Turning Karma and Problems Into Mission and Making the Impossible Possible!

"If you always have a shallow perspective 
and pay attention only to trivial things, 
you are sure to get bogged down 
in all kinds of petty worries and concerns, 
and not be able to move forward. 
Even relatively minor hurdles or problems 
will seem insurmountable. 
But if you look at life from a broad viewpoint, 
you naturally spot the way to solve 
any problem you may confront. 
This is true when we consider our own personal problems 
as well as those of society 
and even the future of
the entire world." - 

Daisaku Ikeda

How do we cultivate a broad range view? 

I know for me it is in keeping my eye on my mission for kosen-rufu...my mission to use my life as an example for others to have hope, and generate faith and become happier than they ever dreamed possible.

As I move through these summer days I am constantly writing the PowerPrayer book in my head, and thinking of all of you. I know there are many of you I haven't met, and some of you I correspond with frequently. 

I'm constantly aware that the depression that plagued my life is absolutely GONE, and the endless suffering and longing and HUNGER for food and everything else has also lifted. 

These are things I thought were impossible. They came with the package of my life, I thought. They were part of me, like breathing, and sleeping.

But, due to my fierce determination to help others and use my life as an example, I have ended the cycle of constant longing for what I cannot have. Impossible for me. 
Yes, but I did it. 
If you have the same spirit in your life you can raise every single problem and turn it into a mission for your life. 

You can use your determination in front of the Gohonzon to change the world. 

Life! I am determined to change ____________
and I know that by changing this I can inspire _____________to chant and to realize that anything is possible! 

Once you solve your own problems you help other's solve their own. And you can even inspire them along the way. You can invite them to an SGI meeting so they can see the source of your strong determination, or you can invite them to join you to chant in your own home. These are powerful causes for you to make in your own life and for them. 

You are an inspiration with your strong ichinen (will) alone. 

When you can look at your life from this broad viewpoint the smaller problems get solved right away, wisdom flows forth from your life, and well, everything just gets easier! 

What's the Purpose of this blog?

Welcome to ChantforHappiness.com. 

Have you ever felt that there was a solution to the revolving door of your problems...if only you could find it? 
Have you ever thought there might be a solution that did not involve somehow divorcing yourself from your true desires? Well, this blog contains that solution. 
This blog is about living a life with renewed enthusiasm, determination and hope. 
It teaches the daily practice of chanting the words Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to bring about our own happiness and human revolution by tapping into the boundless energy of the universe that has always existed within our lives, and in everything else that exists. 

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the name of the current, and the rhythm, that runs through all things. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo literally means "I devote my life to the mystic law of cause and effect through sound vibration (or sutra)." The most important result from chanting is to see actual proof of our prayers.  In other words, we get what we chant for...maybe not immediately, but we see results. We chant we tell our own lives what we want, and we don't chant to any type of god or anything outside of ourselves.  

One of the things I resonated with when I began is that we don't have to believe chanting works. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the name of the mystic law, the law of cause and effect and chanting is the ultimate good cause.

When we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo we feel the vital essence of the universe flowing through us, and are able to direct that energy in the direction of our own happiness. 

We are a community of practitioners. We practice together, support each other and grow and learn together. Membership is open to all and costs nothing. The SGI-USA link on the right is where you can find links to your closest SGI Culture Center and District. 
I am a District Leader of the SGI-USA, but this blog is not officially tied to the organization, and the writings and opinions are my own. I wholeheartedly encourage each person to join the SGI, read the Gosho and study President Ikeda's guidance. I am deeply appreciative of all my SGI friends and mentors! 

For our practice we chant every morning and evening. no, it's not always easy to do this, but those who persist gain incredible benefit, both material and heart-centered. We tap into our own inner resources to make the impossible possible, and achieve goals we thought were unreachable. 

In my own case, I've been chanting since 1985. I searched for this practice everywhere. I KNEW something had to exist where I could channel my own energy in the direction I wanted it to go. 

In my searching I found many other forms of Buddhism that said my attachment to desires was the reason for my suffering and I had to alleviate my desires to be happy. "No thank you!" I thought. "I'll keep my desires because they make me who I am. I desire light, and love, and happiness for all humanity." And in 1985 I found the practice of Nichiren Buddhism through a friend I met who inspired me. She introduced me to the Soka Gakkai International (SGI).

These warm-hearted Buddhists encouraged me to chant for my just what I wanted. And in the process of chanting for desires, a richer, deeper happiness and strength emerged. I discovered that I could transform my basic life tendencies....the ones that I'd previously thought were just part of my personality. I discovered a great source for making change in the moment. 

In the process I've had countless benefits. I've lost 50 pounds. I've raised two incredible children who are now young men who make me proud. I've had business success and converted a life of unhappiness to a life radiant with purpose and beaming with celebration. 

My passion since the day I found this practice has been to help other people who are also searching. I began this blog 4 years ago with this intent. As of today, the readership of chantforhappiness.com is 20,000 and it climbs consistently every month. Before I write each post, I chant for a solid hour to connect with each reader's life, to help each one connect with the SGI, and to inspire all to persist in their daily practice so they can be incredibly happy. 

I, along with my fellow practitioners, envision, and chant, for a world of respect for all living beings which we call kosen rufu. There are dedicated people all over the world chanting for new members to come to meetings and discover this incredible source of happiness. You can call them today using the SGI-USA Portal on the right. 

For instructions on how to chant, check out the blog post How To Chant For the First Time in the archives. 

PowerPrayer for Health

You can chant this for yourself or in someone else's name:

PowerPrayer for Health


I,                 , am bringing into my life 
everything I need 
for radiant energy and complete health. 
As I am chanting, 
everything I need, 
including the perfect mindset 
is speeding its way towards me. 
All of the best medicines, 
herbal treatments, 
practitioners, 
techniques 
are abundantly available in my life. 
I am healing at every moment.
I am growing more and more healthy every day! 

I love myself enough to realize 
that I deserve all of the best kinds of support. 
I no longer live in fear, disappointment and doubt. 
I am absolutely certain 
that I have the power to create my health. 

I have heard and internalized the voice of my my mentor who has stated repeatedly, 
"Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the roar of the lion, what sickness can therefore be an obstacle?'

I know that true health 
lies in creating a life condition of challenge and victory. 

Every little setback I experience 
galvanizes in me more resolve 
to chant ever more resounding Daimoku 
and strengthen my practice. 

I transform each obstacle as it arises 
into more actual proof and encouragement 
with which I inspire others. 

My illness has become a source of victory 
and great intimacy and friendship 
with a multitude of people whose suffering 
I have shared, 
and for whom I have the deepest respect and empathy. 

I am a shining beacon of hope 
to anyone who has suffered because of failing health. 
Because I have embraced my illness for what it is, 
the opportunity to show actual proof through my life, 
I have already won!

PowerPrayer for a Power~full Mind

PowerPrayers are the words we focus on when we chant. Focus on this one to sharpen your powers of focus, memory and concentration: 

PowerPrayer for a Power~full Mind
As I am chanting, I expand the power of my mind, including my memory, my powers of concentration and focus. I now possess the stick-to-itiveness and fortitude and depth of understanding to learn and acquire great wisdom from study and from my very life. I retain what I study and integrate it into what I already know in ways that astonish even me! I find that I have the gift of gab. Beautiful words flow from me, the right words and the right moments. Through the power of my Daimoku I am becoming a an inspirational and knowledgeable communicator and I love to work collaboratively with others who inspire and respect me. What could be better?! How good am I willing for it to be?! Everyone who chants regularly and powerfully naturally unlocks a great capacity for self expression and I am no exception. I choose to love my words.  

Some IkedaQuotes to Begin Your Week

This is going to be a highly creative week for me. We are writing new PowerPayers every day. We just prepared a new list of PowerPrayers we want to write. You can submit your suggestions to me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com. What PowerPrayer would you like to see? 

These quotes are all by Daisaku Ikeda, from IkedaQuotes.org under Creativity. Enjoy!

To strive even higher, to do even better—the creative process is a desperate struggle to go beyond what we were yesterday. It is a battle against resting on our laurels, against the fear of losing what we have. It is an adventure into unknown territory.

How aware are we of our own inner life, our spirituality—something so intangible yet so priceless? How much effort do we make to perceive that which is not obvious, which can neither be seen nor heard? I believe the exploration and enrichment of the human spirit is what determines our very humanity.

This thing called life—with the exertion and concentrated thought of a novelist writing a novel, with the sweat and perseverance of a painter plying his brush, seated before the blank paper of the instant and the future, one creates a new portrait of oneself. Life is a vigorous task to be engaged in the exploration and enrichment of the human spirit is what determines our very humanity.

Every Buddha Faces Challenges ~ That's How It's Supposed to Be!

Yes, every Buddha does face challenges. But the good thing is - if we keep chanting our way through our challenges  ~ and we don't give up ~ we create such wonderful benefit every single time. And the more we set our sights on our true PowerPrayers for ourselves and others, the more our life blossoms into true happiness. Right now, every day, as I am writing this blog, and writing my PowerPrayer book for you, I am experience a peace of mind and sense of full~fill~ment I've only dreamed of in the past. Every day I wake up happy to chant, happy to write, and happy to see each person I encounter. 

This week has been a challenging and fulfilling week for me. My son Ben got his wisdom teeth out and has been staying with me. He's also been facing some disappointment, so I have been chanting up a storm for him. When our children aren't happy it's hard for us to be entirely happy, isn't that true? Well, let's just say this has been a tough year for Ben who just finished his second year of college in these challenging times. 

One of the things he has discovered about himself is he gets  great joy that comes from playing with children, so he is planning on becoming a teacher. He's been volunteering at The Sudbury School, a democratic free school where children are trusted, age levels are mixed, and the children decide what they will learn and when. If you're interested in knowing more you can look at the Sudbury Valley School on Facebook or the web. Sudbury Valley is the original school and the success of the students is well-documented in the book Free to Learn by Peter Gray. 

Today, on this quiet Saturday, I arose to write something very exciting. This fall I will be leading a workshop in Bali, Indonesia called:
Explore, Enhance and Expand Your Inner Buddha... 
As soon as I have all the details for reserving your place, I will post them here. I can tell you now that it's set for November 16th-22nd in Bali, Indonesia and the cost will be $1599 including accommodations, activities and most meals. I'll be doing this through Love Your Spirit Tours. 

Here is the first write-up for the event. You get first peek at this exciting event! 

Jamie Lee Silver
Write up for Bali, 

From earliest memory, Jamie Lee Silver was searching for a practical solution to her problems. She knew that she could not have been born into a lifetime of debilitating depression, the constant urge to eat anything not nailed down, constant longing for love amidst self-loathing, and the curse of living life in America as a fat person without a higher reason. and greater purpose to help people. She had an intense yearning to revolutionize her life from within and to use her victory to help others who were suffering.  

She did her best to appreciate her life, using the songs of John Denver as her spiritual support, and exploring every avenue of relief including religion, literature, metaphysics, mysticism, psychology, yoga, est, poetry, alcohol and various mind-enhancing drugs and meditations. In each of these, she found nuggets that were helpful, but her depression persisted and she kept searching for the real, karma changing solution. 

In 1985 she was living in San Francisco and hit an all-time low after being laid off when she met Kate Randolph, a Nichiren Buddhist, who would become her mentor for life. Kate introduced her to a form of Buddhism that said that by chanting the words Nam-myoho-renge-kyo (the title of the Lotus Sutra and the name of the rhythm of life itself) and simultaneously focusing on your desires (not clearing your mind of desires), you can change ANYTHING in life from poison to medicine, create lasting karmic change for yourself and countless others, and actually make your dreams come true. Kate told her the power of this chant was its ability to grant the practitioner access to the entire power of the universe within each life. 

Yes. According to this practice, everyone is a Buddha and this chant makes the Buddha burst forth generating the highest life state of fulfillment and happiness.

Immediately, Jamie began a twice-a-day practice of Practical Buddhism and embarked on a new life of Buddhist study. She immediately proved the power of this prayer by raising herself from the depths, finding a job and crawling out of her emotional hole. She knew she’d begun a life-long process of converting her own suffering, and helping anyone who was suffering find out about this practice.

 Over the next 28 years she proved the power of this chant over and over in her life by vowing to use her struggles to encourage others. In her first few years of practice she took District leadership in the Soka Gakkai, otherwise known as the SGI, or “value creating society”, the lay organization that promotes peace, culture and education through individual and collective happiness. She has hosted meetings in her own home every week ever since then. One of her first benefits from chanting was writing a Power Prayer and manifesting her “House for World Peace” on a high hill overlooking San Francisco. 

Since then, Jamie has chosen to move back to her roots in the Western Suburbs of Illinois to raise her two children, and has continued to devote her life to inspiring others by using her sparkling life as an example. 

She has absolutely and completely conquered depression, lost 70 pounds and kept it off for years. Jamie has had a wonderful and multi-faceted career in the world of sales and marketing, winning countless awards and honors. She has raised two “Buddha Boys” who started chanting to vanquish bad dreams at the age of two, and have used this practice in various powerful ways throughout their lives. Jamie has gone from being friendless and unhappy to a woman of high self-worth with countless friends and students. As the writer of the blog ChantforHappiness.com she inspires over 20,000 people a month to keep chanting, never give up, and realize their dreams.

As of this writing, Jamie is finishing up her first book The Buddha Zone, PowerPrayers for Chanting Your Way to Absolute Happiness and cannot wait to hold it in her hands and give it to the world! 

In Explore, Enhance and Expand Your Inner Buddha you will learn everything you need to know to experience plugging into your own power source through chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. 

We’ll be chanting every morning and evening together, learning the intellectual meaning of the chant itself and revealing its power in our lives.   

We’ll begin with Jamie’s process that enables you to tap into your current desires, and the hopes and dream you may have forgotten, or given up on along the way. We’ll do an inspired writing process to bring these dreams to the surface and feel anew the power of the flame of desire itself. In this practice “Desires Are Enlightenment, and give us the fuel to set fire to our chanting. 

In our workshops we”ll learn the origins of this “new” form of Buddhism whose roots go back to the Buddha’s original intent and purpose. And we’ll explore and learn powerful Buddhist concepts and apply them to everyday life. You’ll feel the energy of the chant, and be in the perfect place to delve into its meaning in your life, and how you can use it to over overcome any challenges you might be facing, and to build on it to springboard your life into previously untouched realms of self-fulfillment and happiness. 

Each day we’ll chant together and study crucial concepts that help you understand why and how chanting is in complete accord with science and common sense. You’ll learn and experience “The oneness of self and environment, many in body, one in mind, the power of the mentor disciple relationship, and more. You’ll learn the essential components of a PowerPrayer, and how to write your own personal PowerPrayers that will clarify your determination and propel you in the direction of your dreams. 


The lush and indescribably beautiful setting of Bali will make your new study of Buddhism that much more resonant and meaningful during our precious time together. We’ll explore the sights, sounds and tastes of this magnificent land as we bring forth our own most delicious, savory hopes, dreams and desires and begin the process of turning them from the impossible to the possible. 

Your Spirit is as Expansive as the Cosmos

The human spirit is as expansive as the cosmos. 
This is why it is so tragic to belittle yourself 
or to question your worth. 

No matter what happens, 
continue to push back the boundaries of your inner life. 

The confidence to prevail over any problem, 
the strength to overcome adversity and unbounded hope
—all reside within you.

Daisaku Ikeda