How to get Back on Track in Daimoku and Really Connect to Our Prayer

I spoke with a member today who had a great question. 

She asked: "Jamie, do you feel like it's gotten harder to concentrate these days while chanting? I used to be able to really focus and now, with all the news and everything that's going on, it feels harder and harder to chant."

And I said, Yes, I know just what you're talking about! But there's hope. Here's what I do when I'm feeling scattered in front of the Gohonzon. First of all, I take my phone and put it in the other room. I don't use it to time my chanting. I use a clock. I get that phone out of my space. 

And, start in small increments. Say to yourself "I'm going to chant 5 minutes of absolutely uninterrupted daimoku. I'm not going to get up for water, I'm not going to use the bathroom, or check Facebook. No. For this 5 minutes, I will be glued to the Gohonzon! And when I do that 5 minutes I go for another, and another, and then I can reach my goals. Start small. And go for it! 

I told her about the umpteen BILLIONS OF BUDDHAS who are joining us when we chant. The first prayer I have in the morning is to greet those Buddhas with my life, Buddha to Buddha. It feels so good. 

And refresh your goals. It always helps. 

Let's get our MOJO back. For ourselves. For the Youth. For the world! Peace! 

How to Increase Your Belief in YOUR OWN Buddha Nature

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From the November 2015 Living Buddhism:

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"Nevertheless, 
being no more than an ordinary person, 
I have at times been apt to regret 
having taken such a course." 

From the Gosho "On Rebuking Slanders of the Law and Eradicating Sins" by Nichiren Daishonin.

About this passage, Daisaku Ikeda writes on page 37:

'As Nichiren Daishonin writes here, we are ordinary people, and as such, are likely on occasion to have regrets. 

At times, we may allow ourselves to be defeated by our immediate sufferings and complain about our lot, thinking there is no point in practicing this Buddhism if it is going to involve so many challenges and wondering if we might not have had an easier time if we had not started chanting. 

Well aware of this human trait, Nichiren teaches the means by which ordinary people can walk the path to attaining the noble state of Buddhshood. Genuine Buddhism teaches fundamental trust in and respect for the Buddha Nature inherent within all human beings." 

Daisaku Ikeda, from Living Buddhism, November 2015, pages 36 and 37. 

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Okay, I know we "know" our lives contain dignity and power and the Buddha Nature. I know we read President Ikeda's Guidance, and the Gosho, and we "understand" them with our minds...but do we understand them with our hearts? 

This is the work we do in front of the Gohonzon. When we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo (meaning: I fuse my life with the mystic law of cause and effect through sound vibration) we tap into the power that is our birthright...that is always there for us...and we access that power for ourselves and for others. 

We can access the power to understand the profundity of our lives, the magnificence of our lives, and our true Buddha nature. 

How much do we each realize that we are the Buddha?

I hear people around me putting themselves down all the time. It seems to be part of our culture that we can't go around saying "I am magnificent. I am the Buddha." and I think we can and should change that part of the culture. Putting ourselves down is not helpful...especially when we are talking to ourselves. 

If we can't build ourselves up, who can? That's why I always say "Do not put yourself down. Ever. Not even in your head. you are a magnificent being...a Buddha of the highest respect. A Soka Gakkai Buddhist." 

President Ikeda has told us over and over that we will be remembered forever as the Soka Gakkai Buddhists. Each one of us is living out a drama of the highest significance. Each one of us is showing actual proof of the power of the mystic law to change our lives, change the lives of others and bring about a peaceful world through the power of our vow, and our chanting. 

And it REALLY HELPS if we REALLY believe this. It helps if we believe in the power of our lives and the power of our prayer. How can we really get to this point, that we believe it WITH OUR LIVES...and with every cell in our beings? Well, the answer is easy. 

We can chant to believe in our own magnificence. We can chant to believe in the power of our prayer. We can chant to dispel doubt forever and deepen our prayer at every moment. 

I have been chanting to uphold and see the dignity of my own life at each moment. I have been chanting to be present in each moment, and to BE WITH each person in front of me each moment. And you know what? When we are alone, WE are that person. WE are the one we need to support and uphold. We are the one we have to honor. 

How can we do this? We can start by talking to ourselves just like we would talk to our own very best friends. We can stop saying we are "idiots" or any other negative word. We can stop slandering our own lives 

We can tell ourselves we're doing great! We can tell ourselves we are beautiful, and we get more beautiful every day...inside and out. We can tell ourselves we make a difference. We can build up our own selves, while we are chanting and while we are going about our daily business. 

And we can make daily causes that prove our magnificence...chanting for wisdom...acting in wisdom and bringing forth our best selves! 

Lighting the Lamp of Hope ~ From Florida!

Hello my friends. Yes, I am here in St. Pete proving the power of the Gohonzon -  the power of my own life.

Our POWER is LIMITLESS. We are life itself...more and more we are knowing and experiencing this great truth. 

I have been reading "On Attaining Buddhahood," by Nichiren Daishonin, the reformist monk, who founded this practice and realized that chanting "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the title of the Lotus Sutra, is the key to life, happiness, strength and fulfillment. I have been reading his words for 32 years, and "On Attaining Buddhahood" is one of my favorites. 

"If you wish to free yourself 
from the sufferings of birth and death 
you have endured through eternity 
and attain supreme enlightenment in this lifetime, 
you must awaken 
to the mystic truth which has always been 
within your life. 
This truth is Myoho-renge-kyo. 
Chanting Myoho-renge-kyo 
will therefore enable you 
to grasp the mystic truth within you. 
Its words are the reality of life 
and the reality of life is the Mystic Law (myoho). 
It is called the Mystic Law because 
it explains the mutually inclusive 
relationship of life and all phenomena. 
That is why this sutra is the wisdom of all Buddhas.

"Life at each moment 
encompasses both body and spirit 
and both self and environment 
of all sentient beings 
in every condition of life, 
as well as insentient beings - 
plants. sky and earth, 
on down to the most minute particles of dust. 
Life at each moment permeates the universe 
and is revealed in all aspects of phenomena. 
One awakened to this truth embodies this relationship. However, 
even if you chant and believe in Myoho-renge-kyo, 
if you think the law is outside yourself, 
you are embracing not the mystic law, 
but some inferior teaching." 
From The Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Volume 1, page 3

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I like to read the Gosho by inscribing its words upon my heart...and repeating them over and over. The LAW IS WITHIN US. It's our birthright. And chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is our key to realizing and tapping into that truth. We are true microcosms of the universe. We are Buddhas. 

We are deep into the planning stages of the second annual Ben's Memorial Mile. As I've mentioned, last year we 
(a small committee consisting of family and friends) raised $22,000 for Schizophrenia research and mental illness  This year Ben's Memorial Mile will be June 17th in Downers Grove, Illinois, and more exciting than ever. 

Check out BensMemorialMile.com to take a look at what we are doing. (I don't mention this as a solicitation, only as some insight into my life, and what I have been doing to honor Ben's legacy to turn poison into medicine.) It's a pretty cool website with some of Ben's videos (He was a singer/songwriter) and pictures of last year's event. 

I hope this post finds you well - and happy. And no matter what - persevering! 

4 Surprising Reasons Nichiren Buddhists Are So Happy ! Please share

Why are Nichiren 
(also known as SGI, Soka Gakkai or Practical) 
Buddhists so Happy? 

What is so special 

about this twice-daily practice 

of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo?

What is a Nichiren Buddhist? Why are we also called "Practical Buddhists?" The two titles are interchangeable. 
Practical Buddhists chant every morning and evening and EVERY MORNING and evening. We study the works of Nichiren Daishonin, and the writings of Daisaku Ikeda, to learn the workings of the practice, and how and why chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo  (meaning: I fuse my life with the Mystic Law of Cause and Effect Through Sound Vibration) draws forth the power innate in every life to find fulfillment and become happy. The more we study, the more we deepen our ability to tap this power. We encourage each other and attend Soka Gakkai meetings.  (To find a meeting near you click on the link to the right) We introduce others to the practice because we are delighted with the results we see in our own lives from chanting. 

4 Surprising Reasons 
Nichiren Buddhists are so HAPPY ~

1. Our Happiness is not based on our happiness alone. It is based on the profound results we see in our own lives - and in the lives of others as we chant. We base our practice on RESULTS! We GET what we chant for, or something better, as long as we don't give up! 

Our happiness has a higher purpose. Don't get me wrong...happiness for any reason is great. Happiness is the purpose of our practice, and we join our own happiness with the happiness of ALL. We call this kosen-rufu...a world of respect for all of life. We chant to be happy so that we can prove through our own lives the validity of chanting the name of the Mystic Law - and to prove everyone can generate happiness if they chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. 

With every problem we face we chant: 

"I will defeat THIS problem for the sake of Kosen-rufu 
(the happiness of ALL) 
And one by one I will knock all my problems down. 
I achieve all my goals. 
I will succeed is all areas of my life to prove the power of the law! 
I vow to win in all areas of my life!"

2. We KNOW we have the POWER, and the TOOL to overcome our own negativity ~ and raise our "Life Condition" and become happy! To us, Happiness means winning over ourselves. 

It's true. When we chant the name of the rhythm of life itself ~ Nam-myoho-renge-kyo ~ we see results. And what will we WIN over? Ourselves. We are fighting and winning the biggest and most worthy battle of all...the battle over our own negativity. And the thing is, no one can do that but US. We are the only ones. And our negativity never entirely goes away, but our daily practice keeps it away, and is the source of our happiness. We talk about the "evil twin - or critical mind" we hear in our minds telling us we can't do it, that we aren't strong enough and asking us "who do you think you are?" When we chant consistently that voice recedes, and our true and powerful Buddha nature emerges.  And we DO succeed!

3. We KNOW we can change our karma and make the impossible possible. And we do it together with our fellow SGI Members. 

Whether we have studied eastern religions or not, we are all familiar with karma no matter what name we call it. Cause and Effect ~ Karma. Karma is passed down from one generation to another. Karma is reoccurring problems...you know, the way in which people marry one person, move on to the next and have the exact same problems crop up. 
Nichiren Buddhists know Karma is nothing to be afraid of. Karma is the sum total of every cause we have ever made through every existence we have ever had. And since, according to Nichiren Daishonin, those existences number more than grains of sand in the ocean, what need is there to fret about karma? And we do not need to spend countless lifetimes trying to undo every negative thing we have ever done. How could we? We don't even know what these things were. 
What we can do, is make the absolute most positive causes NOW. When we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo we are making the most positive cause for our lives. When we introduce others, these causes are magnified across many existences because we have introduced them to the power to change their own and their family's karma. 
And chanting with and for our fellow members is a huge part of our practice. We join our "family" for meetings and individually to surmount challenges. If you have not yet found your SGI family you can use the SGI-USA.org link to the right or search on Soka Gakkai International. 

4. We are aware of the interconnectivity of life and know that when we change our inner life, our outer life changes as well. We are Power-FULL not Power-LESS and we can chant for others as well! 

There's a Buddhist term called "Esho Funi". It means that we see and experience ourselves as separate from our environment (our environment is everything outside of our skin - the air we breathe, the couch we are sitting on, the music we hear, and each person, thing, animal in our environment and throughout the entire universe). But we are intricately connected to everything. That is why we can chant and change our lives. We change our inner lives, and because of the interconnectivity of life (also called "dependent origination") we are able to influence our environment. This is the fulcrum of true happiness and true power in our lives. 

By Daisaku Ikeda from Ikedaquotes.org: 

Faith in Buddhism is not blind faith that rejects reason. It is in fact a rational function, a process of the cultivation of wisdom that begins with a spirit of reverent searching. The impulse of true reason is to continuously and eternally transcend the confines of the present self. It aims to reach beyond its grasp, always higher, always transcending itself. The source of energy and foundation for that constant search is faith in something larger than oneself. Faith purifies reason, strengthens it, and elevates it.

5 Steps to Getting Results From This Practice!

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Like the ocean that remains calm in its depths 
even when waves rage over its surface, 
and like the sun that continues shining on high 
even during storms, 
we can at each moment create value 
and develop our state of life, 
enjoying our existence to the fullest 
in times of both suffering and joy.

Daisaku Ikeda, Ikedaquotes.org Self-Mastery

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5 Steps:

1. Chant abundant Daimoku
2. Practice for yourself and others 
3. Study the writings of Daisaku Ikeda 
and Nichiren Daishonin
4. Go for Guidance with your senior leaders
and, I would add -  
5: Have a great suffering to alleviate, or a great desire...in other words BE MOTIVATED!

and keep chanting!  

It doesn't sound like much, but I know it is. Sometimes the hardest thing is to face our lives and chant. Yesterday I was interviewed by two newspapers, and a photographer came over to take pictures of me, my sister, and a room full of articles that had been written about Ben when he was running in high school. Ben's memorial Mile is right around the corner, June 11th, here in Downers Grove, Illinois, USA. Even if I feel emotional, I have to keep my eye on the bigger picture. 

Ben's Memorial Mile is for all his friends, family, and the entire community. Ben's Memorial Mile is for raising awareness and funds to cure schizophrenia. Ben's Memorial Mile is for honoring the life of my incredible boy. He is the World'd Benjamin Lee Silver. 

Here's the link:

BensMemorialMile.com

Have a great day! See you in front of the Gohonzon!

The Important Thing about Prayer

"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 itself 
in a form greater than you had ever hoped."

From Daisaku Ikeda, Buddhism Day by Day, page 97. 
Share your thoughts with me at chantforhappiness.com 

12 Powerful Nichiren Buddhist Quotes on Overcoming Illness

For any of you who are facing illness - this should raise your spirits! 

The person who originally compiled these quotes 

was able to use this practice and modern medicine 

to overcome breast cancer completely. 

Please feel free to forward the link to this post 

to anyone who is suffering from illness. 

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. (Thank you to my friend Melissa Bradford for compiling these great quotes!)

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. 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.

What Does the Term "Gohonzon" mean?

I took this yesterday in Naples Florida enjoying the sunshine! 

What Does the Term Gohonzon Mean?

[The following is an excerpt from SGI President Ikeda's book Discussions on Youth, new edition, pp.234-35]

(As Nichiren Buddhists, we chant facing a scroll called the Gohonzon, which represents and allows us to call forth the limitless power within our lives. Here is an essay by Daisaku Ikeda on the significance of the Gohonzon, notes, JLS)

The literal meaning of honzon is object of devotion. Go is an honorific. Even people who declare that they are not religious will surely have something that they value or esteem most highly. 

Whatever people cherish most dearly, 

that is their object of fundamental respect, 

or object of devotion. 

Though they might claim otherwise, there are those for whom money is an object of devotion. For others, it might be social status. Some people make their boyfriend or girlfriend, or their family their object of devotion. For some, knowledge is the altar at which they worship. And certainly there are people who venerate some deity or some concept of heaven or truth.

What you make the object of your greatest veneration will have a profound influence on your life. 

Nichiren Buddhism takes as its object of fundamental respect the life of the Buddha, the eternal essence of life at one with the universe. That object of veneration is not something abstract or out of reach, because it is life itself. 

Nichiren Daishonin writes: 

"Never seek the Gohonzon outside yourself. 

The Gohonzon exists only within the mortal flesh 

of us ordinary people who embrace the Lotus Sutra and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" 

(The Real Aspect of the Gohonzon", The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol.1, p.832)

The eternal life of the universe exists within each of us. The Gohonzon resides within each of us. Nichiren Buddhism is a philosophy of utmost respect for human beings and for life. Nichiren embodied the essence of his own life in the form of the Gohonzon to make it possible for us to summon forth the Gohonzon within our lives.

In a sense, there is no simpler Buddhist practice than reciting the sutra and chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. We do not have to undertake strange austerities as in some esoteric Buddhist traditions, In the case of a machine, for example, the more sophisticated the technology, the greater the case of operation and use. Similarly, because Nichiren Buddhism is such a highly developed and powerful teaching, it enables us to tap the life state of Buddhahood through the simplest form of practice.

On the other hand, since we carry out Buddhist practice in the midst of our own busy daily lives, it is easy for us to overlook or neglect it. In that respect, there is perhaps no more difficult practice when it comes to continuing. Nonetheless, if we challenge ourselves to keep up a little each day, before we realize it, we will have built a path to happiness in the depths of our lives; we will have established a solid embankment that will prevent our ever being swept in the direction of unhappiness.

World Tribune, February 5, 2016. p.8

WIth special thanks to Sivasubramaniam H

Taking it One Step at a Time

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Have you ever felt that there's just too much on your plate? 

Too many decisions to make, too much to do...and you just feel stuck, and barely even remember how to chant? Well, I can relate! I know some of you feel this way because you write me and ask "Where do I start? How can I accomplish X?" 

So this morning, as I was talking to my life in the wonderful ceremony we do every morning...our "trueing ceremony" of gongyo, our recitation of the Lotus Sutra, I battled again with too much in my mind...and then a total blank...not really knowing where to start...and I just kept chanting. 

Even though I was thinking "this isn't very organized thought" (which is self-slander!) I kept chanting, and I felt this ease come over me. I changed focus from trying to solve ALL my problems at once, and figure EVERYTHING out TODAY, and I just started chanting to be present, to make good decisions, to have wisdom in every moment today, and to take it one step at a time... 

So, after this morning's gongyo, I feel refreshed. Calm. Taking it a step at a time. 

And for all of you who write me and say "I don't know how to get started chanting again." or "I'm finding it almost impossible to chant." I can tell you to just keep going. Don't slander yourself or get down on yourself. Sit in front of the Gohonzon, your precious life, and say "I am breaking through. I will complete the time I promised myself I would chant. I will just keep going." And, as Daisaku Ikeda says: Don't Give Up! 

"Launch Yourself On Every Wave!"

"Henry David Thoreau, 
a renowned Renaissance thinker, 
wrote in his journal: 

"Nothing must be postponed. 
Take time by the forelock. 
Now or never! 
You must live in the present, 
launch yourself on every wave, 
find your eternity in each moment." 

We shouldn't put anything off but seize the moment, 
living with all our being in the present. 
If we do that, he says, 
each moment will become eternity."

Daisaku Ikeda
Buddhism Day by Day, page 59. 

How Do You Know When You're Chanting Enough Daimoku? Enough Nam-myoho-renge-kyo?

"How do you know when you're chanting enough Daimoku ? Enough Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo?

When you have no fear, 

when you are happy, 

when all obstacles look like opportunities, not problems, 

THAT'S when you are chanting enough Daimoku. 

If you are afraid, or worried...or troubled, it's time to sit down and chant more. 

Chant for peace of mind. 

Chant to be happy and serene. 

Chant to have victory in all areas of your life. 

I know sometimes it's hard. 

I know it's difficult to focus, and sometimes the people around us are interrupting us and wanting our attention. 

I know it can be hard to put that cell phone down and focus on your own life and chant with all your heart. 

But my promise, and Nichiren Daishonin's promise, and Daisaku Ikeda's promise is that you CAN become happy...happier than you ever imagined...if you devote yourself to this practice. 

There is no doubt. 

But the key is you have to do it! 

No one else can purify your life besides you. 

No one can chant for you like YOU can chant for you. 

You are the only one. 

And you would not be reading this if you were not capable of chanting your happiness into being. 

You can do it! 

You absolutely can be happy. 

You must summon the power within your life with the most incredible key of life... Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo.

--

Jamie Lee Silver

Blog: Chantforhappiness.com

630-926-3001

"When a single sun rises, everything is illuminated."

Daisaku Ikeda

3 Essential Steps to Turning Poison into Medicine

We Nichiren Buddhists live by the phrase "Turning Poison into Benefit." We see each difficulty as an opportunity to create something wonderful from it. Except when we don't. It's sometimes hard to see the benefit that will come from a suffering. Sometimes we think the suffering will last forever. But I can assure you - with my life as an example, that we CAN turn all poison, all bad events into benefits. 

And remember  ~ we are not here to MASTER SUFFERING! We are here to be happy, and help the whole world be happier!

When I saw today's Gosho quote I just had to smile: 

"I explained the teachings of the Lotus Sutra 
to you before. 
Matters of minor importance arise from good, 
but when it comes to matters of great importance, 
great disaster without fail changes into great fortune."

(WND, 824)
A warning against begrudging One's Fief, 
Written to Shijo Kingo in July 1271

My life is certainly proving this to be true, in all ways. As many of you know, I am a 30-year practitioner of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism, and I write this blog to show the proof of this practice through my life. I'm an enthusiastic SGI member, and this blog comes straight from my heart. It took me many years to find this practice, and I write to help people find it, and to encourage us all to continue and forge on! 

I experienced the "greatest disaster" possible for a mother last summer, when after three years of trying to save my younger son's life, he lost it to the disease of Schizophrenia on July 2nd, 2015. (Yes, he "took his own life", but he would not have done that without the disease in his brain) 

I wrote many blogs from July 4th on, sharing his music and my spirit to turn poison into medicine no matter what. And in my heart, I knew I could do this. But, as his loving mother, I knew the grieving process would be intense. 

Sometimes it can be hard to imagine that a positive experience will come from something negative, but I can give you some hope for turning around the negatives. I have found there are 3 keys. 

Key #1
Forge Fearlessly Ahead and DO NOT give in to DOUBT! 
in other words keep chanting, keep living, keep going. Stengthen your faith more than ever...not in spite of hardships, but because of them. Stengthen your determination to be the Buddha you ARE! Study. Do Shakubuku. Use your faith! 

Key #2
Accept help. 
I have had people here chanting with me consistently. I accept the support, and those people are winning too! Embrace your friends in this organization. And if you don't have any - find them...determine to make friends in faith. Chant about this too!  

Key #3
Sometimes you just have to tough it out. Relief may be just around the corner. 

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

This has been a tough winter. It's been hard for me to write at times. Just before Christmas, my car died. My beloved Acura CL 2001 died. It requires $2500 to rebuild the transmission, and it's not even worth that...so I've been driving Ben's car, and I've been grateful to have it. But I realized a few weeks ago that using his car was messing up my body. The location of the gear shift and the pedals caused my neck, back and legs to go all out of wack. 
My entire body has been in pain - I could barely walk. Thankfully, I'm now borrowing Aaron's car while I shop for cars. 

And here's the benefit:

I have long known I had neck problems that have been causing me all sorts of pain...pain in my hands, my back, my knee, my hips...you name it! 
This week I reconnected with my nephew in Florida. He's a special kind of Chiropractor who concentrates on upper cervical work. I've always wanted to have this type of treatment, but it seemed out of reach financially. 
Last week he told me about a doctor here in Chicago who went to school with him. On Saturday, I went in, got the first treatment and feel the first relief I've felt in a long time. We are on the verge of actually correcting the problem. 

So, you see, if my car had not broken down (a "poison"), I would not have been in the pain that led me to seek this treatment (a benefit). But as I've been going through this pain, I must admit, I have not been thinking of it as a benefit. 

SO, If you have a poison you are going through....just KEEP GOING! Don't stop. You will get to the other side. I promise. If you don't give up! 

New Year Quotes By Louise Hay

Affirmations for the new year by Louise Hay ❤

1. I begin today by loving and accepting every part of myself, inside and out, exactly as I am.

2. Today, I look for the beauty in everyone and everything.

3. Today, whenever I need anything, I know that it will be provided.

4. I am grateful for all the good that is coming my way.

5. Today I take a moment to count my blessings.

6. When I think of others, I affirm that they are happy and healthy and that all is well in their world.

7. Abundance comes to me from expected and unexpected sources, and I express gratitude for all of it.

8. I now allow new and wonderful things to come into my life. I am open and receptive to all that is good.

9. Change and surprise are evident everywhere I go today. I look with delight at all I see.

10. My friends are loving and supportive.

11. Everyone in my family is Divinely protected at all times.

12. Loving others is easy when I love and accept myself.

13. Humor and joy contribute to my overall well-being.

14. Compliments are gifts of prosperity. I have learned to accept them graciously.

15. Today I give myself permission to do whatever gives me the most pleasure.

Merry Christmas ~ Here Comes the New year!

Merry Christmas ~ 

Here comes the New Year! 

This is one of my favorite times of the year...as we wrap up Christmas and begin to make our goals for the New Year.

We are Buddhists...PRACTICAL BUDDHISTS and, as my friend and mentor Amos says: 

"You're a Buddhist - DREAM BIG! ~ 

"How many times do you have to remake a determination? Infinity! Just keep remaking that determination over and over again, and one day it will STICK! Don't give up." 

It doesn't matter how many times you've made the same determination and not succeeded. Go ahead and make it again. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. You can do it! 

As I make my New Year's list of determinations, I often think back to 1993 when I was practicing in San Francisco with Danny Nagashima. We were chanting to bring Daisaku Ikeda to San Francisco and we succeeded. 

Danny encouraged us to make huge long New Years lists...200 things or more...as many things as we could possibly think of for our list of goals. 

And I took what he said to heart. I made a huge list. And 1993 still stands out in my life as the year I met Sensei and had a fabulous year! I found there was power in writing it all down...power in making the goals...power in starting the year with so much focus. 

A few weeks ago I wrote some new goals. One of them said 

"Gohonzon! Life! 
Bring me one person who wants this practice 
who will receive Gohonzon January 1st, 
and practice their whole life!" 

And a few days later I received a call from someone who found my blog, started chanting, and wants to practice. 
We've been chanting, studying, and she's learning gongyo. She is amazing...she's been looking for this practice for a long time. Awesome! That's why I write the blog!

Let's all make our lists! 

Happy 2016!

I respond to emails at chantforhappiness@gmail.com
I'm on Facebook as Jamie Lee Silver and Chant for Happiness. (I prefer not to instant message, but, as I mentioned, I do respond to email)