What Does Nam-myoho-renge-kyo Mean?

So glad you asked!

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo means:

"I fuse my life with the mystic law of cause and effect through sound vibration".

I like to think of it as "I am one with the flow of life" because that's what it does...it puts us in rhythm with our own lives and everything around us. 
We are all Buddhas. 
We possess the power of the entire universe in our lives. Chanting this phrase brings it out. 

Aligning our energies with our mentor Daisaku Ikeda, and chanting these words every morning and evening, 
studying the writings of Nichiren Daishonin and Daisaku Ikeda and introducing others to this practice 
are the keys to living vibrant, happy and victorious lives! 

It's a law. It works whether you believe in it or not.

People all over the world chant this phrase with the Sokka Gakkai International. The Website link is sgi-usa.org. I encourage you to go there. Call the center nearest you and get the name of someone who practices near you. Go to a meeting and make new friends. You'll be starting on a whole new journey of happiness. 

It doesn't cost anything...you don't have to "do" anything to chant. Just try!

It's truly a practice for anyone...no rules...no dues...no eating restrictions...just chant!
And practice. Chant every morning and evening...then you'll be writing me to tell me your results!  

Remember...dream big...go for the impossible!

In a few days this blog will be ten years old. That's right. There are well over 2,000 posts here, and 2,500,000 people have viewed it. Thank you for chanting and introducing others. Thank you for sharing, and above all else, I greet you my Buddha friends, in this Buddha Land! 

PowerPrayer for a PowerFULL New Year 2015

PowerPrayer for a PowerFULL 2015

By Jamie Lee Silver of Chantforhappiness.com
(I developed PowerPrayers to read before chanting as a tool to maintain strong determination, focus and inspiration while chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Feel free to adapt and change any PowerPrayer to make it yours! I start my PowerPrayers with the word LIFE! because when we chant we are addressing our own lives. If you wish to share this, please share the blog chantforhappiness.com. Thanks!)

Life! 

Last year is last year. 
I now let it go...

I release all of 2014 and my entire past.  
I choose to recognize that I am always doing my best, no matter what!

I release 2014 and welcome in the Dynamic New Year of Happiness, Security and Flow! 
I now forgive myself for any imperfections and chant for the wisdom to be WISER and take inspired action in 2015!

This year, 2015 - I am determined to continue growing my own love for my own self. 
I am determined to keep learning...keep exploring...
and create victory 
every single moment of every single day...
Not just to create victory -- also to FEEL and see VICTORY in each moment. (Even when it feels like defeat) 

I chant to recognize my own brilliance, 
my own passion, 
my own love. 
I chant to love and appreciate myself more than ever, and express appreciation to others even more than ever. 

No Matter what ~ I now focus on the POSITIVE and do NOT COMPLAIN! 

I vow to deepen my relationships. I will be more attentive to others. I will LISTEN even better than ever before. I am determined to deepen my compassion and ability to care for friends and family. 

I am determined to foster youth and adults in the SGI and give out Nam-myoho-renge-kyo cards every day. 
I am determined, and I WILL, help my shakubukus learn gongyo,  study and build lives of rock-solid absolute happiness! 

I am determined and I demand of my own life a deeper understanding of the law of cause and effect...a deeper understanding of this practice...a deeper understanding of the mentor/disciple relationship. I will study everyday!

I determine to feel with Sensei's heart, see through Sensei's eyes, learn with Sensei's mind. 

I determine to build rock-solid understanding of my financial affairs and be independent and informed. I'm determined to create a financial plan for my life that is concrete and attainable, and to develop the financial habits to make it happen. 

I'm determined to listen to my body every day, and to continue creating the healthiest body I have ever had. 

I'm determined to excel at my work, be trusted and develop even more capabilities. I am determined to be a contribution every day. 

Life! 
I feel, see, know and ACCESS the power in my own life. 
I have Daimoku. 
I have the Gohonzon. 
I now pull the lid off 
what I thought I was capable of achieving. 
I now blow my own mind 
with the power of the life force I tap into every day through chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. 
I am determined to respect my own life and see that respect echoed all around me in my environment. 

I chant for the DYNAMIC growth of the SGI. 
I chant for the happiness and peace of the planet!
I chant to transform my own life so that the world can be transformed! 

Welcome 2015!

Gongyo Makes Our Lives Blossom!

Do you have any idea what this is? 

If you look closely, you can see that this is a flower blooming from an artichoke! I found this in Ojai. 
Now, who would ever think that inside an artichoke - which is already beautiful and unusual - that there is a purple flower waiting to burst forth if properly tended? I bet you can see where I'm going with this...

Our Buddha nature is just like this. It is already part of our life...we are already Buddhas, and chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo gives us the exact tools and prescription to bring it out and let it bloom. 

As Daisaku Ikeda writes in 
The Heart of the Lotus Sutra: 

"In general, every time we do gongyo 
and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, 
we praise the Buddha nature in our own lives. 
We also praise the Buddha nature 
in the lives of all others, 
and we commune 
with the Buddha nature of the universe. 
What a solemn ceremony this is! 
How fortunate we are 
to live according to the principle 
that faith expresses itself in daily life."

And we perform this sacred ceremony twice a day...every day. We are so incredibly fortunate to have encountered this amazing tool. 

I like the line above that says "faith expresses itself in daily life." To me, this means that when we exert ourselves in faith...when we chant twice a day, and continually work to improve our practice. When we study, encourage others, go to SGI meetings and do shakubuku we WILL, without fail, see the positive effects of this practice in our lives. 

I am in the LA airport about to board a plane to return to Chicago. And I am thinking about all of you. Every moment of this trip to California was amazing. EVERY DAY I felt the effects of this practice as I was entirely protected, lovingly welcomed, and greeting each moment as a benefit. 

I have a recommendation to make, 
one more time, 
from my heart. 
And that recommendation 
is to do Gongyo, 
twice a day, 
every day. 

If you set a goal to do this for 100 days I promise you, that the things that are looming as problems in your life will look very different VERY soon! 

Go ahead and make your list of what you want. 
Challenge yourself to do Gongyo twice a day, 
and YOUR LIFE WILL RESPOND. Just like this flower that bloomed from an artichoke ~ Your life will respond in a very positive way! 

Write me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com

Time to board the plane! 

Power Prayer for Creating Positive Karma Every Moment

Every moment matters...

"If you want to understand what results will be manifested in the future, look at the causes that exist in the present." 

Daisaku Ikeda,  from "Learning from the Gosho, The Eternal Teachings of Nichiren Daishonin page 241.

I remember the first time I truly understood that quote. 

Previously, I thought of karma as being set and decided somewhere in my past, and that this life was just spent trying to cope and change that karma through chanting.

Then one day, I realize the importance of every moment and every thought... every feeling...every action at every moment...these were determining my future happiness. 
Life is cause and effect. The law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo encompasses this fact. Chanting this law IS the highest possible cause we can make for our happiness...but every other cause also matters. 

That's when I began chanting the Power Prayer for every action:

Power Prayer for Creating 
Good Fortune and 
Good Karma 
at Every Moment

I chant that every thought I have, every action I take, every word I say and think will be infused with positive energy and serve to change my karma in a positive and lasting way. Each moment I will power my life forward in a positive direction. I pray to generate positive energy for all those around me, and to live my life in total harmony with my mentor, Daisaku Ikeda...to see through his eyes, to share his heart for kosen-rufu. I am determined that my prayer will be 1000 times more powerful and expand to encompass the whole world...and for my every breath to bring every being in this world closer to realizing their own happiness. 
I'm determined to shift my thoughts from complaint to appreciation, and create good fortune every single moment of my life." 

Happy New Year - Hon Nim Myo!

Happy New Year!

What a great opportunity to change our lives. 

On New Years we celebrate with "Hon Nim Myo" spirit. "Hon Nim Myo" means "from this moment forth." This moment is the only moment that counts. Anything we did in the past, and anything we WILL do in the future mean nothing next to "Hon Nim Myo." We can access the power of this exact moment. You have it. I have it. We all access it any time we chant. 

There is a Gosho called "The New Year's Gosho written by Nichiren Daishonin. I quote from the Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Volume One, 1985. 

     "A person who celebrates this day will gain virtue and be loved by all, just as the moon becomes full gradually, moving from west to east, and the sun shines more brightly traveling from west to east. 
      First of all, as to the question of where exactly hell and the Buddha exist, one sutra states that hell exists underground and another sutra states that the Buddha is in the west. However closer examination reveals that both exist on our five-foot body. The reason I think so is that hell is in the heart of of a man who despises his father and disregards his mother, just like the lotus seed, which contains both flower and fruit at the same time. In the same way, the Buddha dwells inside our hearts. For example, flint can produce fire and gems possess value in themselves. We common mortals can see neither our eyebrows, which are so close, nor heaven in the distance. Likewise, we do not see that the Buddha exists in our own hearts."

Many years ago, 1987 to be exact, I attended a Gosho lecture by a brilliant SGI leader called Pete Cranock. Here's what he told us that touched my heart:

He said that if making up our minds could have changed our lives, it would have already changed them. In many cases we can't make things happen by changing our minds alone because there is karma. Karma is created by lifetimes of causes we have made, and causes we are still making. Every thought, every action is a cause. These causes create momentum that make it hard to reverse the motion of our lives. Our habits are hard to change. That is why we practice Buddhism. We chant to change the momentum of our habits, and we chant to make the changes that we haven't been able to make by changing our minds alone. That is why we chant. 
By chanting we access the power to change our karma. And we CAN do it. Starting right now. We don't have to wait. He said that our prayer on New Year's Day is deeper because we make it so. We can use the momentum of New Year's Day to deepen our prayer and really CHANGE what we want to change. Now is the time to take the opportunity. He said it is good to plan out our prayer for New year's Day. It's good to make our lists and take a long, hard look at our lives. We all know that sometimes looking at our lives is painful. But we have the greatest tool, chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, and we have the Gosho and Daisaku Ikeda and our friends in the SGI to support us.

He said: 
"If you feel stale, chant for the type of actual proof that will really help you to be excited abou this practice." 

He stressed that knowledge about Buddhism isn't enough. Yes, we all KNOW that Buddhahood is within our lives, but it is only through daily concentrated practice that we can actually experience this state of life within ourselves.

It is difficult to chant. It is difficult to chant every day. 

We might as well have the attitude "I am going to make the most of this practice. I am going to give it all I've got." You have to jump in all the way if you want the best results. Practicing with enthusiasm is important. Think of it like ringing the bell. If you ring the bell softly you will get a soft sound. If you ring it with harder with conviction you can feel its sound echoing through your body. Chant to ring the bell with conviction.

When you go to an activity, think "I am here to get the MOST out of this activity." You gain benefit when you are doing something with joy. 
Refresh our practice. Deepen our sincerity and live lives of joy and appreciation. 
And as I always say: "Tell your life what you want. Do not pray to anyone or anything - except your life itself. 

Happy, Happy New Year. May this be the year that we ALL make our dreams come true, and show our friends and families the way to happiness. 

You can change any problem - and become stronger than ever using this prayer!!!!

If you've been chanting to change things in your life...if you've been chanting about relationships, your career etc...consider looking inward and chanting to change yourself. Changing your SELF - doing your human revolution is vital to your successfull practice. 

What is the process?

1. Own the problem...realize that whatever you want to change may LOOK like it is outside yourself...but it's roots are within your life. That means that you cannot complain or say "WHY ME?". Really you have to own it...not BLAME yourself for it...not feel guilty about it. It's okay to get a little angry and make a fierce and roaring declaration to change whatever you need to change.

2. Turn your prayer INWARD. Chant to change YOURSELF. Chant to have the courage to make the changes you need to make in order to generate the results you want to create in your life. Remember that all change starts from within. And your environment will change to reflect the inner changes you have made. 

A SuperPrayers to accomplish this could be:

"I am determined to make any changes I need to make in my thoughts, my actions, my chanting, to make continual positive causes that will result in rooting the cause of my negative karma OUT OF MY LIFE!  I am determined to make the changes inside myself...to do my own human revolution and raise my life condition! I am determined to change in any way I need to change to attract the .......(you fill in the blank) into my life. Life! I am bringing the determination, wisdom and fire I need to create the life of my dreams. I AM NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO! I AM ROARING LIKE A LION IN MY OWN LIFE! I WILL CREATE MY LIFE! I do this not only for me, but for everyone who is suffering. I am determined to glow within my own life. I am determined to be a shining light for all who are suffering. I am determined to be the beacon of hope that ANYONE can solve their problems by chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. I am ready to meet people who are ready to hear about this practice!  I chant to have the most inspiring life. Gohonzon (my life) I need to see these results now!"

You can do this! You Buddha YOU!

Day of the Full Moon

June 3rd, 2012


(Check out the comment from yesterday - the person I was addressing in the blog wrote in again - you find comments at the bottom of the blog)


I understand that the full moon is a good time to focus on what YOU DO NOT WANT to experience any more in your life. I spent about six hours last weekend chanting with fresh determination to uproot the pain I am so used to feeling in my relationships with men. 


I know so many of you feel overwhelming longing in your relationships, and some of you have written that you don't feel you can go on living without a particular man. Please consider doing what I did this weekend. I went though a process of recognizing the PAIN AS MY OWN, and determining to tear it our by its roots. 


This can be done for other suffering as well. What are you still suffering from? What karma would you like to tear out by its roots? 


Remember you do not need to understand your pain's origin...you do not need to spend hours figuring out its CAUSE...all you have to do is recognize that it is yours...your karma...then resolve and chant to change it! 


I declared my own INDEPENDENCE DAY in front of the Gohonzon. I Roared like a lion! 


Last night I spent working on the book I'm writing for you. I'm writing the book I searched for when I was looking for this practice...the book I looked for on the shelves every time I went to a bookstore...the book I went to libraries to find. 
It's a How-To-Book about chanting. It explains how to get started, what to expect, and how to fire-up your practice day after day! I hope you'll love it and get incredible value from it, and give it to your friends and acquaintances! 


I am more determined than ever to make this dream I have had for so many years come true! Publishing this book will be such actual proof of this practice! 


Questions: 


Is there anything you'd like to see me write about? 
I plan on sharing experiences (YOURS if you'll send them to me!) questions and answers, and all the important concepts for a successful practice.


What are the major concepts or ideas that have helped you the the most?


What have you heard from someone (me or anyone else) that really touched your heart and helped you generate results? 


Do you have a favorite Gosho quote or quote from Daisaku Ikeda?

Chanting A Lot!

I just got back from chanting several hours of daimoku with a group of people. (called a TOZO)


I was roaring like a lion - just like I talk about in this blog. 


There is one part of my life that is still causing me pain and I am determined to root that karma out. 
I am DONE with this particular feeling and pattern of behavior! As I was chanting to change this karma forever I could picture the roots, and see myself yanking them out. I don't have to know where this karma came from...all I have to do is see it for what it is and determine to change it. I don't have to figure it out. No. All I have to do is chant to grab it by its roots and rid it from my life forever. 


I chanted with all of you in mind. I chanted "I MUST solve this problem so that I can have complete and total actual proof and inspire the readers of chantforhappiness.com that anything is possible." No suffering is too much for Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. The vibration of chanting is stronger than any possible problem. 


I am fighting right alongside you. 


We can all be victorious in all of your challenges and problems. We can all shine like the sun!!!


Every time each of us breaks through...we are opening a door for so many others to come through. 


You are inspiring me with all of your emails and comments. Keep writing! And ask me anything. My email is chantforhappiness@gmail.com


Keep Going! Don't give up!


I heard an author say recently "Your Mess is your Message!" And I say "Yes! Embrace your "mess", recognize that it is your karma, and and change it!!! Forever!" Remember...this is not the kind of practice where you are supposed to suffer for your karma. NO you have the tool to change it! And stop its pattern in your family FOREVER! Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!!

To Hoshi and all, About Overcoming Obstacles...Changing Your Karma!!

Dear Hoshi and readers, 


Congratulations Hoshi! You told me you have been chanting for a few months and all your smaller prayers have been answered...and now you are faced with your biggest desire and suddenly it is harder to chant and you seem to be stepping away from your practice.  There are three things I want to say:


1. Congratulations! You are meeting a chunk of karma that will make a difference throughout YOUR WHOLE LIFE when you overcome it! It is TOTALLY NORMAL to WANT TO STEP BACK AT THIS POINT, because this is when the "the three obstacles and four devils" come into play. They are nothing but functions within your own life that seek to HOLD YOU BACK. 
THIS is why we practice together and have friends in faith! These obstacles are nothing to be afraid of...it sounds like they are appearing as DOUBT and HOPELESSNESS. 


And I can tell you Hoshi and all, I have been there. Oh how I have been there. I can easily recite the litany that goes through my head..."Oh, I will never accomplish this...I've been trying so long and nothing has happened yet...what makes me think that chanting these words will get my life to break through...and besides...maybe I'm not good enough...maybe I don't chant correctly...maybe I'll never accomplish this"


When you have thoughts like this you should think "YES! I MUST be practicing correctly...I WILL BREAK THROUGH !!!"


And here's the crucial point:


2. If you keep steadfast...chant harder then ever....you WILL break through! This is what we mean by overcoming karma. If it were easy ...everyone would do it! IT TAKES COURAGE!!! It TAKES defeating those voices in your brain...but I'll tell you...YOU CAN DO IT...but only if you DON'T GIVE UP. If you slacken in your faith those voices will overtake your desire and you will be defeated. Don't let it happen to you. You are a Buddha. 


"Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is like the ROAR of a LION, what sickness (meaning what obstacle) can therefore be an obstacle" Nichiren Daishonin


And when I say chant harder...I MEAN what I say. 


Gaze up at the Gohonzon, which IS your own life and Tell Your Life:


"I don't CARE how many times these doubts and fears appear before me...I have the GOHONZON now...and I can chant. I will NEVER give in. MY LIfe will be victorious because I have to PROVE the power of the Gohonzon, the power of my own life, so that I can stop suffering, achieve my desires, and I can be an example to those around me that chanting works!


And when you pray like this YES, obstacles will arise. They are supposed to!!!!
Just defeat them...don't let them get the better of you. 
Study the World Tribune and President Ikeda's writings and the Gosho as much as you can. Tell people about this practice to the best of your ability, and Hoshi...you will be writing me your victories in life. Don't worry about it taking a while...if you are chanting like this you will enjoy many benefits along the way. 


3. And consider EVERYTHING in your life as a benefit. Even the bad things. They are all fuel for the fire of your desire. Say THANK YOU to your life, smile through your tears and KEEP ON CHANTING!!!

What is Karma anyway?

Karma is different in this practice.

With Practical Buddhism you can change any negative karma in your life!

What is karma? It's the sum total of all the causes you have ever made in every existence you have lived...some causes were good, some bad. You are not at "fault" you do not have "original sin"...but you do have some fundamental darkness...and so does everyone else. Chanting is the ultimate cause for eradicating negative karma...pulling it out by its roots.

Chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo changes your karma. Forever.
It is the law of life. It doesn't matter whether you believe it or not.

This is a revolutionary idea. In other forms of Buddhism and in many other religions you are "learning lessons" over and over till you get them right. Not in this practice. All you have to do is chant. Sounds easy, but it's not. Chanting is not for wimps! It takes courage!