Ohhhh I feel so good

And I want you all to feel soooo great too!


 My life is incredible, and it starts anew every single morning and every evening when I sit in front of my Gohonzon and chant with an open heart. I pour out every one of my desires...and I start with the desire to really, every single minute, realize how incredible I AM and how incredible my life force is....and how much I love my life and love myself...and how every Nam Myoho Renge Kyo I chant goes to further realize my own magnificence. It is so refreshing to see the diamond brilliance of my life...to see and feel the power of the Buddha within me. 
And the results of this prayer...and the VOW to be winning in every single area of my life....well I am sparkling more brilliantly in every area every moment. 
My life is sparkly and brilliant and wonderful. I am totally fulfilled....totally seeing and feeling...and letting in all the love...all the happiness that surrounds me in ways I have longed for my entire life. I feel cherished and happy and beautiful and  whole. And I long for all people...all women...to know this feeling!  Nam Myoho Renge Kyo...have I ever changed some karma. My  cup is overflowing and there is more and more flowing my way every moment. YES universe! That's what I'm talking about. 
And my professional life is an absolute blast. After a rough start in my new job...where I really turned around a tough situation...I am so happy that work never feels like working. I am shining and glowing and producing incredible results while enjoying every single minute of every day...making new friends....creating value for everyone around me. I even got national recognition on the weekly call I'm part of every Friday.  Some of the recognition was unexpected...a nice public thank you from an associate in another city...so very cool. And last week I participated in a training and won the $100 gift card to a cool restaurant. The week before that I received an incredible opal set in gold as part of a cool thing I was doing with my students. Nam Myoho Renge Kyo...my life is full of unexpected surprises! 
I have wonderful health....great friends....better friends than I've ever had...wonderful, loving friends with many shared interests. I am riding high. And I KNOW, KNOW, KNOW that it is because of this wonderful practice. I KNOW I have designed it all, and create it all with every Daimoku I chant.  
AND I KNOW this all is possible for you too. Whatever your challenges, whatever your goals and dreams and visions....if I CAN DO IT...SO CAN YOU! I am not extraordinary. I am determined to be happy, and willing to put in the time in front of my Gohonzon with my heart in my hands and my life in my hands. I chant for my Human Revolution, and to lift every suffering being up with me. I chant to do my Human Revolution so the entire world can rid itself of suffering, of war, of hate, of despair. Through my happiness I am healing the world. THAT is my determination. 
And if I can be happy so can you. No matter what your karma is you can change it. No matter how badly you are suffering now....I promise you, you can change it into a beautiful overflowing garden just as I have. Remember when I started this blog two years ago? I was suffering from heartache, and life-ache and deepest, darkest despair. And I committed to chant two hours a day for my own happiness and to take anyone who wanted to read my blog on this journey with me...and look at me now. May my words and determination inspire you to chant every single morning and evening...to never give up on your dreams....to join with your mentor and my mentor Daisaku Ikeda...and to achieve the kind of happiness that will have you pinching yourself in joy!!!! 
You can do it! Own your suffering! Call it your mission! Recognize your karma. Embrace it...chant to change it. Every morning and evening and don't give up! 
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!!!!!!!
I love you !!!
Jamie

Human Revolution! Bring it on!

Hello! Here I am living in paradise! I am in such a state of bliss and relief in my clean, gorgeous, newly renovated apartment....sitting on my patio, looking out over the pond and birds and trees and sky...thinking of where I lived before this...it was a cool house with lots of wood....but the trees were so close and so big that you couldn't really see the sky, or the sun. Now I have both...and wall to wall carpeting. I lived with cold hardwood for so many years. Not for me. Give me soft, light, warm carpet!!!


Only guess what? I still have more human revolution to do! I still have karma! I still have emotions. Sheesh! But I have really changed the depth of my suffering, I will tell you that. I am generally happy all the time! I have done so much human revolution!


And I am determined to keep going. Some small things have come up...some old issues from my childhood, and some old fears. And you know what? I'm going to sit here in front of my Gohonzon and chant from the bottom of my heart to make the internal change necessary to ensure my COMPLETE and TOTAL victory and happiness! I have such a mission! I must be able to create my life as the Buddha of absolute freedom....with the ability to do all I wish without fear stopping me. 


I am chanting to RAISE MY LIFE CONDITION and DO MY HUMAN REVOLUTION!!!
That is the only way to make real and lasting karmic change. 


And I am chanting for all of you!


Whatever you are facing ~ remember to STUDY, CHANT, GO TO MEETINGS and CHANT FOR OTHERS TOO!!!! Then you will have all you desire! Go YOU!

About a Broken Heart

Dear readers, 
I received a comment from a woman with a broken heart. She's been chanting for five months and the man that she was in love with left her and has gone away. I wish to address her here:
Dear Broken Hearted, 
Please do not give up. I can truly understand. The reason I began this blog almost two years ago was my broken heart. I was longing for a man who went away. Every morning I would wake up with his face in my mind...and I felt a constant physical ache in my belly....constant...real pain. It was hard to breathe sometimes. I felt like I was living in a nightmare of hell. 
Because of the suffering I went through then...and my fierce determination to change my life from the INSIDE so that I would never ever experience this intense pain again...this blog was born, and so was my incredibly beautiful life that I have now. 
The broken heart spurred me to chant 2 hours a day and sit in front of the Gohonzon chanting from the bottom of my soul to CHANGE MY KARMA FOREVER....to CHANGE WHATEVER WAS IN MY LIFE THAT ATTRACTED THIS HEARTACHE....AND to LOVE MYSELF SO MUCH....that this kind of pain would go away forever. 
Of course I spent a lot of time chanting to get him back too...because I believe that chanting sincerely for what you really want is the fuel that fires all your results in life. So I chanted to have him back...and gradually, over time, found other prayers that became more important to me. 
I embraced my district and chanted for each person every day. I chanted to change the heartache in my life for the sake of every woman who ever suffered in this way. 
I really know how you feel. 
If you can sit in front of your Gohonzon and chant resonant NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO for exactly what you desire...you will win. Don't worry if your desire is "correct"...ALL your desires are correct. They are yours. Chant from the bottom of your heart. USE THIS PAIN TO FUEL YOUR BEAUTIFUL FUTURE!
Here I am two years later, almost out of a marriage that was long over...I have my own sweet, beautiful little apartment in a gorgeous area with a pond, a pool and a health club. I have a miraculous new job where I am able to really have an impact on the lives of young people. I have so many friends, and even a new boyfriend who loves to make me happy, not sad. And my happiness doesn't depend on him or anything else. My focus is on doing my own human revolution, knowing that any real change happens within my life and is reflected on the outside in everything and everyone. 
That is the real key in life. Follow President Ikeda's Guidance. Chant for those you love...and those you don't love...and you WILL free yourself  from this pain. 
I promise. 

My Ben

Ben Silver

OK it's time to put the pedal to the metal again and chant really hard for my very own Ben...my Benjamino. 


He's such a great and determined warrior of a kid. 


He's 18 and finishing off his senior year of High School. He's a runner, who is passionate about running, one of the top ten in the state of Illinois (which is the top running state in the nation). 


Right now he can't run. He has a hip that is so painful that he can barely walk...and it comes from training too hard...pushing himself too hard...it comes from being so determined. And it's frustrating and sad for him to not be able to run this track season. He's also got a sinus infection so he is just feeling so down. 
He chants a fair amount, but I think he has yet to really prove the power of this Gohonzon with his life. Of course I can't push him to chant.
 But I can chant with the determination that my prayer will absolutely penetrate his sadness...that there will be medicine springing from this practice...and that MY Daimoku is enough for both of us. 
It is interesting that this comes about just as Mother's Day approaches. Really interesting. I will pour so much prayer into him, and chant really strongly. I know we can somehow turn this around. There is nothing more important in a mother's life then for her children to be happy. 
Please join me in my prayer for my Ben...and thank you soooo much!

Winning in the Morning means you win ALL DAY!

Amazing day!
This morning I was fighting my own sadness and negativity big time...I mean...I really hate this rainy weather..it gets inside my bones and my emotions...and I literally cried through the first hour and a half of my two hours of chanting. Really. I took a brief inspiration break and read from the book ~ Lectures on "On Attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime" by Daisaku Ikeda. I read: "We should above all strive to SUMMON FORTH COURAGEOUS FAITH to overcome illusion without being defeated..." and I sat back down and pictured myself in the last leg of one of Aaron or Ben's races and as I was chanting I said to my life:

"I don't care how many times I feel hopeless...I don't care how many times I feel defeated...I KNOW these feelings are not the true me! I KNOW that I am the Buddha, and I will continue to SUMMON my faith until I no longer have doubts...until I no longer feel this intense sadness...I AM DETERMINED TO BRING FORTH MY OWN BUDDHA NATURE>>>>I AM THE BUDDHA!!! I am determined to see the results of this prayer in my day today...I am determined to WIN over my own negativity!!!!"

And by the time I got to my first event of the day I was sailing!!! It was a collaborative event that I had arranged between my company and our most important partner...and the presentation was terrific and spawned a series of other cool collaborative events that will benefit many people and take place over the next year! We gave birth to some cool stuff!

Then I stopped into a store for lunch and found out something I bought had gone on sale and they gave me a $60 refund! Perfect timing...chanting puts you in rhythm....

After that I attended a networking event sponsored by my university. We did speed networking with students talking about our careers, and sharing our experiences with them. It was awesome...and I came away with the determination to put together a program like this at my son's high school. I know exactly the steps to take to accomplish this. I am passionate about people doing what they love, and helping teenagers research their futures by meeting people in business...forming connections and learning about different fields. Woohoo!!

Then I picked up my Mom and we went to the Cross Country Banquet and a party after that. I just got home. (It's about 1:30am my time...pretty late for this early riser!) I'll save that story for another post! Nam Myoho Renge Kyo...tomorrow is conference for our runners! Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!!!!!

Prayer in Buddhism

Prayer in this practice is very different than most forms of prayer.
While we are chanting we are busy focusing our thoughts like a laser beam cutting through our karma.
We are not "asking" anyone for anything...
We are instead making a vow or a determination
to accomplish something.
That's so different, isn't it?
We are chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
and at the same time vowing to win in whatever endeavor we desire.

Daisaku Ikeda says it best:

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.

For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encoragement
for September 20th
Daisaku Ikeda

The Three Proofs in Buddhism

Sunday's two hour tozo (chanting two hours) at the center was really challenging! I lead the chanting (the microphone was given to me, so I set the pace and the rhythm) from 8:30 until 9:00 am and it seemed like a very long time! Time is so funny, isn't it...sometimes I can chant a whole two hours or more and barely look at the clock, other times a half hour feels like forever!
When I first started chanting I was determined to chant 5 minutes every morning and evening. Sometimes that 5 minutes seemed like an eternity. I'm sure I stopped at 4 and 1/2 minutes sometimes! But the effort was worth it...I started to see results so soon. I started to feel lighter, I got a job, I met John Denver for the first time...so many things began to happen when I started chanting.

Now, I am digging so deep in my prayer. I am determined to rid my life of the underlying suffering that has always been in my life. I am determined to be aware of my own Buddha nature, to feel it, see it, appreciate it all the time...or as much as possible! I want to feel the love that is all around me all the time. I want to access an even deeper love for my own self...I know this transformation is possible.

And as I mentioned a few blogs ago, I am also chanting to get these thoughts of regret and sadness OUT of my brain!

I am chanting for so many people. I keep pictures of everyone up on my wall by my altar, and chant for them!

I am also chanting to know which foods are best for my body, to actually want to eat healthy foods and to be more beautiful, more radiant, more healthy than ever before! I am chanting to be an example, and to show actual proof of the power of chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. I am chanting to inspire people...many people to try chanting to see for themselves!

There are three proofs in Buddhism:

1) Is the practice rooted in original Buddhist doctrine?
The answer is YES, this practice goes back to the Lotus Sutra, expounded by Shakyamuni Buddha.

2) Does it accord with common sense?
The answer is YES, and that's one of the best things about this practice. It all just makes sense. OF COURSE you are the universe! OF COURSE you don't need a priest or interpreter to access that power. What you need is a tool. That tool is chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!

3) Is there actual proof of this practice? ~ Does it work? Does it get results? This is the most important of the three proofs.
The answer is YES, but please don't take my word for it!
I hope you'll prove to yourself that the answer is YES. It is purely experiential. I dare you to have the courage it takes to chant and see for yourself! Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!