A Special Blog for my Loyal Readers

Today is a special day for me. 

It has been a year since my son Ben first got sick. Some of you have followed his progress closely both through this blog and through emailing me directly to voice your concern. Many of you have been chanting for Ben. 

My appreciation for YOU knows no bounds. Surely we have all been friends lifetime after lifetime after lifetime. You are my cherished friends. 

This is a photo I took this weekend of Aaron (left) and Ben (right) joking together. It makes me so happy to see this. 

This year has changed me. I have chanted more daimoku than I've ever chanted in one year. I have summoned appreciation for having an obstacle SO BIG that made me chant so much~! And Ben is doing great. 

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo WORKS! It absolutely works. 

Whatever you are dealing with just do not give up. Do not give up! 

PowerPrayer to Boost Your Practice and Your Results

From the essay Buddhism is the Clear Mirror to Reflect Our Lives, in To My American Friends, by Daisaku Ikeda, Page 99.

"When people worship the Gohonzon, all Buddhas and bodhisattvas in the entire universe immediately respond to their prayers by lending their protection. If they slander the Gohonzon the affect will be exactly the opposite. 

For this reason one's mind of faith is extremely important. The mind of faith has a subtle and far-reaching influence. 

There may be times, for instance, when you feel reluctant to do gongyo or take part in activities. That state of mind is precisely reflected on the entire universe, as if on the surface of a clear mirror. The heavenly deities will then also feel reluctant to play their part, and they will naturally fail to exert their full power of protection. 

On the other hand, when you joyfully do gongyo and carry out activities with the determination to accumulate more good fortune in your life. the heavenly deities will be delighted and will valiantly perform their duty. If you must take some action anyway, it is to your advantage that you do so spontaneously and with a feeling of joy. If you practice reluctantly with a sense that it's a waste of time, disbelief and complaints will erode your good fortune. If you continue to practice in this way, you will not experience remarkable benefits, and this will only serve to convince you that your practice is in vain. This is a vicious circle. 
If you practice while doubting the effects, you will get results that are, at best, unsatisfactory. This is the reflection of your own weak faith on the mirror of the cosmos. 
On the other hand, when you stand up with strong confidence, you will receive limitless blessings. While controlling your mind, which is at once extremely subtle and solemnly profound, you should elevate your faith with freshness and vigor. When you do so both your life and surroundings will open wide before you, and every action you take will become a source of benefit. Understanding the subtle workings of one's mind is the key to faith and to attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime. 

PowerPrayer 
for Strengthening Your Mind of Faith. 
PowerPrayers are suggested ways to focus your mind while chanting. They are not to be chanted themselves. While chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo let your mind focus on some aspect of this PowerPrayer if you wish...for added strength and focus. If you like this PowerPrayer and want to share it, feel free to share it on Facebook or email a link using the links at the bottom. Thanks! 

Life! 

I love this practice! 

I love my life! 

I am determined to chant every morning and every evening no matter what. 

I  no longer allow anything to stop me! 

I establish an unshakable practice at the core of my life. 

And I see the results immediately! 

I keep this promise 

to myself 

first and foremost 

and the rest of my life flows effortlessly!

With every Daimoku I chant - 

I love my life more and more. 

Every Nam-myoho-renge-kyo strengthens my life! 

With every Nam-myoho-renge-kyo I feel Buddhahood Rising! 

I am overflowing with wisdom, compassion and love for mySELF and others! 

The more I chant, the more I want to chant. 

I look forward to my chanting time 

dialoguing with my own life

and discovering who I really am. 

I feel the connection more deeply every time I chant. 

Every day I see positive changes! 

I feel myself becoming stronger in these ways: 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I am determined to enjoy my time chanting and being with my fellow Gakkai members. I chant to bring my full self to every meeting, and to participate with joy. 

If there is something I don’t like about my meetings, I make a fresh determination to do my Human Revolution so I can cheerfully make a difference in my own district! 

I am chanting specifically for these people and these results: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I am deepening my understanding of what I study with every Daimoku I chant. 

My eyes are opening. 

My depth of understanding is growing! 

I love to study! 

I read the Gosho and President Ikeda’s Guidance every day, and chant to understand it with my life! 

Whenever I study I see the inner working of my life, and my prayer becomes deeper, and deeper and deeper! 

I am Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

How to use PowerPrayers While Chanting

A reader wrote me with this question. 

How do I use a PowerPrayer? 

The real answer is to read them and internalize them. There are many PowerPrayers posted on this blog, and I am soon to release my book PowerPrayers for Chanting for Your Absolute Happiness and Success. (I'm currently ready to find the right literary agent - Agents can contact me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com)

While we are chanting we can actually pray them in our minds as we are chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo (Daimoku) over and over. (Of course we don't have to use PowerPrayers. We can chant whatever is in our hearts, and chant naturally as Daisaku Ikeda says. But I have found, and many have proven, that using these PowerPrayers helps focus our prayers for results. That is why I offer them to you.) 

This morning I chanted for a long time. I have a job interview today, and want to be very focused and alert. 

Many thoughts came into my mind while I was chanting, and I asked myself "What do I want? What do I really want out of this session of chanting?" and I realized that today I want to increase my confidence and experience life as the Buddha I am. I want to end this day not thinking "Oh I wish I'd said that...I wish I'd done that..." So I brought some PowerPrayers to mind. 

I chanted the PowerPrayer "I PRAISE MY LIFE" over and over, until the I was actually praising my life as I was chanting...I was not just thinking about it. I was praising my life. 
I chanted to "Raise my life condition, and to experience every moment of this day as the Buddha I am." I let the prayers run freely in my mind. "I see throught the eyes of the Buddha, I feel with the heart of the Buddha. I am determined to get the best job for kosen-rufu...so I don't have to worry about anything.  I trust my Buddha nature to be present and with me through the whole afternoon." 

This is PowerPrayer in action! 

What's the Purpose of this blog?

Welcome to ChantforHappiness.com. 

Have you ever felt that there was a solution to the revolving door of your problems...if only you could find it? 
Have you ever thought there might be a solution that did not involve somehow divorcing yourself from your true desires? Well, this blog contains that solution. 
This blog is about living a life with renewed enthusiasm, determination and hope. 
It teaches the daily practice of chanting the words Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to bring about our own happiness and human revolution by tapping into the boundless energy of the universe that has always existed within our lives, and in everything else that exists. 

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the name of the current, and the rhythm, that runs through all things. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo literally means "I devote my life to the mystic law of cause and effect through sound vibration (or sutra)." The most important result from chanting is to see actual proof of our prayers.  In other words, we get what we chant for...maybe not immediately, but we see results. We chant we tell our own lives what we want, and we don't chant to any type of god or anything outside of ourselves.  

One of the things I resonated with when I began is that we don't have to believe chanting works. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the name of the mystic law, the law of cause and effect and chanting is the ultimate good cause.

When we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo we feel the vital essence of the universe flowing through us, and are able to direct that energy in the direction of our own happiness. 

We are a community of practitioners. We practice together, support each other and grow and learn together. Membership is open to all and costs nothing. The SGI-USA link on the right is where you can find links to your closest SGI Culture Center and District. 
I am a District Leader of the SGI-USA, but this blog is not officially tied to the organization, and the writings and opinions are my own. I wholeheartedly encourage each person to join the SGI, read the Gosho and study President Ikeda's guidance. I am deeply appreciative of all my SGI friends and mentors! 

For our practice we chant every morning and evening. no, it's not always easy to do this, but those who persist gain incredible benefit, both material and heart-centered. We tap into our own inner resources to make the impossible possible, and achieve goals we thought were unreachable. 

In my own case, I've been chanting since 1985. I searched for this practice everywhere. I KNEW something had to exist where I could channel my own energy in the direction I wanted it to go. 

In my searching I found many other forms of Buddhism that said my attachment to desires was the reason for my suffering and I had to alleviate my desires to be happy. "No thank you!" I thought. "I'll keep my desires because they make me who I am. I desire light, and love, and happiness for all humanity." And in 1985 I found the practice of Nichiren Buddhism through a friend I met who inspired me. She introduced me to the Soka Gakkai International (SGI).

These warm-hearted Buddhists encouraged me to chant for my just what I wanted. And in the process of chanting for desires, a richer, deeper happiness and strength emerged. I discovered that I could transform my basic life tendencies....the ones that I'd previously thought were just part of my personality. I discovered a great source for making change in the moment. 

In the process I've had countless benefits. I've lost 50 pounds. I've raised two incredible children who are now young men who make me proud. I've had business success and converted a life of unhappiness to a life radiant with purpose and beaming with celebration. 

My passion since the day I found this practice has been to help other people who are also searching. I began this blog 4 years ago with this intent. As of today, the readership of chantforhappiness.com is 20,000 and it climbs consistently every month. Before I write each post, I chant for a solid hour to connect with each reader's life, to help each one connect with the SGI, and to inspire all to persist in their daily practice so they can be incredibly happy. 

I, along with my fellow practitioners, envision, and chant, for a world of respect for all living beings which we call kosen rufu. There are dedicated people all over the world chanting for new members to come to meetings and discover this incredible source of happiness. You can call them today using the SGI-USA Portal on the right. 

For instructions on how to chant, check out the blog post How To Chant For the First Time in the archives. 

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. 

About Setting Deadlines for Results

I received a note from a reader about deadlines. They were wondering what to do when the deadline has passed, but the result has not happened. What does this mean...and what do you do next?

Kate is my guest blogger for this question:

We set deadlines to motivate OURSELVES into action. A deadline is not for the universe to respond to us. We chant. We take action. The deadline comes. We either win or we don't. If we don't get the result by the deadline we pick ourselves right up again and redetermine. The goal is to never be defeated. Sensei always says "To win in life is to never be defeated." That does not mean that we will never fail. It's our spirit that matters. The battle we fight is not with the universe. It's with our inner demons...the ones that say things like "obviously chanting doesn't work because I did not get my dream by my deadline...or...maybe I should have a different goal...maybe I wasn't MEANT to have that thing!....or what am I doing wrong? Maybe I wasn't chanting the RIGHT way!" It is at that juncture that we must recognize the opportunity to deepen our faith and our understanding of the profundity of Buddhism. ANYTHING that DRAINS OUR LIFE FORCE is the negative function. Any inner voice that causes us doubt and hopelessness IS the negative function. Once we decide we will win no matter what ~ we need only to continue. We've already won. The battle is with the negative function within. 
Ultimately, deadlines are irrelevant. Set them if you need them to motivate yourself. But decide from the onset that you will win no matter what. And hold YOURSELF accountable. Not the universe. If it is a crucial moment and you are in a dire predicament, financially, or health-wise, it is time to DEMAND the protection of the Shoten Zenjin. No prayer of a votary of the Lotus Sutra will go unanswered. If your prayer is going unanswered find out what it means to be a votary of the Lotus Sutra. STUDY. And as you are chanting DEMAND the result that you want through your prayer. Awaken to your mission and realize that all your suffering is your opportunity to encourage other people. That is what is meant by turning Karma into Mission."

Make Your Mighty Determinations!

Today!

Why not? 

It's your life!

What is a determination? 

It's a goal, and it's a call of your spirit. It's a paragraph that conveys what you really want. 

When Kathy was chanting for her job she had a deep determination. She determined that she was going to find her retirement job...the job she'd stay in until she retired. She determined it would have all the bells and whistles, great benefits, the hours she wanted, the income she wanted...vacation etc. She determined it would be a "home" for her, full of warm people who appreciate her. She determined that it would be a job that showed actual proof of the Gohonzon and that it would inspire others to chant to achieve their goals. She also determined that while she was unemployed she and her family would not suffer in any way. 

All of these determinations were realized! 


She had her first day at her new job on Monday. It was amazing. She immediately felt welcomed. SHe got there early with the other early people, and discovered they have one of those cool gourmet one-cup-at-a-time coffee makers. At her last job they didn't have any coffee at all, and she had to bring a carafe from home. I know that's the tip of the iceberg for her. I know that each day she will reveal another benefit of this job. Last night she was invited out to a celebratory dinner with her co-workers. On her first day her boss called her in and said that her position had been open for a long, long time...and they had chosen her very carefully!!

Isn't that awesome?

What is YOUR determination? 

Would you like to share it with us?