High Life Condition = Happy Life!

Today's Gosho Quote by Nichiren Daishonin: 

"Kaito said..."I felt it a terrible pity someone such as he, outstanding in every respect, should die so young. Reconsidering the matter, however, I realized that is was because od this boy's death that his mother became a seeker of the way and his father began to practice, praying for his repose. How marvelous, I thought. Moreover, the fact that they have put their trust in the Lotus Sutra, which all people detest, must mean that their deceased son has been at their side and encouraged them to do so." I also believe this to be the case."
WND 1050
The Sons Pure Storehouse and Pure Eye
Recipient unknown, written on July 7, 1280

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Wow! What do you think of that...it felt like that Gosho quote was just meant for me today. I have always been a seeker of the way, but I'm sure that I owe my determination to chant two hours a day to Ben...and my chanting has a profound effect on so many...my fellow members, my friends, my colleagues and the seniors I serve in my job...

When our own life condition is high everyone we meet feels the effect of that positive energy. EVERYONE. 

Every morning three members are showing up to chant some or all of the two hours with me. I feel this daimoku in my life. There is not one complaint in my heart. And when I feel sad, I just allow myself to feel sad, and it passes. I am enjoying life and moving forward. 

Just this week I had a huge benefit. I decided to enroll in a course of training with other professional speakers as mentors. And my company is paying for it. How awesome is that? I've taken a few of the modules already and I know it's just what I need to continue living my dream of being a published author and sought after public speaker...

Now is the time! let's all make our dreams come true! 

Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the source of all the great energy, drive, smarts, good timing....everything. We've got this! 

Who Says We Can Chant for ANYTHING? Sensei!

"In our lives, 
as we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo 
and dedicate our lives to the mystic law, 
we transform delusion into enlightenment, 
and transform the chains of the suffering 
of birth, aging, sickness and death 
into a state of complete freedom 
imbued with the four noble virtues of 
eternity, 
happiness, 
true self and 
purity. 
There is surely no system of practice more dynamic, 
no philosophy that offers such unsurpassed hope."

Daisaku Ikeda

From the April Living Buddhism, 2015, page 31

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I get emails from people asking me if they can chant for a man (or a goal) that people have told them not to chant for. 

As far as Daisaku Ikeda is concerned, when we chant for what we want, and work for the Mystic law (attend meetings, do shakubuku, study the Gosho) our prayers transform, and our desires and LIVES transform. Chant for what you want! 

I have chanted for things that some people would say I "shouldn't have been chanting for," and it strengthened my practice. I REALLY wanted these things. Over time, my desires transformed, but they were the entry way for chanting. I chanted harder, more focused. I know I strengthened my life and my practice. 

Chanting for what we want IS enlightenment!  

How-To Increase Your Belief in YOUR OWN Buddha Nature!

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From the November 2015 Living Buddhism:

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"Nevertheless, 
being no more than an ordinary person, 
I have at times been apt to regret 
having taken such a course." 

From the Gosho "On Rebuking Slanders of the Law and Eradicating Sins" by Nichiren Daishonin.

About this passage, Daisaku Ikeda writes on page 37:

'As Nichiren Daishonin writes here, we are ordinary people, and as such, are likely on occasion to have regrets. 

At times, we may allow ourselves to be defeated by our immediate sufferings and complain about our lot, thinking there is no point in practicing this Buddhism if it is going to involve so many challenges and wondering if we might not have had an easier time if we had not started chanting. 

Well aware of this human trait, Nichiren teaches the means by which ordinary people can walk the path to attaining the noble state of Buddhshood. Genuine Buddhism teaches fundamental trust in and respect for the Buddha Nature inherent within all human beings." 

Daisaku Ikeda, from Living Buddhism, November 2015, pages 36 and 37. 

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Okay, I know we "know" our lives contain dignity and power and the Buddha Nature. I know we read President Ikeda's Guidance, and the Gosho, and we "understand" them with our minds...but do we understand them with our hearts? 

This is the work we do in front of the Gohonzon. When we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo (meaning: I fuse my life with the mystic law of cause and effect through sound vibration) we tap into the power that is our birthright...that is always there for us...and we access that power for ourselves and for others. 

We can access the power to understand the profundity of our lives, the magnificence of our lives, and our true Buddha nature. 

How much do we each realize that we are the Buddha?

I hear people around me putting themselves down all the time. It seems to be part of our culture that we can't go around saying "I am magnificent. I am the Buddha." and I think we can and should change that part of the culture. Putting ourselves down is not helpful...especially when we are talking to ourselves. 

If we can't build ourselves up, who can? That's why I always say "Do not put yourself down. Ever. Not even in your head. you are a magnificent being...a Buddha of the highest respect. A Soka Gakkai Buddhist." 

President Ikeda has told us over and over that we will be remembered forever as the Soka Gakkai Buddhists. Each one of us is living out a drama of the highest significance. Each one of us is showing actual proof of the power of the mystic law to change our lives, change the lives of others and bring about a peaceful world through the power of our vow, and our chanting. 

And it REALLY HELPS if we REALLY believe this. It helps if we believe in the power of our lives and the power of our prayer. How can we really get to this point, that we believe it WITH OUR LIVES...and with every cell in our beings? Well, the answer is easy. 

We can chant to believe in our own magnificence. We can chant to believe in the power of our prayer. We can chant to dispel doubt forever and deepen our prayer at every moment. 

I have been chanting to uphold and see the dignity of my own life at each moment. I have been chanting to be present in each moment, and to BE WITH each person in front of me each moment. And you know what? When we are alone, WE are that person. WE are the one we need to support and uphold. We are the one we have to honor. 

How can we do this? We can start by talking to ourselves just like we would talk to our own very best friends. We can stop saying we are "idiots" or any other negative word. We can stop slandering our own lives 

We can tell ourselves we're doing great! We can tell ourselves we are beautiful, and we get more beautiful every day...inside and out. We can tell ourselves we make a difference. We can build up our own selves, while we are chanting and while we are going about our daily business. 

And we can make daily causes that prove our magnificence...chanting for wisdom...acting in wisdom and bringing forth our best selves! 

Greet the Gohonzon (Your LIFE) With Enthusiasm!

I'll tell you, I am in love with chanting two hours a day. I just feel so positive and in rhythm. I have three people coming to chant every morning, and some available in the evenings. Right now I aim for two hours in the morning, plus a half hour on the treadmill. I feel fantastic. When I feel healthy and am working out and looking great everything changes. 

All I had to do to do this is to suffer enough to make the determination that I wasn't going to suffer anymore. That's it! Then follow through with my promises to myself. 

Yesterday I went to a beautiful concert of Brahms Requiem by getting free tickets for pledging money to my local classical music station. I went with one of my SGI friends...and discovered that the Requiem is all about comforting the grieving. It was sung in English, as Brahms intended it to be sung ~ in the correct language for each country. 

Beautiful. 

Today I'm heading off for an art fair and a folk music festival and I'm excited about both on this beautiful fall day! 

Recently, I moved my Butsudan lower so I can get closer to the Gohonzon when I chant. And I am following the guidance to fall in love with the Gohonzon. Every time I chant, I'm chanting like I'm meeting a long lost lover...which is, of course, my own life! If we can't love ourselves, then who can we love...?

I'm looking at each of the characters and appreciating and loving each one...and loving the Gohonzon as a whole. 

As my friend in Mark Lutnes suggests, greet the Gohonzon as enthusiastically as you would a friend. If you see your friend and just drone a lackluster hello, your friend will feel greeted, but not enthusiastically. If you say HELLO FRIEND and greet them with a smile and a hug and are sincerely excited to see them, they will respond in kind. It's like that when we greet the Gohonzon, our lives! What do we want to generate? Supreme happiness and appreciation! Yes! 

5 Sure Fire Ways to Super-Charge Your Life, Strengthen Your Life and GET RESULTS!

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Like the ocean that remains calm in its depths even when waves rage over its surface, and like the sun that continues shining on high even during storms, we can at each moment create value and develop our state of life, enjoying our existence to the fullest in times of both suffering and joy.

Daisaku Ikeda, Ikedaquotes.org Self-Mastery

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As you know, if you've been reading this blog, I use my own life to encourage people. I am determined to show through my actions, through my results, through my heart and my passion that this practice works. 

And, I've been chanting 2 hours a day since September 20th. There are days I haven't gotten to 2 hours, but that is my goal every day, and I make it more often than not.

I am following the SGI formula for success:
1. Chant abundant Daimoku
2. Practice for yourself and others 
3. Study the writings of Daisaku Ikeda and Nichiren Daishonin
4. Go for Guidance with your senior leaders
and, I would add -  
5: Have a great suffering to alleviate, or a great desire...in other words BE MOTIVATED! 

My perspective on what just happened in my life...the death of my son...is changing through my Daimoku. I am generating real, true appreciation for having had this wonderful, inspiring light in my life for 22 years. And when I feel this sincerely, it replaces the deep, dark sadness, at least for awhile. I am finding that the sadness comes in waves. I can be my bright and shiny self...and then suddenly swept away by sadness. I think this is normal. Even Buddhists grieve. I chant through my tears when this happens. 

As I chant to realize the greater meaning of all of this, I am seeing that my son expiated karma for himself, and helped me to expiate my karma too. All of this will keep unfolding. 

I met a senior leader after Kosen-Rufu Gongyo on Sunday. I told her I still have some regrets of things I wish I had done differently while Ben was still alive. She told me to chant to rid my life of any doubt that I did the right thing. And that when I rid my life of this doubt it would be a profound strengthening of my faith. And I've been following that guidance. 

I didn't realize that regrets about my actions from back then were actually manifestations of DOUBT. She really gave me something to think about and chant about. This is why guidance from senior leaders is so important. It's important to go to your own senior leaders. And the higher your life condition is - the more you will understand what the senior leader says. How do you raise your life condition? Chant! 

Danny Nagashima told me Ben will be reborn shortly, and he'll be 14 in the year 2030. What a wonderful thought. What a wonderful thought. It makes me think of the power of Daimoku....all that daimoku I chanted for him will be affecting him in his next life, right? It went into his life, not just this lifetime. Pretty cool. 

As I chant, I am deepening my faith and my perspective. And my life is rocking! My work-life is a blast! I'm doing more and more speeches, and enjoying each day. And I'm refocused on my health and fitness. I am determined to look and feel better than I EVER have. I'm already showing great progress! What a great way to heal!

What is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and Why do We Chant It? Feel free to share...

What does Nam-myoho-renge-kyo mean, 

and why do we chant it? 

By Jamie Lee Silver of ChantforHappiness.com - 
Not an official SGI site. 
FInd out more about the SGI by clicking on the link to the right. 

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by putting your email in the box to the right. 

Translate button is at the top right.)

The literal translation is:

"I fuse my life 

with the mystic law of cause and effect 

through sound vibration (or sutra)." 

It is the title of the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha's highest teaching that declares that ALL people possess the Buddha Nature...all people ARE Buddhas...and we can access this nature by calling it forth in our lives using this phrase. 

Being a Buddha - 
is tapping the river of life that runs through ALL life - summoning the mystic law 
by realizing 
we ARE the Mystic Law. 
We not only chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo ~ 
we ARE Nam-myoho-renge-kyo ~the Mystic Law. 

I like to think of it as "I am one with the rhythm of all life." It is the rhythm that exists within all of life...the reason for the turning of the tides...the reason for the seasons...the atoms that exist within every single cell...from an elephant to a spec of dust...to the cells in our hearts and minds. Everything possesses this connectedness...this rhythm.  
It is all encompassing and contains the wisdom and energy of all of life itself...the whole universe. 

When we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo we tap into that energy and access it for our lives...directed towards our desires and for the fulfillment of happiness for all. In this practice, it's okay to have desires. More than okay! We don't have to alleviate them. Desires make us who we are and lead us to chant. 

When we chant we change the internal life within our lives. We change the core and fiber of our lives. We change our karma. And when we make that internal change, our ENVIRONMENT (meaning everything that is not within our own skin, our jobs, our relationships, our sense of self, everything we experience and think) ALL of that changes to reflect our internal change. We call this "Human Revolution."

When we chant we harness the energy that is our birthright. And we chant twice a day, every single day, to get and keep our lives in rhythm. 

When we are in rhythm we are in the right place at the right time... to find out about and get the job...or to meet the man of our dreams...or to protect our child from danger. When we are in rhythm life isn't so much of a struggle as it is a joy...we see the beauty in everything and we feel our lives overflowing with appreciation. 

We chant for something and get it or something better. We get access to internal happiness and strength that cannot be blown away by any event or obstacles. 

In fact, we view obstacles (problems)
themselves as benefits, as strange as that may sound....because obstacles make us chant more, and when we chant more we draw even higher life conditions and deeper satisfaction into our lives. 

What can we chant FOR? Anything. We chant for others, we chant for our planet, our countries, and ouselves. 
We can chant for whatever our desire may be...even if it might not be the "right" desire for us. In the act of chanting, we will change our karma and our desires themselves will naturally begin to shift. We will open our lives to the deeper wisdom within...the deeper yearning, the REAL desires that we have forgotten or given up on. We will grow. We will prosper and we will blossom. 

We will gain the wisdom of the right action to take - because ACTION springs from wisdom. 

The challenge is...we need to DO it. We have to chant to bring all this rhythm and harmony out. And that's why we practice together as an organization, the SGI, The Soka Gakkai, our fellowship of friends who support each other, chant for each other, and create a new Soka family for each practitioner. We are so fortunate. 

I hear from people all over the world, and some have strong SGI groups in their towns and others are completely alone. I love that we can connect through the power of the internet. From the moment I began chanting more than 30 years ago I have had the deep desire to share this practice, this practice that WORKS, with everyone who is looking for the real, practical means of creating happiness and results in their lives. 

We are in this life together...sharing our challenges and our successes. If you are not yet connected to the SGI please go to sgi-usa.com and find your local members. You will be so glad you did. 

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Some Powerful Quotes from the President of the Soka Gakkai International, Daisaku Ikeda from Ikedaquotes.org:

THIS moment, this instant, is important, 
not some unknown time in the future. 
Today, this very day is what matters. 
You must put your whole being 
into the time that exists now. 
For future victory rests in the present moment.

BUDDHISM holds that 
everything is in a constant state of flux. 
Thus, the question is 
whether we are to accept change passively 
and be swept away by it, 
or whether we are to take the lead 
and create positive changes on our own initiative. 
While conservatism and self-protection
might be likened to winter, night and death, 
the spirit of pioneering and attempting to realize 
these ideals evokes the images of spring,
morning and birth.

DO gongyo and chant daimoku with a fresh spirit. 
And, filled with renewed vitality. 

Build a history of accumulating fresh benefit.

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One Way to Become Your Own Cheerleader. Go YOU!

"While controlling your mind, which is at once both extremely subtle and extremely profound, you should strive to elevate your faith with freshness and vigor. WHen you do so, both your life and your surroundings will open wide before you and every action you take will become a source of benefit. Understanding the subtle workings of one's mind is the key to faith and attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime."
Daisaku Ikeda, For Today and Tomorrow, page95. 

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I had a recent exchange with a reader who said to me "I am my own worst enemy when it comes to chanting." And my first thought, of course, was "stop saying that!" When you speak you make your words come true.

What he said may be true...in his mind. And people may have told him that. But that is not a belief that will empower him. And we ALL have the power to change our beliefs...and master our minds. Here's how it works: 

Think about it... saying "I am my own worst enemy" is actually a form of self-slander. Self-slandering is not a cause we want to make!  

Our words express our thoughts, and our thoughts make up who we are. When we proclaim anything about ourselves we bring it into being. We give it life. And we have the choice to change our thoughts about ourselves. 

How? First by realizing that we CAN...by realizing that any belief is not SET...and that we can change at a fundamental level whenever we want. We are Buddhas!

When we are thinking  a thought like that, a thought that doesn't serve us, we can ask ourselves 

"Do I really want that thought to create my future? 
Can I choose a better one?" 

And see what appears. We can change "I am my own worst enemy" to "I am my own best cheerleader." 

And we say it over and over and over. After saying this over and over,we come to believe it - that is the power of our words! 

Just ask yourself - "which would I rather be?" And think about this whenever you call yourself negative names. You're a Buddha, through and through. Talk to yourself as the Buddha you are!