On Attaining Buddhahood

Thank you to all of you who have been emailing me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com, 

commenting on posts 

and forwarding the link to chantforhappiness.com 

to your fellow members and friends.  

I respond to all emails. I appreciate them all - the questions, the comments and the experiences of victory. 

Yesterday 600 people visited Chantforhappiness.com. Without you forwarding a link to this blog to your friends and fellow members that couldn't be possible. 

The purpose of this blog is to reach and inspire people who are looking for the key to solve their problems and become happy, connect them with the Soka Gakka and President Ikeda, and to inspire them to break through and become happy. This is not an easy practice, but a fully rewarding one. Staying inspired every day definitely leads to a successful life. 
(Visit sgi-usa.org for more information and links to the Soka Gakkai)

Thank you for your heart to help people. 

Helping other people learn to chant, and inspiring others is a key aspect of our own practice. 

I've recently been re-reading one of my favorite books based on the Gosho by Nichiren Daishonin called "On Attaining Buddhahood." This is a Gosho I memorized during my early days of chanting, and read aloud to Aaron when I was carrying him in my womb and chanting a million daimoku for his life. It is a fundamental Gosho explaining the key nature of why chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is so powerful. 

In  Lectures On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime, by Daisaku Ikeda, published in 2007 by Soka Gakkai, Malaysia, President Ikeda comments on this famous Gosho Passage:

"If you wish to free yourself from the sufferings of birth, and death you have endured since time without beginning and to attain without fail unsurpassed enlightenment in this lifetime, you must perceive the mystic truth that is originally inherent in all living beings. This truth is Myoho-renge-kyo. Chanting Myoho-renge-kyo will therefore enable you to grasp the the mystic truth innate in all life." (p. 4, On Attaining Buddhahood) 

And on page 6 of the same book he makes this important distinction:

"There are two aspects of the daimoku in Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism: the daimoku of faith and the daimoku of practice. The daimoku of faith refers to the spiritual aspect of our practice. This essentially consists of the struggle we wage in our hearts against our inner delusion or darkness; a battle against the negative and destructive forces within us. It means breaking through the darkness clouding our Buddha nature and bringing forth the life-state of Buddhahood through the power of faith. The daimoku of practice, meanwhile, refers to chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo ourselves and also teaching it to others. It means making efforts in word and deed for the happiness of ourselves and others as evidence of our spiritual struggle against inner negativity and delusion. " (p.6 On attaining Buddhahood in this Lifetime, by daisaku Ikeda, 2007, Soka Gakkai Malaysia) 

Yes. 

Chanting daimoku is key for us to reveal our own Buddha nature and defeat the negative voices I addressed in yesterday's blog post. 

Crucial to our development is also our efforts to help others become happy, or, as Daisaku Ikeda expresses it, the daimoku of practice. Our efforts in this area expand infinitely and bring joy into our lives and the lives of others. 

I am so grateful to all of you as partners in creating Kosen Rufu; a world of happiness and respect for all of life. 

Appreciate YourSELF!

Your words DO have great power. 

Make sure when you speak to yourself 

that you use kind and loving words. 

Often we are hardest on our own selves, right? 

I received an email from a reader who has been practicing sincerely for some time. He tells me that he chants in apology every day, and is seeking guidance to bring more joy and appreciation into his life. 

I have wonderful news for him.  A change of focus in his prayer will result in what I believe will be a quick change in his environment. I cannot wait to share his experience of victory with you, because I know he will have one.   

As in all things, what you focus on is what increases. 

So I am suggesting to him that he entirely change his focus from what he sees he is doing wrong, to what he sees he is doing right. 

As far as I am concerned, society is always telling us what we are doing WRONG. School reinforces what is wrong with us. People who are insecure reinforce what is wrong with us. 
It is up to each one of us to reinforce what is RIGHT with us, and to switch our focus away from the feeling that we are guilty or bad. Changing our focus to the positive is at the core of revealing our own Buddha Nature. I love Buddhism, because its very focus is on what is RIGHT with us. 

Of course, as we all know, the law of cause and effect operates in our lives all the time. If we focus our daimoku on what we are doing right, chant to make positive causes, and to reveal our Buddha Nature, we will see positive effects in our lives. 

So, my ideas for changing a negatively focused life to a positively focused one follow:

1. Before you get out of bed in the morning think of at least 10 things you are grateful for. They can be anything from health to friendships to ANYTHING. What are you grateful for? I advised my sweet Mommy to do this when she was feeling depressed, and she said it entirely lifted her depression. This is one of those things that sounds like a good idea, but really, if you try it, it does make a difference. 

2. When you chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo every morning and evening, start with a feeling of gratitude. SUMMON gratitude. Work your spiritual muscle. Think of what you are grateful for, and make your own life, and your own self be part of that prayer. We are all so fortunate to have heard of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.  We are all fortunate to be practicing, to have a Gohonzon, and to be a part of the Soka Gakkai organization with our mentor Daisaku Ikeda and countless sincere members worldwide.  Bring forth that feeling of appreciation when you chant. 

3. Chant to reveal your Buddha nature. Chant to believe in the goodness within yourself. Chant to shine your life from within. 

4. Stop apologizing in your prayer.When you focus on your life being the actual proof that this practice works you will see benefit. When you focus on being an example, and having your life and actions inspire others to begin chanting, you will see benefit flowing in all directions into your life. Chant to do shakubuku and help others become happy, and you will experience greater joy than ever before. 

5. Realize that you ARE the Buddha. You are the walking, talking embodiment of someone who is awakened to the law of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. This realization alone is a great cause for your happiness. Chant to see yourself as a Buddha and to feel yourself as the true Buddha you are. 

6. I chant to see the world through Daisaku Ikeda's eyes and to share his heart for Kosen Rufu. Sometimes when I chant I imagine him sitting here with me, and that our prayers for the happiness of all people are joined. 

Power Prayer for revealing your Buddha Nature and Appreciating YourSELF

"I chant to reveal the pure, sparkling Diamond
 of resilience, strength, wisdom and heart
 that lies within me. 
I chant to be more and more aware 
of how wonderful I am every single day. 
I chant that every cause I make, 
at every single moment of every single day 
leads me to see more and more of my Buddha nature. 
I chant that my Buddha Nature emerge 
and flow from my life touching everyone I see. 
I chant that I see my life 
as the brilliant sparkling Diamond that it is. 
I chant that throughout the day 
I say only nice words to myself. 
I chant to praise myself with my every thought. 
I chant to believe in my own goodness 
and to see it revealed in my actions. 
I pray to realize my life as the Buddha I am.
I chant that those around me are inspired to begin chanting, just by seeing my happiness flow. 
I chant to meet the people who are looking for this law, 
and to be able to help them practice"

Jyoti Now Shines From Within - A portrait of Human Revolution

Dear Jamie, 

I am Jyoti from India. 

Mid-November of 2012 I emailed you about a problem I was facing.

I was in a very low life condition. 
Hated myself. Cried for months. 
I felt completely rejected. 

You guided me to chant for my buddha nature to emerge.

I now shine from within. 

I am chanting regularly, I got a job with good salary, 

I am enjoying my work and learning lots of things, 

and getting more opportunities to enhance my personality.

I am also participating in Gakkai activities.

My leader appreciates me always and calls me a star member. I am also WD leader of my block. 

I am suddenly inclined towards charity. I visit the orphanage and give something every month to the children.

I want to dedicate my new life towards kosen rufu.

I had a fear pf public speaking. 
Last month I became Master of ceremony in one zadankai. (Buddhist meeting).  
And yesterday I performed as MC in a professional technical event.

Opportunities are coming my way. 
And my fear is vanishing.
I used to get affected by anybody. 

I Used to mind things a lot. 

Small criticism or harsh language could make me cry.
I never had the courage to reply back, and kept things in my  mind for days, in some cases for years.

But now when somebody gets harsh on me I actually laugh inside and think why is that person talking in this way? 

I resolve the matter very calmly.
At least I put forward what I have to say with courage and never think about it again.
This is happening very naturally, as if something inside has completely transformed within me. 
I am in love with myself and feel life is beautiful.

Chanting in Appreciation

Aaaaaaahhh 

Chanting in Appreciation.

 Feeling totally fulfilled and happy. 

At any time 
we can fill our hearts with joy 

and chant 

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. 

We are such fortunate Buddhas 

who have heard and listened 

to the law of cause and effect. 

We are Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Our lives are overflowing with fortune, 

even though sometimes it is hard for us to see. 

It is a sweet feeling 

to fill our hearts with joy 

and chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo 

in the full appreciation of being alive, 

at this wonderful moment, 

and joining hearts 

with all our SGI friends all over the world. 

There will always be room for improvement. 

There will always be more that we desire...for ourselves...for our loved ones and for the world. 

But at times, it is so wonderful 

to just flood our hearts with joy 

and chant from that space of 

Aaaaahhhhhh! 

Polishing Our Lives

'In the face of rejection,
you must learn to be courageous.
It is important to believe in yourself.
Be like the sun, which shines on serenely
even though not all the heavenly bodies reflect back its light
and even though some of its brilliance
seems to radiate only into empty space.
While those who reject your friendship
may sometimes fade out of your life,
the more you shine your light,
the more brilliant your life will become."
Daisaku IKEDA

Every day we polish our lives by chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. Every day we become more and more ourselves, turning the "charcoal" of our lives into brilliant diamonds by realizing our true worth and chanting to see our true selves. I recently shared with you that I am chanting to "discard the transient and reveal the true" in my life. Those of you who are students of Buddhism will recognize this phrase from the Gosho (Writings) of Nichiren Daishonin. And every day I feel my life moving in a positive direction. 

Nichiren Buddhism runs counter to the thought that we were all born with original sin. 
In this practice we were all born with original purity and goodness, and chant to see this goodness and experience it every day. We are all Buddhas (ones awakened to the power within). Every single one of us. And we all possess the power to tap into our Buddhahood by chanting every single day. 

A Power Prayer to tap into this power could be:

I am determined to experience my life as the true Buddha I am. I am determined to root the cause of my suffering right out of my life. I am determined to raise my life condition so that I see through the eyes of the Buddha every single moment. I now accomplish______________so I can deepen my faith and encourage others! (You fill in the blank)

We polish our inner lives using the mirror of our inner selves, the Gohonzon. For those of you unfamiliar with this term, the Gohonzon is the scroll that all Nichiren Buddhists face when we chant, if we are fortunate enough to have one. In some countries receiving a Gohonzon is difficult, in others it is easier. You cannot buy a Gohonzon. You receive it once you have a space for it and are learning and practicing Buddhism. 

The Gohonzon was inscribed by Nichiren Daishonin, the true Buddha for our time. He "inscribed his life in Sumi" so that we cold all attain the highest life condition possible. Chanting while facing the Gohonzon in your altar at home is truly the most mystical of experiences. Having a home within a home is the best thing you can do for your life. 

I welcome your experiences about receiving your Gohonzons. Please send me any experiences I can share with the readers. Right now more than 12,000 people are reading this blog all around the world. Please take the opportunity to encourage them by sending your experiences and picture. 

I have been receiving many requests and questions from you. I love hearing from my friends all over the world. Thank you so much for passing this blog to others, and thank you for your kind words. 

Happiness Blossoms from Within

Chanting Nam-myoho-rnege-kyo absolutely produces results.
My life feels like these flowers...blossoming rainbows everywhere.  

When you chant you are saying the name of the law of cause and effect. You are speaking the name of the rhythm of the universe. It is a law. It is impartial. It has to work in your life. Sometimes it seems that you don't get what you're chanting for right away, I know this is true. And it can be easy to get discouraged and think "This isn't working, why am I still doing it? I think I'll just stop chanting for awhile and see what happens." 

But I want to tell you that if you persist, if you deepen your determination, if you continue to study the Gosho, encourage others, go to SGI meetings and tell others about this practice you will gain a happiness you've never experienced before. You will gain unshakable strength. As President Ikeda says "Strength is happiness." 

A Power Prayer for today:

I am determined to strengthen my life from within. 
I am determined to be strong in the face of any trial or wind.
I strengthen my life force and feel the power within my life. 
I bring forth all the amazing, accessible power that is my birthright. 
I AM Nam Myoho Renge Kyo and every day I feel stronger and stronger and more aware of the deep power within my life. 

We have the power to change anything in our lives

We DO hold the entire universe in our hands.

Yesterday I chanted 5 and a half hours. I heard from some of you that my post about chanting tozos appeared at just the right time. In the UK there was a snow day so my friend Morag did a tozo, and my friend Linda in Chicago did the same. 
It does help to know that we are all in this together doesn't it. We are never alone. We have all our SGI friends all over the world. 

Each of us is challenging ourselves to the best of our ability. 

Each of us is following Sensei (President Ikeda). 

Each of is is waking up daily to face our problems and roar like lions. 

Each of us is never giving up.

We are truly part of a wonderful organization. 

(If you are new to this blog or wondering what this is all about please send me an email at chantforhappiness@gmail.com and I will do my best to answer your questions.)

We base our lives on tapping into the law of cause and effect  - Nam Myoho Renge Kyo ~ by chanting those words. This chanting goes deep into our lives, and brings forth the power of the universe we all possess. We tap into our innate Buddhahood. Anyone can do this. We are not special  ~except for the fact that we have heard about this practice and chant everyday. 
It is accessible to ALL. 
We are all equal.
We don't have to memorize any rules or wear any robes. We don't eat a certain way or ascribe to anything. 
We recognize that the law of cause and effect operates within all of life and we take responsibility for changing our own karma and circumstances. 
We are all Buddhas. 
Even those who have never chanted are Buddhas. 

Chanting helps us realize that power within us, or, as my son Aaron says, it allows us to live the "best possible versions of ourselves." 
I know many of you are having powerful experiences to share. Please write me and send a picture. We can all be inspired!