Comments from readers! Experiences and Questions

Thanks for writing! 
From my readers! The first is an experience, the second is a question and the answer I provided.


Hello Jamie 

I wrote you back in September I just wanted to let you know I continued chanting I haven't had time to keep up with the meetings at the SGI near my house because of work but I still chant at home. My health problem was complete resolved I had surgery and everything went great I went on a trip to Thailand and new Zealand for work and had a great time my divorce is final and me and my ex husband have remained friends. And I'm learning to remember the good times I had with my friend that passed away. I suggest chanting to anyone that will listen because I know it helped me through some really hard times. I just want to tell you thank you for creating your blog , reading your words help me to become a stronger and happier woman.  

Question and answer:


Hi Jamie,

I can't tell you many times your blog has given me hope when I've even considered quitting the practice.

I just graduate and have applied to at least 50 jobs and have been rejected from all of them. I wrote down some goals and even included the salary I would want in my dream job but I feel guilty for being greedy. I chant only 10mins a day and despite practicing for almost a year I haven't really had any victories which makes me wonder what am I doing wrong ? I would appreciate guidance from you in terms of what I should chant for in a job or what more can I do to Improve my practice .
My response:  


Hello!

First of all you are not being greedy to want money in your life, and to have a job that brings you joy. You can envision a life that makes you happy down to every detail. It is your birthright. And now, since you are chanting Nam Myoho REnge Kyo it is time for you to Raise your life condition and focus on what you want. The goal of this practice is to be happy. Having the right job is very key to being happy. 

There are many elements to having a successful practice. They are not all easy but they will result in actual results in your life and a happiness you have never known before. The question you must ask yourself is "How much do I want to be happy?" And if you're wondering if you deserve happiness I will tell you YES YOU DO!!!! 

And if you don't believe me, please chant in praise of your life. You have a noble mission. You can help all those who are suffering...once you achieve happiness yourself. This is a crucial time for you. You must determine to win! 

Here are the aspects of a successful practice:

Chanting as much joyful "Nam Myoho Renge Kyo" as possible.

make your list of what you want!

Get your Gohonzon as soon as you can! (The Gohonzon is the scroll inscribed by Nichiren Daishonin of the highest life condition possible. We focus on it while chanting...it is the center of our Buddhist altar. You get it through chanting with the SGI and attending meetings and learning Gongyo which is the recitation of the Lotus Sutra we recite every morning and evening)

Going to SGI meetings at the Buddhist center or in people's homes - (I know it can be difficult to get to meetings. If you cannot attend, keep chanting anyway! Chant to be able to attend!)

Making good Buddhist friends

Studying the Gosho of Nichiren Daishonin and writings of Daisaku Ikeda

Chanting as much Daimoku as you can and doing Gongyo twice a day every day. 

Taking action towards your goal....every action you take is a cause!

Chant for the perfect job for kosen rufu. (World peace) 

Chant to show actual proof of this practice through your own life so that you can inspire others to chant.  

Demand that your life deliver this to you!

You can do it. 

Persevere. 

Challenge Yourself. 

I promise you. It is worth it!!!

What can you accomplish through chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo?

I'm celebrating today! All time readership of this blog just went over 50,000! Thank you so much! Thank you for passing the link chantforhappiness.com 
on to your fellow members, friends, family and anyone you want to introduce to this practice! And thank you for passing it on to people who speak languages other than English since there's a translation button on the upper left corner! And thank you so much for writing me! I love knowing what is on your mind and I adore hearing your successes! I am so grateful to you!


What can you accomplish through chanting? Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is bigger than your biggest problem. I keep thinking about the experience that was in a recent world tribune. A girl with a very heavy heart and lots of troubles went to her first SGI meeting. A member who had been chanting for many years had her hold up her baby finger, and she told her "All your troubles will be as tiny as your baby finger compared to the power of chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo." And that's the truth! 


What are some examples of the things I have personally seen change for people? 


I'll start with my own benefits for you.

There are three categories of "treasures" in Buddhism - the most important is the treasure of the heart:
Here are some Benefits of developing the treasure of the heart:


I have cured in my own life:


Hopelessness
Depression
Anxiety
Sadness
Fear! 
Loneliness - I went from having very few friends to having many friends, and to being happier on my own too. 
I have resolved every conflict in the workplace and in my personal life very quickly
I have no more need to be eating all the time
I have alleviated the endless hunger for everything, that constant longing for what I cannot have for whatever reason. 
I've lost 50 pounds and feel younger and stronger than ever.
I am working on publishing a book that will help many people learn to chant. This, along with the blog you are reading now is my greatest passion....helping people alleviate their suffering. 
I have peace of mind! Aaaahhh!


Other treasures of the heart:


One of my members stopped his pattern of constant worrying and never worries anymore.
One member overcame her deep dark depression, and all of the members in my district have greatly alleviated their anxiety.
They face their problems head-on and together we break through them! 


I've seen many members get the jobs of their dreams...overcome fear of public speaking...overcome many fears. 


The list goes on and on.....


There are also treasures of the storehouse...and things that people want to have and accomplish.


I remember chanting for my first car. I chanted for a reliable car for Kosen Rufu (world peace) so that I could drive people to meetings in San Francisco. 
I chanted for a beautiful house to hold Buddhist meetings in...one that would inspire people that anything was possible!
 I'll never forget the looks on the movers faces when they arrived at my beautiful kosen rufu home on the hill with the gorgeous view! It was such a contrast from my tiny little apartment on lower Nob Hill (Upper Tenderloin for those in the know) in San Francisco! 
And I've chanted for financial benefits. We need money to live and to give us opportunities. Without money I could not have brought my Buddha boys to California this spring! It is not some kind of "sin" to chant for money. Money is necessary. 


Oh there are soooo many things... feeling...experiences that you can chant for. And the biggest benefit of all is that as you are chanting for these things you are developing a stronger sense of self...a stronger inner core...a strength so powerful that NO PROBLEM CAN DEFEAT YOU. EVER. That is truly the best benefit. 
And remember that when you chant you are not asking anyone for anything...you are drawing power from your own precious life! Go YOU!


I wish I had more time but I have to run out the door to my job! 
Please keep writing me. Let me know what you'd like to hear about! Let me know your successes! Nam Myoho Renge Kyo !!!!

Exciting Meeting in Chicago tonight! And Job Search TIPS!

Meeting Tonight

at the Chicago Buddhist Center ~ especially for newcomers

Open to anyone ~ sponsored by the LGBT!

Chicago Buddhist Center

1455 S. Wabash - FREE PARKING! 

6:30-8:30 call 312-913-1211

Please come!  All Welcome!

(If you can't come tonight you can call the center and they will put you in touch with the meetings that are held in your area - there are meetings all over!)

I hope yesterday's blog about what makes this practice so radically different from any other form of Buddhism or any other practice was helpful to you. Do you have any questions for me? Are there members who have any feedback for me? Would you like me to include anything else? Please email questions/comments and EXPERIENCES of any length to me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com. I'm looking for experiences to share on this blog and in my upcoming book. 

What can I share with you today? 

I want to talk about two things: 

The basic framework of an SGI Meeting and 

tips on chanting to find a job

About SGI Meetings: I was not in on the planning of tonight's meeting because I have a meeting at my home in the Western Suburbs every single Wednesday. What I can tell you is tonight's meeting at the Buddhist Center will be filled with people who have experienced benefit after benefit from chanting, and are happy to share how they have broken through their problems. The meeting will start with chanting, and have basic explanations of the practice and time for questions. There's also a bookstore at the Chicago Buddhist Center with tons of fascinating books on this practice.  Our meetings are very warm, and you won't feel left out or singled out. You can come alone and not feel awkward. Every meeting has tons and tons of Daimoku (the chanting of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo) behind it. What do I mean when I say that? Each meeting has been carefully prepared by a group of people who are chanting for the participants...chanting for YOU! Tonight's meeting at the buddhist Center has had a team of people preparing it and chanting for everyone involved. If you go to the meeting you will make many new friends!

For the meetings held at my house every week, I always chant that every single person who comes to a meeting will NEVER BE THE SAME after that meeting. I chant that each person hears something that inspires them to the core, and that they go and chant with renewed energy and enthusiasm and take a new step forward in their lives. The group that meets at my house is very close, and always excited about new people joining us. Nothing makes us happier than seeing someone's life light up with happiness with the power of chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo! And I am always chanting that MY LIFE has to be victorious in every way so that I can show actual proof to other members, and to my friends who read this blog! I demand my life to produce the results I'm seeking, and this is a very powerful prayer. 

JOB FINDING TIPS:

Many of you are writing me and asking "How do I get a job...I've been looking and I haven't been able to find anything." And I say chant with this kind of prayer. Chant "I MUST find a job so I can show actual proof of this practice and inspire others with my life. I demand the result and the victory now! I must find a job for kosen rufu...a job where I will be able to create value in my life and spread it to others!" 

And write down what you would like...go ahead and be specific. I found exactly what I wanted and switched careers in the middle of a recession. The power of chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is stronger than any recession. Tuen off the TV and stop listening to the bad news for awhile! DOn;t let anything discourage you!

You may ask: Who are you chanting "to" ? The answer is Your own power, your own life that you generate and tap into by chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo! It is your birthright to be happy and victorious! Chant for the wisdom to take the right actions to find a job and take massive action every day. When I was finding the job I have currently I wrote a list of everything I wanted, and I went on many job interviews that didn't match my criteria because I didn't even know where to look to find the job I'd written about. Even though I didn't want those jobs, I knew that taking the action to interview for them was making a positive cause for me to find the right job. And boom! I got an email from a networking friend (who I had introduced to chanting of course!) about the job I have now, and I knew the minute I got the email that this was my job. I had to handle the next steps very carefully. I prepared well for the interview, and I even had to prepare a powerpoint presentation for the management team. I wrote my hand-written thank you notes. I took the correct actions. I kept chanting and I got the job! 

Tell your life what you want in your chanting. Roar like the lion you are! Write me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com to share your experience, give me feedback or ask questions! 

What Makes this practice so special? How to Chant

Hello! This blog can be translated using the button at the top left) 

This is a posting for newcomers and a refresher for anyone.

(Current members are welcome to send the link to this blog chantforhappiness.com to someone you're introducing or encouraging) 

There's a meeting tomorrow, Wednesday the 27th at the Chicago Buddhist Center sponsored by the LGBT group and all are welcome - free parking! 1455 S. Wabash 6:30-8:30

What are some of the key things to know about chanting?

• HAPPINESS is the goal of this practice. You get to KEEP and USE your desires! Most forms of Buddhism teach that the cause of suffering is attachment to desires, and if you eradicate attachment to desires you can become happy. Not so with Practical Buddhism. Instead, your desires ARE enlightenment. The more desires you have, the better. Your desires lead you to chant. Chanting changes your karma and brings about true and lasting happiness - based both on achieving those desires, and based on the inner changes (human revolution) that result from chanting. Over time your desires will evolve and if you don’t know what your desires are, you can chant to uncover them.

• The words you chant are Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. Translated as:  “I devote myself (or fuse my life)to the mystic law of cause and effect through sound vibration.”  It is the same as chanting the name of the law of cause and effect itself...or the name of the rhythm of life. I like to picture an electrical plug attaching to the universe.  With this powerful vibration you are able to reach deep into the core of your own life, where you are one with everything, and bring forth all you desire. 

• There are no rules to follow

• No dietary restrictions
• No lifestyle rules ~ all are welcome
• No dues
• No dress code

• You don’t have to give up anything you’re already doing. You don’t have to convert to Buddhism to chant. If you like meditating, great! Keep meditating. If you like going to church keep going to church. Think of it as meditation...only with tangible results and goals! Your goals! Your results!

• You don’t have to believe that chanting works. Chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo generates the vibration of the law of cause and effect...the rhythm of life itself.  It is a law of life. It doesn’t have a personality. It is not a god. It does not care if you believe in it! One of my mentors in faith, Amos Snell began chanting to prove to his wife that she was wasting her time chanting. He chanted to PROVE IT DIDN’T work. More than forty years later he is still chanting and introducing people. Eventually you will believe that chanting works, because you will see so many results in your life, but you have to experience it for yourself!

• There is no clergy. The SGI (Soka Gakkai International) is an organization of lay people. We work together for the sake of each person’s happiness. 

• There is no guilt. There is only the law of cause and effect.  

• You don’t quiet the mind while chanting. No! You engage it. You command the results you want for your life. You focus your prayers like a laser on what you desire.

• You can turn EVERY problem into a benefit. When you chant consistently you realize that your challenges and problems actually fuel your benefits. You welcome new challenges, chant to turn poison into medicine and watch as new benefits flow into your life. 

• The most important benefits are what happens inside your life. No, you will not cease to have problems, but you will greet them with appreciation and dispense with them with quickly. Your inner core will strengthen. You can chant for a great job and fulfilling relationships, love and health and a sense of purpose. You tap into the wisdom to know that you are on the right path...no matter what comes into your life, you can use it as a springboard to become even happier...no matter how dire the circumstances. 

• This practice is FUN! It’s filled with happy people becoming even happier. It’s not somber! It’s a practice for the age we live in now! many people are seeking real, concrete solutions to their problems. Chanting works

 How to Chant

 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. 

 Focus on saying 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 the blog chantforhappiness.com and chant with me. I begin slowly and speed up with more energy. 

When you’re finished chanting I suggest writing 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 life. Congratulations!

Go to the Soka Gakkai website of whatever country you live in. SGI-USA.org is America's site. 

The SGI 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!

Welcome! Pictures from The Pride Parade!

Hello! For those of you viewing for the first time please read this post and keep scrolling down! Many of the recent posts are perfect fundamentals for you! 

"Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is like the Roar of a Lion ~ 

What "sickness" (or sadness or problem) can therefore be an obstacle"   

Aaron and I marched with the SGI members 

in the Chicago Pride Parade today! 

Thousands and thousands celebrated today...
gay, straight, LGBT, everyone celebrated together!

We are so proud to belong to an peaceful organization 

that doesn't discriminate against anyone!  

Today countless SGI members marched in Pride Parades across America. These parades celebrate the right to love! They celebrate peoples' right to be who they are. They are a pure celebration of happy energy! I handed out over a 1000 cards today! If you are reading this blog for the first time welcome!  I will do everything I can to help you learn to chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo so that you can be happier than you ever dreamed possible! 

Aaron and his new friend DJ.

Me and my new friend Katherine! 

Parade participants! I told you I'd post this! Thanks for letting me take your picture!

Marching in the parade!

If you are coming to this site for the first time Welcome! Chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo can open up a whole new world for you. You can raise your life condition into a whole new vibration of peace and happiness. Nam Myoho Renge Kyo means "I fuse my life to the mystic law of cause and effect through sound vibration" It is the name of the rhythm of life itself. When you chant these words and focus on your desires, a powerful force within your own life becomes activated towards your own happiness! 
There is a meeting on Wednesday the 27th of June at the Chicago Buddhist Center, 1455 S. Wabash Ave. from 6:30-8:30 Free Parking! All are welcome! 
Feel free to scroll down and page through this blog to learn more about the practice. Many, many people read this blog for encouragement.  
Why chant? It activates the energy to bring your life condition up, make the changes you need to make, and start attracting all you desire! It's fun and it works!
If you can't make the meeting on Wednesday you can call the Buddhist Center at 312-913-1211 to find out where the meeting is closest to you in the Chicago area. If you're not from Chicago go to SGI-USA.org to find out the center nearest you!!! If you live near Oak Brook Illinois you can come to my meetings every Wednesday. Send me an email!


Here's to your happiness! I post something encouraging and interesting about this practice almost every day! You can also  read previous posts to find out more~!  

Pride Day in Chicago today!

The Soka Gakkai is marching in the Pride Parade Today!


As a straight woman and a lover of love, and a lover of people's freedom to love I am proud to be marching. 


I'll take pictures and share them after the parade!


If you are a first time reader please take a look at previous postings! 


To my readers!


Please continue bringing forth your true and noble desires! You deserve the best and the brightest and the happiest of lives! Thank you for writing me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for letting me know when I have touched you! Thank you for sharing your successes! I am always chanting for you!

You Can Desire ANYTHING!

Yesterday I had a very interesting discussion with a member of my district who has been Chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo for about a year and a half. 


I said, as we were beginning to chant, "REMEMBER, YOU CAN DESIRE ANYTHING...YOU CAN CHANT FOR ANYTHING!" And after we chanted we talked about this. I know we had talked about it before, but now it is beginning to sink in for her 


She told me she was raised to believe that desires were bad...and that having a real desire for anything actually leads to suffering and unhappiness. She was taught to appreciate everything, but not to have desires or to be specific. She was taught not to ask for anything. 
I told her about the fulfillment of some of my very specific desires. I listed a specific desire I have now, with all its components (I get VERY specific!)


And she was amazed...and open to the idea of specifying her own desires...and chanting for them ~ rather than denying them. I am so glad we had this discussion! 


Please consider what I am saying. 


Earthly desires are your birthright. 


They make you who you are. 


They are fuel for your chanting, they make the light in your eyes shine...they make waking up each day a joyous experience. Why not be specific and go for what is in your heart? 


I know people who started chanting and had less than lofty desires...and chanting for those desires eventually lead their lives to chant for better desires. But they had to start where they were. There are people who begin their practice chanting for drugs, and if they keep chanting they will develop better desires! 


I know a man who started chanting to prove to his wife that she was wasting her time. More than 40 years later she's still chanting. 


There was an experience in the world tribune of a woman chanting to die, and she kept trying to commit suicide (and failing) and kept chanting and worked her way out of her sadness to lead a happy productive life. Chant for what is in your heart!


And, if you don't know what your desires are, well...easy answer! 


Chant to know what you really want. Ask your life. You have the perfect tool to do that!


I chanted to know what my mission was for quite a few years. I knew I was born to accomplish something important  (just like YOU) and I wanted to find out what it was. 


And now, here I am, thrilled to be writing to you today, thrilled that you pass on this blog address to others, and thrilled to reach more and more people every day and help them to become happy. 


My life has purpose, spark and excitement. Nothing makes me happier than hearing your successes, hearing that you've gone to SGI meetings and answering your questions. 
From the bottom of my heart I thank you and I urge you : Have desires! Make them specific! Chant about them! Own them and claim them!! And be HAPPY!!!