Daily Guidance by Daisaku Ikeda

Thursday
13th March

NICHIREN DAISHONIN'S Buddhism teaches faith that is dedicated to
advancing kosen-rufu. Faith equals daily life. Therefore, as long as
we persevere in faith that is committed to kosen-rufu, it is possible
for us to be successful and victorious in our daily life and in
society, no matter what trying times we may find ourselves in at
present.


YOU can make a defeat the cause for future victory. You can also make
victory the cause for future defeat. The Buddhism of Nichiren
Daishonin is the Buddhism of True Cause, the Buddhism of the present
and the future. We do not dwell on the past. We are always challenging
ourselves from the present towards the future.


THE truly valiant person tries to triumph over any situation, no
matter how unfavourable. Excuses are a mark of the weak. Buddhism is
victory, so we must triumph in the real world, all the while remaining
true to our convictions.


JUST as a tree that lived a thousand years last another thousand years
after it has been cut, happiness will continue and endure to the
extent that we suffer to attain it. We acquire blessings and merits to
the degree that we devote ourselves to Buddhist practice. Neither
clever schemes nor tactfulness will achieve anything. You must on no
account lead such a meaningless, frivolous life.


IT is our power of faith and power of practice that enables us to tap
the absolute and boundless power of the Buddha and power of the Law of
the Gohonzon. In this connection, your sincere, strong faith is most
important. Therefore, we should maintain ever-advancing faith and
practice throughout our life.Dail

3 Ways to Generate Appreciation Right Now!

Everyone knows that Appreciation is a sure path to happiness, right? And we should generate appreciation every day. It is one of the keys to happiness and longevity and fulfillment. I'm researching Blue Zones, the areas where people live the longest and most fulfilling lives, and appreciation is a certain thread running through them all. 
Sometimes we need some ideas for generating appreciation. Enjoy!   

3 keys to Generating Appreciation 

Right Now, on this Very Fine Day. 

By Jamie Lee Silver from ChantforHappiness.com 

1 

Write your own 

Rampage of Appreciation.

  
Take out your journal or a notepad. 

At the top of each page write these headlines (and any more that occur to you):

What I appreciate about:

My body
My heart
My mind
My practice of Buddhism
My friends
My work
My "things"
My Family
My country, city, home
My relationship(s)
......etc.

And under each category write everything you appreciate (or everything you CAN appreciate) about these aspects of you life. 

2

CHANT 

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo 

...the name of the rhythm of life itself, with your heart full of appreciation. Take note of what arises from your chanting about actions you might want to take to express your appreciation. 

3

 EXPRESS 

YOUR APPRECIATION

Write at least ONE heartfelt thank you note to someone you appreciate, and bring it to them. Write as many as you can, and send or deliver. I recommend hand-delivering them. In "Flourish", by Martin Seligman, he writes that people who hand deliver notes of appreciation experience a glow of happiness that can last for months. 

Look at us ~ spreading the joy! 

Write me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com if you have comments about how this worked for you. 

Daily Guidance by Daisaku Ikeda

Wednesday

12th March

FAITH is not for anyone but yourself – it is all for you. Working to spread the Daishonin's teachings, devoting yourself to chanting daimoku, and studying doctrine while you are young are all tasks that will transform your life into a garden of blessings and merits.


BRINGING forth one's wisdom and breaking through deadlocks in difficult or trying times is precisely the kind of challenges that allows us to cultivate strong conviction and depth of character. In a life of nothing but fair skies and tranquil seas, we cannot hope to forge great conviction or outstanding strength of character.


HAVING intense emotions enables you to understand the feelings of others. It is not a bad thing to be passionate, but if it is driven by egotism and hurts others, it can be dangerous. The point is, you must have self discipline. And that comes from chanting daimoku, from developing a strong life force.


THERE are many paths in life. Paths leading to celebrity. Paths leading to fame. Paths leading to high social standing. And the list goes on. But where do we find the path to attaining Buddhahood? It is found only in efforts to expand the flow of kosen-rufu.


IT is vital that those in positions of responsibilities proportionately deepen their faith; love and protect and guide others; and strive to progress one step further in their personal development. Remember that because you have seniors, you were able to open your eyes to faith yourself.

Daily Guidance by Daisaku Ikeda

NICHIREN DAISHONIN stated in the Gosho, "Neither the pure land and
hell exists outside ourselves; both lie within our own hearts." (MW2,
p 239) Everything depends upon one's inner life, or ichinen.
Therefore, what is important is one's heart. No matter how
unfavourable the situation, it can be transformed into "the pure land"
if you courageously address the problem by deciding that it is your
Buddhist practice to develop yourself.


YOU must always maintain a seeking spirit. "Seeking the way" in
Buddhism is an attitude that leads to profound happiness. Remember
that a spirit to always seek the Law for the sake of your daily
self-improvement is actual proof of your faith itself.


FAITH is the greatest of all treasures. Passing on correct faith to
your children is the surest way for both parent and child and for the
entire family as well, to walk the path of eternal happiness.


THE sun burns its own mass as fuel in order to illuminate the cosmic
darkness, bring its light to the moon and the planets. Similarly, the
courage of one individual who possesses a sprit that burns like the
sun will touch and inspire countless others. This is the unchanging
formula for achieving the spread of the Law, the most difficult of all
undertakings.


TO encounter persecution because of one's faith is in fact a wonderful
thing. It is precisely one struggles to overcome hardships that one is
able to create integrity. In an environment that is monotonous and
placid, stagnancy and degeneration may overtake vivacity. It is
because there are storms of great struggles that the blue sky of
existence opens up and fresh vigour wells forth in one's life.

Daily Guidance by Daisaku Ikeda

Monday
10th March
DETERMINED that "I will change my destiny" and that "I will have my
prayers fulfilled", please offer fresh prayers to the Gohonzon
everyday and adorn each page of your life with beautiful actual proof
of victory.


IT is in an individual's behaviour that the essence of Buddhism lies.
As you polish your character and personality through your faith, you
are expanding a circle of trust among the people around you. Please
remember that the development of kosen-rufu lies in the mundane
actions undertaken in one's immediate reality.


A person of courage views things calmly, and for this reason acquires
wisdom. A person of wisdom is able to discern future outcomes, and so
acquires courage. By the same process, we must strive to become people
of wisdom and courage.


BEING young means to possess the greatest wealth, even if one is
penniless. Hope, potential and limitless energy are the assets of
youth. You do not need to be in a hurry to own a nice home, or seek
status and position, or get rich quick. If you dedicate yourself
earnestly to your mission, everything you need for your life will come
to you naturally.


WHAT is important for leading a joyful life? Tolstoy constantly
stressed the importance of "correct faith". He said, "If you want to
be quiet and strong, work and improve your faith." Genuine faith is a
sword of belief and conviction that cuts through all sufferings; it is
a bright light of hope that illuminates darkness and confusion. None
led lives of greater strength and composure than you who base your
lives on faith dedicated to truth and justice.

Lastminutemanifestbuddhadotcom! Guest Post from Morag in the UK ~ Enjoy!

ok, this is how exciting and amazing this practice can be.  first you have a really rubbish start to the week where every possible financial obstacle arises like a krakon from the depths. you chant and fight off negativity, read a bit of study here and there; keep your spirits up no matter what. you scrape through with the bank for three hard days. (actually, you sit at your desk chanting while your non-believing partner runs around collecting everything that's owed on every job, but they all pay up..)  that leaves your own payment on the credit card due on friday; has to be cash and paid in direct.  you chant at all day your desk, you chant while walking about tidying the shop, you determine not to lose heart, determine to summon courage and conviction that everything will be ok.  you serve customers to the best of your ability, you even talk about how your practice has changed your life to a lady who asks how you keep so cheerful giving her a booklet and NMRK card....at 3:30 a customer walks in with an enquiry but leaves again. you decide that it might be best to go and do the measures a bit early, but in good heart for tomorrow is another day... the last customer comes back just as you are locking the door, and you both go back in and book out the job for which he pays cash, the exact amount you need.  it's 4:15 and I guess the S-Z must be screaming silently 'cos you think, does the bank open this late? you turn the van around and head back to town at 4:25, drive up to the bank which closes at 4.30  go up to the cashier with the biggest grin of all time on your face, and come out with 70p change.

THAT'S THE POWER OF NMRK!!                    Morag xx 

LETTING IT GO!

We all have huge problems from time to time...problems that are so all-encompassing that we seem to recede a little from the world, and it feels as if we have lost our friends and family because this problem has laid us SO low. 

We all know that Daimoku (Nam-myoho-renge-kyo)is bigger and more powerful than any problem, but sometimes, even when we are striving our hardest, getting guidance, studying, chanting, going to meetings, our problem still weighs so heavily on our hearts. 

Many of us have experienced deep loss, grief, sadness, that seems bigger than we are. 

Well, I have been going through one of these. I've been fighting hard, and my only victory has been to NOT GIVE UP THE FIGHT. Even though I am taking every action I can think of for kosen rufu...every morning I've awakened into the problem and it has weighed on me all day. 

Well, yesterday, after reading the guidance I posted on this blog. I talked myself into setting new goals for myself. I decided I would take better care of myself. I decided to be better to myself. I got a massage. I took action to change some habits, and wrote a bunch of new goals before I chanted...among them was the goal to somehow regain my happiness. As my friend Kathy says: 

"Gohonzon some-kind-of-way this has to happen." 

And last night in the support group I go to for people who are also dealing with similar problems, they miraculously picked MY PROBLEM to workshop. We spent an hour as a group breaking it into parts, and hearing other's experiences and brainstorming solutions... and somehow I just came to terms with it. I came to a new understanding that, for now, I can't FIX it. I can only choose to stop suffering. I can LET IT GO. Just LET IT GO for now. And choose not to suffer. 

I will still chant to fix it with all my heart. But I am not going to suffer over it anymore! 

Thank you life! Thank you Gohonzon-my life itself! Today I am a new woman. And the sun is shining here in Chicago. Spring HAS TO be on its way. 

I am wishing YOU breakthroughs in happiness, breakthroughs in happiness. 

And I offer you, from this Month's Gosho The Pure and Far Reaching Voice:

"...voices infused with the prayer of the Mystic Law have the power to awaken the Buddha nature of those with whom we speak. Even though the effect might not be immediately apparent, please be assured that your voice will deeply permeate others' lives" 
Daisaku Ikeda, Living Buddhism, March 2014 p. 27