On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land

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I was up at 5 am today to chant for an hour before picking up three fellow practitioners to go to the Chicago Culture Center today. It was perfect, I left the house before 8, and we were at the Center by 9:00 in time to get a parking spot in the parking lot. Woohoo!

It was a lecture on 

"On Establishing the Correct Teaching 

for the Peace of the Land" 

Engaging in dialogues of hope 

to bring happiness and peace to all people.

There was a good discussion about slander of our own life and of others. It left me more determined than ever to grow as a human being and to be more aware of self-slander and slander of others. In Buddhism, as you know, we are all interconnected. (We are all worthy Buddhas. Slandering ourselves - doubting our capabilities, calling ourselves denigrating names) - or speaking behind people's backs - can take away all our good fortune. 

We need to have the courage and wisdom to speak TO people, not ABOUT people...to be kind, of course, and to not harbor grudges against ANYONE. That's a tall order for all of us - and one worth chanting about. 

One of the leaders told a story about a district he was in where they were doing everything right...but slandering each other...and everyone's benefit was eroded. Important lessons. 

And we discussed having the courage to do shakubuku (introduce people to this practice) - which starts with Daimoku. That's how my new shakubuku Crystal came into my life...I chanted and she showed up with her great seeking spirit! I chanted to meet someone who is ready. and here she is! 
Today was her first time at the Chicago Culture Center. I chanted an hour yesterday for her, and another hour this morning just for her...she is just an inspiration to me. She worked until late last night and still came out this morning.

GO Buddha Go! 

I hope you are practicing with the SGI. If not, click on the link to the right to find a district in your area! 

PowerPrayer to Appreciate and Praise YourSELF!

Your words DO have great power. 

Make sure when you speak to yourself 

that you use kind and loving words. 

Often we are hardest on our own selves, right? 

As far as I am concerned, society is always telling us what we are doing WRONG. School reinforces what is wrong with us. People who are insecure reinforce what is wrong with us. 
It is up to each one of us to reinforce what is RIGHT with us, and to switch our focus away from the feeling that we are guilty or bad. Changing our focus to the positive is at the core of revealing our own Buddha Nature. I love Buddhism, because its very focus is on what is RIGHT with us. THIS practice of Buddhism is a tool to get to the core of our lives...by remaking our vow to help others, we reveal our own highest and best nature. 

Of course, as we all know, the law of cause and effect operates in our lives all the time. If we focus our daimoku on what we are doing right, chant to make positive causes, and to reveal our Buddha Nature, we will see our environment change to reflect our inner changes. 

This is the core of our practice of Buddhism. The more we reveal our Buddha nature, the more our environment changes and the more desires we fulfill, and the more our resilence and strength grows. This practice is the KEY to Achieving our goals by changing from the inside out and changing our negative karma right here, right now. 

So, my ideas for changing a negatively focused life to a positively focused one follow:

1. Before you get out of bed in the morning think of at least 10 things you are grateful for. They can be anything from health to friendships to ANYTHING. What are you grateful for? I advised my sweet Mommy to do this when she was feeling depressed, and she said it entirely lifted her depression. This is one of those things that sounds like a good idea, but really, if you try it, it does make a difference. 

2. When you chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo every morning and evening, start with a feeling of gratitude. SUMMON gratitude. Work your spiritual muscle. Think of what you are grateful for, and make your own life, and your own self be part of that prayer. We are all so fortunate to have heard of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.  We are all fortunate to be practicing, to have a Gohonzon, and to be a part of the Soka Gakkai organization with our mentor Daisaku Ikeda and countless sincere members worldwide.  Bring forth that feeling of appreciation when you chant. 

3. Chant to reveal your Buddha nature. Chant to believe in the goodness within yourself. Chant to shine your life from within. Chant "I praise my life."

4. When you focus on your life being the actual proof that this practice works you will see benefit. When you focus on being an example that this practice works, and having your life and actions inspire others to begin chanting, you will see benefit flowing in all directions into your life. Chant to do shakubuku and help others become happy, and you will experience greater joy than ever before. 

5. Realize that you ARE the Buddha. You are the walking, talking embodiment of someone who is awakened to the law of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. This realization alone is a great cause for your happiness. Chant to see yourself as a Buddha and to feel yourself as the true Buddha you are. 

6. I chant to see the world through Daisaku Ikeda's eyes and to share his heart for Kosen Rufu. Sometimes when I chant I imagine him sitting here with me, and that our prayers for the happiness of all people are joined. 

Here is a PowerPrayer to help you reveal your glorious self, you true Buddhahood. You can read this before chanting, and absorb the parts that resonate with you. Then while you are chanting you may notice increased focus as you deeply chant with these thoughts, and your own thoughts and prayers flowing through your mind. 

Power Prayer 
for revealing your Buddha Nature 
and Appreciating YourSELF

"I chant to reveal the pure, sparkling Diamond
 of resilience, strength, wisdom and heart
 that lies within me. 
With every Daimoku, I chant to love myself more 
every single day. 
I chant that every cause I make, 
at every single moment of every single day 
leads me to see my Buddha nature. 
I chant that my Buddha Nature emerge 
and flow from my life touching everyone I see. 
I chant that I see my life 
as the brilliant sparkling Diamond that it is. 
I chant that throughout the day 
I say only nice words to myself. 
I chant to praise myself with my every thought. 
I chant to believe in my own goodness 
and to see it revealed in my actions. 
I pray to realize my life as the Buddha I am.
I see through the eyes of the Buddha, 
I feel President Ikeda's heart and spirit in all I do. 
I chant that those around me are inspired to begin chanting, just by seeing my happiness flow. 
I chant to meet the people who are looking for this law, 

and to be able to help them practice -  

for the rest of their lives!"

How Do You Know When You're Chanting Enough Daimoku? Enough Nam-myoho-renge-kyo?

"How do you know when you're chanting enough Daimoku ? Enough Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo?

When you have no fear, 

when you are happy, 

when all obstacles look like opportunities, not problems, 

THAT'S when you are chanting enough Daimoku. 

If you are afraid, or worried...or troubled, it's time to sit down and chant more. 

Chant for peace of mind. 

Chant to be happy and serene. 

Chant to have victory in all areas of your life. 

I know sometimes it's hard. 

I know it's difficult to focus, and sometimes the people around us are interrupting us and wanting our attention. 

I know it can be hard to put that cell phone down and focus on your own life and chant with all your heart. 

But my promise, and Nichiren Daishonin's promise, and Daisaku Ikeda's promise is that you CAN become happy...happier than you ever imagined...if you devote yourself to this practice. 

There is no doubt. 

But the key is you have to do it! 

No one else can purify your life besides you. 

No one can chant for you like YOU can chant for you. 

You are the only one. 

And you would not be reading this if you were not capable of chanting your happiness into being. 

You can do it! 

You absolutely can be happy. 

You must summon the power within your life with the most incredible key of life... Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo.

--

Jamie Lee Silver

Blog: Chantforhappiness.com

630-926-3001

"When a single sun rises, everything is illuminated."

Daisaku Ikeda

3 Essential Steps to Turning Poison into Medicine

We Nichiren Buddhists live by the phrase "Turning Poison into Benefit." We see each difficulty as an opportunity to create something wonderful from it. Except when we don't. It's sometimes hard to see the benefit that will come from a suffering. Sometimes we think the suffering will last forever. But I can assure you - with my life as an example, that we CAN turn all poison, all bad events into benefits. 

And remember  ~ we are not here to MASTER SUFFERING! We are here to be happy, and help the whole world be happier!

When I saw today's Gosho quote I just had to smile: 

"I explained the teachings of the Lotus Sutra 
to you before. 
Matters of minor importance arise from good, 
but when it comes to matters of great importance, 
great disaster without fail changes into great fortune."

(WND, 824)
A warning against begrudging One's Fief, 
Written to Shijo Kingo in July 1271

My life is certainly proving this to be true, in all ways. As many of you know, I am a 30-year practitioner of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism, and I write this blog to show the proof of this practice through my life. I'm an enthusiastic SGI member, and this blog comes straight from my heart. It took me many years to find this practice, and I write to help people find it, and to encourage us all to continue and forge on! 

I experienced the "greatest disaster" possible for a mother last summer, when after three years of trying to save my younger son's life, he lost it to the disease of Schizophrenia on July 2nd, 2015. (Yes, he "took his own life", but he would not have done that without the disease in his brain) 

I wrote many blogs from July 4th on, sharing his music and my spirit to turn poison into medicine no matter what. And in my heart, I knew I could do this. But, as his loving mother, I knew the grieving process would be intense. 

Sometimes it can be hard to imagine that a positive experience will come from something negative, but I can give you some hope for turning around the negatives. I have found there are 3 keys. 

Key #1
Forge Fearlessly Ahead and DO NOT give in to DOUBT! 
in other words keep chanting, keep living, keep going. Stengthen your faith more than ever...not in spite of hardships, but because of them. Stengthen your determination to be the Buddha you ARE! Study. Do Shakubuku. Use your faith! 

Key #2
Accept help. 
I have had people here chanting with me consistently. I accept the support, and those people are winning too! Embrace your friends in this organization. And if you don't have any - find them...determine to make friends in faith. Chant about this too!  

Key #3
Sometimes you just have to tough it out. Relief may be just around the corner. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This has been a tough winter. It's been hard for me to write at times. Just before Christmas, my car died. My beloved Acura CL 2001 died. It requires $2500 to rebuild the transmission, and it's not even worth that...so I've been driving Ben's car, and I've been grateful to have it. But I realized a few weeks ago that using his car was messing up my body. The location of the gear shift and the pedals caused my neck, back and legs to go all out of wack. 
My entire body has been in pain - I could barely walk. Thankfully, I'm now borrowing Aaron's car while I shop for cars. 

And here's the benefit:

I have long known I had neck problems that have been causing me all sorts of pain...pain in my hands, my back, my knee, my hips...you name it! 
This week I reconnected with my nephew in Florida. He's a special kind of Chiropractor who concentrates on upper cervical work. I've always wanted to have this type of treatment, but it seemed out of reach financially. 
Last week he told me about a doctor here in Chicago who went to school with him. On Saturday, I went in, got the first treatment and feel the first relief I've felt in a long time. We are on the verge of actually correcting the problem. 

So, you see, if my car had not broken down (a "poison"), I would not have been in the pain that led me to seek this treatment (a benefit). But as I've been going through this pain, I must admit, I have not been thinking of it as a benefit. 

SO, If you have a poison you are going through....just KEEP GOING! Don't stop. You will get to the other side. I promise. If you don't give up! 

New Year Quotes By Louise Hay

Affirmations for the new year by Louise Hay ❤

1. I begin today by loving and accepting every part of myself, inside and out, exactly as I am.

2. Today, I look for the beauty in everyone and everything.

3. Today, whenever I need anything, I know that it will be provided.

4. I am grateful for all the good that is coming my way.

5. Today I take a moment to count my blessings.

6. When I think of others, I affirm that they are happy and healthy and that all is well in their world.

7. Abundance comes to me from expected and unexpected sources, and I express gratitude for all of it.

8. I now allow new and wonderful things to come into my life. I am open and receptive to all that is good.

9. Change and surprise are evident everywhere I go today. I look with delight at all I see.

10. My friends are loving and supportive.

11. Everyone in my family is Divinely protected at all times.

12. Loving others is easy when I love and accept myself.

13. Humor and joy contribute to my overall well-being.

14. Compliments are gifts of prosperity. I have learned to accept them graciously.

15. Today I give myself permission to do whatever gives me the most pleasure.

Generating "Earnest Resolve" and Making Each Nam-myoho-renge-kyo Count!

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How do we approach our lives powerfully? 
How do we make each moment count? 
How do we generate "earnest resolve"?

We KNOW that each moment contains the seed and power of the entire universe within our lives (ichinen sanzen) We KNOW THIS MOMENT is important. What do we need to harness and activate and use this knowledge with every fiber of our being? Here are some insights from the September Gosho study on the Gift of Rice:


The Gosho, the Gift of Rice states: 
"When we carefully consider what exactly "earnest resolve" refers to, it is the doctrine of observing the mind." 
(From the Gift of Rice by Nichiren Daishonin, Living Buddhism September 2015, page 29)

President Ikeda states "Everything is determined by the direction in which our "earnest resolve" orients our minds. When we focus our "earnest resolve" on our Buddhist practice, believing and practicing the Mystic Law that enables all people to attain enlightenment, our inner Buddhahood reveals itself, pervading our lives and the environment." 
LB, 9/15, page 38

How powerfully can earnest resolve work in our lives? 

Akeymi Bailey Haynie, our National SGI Leader said one day she heard her mother cry out from a nightmare, and realized that her mother had been having nightmares every night. (Her mother is a survivor of the WWII bombings in Japan). Akeymi developed a deep resolve in her heart and sat down and chanted 15 minutes of focused Daimoku that her mother would NEVER AGAIN have another nightmare. She reached that level of "now or never" or "NO WAY!" that is so powerful, and her Mom never had another nightmare. 

We all have this power in our lives. Sensei tells us this every day. When we are in front of the Gohonzon it is up to us to summon this resolve, and to focus our minds.

We all have this power! Today I offer you: 

PowerPrayer to Ignite and Focus
Our Inner Resolve
by Jamie Lee Silver from ChantforHappiness.com

LIFE! 
Now it the crucial moment! 
THIS MOMENT 
While I am chanting I am drawing a line in the sand! 
I am changing this KARMA Forever - 
I am rooting the cause from my life now! 
This shall happen:__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
and/or THIS shall STOP happening:________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I NOW summon all the power vested in me as a worthy votary of the Lotus Sutra. 
My life is Powerful!
My daimoku is Powerful
Shoten Zenjin activate your forces NOW! 
Each Daimoku summons my power!
Each Daimoku has an effect NOW
For the sake of World Peace, I ignite my vow!
I will show actual proof -  inspire myself, inspire others, 
and change the world! 
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo! 

The Gohonzon is Not Outside Us !

From the Power of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo ~ Very Powerful!

THE GOHONZON IS NOT OUTSIDE US by Linda Johnson

I find that so many people still chant to the Gohonzon as if it were some God or some force outside of themselves. The attitude with which we chant, and the attitude with which we view the Gohonzon is most important, because if we have a distorted view, we will have a distorted practice, and it is that distorted practice and view, that we will teach to others.

We know from study that the characters on the Gohonzon represent the two sides of life and all of the positive/negative attributes that exist within life, including that fundamental darkness that coexists within every human life. Nichiren Daishonin says that there is no life that has one without the other. The characters representing both aspects of life are written on the Gohonzon. For me what is exciting is to know, that even without my being able to read it, Nichiren Daishonin wrote all of these characters on the Gohonzon, which represent every aspect of life, in such a way that every character is looking at the centre just like you and me. Every character is looking at Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo. Think about the Ceremony in the Air. Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo is the axis of the universe and we’re forming a circle around that axis.

All of us are looking at Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo. It is the centre that every character is looking at. Why? It is because Nichiren Daishonin is giving us a continual message every time we look at the Gohonzon. The message is that we must base our life on the Law and never on the person. It is the mystic law that has enabled every Buddha throughout eternity to be able to manifest their fullest potential, and that it is the key, which is the centre, for everything. We have to make Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo the centre of our life and we have to base our life on Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo. It means being able to see and to hear ourselves. It means that whenever we are facing a problem, we don’t just try to use our brain to figure it out, or strategise how to fix it. Many members still do this, and after they have racked their brain as to what to do in order to get from Point A to Point B or to fix the problem, they then chant the solution to the Gohonzon to make it work!. I think that this is practising incorrectly. Let me tell you why.
When we talk about the nine levels of consciousness, the first five are our senses. Sight, Hearing, Smell, Taste and Touch. The sixth level is the conscious mind. The seventh is the unconscious mind. The eighth level is what we call the karma storage area, which is that area in our life that has accumulated every cause we have ever made throughout all existences. Below that is the ninth level of consciousness, which Buddhism says, is the one pure, unchanging reality of our life.

Every single one of us has fortune and lack of fortune in our life. In the areas in which we have fortune, we can do the same things we see other people do and we can achieve our goals but in the areas of your life where you lack fortune, you can do the identical thing you see your neighbour doing, but the object of your desire seems to move further and further away, right?

EXCHANGING MISFORTUNE FOR FORTUNE

When we are dealing with problems in our lives, they have a causal connection to us. Many times they come from that place in our life where we lack fortune. And so, if we use our brain to strategize how to fix things, our brain can only go to the eighth level of consciousness, which is the karma storage. That is the area which stores up and accumulates all of the causes we have ever made, and it’s seems to be the place in which; WE DO NOT SEEM TO HAVE FORTUNE . Our brain then devises a solution based on lack of fortune. By following this “mental” solution, we will keep reinforcing the same pattern of karmic tendencies over and over in our lives.

But what Nichiren teaches is that by chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo you can pierce through the eighth level of karma storage. Pierce through it, be unaffected by it, and you can reach the pure unchanging reality and infinite wisdom of your life that is unaffected by karma storage. That answer is the correct answer for your life. It’s not affected by your karma in the area in which you lack fortune. And this is why I believe Nichiren Daishonin says we must become the master of our mind rather than allowing our mind to master us.

My point is this; when we pray, we need to start from a determination such as: “I will accomplish X,” (whatever X is). We also have to understand from Buddhism that we create our life every moment through our thoughts, our words, and our behavior. Prayer in Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism is profoundly different from prayer in other religions. We are not praying to something outside of ourselves to bestow something on us. Instead, our prayer here is the determination that; “I will create the object or thing that I am praying for through my causes of thought, words, and actions. I am the creator of my life and I will take the responsibility to create the thing that I am praying for, and that after I have chanted this kind of determined daimoku, I will accomplish X.” I then must come to a realization… “How in the world am I going to do this? That answer only exists inside of my life. I can tap my wisdom for the answer when I have the belief and conviction, that the answer exists inside of me.” And I start chanting with the determination to pull that wisdom up from within my life to clearly see what it is that I need to do in order to create the thing that I’m praying for. That is why President Ikeda says:
“Benefit comes from you. Nobody gives you benefit.”

Excerpt - The Art of listening with the eyes of a Buddha

By Linda Johnson, SGI-USA WD Leader