Human Revolution = Loving Ourselves MORE AND MORE!

YES!

Every day, every SINGLE DAY, in the morning and the evening we chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo (meaning "I fuse my life with the mystic law of cause and effect through sound vibration"). 

We chant, we focus, we pray. We bring forth the power of the Mystic Law of the entire universe within our lives. It is always there...by chanting we tap into that law. And it responds in complete union with the power and conviction with which we chant, and how we connect with the power within our lives. 

This is what is most important for me. President Ikeda says over and over that we must be natural when we chant, that we must share our heart. Our chanting is communing with the unlimited self we all are...it is our reaching into the vast universe that we are, and summoning forth that power to use however we want to channel it. 

We must chant for exactly what we want! 

We are so fortunate to have this tool, this ultimate tool. 

At this time I am using this tool to bring forth the ultimate, most magnificent, most wise and wonderful self I possibly can. I am chanting to experience the deepest love I have ever felt...for my own life! And I know that this prayer will show up in all ways in my life. 

A few weeks ago I shared that I am chanting to the Gohonzon (Gohonzon = the scroll we chant to that is a reflection of the highest life condition we can possess, and is also our own selves, our own potential) as if I am in love with it. I am falling more and more in love with my own life...the most powerful place to be! 

I have so much else to share with you and I am headed out the door to a conference...I will write more soon. Until then...how much can you summon love for your self...for your own precious life, for your body, your heart, your mind and spirit. How deeply can we love ourselves? 

Living a Life of Strength through Daimoku

"The moment we resolve "I will become healthy!" "I will become strong!" "I will work cheerfully for kosen-rufu!" our lives begin to move in that direction. We have to make up our minds."

 - Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda

I love that quote from President Ikeda. He is so right. 
When I chant I focus on expanding my life for Kosen Rufu (world peace), and I continually chant to strengthen my life and raise my life condition so that I experience every moment as the Buddha I am.  

On Saturday I was planning to bring some friends to a very far neighborhood in Chicago for a CD release party. As I was returning from lunch with my son, my front right tire hit a pothole in the road that was impossible to see. It was a loud and scary sound. Later when my friends and I were ready to go out my tire was completely flat. 

Since my life condition was so high this didn't ruin my night in the least. I wasn't upset. We took one of my friend's  cars and I drove since I don't mind city driving. We got home very late and had a blast dancing and listening to the band. 

The next morning I had to figure out what to do with my car. 
When you're "in rhythm" everything just works out beautifully. 

I contacted a couple of people to see if they could help. One of them was my neighbor whom I don't really know well, but he was happy to help. He is new to this area and finds he has a lot of time on the weekends. He put the spare on, and when we were on the way to the tire place I was reminded that I actually had an extra tire in case this one was ruined. I had forgotten all about that extra tire. 

The trip to the tire store was actually fun and we went food shopping at some stores my new neighbor didn't know about and appreciated finding out about. And the tire store ended up charging me NOTHING to install the extra tire I had. All around it was not just a painless experience of having a flat tire. It was an enjoyable one. 

I tell you this story to illustrate that when our lives are strong, when WE are strong, even our obstacles can be something we appreciate and sometimes, even enjoy. At the heart of it all is our life condition, our connection to our Buddha Nature and our connection to our environment. 

Chanting to strengthen or lives and raise our life conditions is so important to our own happiness and the happiness of everyone around us. When we are strong we are unshakable and we are happy. 

Our happiness is contagious. We reach everyone with our happiness.

Strength equals happiness. Chanting to strengthen our lives is always a great thing to do. 

Have a great strong and happy day!