Why do bad things happen? A Good Question...

I received a question from someone who is new to chanting. She wondered why after chanting a few days some obstacles occurred. When the obstacles happened she stopped chanting for a few days. Then she started chanting again, and more less-than-positive things occurred. So she stopped chanting again. And on and on...


I'll bet there are other readers who are familiar with this pattern and who know the answer to this question!


When you chant Daimoku you are reaching into the depth of your life to purify it and create the most beautiful possible life. You are also stirring up the karma that has always been within your life. If you stay with the practice, and chant consistently, you will attain a state of life beyond your wildest dreams. You will have a level of contentment and come to know your purpose in being alive. You will look at your problems as opportunities for greater growth and happiness. But first you have to deepen your understanding of the practice. 


When you chant, you naturally draw from your life the karma that needs to be changed. Otherwise you wouldn't have the chance to change it! If you've studied the Gosho you see that chanting correctly does bring problems into a closer focus so you can change that karma once and for all. 


During my first few years of chanting I took a job with the worst boss ever. Really. He swore at the people who worked for him (the beautiful woman he LIVED with) and was abusive to the whole staff. It was horrible. Instead of lamenting my fate and crying "Chanting is not working!" I saw it as the opportunity to change this karma FOREVER. Every day I chanted a solid hour in the morning that NEVER EVER again would I experience an abusive boss! I chanted for his happiness, and the happiness of everyone involved. At a certain point I was able to stop his abusive ways by speaking up when he was yelling. It took courage. It took daimoku. And I've never had an abusive boss since then. I changed that karma then and there by facing it down and roaring Nam Myoho Renge Kyo like the powerful woman I am!


I understood that this challenge was an opportunity to change my bad karma. And always remember, karma is in your life, but you don't have to think of it as your fault. That karma is there from many lifetimes of living, but feeling guilty about it is just not useful. Feeling responsible for it, and vowing to change it will give you POWER.


Just chant to change the karma of anything that is bothering you. You don't have to figure it out! Just make a vow and determination to end this karma forever. See all that happens to you, both good and bad, as the answer to your prayer and don't stop chanting even for a day. During the difficult times chant even harder and what you've been encountering eventually be gone forever. It does not happen overnight. But it does happen!!!!


THAT is the fortune I talk about.  That happiness can be yours. But don't run scared when bad things happen. No Roar like the powerful lion you are!
"Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is like the roar of a lion. What sickness can therefore be an obstacle?"
In this case sickness can be taken as any kind of suffering. ROAR it out of your life forever!!! 

Do you Have to Write Your List of Goals?

Hello!


I received a question asking if goals really had to be written down. 


The answer is no. 


But it really works for me! 


I have been writing my goals for years, and I love having them to focus on when I run out of steam while I'm chanting. I have had so many goals that have come true...and I love looking back on them and documenting my life.  Writing goals has always worked for me. 


Did Shakyamuni advise writing your goals? I don't think so. 
Did Nichiren Daishonin? I'm not sure, but I haven't read every word he's written or said. 


Writing goals and determinations has always worked for me, so I continue to do it, and advise other people to do it. Like so many other aspects of this practice ~ it is entirely up to you!


When I write goals I draw a picture of how I want my life to be. My goals are written in narrative format as if they have already happened. Reading them inspires me! 


The most important thing is to chant...and keep chanting...and keep chanting. 


I'm in the beautiful rolling hills of Kentucky today taking a break from watching Aaron run in his last college track meet. The weather is beautiful even though the forecast called for rain. 
My Dad and Stepmom Janice are here and I am enjoying every moment of this glorious day. 


I love answering your questions and I love when you email me. 
What a wonderful life I have. 
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!!!!!

How to be Happy! How to Chant for the first time. A great post to share with first time chanters.

(I had a request from a reader to teach her how to chant - this is my response, and part of the book I'm writing. Please forward this to anyone you'd like to introduce to this amazing practice!)

Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life!

Here you will learn how to chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!

First of all make a list of what you really want in life. Take a new look at your desires and write them down.  Dream big. What do you really want? What do you want for yourself? What do you want for others? What do you want for the world? Make a list. There is no such thing as a “bad” desire as long as you wish no harm on others. Many Buddhists began chanting with desires that later turned into other desires. Don’t worry about it. Chant for what is really in your heart. Be true to yourself. 

I suggest having some sort of journal to write in. Writing in a journal helps you become aware of your progress and benefits.

Choose a place to chant comfortably. You’ll want to sit in a comfortable chair. Where would you feel most at ease chanting out loud? It is helpful to have something on the wall to focus on. It's helpful to rest your eyes on something slightly above eye level. It can be anything. When I first started chanting in my little two room apartment in San Francisco, I sat on the mattress on the floor and gazed up at the moon in a poster of Mono Lake. Choose something soothing to rest your eyes on. I find it helpful to have a table nearby for my tea, and other things I like to have close when I chant. You may want to put a little table up as an altar, but you don’t need that to begin. 

Write the words Nam Myoho Renge Kyo on a piece of paper (or use the card enclosed in this book). The words are pronounced as follows: 

Nahm, rhymes with Mom, 

meeyohoh, with three long vowels, 

rain gay, 

key oh. 

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. 

Nahm Meeyohoh Rain Gay Key Oh

Hold your hands with the palms facing in and touching each other in front of your heart. Sit with your back as straight as possible and say the words over and over and over again. 

You do not have to concentrate about what is in your mind at first. Just say the words. Breathe whenever you have to for as long as you like. See if you can chant for a few minutes, then a few minutes more. Chant for as long as you can!  

The rhythm should sound like a train moving, or horses running. There should be some energy to it. You can chant as fast or as slow as you wish. Speed of chanting is up to you. 

If you want to hear how it sounds you can go to the top left corner of this blog and chant with me. I begin slowly and speed up with more energy. 

See how it makes you feel. Can you chant for a little longer? Maybe even a little longer than that. Can you get to the point where you don’t have to think about the words, but can actually think about what you want? It may take a little time. Naturally you will begin to chant for what you want. You’ll see. 

When you are finished chanting you can write in your journal.

Start by writing an assessment of your life right now. What’s going well, what you’d like to improve on. Then write how you felt before chanting and after chanting. In your journal set a goal for how much you want to chant every day.  When I started, I could only chant five minutes a day in the morning and five minutes in the evening. I had a timer next to me and I’m sure there were times I stopped before I’d even reached five minutes! You will build up momentum! Commit to chant twice a day every day. Keep your goals in mind and you’ll remember your reasons for chanting! 

These words and this vibration go deep into the heart of your life itself. They summon forth your highest wisdom, vitality and sense of purpose. They also uproot the karma that is making you suffer, and give you the opportunity to change this karma forever. You will still have challenges and problems in life when you chant...but eventually you will see them as the opportunities they are. Problems are the FUEL you need to catapult your life into a life of happiness and joy. You have begun a journey to uncover the true happiness that exists in your shining Buddha life. Congratulations!
Also - make sure to search on Soka Gakkai followed by whatever country you live in. This site will help you to connect with people who will be happy to help you learn to chant, overcome your problems, and reveal your brilliant, wonderful self!  Fellow Soka Gakka members love to help each other. 
and go to IKEDAQUOTES.org to read Daisaku Ikeda's words. He is lighting the way for us all...and for YOU!

Thanks for your responses! Another question!

Hello!


Thanks for responding to my question about books and videos I want to make available for you on this site. Please email me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com with more suggestions! I'd love to hear from the person who sent the last comment about how easy it is to publish an ebook!


The first book I'm writing is a How-to-Book called Chant Your Way to Happiness. It is ideal for someone new to the practice. It explains the nuts and bolts of how to chant, where to sit, how to hold your hands, some Buddhist history and the most important concepts. 


Longtime practitioners will appreciate the SuperChapter with powerful powerful prayers arranged by category. These are a great way to focus your intentions like a laser and root out the causes of suffering in your life. You will love them! My intention is for those of you who are currently practicing to give this How-to-Book to the people you're encouraging to chant. 


What other topics interest you? 


Also, Would you like to submit an experience for this or any of my books to come? The experiences are going to be the juicy, wonderful parts of the book! If you'd like to submit one please email me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com and I can tell you submission guidelines. 


Encouragement for your day:


Please remember that whatever you are going through is the absolutely perfect thing for you to be experiencing for your greater happiness. It is easy to think that all we do in this practice is chant for things and get them. But the real value in Buddhism is in the solid, shining self that we are polishing each and every day. 


Not everything you are chanting for is going to happen overnight, and your new challenges are helping you to get everything you want. But only if you don't give up. You must persevere! You must chant until what you are chanting for comes to pass. Do not give in to feelings of despair. 


And if you can muster the power in your life to feel appreciation, even for your problems that will help! I think back, and I can thank the man who broke my heart for the birth of this blog. If I had not been so amazingly, gut wrenchingly sad I would not have started chanting two hours a day and would not have been able to reach all the people I now reach through this blog! 
And re-read the Gosho 'On the Buddha's Behavior" and see how the Daishonin, when he was about to be beheaded at Tatsunokuchi, got off his horse and prayed to the statue of Hachiman and demanded protection. You can demand what you want to the Gohonzon (which is, of course, your LIFE). Be strong in your prayer and don't give up!!! 


Have a great day and chant powerful Daimoku!

Answers to your questions, and important questions for you!

Thanks for your comments and questions!


A reader asked about chanting at night. They said they were tired and wanted to do gongyo much earlier in the day. I think it's fine to chant anytime you want to. You can do evening gongyo at 2:00 in the afternoon if that time works for you. The important thing is to establish the twice a day rhythm in your life. The actual time you chant is less important. 


A reader asked if it was OK to stop in the middle of chanting Daimoku to journal, and then get back to chanting. I hope so! I have been doing that for years and it hasn't hurt me at all. I keep a pen and paper handy to jot down the inspiration I get while chanting, otherwise I'd forget some important Daimoku-Inspired ideas. Once, in the middle of chanting I stopped and HAD to google "Agents looking for authors" and I found out about the New York Writer's conference in January of this year. The next thing you know I'd bought my tickets and was on a plane. 
Of course you can do this too much and end up barely chanting at all...
There are times when I just want to focus like a laser beam, and I put my phone and paper away and just stay glued to the Gohonzon. When I chant with other people, and when I am just intent on breaking through with Daimoku I just barely move my eyes from the Gohonzon. 

Which leads me to my question for you. I want to produce something for you that would be of value, and that you'd be happy to pay for, and recommend to others. 


Would you buy a book called "Chant Your Way to Happiness...A How-to-Guide for Having the Life of Your Dreams right now!" (I'm still working on the tag line after "Chant Your Way to Happiness." Your suggestions are welcome!)
 I don't know if I'll have control over the price for this, but would you pay $12, $18, or $22 for a book? Would you prefer an ebook or a real book or both? 


Would you like me to produce a video and sell it on-line? What topic would interest you? Some titles might be:
 Joyfully entering the Path of Happiness and Fulfillment! A How-to-Guide to jump-starting your Buddhist Practice of chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!
Energize Your Practice! What you need to know to reinvigorate and break through your karma!
Chanting Powerful Daimoku: How to Really connect with your life when you chant. 
Introducing others is EASY! How to talk about Buddhism in the real world. 


Are there other topics you'd like me to cover? 


And how much would you pay for these? $5, $10, $12, $15?


Thanks for helping me in my research. My goal is to produce products of VALUE to you. Something you can take and use wherever you want. Something you can give to people you care about. I'm open for suggestions. Please respond!

How to explain this practice to others

Hello!


I received a request from a reader on how to talk about this practice for others. I think we each have our unique way, and I'll tell you how I do it. 


It starts with Daimoku! I am always chanting to meet the people who are seeking this practice and will want to chant. I know I was seeking this practice and so many are seeking too! I chant to be a living, breathing example of hope for people...that just by meeting me they can feel a breeze of "Ahhhhh...look what is possible!" Even if they are just meeting me for the first time. I chant to overflow with happiness and draw people to me who are ready to chant!


I am always chanting to let others know about this "tool for happiness"! 


There are three categories for shakubuku:


Strangers I meet in random places... 


People I meet in business....


and Friends...


Let's start with strangers. Most of the time I assume that if someone meets me, that they are seeking this practice. Otherwise why would they meet the Buddha? And how else could they find out about this wonderful practice? So I find a way to just drop the fact that I'm a Buddhist into the conversation, and I always carry Nam Myoho Renge Kyo cards with me! Always!  I give them away saying "This is the secret to happiness! Chant these words and you make the changes inside your life to bring about the changes you want to see!" Or I say "These words are the name of the rhythm of life itself. Chanting these words puts you in rhythm with the universe." Then I tell them I used to be 70 pounds heavier, or I say "I have the most amazing life!" and tell them a bit about me...but only if they are interested. I can tell right away if they don't want to talk about it. I can feel it. I just drop the subject then and move on. I have planted a seed....and that is enough!


If they are interested I tell them it's a tool, like meditation and that they do not have to stop doing what they are doing or CONVERT to chant. They don't. They can still use chanting as a tool. I tell them it's a tool for drawing forth the power of the universe from within. And I tell them we chant twice a day every day to establish that rhythm in our lives. I tell them they don't have to believe in it. It's a law of the universe and works no matter what. Then I tell them stories from my life...invite them to read my blog and attend meetings at my house. I also direct them to the SGI-USA.org website. 




I think I told you about my new friend who helped me at the Apple Store. My phone was having problems and she was helping me with it. I told her it was important for it to work so that I could stay in contact with my Buddhist District and my blog readers. 
She immediately told me she was seeking Buddhism and had been reading books and visiting temples to find a practice. We had a spirited conversation where I talked about using the TOOL of chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo to achieve goals and I told her some stories about actual proof in my life and in others. She was immediately hooked and has been chanting ever since. In the store we exchanged numbers, I began chanting for her and she and I have stayed in contact. Although she doesn't live close to me, she works close to me and comes to my meetings. She introduced a friend to this practice already!!


And then there is the woman I shakubukued at my sister's swimming pool. She and I had about a 5 minute conversation at the pool. She could feel something about my life. And she came to a meeting...she has now been chanting a year and a half and is glowing actual proof for all of us...she is so much happier!! 


In business I usually I wait until I get a clear sign from the other person. When they say "what is it about you Jamie? Why are you always so happy and smiling?" Then I tell them! I bring them reading materials and see if they want to have lunch with me. Then I let them lead. I wait until they bring it up. I never bug people. If they aren't interested I drop it right away and wait until they bring it up again...


And shakubukuing friends...and family...for me they sometimes take more time. They KNOW me. They are watching me for results. I chant, chant, chant for them! And chant to show them actual proof. I offer to chant with them when they are struggling, and I chant for them all the time! I let them take their time. I have many friends who have joined after watching my life for twenty years. And once they began chanting...oh my...they have achieved sooooo much!


I LOVE doing shakubuku! Do you have any more questions? 


Introducing others is the fastest way to change your karma, and when you see people using the practice and becoming happy...well, there is nothing more satisfying!!! 

Fundamental Darkness Be Gone!

Understanding Fundamental Darkness is one of the keys to becoming enlightened, and HAPPY! 

And "Fundamental Darkness", although it sounds scary, is not scary at all AS LONG AS YOU RECOGNIZE IT FOR WHAT IT IS!!! When you see it for what it is, and don't give it any power you can vanquish it from your life. 

Fundamental darkness is only ignorance of your fundamental brightness. And when you are practicing correctly you WILL experience it! It's part of the process!

That's how simple it is. 

It's not a force that will overwhelm you, unless you give it power! 

For me,  fundamental darkness is the negative voice in my head urging me to give up. The voice says "This is not possible Jamie girl...don't even hope for it...no one you know ever accomplished this goal, what makes you think you can?" and on and on and on. It leads me to doubt and fear...and I have the power to lead myself back into light and hope. It also appears as a feeling of hopelessness...a feeling of insatiable longing....that too is fundamental darkness. Unless I see it for what it IS, I feel the hopelessness is real. But it's not real! Do you see what I'm saying? 

Now, if I were to believe those voices, and continue giving them power...well then, fundamental darkness WINS. But if I instead call out "I KNOW YOU FOR WHAT YOU ARE!!! HA! Negative thoughts BE GONE~!!!!" If I say "I don't CARE how many times you come to defeat me...I am the BUDDHA! I am stronger than you! I will WIN! I will recognize my FUNDAMENTAL GOODNESS INSTEAD! My life is a brilliant example of actual proof of this Buddhism! I WILL accomplish what is IMPOSSIBLE! I will be absolutely happy and healthy in every way!" Then I have power. 

Listen to the supportive voices in your head...SUMMON them!...write them on your walls! 

Train your thoughts to say: 

"Buddhism is winning or losing...I choose to WIN! I am the Buddha! I have all the power of the universe right here between my hands when I am roaring the roar of the Buddha and chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo and dispelling these doubts from my mind.!!!!! I AM the BUDDHA! No ONE and no THOUGHT will defeat me. And I VOW I will overcome my karma and be absolutely happy in every way...mind, body, spirit! I will be an example for others that this practice works. My life is an example of glowing, brilliant happiness and I can be a beacon of hope for others! Goodbye fundamental darkness! SHOOO! I feel and see my fundamental BRIGHTNESS instead!!!!

I'm focusing on that!"

Roar the roar of a courageous buddha! Do not give into fundamental darkness. It is not who you are. You are a brilliant beacon of hope for everyone. Claim your brightness! Embrace your Buddhahood! Vanquish your fears! Ever. Single. Day!!!!