Daily Guidance by Daisaku Ikeda

IT is important to energetically advance based on the two ways of practice and study - that is, striving in our Buddhist practice and studying the teachings of Buddhism. We must not simply go through the motions, carrying out our organisational activities out of force of habit. We must actively practise Nichiren Daishonin's teachings ourselves and teach others about them as well, working to advance kosen-rufu as the Daishonin instructed.


LIFE is a chain. All things are related. When any link in that chain is harmed, others will be affected. We should think of the environment as our Mother - Mother Soil, Mother Sea and Mother Earth. There is no crime worse than harming one's own mother.


IT is when people are alone that you can tell whether or not they are the genuine article. A person of true substance is one who stands up alone. As long as you are merely treading water in the crowd, your position, no matter how enviable, is as insubstantial as a dream. The Buddha stands up alone. It is when we, too, stand up alone in our respective situations that we can become Buddhas.


MY most sincere hope is for your happiness. Taking care of your health, please live a long, wonderful existence in which all desires are fulfilled. The days that you dedicate for the cause of kosen-rufu are days of unsurpassed value. By living in this way, you will as a matter of course enjoy good health.


KOSEN-RUFU does not lie off in the distance. Sincerity and generous humanity towards those around you is the first step.

source:dailyguidance.blogspot.com/p/daisaku-ikeda.html. Volume 1 to 5, Daily Guidance, Singapore Soka Association

--

Jamie Lee Silver

630-926-3001

"When a single sun rises, everything is illuminated."

Daisaku Ikeda

Sensei's Guidance on thoughts while chanting

(From the Facebook page, 
The Power of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, 
quoting from the Wisdom of The Lotus Sutra)

In this Q & A, President Ikeda clarifies and explains on extraneous thoughts that come to our mind while chanting :

Endo: With regard to prayer, people frequently bring up the problem of extraneous thoughts occurring to them while they are chanting.

President Ikeda: 
There is nothing wrong with having an active mind while chanting. 
This is a natural human tendency. 

The important thing is to face the Gohonzon just as we are, 
without affectation. 
Having extraneous thoughts is an inherent part of our lives 
in that we are entities of the principle of three thousand realms in a single moment of life. 
Therefore, through daimoku we can turn even those thoughts into benefit.

There are no rules governing how we should pray. 
There’s no need to be something we aren’t. 
Even if we were to try to control our thoughts 
by making our prayer rigid and forced, 
our minds would still tend to wander. 
As we deepen our faith, we also strengthen our ability to concentrate.

Actually, since the thoughts or ideas that come to mind as we chant r
epresent issues that concern us at the moment, 
we should not consider them extraneous. 
Instead, we should pray earnestly about each one, 
whatever it may be. 
Rather than chant only about large issues, 
we should pray specifically about every issue we face, 
winning over each one and strengthening our foundation as we go.
There is of course no need to be tense or nervous when praying. What matters is that we are completely ourselves.

(The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, Vol. VI pp. 108-09)

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo PowerPrayer for Overcoming Our BIGGEST PROBLEMS

What do we do when we have a problem that looks like it is bigger than Nam-myoho-renge-kyo? (The rhythm of life itself - learn more about chanting by clicking the SGI-USA link to the right) 
Have you ever had one of those? When you think to yourself...
"Oh well, all those other Buddhists, 
they've never seen THIS problem." 
And although you have seen results from your practice, year after year, somehow you think THIS problem is different. THIS problem is too much for the Gohonzon. In your heart you know that nothing is more powerful than your prayer...but also, in your heart, you are struggling to summon absolute faith that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo can overcome THIS one? 

What do you do? 

The answer to this question lies in our SGI organization. It is precisely for this reason, and many others, that we practice together. 

This week, as I was going from one speaking gig to another (I LOVE public speaking - my current topic is The BLUE ZONES, What the world's oldest people have to teach us about living long, happy, healthy lives.) I was overcome with emotion about the problem I am facing. 
So I called a Buddhist friend who had faced a similar problem and triumphed over it. 

She said 
"This is just another opportunity for your life to stand up and tell your fundamental darkness who is BOSS. This is just another WAVE, just another WAVE. You MUST stand up to it. You must chant with the conviction that there is no other way than your victory. You must summon that conviction from within your heart." 

Okay....

I couldn't wait to get home to chant. 

And I chanted with absolute conviction that my prayer...this very moment was EXACTLY the breakthrough I needed to solve the problem and to END MY SUFFERING over the problem. 

And I have felt renewed confidence and vigor ever since. 

Whatever you are facing...It is just another wave. Stand UP to it!

PowerPrayer for 
Overcoming Our BIGGEST Problems
by Jamie Lee SIlver from Chantforhappiness.com

Read this before chanting and summon your inner conviction. These exact words are not important - the strength of your chanting and your heart IS important! 

Life~ !!!
Fundamental Darkness ~ doubt ~ fear ~ 
that exists in my life and in the lives of others
YOU ARE NO MATCH FOR NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO
THIS Daimoku, 
right her, right now  
is obliterating my fundamental darkness and the world's fundamental darkness 
and clearing the path for ______________________. 
I claim my victory
I claim my life
I feel Nam-myoho-renge-kyo 
flowing from within my life 
to all around me. 
I shine like the sun
I show proof of this victory right now
I will win over this problem 
and I use this experience to help others~!!!
RIght here!
Right NOW
I VOW TO WIN~ No Matter what!  

Incredible Buddhist Quotes for Overcoming Illness

In the April 11th World Tribune, 
(a publication from the SGI-USA, 
which can be obtained by clicking the SGI link on the right,) 
Carol Park quotes Daisaku Ikeda 
in her experience on page 8:

"It is precisely because we battle with sickness that we are able to experience firsthand the the best and worst in life, allowing us to forge the strength within ourselves to never succumb."

Here are more inspiring quotes from Daisaku Ikeda regarding illness: 

Inspiring Quotes for Overcoming Illness

(For any of you who are facing illness - this should raise your spirits  ~ The person who originally compiled these quotes was able to use this practice and modern medicine to overcome breast cancer completely. She now lives in total health!)

From Jamie Lee Silver from ChantforHappiness.

From President Ikeda's Lecture series "The Hope-filled Teachings of Nichiren Daishonin: On Prolonging One's Life Span - Faith for Leading a Long and healthy Life" in the July-August 08 Living Buddhism. 

“Suffering from illness is a means by which you can eradicate your negative karma.”  

President Toda, as quoted by President Ikeda. - pg 70 

“To see illness as an opportunity to transform our karma – this strong spirit and resolve can break through all obstacles and devilish functions and open wide the path to happiness.  Like a rocket blasting out of the earth’s atmosphere, the passionate conviction of faith that comes from viewing illness as an opportunity to transform our karma can become a powerful engine propelling us forward not only in this existence but throughout eternity, enabling us to freely savor everlasting happiness.”  Pg 74

“Becoming ill in itself is certainly not a sign of defeat.  Even the Buddha, who is said to have ‘few ills and few worries’ (LS, 214), struggles with sickness from time to time.  Accordingly, there will be times when we are confronted with illness.  The important point above all is not to be defeated mentally or emotionally by the prospect of being ill.  Faith is the source of the fighting spirit to stand up to illness.  Therefore, as we noted earlier, Nichiren Daishonin first of all talks about the ‘treasure of faith’.  Pg 77

“As Nichiren says, ‘Illness gives rise to the resolve to attain the way’ (The Good Medicine for All Ills, WND-1, 937).  If a practitioner who upholds faith in the Mystic Law becomes ill, it definitely has some profound meaning.  It could be said that confronting illness is one route to awakening to the eternity of life.  President Toda often said, ‘A person who has overcome a major illness knows how to deeply savor life.’” Pg78

From Matilda Buck’s guidance, World Tribune 4/27/01 pg 10 “When We Face Disappointment” – regarding SGI leaders who overcame cancer and chanted this way:  

Through this experience, I will become someone who does not doubt the Gohonzon (my life), no matter what happens.

As a Bodhisattva of the Earth, I have the mission to experience this, and as a Bodhisattva of the Earth, I have the mission to create a victory.

I will share the power of Buddhism with others, even as I grapple with this experience.

I won’t let my spirits stay down.  I won’t make a place in my life for negativity to settle.

From The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra Volume 6:  “Praying with doubt is like trying to keep water in a bathtub with the plug pulled.  Our good fortune and benefit will drain away.  A passage from the ‘Perceiver of the World’s Sounds’ chapter reads, ‘from thought to thought never entertaining doubt!’  A confident prayer will reverberate powerfully throughout the entire universe.”  Pg 88

From Buddhism Day by Day:

“Buddhism views illness as an opportunity to attain a higher, nobler state of life.  It teaches that, instead of agonizing over a serious disease, or despairing of ever overcoming it, we should use illness as a means to build a strong, compassionate self, which in turn will make it possible for us to be truly victorious.”  pg 300

“No matter what the circumstances, you should never concede defeat.  Never conclude that you’ve reached a dead end, that everything is finished.  You possess a glorious future.  And precisely because of that, you must persevere and study.  Life is eternal.  We need to focus on the two existences of the present and the future and not get caught up in the past.  We must always have the spirit to begin anew ‘from this moment,’ to initiate a new struggle each day.” Pg 315

“The air around us is filled with radio waves of various frequencies.  While these are invisible, a television set can collect them and turn them into visible images.  The practice of chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo aligns the rhythm of our own lives with the world of Buddhahood in the universe.  It ‘tunes’ our lives, so to speak, so that we can manifest the power of Buddhahood in our very beings.”  Pg 314

From For Today and Tomorrow Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda:

Sept 20 pg 288:  When your determination changes, everything else will begin to move in the direction you desire.  The moment you resolve to be victorious, every nerve and fiber in your being will immediately orient itself toward your success.  On the other hand, if you think “This is never going to work out,” then at that instant every cell in your being will be deflated and give up the fight, and then everything really will move in the direction of failure.

Aug 15 pg 249:  The first thing is to pray.  From the moment we begin to pray, things start moving.  The darker the night, the closer the dawn.  From the moment we chant daimoku with a deep and powerful resolve, the sun begins to rise in our hearts.  Hope – prayer is the sun of hope.  To chant daimoku each time we face a problem, overcoming it and elevating our life-condition as a result – this is the path of “changing earthly desires into enlightenment,” taught in Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism.

10 Point Plan for Finding A JOB

I LOVE MY NEW JOB! I am doing so many things I love, public speaking, networking, meeting new people, making things happen!  I am working for a senior living community as their Senior Community Outreach Specialist. This community is dedicated to helping each senior live "Their BEST Life" in all ways. 
10 Point Plan for 
Finding a Job:
by Jamie Lee Silver from the blog chantforhappiness.com

1. Dedicate yourself to the happiness of others, and  be the kind of person Daisaku Ikeda would respect. Be available when people want to chant or talk, to the best of your ability. Study every day. 

2. Chant for the total protection of the shoten-zenjin...to help you find the perfect job for kosen-rufu. 

3. Chant for the youth of the world.

4. Make your list of exactly what you want in your next job for kosen-rufu.

5. Beef up your Linkedin profile. (Professional networking site) 

6. Meet with people in your field to network and have specific questions to ask them. 

7. Apply for jobs you found interesting

8. If you find a job you like, see if you can talk to someone who works for that company through your professional network. 

9. Research the company through the web and through your professional network. 

10. Don't worry about anything - Just let it go. 

16 Tips and a PowerPrayer for Overcoming Despair!

You Can Do it!

16 Tips and a PowerPrayer for overcoming despair

It is possible to permanently change your basic state of life. I know. I did it. And I know countless other Buddhists  who have. Occasionally I may still feel sad. But I never, ever experience the sadness I used to live with most of my life. And I am not on any medication. (Not that you should just stop taking yours. Buddhism is common sense. Please chant for the wisdom to know what to do, and work with your medical practitioner if you are on medications)

Jamie’s 16 tips to rid your life of Despair:

by Jamie Lee Silver from ChantforHappiness.com

Tip #1

Chant as much as you can. 

Ask someone to chant with you!

Get support! 

Tip #2:

Study Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism. 

There are a few quotes from the Gosho I've embedded in my life: 

"Suffer what there is to suffer and enjoy what there is to enjoy, and continue chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo no matter what happens...then you will experience boundless joy from the law."

From Happiness in This World, Writings of Nichiren Daishonin 

One of my favorite quotes from Daisaku Ikeda (from the book Learning from the writings. The Hope-Filled Teachings of Nichiren Daishonin. Page 277:

"Seen from the perspective of Buddhism, 

everything has profound meaning. 

There is no need whatsoever to vacillate 

between elation and despair at each turn of events. 

There is no such thing as a storm that will 

continue blowing and wreaking havoc without end. 

In the same way, 

there is no hardship that will continue forever. 

There are clear days and there are rainy days. 

If we are swayed by our environment, 

rejoicing one moment and despairing the next 

amid ever-changing circumstances, 

then we will not be able to accomplish 

a true revolution in our state of life.

The important thing 

is to always believe in the mystic law 

and to enter the powerful orbit of faith, 

practice and study. 

Entering the orbit - the orbit of human revolution 

and of changing our karma - 

is the way to construct a life of good fortune and happiness 

that will endure throughout eternity. 

No matter what happens, 

we will enjoy the unerring protection of the Gohonzon. 

Instead of drawing conclusions about the world of faith 

from a superficial viewpoint, 

we need to calmly discern 

the true reality and significance of things 

and keep pressing forward. 

With the passage of time, 

it will definitely become clear

 that everything has unfolded 

in the best possible manner." 

When I feel despair ~ I write. I write all the sadness out. Sometimes I write to my Mom who died several years ago. I just write what I am feeling and it makes me feel better. 

Tip #3:

I take plenty of Vitamin D. For me, sometimes I just need more Vitamin D. 

Also I drink a LOT of water! 

Tip #4:

Encourage someone else! Give a stranger a Nam-myoho-renge-kyo card. Talk to someone you know about past benefits you've had. Doing this will remind you of how you've broken through in the past, and you'll gain more hope for the present. 

Tip #5:

Take a bath with salt in it...the more salt the better! 

Tip #6: 

Clean your Butsudan and altar area. The altar in your home is a reflection of your own life. When you treat it with respect, your environment and all the people in it treat you with respect. If you do not yet have a Gohonzon you can still set up an altar where you chant with offerings to your life...fruit, water, a plant, candles, and incense if you like. 

Tip #7: 

Call a true friend. And if you don't have one, see the PowerPrayer for making friends. 

This is how I made so many friends. 

Tip #8: 

As soon as you can, get back in front of the altar to chant. And don't be afraid to cry in front of the Gohonzon or while you are chanting. heck, for the first couple of years I cried all the time when I chanted. It was as if my life had to release years and years of  emotion. 

Tip #9: 

Move your body. Go for a walk! Get your energy and your blood flowing! 

Tip #10:

Study~

Read the Gosho or President Ikeda's writings! When you read these things - read them with your life. Choose a phrase or a passage and chant to realize its deeper meaning with your life. Chant to share the heart of Daisaku Ikeda. He has a heart beating with the fervent drum of Kosen Rufu (World Peace and the happiness of all beings). 

Tip #11:

Write! I write everything. It helps to clear my mind. I write fresh determinations. I write letters to my loved ones...even the loved ones who are no longer here. I write poetry. 

Tip #12:

Change “Why me?” to “Yes me!”

Change what you are saying to yourself, and the questions you are asking yourself in your mind. If your constant refrain is "Why me? How can this be happening to me again?" it is important to change that thought. Replace it with a more positive thought. You choose that thought, you have the power to choose a better one! How about "Things are getting better and better for me, I just know it...sometimes it is hard to see, but I am definitely on my way!" or "Don't give up (insert your name) it's always darkest before the dawn!" 

Tip #13:

Breathe deeply. When we are feeling low we tend to breathe in a really shallow way, and it adds to our depression to breathe this way. Sit down and focus on your breathing. Fill your body with air. Picture that air as a bright light coming down from the top of your head...slowly moving down your body as your grey depressive mood seeps out your fingers and toes. Try this. It really does work! 

Tip #14:

Smile! Go look at yourself in the mirror and smile. Look in your eyes and smile. Did you know it is almost impossible to be depressed when you are smiling?

Tip #15: 

Look up! That's right, look up. Tony Robbins, the inspirational success coach and mentor says that looking down has been proven to actually bring people down, while looking up has the opposite effect. 

Tip #16:

PowerPrayer to Rid your Life of Despair 

When you are chanting - direct your thoughts in a positive prayer:

"Gohonzon (my life itself!) 

Now is the time for me to rise from these emotions 

so I can show actual proof of the power of this law. 

NOW is the time for me 

to vanquish these feelings of hopelessness. 

I will NO LONGER allow these feelings to run my life. 

NOW I CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY! 

I am a precious child of the Buddha, 

I will not stand for these feelings anymore. I

 vow to win in all aspects of my life. 

I vow to win!" 

Some Great Quotes By Daisaku Ikeda

WHEN doing home visitation, one should behave with good sense. Even with close friends, courteous behavior is the first step to gaining understanding and trust.

WE must not try to make the merits and good fortune that we accumulate through our daimoku our own possession and keep them to ourselves. The unlimited merits of the Mystic Law transcend the narrow bounds of the self and spread out to encompass others and the entire universe. It is
important to use them in a way that benefits society.


HUMANITY cannot be manifested by merely flattering others or trying to gain popularity; rather it is determined by how much you have prayed for your juniors and how hard you have exerted yourself for their welfare. That earnestness emanates from you - and it is this which impresses and moves others. For profound faith is the essence of a person's humanity.


EVERYONE without exception seeks happiness and peace. One person may pursue "treasures of the storehouse", while another pursues "treasures of the body" such as status and wealth. But true happiness lies in accumulating "treasures of the heart". And the substance of the treasures of the heart is a great state of life totally dedicated to faith.

Daily Guidance by Daisaku Ikeda