Snow Storm in Chicago...

There are many happy people right now in the Chicago Area...especially the ones who don't have long commutes! 

It's been snowing for the past 5 hours and doesn't look like  it plans on stopping. I thought you'd want to see it. 

Chanting for Complete Victory in a Major Decision

Isn't this a cool picture? It's from my friend and Buddhist practitioner Julia, whom I talk about frequently. I think this picture of a head of cauliflower she found in Northern California shows the progression of our lives moving through karma eternally. At the base, the karma is really think and as we gently turn the wheel of our lives from one day to the next, summoning strength through our Daimoku, the karma gets smaller and smaller as our lives spin ever upwards. There is no end to the spinning spiral, although all of us have experienced the lightening, and sometimes total alleviation of karma that used to cause us suffering.  This picture captures it perfectly. Thanks Julia! 

Chanting for Seven Hours on a Full Moon Monday

Whenever I mention a long tozo I have to make it clear that, as a Buddhist you will never be required, or asked to do a long tozo (chanting session). At some point you may decide to chant for a long time, but it will only be because YOU want to do it. When yesterday began, I didn't even realize that I would be chanting for that long a period. 

As many of you know, I have been in the wonderful position of determining my next career path. I was "laid off, made redundant, downsized" right before Christmas. But I wasn't discouraged or downtrodden. The company I was working for downsized 900 people in one day and decided to "teach out" (close once the students graduated) the campuses I represented. With all the causes I make every day, I just KNEW this event was the door to a wonderful new opportunity for me. 

So, I have been networking and am in discussions about a particular job. And I've been chanting abundant Daimoku to make sure that this is the right job for me. Yesterday I woke up early and just began chanting. After three hours I took a break to get ready for my appointment, then I chanted another hour. I had a great meeting with the prospective employer. When I came home "I just felt like chanting" (Thank you Forest Gump ~ remember the running scene?) And I chanted effortlessly for another three hours. I figured, I was that close ~ why not take it all the way. 

I chanted for confidence, and for the job to fit all of the criteria I had already written down. I looked at many of my power prayers from the last two months, and I just poured my heart into my life. I chanted for my District and for YOU, the readers of my blog. I chanted for shakubuku. Lately I've met a lot of people who are interested in receiving their Gohonzons. There is no coincidence about that. I am always chanting to meet people who are ready to hear about this practice. 

So this morning I am clear-headed. I've already chanted 2 hours and will get right back to chanting after I post this. Join me if you'd like. 
I just arranged a Gohonzon Conferral. Nothing makes me happier than helping people get a start with this practice and then helping them achieve their goals and defeat their fundamental darkness and live lives of glorious victory

Questions anyone? 

Why obstacles arise, and how to view and defeat them

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 root of 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!!! 

Maintaining Hope

More and more research supports the fact that those who are optimistic and hopeful are actually happier. 
We can exercise this muscle of hope with our own lives in front of the Gohonzon. 

Think about it. 

Have you ever had these sort of thoughts while sitting down to chant? 

"Oh why bother, I'm never going to change this anyway. 
I know this is just one of those things I have to accept, everyone in my family tells me so. 
I know this is not going to make a difference but my leader told me to chant about it. 
Why do these things always happen to me? I wish I could just change...why me?"


If these thoughts are in your mind you can do a quick change of mind BEFORE you chant that will help you get more results. 
Exercise your muscle of hope, faith and appreciation. Before you chant make yourself a list of the things that you appreciate in your life. Find a book or use your journal and put a title at the top of each page:
What I appreciate about my body
What I appreciate about my self
What I appreciate about my friends
What I appreciate about my job
What I appreciate about my country
What I appreciate about my family
What I appreciate about my practice
What I have accomplished recently that makes me proud

And sit and list all that you appreciate. I guarantee that after you do this you will be in a lighter frame of mind. You will see more of the positive in your life. Let yourself feel the appreciation fro your own life. And when you chant, chant in appreciation not complaint. 

Listing your appreciation really works. When my Mom was feeling low I suggested that before she got out of bed every day she list ten things she appreciates in her mind. She told me she started doing that every morning and it helped her rise with a smile and made every day happier. When you change your focus you change your results. 


And when you chant get your complaints out of your mind and replace them with determinations. "I am determined to be the happiest, brightest, most radiant and magnetic person in the world right now, just as I am, right here, TODAY!" 

We had a meeting this week where a woman was so tired of chanting for a husband she decided to chant to be the happiest single person in the world. A week later she met the man she's been married to for 16 years. I am going to get her full experience to share with you along with her picture. 

Go ahead, look on the bright side. It really is a choice and it is up to you! 

Question and Answer about changing Friendship Karma

Dear Jamie: 

Hope you are well. 
Tell me can Karma be removed through 
our practice of Nichiren’s Buddhism? 
I am told it can, that’s what I read in your blog 
and hear from others. If that is true, 
why does it surface again?

I don’t make close friends easily 
although I have a large circle of friends
and acquaintances. If I look back all through
my life each time I have become close 
to anyone, after a while they have 
moved on- and we may stay in touch it's 
never the same- It's me who ends up 
miserable. I have tried very hard first 
not to let any one get close but still it 
happens and I am in a state of hell. 
I have chanted a lot that I should not 
be dependent on any one but this 
tendency has been stuck till date.

I have yet again gone through the 
same situation and am so upset that 
its affecting every area of my life. 
I fear loneliness and have no one 
really with whom I can share my joys 
or sorrows. What do I do?

Signed, 

So Lonely

 Dear So Lonely, 

 I totally understand. Thank you for writing. 
Yes, you can definitely change karma 
by chanting. Absolutely. And you can 
change this karma. I did. I used to be in 
so much pain and so lonely. 

So: I made a determination to be the 
kind of person that people would want 
to have as a friend. And I chanted to 
change in any way possible so that I 
could make this happen. A very good 
power prayer is: "I now release any 
resistance to change in my life." 
It really works. I chanted to BE a friend. 

And yes, the karma came around again 
for me many times before it went away. 
And each time I screamed at the Gohonzon 
in my heart chanting "I am DONE with this 
karma of not having friends. I am rooting 
this suffering out immediately. I don't CARE 
how often I feel discouraged I will not lose 
hope. I will WIN! I HAVE to win so that I can 
show actual proof for Kosen Rufu. This 
experience will encourage people!" 

Having a strong practice is the most important 
thing. Chant twice a day. Twice! Go to SGI 
meetings, no matter what. Study President 
Ikeda's guidance and encourage people. 
Use this practice the way it was intended: 
to create your OWN human revolution which 
creates your happiest self. Your happiest self 
will hve the wisdom and skills to draw close 
friends to you. 

You can also use the powerful tool of writing 
out your experience BEFORE it happens, 
and write it in the present tense...read it 
and reread it. "I have many satisfying 
relationships, I care about people and 
they care about me. It is easy for me to 
make friends." Even if this is not yet true. 
The declaration is powerful. You can start 
speaking these words too. Don't give up. 
Take action, get out there. My best friend 
is a woman I met in a bead store who helped 
me learn to make jewelry. Go places where 
you will meet people who share your 
interests. I met many friends at networking 
events, then called them and invited them 
to other networking events. I also set lunch 
dates and made friend after friend. 

You are not alone, so many people are 
suffering from this. When you chant, think 
I MUST change this karma so I can help 
other people change this karma. 
I MUST break through  for Kosen Rufu!!! 

And you WILL I know you WILL!!!

All my best, truly my best, 
Jamie

Doing Shakubuku with our lives! Spreading Happiness

My dear friend and shakubuku Julia posted this on facebook this morning. When I saw it, I literally cried tears of joy. If you had seen her in August of 2010 before she started chanting you would cry tears of joy too. In this picture she is so full of life. She is overflowing with life. She has embraced Nichiren Buddhism in every possible way. She studies so deeply that I learn from her as often as she learns from me. She is my dear zenshishiki (friend in faith).

I want to relate to you some of her story and how she came to this faith through my life and her strong determination in her own life.

I first met Julia when I was living in San Francisco and my boys were little. She came to stay at our house with her husband Cliff, one of our oldest and dearest friends. She says she will never forget the moment she heard me chanting Daimoku. She could feel the almost primal energy of the chant. We bonded as friends and I attended her miraculous and spiritual Kripalu Yoga classes. She wasn't interested in chanting, but we became friends. Chanting is not a requirement of friendship for me, and I always chant about my friends. But I do, of course, share my experiences and talk about the benefits of my own practice.

I always chant for my life to be an example of the actual proof of this practice...that my life can speak for itself. And I chant for people who are looking for this practice (as I did for so many years) to cross my path.

In 2003 Julia went through an experience that left her depleted, lowered her immune system and left her with chronic illnesses that continued on for many years.

In August of 2010 I was in a transitional period of creating this new life for myself. After many years of chanting about my marriage I decided that it was actually time to move on...but not in the usual way. In this society you only hear "divorce" along with the word "painful". I made the determination that this would be an "Inspiring Divorce" and that each member of my family would be happier because of the divorce. I chanted like this and roared like a lion for the happiness of my husband and my two boys. When I saw Julia in August of 2010 we were successfully making the transition. I was still living in the family house, but we were separated, and we traveled together (me and Paul and our son Ben) to see Julia and Cliff when they were visiting Ohio (their home is in California).

Paul and I became better friends once the separation took effect, and Julia was really impressed with the tender and respectful way Paul and I we all interacted while going through this process. We were joking together and so happy to be seeing Cliff and Julia and have Ben with us (Cliff and Julia are honorary Aunt and Uncle and have known Ben since birth).

When I first saw Julia on this trip she was really suffering. She had physical problems that were really bothering her and her life was drained from her. She looked like a totally different person from the picture above. I suggested we take her to a doctor and that helped a bit. And I chanted for her. I didn't talk much about chanting at all. I let my life speak for itself. My LIFE shakubuku'd her.

One afternoon we were sitting in the park and she was still in pain. She began asking me questions about how Paul and I could possibly be so happy while going through this process...and eventually she started asking questions about chanting. She decided there and then in the park that she wanted to chant, and Ben and I chanted right there, in the park with her. She was really moved that Ben, a teenager, would just chant out in the open with no reservations.

From then on she couldn't get enough of this practice. She has an incredibly seeking mind. She was always an excellent, excellent human being. I loved her from the moment we met. She has a spark and intelligence and warmth that everyone is drawn to. She became a part of the "family" from the moment we met.

When she got back to Ukiah, California we spoke all the time. We got her connected to the wonderful members there (there are members almost everywhere), and she learned Gongyo. Her faith was so sincere and strong that she was actually given an incredible hand-carved Butsudan from her friends who are gifted wood workers. She brought all of her intelligence, thoughtfulness and spirituality to this practice. She dove right in! When I said "Do Gongyo twice a day" she did it. She studied Nichiren Daishonin's Gosho and Daisaku Ikeda's works all the time.

Over the past two and a half years she has become so much more happy in so many ways...mind, body and spirit. Her powers of musicianship have greatly increased. She conducts SGI meetings and introduces others to the practice.

And just look at this picture. It says it all. She is full of life and vitality. She is full of the benefits that practicing Nichiren Buddhism can bring when you fully devote yourself to this practice. Her benefits are too many to list, but include a new, wonderful relationship with family members, and increasing joy and health.

What joy this brings me. There is nothing, NOTHING better. Do shakubuku with all your heart/ Chant to be able to do shakubuku.  That's where it starts.

Chant with Our Whole Being

By TED MORINO
Editor in Chief, World Tribune, SGI-USA

What is the correct approach to chanting?

Fundamentally, I think it can be said that if after chanting daimoku you feel refreshed and revitalized, then you chanted great daimoku.

In many of his writings, Nichiren Daishonin states that chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the core of his teachings. It seems the Daishonin felt the need to establish first and foremost the act of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo itself in order to guide the people of his time away from misguided practices and beliefs that opposed the original intent of Buddhism. While emphasizing the importance of having faith in the power of the Mystic Law, he appears to forgo addressing any other specific details of exactly how to chant.

What the Daishonin does stress, however, is our attitude—the realization or conviction that we should have when chanting. He writes: “Shakyamuni Buddha who attained enlightenment countless kalpas ago, the Lotus Sutra that leads all people to Buddhahood, and we ordinary human beings are in no way different or separate from one another. To chant Myoho-renge-kyo with this realization is to inherit the ultimate Law of life and death” (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, p. 216). He also explains: “You, yourself, are a Thus Come One who is originally enlightened and endowed with the three bodies. You should chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with this conviction” (WND, 299–300).

We can discuss the purpose behind the act of chanting from two different levels. On one level, we chant to open our innate Buddhahood, the universal existence and cultivation of which is the ultimate message of the Lotus Sutra and the basis of human happiness. On another level, we can say that we chant to have our specific prayers answered—an intriguing element in the practice of Buddhist faith.

Ultimately, it is important that we chant with our entire being. This is indicated by a phrase the Daishonin quotes from the verse portion of “Life Span” chapter of the Lotus Sutra, which reads, “single-mindedly desiring to see the Buddha, not hesitating even if it costs them their lives” (WND, 389). For us, this translates into an earnest desire to reveal our Buddha nature each time we chant. He states, “As a result of this passage, I have revealed the Buddhahood in my own life” (WND, 389).

Explaining the principle of having our prayers answered through the power of faith underlying our act of chanting, Nichiren Daishonin exhorts: “Muster your faith, and pray to this Gohonzon. Then what is there that cannot be achieved?” (WND, 412). And: “Believe in this mandala with all your heart. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is like the roar of a lion. What sickness can therefore be an obstacle?” (WND, 412).

From another perspective, Nichiren Daishonin cautions, “A coward cannot have any of his prayers answered” (WND, 1001). In this passage, cowardice can be interpreted as the benighted quality of life that is not rooted in our Buddhahood. In other words, cowardice can be defined in Buddhism as the impure elements in life, which, if allowed to take control of the self, separate us from our Buddha nature or the Mystic Law. Conversely, if we are continuously developing our Buddha nature, taking action with the wisdom we tap through chanting and thus courageous in our life-condition, then we are moving toward and becoming the type of person who can have all their prayers answered.

SGI President Ikeda states: “The more specific and detailed the blueprint we have
in our hearts, the better. The point is to continue vividly painting the target we have and to advance toward that goal single-mindedly. Then, at each instant, the reality of our lives will gradually approach the painting that is our aspiration. “Everything depends on what is in our hearts. Heartfelt prayers will definitely be answered” (Learning from the Gosho, p. 129). In praying to the Gohonzon, we should drop all pretense and just be ourselves, offering sincere prayers for the realization of all our desires. By so doing, we can elevate our life-condition and strengthen our life force to the point where we start sensing what to do about each of our specific goals.

In the final analysis, we should first decide that we are going to win before we chant. This strong determination coupled with our chanting enables us to summon forth the appropriate wisdom to deal with any of the inevitable difficulties we will encounter on the way toward achieving our goals. With this resolution, something positive will start welling up from within our lives through chanting. Worry should not be basis of our prayer, as this can undermine the power of chanting. Rather we should to resolve to win first, so that through each daimoku we chant we are tapping every human quality necessary for our victory.

By chanting such heartfelt daimoku to the Gohonzon, the very core of our lives aligns with the purest life force of the universe, melting away whatever negative effects we may otherwise have to experience due to our karma. “Various sins are just like dewdrops,” wrote the Daishonin. “The ‘sun of wisdom’ (Nam-myoho-renge-kyo) is capable of dissolving them all” (Gosho Zenshu, p. 786).

Chanting from the heart solidifies the condition of Buddhahood as the basis of our existence, which is described by the Daishonin as “the unchanging reality which reigns over all of life’s functions” (WND, 832). When Buddhahood is firmly established as the basis of our lives, we gain self-control without being defeated by the five poisons—greed, anger, foolishness, arrogance and doubt.

After chanting, we can return to the reality of our daily lives, acting with renewed confidence to touch the lives of other people and reach our goals. As the Daishonin states, “The purpose of the appearance in this world of Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, lies in his behavior as a human being” (WND, 852).

Lastly, President Ikeda writes about the meaning of prayer in Buddhism, referring to the concept of a pledge or vow in The New Human Revolution. He says to a pioneer member in Brazil: “Prayer in Nichiren Buddhism means to chant daimoku based on a pledge or vow. At its very core, this vow is to attain kosen-rufu. It means chanting resolutely with the determination: ‘I will attain kosen-rufu in Brazil. Therefore, I will show magnificent actual proof in my work. Please enable me to bring forth my greatest potential.’ This is what our prayer should be like. “It is also important that we establish clear and concrete goals for what we hope to achieve each day and then pray and challenge ourselves to achieve each of them. This earnest determination gives rise to wisdom and resourcefulness, thereby leading to success. In short, to win in life we need determination and prayer, effort and ingenuity. It is misguided to dream of getting rich quick, expecting to encounter a rare stroke of luck or some shrewd moneymaking scheme. This is not faith. It is mere fantasy” (The New Human Revolution, vol. 1, pp. 250–251).

Summary of key points

• Chant with your entire being or with the spirit that “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is like the roar of a lion.”
• Chant with clear and concrete goals.
• Chant with the determination “I will win no matter what.”
• Chant with the vow to help achieve kosen-rufu