We are ALL Interconnected - Each Nam-myoho-renge-kyo COUNTS!

"We need to awaken 
to a common consciousness 
of all being inhabitants of Earth. 
This consciousness is not to be found 
in some distant place. 
It will not be found on a computer screen. 
It lies in our hearts, 
in our ability to share the pain 
of our fellow human beings. 
It is the spirit that says: 
“As long as you are suffering, 
whoever you are and whatever your suffering may be, 
I suffer also.”

Daisaku Ikeda, Ikedaquotes.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We are Boddhisattvas of the earth. We feel these words deeply in our hearts, as so many people around the world also do....when we see the pictures of the refugees, and think "how can I help?"
There are many ways we can help, and we can also help in our prayers. 

Years ago I put a picture of a boy who had been burned in the Iraq war on my altar, and chanted that somehow my prayers would reach this one child, (and all else who were suffering), and bring him some sort of relief and help. One day a member was chanting with me and she saw the picture and recognized the boy. She told me he'd been airlifted out of Iraq and brought to Canada where they were giving him the finest care possible. 

Sometimes when we see all the problems and all the suffering we feel it's out of reach, and that we can't help, but we can help. 

We are all interconnected...we know this intellectually, and being Buddhists, we also know this from experience whenever we chant for someone's happiness  - we see and feel the result. 

We are all here right now for a reason, chanting for peace, chanting for happiness. We have to know, that even if we do not see the direct result today, and even if some of our prayers are not "answered" right away that every cause we make has an effect. (I use "answered" in brackets because no one is answering our prayers in the commonly thought of way - that of some outside force giving us the answer. We ourselves ANSWER our OWN prayers when we do our Human Revolution and change from within.) 

And every Daimoku has an effect...EVERY Daimoku is a cause.We must not give up, no matter what! 

That is something we must all engrave in our lives. No matter what, keep chanting! 

Introducing Others to the Mystic Law = Changing Our Karma

The Chicago SGI Center!

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I have always been told (and have seen with my own eyes) that the fastest way to change our own karma is to do Shakubuku! On Sunday, I joined with my fellow Buddhists and at Kosen-Rufu Gongyo...

What could be better than joining our fellow Bodhisattvas once a month for encouragement from each other, and encouragement from our leaders and mentors? 

I know the purpose of each Kosen Rufu Gongyo (on the first Sunday of the month) is for each of us to feel refreshed and more determined than ever to create the changes we want in our lives and in society. And I feel so refreshed and appreciative to our SGI, our Soka Gakkai and organization of lay Buddhists. 

Yesterday Danny Nagashima, and all the major leaders from the Chicago area and more were there. I wrote out a thank you note to Danny for the beautiful orchid plant he sent me, and to Linda Johnson for coming to my home to encourage me. 

At the end, the last song was playing and everyone had their arms around each other singing. Danny was at the end of the aisle so I ran up and put my arm around him and he put his arm around me and we sang together. He made a spot next for me to sit next to him for final sansho, just before sansho, Ethan Gelbaum, the Chicago Center Central figure (sorry I may not have that title correct) reminded Danny I'd just lost my son. 

Danny held my hand during sansho, and afterward I showed him the picture of Ben with the poems (I'll post this for you) and reminded him he'd met Ben many times, including when Ben was a baby and we practiced together in San Francisco. He told me Ben would be reborn soon with full life force. 

Seriously, we DO have the most wonderful SGI organization - because it is filled with people who have warm hearts who are changing the world. 

If you are reading this and you have not yet met the SGI, I urge you to do so. You can use the link to the right to find your local organization. I promise you they will welcome you with open arms!

My biggest realization during the meeting was that I need to focus even more intently on introducing people to this practice. This morning, and every morning,  I'm chanting to meet people who are seeking happiness, and seeking this practice. Look at me. I looked for this practice for 25 years. I knew it had to exist. There are countless others seeking. 
I am chanting to meet seeking people in person and through this blog. Please share this blog...share whatever has touched you here...and together we will change the world. 

Every seed we plant is important. Tell people about the power of the Mystic law! Have them say Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with you. We are the Soka Gakkai Buddhists! We have a great mission! 

The Most Powerful Prayers to Get Results Lead to ACTION! Part 2

Part 2.
Written by By SGI-UK Advisor Mitsuhiro Kaneda, UK Express March 2000. Reprinted from the Facebook page The Power of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Taking action

Very often, however, members chant a lot of daimoku but do not take any action. Some people don’t take action because they are afraid of the results they might see. They are afraid that they won’t see the result they want, so they don’t take any action. For example, a salaried employee with a fixed income might want to become self-employed, or start his or her own business, but might not take any action for fear of accumulating a lot of debt.

Another common example is found amongst young people who want to get married. Because they’re not sure that the marriage will work out, and that they will live happily ever after, they are full of anxiety. So, before they get married, they think, “Well, maybe we should live together.” Some end up not getting married as a result of having lived together.

So, even when people chant a lot of daimoku, other factors such as personality and human character come into play and prevent people from taking action, even if they are praying.

Of course, taking action also includes Soka Gakkai activities. When you participate in Soka Gakkai activities, you are encouraging others. So you are actually working as a messenger of the Buddha. Inevitably, therefore, all those who participate in Gakkai activities will accumulate good fortune. And because these people accumulate good fortune, they will be able to achieve their goals and show actual proof.

I know that all of us have very different circumstances and situations – some of us may not have that much free time. Nevertheless, I really want to encourage all of you to participate in Gakkai activities because this will allow not only you, but your whole family, to be bathed in good fortune. So in order to achieve our goals, not only do we need to take concrete action, we also need good fortune. That is why Soka Gakkai activities are crucial.

Make up your mind

In Italy, we have a couple who have been living together for fourteen years. Once they came to me because they wanted to receive guidance. I said to them, “You’ve been trying out your relationship by living together for fourteen years now. The fact that it has continued this long, is this not a sign that it is working?

Even though their relationship had been successful and they still wanted to live together, they still weren’t sure whether they should get married. Of course I gave them all kinds of encouragement, but there is one particular point that I would like to share with you. I asked them, “In order to make a firm determination, how much time do you need?” To make a determination requires less than one second. So I asked, “How many seconds there have been in fourteen years?”

You may laugh at this story but please, reflect on your own life.

To sum up, to put Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism into practice, we need to decide, chant and take action.

FAITH AND PRACTICE DOUBT-FREE FAITH

DECIDE

Clarify the goal and make a determination

DECIDE CHANT CHANT

If you have a problem,

Chant one million daimoku

ACT ACT

Make maximum effort;

strive to resolve the problem

EXPERIENCE

Accumulating experiences deepens one’s faith

Theories without experiences are no more than pure idealism

RESULT

Show actual proof DON’T DOUBT

Faith means having no doubts

BELIEVE

Written by By SGI-UK Advisor Mitsuhiro Kaneda, UK Express March 2000

Boston Today - I redetermine to chant for peace and create peace every moment

Unbelievable, shocking and so sad. 

When I heard the news I went straight to the Gohonzon and chanted for all involved, all over the world. I later heard that 95 countries were represented in Boston today. 

Our chanting, our prayer, our generating the vibration of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is needed now more than ever. 

It is so easy to get discouraged, sad, and afraid. But I hope instead that you get fired-up, chant with all your might, bring forth fighting Daimoku and redetermine to win in your life and inspire others. 

Here in Chicago we have been chanting every Monday through Friday from 9am-5pm for an end to violence in this city. Murder rates have fallen drastically. 

Our prayers make a difference. 
All of our prayers, every moment, every day.