Happy 5th Anniversary ChantforHappiness.com!

Happy 

5th Anniversary 

Chantforhappiness.com! 

Here I am - my hernia surgery was a week ago, August is here, and this week is the 5th year anniversary of Chantforhappiness.com! 

I feel like popping open a bottle of champagne and toasting to all of you! 
At first, I had no readers, I only had the memory of myself combing the bookstores and libraries to find this practice...looking for it for YEARS and finally finding it when I met Kate Randolph in San Francisco in 1985 when I was already 25 years old. Right away I wanted to share my new tool for happiness - the chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo within the SGI with everyone! 

In the past five years, the readership of Chantforhappiness.com has grown to 36,000 people a month ~ all over the world. This humble site has received more than 600,000 hits. Many of you are from the US, Australia, India, Singapore, Canada, Europe, Africa, South America, and many other places too. 

Where do YOU live? Write to me at Chantforhappiness@gmail.com and you may be in my next book. I'm collecting the emails I receive about how this blog has been a lifeline in places where there is no SGI, or how it has helped at times to give you that extra burst of energy to continue advancing fearlessly...(or to continue advancing with fear, but with strong determination too!)
My goal has been to help you connect with the Soka Gakkai International (which is full of people helping others become happy), and to the heart of our living mentor Daisaku Ikeda. I am so grateful to have raised my life from one of extreme depression, friendlessness, and sadness to one of strength and happiness that flows through me at every moment. I ride the wave of every challenge I face, and turn it into a benefit. And if I can do it so can YOU!

It's very mystic that I had surgery for a Hernia. When I consulted Louise Hay's book "You Can Heal Your Life" (one of my favorites ~ I always keep this book close to me) about the real meaning of a hernia, it said "Ruptured Relationships, Strain..." and I had to laugh. Hmmm, WHICH ruptured relationship? All of them? A particular one? My entire "ruptured relationship karma"? 
And I thought back to 5 years ago when I began this blog. It was born from the ashes of a ruptured relationship. I was missing someone so badly I could literally FEEL the pain in the exact area where my hernia operation took place. Heartache actually hurts. I know. I've felt it. I know how all of you who write to me about heartache feel. 
I also knew at the time that the pain I felt was INSIDE my life. Yes, it was triggered by the relationship, but it was within me, and therefore, I could forever root the cause of the karma of this pain and depression out of my life through this practice. So I began chanting two hours a day to get rid of this pain FOREVER...to Root it out of my family karma. And I began writing this blog so that I could show actual proof through my life and take the whole world along. And of course, it worked. I followed the Soka Gakkai's prescription for happiness. Now I have permanently turned a corner...raised my life condition...changed forever this state of suffering. Forever. Changed. No more depression. Ever. 

And here we are! 

During the life of this blog so many things have happened...including: 

My sweet Mommy died...
I had major hip replacement surgery... 
My son got into Medical School and just passed his boards with flying colors...
I wrote the book PowerPrayers for Chanting Your Way to Absolute Happiness and Success (soon to be released)... 
I went through the biggest challenge of my life when my son became sick this year and he is now much better... 
and now I am mystically recovering from surgery in the exact part of my body that triggered the blog in the first place. And you, my friends, have accompanied me on every leg of this journey as I've proven the power of the Mystic Law with my life...and as YOU'VE proved the power with your own lives! 

I have answered hundreds and hundreds of emails. I have shared laughter with you, and I've shared your tears. In some cases I've been able to answer a few seconds after you wrote; others of you have had to wait longer, or have had to write me again when times were busy. Many mornings I have woken up to 5, 6, 7 emails from you...and sometimes...just when I needed it most...your emails were full of appreciation that brought tears to my eyes...just at the right time! 

Many of you have connected with the SGI through this blog. Others have reconnected. Many of you have broken through...some are still fighting, but are not alone! 
And yes, some of you found out about this practice for the first time through Chantforhappiness.com. I want to hear all your stories, and share them if you'll let me. Don't worry though, I never share anything unless you give me permission, so whatever you write is in confidence. You know the email: chantforhappiness@gmail.com

I can tell you with more confidence than ever that chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo IS the answer to every single one of your questions and the exact prescription for all of the success and happiness you were born to experience. I write this blog to show through my own life experience, my own ups and downs, that anything is possible. And it IS! If I can overcome my heartache and lifelong depression so can you. So can anyone. If I can lose the weight that my mother carried...that all the women in my life have carried...then ANYTHING is possible, because THAT was clearly impossible...
I write this blog to show you the impossible is possible and to share our glorious mission in life together! 

I salute YOU my dear friends! I salute YOU! 

Join Us as We Chant A Million Daimoku by the end of the Year

This is a momentous year for the SGI. On November 18th the new world headquarters will be completed in Tokyo. Many of us have big goals that we intend to complete by that time. You can set goals to achieve by then as well. 

Yesterday I decided that I was facing a lot of challenges, and that NOW was a great time to begin a Daimoku Campaign. I thought about having it end by November 18th, but that would mean chanting three hours a day, and I just can't commit to that at this point. So I decided to aim my Daimoku chart for the end of the year - or sooner, and chant at least an hour and a half a day. Would you like to join me? 

If you begin with us now, you will have chanted a million daimoku (Nam-myoho-renge-kyo) by the end of the year. You can download a free daimoku chart, buy one at your local SGI center for about a dollar or make your own. One million Daimoku equals 300 hours. I'm not sure who first figured that out, but it's the formula everyone uses. To reach that total by the end of the year we each have to chant an hour and a half ~ are you up for the challenge?

Already many of you have emailed and said "YES~! I'm IN!" and some of you have also sent your goals for the campaign. 

How do you launch a Daimoku Campaign? 

First, DECIDE to do it. Find a way to track. I like the Daimoku chart I got at the SGI Center because it has little circles to fill in for every 15 minutes I chant. 
(It has 4 circles for every hour so 4 x 300 hours means there are 1200 little circles)
I always write in the date after I fill in the circles so I don't lose track. It makes chanting even more fun, I think, because every day you have a goal and track it. And on the chart, or on the back of the chart you write all your goals. 

I remember chanting a million daimoku towards the birth of my first child. I wasn't even pregnant before I started the chart. I chanted for the maturity to be a good mother, I chanted for a house to raise my child, to have a great relationship with my husband, for the child to be healthy, to have a safe delivery, and a good income to take care of everything. I found a job where I earned sales commissions that went up and up and up, and only worked three days a week. We bought a beautiful house on the top of a hill in San Francisco and I started having SGI meetings. And I poured Daimoku into the child that was coming to me. I chanted that this child's karma would be totally affected by all my daimoku and that this child would not have to suffer from all the things I did as a child. I chanted so hard for this child, and every one of my goals came true. 

Will all your goals manifest with one Daimoku Chart? That I can't tell you. But I can tell you you'll be a lot closer to them for having made a strong determination and completed it. And if you still have things you want to accomplish - well then, you start another million daimoku campaign! I have done many in my life and I feel the effects of them every day. 

If you have questions, or if you want to let me know you are joining us please email me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com. You can even send your picture and your determinations. Maybe I will share some of them on this site (never without your permission, of course!). And I look forward to sharing all our successes!

Power Prayers - Determinations for the New Year

I am working on my determinations for the New Year. 
They are not done yet, but when they are I will share them with you. I know for sure that there are aspects of my current life situation that I am determined not to take into the new year, and other things I want to create.  

I also know that there are so many things I have to appreciate about my life and my progress so far. 

As some of you know, for the past year and a half I have lived in my first apartment. This is a great feat for me - one I felt was almost impossible a few years ago. I am learning how to take care of myself in all areas of my life. I am financially responsible. I have totally changed to a healthy plant-based whole food way of life that has alleviated many of the health problems I experienced my whole life. My health is continuing to improve. 

I'm planning on having a session with myself where I write down all my accomplishments from the past year....everything I can appreciate from the last year. Then I will set about creating new determinations for every area. 

Determinations are different from goals, although they are goal oriented. 

A sample determination - or Power Prayer would be:

I am determined to increase health and happiness in all areas of my life. All the resources and people I need to achieve this goal flow seamlessly into my life. All I need is provided for right away. Every day I feel healthier, more awake and more vibrant than ever. I am determined to show actual proof of this practice by radiating health, happiness and peace of mind.

That's one sample Power Prayer - 
Would you like to share yours with the other readers? 
Send your power prayers to me at silversunsinger@gmail.com.

I can publish with your name or anonymously. Your choice.  

Make Your Mighty Determinations!

Today!

Why not? 

It's your life!

What is a determination? 

It's a goal, and it's a call of your spirit. It's a paragraph that conveys what you really want. 

When Kathy was chanting for her job she had a deep determination. She determined that she was going to find her retirement job...the job she'd stay in until she retired. She determined it would have all the bells and whistles, great benefits, the hours she wanted, the income she wanted...vacation etc. She determined it would be a "home" for her, full of warm people who appreciate her. She determined that it would be a job that showed actual proof of the Gohonzon and that it would inspire others to chant to achieve their goals. She also determined that while she was unemployed she and her family would not suffer in any way. 

All of these determinations were realized! 


She had her first day at her new job on Monday. It was amazing. She immediately felt welcomed. SHe got there early with the other early people, and discovered they have one of those cool gourmet one-cup-at-a-time coffee makers. At her last job they didn't have any coffee at all, and she had to bring a carafe from home. I know that's the tip of the iceberg for her. I know that each day she will reveal another benefit of this job. Last night she was invited out to a celebratory dinner with her co-workers. On her first day her boss called her in and said that her position had been open for a long, long time...and they had chosen her very carefully!!

Isn't that awesome?

What is YOUR determination? 

Would you like to share it with us? 

What is the blog about? Happiness!

This blog is about chanting the words "Nam Myoho Renge Kyo" to access your highest potential in life and bring about true and everlasting happiness that is unshakable in any circumstances. 


I write this blog so that you can see the possibility and determine to create this kind of happiness for yourself. Every day I am determined to live my life as a shining example that this practice works for every single problem, and to show that living a life of undaunted happiness is possible - so that I can encourage others! 


What is happiness? Does it mean that I am never ever unhappy? No. I experience times of unhappiness, but they are less frequent and less deep than they ever were...and they last a far shorter time. The key is that I know, with absolute confidence that I am improving in all areas of my life. And there is never a problem I cannot solve. In fact, my problems are the fuel for my growth and help me to build this unshakable confidence in my own life. I have proven the validity of this practice, this law of life, over and over and over. 


Right now I've been chanting more than half the time I've been alive. Every day, twice a day!


Since I discovered chanting (and I had to move to California to find it - which is why I write this blog for you, and why I am writing my books about chanting) ~


I have rooted the deep, deep hopelessness and depression out of my life. I no longer have anxiety, or asthma, and I have lost 70 pounds. 
I was lonely for the first half of my life. Now I have friends; many sincere friends, and I make new friends every day. 


I have achieved business success in many areas, and I look forward to every day. 
I am fully expressing myself in every way. I'm a public speaker, a poet, a writer and I love to encourage others. 
I'm writing books and audio books to further encourage you. 
I have had the most marvelous time raising my two happy and successful children in this faith. They started overcoming their problems when they were tiny little guys with bad dreams. A few Nam Myoho Renge Kyos later and Boom, no more bad dreams. They solved problems of bullying, studying, and much more through chanting. As many of you know, Aaron is about to start medical school next Monday, and Ben is a Sophomore in college. I still have areas that I am working on...and I am determined to win in all areas of my life, so that I can encourage you! 


I am a District Leader in the Soka Gakkai organization, which is led by normal people just like me who have dedicated their lives to happiness for themselves and happiness for others. I have many mentors I speak with every day, and many friends who chant alongside me. And I have been lucky enough to be born during the lifetime of Daisaku Ikeda who has dedicated his life to the happiness of all of us since he was 19 years old and is now 83. He is the President of the Soka Gakkai (Value Creating organization - dedicated to Peace, Education and Culture) and I read his words every day. 


You can find his quotes at Ikedaquotes.org, and the organization's website is sgi-usa.org, or search on SGI International to find members in your area. People who chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo with the SGI are in almost every country. 
We chant together to magnify our results and encourage ourselves and others. Nothing makes us happier than meeting new people who are interested in chanting! Never be afraid to call and attend a meeting. you will be welcomed with open arms. 


I host meetings every Wednesday at 7pm in the Western Suburbs of the Chicago area, and there are meetings everywhere in the world. The SGI websites can help you connect. 


YOU are integral to the success of this blog and I chant for you, my readers every single day. I appreciate every single email I receive at silversunsinger@gmail.com, and I respond to every single one. I love hearing your successes and sharing your successes with the other blog readers. Please continue to write to me and post comments on this blog. And THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for sending this blog to your friends and those you want to encourage. All you do is send an email with chantforhappiness.com in the message. 


THANK YOU! Have a great day! 

An Honored Birthday ~ and New Beginnings

Today would have been my sweet Mommy's 81st birthday. 
I know that sounds old to many of you...but to some I'm sure it doesn't. You know I spent many years working in a nursing home. I once heard a 99 year old man call an 83 year old woman a "youngster"

It really seems fitting that I began the day by chanting two hours of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo with six of the members in my district. It felt so good!  We all have many challenges and much to chant about. That is our benefit. ALL of us are strengthening our life conditions and turning poison into benefit. 


We have also been celebrating the fact that it has been a full year since my teenage friend Shazara "went missing" from her home in the depths of despair and ended up on my doorstep...a complete stranger... but not for long. I invited her in and invited her to chant. One she started, she didn't want to stop. Today she is a very different young lady...she has solved her lifetime problem of being bullied, she is filled with life and enthusiasm and determined to help other teenagers end their pain like she did. This year will be her senior year in High School. I can't wait to see what she will accomplish! 


And it also was just perfect, that on Mom's birthday, Ben and I helped Aaron move into his new rental house close to the Loyola Medical School Campus. He starts Med school on the 30th of August. 
Wow! He has planned for this for so many years. 
He has chanted so much to prepare his life!


I am inspired! And my Mom...she is thrilled and proud! 

Born in San Francisco, a 49er fan for life!

Aaron's shared rental house

Great Colors!

More about changing relationships

This week I've written about determinations and changing poison into medicine in all areas of our lives. 
Today I want to remind you that when you want to change a difficult relationship into a great one, determinations and chanting are important, but please remember that your everyday actions make a huge difference. 


If people come to you saying bad things about the person you are focusing on - you must not join the party of people speaking ill of that person! Your everyday actions, thoughts and words are ALL CAUSES that you are making. You want to focus on making good causes at all times. 


If you want to change a troubling relationship into a fabulous one please reread the post from Monday. Then watch your actions, and refuse to join the folks who are badmouthing the person whose happiness you are chanting for so deeply. 


All of this is up to you. 


Your happiness rests on you doing your own human revolution. You may think that your chanting for the difficult person is about THEM. But NO! It is about your human revolution. It is about YOU creating the flow of energy that will attract only amazingly great things into your life! It is about you changing from the inside so that you can build a solid sense of self that will be strong and happy NO MATTER WHAT your circumstances!!! It is about YOU, and the other person...and YOU are leading the way for the happiness of all humanity. YOU are opening the door to happiness in your life, in the life of the "difficult" person, and in the happiness of us all because, as you know so well...we are all interconnected!!!

Where else do we need determinations?

I thought about the nature of determinations all day yesterday.


And I saw something in my own life, and found some great quotes I'd like to share with you. 


I started thinking about the areas of my life where I have the most complaints rumbling around in my head. And I realized that there is a direct relationship between complaints and a lack of a clear determination to WIN. 


Remember that Human Revolution is not easy. Only lions can roar! 


It takes courage to realize that the things you (me) have been complaining about (in our heads or out loud) are EXACTLY the same areas where we lack strong determinations. 


What other determinations can you summon from the depths of your being? 
What are the areas you've been "hoping" will change, but you don't have a strong determination to win? 


I'm looking at those areas and am about to sit down and chant my morning hour of daimoku with an open mind and an open heart for change in my own life...perspective...and most of all fresh, clear determinations. 


June's issue of Living Buddhism (available at US Buddhist Centers, by calling 310-260-8900, or visiting www.sgi-usa.org) is excellent, as always. 


Under the section "Writings for Discussion Meetings - Building a Solid Sense of Self" the article talks about Nichiren Daishonin's Determination. 
He knew that he would be persecuted as a votary of the Lotus Sutra, and even before anything happened he resolved (made the determination) that "whatever might happen to me in the future, I must not bear any hatred toward others." 
The article continues, "When we find ourselves in a difficult situation we can use it as an opportunity to apply our Buddhist practice to our daily lives and transform the situation. It's also important that we self-reflect on our own actions and continue to polish our character and how we interact with and treat others....with difficulties at work, at home or in other areas of life, once we make a firm determination to win, it does not matter what others choose to do or say. If we persevere with confidence and dignity on the course we have chosen, we can break through any obstacle. Through our Buddhist practice , we can open up and transform all areas of our life, no matter the difficulties." 


I feel this with my life and am working on fresh new determinations in the areas of my life that could stand a fresh blast of the light of Daimoku. 


In the article Daisaku Ikeda is quoted as saying "Building a solid and unmoving self like Mount Fuji means doing our Human Revolution, elevating our state of life, based on our practice of faith. It means developing a solid self that is never defeated by our environment or circumstances and is capable of transforming everything into happiness and victory. True Happiness shines in the lives of those who possess such an indomitable spirit." 


YES!