8 More Forms of Fortune

8 More Forms of Fortune

Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo brings fortune into our lives...far better than "things" or money can ever do. Don't get me wrong, money is great...but it doesn't bring absolute happiness or fortune!

From reader BHAVIKA VATNANI 

1. Fortune is being wise in every situation of life.. 
2. It is being a person who can never hurt anyone and      himself or herself too... 
3. It is being happy all the time and believing that we will get what we want.. 
4. Fortune is a feeling of having something, what we really don't have and still being happy, just because we believe we have that.. And then by feeling it, we get it...

and a few more from me: 

Fortune is

1. Hitting all the green lights.
2. Being on time
3. Knowing you've helped others
4. Having friends

Write me your ideas of fortune at chantforhappiness@gmail.com

When You're Down - Just Keep Chanting

(I share these posts as a fellow SGI member, not in an official SGI capacity. (Although I love the organization and strongly encourage you to follow the link to the right to find out more! If you'd like to subscribe to the blog please enter your name at the right)

Sometimes life seems to hit you from all sides all at once. I'll just bet you know what I mean. We call this sansho shima, (the fundamental darkness in life) and we know our problems are tailor made to strengthen our lives. We know this. We know we can turn any poison into medecine. 

But we are human, and occasionally we get a little down. 
When I woke up this morning I felt heavy with worries. I went for a walk and sat down to chant. For the first 15 minutes, I had very unsatisfying chanting (Daimoku). My mind was full of "What if I did this? What if I do that? Maybe I should..." I was attempting to strategize my worries away. But I know this is not the most powerful way to chant. I knew I had to get back to my lion's roar of Daimoku. 

"Help!" I thought. And I reached for a recent World Tribune (that's the SGI newspaper in the U.S.), and found this quote by my mentor, Daisaku Ikeda. He was quoted in Gitima Sharma's experience from the April 20th, 2015 World Tribune.
"The daimoku (Nam-myoho-renge-kyo) that we chant...is not a weak, imploring pleas for something. It is a lion's roar that reverberates with all our being, and is powered by making a personal vow, setting our minds on realizing it and aligning our lives with the fundamental law of the universe. Ther is no force stronger or more sublime." 
Gitima goes on to state in her experience, "With the roar of a lion, I prayed: I will shine as President Ikeda's disciple and use my education to advance kosen-rufu."

And I went back to chanting in front of my Gohonzon. Once again realizing I am a Buddha. 


After this, I chanted another hour of hope-filled dynamic Daimoku to change any part of me that could be limiting me in any way. I chanted to fulfill my vow to use my talents for kosen-rufu.
I chanted in appreciation, and I chanted for kosen-rufu, and every member and all my friends...especially a dear friend in the hospital. 

And I ended my morning chanting feeling refreshed and ready for the day. So the moral is, if you feel stuck chanting and strategizing don't give up. Reach for a quote of Sensei's and chant until you feel satisfied and strong!  

We Are The World (1985) (Official Video)

A reader in New York sent this to me.

I love the unity of the performers and yes, 
WE are the world!

Sending love and joy. Enjoy!

Encouraging the Person Right In Front of Us

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by putting your email in the box to the right)
From the May 3rd World Tribune, Daisaku Ikeda states in the essay "What is the Correct Path in Life?" page 4

"The eminent British historian 
Arnold Toynbee (1889-1975) 
affirmed his belief 
that the only way to relieve the sufferings of our world 
is through some sort of religious faith, 
which could take the form 
of love for others or concern for their happiness; 
something bigger than ourselves 
that leads to overcoming self-centeredness and egotism. 
This is the perfect description of you, 
the members of the SGI who, 
embracing the eternal and indestructible Mystic Law, 
strive to encourage the person right in front of you 
and dedicate yourselves to realizing the great dream of kosen-rufu."

That's us, isn't it? 
Every day striving. Every day Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to be the Buddha at every moment. We chant for wisdom...we chant for understanding...we chant for ourselves and for our fellow travelers along the road. We chant to show actual proof that summoning the Mystic Law by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo every single morning and evening works...and to inspire others.

At every moment, through every trial, I strive to be the example of someone who really, sincerely, cares for others. This last place Ben lived in Evanston was full of people who looked very different from the people I usually encounter day-to-day. 
Each time I visited I enjoyed meeting these new friends and sharing new smiles. 
And with each professional, I felt and expressed heartfelt appreciation for the good work they do. At every moment I, just like you, am the Buddha in the world. 
Right now, that place is refusing Ben reentry, and I am doing what I can to appeal their decision.  I am determined to find him the help he needs - whether here or elsewhere.  
I am continuing to follow my guidance to chant to end the karma of mental illness in my life, and in my family forever.

I don't know how the victory is going to unfold. That's something we just don't know. All we can do is live each moment just like our mentor states...encouraging the person in front of us. 

On Tuesday, I gave my speech Growing Older, Bolder, BETTER! to an audience of people who are aged 50 or better. Three people stayed to talk to me at length. One said that this morning was her "Hon nim myo" and my speech was her new beginning. I love my life! 

18 Types of Fortune and 3 Ways We Build Fortune in Our Lives

I get many emails asking how to get money  ~ and asking "Is it ok to chant for money? 
As you know, I am an enthusiastic SGI member, and this blog is not an official SGI blog. Here I share my heart of faith with you. 
First I would would like to say to chant for exactly what you want. If you need money chant for money~! You deserve to have what you need. There are many, many examples of people chanting for money and getting it. I chanted for 5K and got it immediately. 

But underlying the need for money there is a deeper and more exciting benefit that we can access within our lives. We can access and build TRUE FORTUNE into our lives. 

What is FORTUNE? How do we build it for ourselves?

First of all, fortune is self made. No matter what our levels of fortune may be before we begin practicing Buddhism, once we begin intoning the name of the Law of Cause and Effect, the Mystic Law itself, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, our lives begin to move in the direction of fortune. 

With our Daimoku (chanting) we begin "changing from the inside out", the ONLY way to affect true and lasting change. 

And with each passing day of chanting, studying, encouraging others and introducing people to this practice our fortune grows and grows.

Fortune :

Daisaku Ikeda states: "Governments come and go, economies rise and fall, and society changes constantly. Only the good fortune we accumulate during our lives lasts forever. True victors are those who cultivate the tree of Buddhahood in the vast earth of their lives while achieving success both in society and in their personal lives through true faith and a true way of living. (Faith in Action page 110)

Fortune is being in rhythm so that we KNOW what to do, and have the spirit, conviction and courage to make the best possible causes at all times! 

Fortune is being in the right place at the right time. 

Fortune is Happiness and the ability to overcome any suffering and turn poison into medicine.

Fortune is strength and resiliency. 

Fortune is getting a call from an associate about a job opportunity that happens to be perfect for you. Being in the Right place at the right time.

Fortune is having the courage and wisdom to say what must be said and do what must be done at the crucial moment. 

Fortune is always having what you need when you need it. 

Fortune is having the time to chant to our heart's content and encourage others, too. 

Fortune is being able to join harmoniously with our fellow SGI members creating a new kind of family for us all. 

Fortune is being born at the same time as Daisaku Ikeda and learning how to engrave the mentor disciple relationship into our lives so that it is a living, powerful source of energy and wisdom in our lives.  

Fortune is the finding solace and peace even when we have lost a loved one. 

Fortune is experiencing the true depth of friendship... knowing how to be a friend, attracting, keeping and appreciating quality people in our lives.  

Fortune is experiencing how to love and be loved in return. 

Fortune is the freedom to live our lives as we want...traveling freely and happily. 

Fortune is health. 

Fortune is the ability to laugh.  

Fortune is the ability to sit in front or our Gohonzons and carry out a meaningful dialogue within our own lives that makes the impossible possible, and brings happiness to ourselves and our families, friends and world.

Fortune is seeing that advertisement for exactly what we need when we need it. A few years ago I kick started my 70 pound weight loss by turning on the TV and seeing a weight loss program being advertised that I ordered and really worked for me. Another time I googled "Agents looking for authors" and found out about a Writer's Digest Conference in New York. A week later I was on a plane to a conference that really forwarded my writing career. 

How do we build fortune for ourselves?

1. First we must build a strong practice.  
The more "work" we put into building our practice...the less "work" we have to put into our lives...the less struggling we have to do. We can use all the resources at our disposal to CREATE the discipline to be able to chant twice a day every day and participate in activities. Being a part of the SGI is crucial. Click on the link to the right or send me an email if you need help finding your local organization. 
The foundation of our practice is 
Faith
Practice for ourselves and others
and Study
Having the wisdom to open our lives is crucial. Seeking guidance is a way to open our lives. 
Having a seeking mind to understand how and why the Mystic law can have such a profound effect on our lives is important. Studying our SGI publications is important. We call this having a seeking spirit. 

Fortune Comes from Having the spirit and the prayer: 

"I will WIN because my life is important. I will use my life as a shining example that this practice works!! My winning will be a real "win/win" because I will inspire others to the greatness of their own lives! I will win for kosen-rufu. I will win over my own negativity. I will absolutely do this!" 

2. Determine and believe we DESERVE what we want fuels our fortune. Every action we take all day long is a cause for our happiness. What do we want? Why do we want it? What can we do to fuel that desire? 
Hon Nim Myo - "from this moment forth". Every time we chant we begin life anew. From this moment forth I will win. From this moment forth is EVERY MOMENT. We have the power to change. NOW. We chant the MYSTIC LAW underlying all of life. Wow. We are filled with fortune!

3. Chant for what we want, and Chant for STRENGTH of practice and strength of mind and heart! If we want money, we chant for money. If we want to NEVER WORRY ABOUT MONEY AGAIN - we chant with this in mind. If we want a job we chant for it. The world is OURS. We chant for exactly what we want!

What does fortune mean for you? Write me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com with your experiences and comments! 

3 Secrets for Setting and Reaching Goals

"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 can be difficult to set goals and write them down. 

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. 

Amos Snell, my dear friends and mentor who helped raise me into this faith would always say "Do you know how many times you get to remake a determination? A million or more. Just keep remaking that determination, chanting in front of the Gohonzon and you'll make it happen. Don't give up." He'd also say "You're a Buddha. Dream BIG!"

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 let's just go for it and set those goals.
I put kosen-rufu at the center of every goal. "I want to acheive THIS so I can show actual proof and inspire others to chant!" That's kosen-rufu in action. 


3 Secrets For Setting Goals 
and Reaching Them! 
By Jamie Lee Silver from Chantforhappiness.com

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. That list of WHYS has really powered my results. 

2. Make yourself an inspiring name for this goal. I have a friend who 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? Email me some of your goal names! You will inspire me and others. 

3. Chant about it. Inspire yourself. Release the fear. Chant to change yourself so you can make this goal become real. 
Write yourself your own personal PowerPrayer (fresh determination) or adapt one of the PowerPrayers from this blog. Really chant about it! Schedule time to make it happen. Go Buddha Go!

So here we are, May 26th. 
Ho Nim Myo! From this day forth. 
Be bold. Be Brave. Make your list. If I can do it...so can you! Go Buddha Go!  

Appreciation for the Protective Forces of the Universe

The protective forces within all life. 
We call them Shoten Zenjin. I love them, no matter what they are called. Yesterday they helped my son Ben one more time. And he is back in the hospital again.

This morning my friend Georgine is coming over to chant, my own personal shoten zenjin. My view is shoten zenjin manifest in many forms at any time. One of the people who helped Ben yesterday overheard me use the word "myoho." He said "I don't often hear people speaking Japanese." Of course, I told him I was a 30 year practicing Buddhist. He told me he'd been chanting in the SGI since the age of 12. Myoho indeed. Shoten zenjin indeed. 

Once more I sit down to chant in deep gratitude for Ben's life, for my life, for my family, for the members, for you, and for his shoten zenjin yesterday. I am more determined than ever to change my own karma so that my environment will change. 

"Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is like the roar of a lion. What sickness could therefore be an obstacle." 
Nichiren Daishonin