Resolve to be Victorious

'When your determination changes, 
everything 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. 
Then everything really will move 
in the direction of failure." 

Daisaku Ikeda, 
Faith in Action. Page 108

You CAN do it! You have the POWER. How to Summon it!

Winter always turns to Spring! 

Thank you for contacting me. Your letters of gratitude and your questions really inspire me. It is so nice to know that my determination to use my own challenges to inspire you is working for so many of you. I have cherished a dream to have friends all over the world for my entire life. I love getting to know you. One day I hope to travel extensively, meeting you in your unique environments. I have traveled quite a bit but there are so many places I have never been, India, Malaysia, Australia, South America, to name just a few. I love hearing from you and sharing your lives, as you share mine. Every time I strengthen my faith, I hope to help you strengthen your faith too. You can email me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com. 

Today I want to revisit the nature of study and our attitude in study. In this month's Living Buddhism there is a quote from Josei Toda. As many of you know he was the Soka Gakkai's second president, a lion for world peace, and Daisaku Ikeda's mentor. He was imprisoned in WWII for not supporting the Japanese war effort and refusing to enshrine a Shinto talisman on his altar. His mentor Tunesaburu Makiguchi, founder of the Soka Gakkai in 1930 was also imprisoned and died in prison.  Josei Toda lived to rebuild the Soka Gakkai with Daisaku Ikeda by his side. Daisaku Ikeda (Sensei, or teacher, as he is known to many) tells us that every day he continues to have a dialogue with Josei Toda in his heart. 

In March's Living Buddhism, Toda is quoted as saying:

"Every time I read the Daishonin's writings, rather than simply trying to understand his words, I seek to come into contact with his immense compassion, his towering conviction, his ardent spirit to aid and protect others, and his solemn and unswerving commitment to kosen-rufu.

Whenever I read his writings, his radiant spirit, like the midsummer sun at noon, floods my heart. My chest feels as if it is filled with a giant ball of molten steel. Sometimes I feel like a scalding hot spring is gushing forth inside me, or as if a great, earthshaking waterfall is crashing over me."
From the March 2013 Living Buddhism, page 26. 

Wow, talk about reading the Gosho with your life. I remember that adage from my early days of my practice. Read the Gosho with your life. Not with just your brain...but with your entire life. I am going to strive to feel this more and more. 

I know that the passage I shared with you last month brings out that towering feeling of strength in me. It is one of my favorites and I'll repeat it here for you. In this Gosho (honorific writing, letter to his follower)  Nichiren Daishonin is being taken off to be beheaded for having the audacity to offer his prayers in service to the government, and claim that the prayers they were offering at the time weren't correct. He is being led on his horse to the place of his execution. He sees a statue of the god Hachiman and asks to have a moment with this statue. He gets down from his horse and screams at this God. Remember, in Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism all "Gods" are functions within our lives, and a part of us, not outside of us. He is addressing the Hachiman within him when he yells:

"Bodhisattva Hachiman are you truly a god? When Wake No Kiyomora was about to be beheaded, you appeared as a moon ten feet wide. When the great teacher Dengyo lectured on the Lotus Sutra you bestowed on him a purple surplice. I, Nichiren, am the greatest Votary of the Lotus Sutra in Japan, and entirely without guilt. I have expounded the law to save all people from falling into the hell of incessant suffering for opposing the Lotus Sutra...
If I am executed tonight and go to the pure land of Eagle Peak, I shall report at once to Shakyamuni Buddha that Tensho Daijin and Hachiman have broken their oath to him. If you feel this would go hard on you, you had better do something about it right away!"
From the Gosho called "The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra. Previously called "On the Buddha's Behavior" 

And, as you know, a brilliant, bright orb came out of the sky and scared his executioners away. Many of the people who were in the execution party later became Nichiren's disciples because of the compassion he showed for them, and the strength of his determination. The full story is in the same Gosho. 

Can you feel his tremendous conviction and spirit in this passage? 

You too can summon this power. 

You are the latter day Nichiren. 

You are the Votary of the Lotus Sutra. 

You live a proud life to save others from suffering. 

You can sit in front of your Gohonzon and command the forces within your life to protect you, to have you rise above your problems, to have you achieve victory in all areas of your life. 

You can say "enough"! 

No more of this karma of feeling insecure and doubting myself. 
No more of this karma of being abused 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 struggling in a job you hate, or is any other terrible situation. 
No more ________________ you fill in the blank. 
You are a Buddha. 

Whatever it is, whatever suffering you have, you can change it. 

Rise up like a strong lion. Roar in front of the Gohonzon. Tell your life what it MUST accomplish for you. Write your determination. Chant every morning and evening, chant as much Daimoku as you possibly can, and study as much as you can. Encourage other people to the best of your ability. (Sending people links to this blog or other SGI websites counts. Ikedaquotes.org is one of my favorites.) 

And whatever you do, don't give up. We are changing the karma for our entire lineage. We can change our karma this lifetime. We must persist. 

Where else do we need determinations?

I thought about the nature of determinations all day yesterday.


And I saw something in my own life, and found some great quotes I'd like to share with you. 


I started thinking about the areas of my life where I have the most complaints rumbling around in my head. And I realized that there is a direct relationship between complaints and a lack of a clear determination to WIN. 


Remember that Human Revolution is not easy. Only lions can roar! 


It takes courage to realize that the things you (me) have been complaining about (in our heads or out loud) are EXACTLY the same areas where we lack strong determinations. 


What other determinations can you summon from the depths of your being? 
What are the areas you've been "hoping" will change, but you don't have a strong determination to win? 


I'm looking at those areas and am about to sit down and chant my morning hour of daimoku with an open mind and an open heart for change in my own life...perspective...and most of all fresh, clear determinations. 


June's issue of Living Buddhism (available at US Buddhist Centers, by calling 310-260-8900, or visiting www.sgi-usa.org) is excellent, as always. 


Under the section "Writings for Discussion Meetings - Building a Solid Sense of Self" the article talks about Nichiren Daishonin's Determination. 
He knew that he would be persecuted as a votary of the Lotus Sutra, and even before anything happened he resolved (made the determination) that "whatever might happen to me in the future, I must not bear any hatred toward others." 
The article continues, "When we find ourselves in a difficult situation we can use it as an opportunity to apply our Buddhist practice to our daily lives and transform the situation. It's also important that we self-reflect on our own actions and continue to polish our character and how we interact with and treat others....with difficulties at work, at home or in other areas of life, once we make a firm determination to win, it does not matter what others choose to do or say. If we persevere with confidence and dignity on the course we have chosen, we can break through any obstacle. Through our Buddhist practice , we can open up and transform all areas of our life, no matter the difficulties." 


I feel this with my life and am working on fresh new determinations in the areas of my life that could stand a fresh blast of the light of Daimoku. 


In the article Daisaku Ikeda is quoted as saying "Building a solid and unmoving self like Mount Fuji means doing our Human Revolution, elevating our state of life, based on our practice of faith. It means developing a solid self that is never defeated by our environment or circumstances and is capable of transforming everything into happiness and victory. True Happiness shines in the lives of those who possess such an indomitable spirit." 


YES!