What Can You Accomplish By Chanting?

What can you accomplish through chanting? 

You can change your problems, your attitude, your basic life tendencies and your karma!

The power of chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo 
is bigger than your biggest problem. 

"There are many elements involved in a prayer being answered, but the important thing is to keep praying until it is. By continuing to pray, you can reflect on yourself with unflinching honesty and begin to move your life in a positive direction on the path of earnest, steady effort. Even if your prayer doesn't produce concrete results immediately, your continual prayer will at some time manifest in a form greater than you had ever hoped." 
~ President Ikeda  (From Faith in Action page 152)

What are some examples of actual proof I've accomplished through chanting?

I have raised my life condition permanently from a state of sadness to one of almost continual happiness. 

When you raise your life condition EVERYTHING changes. People around you change. Opportunities come more easily. Everything changes because YOU have changed on the inside and because of the interconnectivity of all of life your environment has to change to reflect those changes.

As Nichiren Daishonin says in the Gosho The Three Kinds of Treasure: "Buddhism teaches that when the Buddha nature manifests itself from within, it will obtain protection from without. This is one of its fundamental principles." 

I have permanently changed the following in my life:

Hopelessness - I now look forward to every day
Depression - Now almost nonexistent for me
Anxiety - Almost NEVER do I feel anxiety now.
Sadness - I am truly a different person now...
Fear - Hardly ever...
Loneliness - I went from having very few friends to having many friends, and to being happier when I'm alone as well. 
Health - I am healthier than I've ever been. 

Also:

I have alleviated the feeling of endless longing for what I do not or cannot have. Words cannot describe how wonderful this benefit has been for me. 
I've lost 50 pounds and feel younger and stronger than ever.
I just sent my book off yesterday to an agent. I am living the life of my dreams. This, along with the blog you are reading now is my greatest passion....helping people alleviate their suffering by introducing them to Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. 

I have peace of mind.

The list goes on and on.....

There are also many other categories of changes people have made in their lives. 

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 SGI 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 in San Francisco! 
And I've chanted for financial benefits. We need money to live and to give us opportunities. 
It is not bad to chant for money. Money is necessary. 

You can chant for anything. 
Health
Family Relationships
Happiness for others
Love
Career
YOU NAME IT. 
You are accessing the power within your own life. 

There are so many things... feelings...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 of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
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'm celebrating today. Readership this blog is getting close to 1,000 a day! Thanl you so much for helping me reach my goal of 50,000 a month by November 18th! Thank you for passing the link chantforhappiness.com 
on to your fellow members, friends, family and anyone you want to introduce to this practice, or encourage. And thank you for passing it on to people who speak languages other than English since there's a translation button on the top right ...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.

Do You Have a Dream? The Power of the Gohonzon Has No Limits

….Sensei Says - Do You Have A Dream….

“Many of us have some problems that we avoid chanting about, because we are afraid to look at them directly and prefer not to think about them. Others may have dreams locked up in their hearts that they are afraid to admit even to themselves let alone chant for, because they feel they do not deserve to be happy, or because they are afraid of being disappointed should they not succeed in attaining their goal.

Nichiren Daishonin teaches us that the power of the Gohonzon has no limit. It is we who impose limits on it with our doubts and fears. How tragic it would be if, having encountered the Mystic Law, we could not fully enjoy it's benefit because we lacked the courage to pray with all our hearts for what we truly wanted.

Surely nothing would be more bitter than to have to look back over one's life and feel, 'I never accomplished what I really wanted to.'

Nichiren Daishonin, out of his compassion, teaches us how to live so that we will have no regrets. Since we have been fortunate enough to meet the Gohonzon, why don't we place our full trust in it, pray courageously for what we desire and fulfill all our dreams in this lifetime.”

Daisaku Ikeda

The Universal PowerPrayer

I heard Linda Johnson, the incredible SGI-USA Women's Division leader talk about the Universal Prayer a few years ago. She talked about a person suffering from a jaw disease. She recommended they chant the Universal Prayer and they were able to cure their disease. I had never heard of this prayer, but I've been chanting it ever since. This is my version of it, feel free to devise your own. I like to picture every single one of you in front of your Gohonzons chanting, and feel my prayer going straight to you. I pray just like this:

Universal PowerPrayer

Every Daimoku I chant

reaches every other person who is chanting

I deepen the power of my faith by 10,000

so that all who are chanting can also deepen their faith, spread the word of this great teaching 

to those still suffering

become absolutely happy

and create a happy and peaceful world!

I chant that every single person who is chanting 

feels the full power 

sees the full power

experiences the full power

of this faith in their lives. 

I chant for all members to have faith

receive incredible 

benefits

and to know, within their DNA itself 

within every cell in their body

that this practice works!

I chant for all who are chanting. 

May my prayer increase the power of their prayer! 

Let's Enjoy our Lives!

I love this picture, and it is so true. 
In front of the Gohonzon, we create our lives. 
We tell our lives exactly what we want. 
And when we are not in front of the Gohonzon sometimes we have to just take a deep breath 
and enjoy the moment...
just live in the moment. 

Sending you love and peace on this Sunday afternoon. 
My dear friend just agreed to get her Gohonzon on Wednesday. 
May you ALL have friends who decide to practice this month! See the shakubuku PowerPrayer from a few days back. 

PowerPrayers to Strengthen Your Practice and for Unlimited Self Esteem

Good morning. It's early on Sunday morning and I'm heading off downtown to the Tozo going on now.

At the Chicago Buddhist Center I will be chanting for all of you to achieve every single one of your goals and to grow in faith as you complete your million daimoku towards your goals. Please remember you are WORTHY and you are not asking anyone or anything to fulfill your prayers...you are TELLING your life the way it's going to be. "LIFE this is what I want!" and email me if you want to join the campaign or share your goals and pictures with me: chantforhappiness@gmail.com

ALSO ~ do you have any requests for powerprayers on a particular subject...ones that might help great numbers of people? I am about to submit my book soon! Email me! 

Here are two PowerPrayers from my upcoming book of PowerPrayers. The first is for strengthening your practice. The second is for unlimited self-esteem:

PowerPrayer to Establish a Strong Practice 

for Chanting My Way to Absolute Happiness! 

I will chant every morning and every evening 

no matter what. 

I will no longer allow anything to stop me! 

I am establishing the strongest practice imaginable 

and I am becoming so fully resourced in self esteem 

that I fully commit to myself:

I keep my promise 

to myself 

first and foremost 

with the understanding that 

I can only really love/help others 

when I myself have become strong and self-loving.

And it’s very natural for me now to share Nam-myoho-renge-kyo because my life is overflowing with benefits. 

The more I chant, the more I want to chant. 

I look forward to my time with myself 

dialoguing with my own life

and discovering who I really am. 

I feel the connection more deeply every time I chant. 

I see actual proof that my self esteem is rising:

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Nothing can stop me from getting to discussion meetings 

and studying SGI periodicals and books. 

I am deepening my understanding of what I study with every Daimoku I chant. 

My eyes are opening.

My depth of understanding is growing! 

Study helps me to see the connection 

between my chanting 

and what I see happening in my life. 

What a privilege! 

PowerPrayer for Unlimited Self Esteem

As I am chanting, 

I am becoming a woman/man/person 

of unlimited self esteem. 

I open my heart to myself and my life. 

I am determined to really love my-self 

in a way I have never done before. 

I am determined to take 

the best and most tender care of myself 

and to learn to really want 

and manifest 

all the very best things my life has to offer me 

and this world has to offer. 

From this moment forward 

I am a person of unlimited self-esteem. 

I learn from my mistakes, 

I don’t dwell on them or in them. 

I understand that I am Nam-myoho-renge-kyo 

and I have unlimited power 

to focus on the things I do right. 

I spend more and more time 

in self-appreciation and gratitude.

And it feels wonderful.

These are the qualities I appreciate in myself:

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

These are the qualities I am strengthening in myself and my life as I chant:. 

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We Cannot become Someone Else...

My Nam-myoho-renge-kyo Card Design

Some of you wrote in asking for my shakubuku card design. 
It's very simple. 
It looks just like this:

Chant "Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo"

(Nahm Meeyoho Raingay Keyo)

To be happier than you ever imagined possible!

ChantforHappiness.com

Your blog for daily encouragement

Jamie Lee Silver

Chanting Coach and Mentor

email: ChantforHappiness@gmail.com

SGI-USA.org