PowerPrayer to Change Our Lives!

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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!
I am turning my attention and focus to this powerful intention:
__________________________________________________
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! 

Faith Equals Daily Life!

Hello, my friends! 

Faith Equals Daily Life is a term we hear often in this practice. This week a reader emailed me to ask what this means to me. 

For those of you new to this blog, I'm a 35-year practitioner of Nichiren Buddhism, and I live my life to rid the world of suffering. I'm a proud member of the SGI, but I do not speak for the SGI. This is my personal blog for you. 

Faith equals daily life means: 

Chant about everything! Infuse all your hopes and dreams into Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, and take steady action based on your determinations. Go forth fearlessly supported by your abundant daimoku! Leave complaining to the other guys, don't let it cloud your benefits. Focus on being, and seeing the solutions. Journal in Appreciation every day. 

All kinds of benefits are flowing to me with this determination. I am chanting to reach the people who are most open to using EFT, and those I can help the most profoundly to be naturally drawn into my sphere. I am chanting to fulfill this mission that my entire life has prepared me to do. 
I did not go through all my trials in vain. My prayer is to turn poison into medicine (for my life and for ALL).  

The pain I suffered at losing my beloved boy to suicide has a purpose right now. My study and certification in Clinical EFT, and my certification as an energy healer, along with cultivating deep listening skills all add to my expertise as an EFT Professional. The fact that I can help people all over the world through modern technology is the icing on the cake! The book I've written: Our Forever Ben, One Mom's letters to her son in spirit and his poetic replies" is more current than ever! 

One of my most recent benefits is being invited to create a video course called "How to live a life of meaning after losing a loved one to suicide." I'll get all kinds of curriculum and technical support to create this! What a joy it is to help others in this way! I'm beginning the formulation of this course and will keep you appraised of it! 

Another benefit...and this is a doozy: My son Aaron Michael Silver is very busy with his life as a medical resident in Phoenix. Our time together is premium time. Check this out: He just confirmed that on April 21st, his 30th birthday, he will be here in Florida for a conference and he will be able to take his birthday off to spend with me. Talk about benefit! 
May your life be filled with benefits too! 

Chant about everything. YOU are the Buddha. YOU tell your life what you want by praying to your life every single day. When you chant to be the example of kosen-rufu (world peace) and to let your bright light illuminate the way for others all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the universe convene to carry forth your life force.  

As Daisaku Ikeda writes: 

"Prayer is an attempt 
to merge the inner workings of our life
with the rhythm of the universe. 
When we pray in such a way, 
all the workings of the universe 
will function to protect us 
and the endless cycle of painful reality 
will be transformed 
into a cycle of victory and happiness. 
Prayer is the key to open the door 
to unleash that infinite human potential within our lives."

Daisaku Ikeda, From Ikedaquotes.org

Faith equals daily life means that every single day is a reflection of your faith and determination. Faith equals daily life means our faith is not shut off in some little box that we only take out every once in a while. No, our faith IS each day...our determination for each day...our life, Well-Lived...every single day. 

Chant about it all. Chant to connect life to life. Realize that, as Daisaku Ikeda says: YOU are the protagonist in the great play of your life. Enjoy it!!

Be well my friends! 

12 Great Quotes on Overcoming Illness by Daisaku Ikeda

12 Buddhists Quotes for Overcoming Illness
(I've been coughing for over a week - 
I hope you all are well!)

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. 

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. From "For Today and Tomorrow" 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.

One Key to chanting a "SOLID HOUR"

Here's my Fall altar!

I tried something new while chanting today, and it worked so well I just had to share it with you right away. 

We all know we want to chant as much daimoku as we can, and we also know that the quality, the concentration, the focus of our time in front of the Gohonzon - having a chat with the core of our life itself, is very important. 

And sometimes we get distracted. I know I'm not alone with the lure of the telephone constantly calling me. When I keep it beside me it's hard not to reach for it to see if anyone's reaching out to me for something important. 

But it is a major distraction for chanting. I sometimes keep it in the other room. But that's not easy either. 

Today, the first full day of my 35th year of practice, I determined to chant a SOLID HOUR of daimoku. That means, no getting up for any reason, no checking email, no checking Facebook, no looking away from the Gohonzon, but I can have sips of water or coffee. 

Not easy. But I did it. HOW? 

I set my clock on my phone to STOPWATCH, started the Stopwatch and turned the phone over. 

The stopwatch was running on the front of my phone, so I knew I wasn't going to check it for emails or Facebook. And when I did, just for a second, consider getting up to do something (turn off the air conditioning), I looked at the stopwatch and saw I'd chanted 37 minutes of absolutely uninterrupted, super-focused Daimoku, I turned my phone back over and kept chanting until I got to an hour. A SOLID HOUR of concentration! Woohoo! 

Of course, you don't have to chant for an hour, chant as long as you can, with focus, that's the important thing. 

So that's my hack for concentration for you today. 

I hope you have a great day and week!

Three Keys to Building Good Fortune and being the Buddha of Absolute Happiness

Hello, my friends. 

What does it mean to build a life of good fortune? 

Here I am living my dream in Florida. I'm enjoying my friends, the sunshine, my health and my profession that enables me to teach people a method of releasing their emotions so they can be happy. I am the Buddha of Absolute Happiness and you can be too! 

Sometimes I get the question "Is it ok to chant for money?" And the answer I have always heard as a 35 year practitioner of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism in the SGI is chant for exactly what you want. 
If you need money chant for money~! 

Note to my friends: if you are stuck in some area of your life, please get encouragement from your Soka Gakkai seniors in faith. They are there to help you. They will chant with you and bear your burdens with you. The SGI is truly a noble organization I am proud to be part of. 


If you need a job, chant for the BEST job for Kosen Rufu, where you can be the happiest, and make your life shine as a beacon for other's happiness.

You deserve to have what you need. There are many, many examples of people chanting for money and getting it.  

AND 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 in our lives.  

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

No matter what our levels of fortune may be before we begin practicing Buddhism, once we begin chanting 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 each 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)

18 Types of Fortune 
By Jamie Lee Silver from Chantforhappiness.com 

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 through chanting strong daimoku and taking the wise action that arises through our prayer. 

Fortune is strength and resiliency. 

Fortune is getting a call from an associate about a job opportunity that is perfect for you. 

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 doing our human revolution and joining harmoniously with our fellow SGI members creating a new family for us all. 

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

Fortune is 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 friendship.

Fortune is health. 

Fortune is the ability to laugh.  

Fortune is the ability to sit in front of 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 being accident free.

There is much more to fortune.
You can add to this list...send me your ideas of fortune at chantforhappiness@gmail.com 

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. Focusing our prayer on others is a powerful way to build a strong practice. Yes, it's great to chant for ourselves, and we need to do that, but chanting for others has a profound effect on their lives, and ours. Chanting, and uniting with others is the foundation of our faith. 

Being a part of the SGI is crucial. Go to SGI-USA.org to learn more.  

Having a seeking mind to understand how and why the Mystic law has such a profound effect on our lives is important. Studying our SGI publications is important. Reading the Gosho of Nichiren Daishonin is important! We call this having a seeking spirit. You can  find what is holding you back in your own nature. We all have a fatal flaw...something we can't see. We gain the most when we chant to see our OWN flaws...and chant to change them!

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! And I will help them bring out the Buddhahood in their own lives by introducing them to chanting! 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? 
Remember the Buddhist concept 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 to me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com with your experiences and comments! 

How to get Back on Track in Daimoku and Really Connect to Our Prayer

I spoke with a member today who had a great question. 

She asked: "Jamie, do you feel like it's gotten harder to concentrate these days while chanting? I used to be able to really focus and now, with all the news and everything that's going on, it feels harder and harder to chant."

And I said, Yes, I know just what you're talking about! But there's hope. Here's what I do when I'm feeling scattered in front of the Gohonzon. First of all, I take my phone and put it in the other room. I don't use it to time my chanting. I use a clock. I get that phone out of my space. 

And, start in small increments. Say to yourself "I'm going to chant 5 minutes of absolutely uninterrupted daimoku. I'm not going to get up for water, I'm not going to use the bathroom, or check Facebook. No. For this 5 minutes, I will be glued to the Gohonzon! And when I do that 5 minutes I go for another, and another, and then I can reach my goals. Start small. And go for it! 

I told her about the umpteen BILLIONS OF BUDDHAS who are joining us when we chant. The first prayer I have in the morning is to greet those Buddhas with my life, Buddha to Buddha. It feels so good. 

And refresh your goals. It always helps. 

Let's get our MOJO back. For ourselves. For the Youth. For the world! Peace! 

What Does Nam-myoho-renge-kyo Mean?

So glad you asked!

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo means:

"I fuse my life with the mystic law of cause and effect through sound vibration".

I like to think of it as "I am one with the flow of life" because that's what it does...it puts us in rhythm with our own lives and everything around us. 
We are all Buddhas. 
We possess the power of the entire universe in our lives. Chanting this phrase brings it out. 

Aligning our energies with our mentor Daisaku Ikeda, and chanting these words every morning and evening, 
studying the writings of Nichiren Daishonin and Daisaku Ikeda and introducing others to this practice 
are the keys to living vibrant, happy and victorious lives! 

It's a law. It works whether you believe in it or not.

People all over the world chant this phrase with the Sokka Gakkai International. The Website link is sgi-usa.org. I encourage you to go there. Call the center nearest you and get the name of someone who practices near you. Go to a meeting and make new friends. You'll be starting on a whole new journey of happiness. 

It doesn't cost anything...you don't have to "do" anything to chant. Just try!

It's truly a practice for anyone...no rules...no dues...no eating restrictions...just chant!
And practice. Chant every morning and evening...then you'll be writing me to tell me your results!  

Remember...dream big...go for the impossible!

In a few days this blog will be ten years old. That's right. There are well over 2,000 posts here, and 2,500,000 people have viewed it. Thank you for chanting and introducing others. Thank you for sharing, and above all else, I greet you my Buddha friends, in this Buddha Land!