PowerPrayer to Raise Our Life Conditions Now!

Hello beloved readers! 

In these uncertain times, what's a Buddhist to do? 

I have great news for you,  THIS IS OUR TIME! Buddhism shines when times are tough. Now, more than ever we can show actual proof through our lives. Now, more than ever, even if we don't have meetings to go to, we can do shakubuku with our bright shining lives. 


No matter what we are going through we have the option to let our Buddhahood shine through. I find myself being even kinder than I've ever been. I'm smiling at everyone. I'm letting cars in and I'm never angry in traffic. I'm making sure I let pedestrians walk and wave to them. I do these things all the time, but now I do them even more. 

As Buddhists, we are the last ones to give in to hopelessness! We have no hopelessness! We are Buddhas and we dance! As Daisaku Ikeda says: "If we don't have hope we have to Create it." and we have the perfect place to do it! Right in front of our Gohonzons is where it happens.

Now is the time to up our levels of Daimoku. Now is the time to make sure that we are not just mindlessly letting our minds wander while chanting. Now is the time to leave our phones in the other room as we chant! Now is the time to invite our friends to chant with us (if it's advisable where you live) Now is the time to focus and PRAY. Now is the time to raise our life conditions! 

You asked me, so here is something I created for you based on how I am praying right now: 

PowerPrayer to Raise our Life Conditions to make every day a joy no matter WHAT!
By Jamie Lee Silver, chantforhappiness.com 

While chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo: 

Gohonzon! My life! 
Now, more than ever 
I am tapping into the life force of the universe 
that is MY life force. 
As I chant, 
I am bringing forth the full power of the universe inside me to raise MY life condition 
and raise the life condition of everyone 
and everything on the planet. 
Right now I am chanting to end the suffering of anyone who is suffering. 
I am determined to keep my life condition SKY HIGH 
so anyone who comes in contact with me 
is brightened by my presence! 
Goohonzon! I am born to win! I am a Buddha!
I am determined not to give in to fear. 
I am determined to keep my head up 
and show actual proof of the power of this practice. 

I am determined to be present. Be smart. Be all I can be. 

This is my moment! This is all our moment. 

All the shoten zenjins in the universe come to our planet right now and end this coronovirus. 

Shoten zenjin! Wherever you are in the universe come to earth right now through the power of my daimoku. 

I am now tapping into my own power as a Buddha 
more than ever before. 
I will win! no matter how our lives may change, 
may we all be strong 
and have such an incredible life force that 
we can overcome and persevere through anything. 
May this planet be more united and positive than ever before. 
May LOVE rule this world...starting with me! 
And, may the youth of the world rise up and realize their power to make this world their own. 

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!!!

I'm busy every day helping people stay calm and relieve stress through chanting and EFT Tapping. What interesting times right now! Right? I'm here for you! Reach out if you'd like to learn Emotional Freedom Techniques, EFT tapping to relieve anxiety! 

PowerPrayer to Make it Happen Now! We are NEVER alone.

From Daisaku Ikeda: 

"Though we may seem to be chanting alone, 
we are not. 
As we chant, 
untold billions of heavenly deities 
are facing the Gohonzon with us. 
In this way, 
the protective forces of the universe assemble en masse (altogether)
and work to safeguard each one of you, 
manifesting in your environment 
and the actions of the people near you, 
the actions of your friends and fellow members." 

~Daisaku Ikeda
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is the quote I was referring to at our last meeting. I LOVE this quote! 

PowerPrayer to SEE ACTUAL PROOF! 
While in front of the Gohonzon tell your life as you chant: 

LIFE show me this practice works. 
BUDDHAS get busy! I demand results now! 
Every nam-myoho-renge-kyo I chant makes a difference. 
With this Nam-myoho-renge-kyo I am CHANGING my life now! WIth This Daimoku
With this Daimoku I am changing my karma. 
Now! Let me see results in _____________________
And reach this goal____________________________
and feel this way_____________________________
Gohonzon, blow me away with actual proof so that all around me will wan to know how I did it. 
And I can tell them Nam-myoho-renge-kyo 
and invite them to a meeting!
Let me encounter the people who are searching for this practice, searching for happiness now! 

__________________________________________________


I am grateful to you my friends. Grateful for every single one of you. You touch my heart. You inspire me. And we are getting to know one another in person at our meetings. 
Every morning when I face the Gohonzon and chant, my first prayer is for the untold billions of deities within my life, body, and spirit to wake up and greet the untold billion deities on the Gohonzon.

And I chant for all who are seeking peace to find this blog, find this practice, and, if we are meant to work together, to find me through my website TapforHappiness.com. All for Kosen Rufu! I chant to have victory in my business and have my life inspire people that they can end their suffering and experience true joy. 

Just like any true professional in the SGI, I strive to make President Ikeda proud of me as his successor, by my professionalism, passion, and results.  

And knowing that untold billions of heavenly deities are with me as I chant my two hours every day. Well, it just boosts my spirit, my daimoku, my hope, and determination. I am the Buddha. And so are you! 

No matter what you are facing, Daimoku will get you through. Please remember that I can't give individual guidance via email. Please go to your local senior in faith for guidance. That is the beauty of the Soka Gakkai. 

Have a great weekend! 

Has This Blog En-couraged You? Seeking Feedback

Now is our time to win! 

Here's a sunset from just a few days ago! 

First of all, I want to express my deep appreciation to you, my beloved Blog readers. We are now in our 12th year together. I know some of you started reading this blog in 2009 when I posted the determination to end my depression and take the rest of the world along with me on this journey...to inspire each person towards happiness...and introduce them to 

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and the SGI. 

Even though I've always made it clear that I don't speak for the SGI, and that these writings are my own. 

 My determination has always been the same as Mr. Toda's to 

RID THE WORLD OF SUFFERING! 

I have pictured people sitting down at their keyboards saying : "Happiness Has to be in here somewhere!" doing a search, finding the blog, and beginning to chant. Many of you have written to me to tell me your stories. And you've written to request guidance, which you've found I don't give. I always encourage you to go to your local SGI leaders. I'm sorry to disappoint you but it really is best to have a local leader chanting alongside you!

So, if you've been connected, or reconnected to the SGI and chanting through ChantforHappiness.com could you please send me an email at chantforhappiness@gmail.com? 

Sending much love as always on this auspicious day, September 12th, the anniversary of the Tatsunokuchi persecution. Now is our time to stand up, that is for sure. 

I'm chanting to strengthen my life and truly believe in the power of my life. That's where it is at for me. And, as always, chanting for every person who encounters these words! 

What Does Nam-myoho-renge-kyo Mean, and Why Do We Chant it?

What does Nam-myoho-renge-kyo mean, 

and why do we chant it? 

By Jamie Lee Silver of ChantforHappiness.com - 
This site is not an official SGI Site. 

Now entering into its 12th 

(Subscribe by putting your email in the box to the right. 

Translate button is at the top right.)

The literal translation of Nam-myoho-renge kyo is:

"I fuse my life 

with the mystic law of cause and effect 

through sound vibration (or sutra)." 

It is the title of the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha's highest teaching~ that declares  

ALL people possess the Buddha Nature...all people ARE Buddhas...

and we can access this nature by calling it forth in our lives using this phrase. 

Being a Buddha - 
is tapping the river of life that runs through ALL life - 

summoning the mystic law 
by realizing 
we ARE the Mystic Law. 
We chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo ~ 
we ARE Nam-myoho-renge-kyo ~the Mystic Law. 

I like to think of it as "I am one with the rhythm of all life." It is the rhythm that exists within all of life...the reason for the turning of the tides...the reason for the seasons...the atoms that exist within every single cell...from an elephant to a spec of dust...to the cells in our hearts and minds. Everything possesses this connectedness...this rhythm.  
It is all-encompassing and contains the wisdom and energy of all of life itself...the whole universe. 

When we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo we tap into that energy and access it for our lives...directed towards our desires and for the fulfillment of happiness for all. In this practice, it's okay to have desires. More than okay! We don't have to alleviate them. Desires make us who we are and lead us to chant. 

When we chant we change the internal life within our lives. We change the core and fiber of our lives. We change our karma. And when we make that internal change, our ENVIRONMENT (meaning everything that is not within our own skin, our jobs, our relationships, our sense of self, everything we experience and think) ALL of that changes to reflect our internal change. We call this "Human Revolution."

When we chant, we harness the energy that is our birthright. We chant twice a day, every single day, to get and keep our lives in rhythm. 

When we are in rhythm we are in the right place at the right time... to find out about and get the job...or to meet the man of our dreams...or to protect our child from danger. When we are in rhythm life isn't so much of a struggle as it is a joy...we see the beauty in everything and we feel our lives overflowing with appreciation. 

We chant for something and get it or something better. We get access to internal happiness and strength that cannot be blown away by any event or obstacles. 

In fact, we view obstacles themselves as benefits, as strange as that may sound....because obstacles make us chant more, and when we chant more we draw even higher life conditions and deeper satisfaction into our lives. 

What can we chant FOR? Anything. 

We chant for others, we chant for our planet, our countries, and ourselves. 
We can chant for whatever our desire may be...even if it might not be the "right" desire for us. In the act of chanting, we will change our karma and our desires themselves will naturally begin to shift. We will open our lives to the deeper wisdom within...the deeper yearning, the REAL desires that we have forgotten or given up on. We will grow. We will prosper and we will blossom. 

We will gain the wisdom of the right action to take - because ACTION springs from wisdom. 

The challenge is...we need to DO it. We have to chant to bring all this rhythm and harmony out. And that's why we practice together as an organization, the SGI, The Soka Gakkai, our fellowship of friends who support each other, chant for each other, and create a new Soka family for each practitioner. We are so fortunate. 

I hear from people all over the world, and some have strong SGI groups in their towns and others are completely alone. I love that we can connect through the power of the internet. From the moment I began chanting 35 years ago I have had the deep desire to share this practice, this practice that WORKS, with everyone who is looking for the real, practical means of creating happiness and results in their lives. 

We are in this life together...sharing our challenges and our successes. If you are not yet connected to the SGI please go to sgi-usa.com and find your local members. You will be so glad you did. 

Some Powerful Quotes from Daisaku Ikeda from Ikedaquotes.org:

THIS moment, this instant, is important, 
not some unknown time in the future. 
Today, this very day is what matters. 
You must put your whole being 
into the time that exists now. 
For future victory rests in the present moment.

BUDDHISM holds that everything 
is in a constant state of flux. 
Thus, the question is 
whether we are to accept change passively 
and be swept away by it, 
or whether we are to take the lead 
and create positive changes on our own initiative. 
While conservatism and self-protection
might be likened to winter, night and death, 
the spirit of pioneering and attempting to realize 
the ideals evokes the images of spring,
morning and birth.

DO gongyo and chant daimoku with a fresh spirit. 
And, filled with renewed vitality, 

Build a history of accumulating fresh benefit."

Daisaku Ikeda, from Ikedaquotes.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As many of you know, I have incorporated the practice of EFT Tapping (Emotional Freedom Techniques) into my daily life, and am a clinically trained and certified EFT Professional. If you'd like to learn how EFT has benefited me and explore ways it may benefit YOU, please send me an email at TapforHappiness@gmail.com. Or get on my schedule  
https://go.oncehub.com/JamieLeeSilver We can have a conversation about your goals and explore program options for you. EFT is an extremely powerful modality for releasing stuck energy, losing weight, relieving grief, healing, and becoming free from childhood trauma, erasing daily anxiety, and even clearing negative financial patterns. Those who know me, know I only use what shows ACTUAL PROOF. EFT is a powerful tool to accompany our Buddhist practice! 

In Kauai with my son Aaron last September!

You Possess a Glorious Future, Today is a Great Day to Begin Anew!

A bad day doesn't mean a bad practice. We all have them...days when we feel we really can't connect to our source of strength via chanting and using the ultimate tool, the Gohonzon. 

Do you ever sit down with clear intention to chant, but then get interrupted, or just not be able to really give it your all? This happens to...to every single one of us. (If it NEVER happens to you, please write to me and tell me your secret.) 

And the important thing is not to think "Oh, this really doesn't work...or I should just give up...what's the use anyway? I can't chant this morning, so I won't try tonight", and suddenly tomorrow comes and it's too hard to chant that day too?

Here's the slippery slope. 

And the antidote, I believe, is to treat every gongyo as the sacred session with your own life that it truly is. If you can't do it in the morning, or you don't feel like you were able to feel that connection...well, in the evening, make another determination and don't fall off the bandwagon as they say. And if that doesn't work, make the determination to start the next day with a bright and fresh gongyo and daimoku.

Aahhhh, when you do this continually, and never concede defeat, your life will shine!

Daisaku Ikeda says, in Faith Into Action, page 146, under "Perseverance":

"No matter what the circumstances, 
you should never concede defeat. 
Never conclude that you've reached a dead end, 
that everything is finished. 
You possess a glorious future. 
Precisely because of that, 
you must persevere and study. 
Life is eternal. 
We need to focus on the two existences 
of the present and the future, 
and not get caught up in worry about the past. 
We must always have the spirit to begin anew 
"from this moment,"

to initiate a new struggle each day."

Daisaku Ikeda

Breaking Through Together!

Good Day Fellow Members! 

I hope you are joining me in chanting unprecedented levels of Daimoku for yourselves, your families, your friends, your shakubuku and to rid the world of this violence and have peace throughout the four corners of the earth! 

Together with our mentor Ikeda Sensei we have the power to change the world - through the power inside our own lives - using the lion's roar of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to bring out our fullest potential and happiness! 

Remember, we are Buddhas in the world at every single moment. We shine our Buddha Beacons whether we know it or not. And our sparkling life conditions that we get from chanting, studying and encouraging others makes a difference every single moment! If you're feeling low, chant more! 


Thank you Monika for sharing this with us: 

Monika's Realization! 

"Hello friends!! This is Monika. Just wanted to share something that I have came to the realization after attending Jamie's meetings. I have been practicing since 2.5 years now. Last month in one of Monday's meetings I have shared that I don't have so many actual proofs to encourage members but most of them are inconspicuous benefits and 

Jamie mentioned 'We are Buddhas and we are showing the actual proof at all the times" and this thing has stuck in my mind. 

Maybe I was basically looking at that one thing that I have been challenging; my relationship karma with my husband for about 2 years now and recently he has also filed the divorce since we have been living separately for 3 years now and I still don't want the divorce to happen. 

Anyways after listening to Jamie's son Aaron's experience, (I will post Aaron's experience next week), in which he talked about inconspicuous benefits and most importantly to all the questions that have come up in these meetings from the members all around the world I can definitely say, I do have so many experiences/ benefits that I could relate to my own personal life to encourage people. 

Few of them were exactly the same situations that I sometimes challenge through faith. Problems can even be the smaller ones from our day to day life and our words of encouragement to people can lift them up in every situation; be it bigger or smaller ones.  

Even in this tough situation I am staying happy always smiling, working on my own human revolution, making good causes, and creating value at all times. This is all the benefits of my practice and I know that I am on the right path. Inconspicuous benefits are even more important since those help in building our character and eventually help us in overcoming our negative tendencies. What I needed was just a realization towards this. 

So thank you everyone for making me realize this with all the questions and especially Jamie for conducting these meetings. Love you all !!! 💕"

Awesome Monika! We love you!

Benefits! Abundant Daimoku is the Key to Happiness!

Hello Friends! 

Here I am on the Crystal River in Florida. 

You never know what wonderful benefits will happen when you're chanting for two hours every day! 

I feel like the Buddha of absolute freedom. 

I AM the Buddha of Absolute Freedom - and so are YOU!

This is my first solojourney. Yes, I made that word up. 
I am amazed by how much I am loving it. You see, for some time I've thought I needed someone to travel with. and that I had to find that person first. 
Then I made a friend who prefers solo travel, and she inspired me to try it. And here I am! It is so much fun!

With all this Daimoku under my belt, I just took off to this lovely place...full of water, right on the estuaries of the Gulf of Mexico. This land is filled with fresh-water springs and boat adventures. I'm wearing my mask and social distancing.

The words of Walt Whitman touch my heart: 

"Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road. 
Healthy, free, the world before me.
The long brown path before me 
leading 
wherever I choose. 

Henceforth I ask not good-fortune. 
I myself am good-fortune.
Henceforth I whimper no more, 
postpone no more, need nothing. 
Strong and content I travel the open road."

From Song of the Open Road, by Walt Whitman

I myself AM good fortune! And so are you!

You know I live my life to inspire. That is my purpose in being alive...to show people the wonder and energy that comes from chanting the name of the Mystic Law of the Universe, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

As I am on my journey I'm filled with gratitude for the readers who have shown me monetary appreciation through the donate button on this blog. I know many of you have been reading my words for quite some time and asked me to open this channel of appreciation. Thank you! Great idea! 

Anyone who donates appreciation of $50  will receive a PDF copy of my book "Our Forever Ben, One Mom's letters to her son-in-spirit and his poetic replies." My Ben is now the World's Ben, and he has lots of insights from his expanded state. You are all part of Ben's Story!
For those of you who wish to show appreciation of $100 or more, you'll have a half-hour on zoom with me personally. (And a PDF of "Our Forever Ben") 

If my words have touched you - I am so grateful! Thank you for opening your life to me!

PowerPrayer to Transform Fear Into Power!

Now is our time! 
Now, if we succumb to the fear around us, 
if we are focused on our feelings of helplessness, 
if we give in to our reeling minds, 
we will truly suffer. 

It's so easy. I know it is. I know it is because I am a human Buddha just like you are...and I live in Florida, one of the COVID hotspots, while my son Aaron is in Arizona...the OTHER COVID hotspot! 

But even this virus is no match for the Buddha. 

I challenge all of us Buddhas, 
we who are chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, 
must not give in to despair or fear. 
We must raise our Life Conditions 
Tap into our Buddha Nature ~  
By chanting for our LIFE CONDITIONS to RISE 
so we can be above the fear, 
above the noise, 
above all the NEWS! 
If we feel powerless right now, 
I understand it. 
Last week I had my moment of feeling powerless too. 

Then I doubled my Daimoku to two hours because that's what my life needs right now to stay out of the emotional weeds. And I'm using my skills of EFT Tapping on myself too. Click here to sign up for your own Mini-Tapping session. Please make sure to come to your session on time: 

https://go.oncehub.com/TasteofTapping

While I was chanting today (and yesterday!) 
I wrote a PowerPrayer for You: 

PowerPrayer Transform Fear into Power! 

Life! 
I hear you loud and clear! 
Now is my crucial moment. 
Now is our shared crucial moment! 
I join my voice with all my fellow Buddhas to 
DEMAND I rise above this fear. 

I AM THE BUDDHA. 
I ROAR. 
With every Nam-myoho-renge-kyo 
I change my karma 
I change my family's Karma
I change the karma of this world. 

Gohonzon, LIFE! 
Together we chant to alleviate this and every virus. 
We chant for infection rates to GO DOWN. 
We chant for our protection 
and the protection of all living things. 

My Daimoku is joined with all others right now
Resounding throughout the world.

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo! Roar! 

Life! With every Nam-myoho-renge-kyo
I change fear to power
I change criticism to appreciation
I change cowering to action
I change fear to wisdom

With this renewed awareness of my much I ROCK, and How POWERFUL I am, I know that I am the Buddha. 
I feel my Buddha emerging 
more and more and more every day. 

I am determined that I will____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________!

In love and light and determination!

Jamie 

Universal PowerPrayer for Great Benefit for All

Today is July 2nd, 2020 it is Five Years since Benjamin Lee Silver became one of my Shoten Zenjin. Over the years you have chanted with me and shared your lives with me. I am so grateful to each and every one of you. 

Sending my love to you

For today I publish the Universal PowerPrayer for your great benefit. 

I developed PowerPrayers to keep determinations in mind while chanting. I read them before chanting to help focus my thoughts and direct my prayers while chanting the name of the Mystic Law - Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. This is my adaptation of the universal PowerPrayer...the prayer for each person who is sitting in front of their Gohonzon to realize their dream of kosen rufu and happiness. 

Universal PowerPrayer for Happiness for ALL

Every Daimoku I chant

reaches every other person who is chanting

I deepen the power of my faith by 10,000x

so that all who are chanting can also deepen their faith, spread the word of this great teaching 

to those still suffering

become absolutely happy

and create a happy and peaceful world!

I chant that every single person who is chanting 

feels the full power 

sees the full power

experiences the full power

of this faith in their lives. 

I chant for all members to have faith

receive incredible 

benefits

and to know, within their DNA itself 

within every cell in their body

that this practice works!

I chant for all who are chanting. 

May my prayer increase the power of their prayer.
May everyone, and this entire planet see benefit!

Inspiring Victory of Dr. Aaron Michael Silver

Dr. Aaron Michael Silver, 

Chief Resident Banner University Medical Center Phoenix. 

One day, when he's not saving the world, Aaron will write his own story, but for now, as Aaron's proud Mom, I want to fill you in with my version! 

I've been practicing for 36 years. When I was pregnant with Aaron 30 years ago I did a million Daimoku for him. I chanted to impact his karma BEFORE he was physically born. I chanted for financial security, a beautiful home, the maturity to be a good mother, and for Aaron's karma to be changed BEFORE birth. I chanted for him to easily make friends, and to be happy, and to have a dream and pursue it. We read "On Attaining Buddhahood" to him in the womb. 

Aaron was amazing from the git-go...happy, engaged, and super active. He bounced off the walls and his father and I bounced right with him  ~ enjoying every moment of our high-energy child! He excelled at everything he did, from acting to baseball, to academics to running. He was elected to lead almost everything he did. He's a natural leader. 

He began chanting as soon as he could talk, and chanted along with me often as a child. His Eight-year-old experience was printed in the World Tribune. He brought his baseball team from the last place to the Championship through Daimoku. Through his wisdom, he took action to host his own extra practices for the team, and that was just what they needed!  

Together, we chanted for the BEST Schools for his life. He got his Omamori Gohonzon when he headed off to the University of Illinois as a PreMed major. In Loyola Medical School (his first choice school) he got his large Gohonzon.

During his first year of Medical School tragedy struck when his best friend, his brother Ben, began losing his mind to Schizophrenia. The next two and a half years were truly terrifying as we did everything, and chanted countless hours of Daimoku to help Ben stay alive. 

Five years ago this Thursday, July 2nd, Ben became eternal. Throughout this challenge, Aaron studied, worked hard, took on leadership in Medical School, and graduated Summa Cum Laud. He won the "Hardship" Award for extraordinary hardship during medical school, then headed out to Phoenix for Residency in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. 

Today, while serving as SGI YMD District Leader, he challenges himself to chant an hour a day. 

He is Chief Resident at Banner University Medical Center Phoenix where the rise of COVID is slamming his hospital. He is chanting that the staff does not get sick. Please join me in chanting for his staff! And in chanting for this virus to go away! I am so proud of this Buddha! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Four Ways to Summon the Heart of the Lion King for Absolute Happiness

Greeting my friends! 

Today I'd like to share a passage from The New Human Revolution by Daisaku Ikeda:

'Lion' in "lion king" is written with the Chinese characters for teacher and child, representing mentor and disciple. In other words, when disciples align their spirit with their mentor and stand up with the same commitment, they can summon forth the bold and fearless heart of the lion king within them. 

"Each day I tell myself: "As a disciple of President Toda I will respond to his aspirations! I will create a record of kosen-rufu that would make him proud!" By doing so, no matter what difficulty I may encounter, I can bring forth the courage to never be disheartened. 

"Those who always remember their mentor's spirit in their heart, who always are living together with their mentor, will never stray from the correct path in life, the path to happiness. When we live with our mentor in our heart we cannot allow ourselves to be cowardly or lazy; we are spurred to be courageous, challenge ourselves and cast aside our arrogance. We may be able to deceive others, but not the mentor in our hearts. 

...It is important, therefore, that when we are facing a challenging situation, we always think deeply about what our mentor would have done or said."

From the New Human Revolution, By Daisaku Ikeda, Volume 26, Chapter 4, installments 51-67, as written in the April 2015 Living Buddhism, page 39.

As I am here, in my new chosen home of Florida I continually ask myself "What would President Ikeda do?"

I chant to see the world through Daisaku Ikeda's eyes, and to feel with his heart....and most of all...to chant with his same strength...to somehow reach into the lives of all beings suffering anywhere ...anywhere...and have my daimoku touch the entire fabric of life. I don't know if that is what Sensei has in mind when he chants, but one day, if I ever have the chance to sit and chat with him, that is what I would ask him. "When you chant, what do you think about? How do you encompass the whole world in your prayers? And how can I do the same?" In the meantime, I chant to align my prayer with his. 

Here are 3 Ways to Summon the Heart of the Lion King: 
By Jamie Lee Silver from Chantforhappiness.com

1. Practice consistently  - every morning and evening. I know, I know, I say this all the time, and there's a reason for it. When you're chanting consistently, your life condition is higher and more resilient. You'll still have challenges but you'll greet them with an invigorated heart! 
Please don't believe me when I say this - if you aren't already doing this, try it. 

2. Study Daisaku Ikeda's writings and the Gosho every day...even a single line. Early in my practice, I engraved the phrase "Suffer what there is to suffer and enjoy what there is to enjoy" into my life from the Gosho "Happiness in this World."

3. As you are chanting express your determination. Tell your life what you want. Do not beg! Draw the power of your own life through your prayer. I picture all the power of the universe behind me...coming through my back, into my hands, into the Gohonzon, and channeled to fulfill my prayers, for myself and for others...my family...my friends...my fellow members...my colleagues...and YOU! 
Chant in appreciation. Dedicate your life to Kosen-rufu! 

4. Be part of our incredible Soka Gakkai organization. There are such riches there...so many friendships...such inspiration and strong determination. Whenever you go to a meeting you get encouragement and encourage others by sharing your own struggles and victories. We are all building the heart of the lion king together! Go to SGI-USA.org

Transforming Grief to Gratitude!

Well, friends, I know, I can hardly believe it myself, but the 5 year anniversary of when my precious Ben became my beloved angel at 22 is coming up July 2nd. Two weeks from today. And it's a Thursday full moon day. Just like then. 

On Tuesday, when I looked at a calendar and realized this, I started getting emotional about it. 

I'm here on the beach working out my next living arrangement because the owners of my apartment want it back (and who could blame them?) and it's Covid, and there are a lot of reasons I could give in to the sadness, and the feelings of "Woe is me." 

But I'm a Buddhist. And even if I have my moments where I feel very, very human, I have spent my life gathering the tools I need to bring back my superpowered self. And I know the spirit of complaint erodes my happiness and the happiness of those I serve.  

So, after chanting abundant Daimoku, and writing in my gratitude journal I picked up my pen to connect with my son in his expanded state of being. 

The picture above is the book Ben and I wrote together during the first year after he became eternal. It's available on Amazon. Ben gives incredible insights into non-physical existence. 

Yesterday, I wrote to Ben asking his insights about this major anniversary. 

I kept the pen in my hand and wrote as I listened to my Ben:  

Mom, 
I know somehow, 
at least for today, 
to you, 
this day seems to matter. 
And it's okay Mom. 
It can matter. 
Let it matter. 
Make it count. 
But not in the beating yourself up, 
gotta suffer kind of way.
No, not like that. 
Make it in the deadline, 
fresh determination way. 
The life-changing way. 
THAT way.
The amazing way, 
the proud to be Jamie Lee Silver way. 
You know you can do it. 
You ARE that way! 

You got this, 

Your Forever, and EVER, Ben
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Let that sink in. 
What great Buddhist wisdom. 
My Buddha-full boy. 
Thank you for chanting for him over the years! 


And I made a fresh determination to make some major decisions in my life by the 2nd. I've been contemplating hitting the open road in an RV or camper van. I'm also looking at apartments across town, and I really want to own something. So I have some decisions to make. I'm grateful to still feel so young as I approach a major birthday on September 22nd, and want to make the most of my time!