5 Keys to Getting Guidance in Faith and Breaking Through!

Guidance in Faith 
What a wonderful part of our practice in the Soka Gakkai.  

Getting Guidance in Faith can propel us in the direction of our absolute happiness. 

When we get guidance we pour out our heart to a leader, and open our lives to how we can realign our attitude and "arrow" of faith to bring about our own breakthrough. 

How do we know when we need guidance?  

We may feel hopeless. 
We are not reaching our targets. 
Chanting feels like a habit, but not a generator of results. 
We have a hard time doing shakubuku. 
We are discouraged and feel we've hit a wall. 

I'm going to give you some of my insights on getting guidance in the SGI. As always, I write from my heart, and do not express the SGI in an official SGI capacity. I share my heart and experience with you. 

I have been going for guidance since the early days of my practice. 

When did I get guidance? When I felt stuck. When chanting just didn't seem to be doing it for me. When there was a wall so high I could not see over it....even though I practiced, studied, did shakubuku...you may be able to relate. 

Guidance is serious. The person giving you guidance will not tell you what actions to take in your life. But they might help you rewire your thoughts so that you can focus in the right direction of your happiness in your prayers.  It takes courage to go for guidance. AND it can really open your life. 

Here are 5 keys to getting guidance that I follow:

1. Chant about it. I know, it sounds obvious, doesn't it? But I mean it. Chant about what you want to get guidance about. What breakthrough do you want to create? Write it out if you like. That's what I do to clarify my thoughts.  Chant to connect with the leader who will help you to open your life. 

2. Work with your leaders to get an appointment set up. When you have an appointment CHANT CHANT CHANT in the days before the appointment. Chant that this will be THE exact guidance you need to hear and that you will embrace it and have the breakthrough you are seeking. This is for your life. No one tells you you have to get guidance. This comes from our own seeking spirit alone. 

3. Invite a friend or fellow leader to come and take notes while you are getting the guidance. This can be very helpful. I know sometimes it can be hard to really hear, I mean really hear, what the person giving guidance is saying....especially if they are showing you a key to correcting your attitude that will really help you. 

4. When you go home follow the guidance. Read the notes every day. Chant to understand "with your life" what you heard in guidance. Chant for the courage to carry it out in your heart and in your mind. 

5. Report back to the person who gave you guidance when you have your breakthrough. What a great thing to do! 

Here's to YOUR breakthrough! 

"A Coward Cannot Have any of His Prayers Answered"

My copy of the Gosho is all written upon and highlighted. Sometimes I open it to any page and find what the message is for me today. Today I got this passage and I'm sharing it with you now: 
This was written to Shijo Kingo. I call him the Daishonin's "Everyman." He was a Samurai warrior in feudal Japan. He worked for a Lord who opposed his practice, at first. Eventually Shijo Kingo, by following Nichiren Daishonin's guidance, won him over. 


Faith alone is what really matters. 
No matter how hard Nichiren prays for you, 
if you lack faith, 
it will be like trying to set fire to wet tinder. 
Spur yourself to muster the power of faith. 
Regard your survival as wondrous. 
Employ the strategy of the Lotus Sutra before any other. 
Then, just as the sutra says "All enemies are crushed." 
These golden words will never prove false.
Believe them wholeheartedly. 
The heart of strategy and swordsmanship derives from the Mystic Law. 
A coward cannot hace any of his prayers answered." 


Nichiren Daishonin
The Strategy of the Lotus Sutra. 

Guidance by Vice President Tsuji

I'm sorry the type on this is so small. 

From Forever Sensei Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

It was too good not to share!

FANTASTIC GUIDANCE BY VICE-PRESIDENT TSUJI

Gongyo is directly related to your life. There are three things
directly related sustaining life. One is to eat and rest. It is
important to consume nutrients and to get adequate sleep. These
two are easy to understand and everyone does them. You don't
quit eating or sleeping because you are unhappy with someone.

But when it comes to doing Gongyo, there are those who quit
doing their prayers easily. It is because they do not realize
that Gongyo and Daimoku are directly related to sustaining
their life. You can improve your destiny by chanting Daimoku.
Your karma will further deteriorate with out chanting. If you
do not chant your destiny will revert back to your former bad
karma. It is like reverting back to your former state of having
a weak intestinal system or back to poverty. These types of
changes are not easily recognized. This is why people get lazy
with their daily Gongyo and Daimoku. This is a frightening
thing.
There is a phrase in the Gosho, English Gosho page 81, "There
is no true happiness other than upholding faith in the Lotus
Sutra." But do you really do your Gongyo with this conviction?

You must feel that it gives you the greatest pleasure to do
Gongyo and Daimoku. There is phrase in the Gosho that
emphasizes that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the greatest of all
joys. To be wed is a joyous thing. But Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is a
greater joy. To save millions of dollars may make you happy.
But Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is even more enriching. To finally
renovate your home after many years of waiting may bring you
joy but chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is better than that.

Finally getting a child after many attempts may be a joyous
occasion but Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is more joyous than that. Look
into your hearts to see if you are chanting with this type of
gratitude. Are you receiving 100% of the benefits that the
Gohonzon would like to grant you? I feel that m ost of you are
just receiving 10 to 15% of what you could be receiving. With
this type of life condition you will lose to obstacles and deep
karma.

Why do you receive benefits when you chant to the Gohonzon -
and why do you continue to chant? If you chant only to overcome
a specific illness will it only cure that illness? If you chant
for the success of your business, will you only become
successful in business? It is not such a limited practice.

The Gohonzon is telling us it can elevate our life to the
highest level, equal to the Gohonzon. There is a passage in the
Gosho, "hoping to make all persons equal to me, without any
distinction between us." You should chant with deep gratitude
to the Gohonzon for granting you the same life condition as the
Gohonzon.

As you continue chanting you yourself will embody
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. There is another quotation from the Gosho
page 216, " Shakyamuni Buddha who attained enlightenment
countless Kalpas ago, the Lotus Sutra that leads all people to
Buddhahood, and we ordinary human beings are in no way
different or separate from one another. To chant
Myoho-renge-kyo with this realization is to inherit the
ultimate law of life and death. If you doubt whether this Gosho
is true or not you are already separated from your Gohonzon.
Because you think there is a difference your connection is
weak. Therefore your benefits are diminished.

There is another quotation from page 832 of the Gosho, "Never
seek this Gohonzon outside yourself. The Gohonzon exists only
within the mortal flesh of us ordinary people who embrace the
Lotus Sutra and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo." As stated in this
Gosho Nam-myoho-renge-kyo exists within us. But for some reason
it is very difficult to manifest Nam-myoho-renge-kyo or we can
not seem to bring it out. That is why we are mere mortals. Then
how can we manifest it in our lives?

We can bring it forth by just vocalizing Nam-myoho-renge-k yo.
You may see cherry blossom and feel how beautiful it is. You
may see a full moon and enjoy the moonlight. You may see a
cockroach and feel disgusted. By seeing these things you feel
these types of life conditions. You may be moved by hearing
beautiful music or be motivated by hearing President Ikeda's
speech on tape. You achieve these through your ears.

You're related to your Gohonzon through vocalization. That
means by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo out loud you bring forth
your Buddhist life force. There is a phrase in the Gosho that
states that your voice brings out Buddhahood. As long as you
chant Daimoku you bring out your Buddhahood. It will explode
from you. If you are conned or robbed your life will burst
with anger. If your life is filled with worries and suffering
you may commit suicide. If you chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo you
can change life filled with such suffering, anger or poverty
and overcome your problems.

There is a Gosho phrase on page 412, "What sickness can
therefore be an obstacle?" For those of you suffering with
poverty there is a phrase on page 1137 of the Gosho "...those
who now believe in the Lotus Sutra will gather fortune from ten
thousand miles away." We recite in our Gongyo, "Jiga toku
burai" or "Since I attained B uddhahood". It is that crucial
that we chant with conviction. To think that someone else will
grant you Buddhahood is wrong. You must act yourself.

I visited the Kawai residence in Fukui Prefecture of Japan to
give guidance at a meeting being held there around February.
Mr. Kawai who is now 51 years old had been blind from three
years old after contracting measles. I told him, "You have
eyeballs don't you? If you have eyes then you can open them.
This Gohonzon is the Gohonzon of "The Opening of the Eyes".

"The Opening of the Eyes" teaches us to see clearly. And yet
you can not see - it must be because you did something against
the Gohonzon and the Buddhist teachings in your past. You must
have committed great slanders in the past. Ask the Gohonzon to
please forgive your slanders. Express your gratitude to have
had the fortune to meet the Gohonzon in this lifetime. Pledge
to dedicate your life to Kosen rufu. Ask the Gohonzon to allow
you to see th e Gohonzon, your family and others around you so
you can contribute towards Kosen-rufu." I asked him to pray in
such a way.

In the beginning of March, I received a message that he
regained his sight after almost fifty years. Through his
experience the whole Fukui prefecture has revitalized itself.
It is such a surprise that one person regaining his sight can
have such a great impact on an entire region.

But what I wonder about this incident is why he couldn't regain
his sight sooner? He was a member who offers his own home for
meetings, never missed his Gongyo and had strong faith. Yet why
wasn't he able to see sooner. It was because his attitude when
doing his Gongyo and Daimoku was incorrect. His faith had gone
off track.

You must pray earnestly, "Isshin yokenbutsu fujishaku shinmyo"
or "single-mindedly desiring to see the Buddha". You must chant
with gratitude and conviction that you will become one with the
Gohonzon and Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. There is no such thing as a
sick or poor Buddha. Therefore all worries will be resolved.
That is why you can achieve human revolution. Only human beings
are able to achieve these things.

In May 22nd when I visited Okayama Culture Center a young
mother came to me for guidance. She was concerned about her two>
year old son who was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. This
disease causes shrinking of the muscles until it affects even
the internal organs until it results in death. I told this
mother that it was her karma to suffer over her child. On the
Gohonzon it is written that things are supposed to prosper and
grow, then what is it that such a thing as shrinking happening?
It must be because of the horrendous slander she committed
against the Gohonzon. Pray that the two of you will work
together as mother and child for Kosen rufu so please cure the
disease. The Lotus Sutra is like a like a plague that spans
past, present and future. The Lotus Sutra can even help a
person who has passed away to achieve enlightenment. Your child
is still alive.

It is natural to transmit the Lotus Sutra to your child. There
is no sin that can not be eradicated by this Gohonzon. Your
worry is not the result of your current slanders, it is a
result of slanders in your past life. It is a slander from your
past life that you can remedy in this life. Parent and child
are one. Pray earnestly.

This mother was sort of a complainer and insisted that her son
was named by President Ikeda and that he was a fortune baby. I
told her that President Ikeda will name a child at a parent's
request but he can not change your destiny. It is up to you to
change your own karma and destiny.

I got a message from her afterwards that her son began to run
without falling after three days. She was shocked at how great
the Gohonzon's power was and how happy she was. Her son could
now play on the slide and kneel by himself. He no longer had
nose bleeds when he ran. As she continued practicing and her
son got healthier, her husband began practicing earnestly too.
For this mother who used to complain that she was suffering and
had to practice because of her son, her attitude changed 180
degrees to gratitude towards her son for helping her to
practice. Her practice changed from one of complaint to a
practice of gratitude. With this as a turning point all her
prayers were then answered and her wishes fulfilled.

Each time I hear such experiences I truly comprehend how great
the power of the Gohonzon. To be able to receive guidance to
change our life is the benefit of having the organization. In
the end what our attitude is when we face our Gohonzon is the
most important thing.

Go Buddha GO! Yell at those Shoten Zenjin! Rock Your World!

Roarrrrr!

As practitioners of the Lotus Sutra, we chant the Mystic Law every single day. Intoning Nam-myoho-renge-kyo (which means: I fuse my life with the Mystic law of cause and effect through sound vibration) is a noble cause. It elevates our life condition, and the life condition and vibration of all of life. 
We chant for ourselves. 
We chant for others. 
We chant for this life and this world. 
We change our karma 
for the sake of changing the whole world's karma.  
We are the noble Boddhisatvas of the earth 
and Votaries of the Lotus Sutra. 
We TELL our lives what we want. 
We do not ask for favors from a force outside of our lives. 
We ARE Nam-myoho-renge-kyo! 
We know that the goal of our practice is to have faith like flowing water...so we chant every day, twice a day...we study...we encourage each other, introduce others and attend our SGI meetings. 

And....Sometimes it seems like it is taking FOREVER for a benefit to come or an obstacle to go away, doesn't it? Even though we KNOW the answer lies within our own karma, and in doing our human revolution, sometimes we just have to get mad at our own life and wake those Shoten Zenjin UP!

In the February Living Buddhism Magazine
(published by the SGI-USA and available by calling 800-835-4558) one of my favorite Gosho passages appeared. In this Gosho, Nichiren Daishonin has been persecuted by the government and is being taken away to Tatsunokuchi Beach to be beheaded. On the way, he sees a statue of Hachiman, one of the Buddhist deities (which represent functions within our own lives). 

He makes the entourage stop so he can address the statue. (The full quote is at the end of this blogpost)

What I love about this moment in the Gosho is that he basically yells at the Buddhist God and says you had better show your support to me RIGHT NOW because that is the pledge you made. If I die I will report you! Get to work! Of course, after he yells at the statue, when Nichiren is taken to the beach to be beheaded, a huge orb comes out of the sky lighting up the faces of his would-be assassins, they all run scared, and he is saved from death. 

Nichiren's indignant attitude when he addresses the statue shows us we can summon our anger at the forces within our life. We can all pray in front of our own Gohonzons with fury and with fire. 

I just finished two and a half hours of Daimoku chanted with this kind of energy. As I was chanting I had this in mind: 


PowerPrayer to MAKE IT HAPPEN!
I kept this prayer in my mind while chanting...picturing the Shoten Zenjin rushing to my aid, the country's aid, and the world's aid right now!  
By Jamie Lee Silver of ChantforHappiness.com

"Gohonzon! 
Shoten Zenjin! 
Life! 
SOME KIND OF WAY 
this HAS TO CHANGE NOW!!! 
I Don't know HOW to make it happen. 
I just know it HAS TO!!
It is time for me to see results in this area. 
NOW!
I demand: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________

We can all summon this fiery attitude at the crucial moment - we are ALL dignified votaries of the Lotus Sutra, we can all command the fundamental forces that are within our lives and represented on the Gohonzon. 

Here is the Gosho passage: 

Nichiren stops at the statue and shouts: 

'Great Boddhisatva Hachiman, are you truly a god?...Now I, Nichiren, and the foremost votary of the Lotus Sutra in all of Japan, and am entirely without guilt. I have expounded the doctrine to save all the people of Japan from falling into the great citadel of the hell of incessant suffering for slandering the Lotus Sutra....When Shakyamuni Buddha expounded the Lotus Sutra, Many Treasures Buddha and the Buddhas and Boddhisatvas of the ten-directions gathered, shining like so many suns and moons, stars and mirrors. In the presence of the countless heavenly gods as well as the benevolent deities and sages of India, China and Japan. Shakyamuni Buddha urged each one to submit a written pledge to protect the votary of the Lotus Sutra at all times. Each and every one of you gods made this pledge. I should not have to remind you. Why do you not appear at once to fulfill your solemn oath? ....If I am executed tonight and go to the pure land of Eagle Peak, I will dare to report to Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, that the Sun Goddess and Great Boddhisatva Hachiman are the deities who have broken their oath to him. If you feel this will go hard with you, you had better do something about it right away!' (WND - 1, 766-67)

Great Quote on Aging by Daisaku Ikeda -

Let us all stay Youthful! As always, our attitude determines everything! 


Youthfulness

By Daisaku Ikeda

Youthfulness is not determined by age. 
It is determined by one's life force. 
One who possesses hope is forever young.
One who continually advances is forever beautiful.
Youthfulness originates from life-force.

There are young people who look surprisingly old, 
and there are elderly people who, 
no matter how the years pass, 
always sparkle with the glow of youth, 
an inner vitality.

Our bodies may grow stiffer with the passing of time, 
but we should not let the same happen to our minds. 
The older we are, 
the more willing we should be to listen to others, 
especially young people.
The struggle against aging is a struggle against cowardice, 
the propensity to shun new challenges. 
It is a struggle 
against our complacent belief that we have done enough, 
an egocentric unwillingness to help younger people develop,
and an attachment to our past glory.

Aging sneaks in through such chinks of our soul. 
The life of one who continues to challenge to the end 
remains youthful, 
ageless, 
and victorious.
Life loses its dynamism 
from the moment we lose the passion with which to live it.
No matter what our age, 
we cannot afford to let the flame within our heart grow dim.

We do not become unhappy because we grow old. 
We become unhappy 
only when we grow ever more unwilling to change as we age.
Daisaku Ikeda (on Aging)

3 Secrets for Setting Goals and Reaching Them!

"This Lifetime will never come again; 
it is precious and irreplaceable. 
To live without regret, 
it is crucial for us to have a concrete purpose 
and continually set goals and challenges for ourselves. 
It is equally important 
that we keep moving toward specific targets 
steadily and tenaciously, one step at a time." 
Daisaku Ikeda, For Today and Tomorrow, page 55. 

We all know we need to make lists and write down our targets and goals, don't we? We've seen the studies that report that college graduates with clear goals achieve more success than others who don't have written goals. But still, somehow it is difficult to write them out and make them. 

Why is Setting Goals difficult? 
1. Many of us have set goals and failed to reach them. Ugh. For more years than I could count I set a goal to lose x amount of weight by my birthday. Raise your hands if you've ever done the same. And we've seen those targets breeze by...losing faith in ourselves. These failures mean nothing. We should make goals anyway. Read on. 
2. Sometimes it's hard for us to decide what our goals ARE. Maybe this does not describe you. Maybe YOU can set clear goals and targets and achieve them every time. Well, for the rest of us it is more difficult. For whatever reason, sometimes I just have the hardest time deciding. So I chant about making the correct decision and bringing wisdom forth from my life. 
3. We're afraid we won't reach our goals. That's a version of number 1 above. Or...maybe we're afraid we WILL reach them, and regret the outcome. 

So as I am making my list of goals I am remembering what some of my favorite mentors have to say about goal setting. 

3 Secrets For Setting Goals 
and Reaching Them! 
By Jamie Lee Silver from Chantforhappiness.com, based on the teachings of Tony Robbins. 

1. For every goal you have be clear on WHY you want to achieve that goal. Write your goal...and write WHY you want to achieve it. As a Votary of the Lotus Sutra all of my goals include the vow to show actual proof through my own life that the impossible is possible. Years ago before I lost about 50 pounds I wrote down all of the reasons I wanted to be thinner. I still have that list and have referred to it over and over through the years. 

2. Make yourself an inspiring name for this goal. I have a dear friend who just embarked upon a fitness regime with a trainer. After a few days she was feeling discouraged, and I suggested she come up with a name for herself for this endeavor. She exclaimed "Fitgirl!" and has told me over and over how calling herself "Fitgirl" gets her out of bed and to her workout every day. What name can you come up with for yourself to invigorate (great word - meaning "give life to") your goals?

3. Schedule it. Right now I am determined to finish my book for you by my birthday. So I am working at least 2 hours a day on it. It's the hardest thing I've ever done...but also so satisfying. And i can't wait to get started on the next one. 

So here we are, September 1st. Be bold. Be Brave. Make your list. If I can do it...so can you! Go Buddha Go!  

3 Point Vow for World Peace - Kosen Rufu ~ and Happiness!

Aren't these wise words? Aren't all of Daisaku Ikeda's words full of wisdom, practical wisdom for our lives? I feel such gratitude to be able to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo along with my mentor, Daisaku Ikeda, and along with all of you, my friends all over the world. I have been hearing from so many of you...all my courageous friends. 

We all live noble lives as Votaries of the Lotus Sutra. Our great vow in life is to usher in the new age of light, of happiness, of respect and love. We call it kosen rufu, and I believe every person longs for this new world. Everyone longs for a world of peace, a world of no violence, a world of love. How do we do this? We do it through our own Human Revolution. 

We do our Human Revolution by making our great vow for kosen-rufu. What does this mean for each of us? Here is my interpretation 

As you know, last November 18th the Soka Gakkai opened the Hall of the Great Vow for Kosen Rufu. We can now travel to the hall to renew our vow for Kosen Rufu. (There are specifications for entry. Please check with your local SGI center) 

Please do not cut and paste the following. 

Please send people to this link instead: http://chantforhappiness.blogspot.com/2014/01/3-point-vow-for-world-peace-kosen-rufu.html

My 3 Point Vow for Kosen Rufu is very simple

By Jamie Lee Silver, from the blog Chantforhappiness.com: 

1. I vow to use my life for Kosen Rufu. I vow to use every thought, every action, every word and every prayer to transform my life, to discard the transient and reveal the true, and to change the world through tapping into the power my life inherently possesses through chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, studying Buddhism, doing shakubuku and deepening my connection with my mentor-in-life Daisaku Ikeda.  This vow gives rise to the wisdom to take the right actions in all areas of my life! 

2. I vow to live my life as an example that happiness, absolute happiness, is possible. I vow to use my life as an inspiration for people to learn about chanting, and tap into their own limitless potential. 

3. I vow to win in all areas of my life, health, love, happiness, friendships, family, (both my real family and my Gakkai family) work, writings and fortune for the sake of Kosen Rufu. 

This year is 2014. The 4 is very significant. To me it symbolizes stability. Security. Foundation....like the four legs of a solid table.  

This year I am fulfilling my determination to learn money management, build a solid foundation for myself and lead a life where I can travel freely to visit my friends all over the world. You!

I have always been protected financially throughout my practice of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo twice a day every day for the last 28 years. I have never longed for anything or gone into any kind of debt. Even last year, when I decided to take the time to write my book I was never without anything I needed or wanted. I was always protected. I'm in the final stages of finishing the book. It is the hardest thing I have ever one, but I will finish it! 

This year has been one of great obstacle and great reward. September is my birthday month and I am in the process of rewriting my list of what I am chanting for. It's a great time to refocus on dreams, reality and plans. 

I feel so much stronger than I was this time last year when my son first became sick. I have chanted so much Daimoku for him that I have gotten stronger. I feel deep appreciation for having a son who makes me chant so much! 

As we near the end of the summer I hope you are feeling strong, and continuing to strengthen your practice. It starts with the vow in your heart! Strength is the source of happiness! I am chanting for strength, and to experience life as the Buddha I am. 

I am always chanting my vow of kosen-rufu. "Life! let me accomplish THIS ________so I can inspire others!" Your prayer is the same. Chant for what you want...exactly what you want. We all deserve to have our dreams come true.