Polishing Our Lives

'In the face of rejection,
you must learn to be courageous.
It is important to believe in yourself.
Be like the sun, which shines on serenely
even though not all the heavenly bodies reflect back its light
and even though some of its brilliance
seems to radiate only into empty space.
While those who reject your friendship
may sometimes fade out of your life,
the more you shine your light,
the more brilliant your life will become."
Daisaku IKEDA

Every day we polish our lives by chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. Every day we become more and more ourselves, turning the "charcoal" of our lives into brilliant diamonds by realizing our true worth and chanting to see our true selves. I recently shared with you that I am chanting to "discard the transient and reveal the true" in my life. Those of you who are students of Buddhism will recognize this phrase from the Gosho (Writings) of Nichiren Daishonin. And every day I feel my life moving in a positive direction. 

Nichiren Buddhism runs counter to the thought that we were all born with original sin. 
In this practice we were all born with original purity and goodness, and chant to see this goodness and experience it every day. We are all Buddhas (ones awakened to the power within). Every single one of us. And we all possess the power to tap into our Buddhahood by chanting every single day. 

A Power Prayer to tap into this power could be:

I am determined to experience my life as the true Buddha I am. I am determined to root the cause of my suffering right out of my life. I am determined to raise my life condition so that I see through the eyes of the Buddha every single moment. I now accomplish______________so I can deepen my faith and encourage others! (You fill in the blank)

We polish our inner lives using the mirror of our inner selves, the Gohonzon. For those of you unfamiliar with this term, the Gohonzon is the scroll that all Nichiren Buddhists face when we chant, if we are fortunate enough to have one. In some countries receiving a Gohonzon is difficult, in others it is easier. You cannot buy a Gohonzon. You receive it once you have a space for it and are learning and practicing Buddhism. 

The Gohonzon was inscribed by Nichiren Daishonin, the true Buddha for our time. He "inscribed his life in Sumi" so that we cold all attain the highest life condition possible. Chanting while facing the Gohonzon in your altar at home is truly the most mystical of experiences. Having a home within a home is the best thing you can do for your life. 

I welcome your experiences about receiving your Gohonzons. Please send me any experiences I can share with the readers. Right now more than 12,000 people are reading this blog all around the world. Please take the opportunity to encourage them by sending your experiences and picture. 

I have been receiving many requests and questions from you. I love hearing from my friends all over the world. Thank you so much for passing this blog to others, and thank you for your kind words.