3 Ways to Generate Appreciation Right Now!

Everyone knows that Appreciation is a sure path to happiness, right? And we should generate appreciation every day. It is one of the keys to happiness and longevity and fulfillment. I'm researching Blue Zones, the areas where people live the longest and most fulfilling lives, and appreciation is a certain thread running through them all. 
Sometimes we need some ideas for generating appreciation. Enjoy!   

3 keys to Generating Appreciation 

Right Now, on this Very Fine Day. 

By Jamie Lee Silver from ChantforHappiness.com 

1 

Write your own 

Rampage of Appreciation.

  
Take out your journal or a notepad. 

At the top of each page write these headlines (and any more that occur to you):

What I appreciate about:

My body
My heart
My mind
My practice of Buddhism
My friends
My work
My "things"
My Family
My country, city, home
My relationship(s)
......etc.

And under each category write everything you appreciate (or everything you CAN appreciate) about these aspects of you life. 

2

CHANT 

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo 

...the name of the rhythm of life itself, with your heart full of appreciation. Take note of what arises from your chanting about actions you might want to take to express your appreciation. 

3

 EXPRESS 

YOUR APPRECIATION

Write at least ONE heartfelt thank you note to someone you appreciate, and bring it to them. Write as many as you can, and send or deliver. I recommend hand-delivering them. In "Flourish", by Martin Seligman, he writes that people who hand deliver notes of appreciation experience a glow of happiness that can last for months. 

Look at us ~ spreading the joy! 

Write me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com if you have comments about how this worked for you. 

Developing Appreciation ~ Inspiring Quote from Daisaku Ikeda

Appreciation

I sit here today watching the beautiful, fluffy snowfall in Chicago...basking in the glow of my life, celebrating my incredible good fortune. This is more guidance from the Arts Division FNCC Conference. Enjoy!

Appreciation is what makes people truly human.... 

Having a spirit of appreciation for someone from whose actions we benefit,  
a sense that 
'This is the, rarest and noblest thing," 
produces in our hearts 
a feeling of pride and self-esteem: 
"I am worthy of receiving such goodness." 
It provides us with spiritual support to go on living 

Because of these people, 
I am able to express my art. 
When we chant to develop appreciation, 
it opens closed parts of our life 
to new ways of seeing 
that we can't do without appreciation.

The path of the Bodhisattva 
lies in supremely humane action. 
When we pray, 
speak out 
and take action 
for the happiness of a friend, 
the eternal life of the universe 
manifests through our thoughts, 
words and deeds. 

Daisaku Ikeda, Dialogue on the Lotus Sutra, Living Buddhism, January 1998, p.42

Becoming Happy is Important in So Many Ways

This picture says it all:

"A Happy person makes a happy home. 
A happy home promotes a happy neighborhood.
Such a a neighborhood affects a city 
which in turn inspires a state. 
A happy state touches a nation. 
A happy nation helps create a happy world. 
So being a happy person is the most important thing in the world." 

So, not only do you DESERVE to be happy, but you owe it to yourself, and to others and to the world. 

What are some of the techniques you can use to become happy? Your daily attention to your chanting and putting yourself first is a key part of becoming happy. I have written about this many times. What are some other ways? 

Praise others. Look at what you can praise in others. Focus on the positive in others not the negative. Anyone can focus on the negative. it's so easy to do. 

But YOU can be the one, the "Never disparaging Buddha" who raises above that and focuses on the good. 

What you focus on increases!

Focus on what you want to see increase!

Think of all the people you see everyday. Imagine your words and your smile as flowers you are handing them. Don't hold back. Smile at people even if they do not smile at you! 

A smile is a profound CAUSE for happiness.

Look up and smile. Did you know that smiling itself generates a happiness response in the body? And when you smile at others they get a 'happiness hit" from your smile. Your smile actually registers a happiness hormone in their brain. There are studies being done on the science of happiness right now, and they have proven, beyond a doubt that happiness is contagious. 

Every morning make the sun of happiness rise in your heart and be an ambassador of happiness. This is something you can build for yourself and your loved ones. What a worthy endeavor. 

Another way to become happy is to think of someone you are grateful for. Write a note expressing that gratitude and then bring it to them surprising them with your note. In Martin Seligman's book "Flourish" he says that this act of gratitude actually brings a glow of happiness to the letter writer that can last an entire month. 

Try it! Chant to be happy and take action to be happy! You owe it to yourself and to the world. 

Smile! 

What Can Your Chanting Accomplish in Your Life?

What can you accomplish through chanting? 

The power of chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo 

is bigger than your biggest problem. 

"There are many elements involved in a prayer being answered, but the important thing is to keep praying until it is. By continuing to pray, you can reflect on yourself with unflinching honesty and begin to move your life in a positive direction on the path of earnest, steady effort. Even if your prayer doesn't produce concrete results immediately, your continual prayer will at some time manifest in a form greater than you had ever hoped." 
~ President Ikeda  (From Faith in Action page 152)

What are some examples of actual proof I've accomplished through chanting? 

Click "Read More" below to see the rest of this post

Appreciation Power Prayer

I am on a roll of chanting in Appreciation. 

Power Prayer of Appreciation:

Thank you life! I appreciate all the wonderful people, opportunities, money, love, fun, and treasured moments that are flowing into my life right now. I feel every cell in my body vibrating and radiating happiness. My whole being shimmers in happiness and contentment as I let my light shine. Thank you life, thank you, thank you! 

I'll bet you can write a great appreciation power prayer for your own life. 

Every time I sit down to chant I focus on appreciation and feel my heart swelling in happiness...a feeling of peace comes over me.

I chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the name of the rhythm of life itself, and I feel the rhythm within myself and in all of life. Everyone who chants these words can have this experience. This is not something reserved for an elite few.

What you Focus on Increases

It is so easy to think of all the things we want to change in our lives. It is so easy to focus on what we don't want, rather than concentrating on all of the good things, in our lives and in ourselves. I received some positive feedback this week about one of the blogs postings. 

A reader wrote me to tell me that she'd made a sign for her Butsudan that says: 

What you focus on increases. 

It is true. 

When I give my talk "Change Your Words, Change Your Life" I begin by telling this story:

Appreciate YourSELF!

Your words DO have great power. 

Make sure when you speak to yourself 

that you use kind and loving words. 

Often we are hardest on our own selves, right? 

I received an email from a reader who has been practicing sincerely for some time. He tells me that he chants in apology every day, and is seeking guidance to bring more joy and appreciation into his life. 

I have wonderful news for him.  A change of focus in his prayer will result in what I believe will be a quick change in his environment. I cannot wait to share his experience of victory with you, because I know he will have one.   

As in all things, what you focus on is what increases. 

So I am suggesting to him that he entirely change his focus from what he sees he is doing wrong, to what he sees he is doing right. 

As far as I am concerned, society is always telling us what we are doing WRONG. School reinforces what is wrong with us. People who are insecure reinforce what is wrong with us. 
It is up to each one of us to reinforce what is RIGHT with us, and to switch our focus away from the feeling that we are guilty or bad. Changing our focus to the positive is at the core of revealing our own Buddha Nature. I love Buddhism, because its very focus is on what is RIGHT with us. 

Of course, as we all know, the law of cause and effect operates in our lives all the time. If we focus our daimoku on what we are doing right, chant to make positive causes, and to reveal our Buddha Nature, we will see positive effects in our lives. 

So, my ideas for changing a negatively focused life to a positively focused one follow:

1. Before you get out of bed in the morning think of at least 10 things you are grateful for. They can be anything from health to friendships to ANYTHING. What are you grateful for? I advised my sweet Mommy to do this when she was feeling depressed, and she said it entirely lifted her depression. This is one of those things that sounds like a good idea, but really, if you try it, it does make a difference. 

2. When you chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo every morning and evening, start with a feeling of gratitude. SUMMON gratitude. Work your spiritual muscle. Think of what you are grateful for, and make your own life, and your own self be part of that prayer. We are all so fortunate to have heard of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.  We are all fortunate to be practicing, to have a Gohonzon, and to be a part of the Soka Gakkai organization with our mentor Daisaku Ikeda and countless sincere members worldwide.  Bring forth that feeling of appreciation when you chant. 

3. Chant to reveal your Buddha nature. Chant to believe in the goodness within yourself. Chant to shine your life from within. 

4. Stop apologizing in your prayer.When you focus on your life being the actual proof that this practice works you will see benefit. When you focus on being an example, and having your life and actions inspire others to begin chanting, you will see benefit flowing in all directions into your life. Chant to do shakubuku and help others become happy, and you will experience greater joy than ever before. 

5. Realize that you ARE the Buddha. You are the walking, talking embodiment of someone who is awakened to the law of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. This realization alone is a great cause for your happiness. Chant to see yourself as a Buddha and to feel yourself as the true Buddha you are. 

6. I chant to see the world through Daisaku Ikeda's eyes and to share his heart for Kosen Rufu. Sometimes when I chant I imagine him sitting here with me, and that our prayers for the happiness of all people are joined. 

Power Prayer for revealing your Buddha Nature and Appreciating YourSELF

"I chant to reveal the pure, sparkling Diamond
 of resilience, strength, wisdom and heart
 that lies within me. 
I chant to be more and more aware 
of how wonderful I am every single day. 
I chant that every cause I make, 
at every single moment of every single day 
leads me to see more and more of my Buddha nature. 
I chant that my Buddha Nature emerge 
and flow from my life touching everyone I see. 
I chant that I see my life 
as the brilliant sparkling Diamond that it is. 
I chant that throughout the day 
I say only nice words to myself. 
I chant to praise myself with my every thought. 
I chant to believe in my own goodness 
and to see it revealed in my actions. 
I pray to realize my life as the Buddha I am.
I chant that those around me are inspired to begin chanting, just by seeing my happiness flow. 
I chant to meet the people who are looking for this law, 
and to be able to help them practice"

Chanting in Appreciation

Aaaaaaahhh 

Chanting in Appreciation.

 Feeling totally fulfilled and happy. 

At any time 
we can fill our hearts with joy 

and chant 

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. 

We are such fortunate Buddhas 

who have heard and listened 

to the law of cause and effect. 

We are Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Our lives are overflowing with fortune, 

even though sometimes it is hard for us to see. 

It is a sweet feeling 

to fill our hearts with joy 

and chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo 

in the full appreciation of being alive, 

at this wonderful moment, 

and joining hearts 

with all our SGI friends all over the world. 

There will always be room for improvement. 

There will always be more that we desire...for ourselves...for our loved ones and for the world. 

But at times, it is so wonderful 

to just flood our hearts with joy 

and chant from that space of 

Aaaaahhhhhh! 

Maintaining Hope

More and more research supports the fact that those who are optimistic and hopeful are actually happier. 
We can exercise this muscle of hope with our own lives in front of the Gohonzon. 

Think about it. 

Have you ever had these sort of thoughts while sitting down to chant? 

"Oh why bother, I'm never going to change this anyway. 
I know this is just one of those things I have to accept, everyone in my family tells me so. 
I know this is not going to make a difference but my leader told me to chant about it. 
Why do these things always happen to me? I wish I could just change...why me?"


If these thoughts are in your mind you can do a quick change of mind BEFORE you chant that will help you get more results. 
Exercise your muscle of hope, faith and appreciation. Before you chant make yourself a list of the things that you appreciate in your life. Find a book or use your journal and put a title at the top of each page:
What I appreciate about my body
What I appreciate about my self
What I appreciate about my friends
What I appreciate about my job
What I appreciate about my country
What I appreciate about my family
What I appreciate about my practice
What I have accomplished recently that makes me proud

And sit and list all that you appreciate. I guarantee that after you do this you will be in a lighter frame of mind. You will see more of the positive in your life. Let yourself feel the appreciation fro your own life. And when you chant, chant in appreciation not complaint. 

Listing your appreciation really works. When my Mom was feeling low I suggested that before she got out of bed every day she list ten things she appreciates in her mind. She told me she started doing that every morning and it helped her rise with a smile and made every day happier. When you change your focus you change your results. 


And when you chant get your complaints out of your mind and replace them with determinations. "I am determined to be the happiest, brightest, most radiant and magnetic person in the world right now, just as I am, right here, TODAY!" 

We had a meeting this week where a woman was so tired of chanting for a husband she decided to chant to be the happiest single person in the world. A week later she met the man she's been married to for 16 years. I am going to get her full experience to share with you along with her picture. 

Go ahead, look on the bright side. It really is a choice and it is up to you! 

Nothing is Impossible!

Kind of a cool quote isn't it? 

We can even become more youthful through this practice. I know many of you have experienced this! Please send me your experiences and pictures to share with other readers. 

It is almost 7:00 in the morning here in Chicago. This has been a very busy week for me at work, and I have my family visiting from North Carolina as well. It's beautiful and chilly here. The trees are on fire...it's fall in the Midwest! 

Today I share this quote with you from our mentor, Daisaku Ikeda:

"Through faith, with each passing year, our hearts become increasingly youthful. We advance vigorously and filled with a sense of boundless hope for the future. This is true health. This is true longevity. Those who dedicate their lives to kosen-rufu can definitely achieve such a state. That is why we practice faith." 

May your day be filled with a boundless sense of hope for the future! Through chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo we FILL our lives with the rhythm of the universe...we directly experience all that is our birthright, and we can pass along this experience and knowledge to others. That is our gift...our gift to ourselves...our gift to the world. May you all be filled with a sense of hope. Remember, chant for what you want, chant until you feel certain that it is already yours. Chant in appreciation even if you don't feel appreciation right now...and soon you will! 

Have a great day!

Unconditional Love and Appreciation

Today, May 10th is a great day to summon all the appreciation in your heart and chant to expand your capacity for feeling and expressing appreciation. 


Those who can fully appreciate, always attract more and more and more to appreciate. 


I believe developing appreciation is like developing every other spiritual muscle. The more you focus on it, the more it increases. 


Yesterday we had a powerful and wonderful meeting of Soka Gakkai members at my house. And I also received beautiful roses. I have so much to appreciate!


But I must focus on developing even deeper appreciation as well! 


Today I chanted once more to break my ties to my familiar sufferings and I vowed to increase my capacity for joy and appreciation! I vowed once again to be happy and joyful and to show every moment what is possible in life. 


We are Buddhas. 


Joy can be ours. 


Focus on bringing joy into your life. Do what makes you feel good. Bring smiles to people's faces and you will experience more and more joy. Remember, what we focus on increases. Let's all focus on joy and happiness today!

On this Auspicious Night

Hello Wonderful Readers!

I'm writing this blog tonight to tell you that all-time readership went over 40,000 today...

 I am told that this day is the actual start of the real 

"Age of Aquarius."

 "Thank You!"

As always, this blog is for your benefit and happiness, and the happiness of those you love. 

Thank you for passing it on.

 Thank you for writing me...asking me questions and asking me to keep writing. 

Thank you for sharing your concerns, your benefits and happiness with me! 

You are to me, all treasures of the heart!

Happy Easter

Another beautiful thing about being a Buddhist is you can celebrate any holiday you want to! 


Some years we have a Passover Seder...some years we celebrate Easter...and some years we do both. 


I was raised celebrating Easter...culturally. We got our Easter dresses and had an egg hunt and a family brunch. 


Today, on this holiday celebrating spring, we had a great time! 


My sister and her fiance, and my nephew and his girlfriend joined us along with Eli and we had a blast! 


Eli and I hid eggs filled with money and candy and my sister cooked a great meal at my house. Fun Fun Fun. 


And yesterday we went downtown and showed Eli Chicago and took him to some live jazz...


At every moment I am thinking how grateful I am to have the practice I have...the chanting I do brings me above any of the things that used to annoy me...and puts me constantly in the right place at the right time...like having the email about free live jazz tickets come to me a few days before Eli arrived. NICE. 


We all watched the jazz and laughed together and just had a great time...every moment I am so appreciative...thank you life! Nam Myoho Renge Kyo! I hope you are enjoying this day too!

"Erev" Jamie's Gohonzon Birthday!

I've been studying and chanting...and preparing my home and my life physically...clearing my cabinets in my Butsudan room...clearing my bedroom,,,for tomorrow...my Gohonzon Birthday.

Honoring my Gohonzon Birthday is the same as honoring myself. My Gohonzon is a representation of my own highest life condition. I celebrate my life!

Today I gloried in the Arboretum...taking my time...looking at the brilliant blue sky (yaaaayyy!) through golden leaves...watching the ripples of the breeze on Lake Marmo. It was a perfect fall day. The first of the season. I felt like the entire world was celebrating my birthday with me.

What else will I do on my Gohonzon Birthday? Call the people who helped "raise" me as a baby Buddhist...Delores Hepburn, Dianne Douglas, Amos Snell, Gene O'Connell, and Kate Randolph. Yes, it does take a village to raise...a Buddhist! Each person in my Buddhist "family" mirrors my own life...shows me what is possible...and goes and proves it. Dolores came over to my house every day in the morning to help me get in the habit of doing morning gongyo, and always inspired me with her brilliant life. I watched Gene O'Connell raise herself from a nurse to the CEO of San Francisco General Hospital...we took turns supporting each other, that's the way it is with true friendships, isn't it? Kate and I talk almost every other week...I flew out to LA to see her one woman tour-de-force performance as Emily Dickinson...and Amos and Dianne were my first chapter leaders in the mid eighties. They made sure I had a solid foundation in faith. Others helped so much as well, John and Terri Doskow, Marge Richards, and all the members I was helping to raise. We all increase the power of the vibration of Kosen Rufu together!


Tomorrow I look forward to writing, reflecting, chanting, making new determinations and taking new steps in my one, precious life!

Delicious Daimoku! Chanting from my heart!

I just finished the most delicious daimoku (chanting of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo)! I have to share it with you quickly before I head off to my wonderful job.

I chanted and hour and a half straight...only stopping to fill my mug of Earl Grey tea and milk!

I could feel the power welling from within my body...chanting from the "bottom of my heart" felt even more like chanting from deep within my body.

I chanted in appreciation for my life, I chanted to fulfill my mission for Kosen Rufu (a world that DIGNIFIES all of life), I chanted to be an inspiration to people...and to somehow strengthen my faith that I can accomplish my goals...I will be healthy, and pain free, I will be able to wear size 8 clothing, I will fulfill my goals, I chanted with faith in my own power to create my own life...in other words...enlightenment! I chanted for all the people I have on the wall by my altar...for all of them to be incredibly happy, I chanted for my family ...for my sons to RUN FREE and be strong and have great Cross Country seasons and create life-long memories. I chanted for the Community I work in, and the town I live in! I chanted for the leaders of our country to have wisdom and make the best decisions. And I chanted for my own sparkling day today...that I be bright and productive and that I appreciate and enjoy every minute. I chanted for this blog to inspire and reach people everywhere! I chanted for you!

You can see why I never wanted this daimoku to end!

I hope you have an exhilarating and magnificent day!