Faith is Triumphing Over Reality

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FAITH IS TRIUMPHING OVER REALITY

A young woman whose leg was disabled by polio and who was suffering from financial problems took guidance on her future career from Shin'ichi (President Ikeda). Shin'ichi said in a firm tone of voice wishing her to nurture a strong heart:

"FAITH ISN'T SENTIMENTALITY. 

CRYING WON'T SOLVE ANYTHING!"

"You have the Gohonzon ! 
You mustn't be swayed. What good is it to feel sorry for yourself because of your disability? 
No matter how much you pity yourself, 
it won't change anything. 
Everyone has some kind of problem to deal with. There is not one person in the world blessed with everything. To be a Soka Gakkai member is to bravely challenge every situation and circumstance and become a victor in life. THE QUESTION IS NOT WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO YOU; IT'S WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE HAPPEN."

"If you really wish to be a teacher, then decide that you're going to, no matter what. If you don't have the money for college, you can work part time to pay for it. Or you can work during the day and go to night school.

"Dedicating your life to your mission is not some kind of idealistic talk, It isn't an intellectual game. Faith is realizing where you are and triumphing over reality. The light of faith shines in a person who surmounts difficulties.

"Your mission 
is to become the strongest, 
brightest, 
and most pure hearted of all, 
regardless of your circumstances, 
and to live a life 
in which you can declare 
that you are supremely happy."
Excerpt from The New Human Revolution - vol 9

The Secret to Achieving Your Human Revolution

The Secret 

to Achieving 

Your Human Revolution

"Pray that instead of devils 
or negative, destructive forces 
infiltrating your being, 
Brahma ("Bonten"in Japanese),
Shakra ("Taishaku" in Japanese),
and the gods of the Sun and the Moon
~ the positive, protective forces of the universe ~
will enter your life!
Pray that they will enter the lives 
of all members in your region
and the entire membership of the SGI, as well.
If you do this, 
your strength will multiply 
a hundredfold, a thousandfold.
With such prayer,
with such faith, 
you will realize a fundamental transformation
in the depths of your life. 
This is the secret to achieving your human revolution."

SGI President Daisaku Ikeda, World Tribune, 9/8/2000

Write your victories to me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com!

One Sure Way to Experience Joy RIght Now!

"It is important that we live cheerfully 
with a strong spirit of optimism, 
we need to be able 
to continually direct our minds 
in a bright, 
positive 
and beneficial 
direction 
and help those around us to do so, too. 
We should strive to develop a state of life 
where we feel a sense of joy 
no matter what happens." 
From For Today and Tomorrow by Daisaku Ikeda, p.339

Nichiren Buddhists talk about something called Life Condition. What do we mean by this term? First of all, as Buddhists we believe that our environments and everything in it is a mirror of our inner life. So when we change our lives...our environment changes. That's  fundamental to Nichiren Buddhist belief. 

How can we change ourselves to change our environment? 

We Chant to Raise Our Life Condition, and to do our Human Revolution 

That's it. It sounds so simple because it IS simple. When we chant to raise our life condition our life condition changes. 
Life Condition consists of the TEN WORLDS:

Buddhahood
Boddhisatva
Realization
Learning
Rapture
Humanity
Anger
Animality
Hunger
Hell

Comprehensive explanations of the Ten Worlds can be found on the SGI-USA.ORG website and throughout the writings of Daisaku Ikeda. You can access the website here or by using the portal on the right of this post. 

Here is what I consider key:

I chant to experience life in the world of Buddhahood...to see through the eyes of the Buddha and feel with the heart of the Buddha. I chant to have the compassion and love of a Buddha...the Buddha that I am...the Buddha that you are. 
Go Buddha Go! You are unstoppable! 

PowerPrayer for Appreciating YourSelf!

Ultimately, 
Happiness rests 
on how you establish a solid sense of self or being. 
Happiness does not lie in outward appearances nor in vanity. It is a matter of what you feel inside, 
it is a deep resonance in your life. 
To be filled each day 
with a rewarding sense of exhilaration and purpose, 
a sense of tasks accomplished and deep fulfillment ~ 
people who feel this way are happy. 
Those who have this sense of satisfaction, 
even if they are extremely busy 
are much happier 
than those who have time on their hands 
but feel empty inside. 

Daisaku Ikeda, For Today and Tomorrow, page 24

 My goal in writing this blog for you, is for you to be happy. 

And to know the source of your happiness so you can return to that source and bring that water of happiness right back up whenever you desire. 

We all have the power to tap into that vast resource that is within every single person's life, that vast resource can only be tapped by calling out the name of the rhythm of life itself, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. This door is open to every person. No one has to change to chant. No one even has to change religions, lifestyles, eating routines, work out routines or become more "mindful" to chant. (I have nothing against mindfulness, but it is not a requirement to chant.)

All we have to do is chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo,  study Buddhism, join with our fellow members, seek our teacher's heart, and encourage others. Think about it. We do not have to wander in the forest, forgo eating meat (unless we want to), or memorize and live by any "paths". Nope. And we don't discriminate about sexual orientation or anything else. 

A vast reservoir of happiness 
exists inside our lives. 
Let's all chant in happiness, 
rise in happiness, 
dance in happiness together! 

PowerPrayer for Revealing 

Your Buddha Nature 

and Appreciating YourSELF

By Jamie Lee Silver from Chantforhappiness.com

"I chant to reveal the pure, sparkling Diamond

of resilience, strength, wisdom-heart

that lies within me. 

I chant to be more and more aware 

of how wonderful I am every single day. 

May I be aware that every cause I make, 

at every single moment of every day 

is a great cause for my life, 

and all of life, 

and 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 and feel my life 

as the brilliant sparkling Diamond that it is. 

I chant that throughout the day 

I say only kind words to myself. 

That I 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, 

or to strengthen their practice 

just by seeing my happiness flow. 

I chant to meet the people 

who are looking for the Mystic Law 

and to be able to help them practice.

Guidance by Daisaku Ikeda

ONLY by means of the supreme law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo can one change the suffering to which he is destined. He can also enjoy happiness throughout his life, which is the desire of all human beings. For this purpose, faith is essential.




IN many cases, other families are not practicing Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism. There is no need to worry or grow anxious about this. That is because, if we stand up earnestly and confidently in faith, we can lead all of our families and relatives in the direction of happiness and hope. We are like a solitary lighthouse on a dark night, enabling numerous ships to safely sail the seas.


GONGYO is a solemn ceremony in which we fuse our lives with the life-state of the Buddha. By steadfastly and continually carrying out the practice of gongyo and daimoku, the world of Buddhahood in our life becomes solidified, just as firmly packing a pile of earth will produce a strong foundation.


WHEN you possess a life-condition in which you can enjoy everything no matter what happens, when you have a positive outlook and wisdom – you can overcome any kind of problem or suffering. It begins with polishing yourself. This is your “human revolution”. It is the principle of ichinen sanzen (the principle which expounds that a single life-moment contains three thousand realms). By changing your ichinen, or your inner state of life, you can move everything into the best direction for your happiness.


WHEN you joyfully do gongyo and carry out activities with the determination to accumulate more good fortune in your life, the heavenly deities will be delighted and will valiantly perform their duty. If you must take some action anyway, it is your advantage that you do so spontaneously and with a feeling of joy.

4 Ways to Know You're in "Obstacle Shock" ~ Turn "Why Me?" into "Yes Me!" and Advance Powerfully Into Victory!

~Obstacle SHOCK~

We've all been there. 
We've all had that moment when we can't believe that WE, after however many years of practice, are facing a HUGE OBSTACLE. 

It seems, sometimes, that no matter how much we study, and we KNOW huge obstacles bring huge benefits, and HUGE obstacles come to people making HUGE positive causes, that sometimes obstacles still, as my mother would say, "throw us for a loop." (I wonder where that phrase came from!) and we go into Obstacle Shock. 
I guess we could also call this a "reactionary" phase. Sometimes I call it the "Wah Wah Wah" phase, when my life is reeling from the impact of a huge obstacle. 

What is "Obstacle Shock?" How do we know we're in it? 
Here are some recent observations from my own experience:

4 Ways to know 
You're in "Obstacle Shock"
by Jamie Lee Silver from Chantforhappiness.com

1. When we're in "Obstacle Shock" we go around with the constant thought "This can't be happening to me. These things happen to other people; not to me," and our brain gets caught in the endless "Why me?" loop.

2. We wonder how we could have drawn this obstacle into our lives and are dumbfounded to find a karmic connection. It just feels unreal...like we're living someone else's life.  It can be hard to concentrate on anything, whether it's chanting, or work, or....anything. 

3. It is HARD to chant. Really hard to chant. Some people stop chanting altogether. Most of us, soldier on...every morning and evening doing our very best to connect...but somehow feeling "off our game", and like our Daimoku just isn't as powerful as it usually is. We may feel as if we are going through the motions. 

4. We pull away from our friends in faith. Not always. But sometimes. When it comes time to go to a meeting it may feel like we're just out of synch, and it's easier to say "Oh I'm going through this incredible obstacle, I just don't have time to get to a meeting now!" Or "I can't call members to encourage them! I have ________obstacle going on now!" And of course, we know, somewhere deep inside that it's more important than ever to get to that meeting! 

"Obstacle shock" is, I believe, a natural part of life. It happens to everyone. And we have to keep going until we emerge from the other side. 

This week I connected with a region leader in LA who went through a similar obstacle to the one I am facing right now, and triumphed in the end (Of course!) And she talked about her own "Obstacle shock" and how hard it was to chant when the obstacle first arose...how people would come to chant with her, and how it felt like she was just going through the motions. And then, at a certain point, the "Obstacle Shock" bubble burst and she began to move the levers of her practice again, feel the connection while chanting, and know she was going to win.  

I realized that we ALL go through what I call "Obstacle Shock." It doesn't matter how long we practice. And our sheer ability to keep chanting, even when it's hard, and we've temporarily lost faith in our Daimoku, THIS CHANTING and STUDYING TIME is crucial. 

The Daimoku we chant when it's hardest to chant may be our most beneficial of all. 

THIS is when we are really changing our karma. And the moment will come when we click back in and KNOW we are winning. 

4 Ways to turn "Why Me" into "Yes Me!" and advance Powerfully Into Victory! 

1. We keep chanting, even when it feels like we're "out of synch" or that somehow our prayer doesn't feel as deep. We keep chanting, and studying!

2. We don't make ourselves "wrong" for feeling this way, and struggling to chant. We remember it's a natural part of the practice, and keep going to the best of our ability. 

3. We nurture ourselves. We do what feels good to us. We are our own best friends. What feels good to you? Yoga, being with friends, walking, energy healing, massage, writing, singing? Whatever it is...do it! 

4. And we know we will "Click Back In" when we persevere, and are able to switch our attention back to our mission for kosen-rufu. 

The woman from LA who was encouraging me said everything changed for her when she re~embraced her mission for kosen rufu and began focusing on shakubukuing youth. She ended up being invited in to speak to youth who were struggling, and helped many families to begin their Buddhist practice. She took her own HUGE obstacle and turned it into a HUGE benefit. She "Clicked Back In" and achieved Victory for herself and her family. 

Sometimes we just have to get to the other side of "Obstacle Shock" and turn "Why Me" into "Yes Me!" where we click back in to our missions as Boddhisatvas of the earth. If we persevere this will definitely happen! 

Daisaku Ikeda says: 

"The important thing is to advance brightly, 
to strive for victory each moment, 
right where we are; 
to begin something here and now 
instead of worrying over what may happen. 
This is the starting point for transforming our lives."

Faith in Action, page 75

Guidance by Daisaku Ikeda

IT is beneficial to study the doctrines of Buddhism. The more we study them, the more it reinforces our understanding and deepens our appreciation of the excellence and profundity of Buddhism, which in turn serves to strengthen our faith and conviction. The fundamental purpose of our Buddhist study is to fortify the power of our faith and practice.


"TRY" is a little word, but big things - victory and glory - can be found within it. The sight of someone trying, no matter what obstacles one faces, no matter what the circumstances are, is the sight of victory itself.


PRAYERS offered based on the Mystic Law for the repose of a deceased parent constitute the highest form of filial piety. The Daishonin stated that one who carries out such filial actions will definitely be protected by the Buddhist gods.


IT is vital to deepen your "roots of faith". If the roots of your faith are deep, you will never be toppled by the winds of impermanence. The "branches" of complete fulfilment will then grow, and the "fruit" of your change in destiny towards the attainment of Buddhahood will ripen. The accumulation of many experiences in faith, along with your daily practice and effort, will nourish the root of your faith and allow them to spread and deepen.