Sunday, April 26, 2015
Friday, April 24, 2015
6 Point Plan for Achieving Our Goals By May 3rd! Human Revolution in a week!
I have had quite a week. Highs and lows. I've gotten more responsibility at work, Ben is back in the hospital...and we need a viable plan for his life that will make him happy...and an end to his suffering.
And this week it all felt like too much. I had several "not that old karma again" moments this week...and by this morning I was done.
I felt like giving up. I said I just can't do this anymore.
And the beauty of our practice is this:
I chanted Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. I took action. I went and walked on the treadmill to boost my spirits.
After chanting I called for support from my girlfriends. I set an appointment for a massage. I also arranged to get together with my friend of 33 years tonight. Little did I know this "home visit" was going to change my life.
Throughout the day
my mood remained low.
All day I felt hopeless.
For one day.
I talked to Kate Randolph, my dear friend and Buddhist sponsor in LA, and she read me a quote from the April Living Buddhism about how Human Revolution takes place in an instant...and changes EVERYTHING...and I started to feel the old me coming back. I will get that quote tomorrow and add it here.
When I got to my friend's house she told me her cancerous tumor had grown. We both decided NOW is the time. May 3rd is a week away. We created this plan of success.
Would you like to join us? Are you ready for a change?
Would you like to create a ONE WEEK HUMAN REVOLUTION?
Join us!
Here's Our
6 Point Plan to Achieving Our Goals by May 3rd!
By Jamie Lee Silver of chantforhappiness.com
1. Clarify and write your goals. What do you HAVE to breakthrough to declare a victory on May 3rd? What are you willing to do to achieve it? Study? Encourage people? Chant more regularly? Clean your altar (always a life-changing thing to do) What goal would light your fire?
Mary wants to look and feel great for an event, and buy a new TV. I want certainty in a few areas, among other things.
2. Decide how will you support your well being. I made a goal to walk for 20 minutes every day. "When there's movement in your body - there's movement in your life."
3. Set a chanting goal. I'm chanting 2 hours a day this week to accomplish my goals. Join me if you'd like - or set your own goal.
4. You may want to find a chanting partner. The beauty of this is you encourage another while encouraging yourself. We shared our written goals and plans with each other. If you don't have a chanting partner you can share your goals and plans with me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com.
5. Make your schedule for success.
We wrote out the days and times we will chant together and chant apart. You can find someone to do this with, or join me every morning and evening.
6. Plan a celebration for your victory! We planned a celebration for Saturday night...we're not quite sure what we will do but it will be great!
Join us!
May third is Sunday!
Let's create Human Revolution by then. We can do it.
What will you accomplish and what are you willing to do for it? How much does your life hurt? Enough to chant two hours a day with me? Enough to make your list, polish your gongyo? Do shakubuku?
What's at stake and what do you have to gain?
Let's go for it. Go Buddha Go!
The Power of Prayer, by Daisaku Ikeda
Prayer by Daisaku Ikeda
Prayer is the courage to persevere.
It is the struggle to overcome our own weakness
and lack of confidence in ourselves.
It is the act of impressing
in the very depths of our being
the conviction
that we can change the situation without fail.
Prayers are invisible,
but if we pray steadfastly
they will definitely affect clear results in our lives
and surroundings over time.
This is the principle of the true entity of all phenomena. Faith means having confidence in this invisible realm.
Prayer is the way to destroy all fear.
It is the way to banish sorrow,
the way to light a torch of hope.
It is the revolution
that rewrites the scenario of our destiny.
Prayers are neither light dreams nor vague wishes.
They should be firm pledges of determination.
Prayers made with such strong resolve
invite clear results just as magnets attract iron.
Prayer entails an intense challenge
to believe in oneself and stop diminishing yourself.
To belittle yourself
is to disparage Buddhism
and the Buddha within your life.
Prayer is an attempt
to merge the inner workings of our life
with the rhythm of the universe.
When we pray in such a way,
all the workings of the universe
will function to protect us
and the endless cycle of painful reality
will be transformed
into a cycle of victory and happiness.
Prayer is the key to open the door
to unleash that infinite human potential within our lives.
Prayer is not a feeble consolation;
it is a powerful, unyielding conviction.
And prayer must become manifest in action.
To put it another way,
if our prayers are in earnest,
they will definitely give rise to action.
Daisaku Ikeda
Thursday, April 23, 2015
6 Steps for Reaching any Goal!
You can now subscribe to this blog by putting your email in the box to the right, and you can translate it using the button at the top right. Thanks for sharing!
What do I mean by this? How do we do it?
Here's an example.
I would like to find another apartment. It's time to expand.
So here are
4 Steps to Waging a Solid Campaign:
By Jamie Lee Silver of Chantforhappiness.com
1. Do the research.
I'm looking on the web to research areas and prices.
2. Set your goals.
Write down what you want.
3. Set some dates of when you want to accomplish your goal.
4. Keep kosen-rufu as a focus. Keep your practice strong! Tie your goals to your practice. For instance: I want to achieve these goals so I can be more effective at encouraging people through my actions and my life! I study the works of Daisaku Ikeda, go to SGI meetings and do shakubuku.
5. Chant with certainty for a specified time each day!
6. Take action!
What do you do to wage a campaign? Share your best ideas with me at chantfothappiness@gmail.com
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
PowerPrayer for Awakening Our Own Buddha Nature
"The Heart of the Lotus Sutra" by Daisaku Ikeda,
is truly the story of our lives.
In the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni reveals that he did not attain enlightenment in his present lifetime as so many people assume.
In the Lotus Sutra Shakyaminu reveals he attained enlightenment in "beginningless time" and that we, as practitioners of Nichiren Buddhism also attained enlightenment in beginningless time, and are fulfilling our vow to come to this world and show everyone the path to happiness by using the example of our own lives, never being defeated, and overcoming every obstacle.
Once we are awakened to the fact that we are Buddhas equal to the original Buddha, we can embrace every challenge with fresh eyes, saying to ourselves
"Yes! I chose this challenge.
I chose this because I KNOW
that I can chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo
and absolutely, without a doubt I can change this.
It is up to me.
I have the power to tap into the vast resources within,
as long as I stay focused on my mission for kosen-rufu."
Each of us can awaken every day with the ability to access the reality that we are Boddhisatvas of the Earth ~ Dancing in happiness ~ assured of our own power to overcome anything in our lives, through reading President Ikeda's words, chanting, refreshing our determination and knowing, absolutely knowing that we chose this existence to manifest our highest potential.
This might not be our first thought upon awakening - but we can access it in front of the Gohonzon every single morning!
What kind of PowerPrayer (thoughts in our minds while we are chanting) would be useful?
Let's look at a few of Sensei's quotes from "The Heart of the Lotus Sutra,"
"The Buddha's original state of life is identical with all people's original state of life. They could not be in any way different. Fundamentally, all people are Buddhas. The only difference is that the Buddha understands this while others are ignorant of it. " p. 153
When we realize that we are Buddhas from beginningless time "We can attain a state of eternal happiness as indestructible as a diamond~that is, the true aspect of the Buddha ~ in our lives." and that "No matter how heavy our burden of karma, through tapping our inner life force, we can revolutionize our existence."
"It enables us to address the reality of our situations with a fresh, forward-looking spirit, always basing ourselves on life's "original moment." p. 163
Sensei goes on to quote Josei Toda who talks about how we all dwelt together as Buddhas of absolute happiness before making our vows to return to this world and lead others to happiness.
We are all here fulfilling our vow joyously together.
What problem could stop us?
Could financial difficulty stop us?...not unless we let it.
How about heartbreak, a karma many of us are challenging? Every day I chip away at my karma right along with you. And every day I awaken refreshed...when I study, chant, encourage others and go to SGI meetings. We have such precious lives. People are depending on us to shine.
We ARE the suns in our lives!
As we are chanting we might use this PowerPrayer (read it before chanting) to infuse our spirit and focus our minds.
PowerPrayer for
Awakening Our Own Buddha Nature!
By Jamie Lee Silver, from the Blog Chantforhappiness.com.
Life!
Once again I greet you in front of the Gohonzon!
I appreciate one more day in this world of strife!
Once again I strive at every moment
to bring forth the world of Buddhahood within.
Right now I am raising my life condition!
I am determined to live in wisdom,
tapping the highest potential in my life.
I am determined to harmonize with my fellow humans
in a way that makes a difference.
I am determined to be all I can be,
and fulfill my vow for kosen-rufu!
(Happiness and respect for all of life -
the raising of the life-condition of ALL)
I am determined to forge ahead
with wisdom, happiness and composure.
May I live this day fully and happily,
and shine like the sun!
I am determined to_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
as I joyously bring forth my Buddhahood!
Sunday, April 19, 2015
6 Actions to Take When it's Hard to Chant
Let's face it, we all go through times
when it is extremely difficult to chant.
Lately many of you have been writing to me with this challenge.
Sometimes seeing our inner lives in the mirror of the Gohonzon, while chanting is so hard.
It can be hard to see what we need to change. But that's why we chant - so we can see what we need to change, and chant to change it. That's another reason this practice is not for wimps.
It is for courageous ones who are dedicated to their own happiness, and the happiness of other. In other words - Buddhas.
I believe that when it's hard to chant, we are poised for a breakthrough. And when we can finally sit down and chant with all our hearts we grow, we change, we evolve.
I go through these moments myself. We all do. Sometimes the noise in our heads is so loud it's hard to drown out with our daimoku. And that's precisely WHEN we cut through our karma...and we win!
According to my dear friend Kate Randolph, not being able to chant at times is just natural and part of our practice. She says don't get mad at yourself, just do gongyo twice a day as always and even if you can only chant a few minutes, concentrate as much as you can.
She also said it can be difficult to chant when facing core issues in your life... important karma changing issues...crucial moments. Ahhh and that's where the breakthrough comes! And that's also why we have each other to chant with. What an excellent time to call a Gakkai friend or leader.
At these times we need to have respect for ourselves and KNOW that we are going to show victory.
Akema Bailey-Haynie says that sometimes we are in the middle of the ocean, but we will get to the other shore.
We all experience this don't we? We just have to keep swimming and not give up midway!
None of us are perfect. I am not perfect.
We are all Buddhas
at our Buddha coming out party!
6 Actions to Take When It's Hard to Chant
1. Stay connected, go to SGI meetings
2. Do gongyo twice a day every day as always
3. Read experiences
4. Study
5. Encourage as many people as we can...and know that it will all click back in, and we'll get back into that groove when we're chanting a lot, and the more we chant, the more we want to chant, and ZOOM we break through.
6. Call a friend to chant with us.
We need to have patience with ourselves, take care not to get out of the orbit of faith, and remember that this is a life-long practice and keep going!
Today I am officiating at my sister's wedding. They have said it will rain and I've been chanting for sun....and so far...it's sunny!
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Creating "That Time" as the Buddhas We Are, By Daisaku Ikeda
"Our single-minded determination for kosen-rufu,
and that alone,
creates the "time'" That time"
is when we set our lives in motion,
when we stand up of our own volition
and by our own will and strength.
"That time"
is when we summon forth strong faith
and take our place on the grand stage of kosen-rufu.
Goethe writes,
"The moment alone is decisive;
Fixes the life of man,
and his future destiny settles."
"That time" is the moment you resolve
from the depths of your heart,
"Now I will stand up and fight."
From that instant,
your destiny changes.
Your life develops.
History begins.
This is the spirit of the mystic principle of true cause.
That is the principle
of three thousand realms in a single moment of life.
The moment
you autonomously determine to accomplish something -
not when you do it because you are told to -
is "that time," the time of mission. "
Daisaku Ikeda, from The Heart of the Lotus Sutra, page 28
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