What if you get Bored Chanting?

Yesterday - Aaron and Meg's going away party. 

Today they left for Australia for 6 weeks

My sister Alison is in pink, and her husband Frank is to the right. Paul is behind me.

This morning, believe it or not, I got bored while chanting. I had the thought: "I have been chanting for this goal for SO LONG - what's the use?" Such a clear attack of fundamental darkness, right? And instead of stopping chanting, I reached for one of my favorite books, "The Heart of the Lotus Sutra." I read:

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"The true aspect of the Buddha is found in the ability to lead a pure and noble existence, to emit the fragrance of compassion and to shine with wisdom, even amid painful circumstances. It is this function of the Mystic Law that is eternal."
From "The Heart if the Lotus Sutra" by Daisaku Ikeda, page 130

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Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the power within us all, even amidst our pain...

And I picked up where I had left off and chanted for another hour. I'm in painful circumstances, but I am determined to shine. I'm battling every day, just like you are. Let's win together! You are inspiring me with your emails. Thank you so much!

Problems are Like Push Ups ~ They strengthen our Muscle of Faith!

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Problems, once embraced and challenged, are the "weights" that build our muscle of faith. 

How do we accomplish this? How do we embrace our problems? We embrace our problems every single time we sit down to chant. We embrace our problems every time we are not defeated. We embrace our problems every time we say "Heck NO! I've got a Gohonzon - this suffering ends NOW!" 

And we do this day after day after day. That's what makes us winners. We activate our highest potential through chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. We access our wisdom, take the right action and power through when the going gets tough. 

How do we do this? For one thing, we focus on others we wish to help. Today, and every day, I wake up with the conviction that again, this day, I will win. I will win to show actual proof that YES! Chanting nam-myoho-renge-kyo works! The Mystic Law (Nam-myoho-renge-kyo) when chanted, activates our innate power, helps us to break through any dead ends, and enables us to forever change our karma. 

But it's not easy, is it? It takes courage to sit down one more time to chant...it takes courage to face our lives. And the more we face our lives, the stronger our muscle of faith grows. And when we have a strong muscle of faith we can sit down with absolutely no doubt and know that YES, this daimoku, this VERY DAY, is changing my karma forever! That's a strong muscle of faith! 

Every time we chant we have the opportunity to life the weights of our faith. RRRRRRR! We can do it. 

When we chant we strengthen our mind of faith!

How strong is our mind while sitting in front of our Gohonzon? How focused are we? How certain are we that WE are the Buddha commanding our life? 
Every time we overcome our resistance to chanting. Every time we ring that bell we win!

We are all winning together. 
You inspire me and countless others every day! 

12 Powerful Nichiren Buddhist Quotes on Overcoming Illness

For any of you who are facing illness - this should raise your spirits! 

The person who originally compiled these quotes 

was able to use this practice and modern medicine 

to overcome breast cancer completely. 

Please feel free to forward the link to this post 

to anyone who is suffering from illness. 

From President Ikeda's Lecture series "The Hope-filled Teachings of Nichiren Daishonin: On Prolonging One's Life Span - Faith for Leading a Long and healthy Life" in the July-August 08 Living Buddhism. (Thank you to my friend Melissa Bradford for compiling these great quotes!)

1. “Suffering from illness is a means by which you can eradicate your negative karma.”  
President Toda, as quoted by President Ikeda. - pg 70 

2. “To see illness as an opportunity to transform our karma – this strong spirit and resolve can break through all obstacles and devilish functions and open wide the path to happiness.  Like a rocket blasting out of the earth’s atmosphere, the passionate conviction of faith that comes from viewing illness as an opportunity to transform our karma can become a powerful engine propelling us forward not only in this existence but throughout eternity, enabling us to freely savor everlasting happiness.”  Pg 74

3. “Becoming ill in itself is certainly not a sign of defeat.  Even the Buddha, who is said to have ‘few ills and few worries’ (LS, 214), struggles with sickness from time to time.  Accordingly, there will be times when we are confronted with illness.  The important point above all is not to be defeated mentally or emotionally by the prospect of being ill.  Faith is the source of the fighting spirit to stand up to illness.  Therefore, as we noted earlier, Nichiren Daishonin first of all talks about the ‘treasure of faith’.  Pg 77

4. “As Nichiren says, ‘Illness gives rise to the resolve to attain the way’ (The Good Medicine for All Ills, WND-1, 937).  If a practitioner who upholds faith in the Mystic Law becomes ill, it definitely has some profound meaning.  It could be said that confronting illness is one route to awakening to the eternity of life.  President Toda often said, ‘A person who has overcome a major illness knows how to deeply savor life.’” Pg78

5. From Matilda Buck’s guidance, World Tribune 4/27/01 pg 10 “When We Face Disappointment” – regarding SGI leaders who overcame cancer and chanted this way:  

Through this experience, I will become someone who does not doubt the Gohonzon (my life), no matter what happens.
As a Bodhisattva of the Earth, I have the mission to experience this, and as a Bodhisattva of the Earth, I have the mission to create a victory.
I will share the power of Buddhism with others, even as I grapple with this experience.
I won’t let my spirits stay down.  I won’t make a place in my life for negativity to settle.

6.From The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra Volume 6:  “Praying with doubt is like trying to keep water in a bathtub with the plug pulled.  Our good fortune and benefit will drain away.  A passage from the ‘Perceiver of the World’s Sounds’ chapter reads, ‘from thought to thought never entertaining doubt!’  A confident prayer will reverberate powerfully throughout the entire universe.”  Pg 88

From Buddhism Day by Day:

7. “Buddhism views illness as an opportunity to attain a higher, nobler state of life.  It teaches that, instead of agonizing over a serious disease, or despairing of ever overcoming it, we should use illness as a means to build a strong, compassionate self, which in turn will make it possible for us to be truly victorious.”  pg 300

8. “The expansive world lies not in some distant place; it exists right where you are.  That is why you need to win where you are right now.  Today’s victory is linked to your eternal victory.”  Page 314

9, “No matter what the circumstances, you should never concede defeat.  Never conclude that you’ve reached a dead end, that everything is finished.  You possess a glorious future.  And precisely because of that, you must persevere and study.  Life is eternal.  We need to focus on the two existences of the present and the future and not get caught up in the past.  We must always have the spirit to begin anew ‘from this moment,’ to initiate a new struggle each day.” Pg 315

10. “The air around us is filled with radio waves of various frequencies.  While these are invisible, a television set can collect them and turn them into visible images.  The practice of chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo aligns the rhythm of our own lives with the world of Buddhahood in the universe.  It ‘tunes’ our lives, so to speak, so that we can manifest the power of Buddhahood in our very beings.” Pg 314



11. From For Today and Tomorrow Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda: Sept 20 pg 288:  
When your determination changes, everything else will begin to move in the direction you desire.  The moment you resolve to be victorious, every nerve and fiber in your being will immediately orient itself toward your success.  On the other hand, if you think “This is never going to work out,” then at that instant every cell in your being will be deflated and give up the fight, and then everything really will move in the direction of failure.

12. Aug 15 pg. 249:  
The first thing is to pray.  From the moment we begin to pray, things start moving.  The darker the night, the closer the dawn.  From the moment we chant daimoku with a deep and powerful resolve, the sun begins to rise in our hearts.  Hope – prayer is the sun of hope.  To chant daimoku each time we face a problem, overcoming it and elevating our life-condition as a result – this is the path of “changing earthly desires into enlightenment,” taught in Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism.

Look How Far You've Come!

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Yes! We need to look at how far we've come, instead of always looking at how far we need to go. Its easy to get caught up in the "to do" of life, isn't it? 
And it's easy to have the old internal "demons" come up, and forget to recognize them for what they are.

A few weeks ago I was chanting three hours a day, for my country, for Aaron and Meg and their residency, and for the upcoming changes I intend to make. 

Then, last week, I started experiencing what I call "daimoku backlash." All the old fears, depression, hopelessness and loneliness came rushing back to roll me under the waves. I kept chanting every morning, but inside my heart I felt this old and familiar hopelessness.

Yesterday the gosho quote I love so much came to mind from "On Attaining Buddhahood" ~ my favorite gosho. (Gosho are the letters Nichiren Daishonin wrote to his followers) 

I have engraved this gosho in my life, and it came back to help me at this crucial moment. "Unless one perceives the true nature of his life, his practice will become and endless, painful austerity." And what is the true nature of our lives? That we are powerful beyond measure - OF COURSE! That's why we chant. We are powerless beyond measure...and sometimes we forget this. 
Daisaku Ikeda often tells us to read the gosho with our lives - to ingrain the words within our souls. It is for times like this, when we are suffering, that the ingrained gosho can come back to us and help our lives to shine once again. I love this practice! 

So I'm writing this blog from my new computer that actually works, and letting you know once again that we can rise from anything. A new day will always dawn if we don't give up. We WILL turn that corner. Please do not give up. No matter what. 
Keep chanting through your tears. 
Keep studying. 
Keep doing shakubuku even when you're in the midst of pain. 
Keep waking up each morning and thinking "What could I be excited about today?" and "I am going to greet this day and greet my life with a karma changing gongyo today!" 

And then do it! Have a great day. 

LOOK HOW FAR YOU'VE COME! 

Winning in Life!

Match Day 2016!

Welcome to the blog about bringing forth your own inner power through chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. 

You can page through the previous posts to learn more about this practice, and read daily to find out more!

 Today's blog is a brief update on my personal life. I've had some computer challenges lately - sorry it's been so long since my last post. 

Aaron and Meg found out on Friday that they will be spending the next four years in Phoenix Arizona for their medical residency. They graduate in May, then head out after Ben's Memorial Mile in June. 

I am so proud of both Aaron and Meg. Medical School is HARD! And they went through some really hard times, as long-time readers of this blog know. 

Throughout this difficult time, Aaron has chanted consistently, and strengthened his practice. Last Thursday he was inducted into the AOA, the Medical School Honor Society. Yes, I am a proud Mom! 

12 Quotes on Strength by Daisaku Ikeda

The struggle of life is, and always will be, a struggle against your own weaknesses. Will you become cowardly and think, "I can't do this. I'm certain to fail"? Or will you challenge the difficulties that lie ahead with the conviction, "I am strong. And I can become stronger still"? Your destiny in life will vary greatly depending on the spirit that you maintain.

Resolving to take action is proof that you are progressing. Even if you have the tendency to make a determination but only stick to it for two or three days, just keep renewing that determination. Then you will become the kind of person who can persevere and reach their goals.

One cannot become a starring player in life if one is easily swayed by one’s emotions over every little thing. Strength of character lies in performing the drama of life with courage and confidence, practicing self-reflection and self-control under any circumstances.

When we decide to live each instant fully, with all our might, to live true to ourselves and make the present moment shine, we discover and bring forth immense and unimagined strength.

In life when we feel we have reached a limit, that is when the true battle begins. Just when you despair and think it is impossible to go any further, will you become apathetic, or will you say it’s not over and stand up with an unyielding spirit? The battle is decided by this single determination.

Whether we regard difficulties in life as misfortunes or whether we view them as good fortune depends entirely on how much we have forged our inner determination. It all depends on our attitude or inner state of life. With a dauntless spirit, we can lead a cheerful and thoroughly enjoyable life. We can develop a “self” of such fortitude that we are able to look forward to life’s trials and tribulations with a sense of joy.

Just being good-natured is not enough. If you are good-natured but fail to stand up to injustice, you cannot protect anyone. Instead, you will tend to be taken lightly, enabling those who perpetrate injustice to only grow stronger.

Every hardship is an opportunity to strengthen ourselves, to temper our life and make it shine with greater luster.

Even if things don’t unfold the way you expected, don’t be disheartened or give up. One who continues to advance will win in the end.

Truly strong people are not arrogant. Cowardice on the other hand causes arrogance. Cowards hide behind their own power and authority.

The fortitude to fight on through to the very end—this strength is not only the basis of happiness, it is also the force by which social wrongs can be righted.

What is easily done can be easily undone. To move steadily forward on one’s chosen path, step after step, whether or not others are watching; to meet difficulties with the steady, relentless strength of ceaselessly flowing water—such firmness of purpose, such integrity and perseverance builds a foundation that can never be compromised.

All quotes from ikedaquotes.org by Daisaku Ikeda

Riding on a Pillow of Daimoku!

How much Daimoku Is Enough? And how do we know? 

The amount we chant is entirely up to us, isn't it? No one is ever going to tell us how much we must chant. 

And there are times, that we KNOW we really need to up our level of chanting. I am in one of those times. I have many clear goals. And I've been chanting two or three, and sometimes even more hours of Daimoku a day. 

And as always, the more I chant, the more I want to chant. For me - when I chant a lot the time goes quickly, and I look forward to the next time I can chant. 

And how does it affect my life? I ride on what I call "A Pillow of Daimoku." Everything goes smoothly. I don't have to worry about anything. 

I gave a speech on Friday. 
All week I chanted for the people who were going to be attending. I chanted for each of them to be permanently uplifted by this speech. I chanted for them NEVER to be the same. And it was a great time. They LOVED it! I LOVED it. Each one carried my signature "Growing Bolder - Bad Words to Better Words" flyer home to their families and friends. We laughed. We had fun. 

And last night I dreamed Ben was a young child and we were having fun playing together. I woke up happy, not sad. 

It's getting closer to Ben's Memorial Mile. June 11th, 2016. Join us here in Downers Grove if you can! 

I'm reading the World Tribune about making the most of every moment. It's late and I'll write more tomorrow!