100 Day Gongyo Challenge! Join Us - Start anytime!

WOW is all I can say. 

This 100-day challenge is so powerful! 

We already know that the minute we make a determination our fundamental darkness will have a heyday, right? 

It will try to stop us and discourage us in every way. But once we put our foot down, fundamental darkness has NO POWER over us. 

How do we put our foot down? We do an amazing gongyo and daimoku TWICE everyday. We don't let anything stop us. 

We improve our practice! There are so many ways we can step it up. We can study, do shakubuku, encourage others and increase our concentration during our twice daily sacred rite of gongyo. 

We can also take better care of ourselves. (My 100-day challenge involves walking 20 minutes a day too.) 

As I mentioned this morning, these last few days have been tough. A few months ago I gave notice that I was leaving my apartment as of June 30th, (mostly because I wanted a two bedroom so Ben can live with me when he gets better) then with all the things happening these last few weeks -  I just did not look for a new place at all. This weekend I was all firmished (this is a word of my mother's - I'm not sure of its origin and I've never heard anyone else say it. It means upset, confused...that sort of thing.) 

I looked at a bunch of apartments and started really appreciating my current apartment, even though it's expensive. My apartment is sweet, I feel safe here, it has a pool and a gym and I have the afternoon sun on my patio. 

But last week my apartment managers told me they'd sold my apartment to someone else and I had to leave. 

So last night I really gave myself a talking to. After chanting, I did some EFT tapping about the fear I was feeling, and I read one of my Doreen Virtue books. 

And I said to myself "Jamie You're the Great Buddha! No one can stop your suffering but YOU! Time to really, really improve your gongyo and step up your practice - and your life!!" 

So this morning, I decided I'm not moving, and I chanted to stay here. I pulled myself as close to the Gohonzon as I can get, and I had an intimate dialogue with my life. I said "Life! I've had way worse challenges than this! This is an easy one. I'm not leaving this apartment!" 

Mid-day I got a call from my apartment management company saying that the person who'd bought my apartment didn't have to move in until August - and I think I'll be able to totally work things out to stay here. 

Of COURSE! Because I'm the Buddha! And so are YOU!

What do YOU want in the next hundred days and what are you willing to do to accomplish this? Here are a couple of my commitments I am willing to make: 

1. Absolutely no interruptions during gongyo. And I will complete the silent prayers before I get up to do anything. (I almost always chant an hour in the morning, so I usually get up once to refresh my tea.) No looking at my phone or answering texts - and moving closer (as I'd mentioned). 

FULL Concentration. 

2. I will do evening gongyo immediately when I get home. No eating. No web surfing. I'll change into chanting clothes and do gongyo immediately with no interruptions. 

I did gongyo that way tonight. First thing. Boom. Then I went to the hospital to visit Ben. He's still in the hospital. We don't know where he will go next. 

I brought him the book of poetry my aunt made us many years before computers...she typed out every one of our favorite poems. And Ben and I read poetry and played cards during our visiting time. It was tender. Gentle. And sad. Each poem brought up his regrets. They mirrored his state of life. 

But I have hope even if he doesn't. I have enough hope for both him and me. I came home tonight and opened some of your emails at chantforhappiness@gmail.com. Thank you so much for your words. You inspire me as much as I inspire you.  

Together - lets make this next hundred days the best hundred days of our lives! Lets really break through our karma once and for all!

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