12 Great Quotes on Overcoming Illness by Daisaku Ikeda

12 Buddhists Quotes for Overcoming Illness
(I've been coughing for over a week - 
I hope you all are well!)

From President Ikeda's Lecture series "The Hope-filled Teachings of Nichiren Daishonin: On Prolonging One's Life Span - Faith for Leading a Long and Healthy Life" in the July-August 08 Living Buddhism. 

1. “Suffering from illness is a means by which you can eradicate your negative karma.”  
President Toda, as quoted by President Ikeda. - pg 70 

2. “To see illness as an opportunity to transform our karma – this strong spirit and resolve can break through all obstacles and devilish functions and open wide the path to happiness.  Like a rocket blasting out of the earth’s atmosphere, the passionate conviction of faith that comes from viewing illness as an opportunity to transform our karma can become a powerful engine propelling us forward not only in this existence but throughout eternity, enabling us to freely savor everlasting happiness.”  Pg 74

3. “Becoming ill in itself is certainly not a sign of defeat.  Even the Buddha, who is said to have ‘few ills and few worries’ (LS, 214), struggles with sickness from time to time.  Accordingly, there will be times when we are confronted with illness.  The important point above all is not to be defeated mentally or emotionally by the prospect of being ill.  Faith is the source of the fighting spirit to stand up to illness.  Therefore, as we noted earlier, Nichiren Daishonin first of all talks about the ‘treasure of faith’.  Pg 77

4. “As Nichiren says, ‘Illness gives rise to the resolve to attain the way’ (The Good Medicine for All Ills, WND-1, 937).  If a practitioner who upholds faith in the Mystic Law becomes ill, it definitely has some profound meaning.  It could be said that confronting illness is one route to awakening to the eternity of life.  President Toda often said, ‘A person who has overcome a major illness knows how to deeply savor life.’” Pg78

5. From Matilda Buck’s guidance, World Tribune 4/27/01 pg 10 “When We Face Disappointment” – regarding SGI leaders who overcame cancer and chanted this way:  

Through this experience, I will become someone who does not doubt the Gohonzon (my life), no matter what happens.
As a Bodhisattva of the Earth, I have the mission to experience this, and as a Bodhisattva of the Earth, I have the mission to create a victory.
I will share the power of Buddhism with others, even as I grapple with this experience.
I won’t let my spirits stay down.  I won’t make a place in my life for negativity to settle.

6.From The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra Volume 6:  “Praying with doubt is like trying to keep water in a bathtub with the plug pulled.  Our good fortune and benefit will drain away.  A passage from the ‘Perceiver of the World’s Sounds’ chapter reads, ‘from thought to thought never entertaining doubt!’  A confident prayer will reverberate powerfully throughout the entire universe.”  Pg 88

From Buddhism Day by Day:

7. “Buddhism views illness as an opportunity to attain a higher, nobler state of life.  It teaches that, instead of agonizing over a serious disease, or despairing of ever overcoming it, we should use illness as a means to build a strong, compassionate self, which in turn will make it possible for us to be truly victorious.”  pg 300

8. “The expansive world lies not in some distant place; it exists right where you are.  That is why you need to win where you are right now.  Today’s victory is linked to your eternal victory.”  Page 314

9, “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.  And 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 the past.  We must always have the spirit to begin anew ‘from this moment,’ to initiate a new struggle each day.” Pg 315

10. “The air around us is filled with radio waves of various frequencies.  While these are invisible, a television set can collect them and turn them into visible images.  The practice of chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo aligns the rhythm of our own lives with the world of Buddhahood in the universe.  It ‘tunes’ our lives, so to speak, so that we can manifest the power of Buddhahood in our very beings.”  Pg 314



11. From "For Today and Tomorrow" Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda: Sept 20 pg. 288:  
When your determination changes, everything else will begin to move in the direction you desire.  The moment you resolve to be victorious, every nerve and fiber in your being will immediately orient itself toward your success.  On the other hand, if you think “This is never going to work out,” then at that instant every cell in your being will be deflated and give up the fight, and then everything really will move in the direction of failure.

12. From "For Today and Tomorrow" Aug 15 pg. 249:  
The first thing is to pray.  From the moment we begin to pray, things start moving.  The darker the night, the closer the dawn.  From the moment we chant daimoku with a deep and powerful resolve, the sun begins to rise in our hearts.  Hope – prayer is the sun of hope.  To chant daimoku each time we face a problem, overcoming it and elevating our life-condition as a result – this is the path of “changing earthly desires into enlightenment,” taught in Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism.

Life is Like a Sea Voyage - By Daisaku Ikeda

"Life is like a sea voyage. 
We each need to open up our own course in life 
with the strengths of our convictions, 
unperturbed by the crashing breakers 
of life's stormy seas. 
The fiercer the tempest rages, 
the more we need to rouse our own fighting spirit 
and man the tiller 
with all our strength and skill crying 
"Bring it on!"
Through this type of arduous struggle 
we can forge the practical wisdom 
to triumph consistently 
and as victorious champions, 
to create history." 

Daisaku Ikeda, Buddhism Day by Day, page 318

What a great quote! BRING IT ON! 
How often do we have that feeling, for real, in life? 

When we are chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo every day, twice a day we build up resilience, wisdom and strength. When life hits us we bounce back stronger, not weaker. 

I've been laying low for awhile because I've fallen twice over the last month. Boy, is that my family karma, I tell you! My Mom and my Aunt were both plagued with falling. I have more compassion than ever for them. Anyone can fall. The first time I fell on some watery steps during hurricane Hermine, and last week I twisted my foot walking on the sand. It's giving me lots of time to swim, write and read!

I'm chanting for my Mom and her sister, my Aunt. I'm reflecting on how frustrated I got with them sometimes, and apologizing in my heart. I'm chanting to change this karma of falling forever, and be healthier than ever. 

I'm living in my personal paradise in Florida, learning about it, making friends, chanting abundant daimoku. As I'm writing this I hear the waves coming in...such a beautiful sound! 

In a few moments the presidential debate will be on. 
I'm chanting for this country...for the world...for wisdom to prevail. WISDOM. JUSTICE. WISDOM! 

3 Secrets for Setting Goals and Reaching Them

"This Lifetime will never come again; 
it is precious and irreplaceable. 
To live without regret, 
it is crucial for us to have a concrete purpose 
and continually set goals and challenges for ourselves. 
It is equally important 
that we keep moving toward specific targets 
steadily and tenaciously, one step at a time." 
Daisaku Ikeda, For Today and Tomorrow, page 55. 

We all know we need to make lists and write down our targets and goals, don't we? We've seen the studies that report that college graduates with clear goals achieve more success than others who don't have written goals. But still, somehow it is difficult to write them out and make them. 

Why is Setting Goals difficult? 
1. Many of us have set goals and failed to reach them. Raise your hands if you've ever done the same. And we've seen those targets breeze by...losing faith in ourselves. These failures mean nothing. We should make goals anyway. Read on. 
2. Sometimes it's hard for us to decide what our goals are. 
I chant for clarification and wisdom... 
3. We're afraid we won't reach our goals. That's a version of number 1 above. Or...maybe we're afraid we WILL reach them, and regret the outcome. 

So as I am making my list of goals I am remembering what some of my favorite mentors have to say about goal setting. 

3 Secrets For Setting Goals 
and Reaching Them! 
By Jamie Lee Silver from Chantforhappiness.com, based on the teachings of Tony Robbins. 

1. For every goal you have be clear on WHY you want to achieve that goal. Write your goal...and write WHY you want to achieve it. As a Votary of the Lotus Sutra, all of my goals include the vow to show actual proof through my own life that the impossible is possible. 

2. Make yourself an inspiring name for this goal. I have a  friend who just embarked upon a fitness regime with a trainer. After a few days she was feeling discouraged, and I suggested she come up with a name for herself for this endeavor. She exclaimed "Fitgirl!" and has told me over and over how calling herself "Fitgirl" gets her out of bed and to her workout every day. What name can you come up with for yourself to invigorate (great word - meaning "give life to") your goals?

3. Schedule it.  

So here we are. Be bold. Be Brave. Make your list. If I can do it...so can you! Go Buddha Go!  

3 Secrets for Setting Goals and Reaching Them!

"This Lifetime will never come again; 
it is precious and irreplaceable. 
To live without regret, 
it is crucial for us to have a concrete purpose 
and continually set goals and challenges for ourselves. 
It is equally important 
that we keep moving toward specific targets 
steadily and tenaciously, one step at a time." 
Daisaku Ikeda, For Today and Tomorrow, page 55. 

We all know we need to make lists and write down our targets and goals, don't we? We've seen the studies that report that college graduates with clear goals achieve more success than others who don't have written goals. But still, somehow it is difficult to write them out and make them. 

Why is Setting Goals difficult? 
1. Many of us have set goals and failed to reach them. Ugh. For more years than I could count I set a goal to lose x amount of weight by my birthday. Raise your hands if you've ever done the same. And we've seen those targets breeze by...losing faith in ourselves. These failures mean nothing. We should make goals anyway. Read on. 
2. Sometimes it's hard for us to decide what our goals ARE. Maybe this does not describe you. Maybe YOU can set clear goals and targets and achieve them every time. Well, for the rest of us it is more difficult. For whatever reason, sometimes I just have the hardest time deciding. So I chant about making the correct decision and bringing wisdom forth from my life. 
3. We're afraid we won't reach our goals. That's a version of number 1 above. Or...maybe we're afraid we WILL reach them, and regret the outcome. 

So as I am making my list of goals I am remembering what some of my favorite mentors have to say about goal setting. 

3 Secrets For Setting Goals 
and Reaching Them! 
By Jamie Lee Silver from Chantforhappiness.com, based on the teachings of Tony Robbins. 

1. For every goal you have be clear on WHY you want to achieve that goal. Write your goal...and write WHY you want to achieve it. As a Votary of the Lotus Sutra all of my goals include the vow to show actual proof through my own life that the impossible is possible. Years ago before I lost about 50 pounds I wrote down all of the reasons I wanted to be thinner. I still have that list and have referred to it over and over through the years. 

2. Make yourself an inspiring name for this goal. I have a dear friend who just embarked upon a fitness regime with a trainer. After a few days she was feeling discouraged, and I suggested she come up with a name for herself for this endeavor. She exclaimed "Fitgirl!" and has told me over and over how calling herself "Fitgirl" gets her out of bed and to her workout every day. What name can you come up with for yourself to invigorate (great word - meaning "give life to") your goals?

3. Schedule it. Right now I am determined to finish my book for you by my birthday. So I am working at least 2 hours a day on it. It's the hardest thing I've ever done...but also so satisfying. And i can't wait to get started on the next one. 

So here we are, September 1st. Be bold. Be Brave. Make your list. If I can do it...so can you! Go Buddha Go!  

Embracing Our Great Vow as Buddhas

Ahhhhhhhh

In yesterday's post I wrote about the great Vow for kosen-rufu. 

(If you're new to this blog please read the sidebar to the right. This blog is about chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and accessing our highest life potential...overcoming obstacles in our lives with happiness and ease and creating a world of respect and peace for all (kosen-rufu) we chant every day, twice a day along with fellow SGI members in 193 countries with inspiration from the President of the SGI, Daisaku Ikeda - please click on the SGI portal link to the right to find out more. This is not an official SGI blog; I have practiced for 28 years and continue to be amazed by the results of chanting every day!)

Last night I was studying President Ikeda's essay in the December 13th World Tribune, a publication here in the states. The World Tribune is, I believe, essential to the life flow of Buddhism. Whenever I get it, it's as if Sensei (President Ikeda) has written directly to me. Words just jump out of it. 

If you'd like to subscribe to the World Tribune call 800-835-4558 or go to sgi-usa.org. 

In Daisaku Ikeda's essay A Life Dedicated to the Realizing the Great Vow for Kosen-rufu I found some very interesting phrases to chant about and ponder. This essay was the address written to commemorate Soka Gakkai Foundation Day and the 70th memorial (69th anniversary) of Tsunesaburo Makiguchi's death, (the founder of the SGI) held on November 18th at the Great Hall of the Vow of Kosen-Rufu in Shinanomachi, Tokyo on November 18th. 

"The essential teaching (the latter 4 chapters) of the Lotus Sutra reveals that the life of the Buddha is eternal and imperishable from time without beginning (see the Lotus Sutra and its Opening and Closing Sutra, p. 267) The sutra's "Life Span" (16th) chapter, which is the heart of the essential teaching concludes with these words:

At all times I think to myself:

How can I cause living beings to gain entry 

into the unsurpassed way 

and quickly acquire the body of the Buddha? (LSOC, 273)

In other words, the Buddha is constantly thinking about how to guide all living beings to the supreme path and enable them to quickly attain enlightenment.

The life state of Buddhahood is characterized by one's mind and one's life being filled with a fervent wish for the happiness of the people and an unwavering commitment to keep striving in this suffering-filled saha world to help everyone attain Buddhahood. Because the Buddha is eternally dedicated to this vow, the life of the Buddha is eternal.

Nichiren Daishonin refers to the constant thought that occupies the Buddha's mind as "the compassionate vow of the Buddha" (see The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Vol. 1 p. 62) The eternal Buddha does not exist apart from this compassionate vow." 

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

I have always known that we recite the passage during gongyo:

"At all times I think to myself:
How can I cause living beings to gain entry 
into the unsurpassed way 
and quickly acquire the body of the Buddha? (LSOC, 273)

And from the first days I began chanting I embraced this phrase. I have interpreted this phrase with my life, and have written about this many times. Essentially, when I chant, when I am in dialogue with my life itself - I tell my life that I must achieve _______not just for myself, but to inspire others to chant! 

And the two phrases I have put in black italics above are very interesting to me. Last night I read them over and over and am chanting to understand them with my life. I offer them to you today, through our mentor, as phrases to ponder and chant about. Study is not only about intellectual understanding. How do we understand what we study with our lives? 

As always, write me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com. I love to hear your comments...I love to make new friends all over the world...and, of course, I love to hear your victories! 

PowerPrayer to Boost Your Practice and Your Results

From the essay Buddhism is the Clear Mirror to Reflect Our Lives, in To My American Friends, by Daisaku Ikeda, Page 99.

"When people worship the Gohonzon, all Buddhas and bodhisattvas in the entire universe immediately respond to their prayers by lending their protection. If they slander the Gohonzon the affect will be exactly the opposite. 

For this reason one's mind of faith is extremely important. The mind of faith has a subtle and far-reaching influence. 

There may be times, for instance, when you feel reluctant to do gongyo or take part in activities. That state of mind is precisely reflected on the entire universe, as if on the surface of a clear mirror. The heavenly deities will then also feel reluctant to play their part, and they will naturally fail to exert their full power of protection. 

On the other hand, when you joyfully do gongyo and carry out activities with the determination to accumulate more good fortune in your life. the heavenly deities will be delighted and will valiantly perform their duty. If you must take some action anyway, it is to your advantage that you do so spontaneously and with a feeling of joy. If you practice reluctantly with a sense that it's a waste of time, disbelief and complaints will erode your good fortune. If you continue to practice in this way, you will not experience remarkable benefits, and this will only serve to convince you that your practice is in vain. This is a vicious circle. 
If you practice while doubting the effects, you will get results that are, at best, unsatisfactory. This is the reflection of your own weak faith on the mirror of the cosmos. 
On the other hand, when you stand up with strong confidence, you will receive limitless blessings. While controlling your mind, which is at once extremely subtle and solemnly profound, you should elevate your faith with freshness and vigor. When you do so both your life and surroundings will open wide before you, and every action you take will become a source of benefit. Understanding the subtle workings of one's mind is the key to faith and to attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime. 

PowerPrayer 
for Strengthening Your Mind of Faith. 
PowerPrayers are suggested ways to focus your mind while chanting. They are not to be chanted themselves. While chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo let your mind focus on some aspect of this PowerPrayer if you wish...for added strength and focus. If you like this PowerPrayer and want to share it, feel free to share it on Facebook or email a link using the links at the bottom. Thanks! 

Life! 

I love this practice! 

I love my life! 

I am determined to chant every morning and every evening no matter what. 

I  no longer allow anything to stop me! 

I establish an unshakable practice at the core of my life. 

And I see the results immediately! 

I keep this promise 

to myself 

first and foremost 

and the rest of my life flows effortlessly!

With every Daimoku I chant - 

I love my life more and more. 

Every Nam-myoho-renge-kyo strengthens my life! 

With every Nam-myoho-renge-kyo I feel Buddhahood Rising! 

I am overflowing with wisdom, compassion and love for mySELF and others! 

The more I chant, the more I want to chant. 

I look forward to my chanting time 

dialoguing with my own life

and discovering who I really am. 

I feel the connection more deeply every time I chant. 

Every day I see positive changes! 

I feel myself becoming stronger in these ways: 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I am determined to enjoy my time chanting and being with my fellow Gakkai members. I chant to bring my full self to every meeting, and to participate with joy. 

If there is something I don’t like about my meetings, I make a fresh determination to do my Human Revolution so I can cheerfully make a difference in my own district! 

I am chanting specifically for these people and these results: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I am deepening my understanding of what I study with every Daimoku I chant. 

My eyes are opening. 

My depth of understanding is growing! 

I love to study! 

I read the Gosho and President Ikeda’s Guidance every day, and chant to understand it with my life! 

Whenever I study I see the inner working of my life, and my prayer becomes deeper, and deeper and deeper! 

I am Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

Great Health Experience

I was introduced to the practice by my sister's friend three years back.  I felt protected instantly  after chanting during some of the darkest moments . Initally like most of us, I chanted 5-10 minutes and then didn't for weeks. Thanks to some of the critical situations in life and the leaders' persistence I continued and became more active.

I have overcome a number of obstacles both from within and without during these years and have experienced many benefits (which I'll share with all of you soon).

This year in August my father, who suffers from chronic pancreatitus, suddenly got another acute attack on august 15th. After getting admitted to the hospital, his condition worsened and he was shifted to Fortis ICU for respiratory distress syndrome and acute pancreatitus. His serum amylase and lipase (indicator of pancreas) were above 1600 and the normal level is below 200. The normal PO2 level(indicator of lung function) is above 80 and his was 50. In such cases they put patients on ventilators but the doctors negligence turned out to be a benefit for us. His face used to be almost blue during those days.

This was a few days after I recieved my gohonzon and I just had complete faith that it has to be a benefit so that he has an even healthier life. Also On the same day I got an oppurtunity to be the MC for the August SGI meeting and I joyfully accepted it chanting through the night for a vibrant zadankai (meeting) and all members to be inspired. I determined to do my own human revolution by not panicing in such crisis instead giving faith and courage to my sister and mother who were clearly in utter panic.

Whenever I was in doubt, I read sensei's lecture on the gosho "The good medicine for all ills".  Josei Toda wrote,"Dont let anything shake you. Just chant with your whole life. Never lose heart. Activate the positive forces of the universe.  I chanted sincerely to change the poison in his pancreas to amrita . I visualised waving a sword of nam myoho renge kyo in his pancreas .

Papa's serum amylase and lipase- an indicator of pancreas dropped back to below 200 which is normal by august 19th i.e. within 4-5 days which was extremely remarkable .

We received protection in the form of my doctor aunt who dropped everything and came to our city  and instructed the low skilled staff of "a hospital in india " to handle his lungs better .
My sister also started chanting more seriously and started seeing results herself. His lung condition was still very weak. She chanted for papa to do spirometery exercises every hour as instructed  even though he was very weak. She chanted for him to want to get better and not give up even in the extreme condition of the ICU .

However, the infection in his body i.e. the TLC counts kept shooting up. In spite of that,  he started looking and feeling better. By the end of the week his TLC was as high as 30,000 (normal is below 11000) and the doctor in fortis said it's unbelievable that he doesn't look as sick as his reports say he is. I smiled, of course.

I read the gosho again and again. At the risk of sounding stupid to my family full of doctors, I encouraged them to read it. Sensei says, " The Buddha is likened to a physician because he teaches people the "medicine of immortality. " The medicine of immortality is "amrita". Elsewhere Nichiren daishonin says," Amrita is nam myoho renge kyo " .

Meanwhile The doctor insisted for him to get neckline since all his other veins were swollen. Now, the neckline can cause many more infections for a lung patient esp in the ICU and by then he had developed hospital aided pnuemonia. The doctor gave us one hour to decide and sign the consent form. I started chanting very strongly and within minutes one of the male nurse found a perfect vein in the arm somewhere which lasted three days.

Because of staying calm and being in a high life condition, we could decide immediately without even our mom to take him out of "A hospital in our city" to " Hospital in another city " where my aunt is an HOD. I was chanting all throughout the way. We met with many obstacles , the ambulance met with an accident , the ac didnt work  but papa's vitals didn't change a bit throughout the journey and he safely shifted to a private ward. Again, he didn't see us frown when any of this was happening, rather all he heard was Nam myoho renge kyo .

We met the best of doctors in the other city. The doctor again suggested a neck line but my sister had determined by then to not let that happen and well it didn't. His TLC i.e. the infection count came down to normal within 3-4 days. And within a week he was out of the hospital walking, talking a bit, urinating, defecating all by himself. His pancreas is damaged 40-50% but he can have a normal life with even half the pancreas. There is no damage to any other vital organ which is very good after an acute attack like this. His lung capacity is actually better than before now.  He has been a chain smoker since 50 years and he has not smoked since over a month now and has no intention of doing so. Like I said, his face is way brighter than before, and he walks twice a day by himself, eats healthy meals, has breakfast and is on the road to full recovery. My mother remarked yesterday that it was impossible to think that we'll all have a lifestyle where  no one smokes in the house and we have have fruits and breakfast on the dinner table. She said life has actually become 180 degrees better.

All this while I chanted for the medicine king buddha to manifest in his life. Leaders told me to read out the gosho" actual proof " to him during our stay and I did. I chanted for all our relatives to see actual proof through this experience. I chanted for my human revolution and to stay calm through it all. We (my sister, me and mom ) had just three small arguments through such high stress period and managed to be  encouraging and always smiling around papa. My sister and brother in law have started chanting and my brother in law already has had an experience.
I determine to keep showing actual proof through this practice and encourage each and everyone who's watching my life.

Chanting for Happiness...How to Begin

This picture is the sunrise today in Panama, taken by my childhood friend Axel Koch

This post is great for newcomers, and may have some fresh tips for those already practicing.

Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life!

Here you will learn how to chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!

First of all make a list of what you really want in life. Take a new look at your desires and write them down.  Dream big. What do you really want? What do you want for yourself? What do you want for others? What do you want for the world? Make a list. There is no such thing as a “bad” desire as long as you wish no harm on others. Many Buddhists began chanting with desires that later turned into other desires. Don’t worry about it. Chant for what is really in your heart. Be true to yourself. 

I suggest having some sort of journal to write in. Writing in a journal helps you become aware of your progress and benefits.

Choose a place to chant comfortably. You’ll want to sit in a comfortable chair. Where would you feel most at ease chanting out loud? It is helpful to have something on the wall to focus on. It's helpful to rest your eyes on something slightly above eye level. It can be anything. When I first started chanting in my little two room apartment in San Francisco, I sat on the mattress on the floor and gazed up at the moon in a poster of Mono Lake. Choose something soothing to rest your eyes on. I find it helpful to have a table nearby for my tea, and other things I like to have close when I chant. You may want to put a little table up as an altar, but you don’t need that to begin. 

Write the words Nam Myoho Renge Kyo on a piece of paper (or use the card enclosed in this book). The words are pronounced as follows: 

Nahm, rhymes with Mom, 

meeyohoh, with three long vowels, 

rain gay, 

key oh. 

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. 

Nahm Meeyohoh Rain Gay Key Oh

Hold your hands with the palms facing in and touching each other in front of your heart. Sit with your back as straight as possible and say the words over and over and over again. 

You do not have to concentrate about what is in your mind at first. Just say the words. Breathe whenever you have to for as long as you like. See if you can chant for a few minutes, then a few minutes more. Chant for as long as you can!  

The rhythm should sound like a train moving, or horses running. There should be some energy to it. You can chant as fast or as slow as you wish. Speed of chanting is up to you. 

If you want to hear how it sounds you can go to the top left corner of this blog and chant with me. I begin slowly and speed up with more energy. 

See how it makes you feel. Can you chant for a little longer? Maybe even a little longer than that. Can you get to the point where you don’t have to think about the words, but can actually think about what you want? It may take a little time. Naturally you will begin to chant for what you want. You’ll see. 

When you are finished chanting you can write in your journal.

Start by writing an assessment of your life right now. What’s going well, what you’d like to improve on. Then write how you felt before chanting and after chanting. In your journal set a goal for how much you want to chant every day.  When I started, I could only chant five minutes a day in the morning and five minutes in the evening. I had a timer next to me and I’m sure there were times I stopped before I’d even reached five minutes! You will build up momentum! Commit to chant twice a day every day. Keep your goals in mind and you’ll remember your reasons for chanting! 

These words and this vibration go deep into the heart of your life itself. They summon forth your highest wisdom, vitality and sense of purpose. They also uproot the karma that is making you suffer, and give you the opportunity to change this karma forever. You will still have challenges and problems in life when you chant...but eventually you will see them as the opportunities they are. Problems are the FUEL you need to catapult your life into a life of happiness and joy. You have begun a journey to uncover the true happiness that exists in your shining Buddha life. Congratulations!
Also - make sure to search on Soka Gakkai followed by whatever country you live in. This site will help you to connect with people who will be happy to help you learn to chant, overcome your problems, and reveal your brilliant, wonderful self!  Fellow Soka Gakka members love to help each other. 
and go to IKEDAQUOTES.org to read Daisaku Ikeda's words. He is lighting the way for us all...and for YOU!

Encouragement !

I just got off the phone from speaking with a young woman. I am now offering personal coaching by phone. As soon as I have it set up I will let you know about it. In the meantime I am going to share with you the encouragement I gave her this morning. It is universal encouragement and should help all kinds of suffering. 

She called me in a deep state of suffering and discouragement. She is having health problems, relationship problems and depression. 

I understand. 

I also know that she can be happy. She knows about the mystic law. She can chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. She doesn't have a Gohonzon yet, but she can make a determination to get one. 

Here is my main message to her...and I share this with you to encourage you or anyone you know who needs encouragement. 

Encouragement: (meaning to give courage!)

Your life can change profoundly as of this very moment. 
This conversation, these words that I am speaking and you are reading now can be the beginning of a totally new outcome and new life for you. It all depends on you and on your determination. Make a bold new determination. Up to now your life has been pushing you this way and that way. 

Now it is time for YOU to take charge and tell your life what it is you want. And you can do that because you know how to chant! 

Chant to strengthen your body, mind and emotions. 

Chant to be strong NO MATTER WHAT is going on in your life. 

Chant to experience life as the strong wonderful BUDDHA you already are. 

Chant to feel that power welling forth in your life. 

Chant to get a Gohonzon if you don't have one - as soon as possible! And to connect with the Soka Gakkai International (The BSG in India) and to connect with the life blood of faith and President Ikeda! Read his guidance and chant, chant, chant,chant!!!

Look in the mirror and say "TODAY IS A NEW DAY! I AM CHANGING FROM NOW ON! I AM USHERING IN A NEW LIFE OF HAPPINESS,  STRENGTH AND FULFILLMENT, and I know sometime in the future I will be able to help others with what I have been through!" 

Write your new determination and put it up on the wall. 
"All the best is coming to me now!!!
I am DETERMINED TO become stronger every single day! I am becoming happier every day." And chant to make it so. 
When you feel negative thoughts creep into your mind tell those thoughts: "NOT TODAY! I am NOT thinking negative thoughts today! Today I am chanting to be strong and happy and to PRAISE MY LIFE!" 

And keep chanting!

Have a great day!!!

Keep Your Spirits High

Chanting always works. 

Even if you don't believe it works.

That's part of the beauty of chanting. 

AS LONG AS YOU KEEP CHANTING! 

Here are some of the things I do to bolster my mood and keep moving forward:

I have a saying that I've embedded in my mind, and I say it to myself whenever I feel myself losing a little energy, or getting a bit discouraged...I say 

"ALL THE BEST IS COMING TO ME NOW!" and "ALL GOOD THINGS ARE ON THEIR WAY TO ME!" 

I have posted these signs for myself and I really use them and appreciate them! 

And the best part is...they are true! All the best IS coming to me now! All GOOD THINGS are on their way to me! I joyfully receive them! I am open to receiving all kinds of wonderful people into my life, wonderful experiences, love and laughter and fun!

The first thing I think when I open my eyes in the morning is "All the best is coming to me today!" Then I list at least ten things I am grateful for in my life before I even get out of bed. This helps to set the tone for the entire rest of the day. 

Then I get up and chant in an attitude of gratitude for my wonderful life. Chanting in gratitude is such a joy. See if you can generate this for yourself! 

I am chanting for you every day!