Never Let Life's Hardships Disturb You

Chanting for Kosen Rufu

I just finished today's first hour of chanting just for kosen- rufu. I felt totally connected to my own power... the power we all possess...the power of the universe....Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

How do we define Kosen rufu? 

In Faith into Action, pages 226-230 there are many quotes from Sensei on Kosen Rufu. Here are a few:

"A Buddha holds others in the highest regard; the ability to do so is the Buddha's intrinsic virtue. Kosen-rufu means promulgating this attitude of respect for human beings." page 227

"Joy is no simply your personal, egoistic happiness. Nor is it making others happy at the expense of your own happiness. You and others delighting together, you and others becoming happy together - this is the Mystic law and the wondrous thing about our realm of kosen-rufu. The Daishonin states, "Joy means that both oneself and others have wisdom and compassion." p. 227

"Our spirit changes our being. It changes our lives. Why does the Buddha have an indestructible, diamond-like life? Shakyamuni explains it is because he has steadfastly and thoroughly protected the true law. Having a strong spirit for kosen-rufu enables us to develop diamond-like lives." p. 228

and:

"Those who struggle to the full extent of their abilities now, at this time, will also gain eternal honor. Imagine 100 or 200 years hence when our descendants proudly say. "Think of it, my ancestors devoted their lives to kosen-rufu in this area." p. 228

As I was chanting, I kept the intention for kosen-rufu in my mind while visions of kosen-rufu came tumbling into my mind's eye...a world of respect for all beings, happy people smiling at one another, no weapons poised for war, people speaking in loving tones with loving, glowing hearts and minds. 
As I was chanting for kosen-rufu I could feel my prayers activating the gears of the universe. I felt myself and all the Buddhist deities, all pulling...all heading for what is good, and true and right. Occasionally some other thoughts entered my mind, my family smiling, all of you facing the Gohonzon with happiness and appreciation in your hearts...

And as I was chanting I was releasing my concerns...all the things on my list...all my desires... and just enjoying this feeling that everything will be taken care of...and that somehow, in this one prayer for the happiness of all beings, that everything I need will just be taken care of...and the wisdom to take the most correct action will flow into my life...and I will take it...advancing always. 

I wish you a glorious day full of love and light and laughter. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. 

Faith is to Fear Nothing!

Starting Anew in September

September is the time of new beginnings. It's back to school time, back to business time, back to life time. It is a time for each of us to re-envision our lives, our outcomes, our dreams. It is the time for each of us to create the plan for our lives, and re-set our determinations towards November 18th. 
It is important not just to chant, but also to take action. Today I am setting my list of action items, and I just chanted 2 hours for the wisdom to make them happen. 
This weekend we attended the World Peace Prayer meeting in downtown Chicago. One of the speakers said he chanted all year just for Kosen Rufu...that has been his prayer. He has lost 60 pounds and accomplished many of his goals. He said that within the prayer for Kosen Rufu is the prayer for everything your heart desires. Within the prayer for shakubuku is embedded the prayer for everything you want for yourself and others. 

This morning I was chanting for each one of you to tap into exactly what you want...and to draw the power of the Gohonzon from within your life more powerfully than you ever have before. All of us have such potential for world peace, for our own happiness, and to create brilliant shining lives in those around us. 

Today, September 3rd I am chanting or peace on earth, for Kosen Rufu, and the Universal Prayer for the Happiness of all. 
I hope you are persevering with your Worldwide Million Daimoku Campaign, and welcoming every storm that comes your way. I hope you are standing up to what is unacceptable in your life and vowing to change it once and for all  ~  for your own sake ~ for the sake of your family and for all who will come after you. 
We are the proud and strong Soka Gakkai Buddhists making a stand for happiness with the power within our own lives. Be proud. Be strong.  Tap into the vast reservoir of power within your own life and banish fear forever from your life! We stand together! 

Shikha's Health Experience

I originally posted this last year, and wanted to make sure you all see it. Thank you Shikha! Please send your experiences to chantforhappiness@gmail.com

I was introduced to the practice by my sister's friend three years back.  I felt protected instantly  after chanting during some of the darkest moments . Initally like most of us, I chanted 5-10 minutes and then didn't for weeks. Thanks to some of the critical situations in life and the leaders' persistence I continued and became more active.

I have overcome a number of obstacles both from within and without during these years and have experienced many benefits (which I'll share with all of you soon).

This year in August my father, who suffers from chronic pancreatitus, suddenly got another acute attack on august 15th. After getting admitted to the hospital, his condition worsened and he was shifted to Fortis ICU for respiratory distress syndrome and acute pancreatitus. His serum amylase and lipase (indicator of pancreas) were above 1600 and the normal level is below 200. The normal PO2 level(indicator of lung function) is above 80 and his was 50. In such cases they put patients on ventilators but the doctors negligence turned out to be a benefit for us. His face used to be almost blue during those days.

This was a few days after I recieved my gohonzon and I just had complete faith that it has to be a benefit so that he has an even healthier life. Also On the same day I got an oppurtunity to be the MC for the August SGI meeting and I joyfully accepted it chanting through the night for a vibrant zadankai (meeting) and all members to be inspired. I determined to do my own human revolution by not panicing in such crisis instead giving faith and courage to my sister and mother who were clearly in utter panic.

Whenever I was in doubt, I read sensei's lecture on the gosho "The good medicine for all ills".  Josei Toda wrote,"Dont let anything shake you. Just chant with your whole life. Never lose heart. Activate the positive forces of the universe.  I chanted sincerely to change the poison in his pancreas to amrita . I visualised waving a sword of nam myoho renge kyo in his pancreas .

Papa's serum amylase and lipase- an indicator of pancreas dropped back to below 200 which is normal by august 19th i.e. within 4-5 days which was extremely remarkable .

We received protection in the form of my doctor aunt who dropped everything and came to our city  and instructed the low skilled staff of "a hospital in india " to handle his lungs better .
My sister also started chanting more seriously and started seeing results herself. His lung condition was still very weak. She chanted for papa to do spirometery exercises every hour as instructed  even though he was very weak. She chanted for him to want to get better and not give up even in the extreme condition of the ICU .

However, the infection in his body i.e. the TLC counts kept shooting up. In spite of that,  he started looking and feeling better. By the end of the week his TLC was as high as 30,000 (normal is below 11000) and the doctor in fortis said it's unbelievable that he doesn't look as sick as his reports say he is. I smiled, of course.

I read the gosho again and again. At the risk of sounding stupid to my family full of doctors, I encouraged them to read it. Sensei says, " The Buddha is likened to a physician because he teaches people the "medicine of immortality. " The medicine of immortality is "amrita". Elsewhere Nichiren daishonin says," Amrita is nam myoho renge kyo " .

Meanwhile The doctor insisted for him to get neckline since all his other veins were swollen. Now, the neckline can cause many more infections for a lung patient esp in the ICU and by then he had developed hospital aided pnuemonia. The doctor gave us one hour to decide and sign the consent form. I started chanting very strongly and within minutes one of the male nurse found a perfect vein in the arm somewhere which lasted three days.

Because of staying calm and being in a high life condition, we could decide immediately without even our mom to take him out of "A hospital in our city" to " Hospital in another city " where my aunt is an HOD. I was chanting all throughout the way. We met with many obstacles , the ambulance met with an accident , the ac didnt work  but papa's vitals didn't change a bit throughout the journey and he safely shifted to a private ward. Again, he didn't see us frown when any of this was happening, rather all he heard was Nam myoho renge kyo .

We met the best of doctors in the other city. The doctor again suggested a neck line but my sister had determined by then to not let that happen and well it didn't. His TLC i.e. the infection count came down to normal within 3-4 days. And within a week he was out of the hospital walking, talking a bit, urinating, defecating all by himself. His pancreas is damaged 40-50% but he can have a normal life with even half the pancreas. There is no damage to any other vital organ which is very good after an acute attack like this. His lung capacity is actually better than before now.  He has been a chain smoker since 50 years and he has not smoked since over a month now and has no intention of doing so. Like I said, his face is way brighter than before, and he walks twice a day by himself, eats healthy meals, has breakfast and is on the road to full recovery. My mother remarked yesterday that it was impossible to think that we'll all have a lifestyle where  no one smokes in the house and we have have fruits and breakfast on the dinner table. She said life has actually become 180 degrees better.

All this while I chanted for the medicine king buddha to manifest in his life. Leaders told me to read out the gosho" actual proof " to him during our stay and I did. I chanted for all our relatives to see actual proof through this experience. I chanted for my human revolution and to stay calm through it all. We (my sister, me and mom ) had just three small arguments through such high stress period and managed to be  encouraging and always smiling around papa. My sister and brother in law have started chanting and my brother in law already has had an experience.
I determine to keep showing actual proof through this practice and encourage each and everyone who's watching my life.

Million Daimoku Campaign Update: Expect New Challenges and Negativity - But You Will WIN!

Many of you have joined the Worldwide Million Daimoku Campaign, and it's not too late to join. 
Just set your sights on chanting 300 hours of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, write your goals for yourself and make or download a chart where you fill in the time you are chanting to add up to 300 hours. You can do a search on 
daimokucharts.org and download one for yourself. Or just make one - it doesn't have to be fancy. 
Most SGI members have goals they have set to reach by November 18th. 


It is natural to experience challenges and negativity after starting a Daimoku campaign. Think of it this way. Your regular life is like a plane going slowly down the runway. There's no resistance from the wind. When you start your daimoku campaign you turn the engines on and rev them up for takeoff, and start going faster. 

What happens to the wind resistance? It increases because your speed increases...just like your obstacles increase when you start a million daimoku campaign. 

But remember, those obstacles are EXACTLY what you need to get to the next level of happiness in your life. Remember the Gosho lecture I wrote about last month. You Summoned those obstacles for your own growth and so you can change your karma forever. 
Think of them as another log on the fire! And as long as you keep chanting, as long as you don't stop, you will take off sailing into the sky. Yes the wind resistance will still be there, but so will all the benefits of being able to look down on all your problems that looked so big while you were on the ground, but now look so much smaller from the air. 

And you will be able to soar over those problems and change them all ~ one after another ~ as your new life flies on and on with the wind of daimoku beneath your wings! 

How to Chant Joyfully for Longer Times

I know many of us are challenging ourselves to chant more than ever...aiming towards November 18th and the opening of the WorldWide SGI headquarters. I wrote this a while ago and repost it from time to time.

When I first began chanting a leader told me our lives and our karma can be compared to a glass with dirt at the bottom...the dirt represents the karma that exists inside our lives. She said when you start to chant you stir up that dirt and see it swirling around...and if you want to really dig deep and clear it out, you might want to chant for a really long period of time...to do a Daimoku Tozo as we call it. 

(Now, none of us ever HAS to chant for a long period of time. This is something that is entirely optional and comes from your deep desire. It's perfectly okay if you don't choose to do a long tozo. As long as you are chanting every day, studying, attending as many meetings as you can, you will definitely change your life for the better.) 

A reader requested I share some ideas about chanting joyfully, especially since so many of you are challenging yourselves to chant for longer periods of time. Thank you for asking.

How to joyfully chant for longer times.

1. Realize that what you are about to do...an extended chant...a tozo...has profound significance for your life. Give  yourself credit for this worthy goal, and set a chanting time goal for yourself. 

2. Write your goal or goals for the tozo. (Some of these goals may occur to you naturally as you're chanting) Write yourself a Power Prayer connected to the greater good...to the real difference you want to make in the world. Remember that you are a precious votary of the Lotus Sutra and when you break through, the energy is forever changed. You are paving the way for others to break through. So address that in your goals and in your chanting For instance: 
"I am determined to have the most beautiful, loving relationship so that I can totally inspire other people that great relationships are possible ...I can show actual proof with my life, and be able to introduce others to this practice!" In one of the tozos I chanted, I'd read President Ikeda's guidance saying you can chant to have 10,000 times more power in your prayer. So I spent the first hour chanting to increase the power of my daimoku by 10,000 times! That hour flew!

3. Have your favorite drinks close by...tea...water...soft drinks...whatever you like. 

4. DEMAND your results! YOU are the Buddha! Do not beg favors from a 'higher power." Remember the Gohonzon cannot get down off the scroll and do the Buddha's work in the world. YOU actually are the Gohonzon; it is inside your life. The scroll is a reflection of the highest life condition that exists within your own life. So when you are chanting CLAIM what is yours! Yes, the Gohonzon consists of the functions in the universe that are in our lives. Tell your life what you want. And know that all real change comes from within.

5. All change comes from within. Take responsibility for your life...not blame. Realize whatever you are going through, whatever is causing you to chant...it's your karma..not your FAULT. Chant to reach the very core of that karma and change it forever. THEN your life circumstances and environment will change to reflect it. You don't have to figure out the deeper cause, don't worry about getting it right. Chanting is experiential, not an intellectual exercise.  

6. Keep your favorite study material close by...whatever touches your heart when you read it. And if you find yourself losing focus open it up to any page you want. I have "For Today and Tomorrow" next to me right now. I just opened it for you right now...I read "When we chant sonorous daimoku, the sun rises in our hearts. We are filled with power. Compassion wells forth. Our lives are lit with joy. Our wisdom shines. All Buddhas and Buddhist deities throughout the universe go to work on our behalf. Life becomes exhilarating." Read your passage and get right back to chanting!!!

7. Invite others for all or part of your tozo. 

8. Have pen and paper handy. You'll want to write down those brilliant ideas that come into your mind while you're chanting. You'll also want to write down some of those pesky thoughts and reminders that keep coming back...things like "remember to buy dog food." Just write it down and eject it from your brain so you can focus on what really matters.

9. Put your telephone away. Tell people you are busy. 

10. After the tozo write in your journal. You never want to forget this day. Write to me too. I love to hear your successes and your challenges. 

11. Expect some obstacles to arise after your tozo. And just say "Hello obstacles! I was expecting you!" When you chant for an extended time you can compare it to turning your speedboat to HIGH. The faster you go, the more resistance you feel. Sometimes after a tozo I experience some obstacles, sometimes I don't. But if you do, please remember obstacles are fuel for your happiness and not to be feared. Face them and chant them away. 

I am chanting for you to accomplish your goals and shine with happiness!
I am chanting for you to connect with the SGI and President Ikeda and all your Soka Gakkai friends. 
I'd love to hear from those of you who have connected to the SGI through my blog. I am sharing your stories with Daisaku Ikeda, Sensei. Send your experiences to chantforhappiness@gmail.com