When Bad Things Happen to Good People - A Buddhist Determination of Victory!

Mt Fuji  ~ the Sun will Rise

Storms happen in every life. The rain comes down. It is inevitable. We can't stop it. But we can choose how we respond. We all know this. Our response is our Buddha nature at work. Our Buddha nature comes forth when the rains and storms roll into our lives.  

The rain came down on me earlier this week. There was nothing I could do to stop the rain. Sometimes there is nothing any of us can do. But we have to realize the central issue is NOT in stopping the rain. It is how we cope, how we deal with the storm as it is happening...how we deal with the aftermath...how we work it out in the midst of the storm, and how we keep our determination strong, our life strong, and our spirit strong. And also, how our life rises up to support us during this time. All those things represent "Inconspicuous benefits..." benefits from chanting that emerge when we need them most. 

I know one thing that is not helpful...and that is the "WHY ME" rant. Buddhas do not rail at the sky and say "WHY ME? What have I done to deserve this?" No. That is the cry of the victim. No matter how hard the rain comes down, we are never victims. Unless we choose to be. Whenever we choose to be victims we lose all our powers. As a Buddha we can choose to say "Yes Me! I Summoned this storm! Through THIS STORM I will further unleash and reveal my power as a Buddha! I will get stronger and stronger. I will be able to make MORE of a difference in people's lives for having weathered this storm. I will WIN!" 

I can't exactly say what happened to me this week, except to say I feel I stared into the eyes of the devil of the sixth heaven himself. But he is no match for a Buddha like me. I calmly took one action after another with complete composure and wisdom. All the prayers I have prayed for wisdom, all the prayers I have prayed for presence of mind and to be fully in the moment...all those prayers to be able to listen, to understand, and to make swift, decisive choices all came to the rise at exactly the crucial moment. 

Today I post a picture of Mt. Fuji. Strong, resilient. Weather - LIFE - swirls around Mt. Fuji. Does it curse against the sky? No. Does it say "Why me?" No. This week I choose to be Mt. Fuji. At the crucial moment I didn't need to ask for advice. I just knew the correct course of action and took it. I did call my Buddhist friends in faith and request that they chant. 

And there is no doubt in my mind that the glorious story of my life...the one President Ikeda always talks about all of us having...how we are the protagonist in our own stories... I am in the process of adding another story of victory to my life...one that is still unfolding, and that nothing...nothing can defeat me. 

Whatever the storms that are raging in all of our lives...it is my prayer, and the prayer of every Buddha, for ALL of us to arise as the Buddhas we are...for all of us to embrace whatever karma we face, and say 
"I AM THE BUDDHA! YOU ARE NO MATCH FOR ME! 
I WILL BE VICTORIOUS NO MATTER WHAT."

Daisaku Ikeda states:

"By developing one's life condition, sufferings that may have once been a heavy burden when you had a lesser state of mind will appear minor, and you will be able to calmly rise above them. I hope all of you will lead lives in which you show splendid proof of this mystic function of the mind. 
Faith in Action p. 134