage and comfort to others. That is why we should strengthen and refine the inner core of our lives from which our voice emanates.

To lead a life in which we are inspired and can inspire others, our hearts have to be alive; they have to be filled with passion and enthusiasm. To achieve that, we need the courage to live true to ourselves. Rather than borrowing from or imitating others, we need the conviction to be able to think for ourselves and to take action out of our own sense of responsibility.

PowerPrayer to Boost Your Practice and Your Results

From the essay Buddhism is the Clear Mirror to Reflect Our Lives, in To My American Friends, by Daisaku Ikeda, Page 99.

"When people worship the Gohonzon, all Buddhas and bodhisattvas in the entire universe immediately respond to their prayers by lending their protection. If they slander the Gohonzon the affect will be exactly the opposite. 

For this reason one's mind of faith is extremely important. The mind of faith has a subtle and far-reaching influence. 

There may be times, for instance, when you feel reluctant to do gongyo or take part in activities. That state of mind is precisely reflected on the entire universe, as if on the surface of a clear mirror. The heavenly deities will then also feel reluctant to play their part, and they will naturally fail to exert their full power of protection. 

On the other hand, when you joyfully do gongyo and carry out activities with the determination to accumulate more good fortune in your life. the heavenly deities will be delighted and will valiantly perform their duty. If you must take some action anyway, it is to your advantage that you do so spontaneously and with a feeling of joy. If you practice reluctantly with a sense that it's a waste of time, disbelief and complaints will erode your good fortune. If you continue to practice in this way, you will not experience remarkable benefits, and this will only serve to convince you that your practice is in vain. This is a vicious circle. 
If you practice while doubting the effects, you will get results that are, at best, unsatisfactory. This is the reflection of your own weak faith on the mirror of the cosmos. 
On the other hand, when you stand up with strong confidence, you will receive limitless blessings. While controlling your mind, which is at once extremely subtle and solemnly profound, you should elevate your faith with freshness and vigor. When you do so both your life and surroundings will open wide before you, and every action you take will become a source of benefit. Understanding the subtle workings of one's mind is the key to faith and to attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime. 

PowerPrayer 
for Strengthening Your Mind of Faith. 
PowerPrayers are suggested ways to focus your mind while chanting. They are not to be chanted themselves. While chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo let your mind focus on some aspect of this PowerPrayer if you wish...for added strength and focus. If you like this PowerPrayer and want to share it, feel free to share it on Facebook or email a link using the links at the bottom. Thanks! 

Life! 

I love this practice! 

I love my life! 

I am determined to chant every morning and every evening no matter what. 

I  no longer allow anything to stop me! 

I establish an unshakable practice at the core of my life. 

And I see the results immediately! 

I keep this promise 

to myself 

first and foremost 

and the rest of my life flows effortlessly!

With every Daimoku I chant - 

I love my life more and more. 

Every Nam-myoho-renge-kyo strengthens my life! 

With every Nam-myoho-renge-kyo I feel Buddhahood Rising! 

I am overflowing with wisdom, compassion and love for mySELF and others! 

The more I chant, the more I want to chant. 

I look forward to my chanting time 

dialoguing with my own life

and discovering who I really am. 

I feel the connection more deeply every time I chant. 

Every day I see positive changes! 

I feel myself becoming stronger in these ways: 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I am determined to enjoy my time chanting and being with my fellow Gakkai members. I chant to bring my full self to every meeting, and to participate with joy. 

If there is something I don’t like about my meetings, I make a fresh determination to do my Human Revolution so I can cheerfully make a difference in my own district! 

I am chanting specifically for these people and these results: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I am deepening my understanding of what I study with every Daimoku I chant. 

My eyes are opening. 

My depth of understanding is growing! 

I love to study! 

I read the Gosho and President Ikeda’s Guidance every day, and chant to understand it with my life! 

Whenever I study I see the inner working of my life, and my prayer becomes deeper, and deeper and deeper! 

I am Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

It's the Holiday Season Here!

It has been a busy last few days! 

Here's a picture from the 5K race Aaron ran yesterday. He came in second - Aaron is on the right. The whole town of Downers Grove, Illinois turns out for this. Over 6,200 people walked or ran. The money for registration in the race is collected in the name of a great teacher who died too soon, and it's distributed to selected High School Seniors in the form of $1,000 scholarship checks for college. We have participated in this race since it began 10 years ago, and Aaron was a Bonfield scholarship recipient when he was a High School senior. 

In America the "Holiday Season" has officially begun. 

It is a time that starts around Thanksgiving and goes through the first of the year. For many of us the highlight is Christmas on December 25th. Even though it is a Christian holiday, many Americans celebrate culturally with Christmas trees, presents, and family get togethers. We also watch cherished Christmas movies and sing Christmas Carols. Many help the needy. It is a time of year that we can bear the cold, and twinkling lights are everywhere... wrapped around outdoor trees, and strung from buildings. 

I love being in the Midwest during this time of year. I lived in California for 15 years and returned home to the Midwest every Christmas season so we could experience a good snow...a warm fire...and that unmistakable holiday feeling. 

I am interested in holidays all over the world. Can you help me learn about your holidays?  Diwali recently happened and I wasn't prepared for it at all! I would love to celebrate alongside all my friends in the world, (YOU!) and I need some advance notice, some education about the holiday, and some holiday preparation. By the time Diwali came it was too late for me to find specialty stores and get lanterns! If you want to send me holiday traditions from your country I would love that! 

My address is 
Jamie Silver 
17W702 Butterfield #104, 
Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181. 

I love real mail and packages! I want to celebrate with you. Several years ago I became a celebrant so I could learn how to perform weddings, funerals and celebrations of all sorts. I believe it is important for us to take time to honor important moments! 

So I am writing this to say that I haven't written a blog post in two days because I've been so busy shopping, cooking and hanging out with my two boys, Aaron and Ben. Aaron is, as many of you know, in his second year of Medical School at Loyola Stritch School of Medicine, about 20 minutes from me. Long time readers of this blog know that his choice of school is an example of real Buddhist FORTUNE in my life, and his. Of ALL the medical schools all over the country he chose the closest school to me, and it has been perfect for him. THAT is fortune. Money cannot buy that! 
As you can imagine, he's a busy guy, so when he is available I spring into action! Ben lives back at home for a while and we get to see each other more often. It's so great having him close! I have soooo much fortune in my life! So.....Aaron, Ben and I spent Wednesday at the Mall shopping for blue jeans for them. What else? So much fun! 

And yesterday was a holiday called Thanksgiving in America.  Thanksgiving is a time to cook traditional foods, turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes and pies. Most people go into a bit of a sleepy stupor after the meal...happily! For some families watching American football is a tradition. Others may play games. And yesterday, Jewish families they got to celebrate Hannakuh and Thanksgiving at the same time. 

I have been smiling and laughing for two days straight! I am so grateful for this practice for keeping me in such a high life condition. Some people get sad around the holidays, whistfully thinking about holidays past when all their loved ones were alive. Keeping a high life-condition allows me to lovingly remember them, but still be happy. 

Aaron and Ben are here this morning. Aaron is studying, and Ben will awaken shortly and I will make a special breakfast of French Toast. I dip thick bread into a mixture of eggs, vanilla and cinnamon, heat some real butter, brown it on both sides, and they eat it with maple syrup on top. 

Okay that's enough food for now. Thanks for writing me to wonder if I'm okay! 

You are all a treasure to me! Write me anytime at chantforhappiness@gmail.com and remember 
Winter ALWAYS turns to Spring! No matter what you are facing - it will pass and you will win...as long as you don't give up! Sending love ~

3 Powerful Questions to Ask While Chanting

Many of us have read Daisaku Ikeda's essay "Buddhism is the Clear Mirror that Reflects our Lives."

Here is the link to the "Clear Mirror Guidance" that asserts "The Gohonzon (scroll we face while chanting) is the clearest of all mirrors that reflects the entire universe exactly as it is. When you chant to the Gohonzon, you can perceive the true aspect of your life and tap the inexhaustible life force of Buddhahood." 

Read the entire guidance through this link:

http://www.sgi-usa.org/memberresources/womensdivision/docs/2010/WT_Clear%20Mirror.pdf

I've been doing some soul-searching lately. Maybe you have too. November 18th has come and gone. We have achieved some of our goals, and some of them we are still working on. 

We know that we have to maintain hope and we know we will succeed, and we turn to the words of Daisaku Ikeda and Nichiren Daishonin for encouragement.  It is a great time for some self-reflection. We know that change in our environment and achieving our goals comes from Human Revolution ~  inner change in the core of our lives triggering corresponding change in our environment.  We know this intellectually, but how can we deepen our understanding and leveraging of this great truth?  

Sensei has said that our ability to bring our own wisdom to the surface through chanting is the key. How can we expand our ability to do exactly that? 

3 Important Questions to ask our lives while Chanting:

1. Life! Illuminate what I need to change...what I need to see and how I can improve. 
2. Life! What can I reveal to myself about the inner workings of my mind, my life, my actions and words that will free me from the blocks that still exist for me? 
3. Life! What actions do I need to take so that I can affect real, lasting, positive change in my life?

See what these questions reveal for you. This kind of inquiry takes concentration and courage. 

I get many emails from readers who are living in situations where they have difficulty expressing themselves and are experiencing hopelessness. My goal is to explore and challenge true and respectful expression in my own life, so that I can deepen my wisdom to help others. I am dialoguing in prayer. For today, I slowed the speed of my Daimoku. I put my phone in the other room for this hour of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. 

Putting the phone away is key...the world is always calling isn't it? Emails...texting...calls...it goes on and on. As Buddhas we must be able to put the world aside and focus, and that, for some of us, involves putting the phone in another room. 

As I sat down to write for you today I opened "My Dear American Friends" and turned to the essay "The Age of Soft Power" that Daisaku Ikeda delivered at Harvard University on September 26th of 1991. In it he states: 

"One of the important Buddhist concepts, dependent origination holds that all beings and phenomena exist or occur in relation to other beings or phenomena.  All things are linked in an intricate web of causation and connection, and nothing, whether in the realm of human affairs or natural phenomenon, can exist or occur solely of its own accord. 
...It is the fusion of the self and others. At the same time it is the expansion of the limited, ego-shackled self toward a greater self whose scale is as limitless and unbounded as the universe...In practical terms, the most important question for us as individuals is how to activate the inner sources sof energy and wisdom existing within our lives...
...Our society today urgently needs the kind of inwardly directed spirituality to strengthen self-control and restraint. It is a quality that deepens our respect for the dignity of life. In a world where interpersonal relationships are becoming increasingly tenuous, greater self-control and discipline would also help restore and rejuvenate endangered feelings, including friendship, trust, and love, for without them there can be no meaningful bonds between people."

We have the capacity to use our Buddhist practice to gain self-control, express ourselves clearly, with composure, forethought, and mutual respect to strengthen our relationships, and build our environments into worlds of absolute happiness and fulfillment. 

This is a worthwhile endeavor, don't you think?

I offer you some additional quotes from
"For Today Onward" by Daisaku Ikeda:

"Why is it that sometimes our prayer seems not to be answered? This is a manifestation of the Buddha's wisdom - so that we can deepen our prayers, become stronger people, live more profound lives and secure deeper, more lasting good fortune. If our slightest prayer were answered immediately, we'd become lazy and degenerate. And we couldn't hope to build a life of great dignity and substance."  Page 89. 

"There may be times when life seems gloomy and dull. When we feel stuck in some situation or other, when we are negative toward everything, when we feel lost and bewildered, not sure which way to turn ~ at such times we must transform our passive mind-set and determine "I will proceed along this path," "I will pursue my mission today." When we do so a genuine springtime arrives in our hearts, and flowers start to blossom."
Page 88. 

And:
"Viewing events and situations in a positive light is important. The strength, wisdom and cheerfulness that accompany such an attitude lead to happiness. To regard everything in a positive light or with a spirit of goodwill, however, does not mean being foolishly gullible and allowing people to take advantage of our good nature. It means having the wisdom and perception to actually move things in a positive direction by seeing things in their best light, while all the time keeping our eyes firmly focused on reality."
Page 29.

As always, thank you so much for passing along the url to this blog to others, and for sending me your comments, questions and victories at chantforhappiness@gmail.com. I answer every email.