En-Courage-Ment

Yes! We must Plant the seeds of courage. 
Courage is so important. 
Without courage we are just alive, 
but not 
living...with all the full force of our being. 
With courage we strive. 
With courage we move. 
With courage we inspire others just by who we are. 
Courage and strength are essential to our happiness, 
and to kosen-rufu. 

How do we "get" courage? 
We are so fortunate, you know. As daily practitioners of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism, we strengthen our lives and add to our bank of courage every time we chant. Over time we build a reservoir of courage by chanting every single day. I think it takes courage to chant...to sit in front of the mirror of our inner lives, and tune ourselves through chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo every morning and evening. 

And we have the added benefit of being able to connect with our fellow practitioners to gain strength and courage when we feel lacking. Last night we had a small meeting and we talked about how wonderful it is to not have any priesthood telling us what to do. We all learn from each other. One moment I am teaching and inspiring people, the next moment a fellow member is teaching and inspiring me. 

I learn from all of you, too!

Thank you for your notes of thanks. Thank you for sending your inspiring experiences. Thank you for emailing me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com. And thank you for sharing these posts with your friends. We had 22,500 hits last month! I appreciate YOU!