Sunday, May 19, 2013

Power Prayer to Root the Cause of Suffering Out of Your Life


If you've been chanting to change things in your life...if you've been chanting about relationships, your career etc...consider looking inward and chanting to change yourself. Changing your SELF - doing your human revolution is vital to your success~full practice. 

What is the process?

1. Own the problem...realize that whatever you want to change may LOOK like it is outside yourself...but its roots are within your life. That means that you cannot complain or say "WHY ME?". Really you have to own it...not BLAME yourself (or anyone else) for it...and not feel guilty about it. 

2. Turn your prayer INWARD. Chant to change YOURSELF. Chant to have the courage to make the changes you need to make in order to generate the results you want to create in your life. Remember that all change starts from within. And your environment will change to reflect the inner changes you have made. 

3. Take action to encourage others. Lighting a lantern for another lights your own way. 

A Power Prayer to accomplish this could be:

"I am determined to make any changes I need to make in my thoughts, my actions, my chanting, to make continual positive causes that will result in rooting the cause of my negative karma OUT OF MY LIFE!  I am determined to make the changes inside myself...to do my own human revolution and raise my life condition to see the world through the eyes of the Buddha. I am determined to change in any way I need to change to accomplish________________ (you fill in the blank). Life! I am bringing the determination, wisdom and fire I need to create the life of my dreams. I AM NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO! I AM ROARING LIKE A LION IN MY OWN LIFE! I WILL CREATE MY LIFE! I do this not only for me, but for everyone who is suffering. I am determined to glow within my own life. I am determined to be a shining light for all who are suffering. I am determined to be the beacon of hope that ANYONE can solve their problems by chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. I am ready to meet people who are ready to hear about this practice!  I chant to have the most inspiring life. Gohonzon (my life) I need to see these results now!"

You can do this...You Buddha YOU!

In Faith in Action Daisaku Ikeda states: 
Our sincere prayers for kosen-rufu reach the Gohonzon on a profound level, thereby activating the protective functions of the Buddhist Gods. In the long-range view, a sincere and honest person is alway a victor. No matter how circumdtnces may change, no one can take away the truth in others' hearts. Page 163

Friday, May 17, 2013

"Become Like the Sun"


"Become like the sun. 
If you do so, all darkness will be dispelled. 
No matter what happens, 
live confidently 
with the conviction that you, yourself are the “sun.” 
Of course, in life there are sunny days and cloudy days. 
But even on cloudy days, the sun is still there. 
Even when you are suffering, 
it is vital that you strive to keep the sun shining brightly in your heart." 

Daisaku Ikeda

The Buddha's Birthday - Celebrate by Realizing YOU are the Buddha and Praising Your Life

The message of the original Buddha is simple. 
We are all Buddhas. 
We are ALL connected to the all. 
We are ALL expressions of the universe, 
and we all have access right within our reach by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, or the name of the rhythm that exists within everything. Everything. (For notes on why I chose this picture see below)

Daisaku Ikeda puts it succinctly, as always:

"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 daimoku to the Gohonzon 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." Faith in Action page 118. 

"The Daishonin taught us that through gongyo and chanting daimoku we can reach an elevated state in which, while engaged in our daily lives, we travel throughout the entire universe. When you worship the Gohonzon, the door to your microcosm is opened to the entire universe, the macrocosm, and you experience a great, boundless joy as if you were looking out over the entire cosmos. You feel great satisfaction and joy, a great wisdom, as if you held the entire universe in your palm." Faith in Action page 118-119

We DO hold the universe in the palm of our hand through chanting. 

The picture I posted here is very intriguing. I have never put a picture of the Buddha on chantforhappiness before. Nichiren Buddhists do not keep statues of the Buddha, because those statues came into use when people began thinking of the Buddha as a god. And that is not the intent of the Buddha. He never wanted people to worship him. He was enlightened to the fact that he was the universe, and so is everyone else. Yet, some pray TO him, confusing his original intent. But this picture I thought was pretty cool. It shows how we keep the negative forces at bay by engaging in our daily practice. It shows the bubble of shoten zenjin who protect practitioners of the mystic law. 

Today when I was chanting about you and composing my message for you, I was chanting to PRAISE MY LIFE. I am the Buddha...just like YOU. My power prayer for you is simple today. Chant to praise your life. What a great prayer...and as you're chanting think of all your reasons to be grateful. Your time of chanting will fly, and you may chant more than ever. See how much joy you can muster with every syllable. 

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Strength is Happiness





"Strength is happiness. 
Strength is itself victory. 
In weakness and cowardice there is no happiness. 
When you wage a struggle, 
you might win or you might lose. 
But regardless of the short-term outcome, 
the very fact of your continuing to struggle 
is proof of your victory as a human being. 
A strong spirit, strong faith and strong prayer—
developing these is victory and the world of Buddhahood." 

Daisaku Ikeda

Power Prayer to WIN over Sadness



I received this question this morning. 
And I know the answer through my own life experience. 

Dear Jamie  

Why do old negative feelings surface after I chant? I was emotionally abused in my marriage. I decided to divorce over two years ago. However I don't feel so sad about the divorce, I feel more sadness from the abuse.

The chanting brings these hurt feelings to the surface. I know that I need to keep on chanting. But how come it works this way?

Signed, 

Sincere Seeking Mind

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

Dear Sincere Seeking Mind, 

Great question. 

When I started this blog in 2009 I was in the throes of deep sadness. I had experienced a heartache, it is true, but I knew there was a deeper cause, what we call "fundamental darkness". Chanting brought these feelings to the surface ~ so I could change them once and for all.  

When we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo (the rhythm of life itself - literally "I fuse my life with the mystic law of cause and effect through sound vibration"), we reach a level of our lives that is very deep. And through the vibration of this chant, and our strong determination, we can change life-long tendencies, i.e. karma, forever. 

We can use our negative emotions as fuel to create a level of strength and happiness that NOTHING can shake. This "Absolute Happiness" is the goal of our practice of Practical Buddhism. 

Through chanting twice a day - every day, I was able to understand and conquer the sadness forever. I received this wise guidance in the early days of my practice: "Nothing can come out of you that wasn't already in your life. No anger, no sadness, nothing can come out that wasn't there. We may think it is in response to our environment, a man, a relationship, abuse etc. But in reality that emotion is WITHIN our lives and may have been within our lives for many lifetimes. Since we have chosen to be Bodhisattvas of the Earth this lifetime, and we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo we can finally vanquish these feeling once and for all in this lifetime." 

I knew in my heart that the sadness I was experiencing, was  a deep sadness that I had felt on an off all of my life. Throughout my life I'd seen my mother experiencing it, too. 

I embraced it as my karmic mission to overcome it and turn it into a benefit. 

Daisaku Ikeda says:

"There is no suffering or hardship that a Boddhisatva of the Earth cannot surmount. So no matter what happens, I would like you to steadily advance, one step at a time, always chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with vibrant voices." Faith in Action page 93.

He also says:
"Nichiren Daishonin writes, "If you light a lantern for another, it will also brighten your own way" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 1598). Please be confident that the higher your flame of altruistic action burns, the more its light will suffuse your life with happiness. Those who possess an altruistic spirit are the happiest people of all" (Faith in Action pages 93-94)

And, of course, I remembered the immortal line I ingrained in my life from the Nichiren Daishonin's Gosho Letter from Sado. (I sincerely encourage all of us to study the Gosho with our lives. The Daishonin wrote this letter during his exile on Sado Island knowing that this exile was proof of the correctness of his teaching. If you don't have the Gosho, please go to the link to the SGI to the right and get it right away. Studying the Gosho is truly "A Ship to Cross the Sea of Suffering") 

"Only by defeating a powerful enemy can one prove his real strength." (Letter from Sado)

I saw my sadness as a "great enemy", one that had been shadowing me forever. And I made a sincere dertermination to change it once and for all, for myself and for seven generations in the past and seven generations in the future, and for everyone whose lives I could touch through my blog and my life. 

That emotion, that karma, was the FUEL for this blog that now is read by almost 20,000 people a month. I fueled my determination with a two-hour a day daimoku campaign. 

I determined that "I must overcome this suffering so that I can encourage others that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE and they can change ANYTHING if I can do this...because changing a deep seated karmic emotion IS impossible. And we chant to make the impossible possible. Anyone can change the possible things. But by embracing the Daishonin's Buddhism and practicing within the SGI we can make the impossible possible. 

Here is the determination and deep Power Prayer I embraced and chanted every day:

"Life! Gohonzon! I am determined to be happy. I am determined to root the cause of this suffering, this depression, this emotion out of my lilfe forever. I vow to be happy so that I can lead others to happiness. Through my own example I will inspire others that anything is possible."

Now, this feeling did not go away the first time I chanted this way, or the second or the third. No. This was a fierce battle that continued on for quite some time, but based on President Ikeda's guidance I was determined to win. "Buddhism is win or lose" he says over and over. This was a battle with my life. My dear friend and mentor, shom I called in tears over and over asking "Will I ever get over this sadness?" gave me her own prayer that had vanquished her life-long feeling of depression and resignation:

"I don't CARE how many times I have to chant to rid my life of this depression! I DON''T CARE how many hours I have to sit in front of this Gohonzon chanting. I will WIN over this fundamental darkness. I will win! You don't scare me! I will win!" 

And I embraced this prayer and made a fresh determination every day that I would win this battle, and win it I did. 

I AM FREE. I no longer feel this feeling. It is gone forever. I used all the tools available to me as a Boddhisattva of the Earth. I chanted, studied, spent my time encouraging others, and consulted my dear Myoho sister, friend in the SGI. And I won. You can too. It takes work and determination, but being "A Buddha of Absolute Freedom" is worth it! 

 To your VICTORY!

Jamie 



Wednesday, May 15, 2013

You Are the Buddha - Create a Powerful Practice




To create a Powerful Buddhist practice and a powerful life, remember that you are not chanting to something outside your life....you are chanting to your very life itself...
and the life of the entire universe.  

Through chanting Daimoku 
you have the keys to access the power of the universe. There is no need to beg. 

There is a need to VOW, and DETERMINE...and to clearly tell your life that you want results from your chanting NOW!!!

That's the power of chanting Daimoku. And please, do not chant under your breath! Chant as if you mean it! You are speaking to the universe...be strong. Take deep breaths, remember to breathe. Breathe from your belly...feel the energy surging through your body. SIT UP STRAIGHT! Be STRONG! You're chanting! 

Chant strongly. Chant twice a day. Attend meetings. Study and teach others to the best of your ability. THAT is the formula for absolute happiness. If you're not happy strengthen your practice. You are the only one who can do this. 

I received a question about doing Gongyo. (Reciting from the Lotus Sutra)

When you do Gongyo you are speaking the Buddha's words. 

YOU ARE THE BUDDHA. I believe that is the purpose of doing gongyo...and it puts you in rhythm. It is very important, and once you know how to do it...it's fun. 

Do Gongyo and Daimoku every single day - twice a day...and make your list of what you want...and go for it! Take action! You can't just chant, you must also take action. Buddhism is common sense. 

Make sure you are connecting to the SGI. It is the best way to become strong and happy! Go to the link at the right to get connected. Write me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com if you have any questions or to share your experiences.