Sunday, September 2, 2012

Strength

"The stronger the oppression from without, 
the stronger one's determination
to summon forth one's inner resources to fight against it ~
That is the spirit of youth" 

Daisaku Ikeda, 
For Today and Tomorrow
September 2nd. 

Yes, strength IS the spirit of youth...but sometimes youth don't have the strength to go on. 

Today at the Illinois Area Activity Center I was chanting for all youth to have strength. One of my beautiful young women...my sweet songbird is in the hospital. I was chanting with her mother for her family, for her heart, for her strength. Her name is Shazara and she is only seventeen. And being seventeen is just as difficult now as it was when I was young. It is just as easy to be hurt. And young people everywhere are all lashing out in their own hurt and anger. Please join me in my prayer for my beautiful songbird. I will post her brilliant story of victory here in time. Right now I am focusing my prayer. 


Here is another of my favorite quotes for you: 

From Discussions on Youth, page 306 by Daisaku Ikeda:

"There are many times our prayers seem to take ages to be fulfilled, or when they remain unrealized despite the most impassioned chanting of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. But the important thing to remember is to keep chanting until the ARE answered. Our continued chanting gives us the chance to take a good hard look at ourselves, leading to positive changes on our daily lives. It's like work ~ you get a job, and go to work but you don't get paid on the first day. Or it's like gardening ~ you plant a sapling and water it every day, but it still takes a long time for it to grow into a tall tree...all good things come from continual, repeated efforts." 

Enjoy your wonderful day and chant to strengthen your faith! Chant to show such brilliant actual proof that people will be appearing all around you who want you to share this Buddhism with them!!!! 

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