PowerPrayer to Make New Friends

Our friendships make our lives bloom! 

I receive frequent requests asking how to pray for more friends. 

The following PowerPrayer is the one I kept in mind as a chanted when I was lonely and lived far from my family. I knew I had to do something to make more friends. 

I am now rich in friendships and I make more friends every day. My friendships are easy and fun - no drama - all love! 

First, a quote from Daisaku Ikeda:

"Those who make many friends have greater opportunities for growth and self-development; they make society a better place and lead happy, satisfying lives. In every situation, human relations ~ communication and personal interactions ~ are vital. We need to initiate and nurture friendships and contacts with many people, both within the organization and in society at large. Our lives will open and be enriched to the extent that we do so." 
Faith in Action page 221

PowerPrayer to Make More Friends
(What is a PowerPrayer? An intention that I keep in mind when I am chanting for a specific goal. As always, various thoughts come and go as we chant. Reading the PowerPrayer before chanting may give you additional focus.)
By Jamie Lee Silver from ChantforHappiness.com

Life!

I am ready and willing to change in any way 

to BE a friend

and to attract new friends into my life. 

If there is anything I’m doing 

to stop new friendships let me see it and change it now!

I am ready and willing to change in any way to attract new friends. 

I am ready to make new friends.

I see myself now 

standing tall, walking with a buoyant step

and enjoying going with the flow.

My eyes are sparkling with happiness.

Everyone I meet wants to get to know me better

and I resonate with the new people 
who are coming into my life.

The people I'm attracting now

are really positive, vibrant and upbeat people

just like me!

We easily connect and enjoy each other's company. 
We become friends.

Of course, we must take action to gain new friends. When I meet someone I like I ask them out for coffee, or invite them to join me at an event. I take the initiative. It is worth it!

When One Sun Rises Everything is Illuminated

I took this picture from a friend's condo overlooking Lake Michigan in Chicago. I call it  

"The sun is an exclamation mark!"

"When one sun rises 

everything is illuminated."

For many years that has been my favorite quote from my mentor, Daisaku Ikeda. 

He has proven it with his life, and we are all proving it with ours. 

I, along with so many of you who share your hearts with me each day, live our lives with this in mind, with our vow to accomplish kosen-rufu in mind. 

Our lives do illuminate the world.  

For almost six years, I have shared my life with you. Not for accolades or money, but to be an example, and reach people who are searching for answers, searching for a positive and practical practice for their lives. 

Lately, I am hearing from more and more of you who found this practice, and got connected to the SGI through this blog. Bravo! And welcome! 

You are why I write this blog!

I've also heard from others who were practicing alone and after my many appeals to join the SGI decided to join and are now practicing in a District. Bravo!

You are why I write this blog! 

And I hear from you who are bravely facing and challenging your life and you jumpstart your practice by reading these words...who chant with renewed vigor...and do more shakubuku.

Bravo!

It is for you I write this blog. 

Let me remind you, once again, that these words are mine, and I don't represent the SGI in an official capacity, except as a member who loves the organization and bases her heart on Sensei's heart. 

May 3rd has come and gone and many of us made Daimoku targets and goals towards this date. What do we do if our targets weren't achieved? We keep chanting! I am still chanting 2 hours a day and am as determined as ever to break through. I will never give up. 

So every day I am reading the words of my mentor, and studying the Gosho. I am attending meetings and encouraging others. Last week I chanted every day with my dear friend Mary. I can see the difference in her face! And she is continuing to chant every day twice a day.

As far as I'm concerned, consistent faith, practice, and study, (which includes shakubuku), are the keys. From my early days as a YWD emcee, I presented "faith, practice and study" at meetings. I continue to strengthen my practice along with you. It is an honor to know you! 

Go Buddha Go! 

"When one sun rises, everything is illuminated."

Daisaku Ikeda ~ The Sun of Eternal May ~ Eternal Beginning

Happy May Third! 

Tomorrow very early we're heading to the Chicago Culture Center for the May Third Celebration. 

It's a bright new start. 

A quote about May for you: 

The Sun of Eternal Beginning

by Daisaku Ikeda

The spirit of May is eternal hope; 

it is the heart of youth, 

a passion for progress. 

As long as the spirit of May burns in our hearts, 

a garden bed abloom with a profusion of flowers 

will always unfold along the path before us.

May is a time 
to take a step forward on our eternal journey. 
The spirit of May lives in my heart every day, 
even amidst the solitude of autumn, 
the trying hardships of winter 
or the stormy nights of summer!
Within my heart 
always spreads the dazzling blue sky of May 3rd. Within my heart 
always rises the bright sun of May, 
the sun of eternal beginning!

[Adapted from an essay in Our Beautiful Earth: Photos and Essays of My Travels, by Daisaku Ikeda, April 2, 2000, Seikyo Press, Tokyo, Japan.]

3 Ways to Know You're Chanting Enough

Look, the sun is there- it's right behind the clouds~

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!  

I am chanting to change my karma today! Today...today. 

How do we know 
when we're chanting enough Daimoku 
(or focused Daimoku)?

(Nam Myoho Renge Kyo)

1. Fear disappears and hope returns  
2. We're in rhythm.
3. We see and feel the daily upward progression of your life. 

I call it "Walking on a pillow of Daimoku.

When I am "Walking on a pillow of Daimoku," I know, that at every moment, my life is expressing itself with wisdom, compassion, love, and energy. I can feel the power of the universe shining from within me. 

When I'm in this state I rarely say something I regret. I don't take the wrong turn. I choose the right line, or if I choose the line that takes longer, I make a new friend in that line, or I laugh to myself about it and don't feel frustrated. I'm in the right place at the right time. 

I'm smiling and happy. I bring smiles to other's faces. I am in rhythm. Little synchronicities happen all the time. 

This week I've been chanting 2 hours a day - 
Sometimes it's easy...sometimes it's not.
I've had to just power through some of the Daimoku. Last night I came home from visiting Ben in the hospital, and didn't start my last hour until 9:30. 

Right now I have renewed hope in my heart, along with some of these other benefits I've received this week: 

I've been seeing my dear friend Mary every morning to chant, and we are chanting by phone every night. I already see the change in her! 
I'm not worried. Not about Ben. Not about anything. I've given notice on my apartment and my lease is up June 30th. I'm feeling physically great. I'm moving my body (also known as "working out") for at least 20 minutes a day. My body is humming in happiness. (There's a lot of people who are inspiring me these days, Erin Stutland, Christiane Northrup M.D, Nick and Jessica Ortner, and Tosha Silver to name a few) Erin says we need to fall in love with the way our body feels when we are moving it every day. That's a different way of viewing "working out." When we look at it like this, movement doesn't take will power. We're going towards a feeling, not making ourselves do anything. I get it. 
She says "When there's movement in your body there's movement in your life." 

This week I was in the right place at the right time to get a free hair cut from a master of the art of hair cutting. That was a nice benefit!

I never run out of things to chant for...
Every day, I chant for composure, for wisdom, and to open my life to learn all that I can. I chant for every reader of this blog, and for all the people I'd still like to reach.  I chant for every person who is suffering, and looking for this very practical practice, to FIND IT. I chant for opportunities to have this blog (and our message of peace and hope) spread wider and wider and help more people. I chant for all who are suffering. I chant to show actual proof with my life of how amazing this simple practice is.

This week I heard from with someone who started practicing alone, began reading my blog, then joined the SGI. That makes me so happy! 

May 3rd is only 3 days away! There is still enough time to make a determination - chant about it and WIN! 
I look forward to hearing from you at Chantforhappiness.com. 

Great Guidance to Share - Going from Victim to Victor

As you know, I am in the middle of a week of chanting two hours a day towards May 3rd.  My friend Mary and I are chanting twice a day together and we've joined hearts with many of you who have written me to say you're on board - we are all chanting together to create our Human Revolution - out total turn arounds! 

In the SGI, our wonderful organization, as you know, we have something called guidance. Guidance is a bit of a paradox, because sometimes when we need it most our life conditions are so low that we can't seem to find it. That's one reason I have cultivated so many inspiring friends in faith to help me along the way. Real guidance is something that can change our outlook and help us face the Gohonzon with renewed vigor, strength and determination. For me, it is not just a matter of passively receiving it. I chant before guidance to be able to really hear it...to be open to it, and to let it transform my life and propel my daimoku and my life. And I write down every word of guidance.  

Yesterday I had the opportunity to get guidance with a senior leader. I connected with her through a leader I speak with often. My heart is full of gratitude. 

All along, throughout my son's illness I have known that his illness was my karma, not just his karma. It would not be in my life if it wasn't part of my karma, but part of me still could not grasp this concept with my life. It's hard to explain to you. I knew it, but I couldn't own it. Does that make sense to you? 

What the senior leader said to me helped me to really own this karma, and by owning it - I can make a fresh determination to change it. 

She said that no doctor is going to "fix" Ben until I irradicate my karma of having a schizophrenic son...until I tear it out by the roots. She said it wasn't a matter of "upping my practice" or chanting more Daimoku. She said I couldn't rely on anything but Daimoku through the 9th level of consciousness...there the wisdom lies. 

She said to use my Daimoku to create the call to the Universe to surround and protect Ben and give him whatever tools he needs that are essential for his life. 

She said I need to go from Victim to Victor. She said it has nothing to do with him, but everything to do with me. She asked "How do you feel right now" Hopeless, frustrated, overwhelmed? I need to chant to change these feelings within myself. 

She asked me to ask myself - "How can I transform my life to transform the life of my child?" She said I have mental illness in the karmic storehouse of my life. I must turn from feeling Powerless to being Fearless, Courageous and Joyful. I cannot allow the feeling of Powerlessness. I must become Bodhisattva Fearless Joy. And not be swayed by the day to day turn of whatever is happening. And goodness knows she is right. Right? 

She also said to do shakubuku with the realization that I will help others...that I will open the door to let people tell me of their suffering. She said don't just pass out cards, really get to know people. 

And I need to chant the kind of Daimoku that can change this karma. and truly believe that my life is more powerful than his mental illness. This is something that I do know, but from time to time I have had difficulty summoning this know-ledge. 

I must turn karma into mission. 

I will not be swayed. I will not be swayed. 

She reminded me "Don't let anyone tell you it isn't possible." My life cannot be disconnected from the Gohonzon in any way. I must be focused on changing the karma in my own life...

She referenced the May 2012 Living Buddhism on page 24. (I'm not sure if I have that - I may have given it away) It said to chant with your whole life. Never lose heart. Activate the power of the Gohonzon. 

She also said his illness is not a reflection of my faith.  He has this karma because I have this karma. He chose to be born to me in this lifetime. 

This is the beauty of getting guidance. Many of these things I knew on some level, but speaking with her changed my awareness and ability to connect with my own prayer and determination. I am once more filled with hope that I can change myself and fully access the power of my faith. I am less focused on finding the right practitioner to help him, because I believe in my heart that once I make this fundamental transition - this Human Revolution, that whatever is right for him will be there. 

I share this guidance with you not as a prescription of any kind, but in the hopes that some nuggets here will help you transform your suffering. Last night I was able to summon forth a deeper resolve, a deeper prayer to make this happen...to turn from victim to victor...to dig even deeper to erradicate this karma from my life. 

May 3rd is fast approaching. I am chanting in solidarity with all of you...with every parent...with every person who is suffering. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Let's win together.

Aaron, Ben and me - 3 years ago

Human Revolution Means "To Turn Things Around"

(You can now subscribe and get these posts in your email - see the box ar the right) This is the complete quote that Kate read to me last Friday. This quote lead me to determine to chant 2 hours a day this week to show victory by May 3rd. 
It is not too late to make your determination towards May 3rd! See if this inspires you. 
I especially like the part at the end.

From the April 2015 Living Buddhism Magazine, pages 54 - 55. Published by the SGI. This is from the section "Guidance Series" by Daisaku Ikeda. 

Human Revolution 

Means 

to Turn Things Around.

"Human revolution is not something unusual or special. For example, say that one day a boy who is always playing and never studies makes the decision, "From now on, I'm going to study" or tells himself, "I'm going to make efforts for the sake of my future." When he does that, he is engaging in Human Revolution...

In other words, 
human revolution is opening your eyes wide 
and looking beyond your ordinary concerns, 
smiling, and dedicating your actions 
to something higher, deeper, broader.

Someone who at first may seem to be a hopeless case can, by achieving a major self-realization, through their Buddhist practice, become an inspiration to countless others.

Also, times when you are suffering intensely, when you don't know what to do or which way to turn, can become important opportunities for making great strides in your human revolution. 

If you tend to be easily discouraged, 
just refresh your determination each time that happens. People who are resolved to see problems as opportunities and keep trying again and again, 
forging ahead with unflagging optimism, 
will definitely succeed in their human revolution...

Human revolution 
is a revolution in our actions and behavior. 
It means to purposefully engage in behavior 
that is grounded in compassion, 
in actions that break free from the cycle of the six paths (hell, hunger, animality, anger, humanity and heaven - all based in response to our environment) 
and bring us to the worlds 
of Bodhisattva and Buddhahood...

"Revolution" means to turn things around. It signifies a sudden, radical change.

The natural process is for people to grow little by little, with the passage of time. 
Human revolution 
is a step beyond that gradual process, 
propelling us rapidly in a positive direction. 
And while there is rapid movement, 
it is also growth that continues throughout our lives. 
There is no end point. 
And our Buddhist practice is the engine, 
the driving force, for our human revolution."

Let's do our Human Revolution. Let's speed it up by making firm determinations to have a complete turn around by May 3rd. Why not? Join us! Nam-myoho-renge-kyo! 

Happy April 28th! The Day Nichiren Chanted Nam-myoho-renge-kyo for the first time

On April 28th, in 1253  
Nichiren Daishonin changed our lives forever. 

He chanted Nam-myoho-renge-kyo 
and reclaimed the practice of Buddhism 
for the happiness of all. 

It's fascinating to imagine what it would have been like for him that day. I wonder what he felt when he was pondering the true practice for the age. Remember, he'd made a vow at the age of twelve to be the wisest man in Japan. He'd traveled to Buddhist temples all over reading the sacred scrolls and asking himself the same question over and over: 

"What is the REAL practice for this age? What will lead people to happiness? What is the true lifeblood of Buddhism NOW?" 

He put every cell of his body into finding the answer to this question. There were many forms of Buddhism at the time. All of them promised rewards in the future, but no fulfillment right now. The Pure Land sect focused on happiness after death in the Pure Land. Other sects said you had to atone for every single negative cause you had ever made and after many, many lifetimes attain Buddhahood. Others said you had to be reborn as a man. 

But NONE said that Happiness exists in the here and now, and you can attain Buddhahood, happiness, enlightenment, right here right now in your present form. 

And THAT school was the one Nichiren founded, beginning 762 years ago today by chanting the title of the Lotus Sutra for the first time. I can just imagine the shivers going through his body. I can just imagine the responses of the people around him who were all attached to their own particular beliefs. It took an amazing amount of energy and strength. 

And he continued his religious revolution every day from then on. In the face of multiple persecutions, attacks, hatred...you name it. But he KNEW. He KNEW that one day you and I would be chanting this phrase and changing the world by infusing our lives with the energy of this vibration, advancing, dancing step by step with Nichiren and our mentor in faith Daisaku Ikeda. 

What courage. What strength. 

Those of us who have read the writings Nichiren wrote to his followers know what he went through...being exiled to a gardener's hut with holes in the walls and the ceiling with no provisions in the cold of winter ~ in a graveyard no less...not even a graveyard actually, a place where dead bodies were just left on Sado Island. People were told not to go near the hut or help Nichiren or they would be killed.

And it was from this hut where he wrote the Opening of the Eyes and many of his most important letters "Gosho" saying "I am the happiest man in all Japan!" 
Why was he so happy? Because his persecutions confirmed that this was the correct teaching. We can learn so much through his actions and attitude. 

Happy April 28th! 
We are the Buddhas of this new age! 
All of us are standing on that hill with Nichiren 
facing the rising sun...
boldly proclaiming Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
I CLAIM my life! 
I will live my life with the vow to accomplish a world of respect for all. I will show, through my own life what is possible as a human being.

My noble, noble friends! 
I look forward to hearing your victories on May Third!