THiS IS OUR TIME!

Greetings fellow members! 
We are joined across the miles like never before! 
We are meeting by internet, 
meeting on the phone 
and meeting in our hearts.


THIS is the time we were born for. 
THIS is our collective CRUCIAL MOMENT! 

NOW we can show actual proof more than ever. 
We can do what we do best ~ chant for ourselves, chant for our neighbors, friends, family and everyone in the world, and show actual proof !

How do we show actual proof now? How do we become truly happy? 

We rejoice in the fact that we are collectively experiencing a HUGE OBSTACLE, and we can determine to have a HUGE BENEFIT...for ourselves and for the planet. I'll never forget when I met one of the wonderful Japanese friends who came over to encourage us in San Francisco. He said, "Jamie, when I get a huge problem I am soooo happy, because I know I'll have a huge benefit!" 
What a great way to look at our lives right now: poison into benefit. That's the attitude I took when Ben died and look at me now. Living on the beach, helping people live happier lives. Awesome. 

How do we show actual proof? 

We keep our heads up (I mean that literally! Keeping our heads up affects our moods and demeanor)

We chant as much as we can. 
We raise our life condition as we raise the life condition of the planet and the universe. 

We keep smiling and encouraging others. 

We can do more shakubuku than ever because we can connect via phone and via the internet to share our experiences. 

AND we do not HAVE TO BE PERFECT. We are human beings. It's okay for us to experience emotions, and to be our authentic selves. 

How do we do this? How do we generate the lion's roar when we may not feel it every moment? 

Does anyone remember the story of the mudslide in South or Central America? I don't remember the details, but I do know the family inside the house was chanting Daimoku and the mudslide went entirely around the house. The power of our daimoku - Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is STRONG. It is our own life force joined with the life force of the universe. And now is our time to shine and help others. 

Here's your 

PowerPrayer to 

Get our Daimoku ROARING! 

Copywrite Jamie Lee Silver LLC
ChantforHappiness.com, ChantforHappiness@gmail.com

Life! 
I got this! 
This is my crucial moment! 
This is the World's Crucial Moment! 
Even though I might be scared, 
In my heart, I know we got this! 
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is like THE ROAR OF THE LION! 
And I'm roaring right now. 
Shoten Zenjin, get behind me and have my back!
Make every Nam-myoho-renge-kyo I chant have a million times more impact than ever. 
As I chant I picture the world healthy and glowing. 
I picture my family, myself, and everything around me raising in vibration. 
I will not give in to despair. 
I will not give in to fear. 
I am determined to_________________________
(add your determination here - it can be whatever you want, a daimoku goal, a lifestyle goal. You can chant for others and yourself)
I will SHOW ACTUAL PROOF THROUGH MY LIFE MORE THAN EVER! 

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo! 

Go get 'em lions! 

12 Great Quotes on Overcoming Illness by Daisaku Ikeda

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

From Buddhism Day by Day:

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

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

9, “No matter what the circumstances, you should never concede defeat.  Never conclude that you’ve reached a dead end, that everything is finished.  You possess a glorious future.  And precisely because of that, you must persevere and study.  Life is eternal.  We need to focus on the two existences of the present and the future and not get caught up in the past.  We must always have the spirit to begin anew ‘from this moment,’ to initiate a new struggle each day.” Pg 315

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



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

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

Lighting the Lamp of Hope from Florida!

Hello, Hello! 

It's been a busy, busy Christmas season filled with travels, parties and my fantastic new job. It is such a thrill to help families with their loved ones who need care. I love my job! I am just having a blast with my new life in my new city. 

Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the source and power of every fantastic moment in my life. Every morning I chant. Every evening I chant. And THIS month one of my dearest new friends received her Gohonzon! She's so inspiring! My friend Deb is so excited about this practice. She's been through a lot this year, losing both her parents within three months of each other. 

And from the moment she started chanting she could feel the power in her life. She could feel herself surrounded by all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas in the universe. We set up a spectacular altar for her using a beautiful piece of furniture she already owned, and a new Butsudan. And you know what? Every day she inspires ME even more. Doing shakubuku is so amazing. The minute you shakubuku someone THEY start encouraging your practice! 

This Christmas season was especially sweet. Last year at this time I had to move, and I had a broken foot, and it was just my second Christmas since Ben became eternal. This year I've been filled with appreciation every single moment. I appreciate this practice, my new and old friends, my health and my family. I feel the incredible surge of fortune in my life. 

Keep practicing, don 't give up, and turn every poison into medicine and you will make your life shine too! 

Throwing the Windows Of Our Lives Wide Open!

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Six years ago today, July 30th, 2009,  I made the determination to root sadness and depression out of my life by chanting 2 hours a day. I joined with my dear friend Melissa Bradford, and made a pact to chant 2 hours a day together by texting when we started and ended, called each other frequently, and chanted together in person as often as possible.

During the first hour of Daimoku, I thought about how long I searched to find this practice...how I spent years in bookstores, only finding books on Buddhism that said the cause of my suffering was my desire...and thinking "Buddhism really sounds good on so many levels, but I don't think I want to separate from my desires!" and I kept looking for the practice I KNEW had to exist. 
I moved to California searching for this practice, found it in 1985, (Thank you, Kate Randolph! Delores Hepburn, Gene O'Connell, Amos Snell, Diane Douglass and countless others who raised me!) and have gratefully embraced my daily practice ever since. 

As I was chanting that first hour of my campaign in 2009, I thought "YES! I WILL alleviate my lifelong depression, AND I will take the world with me and spend the rest of my life proving the validity of this practice through my own life." I envisioned people all over the world sitting down at their computers thinking "Happiness has to be in here somewhere!" and I wanted to help each one find it! So I called the blog Chantforhappiness.com. 

Since then I have permanently changed my emotional karma. I have a full range of emotions, I am happy, sad, thoughtful, you name it, but I no longer wake up with a veil of depression blanketing me and thinking "Oh no, I just have to get through this day." (As I had so many days in my life - and I am certain my mother also felt) I have changed this karma by constantly challenging it in front of the Gohonzon and roaring "NOT AGAIN! NOT TODAY! With this Daimoku right now I'M FOREVER VANQUISHING THIS FEELING!" every time it resurfaced. Boom. 

And of course, so many things have happened in these six years, great life changes, including a much-needed divorce that has been so amicable it has inspired people to chant, honing my skills as a public speaker and writer, and challenging my life at every moment. Including when my dear son Ben became sick two years ago. Ben began his next journey four weeks ago today. On a full moon. 
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo Ben! Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

Nothing can stop me now. My worst fear has happened, and I am still living, more determined to create value with my life ~  to live my life as an example that anything is possible through chanting the name of the Mystic law, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with my mentor in life, Daisaku Ikeda, and the glorious SGI at my side. 

And YOU, my precious friends, have been with me, comrades in faith! At first one, then ten, then many have come along to read this blog and be inspired to become happy. Your communications have lighted my way as much as my blogs have lighted yours. Together, along with our mentor we care changing the world through our own Human Revolution. You are now 60,000 strong a month and growing. Thank you for sharing this blog and your heart with the world, and with me! 

In the July 3rd World Tribune, Daisaku Ikeda states:

"The Buddhist principle 
of three thousand realms in a single moment of life 
teaches us that 
each moment contains possibilities as vast as the universe. Nichiren Daishonin writes, 
"As life does not go beyond the moment, 
the Buddha expounded the blessings 
that come from a single moment of rejoicing 
[on hearing the Lotus Sutra]" 
("Embracing the Lotus Sutra" The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol.1, p. 62). 

Don't let the present moment slip by. 
Like throwing the windows wide open, 
open your lives to the fullest, 
and manifest the joy-filled 
wisdom and power 
of the Buddha. 
Faith in the Mystic Law enables us to do this. 
Every moment is a challenge, 
every moment is a win-or-lose struggle. 
It's a waste to limit your potential 
by locking yourself away 
and letting yourself be ruled by fear, 
Challenge yourself 
with an eager and optimistic spirit. 

When things are tough, 
warmly encourage one another as good friends in faith, 
and move resolutely toward victory 
by bringing forth 
the invincible power of the Buddha and the Law 
through the dynamic power of faith and practice." 

From the Essay "July 3rd and the Spirit of mentor and Disciple" by President Ikeda, in the July 3rd, 2015 World Tribune, page 4

Here is my first post: 

Join me!
I chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo (pronounced Nahm Meeyoho Raingay Kyo)
It means - I fuse my life with the law of cause and effect through sound vibration, or I am one with the flow of life, or I am the Buddha myself! Chanting these words has a profound and practical impact on my life....and it can on anyone's life.
When you chant these words you tap into the eternal universe that's already inside you...the one you know is there, that you've always known is there. Chanting these words allows you to tap the great power you have always had.
On October 20th of 2009 I will have been chanting these words every day...twice a day for 25 years! Between now and October 20th I will be chanting two hours every single day. By October 20th I will have chanted a million daimoku (pron: diemoku, and it means chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo over and over) with a goal to accomplish many dreams:

Here are my determinations:
I wish to inspire others through sharing my heart, my struggles and my successes.
I wish to share the heart of my mentor Daisaku Ikeda (President of the Soka Gakkai International) with the world.
I will release my life from the underlying sadness I have always felt...the sadness that has no name and no real cause. I believe I was born with this sadness, and that it is my mission in this life to free myself from it.
I will have a body that is pain free! I will be able to move in any way I want. For several years I have been battling with a painful right leg. I believe it is arthritis, but I keep thinking I can solve the pain through some other means than surgery. I have never had surgery and never want to have it! (I completed this surgery in 2010 and have been pain-free ever since)
I will be on the way to losing the rest of the weight I've been challenged with my entire life. (I've already lost 50 pounds). 
I will naturally attract opportunities that delight me!
I will make lots of new friends and connections!
I will become a published author!

5 Keys to Make Your Gongyo (and your life) Sparkle!

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Perfecting our daily recitation of Gongyo and Daimoku is our spiritual work-out for the interior of our lives, this work-out makes our environments 
(our world at every moment, 
and all the people and things and EVERYTHING in it) 
flow smoothly...and we can accomplish our goals and live fulfilling lives.  

This morning I was thinking about Shakyamuni meditating under the Bodhi Tree. He was assailed by many inner demons to make him stop or to throw off his meditation. 
He kept focused. He won. 
Our practice of Gongyo every day is just like this. 
We are the Buddha! 
Every day - twice a day!  
We must win! 
Gongyo is important!

Our concentration will pay off. Doing gongyo with the following guidelines has brought me great benefit. 
(As always ~ these writings are mine, and come from my heart to yours.)

4 Tips for a Powerful Gongyo
Don't just "do" Gongyo. Feel it. Experience it.
by Jamie Lee Silver at chantforhappiness.com 

1. Put your phone in another room. 
                 Claim this time as YOUR OWN! 

2. Pray each silent prayer with all your heart. 

Elevate the moment from reading to praying! 

Read each silent prayer over and over until you can actually feel the appreciation. Read the silent prayers until they sink in...and you are praying in appreciation. If you don't know why Nichiren Daishonin and the three presidents deserve your praise, please ask a fellow member and study the history of Nichiren Buddhism and the Soka Gakkai. (Clink the link to the right to find your local SGI group) It took tremendous conviction and courage to bring this practice to us today! 
During these prayers, I bring forth the gratitude I feel for having this practice in my life.   

3. Begin and end Gongyo 
                     with no interruptions. 

I recite the silent prayers at the end of Gongyo soon after the recitation...not after finishing all my daimoku for the morning. This makes it easier to do a complete gongyo before I get up to do something else, or refresh my drink or whatever. 
I start and complete gongyo. Boom. 
Then I can do as much daimoku as I want, with gongyo done. Complete. With no interruptions. If I get interrupted in the middle of gongyo I begin again! I see this helping me complete things in my life on a much more regular basis. 

4. Chant every morning and evening. 

I know, I know, you've heard this before. The reason I keep repeating this message is that it WORKS! When we do gongyo twice a day our lives get on a roll. You have to experience it to see it! I can't tell you how it feels. I can tell you that one of my YWD (young woman) finally began chanting twice a day (after refusing to do this for two years) she was able to realize a hidden goal, bring it to the surface, chant about it, and now she's living her dream in Colorado. Chanting twice a day WORKS! 

5. Perfect Your Rhythm 
              and Pronunciation of Gongyo

In the early days of my practice, I was fortunate to have a leader who believed that perfecting gongyo was important. Everyday I showed up at her house to fine-tune my rhythm and pronunciation. You can do the same, and it will energize your practice and life. 
I suggest finding a mentor in your SGI circle who can work with you. To learn, I would bring a pencil and circle the parts I found difficult, and highlight my mistakes. The next time through I'd be aware of the challenging parts because I'd circled them. I learned it like a song. 
I love teaching gongyo to beginners because it is easier to learn it right the first time, but not impossible to fix, if learned wrong. 

Having perfect gongyo gives me confidence. 

I'd like to hear your stories of how perfecting your gongyo changes your life. Everything we do to enhance our practice is reflected in our lives. 

Gongyo and Daimoku are our laboratory 
where we create the lives of our dreams! 

One of the things I will do for you is create an echo gongyo lesson. I'll let you know when that's ready for you! But please don't wait - get started perfecting your gongyo now! 

I'm interested in hearing how you are perfecting your gongyo! 
Doing Gongyo is like lifting spiritual weights. how strong can we make our lives? 
That's what we're talking about! 
Email me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com

PowerPrayer to Demand Your Results! Roooaaarrr!

Sometimes we have to get mad when we chant! 

Lions ROAR! Lions ROAR! 

When we chant 
we are chanting 
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to our own life, and sometimes we have to chant with this thought:

 "Life! Enough is enough! I am changing this karma NOW."

Some of you have written me that you are feeling hopeless and controlled by others. Chant and take action!

RISE UP to your life while chanting and DEMAND results now. 

We are all noble Boddhisatvas of the earth. 

In The Heart of the Lotus Sutra, Daisaku Ikeda writes:

"When we do gongyo "we are in effect vowing to advance kosen-rufu in accord with the spirit of the original Buddha. Every day we pledge to the Daishonin, "Without fail, I will believe in and spread the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin and help lead all people to enlightenment." 
page 150

And to fulfill this vow, we have to win in our lives. 
  
Each of us has some negative tendency that happens over and over, don't we? For me, I struggled for years with a feeling that would just overcome me, and wash over me like a wave. Out of nowhere I would feel unloved, unlovable and hopeless. I'd call my friend in faith Kate, and she'd remind me that this feeling was a function of the fundamental darkness within my life and within all of life, and this was AGAIN my time to summon up the power of my faith. 

That's why I say 
BE FUELED BY YOUR OBSTACLES, 
not FOOLED BY THEM! 

"Get MAD at the shoten zenjin!" Kate would say. 
(Shoten Zenjin are the protective forces that counterbalance fundamental darkness. We use our practice to increase the shoten zenjin and banish fundamental darkness.) 
And I would generate some angry energy, roar like a lion and use this PowerPrayer inspired by Kate - it totally changed my life:

PowerPrayer to say, 

"No More! Enough is enough!”
I change this negative function NOW! 
By Jamie Lee Silver from ChantforHappiness.com

I am chanting with 

absolute conviction in the power of my life to declare and demand:

No more of this karma 

of feeling insecure and doubting myself.

I root this karma out of my life with every Nam-myoho-renge-kyo I chant! 

No more of this karma 

of being abused or disrespected by anyone or any thing!

No more doubting my own Buddha Nature!

No more living in fear!

No more feeling unloved or hopeless.

No more ________________ (you fill in the blank.)

I now create _________________________________in my life starting now.

I don't CARE how many times I have to chant about this. I don't CARE how many times you try to bring me down. 

I will win! 

I MUST Win because I am a votary of the Lotus Sutra. I am living my life to prove that chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo works and to help others become happy. 

I will win!!!

I am the Buddha.

I am roaring with power in my life!

I now determine with all the power vested in me that I will___________________________.

The wisdom to take the actions to create this breakthrough comes to me now!

Here are the actions I will take today:______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4 Great Quotes by to Fuel Your Day by Daisaku Ikeda

We practice Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism...chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo (meaning: I fuse my life with the mystic law of cause and effect through sound vibration) every morning and evening and growing our lives, our happiness, our fulfillment by tapping into our greatest powerful selves! Here are some quotes from Daisaku Ikeda, the third president of the Soka Gakkai: 

1. EVERYTHING is contained in the single word, faith. 
It encompasses 
truth, 
courage, 
wisdom 
and good fortune. 
It includes compassion and humanity 
as well as peace, culture and happiness. 
Faith is eternal hope; 
it is the secret to limitless self-development. 
Faith is the most basic principle for growth.
2. THIS is the age of self-indulgence. 
Therefore, those who lack a clear direction in life inadvertently drift towards merrymaking 
and pleasure-seeking. 
The organization of kosen-rufu and SGI activities 
direct one towards self-improvement 
and towards realizing true fulfillment in life. 
No action taken based on faith is wasted. 
In every respect, 
such actions will come to take on the greatest significance.
3. OPTIMISTS are raised by good mothers. 
It is important for mothers to be optimistic 
and not brood over their troubles. 
Such cheerfulness, 
while not only being beneficial for the mother herself, 
will also become a source of strength for the children throughout their lives. 
If a mother is full of vitality, 
then her children will be also. 
Thus, she will enable the whole family 
and those around them to feel at ease 
to go about their activities full of hope.
4. THERE are innumerable types of suffering. 
What we should realize 
is that the times when we suffer severely 
are also when we challenge and change our karma, 
and unlock the door to great good fortune. 
True happiness means 
to establish a condition in which we can gladly face 
even the greatest suffering and overcome it.

This last quote speaks volumes to many of us. I am here in Ohio, and Ben's interview was moved to today. Yesterday my life-condition dipped and I felt angry and emotional. That's how we know our life condition is low - when everything makes us mad! I chanted last night and today I awakened very early, moved my body, and now I sit down to chant. There is no such thing as no hope! 
I am chanting for all of you, and that each one of you reads something here in these many blogposts that strengthens and fortifies your mind of faith so you can USE that muscle of faith and make whatever you want happen! 

Celebration Ceremony for a Milestone Reached

Some of my best friends in Chicago, Lashell, Gaye, me, Mary, Laurie, Kindred and Sarah

Last night I had a party celebrating my reaching a new milestone in life, and some of my best girlfriends were able to come. If only all of you, all over the world could have been there. What a great party that would have been...!

You know, I have the belief that major transitions in life should be honored with a ceremony of some type. That's why I became a certified celebrant ~ so I could perform weddings, funerals, and other ceremonies.  

Last night we had a candle ceremony. I gave everyone a lit votive candle in glass, and as we held them, we went around the room. Each person gave a blessing of words to honor my new life and bright future, and a blessing for all of us, and the world. When everyone had said their blessing, we each made our own private wish and blew out our candles. Beautiful. 

Thank you for being with me and for being my friend. I am chanting to be able to visit you all over the world, and for us to meet one day. Maybe I'll be in a lovely place and you can visit me! 

We Align with Buddhahood through Daimoku

"The air 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 daimoku 
(Nam-myoho-renge-kyo) 
to the Gohonzon 
aligns the rhythm of our own lives 
with the world of Budhahood in the universe. 
It "tunes" our lives, so to speak, 
so that we can manifest 
the power of Buddhahood in our very beings."

and 

"Everything becomes a source of value, 
everything is brought to live, 
when we base ourselves on Daimoku. 
The Daishonin teaches 
that myo in Nam-myoho-renge-kyo
means "to revive, to return to life."
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo rejuvenates all knowledge;
it revitalizes our daily lives."


Daisaku Ikeda from Faith in Action p.118 in the Gongyo and Daimoku section. 

And I have great news! Ben was officially accepted into the place that will herald the next positive phase of his life. This is a place that has a great track record of helping people who have illnesses like Ben's to learn to live their lives successfully, and happily...with purpose. You know I am dancing in joy. We will be driving him the 8 hours to this location sometime in the next few days. Nam-myoho-rnege-kyo! 

What is TRUE Success in Life?

I love reading President Ikeda's words. They are infused with the energy of life...

This morning I chanted for over an hour and did gongyo. It is an important day, I have a speech to give in the morning, a presentation to business referral sources in the afternoon, and it is also a big day personally. 

My son is being interviewed for placement in a community that will be very positive for his life. The results they show regarding the people who have lived there are remarkable. People are living lives of value...just the answer to my prayer for my son. It is two states away...about an 8 hour drive, but I'm sure, as any parent would know, that I would fly with him to the moon and back if I thought it would be a positive experience for him that would impact his life. I will miss him. But I am happy for him. It is the answer to my prayer. It IS the result of trusting the Gohonzon (the power within my own life).

So I pulled out my favorite book of Daisaku Ikeda quotes for you - Faith in Action. It has quotes arranges by category. I truly could just publish the whole book on this blog because every one of the quotes is impactful, but for today I'll just choose a few under SUCCESS. 
From Faith in Action, page 68:

"What is success in life? 
Who are the truly successful? 
There are famous and powerful people 
who become pitiful figures in their old age. 
There are people who die alone, 
feeling empty and desolate. 
Just what is success? 

The English thinker Walter Pater (1839-94) wrote:

"To burn always with this hard, gemlike flame, to maintain this ecstasy, is success in life."

The person who lives life fully, glowing with life's energy, is the person who lives a successful life."

Yes! 

and on the same page:

"Such things as money, fame and material possessions 
offer fleeting satisfaction 
that can be called relative happiness. 
However, when we transform our lives internally, 
when we develop within ourselves a brilliant inner palace, then we can be said 
to have established absolute happiness."

Daisaku Ikeda

Now, that's not to say that we can't, or should not have wealth, or fortunes of the storehouse. This practice is not about taking a vow of poverty. But we all know, that yes, money is great because we can do so much good with it, but money alone does not bring happiness. It is our inner state of life, our towering conviction that NO MATTER WHAT LIFE PRESENTS TO US - No matter what.. We will win. We can bring forth our own Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and win. That is fortune! 

Guidance by Daisaku Ikeda

ONLY by means of the supreme law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo can one change the suffering to which he is destined. He can also enjoy happiness throughout his life, which is the desire of all human beings. For this purpose, faith is essential.




IN many cases, other families are not practicing Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism. There is no need to worry or grow anxious about this. That is because, if we stand up earnestly and confidently in faith, we can lead all of our families and relatives in the direction of happiness and hope. We are like a solitary lighthouse on a dark night, enabling numerous ships to safely sail the seas.


GONGYO is a solemn ceremony in which we fuse our lives with the life-state of the Buddha. By steadfastly and continually carrying out the practice of gongyo and daimoku, the world of Buddhahood in our life becomes solidified, just as firmly packing a pile of earth will produce a strong foundation.


WHEN you possess a life-condition in which you can enjoy everything no matter what happens, when you have a positive outlook and wisdom – you can overcome any kind of problem or suffering. It begins with polishing yourself. This is your “human revolution”. It is the principle of ichinen sanzen (the principle which expounds that a single life-moment contains three thousand realms). By changing your ichinen, or your inner state of life, you can move everything into the best direction for your happiness.


WHEN you joyfully do gongyo and carry out activities with the determination to accumulate more good fortune in your life, the heavenly deities will be delighted and will valiantly perform their duty. If you must take some action anyway, it is your advantage that you do so spontaneously and with a feeling of joy.