You can chant about ANYTHING! Even the weather

We are heading into a weekend with a heat index of about 115! WOW! I hope wherever you are that you are keeping cool and using this practice to overcome EVERY SINGLE CHALLENGE!!!


A few days ago a huge storm was blowing towards us from out of the west. The sky turned black. I brought everything in from the patio and thought about an experience published many years ago. I can't remember the country...I think it was South America. There was a huge mud flow coming down the mountain and destroying everything in its path. The people inside the house were chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, and the mud literally went around their house and left it standing. 


Awesome!


So I saw this storm coming in. I turned out all the lights and I chanted with all my heart. I chanted for the protection of people everywhere in its path. I chanted to keep the power in my house ON! (Losing power is no longer the thrill it once was!) And I chanted for anyone in transit to be protected. I also chanted for my children and all my loved ones' safety. 


And....I'm sure it won't surprise you to learn that all was well. 
The storm ended and we were fine. 


You can chant for anything!


Send me your stories!

Why I do Shakubuku! (Introduce others to this practice)

Here I am with my dear, dear friend Julia on Mt Tamalpais 

Almost two years ago Julia and I spent time together after a break of about 7 years or so. We first met many, many years ago when I lived in San Francisco and my boys were little. She says she will never forget the first time she heard me chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. She and her husband Cliff were downstairs...and she was just amazed at the effect the sound had on her. 


But she wasn't ready to practice for almost twenty years! 


When I saw her again my life shakubukued her. (That's a great word we use to describe introducing someone to the practice and the SGI) I was experiencing very difficult circumstances but I was so poised, and my life condition was so high...she felt compelled to learn to chant!
Julia asked me and Ben (my son) to chant with her.

At the time she was so sick. It's hard to even think of her that way. Now she is such a vibrant Buddha! She is introducing others to this practice and healing ALL areas of her life. And we take turns encouraging each other! It is amazing. You shakubuku someone and they shakubuku you right back !


Two posts today! Make sure to scroll down to see the one from this morning! 

Focused Concentration

When SGI members chant, we focus our eyes on the scroll written in Japanese characters called the Gohonzon. 


I will go into the significance of the scroll at a later time. 


Right now I want to address our attitude while we chant. 


I've mentioned that I chant an hour every morning. Yesterday I decided to chant that hour without moving from my seat, without checking my iphone even once, without getting up for any reason, or even writing anything down. I glued my eyes to the beautiful scroll in front of me and let my desires flow. I chanted for my life to be a brilliant, shining example that this practice works, and for me to be able to inspire all of you that you can achieve ANYTHING, any HAPPINESS you desire. I chanted for the core of my life to strengthen immensely. 


And I realized how hard it was to just stay focused without interrupting my flow. It was hard! But I DID it. And I'm going to continue doing it. Everything else can wait. That hour communing with the universe is the most important hour of my day! It is the hour for the microcosm that is my life to connect with the macrocosm that is the universe. 


I am chanting for focus and concentration...and to increase my capacity in all areas of my life. 


You can chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo for anything you wish!!! 

See if you can deepen your connection while you are chanting. You are, after all, connecting with the source of your power and happiness!


Have you experienced a level of deepening connection? 
Tell me about it! Write me at silversunsinger@gmail.com

Happy Independence Day!

I am sitting right here on my patio on a beautiful morning in Chicago. Lately the weather has been very hot, even for me! 


This morning, at 6:22am, there is a gentle breeze in the air, no clouds in the sky and I'm feeding the baby ducks and thinking about the significance of this sunflower blooming in my garden. 
The interesting thing is ~ I never planted this lovely flower. As a matter of fact, when it started growing I almost cut it out because I thought it might be a weed. Then a few days ago I looked at it before it opened and realized I had my very own sunflower...my first ever. How could this be? I didn't plant it. Then I laughed as I realized that I toss sunflower seeds to the ducks almost every day, and it had taken root all on its own. 


It's a lovely metaphor for something we call "Inconspicuous Benefits. There are two types of benefits. The first are the ones you chant for and achieve. Boom! There they are. You get the job, you get the car, your health improves, etc. 


The second kind of benefit is called "Inconspicuous" because you can't see it at first, but then, at some time in the future, it manifests just when you need it most. Inconspicuous benefits can manifest in emotional resilience...one day you may wake up and say "Oh how wonderful, I am no longer feeling sad...or mad...or frustrated...or full of anxiety. Or you may be in tough financial straights but keep discovering new sources for money flowing into your life. Or you may avert an accident. Inconspicuous benefits grow and grow over time. 


You know, this Sunflower on my patio makes me really happy! It reassures me that YES, the things I am chanting about that have not yet happened...they are surely on their way. And I should not and will not give up hope.

It is the same in your life. I know its hard sometimes when what you chant for doesn't magically appear. We all want immediate benefits, don't we? On this day of America's Independence, the day after the full moon, and the day of Jamie's Sunflower please continue to have hope. And strive in faith harder than ever. Do gongyo twice a day. You win in the morning and you win in life! 
Muster your faith harder than ever. When you chant please tell your life what you must have. Please realize that whatever you are still suffering from...whether it's a love affair, school plans, health problems, an unhappy family member, depression, looking for a job etc....please realize that your problems are the exact fuel you need to become happy. If you didn't have these problems maybe you wouldn't sit down in front of your Gohonzon so earnestly every day and chant. And remember that every Nam Myoho Renge Kyo you chant goes deeply into your life. Every Nam Myoho Renge Kyo you chant is a CAUSE for your own happiness...whether you see the manifest effect today or tomorrow, please realize that you have made the cause and the effect simultaneously, only you might not see the effect today. Don't give up hope. As Nichiren Daishonin writes in "Letter to Niike"
"For example, the journey from Kamakura to Kyoto takes twelve days. If you travel for eleven but stop on the twelfth, how can you admire the moon over the capitol?" He also says, in the same Gosho: "Strive even harder in faith and never give in to negligence....be diligent in developing your faith until the last moment of your life."
We DEVELOP our faith. We BUILD it. PLease realize that the harder you strive in faith, the easier your life gets. I know this is true with my very life. 
Happy day of independence! 

Day of the Full Moon

June 3rd, 2012


(Check out the comment from yesterday - the person I was addressing in the blog wrote in again - you find comments at the bottom of the blog)


I understand that the full moon is a good time to focus on what YOU DO NOT WANT to experience any more in your life. I spent about six hours last weekend chanting with fresh determination to uproot the pain I am so used to feeling in my relationships with men. 


I know so many of you feel overwhelming longing in your relationships, and some of you have written that you don't feel you can go on living without a particular man. Please consider doing what I did this weekend. I went though a process of recognizing the PAIN AS MY OWN, and determining to tear it our by its roots. 


This can be done for other suffering as well. What are you still suffering from? What karma would you like to tear out by its roots? 


Remember you do not need to understand your pain's origin...you do not need to spend hours figuring out its CAUSE...all you have to do is recognize that it is yours...your karma...then resolve and chant to change it! 


I declared my own INDEPENDENCE DAY in front of the Gohonzon. I Roared like a lion! 


Last night I spent working on the book I'm writing for you. I'm writing the book I searched for when I was looking for this practice...the book I looked for on the shelves every time I went to a bookstore...the book I went to libraries to find. 
It's a How-To-Book about chanting. It explains how to get started, what to expect, and how to fire-up your practice day after day! I hope you'll love it and get incredible value from it, and give it to your friends and acquaintances! 


I am more determined than ever to make this dream I have had for so many years come true! Publishing this book will be such actual proof of this practice! 


Questions: 


Is there anything you'd like to see me write about? 
I plan on sharing experiences (YOURS if you'll send them to me!) questions and answers, and all the important concepts for a successful practice.


What are the major concepts or ideas that have helped you the the most?


What have you heard from someone (me or anyone else) that really touched your heart and helped you generate results? 


Do you have a favorite Gosho quote or quote from Daisaku Ikeda?

A great comment from a reader and some heartfelt tips

Happy Monday! 


Thank you for writing me! I am getting many letters each day, and still would like to hear more! Write me your successes, your questions, your challenges, and what you would like to see in my book. I am working on it every day and look forward to bringing it to you! 


First of all, at the bottom of yesterday's blog there's a very entertaining experience that is really well written. Check it out. 


To the writer of that comment I would like to say "Thank you for sending it in to me!" And I would add a question that you might like to ponder, and that could bring you more results in your practice. 
My question to you is "Are you clear about what you really desire? And have you chanted with this in mind? Do you have a strong determination that "No Matter What" you will achieve this desire?" I am not criticizing you...you are definitely on the right path and you are chanting...I just think with a powerful prayer you will have more powerful results. Don't just chant and wait to see what will happen. Determine what you want to happen in all areas of your life...dream big...and chant to make it so! 


All of you reading this deserve everything! 


You can be victorious in every single aspect of your life. 


Chant with the conviction that you can make it happen


And if you don't know what you want...well, chant to find out what it is. I chanted sincerely to find my mission in life. And now I know exactly what it is. My mission is to reach people who are seeking this practice, to inspire them to chant, and to continue to reach more and more and more people so that they can realize their own happiness. That in why I appreciate you passing along the link chantforhappiness.com to your friends and fellow members. 


Here's a Gosho quote to begin your week.
From The Strategy of the Lotus Sutra:


"Faith alone is what really matters No matter how earnestly Nichiren prays for you, if you lack faith, it will be like trying to to set fire to wet timber. SPUR YOURSELF TO MUSTER THE POWER OF FAITH. Regard your survival as wonderous. Employ the strategy of the Lotus Sutra before any other...a coward cannot have any of his prayers answered." 

Why do you keep chanting? Please Write me! And here are more experiences:

I am very interested in hearing all of your stories. 


What was happening in your life before you started chanting? 


What were the first changes that you saw?


What are some of the major benefits you've had over time? 


I would like to hear your stories so that I can share them with the other blog readers and include them in my book. Please take this cool chance to inspire others with your story~ It's a wonderful positive cause to make! 


There are many reasons people continue to chant every day~ twice a day. 


Once you get the feel of the power you are tapping into...well, you just want more. It's human nature. It works! 


I began chanting when a I spent the day with Kate Randolph in 1985. 


We met in late summer when I was in a very depressed frame of mind. I'd been laid off from my job and suddenly didn't know who I was. 
I was scared. 
I was depressed. 
And I was searching for a solution to my troubles. She and I met for the first time and spent a day working together on a project. All day long we talked about Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. She told me a story I'll never forget. She was woking on this project in LA with Paul Newman. THE Paul Newman. In 1985 he was still a super star. In his prime he was similar to Brad Pitt. Gorgeous blue eyes...great humanitarian...the whole nine yards. She told me that when they first met she could barely talk to him. She was nervous and couldn't think straight or get the words to form to communicate. She knew she'd have to work with him quite a bit so she chanted for an hour to regain her composure and to treat him like any other human. It worked. From that hour on she was able to speak with him and keep her brain engaged. All my life I'd been looking for a practical practice....one that produced whatever result I was seeking at the time. This sounded like it could be the solution. 


So I called a local friend who'd mentioned Nam Myoho Renge Kyo to me, and went to a meeting and began an earnest practice.
Immediately the fog and depression started to lift.  I woke up one day and realized I could still have a bright future. I found a job and had to wear a suit every day. I began to make some friends. And I made new friends in the wonderful Soka Gakkai organization who taught me how to chant...and helped me to realize that the things I thought were PROBLEMS in my life could actually be viewed as FUEL for the happy transformation of my life. What a revelation. 


And I learned that my desires were good, and that I could become happy just the way I was, without memorizing and fourfold path or changing my eating habits or wearing yellow robes and shaving my head. I didn't have to change anything about myself! All I had to do was chant, and learn about this practice. And go to meetings. And help others learn to chant to the best of my ability. 


I got one job, then another...then another. Each new problem was like a baseball coming at me and I hit it out of the park by chanting through it. I learned to appreciate everything and everybody...and I started turning the depression that I'd suffered from my entire life around. 


I have countless experiences to share...and will share more and more and more...of my own, and hopefully of YOURS!!! 


If you just started chanting GREAT! Go to SGI-USA.org and find your local meeting! Go to Soka Gakkai Interntional and search for your country. Join us! We are all here to help you live your happiest life ever!!!