How to Chant for Kosen-Rufu - Happiness and Fulfillment for all

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"When we are aware 
that each moment of each day, 
each gesture and step we take, 
is truly mystical 
and full of wonder, 
we will live our lives 
with greater thought and care. 
We will also have greater respect 
and appreciation 
for the lives of others." 

Daisaku Ikeda, Buddhism By Day, Wisdom for Modern Life, page 135
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There are many ways to chant for Kosen-Rufu - a world of respect for all. We all chant in the most natural way possible. This is one idea for you:

This morning, this PowerPrayer came to mind. I'm experiencing the blooming of Ben's Memorial Mile all around me...it is growing and expanding every day. My life feels truly mystical. I've been learning and practicing EFT, and I feel calm. This morning this short Kosen-Rufu prayer came to me to tell you: 

Short PowerPrayer for Kosen-Rufu
By Jamie Lee Silver, Chantforhappiness.com
Powerprayers are for inspiration - to fuel our determination. We allow them to come into our minds when chanting...and see how they feel when we chant with them in mind. 

I chant for the FULL EXPRESSION of all my talents to flow through me for the greatest good of all...

For this moment, as I'm chanting, I don't have to figure anything out...I don't have to decide anything.

As I am chanting I am connecting with Daisaku Ikeda's heart, and flow of purest energy. We are all chanting for our best, highest good to flow through us throughout the world...

For this moment, I chant purely for the flow, the full flow of kosen-rufu...the best good for everything...the highest possible source of all energy, all thought, all action to flow freely through me for the greatest good of all! 

Universal PowerPrayer to Break Through ALL Our Obstacles

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As Nichiren Buddhists, we are the Buddha  ~  
as we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo summoning our fathomless wisdom while steering our life in the direction of our innermost desires...both for ourselves and for others. 

We chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo over and over and over again. We call this "chanting Daimoku"(Die-MOH-Koo). Daimoku means title. The title of the Lotus Sutra (Shakyamuni Buddha’s self-proclaimed highest teaching) is  Myoho-Renge-Kyo.  

Nichiren Daishonin added "Nam" (devotion - focusing) before Myoho-renge-kyo to make the phrase mean “I devote my life to the mystic law of cause and effect through sound vibration,” or, “I am one with the very rhythm of life.”

“Myoho-renge-kyo is the name of the ultimate mystic truth, and Nam-myoho-renge-kyo  is the name of the life state of Buddhas who embody and reveal this truth.” 

p.28 Lectures on “On Attaining Buddhahood in this Lifetime”, Daisaku Ikeda

What follows is a Universal PowerPrayer to tap into our desire for happiness for all beings...the real vow we all make as Buddhas! 

Universal PowerPrayer 
for the Happiness for ALL

By Jamie Lee Silver of Chantforhappiness.com

Every Daimoku I chant 
remakes my VOW as a Buddha 
for Victory in my own life 
so that all others can achieve VICTORY in theirs! 

reaches every other person who is chanting. 
I see everyone chanting...
tapping into the deepest prayer they have ever felt ~

At this moment 
I deepen the power of my prayer by 10,000 times
Just like my mentor describes ~

so that all who are chanting can also deepen their faith, 
and bring forth the results they desire 
as we 
spread the word of this great teaching 

to those still suffering

we all become absolutely happy

and create a happy and peaceful world!

I chant that every single person who is chanting 

feels the full power 

sees the full power

experiences the full power

of this faith in their lives. 

I chant for all members to have faith

receive incredible 

benefits

and to know, and feel 

within every cell in their body

the power welling forth 
with each Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!!

Together we create kosen-rufu
the total energy shift of our planet! 

10 Secrets for Beginning to Chant - Please share with friends!

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Whether you are new to chanting, or revitalizing your practice - this post is for you. You can use the points you like, and share the others with someone brand new to chanting. 

It is true that: 
By chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo you can transform all of your sufferings into benefits, and crystallize every desire into a blooming flower in our lives. You can become happier than you ever imagined...happier, more resourceful and more couraBygeous in taking action. 

AND, you will make a difference in the lives of all you touch.  

We can change anything through chanting because we tap into our inner realm of unlimited possibility when we chant. You are a Buddha of infinite potential. 

When we chant the Mystic law we see changes in our life - whether we believe they will happen or not. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo means "I fuse my life with the mystic law of cause and effect through sound vibration" or, as some say "I tune my life to the rhythm of all life." Saying these words is a great cause that breaks through all suffering and creates a life of happiness. It works! 

"Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is like the roar of a Lion." What sickness could therefore be an obstacle? 
Nichiren Daishonin 

10 Secrets for Beginning to Chant
By Jamie Lee Silver from Chantforhappiness.com

1. Make a Promise to YOURSELF. Decide to try this practice, to really do it, for at least 100 days. You can start small, by chanting 5 minutes a day in the morning and in the evening, and really DO it! Part of this decision involves finding your local Soka Gakkai meeting (see the link to the right. There are meetings everywhere. Call the center closest to you and they will help you connect. Check out the SGI-USA website, there are resources for beginners that are really helpful! 

2. Make a list of what you really want in life. Take a fresh look at your desires and write them down.  Dream big. What do you really want? What do you want for yourself? What do you want for others? What do you want for the world? Make a list. Write it down and put the date on it. 

Many people began chanting with desires that later transformed into other desires. So don't worry about whether your desires are "right" desires to have. Chanting is progressive, both you and your desires will evolve. I know people who began a very rewarding practice chanting for things that were important at the time, but later changed into other desires. 

One of my friends chanted for a month to prove to his wife that this practice doesn't work. Well, he found out it DID work and more than 40 years later he is still practicing. In Nichiren Buddhism your desires ARE enlightenment. It is okay to desire whatever you desire, whether it's money, the happiness of someone else, a relationship, a job, or peace of mind and contentment. With continued practice you will see that your dreams for yourself actually become tied to the dreams of happiness for all. 

Chant for what is really in your heart. 

3. This is a great time to start a Journal.  It's not essential, but I think it's a great idea. Writing in a journal helps you become aware of your progress and benefits.

4. Revitalize your altar if you have one. Make it clean, shiny, uncluttered and make sure there's fresh fruit on it! 

If you are new to chanting: 
Choose a place to chant comfortably. Find your "home" with your home, where you can feel comfortable chanting out loud, having a dialogue with your life itself.  Sit comfortably. (Did I say this enough times?! ~ I like to be comfortable!)

5. If you are creating your sacred space choose a focus point on the wall. Some people start by facing a blank wall; I chanted to a moon in a picture. Choose a focal point slightly above eye level. 

6. You may wish to have a small table nearby for tea or your journal. 

7. Write the words Nam Myoho Renge Kyo 
on a piece of paper. 

The words are pronounced as follows: 

Nam ~    Nahm, rhymes with Mom, 
Myoho ~ meeyohoh,  
Renge ~  rain gay, 
Kyo ~     kee oh. 
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. 
Nahm Meeyohoh Rain Gay Kee Oh
(Phonetic spelling) 

8. Begin to chant. Hold your hands with the palms facing in and touching each other in front of your heart. And say Nam-myoho-renge-kyo over and over and over again with your eyes OPEN looking at the wall. 

9. At first, you will probably only be able to concentrate on the words themselves, and that's fine.  Once you've got the chant down you can think about what you want and chant at the same time. 

10. Join fellow practitioners as soon as you can. The SGI Portal to the right will help you locate a center near you, and you can call that center to connect to your local meeting house. 

Chant twice a day every day. Get in rhythm! Establishing a twice a day rhythm to your chanting is important. It gets the wheels of your life moving. 

Keep your goals in mind and you’ll remember your reasons for chanting! 

These words and this vibration go deep into the heart of your life itself. They summon forth your highest wisdom, vitality and sense of purpose. They also uproot the karma that is making you suffer, and give you the opportunity to change this karma forever. 

When you chant you are entering into a dialogue with your life itself. You are not chanting to any god or asking for favors. Instead, you are connecting with the rhythm of the universe itself. 

As Nichiren Daishonin says in the famous writing (Gosho) "On Attaining Buddhahood" :

"If you wish to free yourself from the sufferings of birth and death you have endured since time beginning and to attain without fail unsurpassed enlightenment in this lifetime, you must perceive the mystic truth that is originally inherent in all living beings. This truth is Myoho-renge-kyo. Chanting Myoho-renge-kyo will therefore enable you to grasp the mystic truth innate in all life...It is called the mystic truth because it explains the mutually inclusive relationship of life and all phenomena. 
"Life at each moment encompasses the body and mind and the self and environment of all sentient beings in the ten worlds, as well as all insentient beings in the three thousand realms, including plants, sky and earth, and even the most minute particles of dust. Life at each moment permeates the universe and is revealed in all phenomena. One awakened to this principle himself embodies this relationship. However, even though you chant and believe in Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, if you think the Law is outside yourself, you are embracing not the mystic law but some inferior teaching."
From Lectures on Attaining Buddhahood in this Lifetime by Daisaku Ikeda, 2007  

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 for Making Friends!

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This week has been true summer in Chicago...sun...warmth...humidity...just like I like it. 
And every day I have chanted to actualize President Ikeda's dream, MY dream, OUR dream. And headed forth into my day, working and helping people. My world of work is in helping seniors stay safe in their homes, inspiring them (and their family members, through my "Older, Bolder, BETTER!" talks.

I am grateful to have work that is worthwhile. 

I have barely spent a moment alone recently. My friends are surrounding me with love, care, laughter, tears and warmth. I've mentioned before that I had a hard time making friends when I was younger. And this has been one of my most treasured benefits from this practice...maybe even my MOST treasured benefit. 
For me, it did not happen overnight. I chanted with this PowerPrayer in mind for some time. And here I am right now overflowing with appreciation for all the dear friends I have and the new ones I make every day. One of my favorite sayings is "There's always room for more friends! I love making new friends!" I 
I offer you my PowerPrayer below. You can read a PowerPrayer before chanting to inspire you in the conviction that RIGHT NOW you are making this happen! 


PowerPrayer for Making Friends
By Jamie Lee Silver of Chantforhappiness.com

Life!
With every Daimoku I'm chanting I am drawing friendships to me!
Every single Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is transforming me into the kind of person people WANT to have as a friend! 
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!
I now remove any barriers to forming friendships. 
If there is something I am doing to prevent friendships - I stop doing it now!
As I am chanting I am becoming a person with many invitations ~ 
And many real, real friends. 
As I am chanting I am learning how to BE a friend...how to listen...how to CARE. 
My life is becoming rich with friendships through my Daimoku Now!
I find new ways of appreciating the friendships I have, and cultivating new ones. 
I change this karma right now! 

3 Daimoku Keys for Incredibly Inspiring Meetings!

Just like this sunflower...

We Shine! 

The speech I gave on Thursday was incredible...and my daimoku powered it all. I spoke to 260 of my peers ~ people who are in the field of helping seniors. It was a great success. 
(As always, I am a 30 year SGI member, and I write these posts from my heart to yours. They are not official SGI posts.) You can now get these posts delivered to your email by putting your email in the box to the right

In preparation for this speech I chanted the same way I do for every SGI meeting, using my 3 Keys below: 

3 Daimoku KEYS 
for Incredibly Inspiring Meetings:
by Jamie Lee Silver at Chantforhappiness.com 

1. Chant for every single person to be so inspired by this meeting that their life will never be the same. 

2. Chant that somehow...THIS meeting ~ each person hears exactly what they need to hear to change their lives forever, inspire them beyond all measure, and help them to live lives of victory inspiring others. 

3. Chant in Great Joy! 
In The Heart of the Lotus Sutra, by Daisaku Ikeda, (page 195) he states: "President Toda went so far as to say that unless great joy wells forth while praying to the Gohonzon then one's faith is not correct. When we experience such joy, a great flower of benefit blossoms in our lives." He goes on to tell us how to build our own joyful spirit: "Faith is taking spirited action. When we do so earnestly, our hearts become light and filled with momentum. Pessimism is alien to Buddhism. Taking action on the side of justice brings joy. Let us cheerfully, joyfully and brightly advance along the path of our conviction."

Yes. I chanted with these 3 keys in mind during the weeks leading up to the speech. Afterwards, people said it felt like we were all sitting in a living room together. Many participated by sharing their thoughts. It was like a lively Buddhist discussion meeting, For the rest of the day, many thanked me for my words, with glowing and happy faces.

In the speech itself, I spoke about the research that proves that life gets better as we get older. The brain actually improves. We can collectively switch our focus to all that is going RIGHT as we get older, and away from what could go wrong. We get what we focus on.
The latest research proves, scientifically, that our mindset/our focus can add 7.5 years of satisfaction to our lives. 
I told stories about the studies of Ellen Langer, Becca Levy and others who have proven that "positive age stereotyping" makes a difference. People who do not buy into the current "mysery myth" of aging, and instead choose to see aging as a time of flowering, of new hope, of advancing, are more likely to take better care of themselves, eat better, move their bodies, join clubs, live in healthy, satisfying ways. What we think, and how we express ourselves makes a huge difference!  

I presented Buddhism in non-Buddhist terms. Our positive causes create positive reactions. We can go into our later years with strength, vigor, excitement and continue to live dynamic and fulfilling lives. Growing older happens, declining is optional. 

And I talk about the importance of consciously choosing our words. Our words express our thoughts and become our reality. We have choices. We can either be "overwhelmed" ~ or ~ "In demand" it is up to us. By saying we are overwhelmed, we become a victim of our circumstances. By saying we are in demand, we are important, and we get to choose where we give the gift of our time and energy. It's up to us. Our words don't just describe our lives, they predict our lives. We choose our lives when we choose our words.  
For an entire hour, I held that room in the palm of my hand. They participated; they joined me and contributed their ideas. At the end, they cheered! Magnificent! 

We can all have this impact in our lives, in our environment, in every place we go. 

I am more inspired than ever to use my words to uplift and en-courage! Just like all of us can do...every single day! 

From Suffering to Dynamic Progress

Last night we had a district meeting and I brought a wonderful guest who has already experienced benefit from chanting. There were two other new members who just received their Gohonzons at the meeting, too. And it dawned on me that my primary chanting partner over the last year, my friend Deborah, and I, had brought the guests. 
What a wonderful practice this is...where we can walk through the fires of suffering, and emerge with fresh determination, action and results that inspire others to become happy. Poison into medicine indeed! 

Mastering our Minds

Here are a few shots of the great blizzard of 2015 in Chicago. It came in yesterday...and today we have some blue skies. It's beautiful and cold! How I long for palm trees and ocean breezes! 

Here we are...three days into February and I've been chanting to Master my Mind...and to truly grasp the profundity of this teaching.  

It's so interesting how the Gohonzon truly is a mirror of our lives. As I am chanting to master my mind, I am becoming more aware of all the ways that I live that I do NOT master my mind...and it is not so comfortable. But that's why we have the Gohonzon (the scroll Nichiren Daishonin inscribed that represents our highest nature...and all the power of the universe that exists within all of us). Those of us who practice this courageous teaching must be brave. It may not be enjoyable to perceive our shortcomings, but without perceiving them, how can we change them? I am going to continue chanting to master my mind no matter what. 

Another thing that was happening when I was chanting was the rebirth of some dreams I have set aside in my day-to-day comings and goings. What would happen if I actually put the pedal to the metal and made those dreams come true? After chanting I took some small steps into making them come true. 

I also chanted to cherish and praise my life...and in deep appreciation for having this Gohonzon in my life. 
These last 18 months of my son's illness have been pretty consuming. For the moment, I can concentrate on other things as well.  

Onward and upward. Nam-myoho-renge-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!