Gongyo Tip of the Day!
Daisaku Ikeda writes in For Today and Tomorrow, page 81:
"Gongyo and chanting daimoku are like starting an automobile's engine every day and driving in the direction of happiness and truth. By doing so day after day, you will gradually attain perfect unity with the universe and the law. That state is the state of the Buddha."
Perfect unity with the universe and the law!
For me, this translates into wisdom, ~ the wisdom to know what action to take at every moment that will create the most value in my life and others ~ based on my own strong prayer through chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and reciting the Lotus Sutra every day, twice a day (gongyo!).
To develop and hone this wisdom I am challenging myself to do a perfect Gongyo twice a day...using my focus and concentration during this sacred act to bring about even more rhythm, results, happiness and success in my daily life. I know Gongyo and Daimoku is where it starts. I've known this since the early days of my practice when I worked so hard at gongyo and saw the rest of my life begin to flow more easily in the direction of my desires.
As always, I write as a practitioner of the law, an enthusiastic SGI member, practicing since 1985. My views do not represent the SGI in an official capacity - they are from my heart to inspire.
Tip of the day for perfecting Gongyo:
from Jamie Lee Silver of Chantforhappiness.com.
Read the Silent Prayers over and over until you feel them. When you finish reading each prayer ask yourself "Did I feel it? Did I actually send forth that prayer? Did I feel it?", and if you didn't, keep reading it until you do. Take a moment to rephrase it in your own heart if you need to. FEEL it. PRAY it. Don't just read the words.
It may take longer, but for many of us, our daily practice is a solo act.
Of course, if we are chanting with others, and following a leader, we will adjust our timing to be in perfect rhythm with that leader, and not linger on the silent prayers. But we can also focus on feeling the prayer at that time. Just more quickly! Feel each one!
This morning's gongyo took real focus. I had vivid dreams last night. (I usually do when it's a full moon). This morning I had to read the first prayer to the Shoten Zenjin over and over and over because the dream was sticking stubbornly in my mind. I kept asking myself "Did I FEEL that silent prayer? Am I really praying to the Shoten Zenjin or am I just reading words and "getting it done"?
So I went over that prayer many times. And it felt good. When I finally really prayed to the Shoten Zenjin I also felt as if I had blessed this Gongyo...I felt as if the Shoten Zenjin inside my life were now awakened for THIS Gongyo to be THE Gongyo that would help me break through in all areas of my life. Living in the moment. Being aware. This is what the word "mind-full-ness" really means, isn't it?
And when I got to the end of Gongyo, before the silent prayers, I had the urge to get up and do something before I read the silent prayers and I realized once more how powerful it is to resist that urge, and to STICK to my determination to begin and end every Gongyo with full concentration and no interruptions. I completed the silent prayers before getting up.
As far as results for the week - well it has been a great week! I had excellent and heartwarming results at work...I made interesting new friends...I had many laughs at the zoo with my son Ben, and I'm returning my car to its original beauty (huge impossible thing for me!). This weekend I am looking forward to Dahn Yoga, an art fair, and moving forward on the book this weekend.
How is gongyo going for you?
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