Perseverance = Strength = Happiness

This morning I sat down and said: 

"I am not leaving this spot until I have chanted more than an hour of Daimoku no matter what!" 

And I did it. I kept getting insights into what I wanted to share with you. I almost reached for my computer so many times, but I just forced myself to sit still, almost absolutely still, and keep chanting no matter what thoughts came into my mind of what else I could be doing. 

In a way, whenever we chant, we are just like the Buddha under the Bodhi tree, assailed by thoughts of why we must stop this right now and get on with our lives.
And our victory while chanting  - our perseverance - turns into our victory in life.

I just got back from a trip to the lovely town of Ojai in California and am getting back into my life here. 

You know how it is...unpacking...refocusing on "real life", and also, in my case, getting acclimated to the idea that I am going to have to have this surgery to repair a hole in my abdominal muscle by putting a patch on it - and as much as I am trying to muster the courageous spirit - yesterday, after meeting with the surgeon and setting the date, I was a little emotional. I hate pain. I am afraid of surgery, but they say it could get worse and I really have to do it. 

So last night I was feeling all these dark thoughts and I knew what was really wrong...since getting back, and in the last few days of my trip, I got thrown off my chanting rhythm. I didn't chant my full hour of Daimoku every morning, and the chanting I did do wasn't very deep. My life condition started to sag. 

How do I know when my life condition is sagging? I start to feel a little sad, lonely, scared...it's nowhere near as bad as it used to be...but I can feel it creeping up on me. And that's why I am so happy that I have this practice to reel it all back in. So this morning that's what I did. I used my practice to focus my life energy, boost my spirits, and make me feel more of myself...stronger.  

I'm sitting here now, after winning in my life this morning. For an hour and 15 minutes (I had to stop so I could write this blog), I poured my life into my prayer. As I was chanting I was wondering what to chant about...and I realized that, as Daisaku Ikeda says, chanting naturally in dialogue with your life is most important. 

I just spoke to my life, and listened to my life, and sat here in dialogue. I chanted to raise my life condition so that all my thoughts come in at a higher frequency. I chanted for wisdom and perspective...courage and strength...and to feel President Ikeda's heart and life force as my own.  And I chanted for you. I chanted to somehow be able to be an inspiration even when facing my own challenges. I chanted to take my focus off myself and my own life, and put my prayers in other directions. 

I chanted for the total success of tonight's opening ceremonies for the International Youth Media Summit at Soka University in Los Angeles. This is Kate Randolph's huge endeavor and youth are coming from all over the world. It is not, as of yet, an official SGI event, but Kate deeply feels it is fulfilling our mentor's vision of bringing youth together from all over the world to create peace. It is such a noble cause. I've written about it here a couple of times. As of last weekend Kate was still needing $50,000 for it. If any of you want to contribute, here is the link: 

http://www.iyms-usa.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=27&Itemid=156

So today, I leave you with this quote from For Today and Tomorrow by Daisaku Ikeda for July 9 (p. 209)

"Even in times of hardship, 

the important thing 

is for each of us to determine 

that we are the star, 

protagonist 

and hero of our lives 

and keep moving forward. 

Putting ourselves down 

and shrinking back 

from the obstacles looming before us 

spell certain defeat. 

Through making ourselves strong 

and developing our state of life, 

we can definitely find a way through. 

As long as we uphold the Mystic Law 

throughout our lives, 

we can break through any impasse 

and surmount any obstacle. 

We will also be able 

to lead all those who are suffering to happiness."

Daisaku Ikeda

I've gotten a little behind in my correspondence over the past few days. Some of you have written me such heartfelt letters about your lives, and I will be able to take the time to answer each one soon. If you have not heard from me by next week,  please send me a gentle reminder, it is possible that an email can slip through the cracks. 

Have a great day! 

PowerPrayer to Strengthen Our Practice

These flowers were sent by my reader/friend Ano. Thanks Ano!

I'm back in Chicago now, and it is another gloomy and rainy day. I miss my California sun! Instead of filling my heart with complaint, I chanted to raise my life condition and be the Buddha all day long, no matter what. Yesterday I wrote about doing morning and evening gongyo and I heard from some of you who made fresh determinations. Here's a PowerPrayer to further strengthen our practices. Happy Monday! 

PowerPrayer to Establish a Strong Practice 

for Chanting My Way to Absolute Happiness!

by Jamie Lee Silver from ChantforHappiness.com 

Life! I love this practice! 

I love my life! 

I am determined to  chant every morning 

and every evening no matter what. 

My practice is for my life, for those around me and for kosen rufu (world peace) 

It is important! 

I no longer allow anything to stop me! 

I establish an unshakable practice at the core of my life. 

And I see the results immediately! 

I keep this promise 

to myself 

first and foremost 

and the rest of my life flows effortlessly!

With every Daimoku I love my life, 

and my deep, deep connection more and more. 

Every Nam-myoho-renge-kyo strengthens my life FORCE! 

With every Nam-myoho-renge-kyo I feel Buddhahood Rising! 

I see through the eyes of the Buddha! 

I feel the Buddha's Heart. 

I am the Buddha! 

I am overflowing with wisdom, compassion and love for mySELF and others! 

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

I look forward to my chanting time 

dialoguing with my own life

and discovering who I really am. 

I feel the connection more deeply every time I chant. 

Every day I see positive changes! 

I feel myself becoming stronger in these ways: 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I am determined to enjoy my time chanting 

and being with my fellow Gakkai members. 

I chant to bring my full self to every meeting, 

and to participate with joy. 

If there is something I don’t like about my meetings, 

I make a fresh determination to do my Human Revolution

so I can cheerfully make a difference in my own district! 

I am chanting specifically for these people and these results: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I am deepening my understanding of what I study 

with every Daimoku I chant. 

My eyes are opening. 

My depth of understanding is growing! 

I love to study! I am Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

I read the Gosho and President Ikeda’s Guidance every day, 

and chant to understand it with my life! 

Whenever I study I see the inner working of my life, 

and my prayer becomes deeper, and deeper and deeper! 

Gongyo Makes Our Lives Blossom!

Do you have any idea what this is? 

If you look closely, you can see that this is a flower blooming from an artichoke! I found this in Ojai. 
Now, who would ever think that inside an artichoke - which is already beautiful and unusual - that there is a purple flower waiting to burst forth if properly tended? I bet you can see where I'm going with this...

Our Buddha nature is just like this. It is already part of our life...we are already Buddhas, and chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo gives us the exact tools and prescription to bring it out and let it bloom. 

As Daisaku Ikeda writes in 
The Heart of the Lotus Sutra: 

"In general, every time we do gongyo 
and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, 
we praise the Buddha nature in our own lives. 
We also praise the Buddha nature 
in the lives of all others, 
and we commune 
with the Buddha nature of the universe. 
What a solemn ceremony this is! 
How fortunate we are 
to live according to the principle 
that faith expresses itself in daily life."

And we perform this sacred ceremony twice a day...every day. We are so incredibly fortunate to have encountered this amazing tool. 

I like the line above that says "faith expresses itself in daily life." To me, this means that when we exert ourselves in faith...when we chant twice a day, and continually work to improve our practice. When we study, encourage others, go to SGI meetings and do shakubuku we WILL, without fail, see the positive effects of this practice in our lives. 

I am in the LA airport about to board a plane to return to Chicago. And I am thinking about all of you. Every moment of this trip to California was amazing. EVERY DAY I felt the effects of this practice as I was entirely protected, lovingly welcomed, and greeting each moment as a benefit. 

I have a recommendation to make, 
one more time, 
from my heart. 
And that recommendation 
is to do Gongyo, 
twice a day, 
every day. 

If you set a goal to do this for 100 days I promise you, that the things that are looming as problems in your life will look very different VERY soon! 

Go ahead and make your list of what you want. 
Challenge yourself to do Gongyo twice a day, 
and YOUR LIFE WILL RESPOND. Just like this flower that bloomed from an artichoke ~ Your life will respond in a very positive way! 

Write me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com

Time to board the plane! 

Everything is a Benefit! Everything!

Hello from Venice Beach! 

When we are practicing correctly ~

• Chanting at least an hour a day - or as much as we can - and connecting our own goals to the greater good - Kosen rufu - world peace (while we are chanting we are thinking LIFE! I MUST WIN! I must use my life as a shining example that this practice works. I must achieve _______so that I can encourage others to chant)

• Studying Nichiren Daishonin and Daisaku Ikeda's Writings to understand and feel the human expression of our own selves as Buddhas of the mystic law
• Going to SGI Meetings Soka Gakkai - see the link at the right
• Encouraging others
• Seeking out Encouragement
• Doing shakubuku - telling others about chanting and helping them learn. We can do this right now - 

We cannot lose!
When we are in this state of life we realize that everything is advancement and nothing is retreat. Every single thing we are doing at every moment is creating value for our lives. And we see it. We realize there is no room or reason for complaint. Even minor irritations (losing your keys etc.) turn into benefits. 

We see the greater picture! 
We don't complain. 
Everything is a benefit!!! 

A Great Shakubuku Experience~

Yesterday at Venice Beach, Hal (Kate's husband) and I were having lunch and we had this wonderful young girl as our waitress. We were having fun with her through the whole meal and we were laughing together. Towards the end of the meal I brought out my Nam-myoho-renge-kyo card and asked her if she'd ever heard of it. Her mouth opened when I gave her the card...and she knelt down by where I was sitting and took my hands. Tears welled in her eyes.  She said her mother had chanted. And her mother had died when she was 14 years old. She said there was a person she worked with who was inviting her to SGI meetings, and she was thinking of returning to her practice, and because of us - she was going to go! I asked her to email me how things go for her so we can keep in touch. Throughout the rest of the meal she continued to thank us profusely. 

Woohoo!!! 
Shakubuku is fun! 

Soka World Youth Media Summit is this week! We need your Daimoku today!

A special note from our dear friend Kate:

You Can Help the International Youth Media Summit being held at 

Soka University this week. 

You can be a part of it! Sponsor a delegate through this link and send your Daimoku! 

http://www.iyms-usa.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=27&Itemid=156

Much of the wisdom you read at chantforhappiness.com can be owed to my dearest friend Kate Randolph. She introduced me to this practice almost 30 years ago, and I have shared her thoughts and essays with you over the years. She has been involved in a great movement for youth. Here is a letter to you from her. This year's Youth Media Summit will take place at Soka University in California. Please contribute what you can! This is not a official SGI function, but it does fit into what we are all about! 

A note to you from Kate Randolph:

I have traveled to Serbia the past 3 summers to support the INTERNATIONAL YOUTH MEDIA SUMMIT and its mission to bring young people together to dialogue about, and find solutions for, some of the world's most urgent social issues.  Then they choose an issue they would like to focus on and in small teams they make short films about each of the Summit issues: violence, discrimination, poverty, health the environment, women's rights and youth empowerment. They also make declarations of actions that they will take on these issues upon their return to their country. 

This summer, for the first time since the Summit was born, it is coming back to the USA, to be held on the gorgeous campus of Soka University!  But the difficulty with that is that it is nearly impossible for many young people to travel here because of the huge expense.  

Right now we need your Daimoku to help one youth get out of Afganistan and 3 youths out of Pakistan to come to the summit! They have their flights and Visas but live in troubled areas. These youth need to attend! 

Please chant for them! 

(We already have applicants from Liberia, Algeria, Bosnia, Kosovo, Serbia, Palestine, Israel, Iran and Afghanistan and about 12 more countries! )  

Do what you can, or feel comfortable with.  But take a minute to click on the link and see what the Summit is all about! Even just posting a comment of support helps us move further up to the front of the website!

Thank you for helping the youth of the world Unite. We are all fulfilling Daisaku Ikeda's most heartfelt determination for the youth of this world. 

Here's to a fantastic Summit next week at Soka University! 

Kate Randolph

http://igg.me/at/IYMS2014

Why Do I Chant? Why do We Chant?

Enjoying every moment in Ojai, and Venture. 

Here's Etjen, my friend of 30+ years (who lives in Seattle) and me at the beach in Ventura. 

Why do I chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo? 

Why do we chant? 

I am speaking for myself when I say 
I chant because it works. 
I chant to make my dreams come true. 
I chant to continue to bring forth all the creative, 
beautiful universe that lies within me, 
and within everyone. 
I chant for all those who are still suffering like I was, 
before I found the tool of chanting. 

I chant for the end of suffering ~ everywhere 
I chant for all to realize their dreams.
I chant for us all to be happy, and live in a world of respect. Kosen-rufu, as we call it.   

I chant, as Nichiren Daishonin and Daisaku Ikeda say 

"To discard the transient and reveal the true."

What does that mean? 
What is the transient? 
The transient is self doubt
The transient is fear
The transient is any part of me that doesn't see the vast potential of my life. 
The transient is any part of my identity that lingers from any painful experience I have ever felt. 
The transient is any part of me that believes that the impossible is impossible. 

What is the true? 
The true is strength of spirit
the wisdom to make the best decisions for my life
and to be able to act upon them
as I write, direct and act in the beautiful story that is the life of Jamie Lee Silver, 
who sought and found the Mystic Law, 
the Nam-myoho-renge-kyo that is the deepest rhythm, 
my heart, any heart, has ever know. 

And now, because I chant, 
because I encourage 
and am encouraged 
by my wonderful friends in the Soka Gakkai, 
and wonderful friends all over, 
I have the pleasure of living my life 
sharing this incredible law, 
sharing Daisaku Ikeda's heart, 
and making friends all around the world. 

If you want to connect email me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com 

Demand Your Results! Tell Your Life What You want. PowerPrayer to Say Enough is Enough!

Sometimes we have to get mad when we chant! 

Lions ROAR! Lions ROAR! 

When we are chanting we are chanting to our own life, and sometimes we have to chant with the feeling

 "Life! Enough is enough! I am changing this karma NOW."

I hear from many of you who are in bad situations where you are feeling hopeless and controlled by others. RISE UP to your life in front of the Gohonzon and DEMAND results now. 

We are all noble Boddhisatvas of the earth. In The Heart of the Lotus Sutra, Daisaku Ikeda writes:
When we do gongyo "we are in effect vowing to advance kosen-rufu in accord with the spirit of the original Buddha. Every day we pledge to the Daishonin, "Without fail, I will believe in and spread the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin and help lead all people to enlightenment." page 150

And to fulfill this vow, we have to win in our lives. 
  
Each of us has some negative tendency that happens over and over, don't we? For me, I struggled for years with a feeling that would just overcome me, and wash over me like a wave. Out of nowhere I would feel unloved, unlovable and hopeless. The voices in my head were penetrating and awful!
And when I got this feeling sometimes I would think it was real...that I really was unloved and hopeless, and then I'd pick up the phone to call Kate (my dear friend in faith) and she would remind me that this was my fundamental darkness arising once again. This feeling was a function of the fundamental darkness within my life and within all of life, and this was AGAIN my time to summon up the power of my faith. 

That's why I say be FUELED BY YOUR OBSTACLES, not FOOLED BY THEM! 

"Get MAD at the shoten zenjin!" Kate would say. Shoten Zenjin are the protective forces that counterbalance fundamental darkness. We use our practice to increase the shoten zenjin and banish fundamental darkness. 
And I would generate some angry energy, roar like a lion and use this PowerPrayer inspired by Kate:

PowerPrayer to say, 

"No More! Enough is enough!”

I am chanting with 

absolute conviction in the power of my life to declare and demand:

No more of this karma 

of feeling insecure and doubting myself.

No more of this karma 

of being abused or disrespected by anyone or any thing!

No more doubting my own Buddha Nature!

No more living in fear!

No more feeling unloved or hopeless.

No more ________________ (you fill in the blank.)

I don't CARE how many times I have to chant about this. I don't CARE how many times you try to bring me down. 

I MUST Win because I am a votary of the Lotus Sutra. I am living my life to prove that chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo works and to help others become happy. 

I will win!!!

I am the Buddha.

I am roaring with power in my life!

I now determine with all the power vested in me that I will___________________________.