Daisaku Ikeda's Poem to Mothers

Mother 

By Daisaku Ikeda

Mother, what a wondrous, nourishing power you have!
Were it not for you in this world,
People would lose the earth to return to,
And wander for all eternity.

Mother, our mother.
Persevering through the storm,
You offered prayers in sadness.

I pray you will stay in good health until the day
When all your wishes are fulfilled,
And, as though endowed with wings,
you take flight toward the heavens.

Mother, with your ideas and wisdom,
I hope you will perform a melody of peace on the earth,
Where people look forward to the arrival of spring.
Thus, you will become the mother of the Century of Humanity

About to Chant for 3 Hours - Join us if you can!

From a friend's patio right here in the Chicago Area

We've had 22 days of sub-zero weather this winter, more snow in one month than in many seasons, and almost no sun. If anyone needs to keep up with three hours of Daimoku on Sunday Mornings it is me! 

I'm starting in a few moments. 

Sorry I couldn't post yesterday.

This morning I am focusing on the prayer that Daisaku Ikeda says is the most important for our Human Revolution:

The Secret 

to Achieving Your Human Revolution

"Pray that instead of devils 

or negative, destructive forces 

infiltrating your being, 

Brahma ("Bonten"in Japanese),

Shakra ("Taishaku" in Japanese),

and the gods of the Sun and the Moon

~ the positive, protective forces of the universe ~

will enter your life!

Pray that they will enter the lives 

of all members in your region

and the entire membership of the SGI, as well.

If you do this, 

your strength will multiply 

a hundredfold, a thousandfold.

With such prayer,

with such faith, 

you will realize a 

fundamental transformation

in the very depths of your life. 

This is the secret to achieving your human revolution."

SGI President Daisaku Ikeda, World Tribune, 9/8/2000

I am praying this prayer every day, for my own life, for the lives of my family members, my new work family, all the members in Chicago, throughout the world and YOU. I feel such peace. Every moment is truly joyous. 

Daisaku Ikeda says in 

The Heart of the Lotus Sutra, page 106: 

"Those in the world of heaven

are typically bright and smiling in their appearance. 

In their nature, 

since they feel uplifted ~

~As though ascending into the sky, as it were ~

anything they see makes them happy. 

Their power and influence 

tend to make those around them

feel buoyant and uplifted too."

From The Heart of the Lotus Sutra

On page 107 Daisaku Ikeda says:

"What is important is the vision 

to profoundly and deftly

perceive the true nature of shifting phenomena. 

The Buddha is one who has mastered this principle." 

and continuing on page 109:

"The vision that enables the Buddha

to perceive the true aspect

that exists in all phenomena

is also the eye of compassion to save all people 

and enable them to become Buddhas.

"...As seen with the Buddha's eye,

this world,

this universe, 

is shining with life, 

resounding with the chorus of all things. 

The Buddha perceives the irreplaceable uniqueness

and value of all things in the world. 

The Buddha's wisdom 

is a state of life 

filled with boundless exhilaration 

and joy in living."

YES!  

3 Benefits of Consistent Practice and 4 Tips to Make it Happen!

I received a letter from a reader recently. She wrote that she chants consistently for one week, and then stops chanting for a week and her anxiety and depression immediately comes back. Every other week she forces herself to chant again, and then stops. This is a very difficult way to practice. It is much easier to establish a twice a day practice and stick with it. But how do we do this? 

How can we establish and maintain a consistent practice? 

How can we reinforce our determination to practice twice a day every day, strengthen our lives and create unshakable benefit? 

3 benefits of consistent practice 
(Doing morning and evening gongyo and chanting daimoku consistently) 

1. It's easier. Once you establish the practice you just greet your life twice a day in front of the Gohonzon without having to force yourself to do it. It just becomes part of your life. 

2. Benefits flow more consistently, 

3. It WORKS! You change your karma, embrace your challenges and win over any challenge you face. You get what you want and so much more. 

4 Dynamic ways 
to establish a consistent practice

1. Determine that you want to use this practice to the best of your ability and STUDY! Read the Gosho or President Ikeda's guidance every day. Chant to understand the magnificence OF your life WITH your life! Chanting consistently means winning the battle over your lesser self. Make your list of determinations and goals.  What have you decided is impossible in your life? We chant to make the impossible possible. Go for it. 

2. Embrace your friends in the SGI. (You can click on the SGI Portal to the right to find your local SGI, if you're not connected yet. Remember there are no dues or rules or priests. The SGI is an organization of people working together for their own happiness and the sake of others.) 

3. Establish a "Chanting Buddy" to chant with you.
Our friends in the SGI are our friends in faith. When I was first chanting 28 years ago my mentor came to my house every morning for a few weeks to help me generate Activation Energy for my practice.

4. Establish a Tele-Toso Chanting Buddy
If you can't chant together in person you can do it by telephone, or by text. Just establish a time and contact each other before and after. If you want, you can keep the telephone connection while you chant. (It's better if one person turns the volume down.) Or you can just call or text before and after. 

An Experience in Chanting Consistently: 

Chanting consistently must be experienced to be understood. 
My dear "Baby Buddha" (the nickname she chose for herself) heard me tell her for two years to chant every morning and evening, and she replied that she doesn't do ANYTHING consistently and wasn't going to do this. No way. I kept chanting for her and inviting her to chant. And one day, she just made the decision to try chanting twice a day to see how it felt. She couldn't believe how different she felt. She also realized a deep desire and began to chant for it to happen. Now she lives in Colorado - she got what she was chanting for! THIS is why we practice. Our desires are worth chanting for! 

You may have other ways of creating and maintaining your consistent practice. Please share them with me and I'll share them with the other readers of this blog. Email me at chantforhappiness.com with your ideas, questions, suggestions, victories and challenges. 

Why We Chant ~ Add Your Voice...

We chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo...meaning "I fuse my life with the mystic law of cause and effect through sound vibration," or "I am one with the rhythm of life." With this intonation we tap into the power that has always been within our lives, and we direct that power in the direction we choose. We use this vibration to overcome problems and realize the type of happiness that is not determined by outside circumstances, but is generated withn. When we chant we FEEL the change in our lives. Chanting is experiential...it can be explained, but we have to actually DO it to experience its power. Here are some fresh insights from Chantforhappiness.com. I write from my own heart...not representing the SGI, but loving the SGI. 

I've added "Why We Chant" submissions from readers at the bottom! Send yours to chantforhappiness@gmail.com to be published here. 

Why We Chant
by Jamie Lee Silver 
from the blog chantforhappiness.com

We chant because we can feel it. 
The moment we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo 
our lives respond. 
We chant because we see and feel the benefits of chanting. 
When we chant, our lives, our feelings, 
our circumstances, and those around us change. 
We chant because we have seen the results of chanting, 
and know that we can win over our own weaknesses by chanting...and that by winning over our own weaknesses we create unshakable, authentic, absolute happiness that is not self determined, not ruled by our circumstances.
We chant because we see others Buddhists who have won over great difficulties, and we can feel their energy, see their shining lives, and we believe (or hope) "If they can do it, so can I!"
We chant because when we chant for others we see the effects in their lives. 
We chant because when we introduce others to chanting they are able to change their own lives and become happy...what could be better than that? 
We chant because we are part of the Soka Gakkai, the organization made up of regular people who are dedicating their lives to ushering in the new age of happiness, energy, education, culture and peace for our planet. 
We chant because we have goals and dreams...hopes for the future...hopes for today... and we KNOW we can make them come true. 
We chant because we know we can make the impossible possible. 
We chant because we KNOW that our potential is unending...is vast...is important and we can feel our own life force becoming stronger and stronger every day. 
We chant because we have Daisaku Ikeda, a mentor we respect...whose life pulses with purpose and direction...whose life we connect to, whose words we study, whose heart we share. 
We chant because we ALL desire a world free of misery and hopelessness.
We chant because we have awakened to our missions as Bodhisattvas of the Earth, and we are fulfilling our VOW. 
We chant because we read or watch the news and we know that all change comes from our own human revolution, our actions and our ichinen (will put into action)
We chant because we love. 
We chant because we struggle. 
We chant to release ourselves from painful emotions
We chant because we CAN!  

Submissions from readers: 
From Niketa Sharma: 

We chant ...because we feel a positive strength in ourselves while we chant.

We chant ... because we feel connected to ourselves deeply.

We chant..so we can accumulate our whole power and create good and noble cause...achieve Buddha's (our own) dreams.

We chant..so we can reveal our buddha nature..buddha's wisdom.

We chant..so we can get that much wisdom that we can get correct decision at each and every moment of life..

We chant because we can..

And from Jaka Rey: 

I chant for all the reason u mentioned and because every time I open my Gohonzon I smile.

I chant for the transformation that is taking place in my life.

I chant for strength and to totally understand the connectivity of all that I cannot understand 

(individuals in my life who I cannot relate to). 

I chant for resolve and victory so that I can live life fully and do what I can to the planet to do.

Have anything to add to this list? Email me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com

Why Do We Chant?

We chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo...meaning "I fuse my life with the mystic law of cause and effect through sound vibration," or "I am one with the rhythm of life." When we chant we FEEL the change in our lives. Chanting is experiential...it can be explained, but we have to actually DO it to experience its power. Here are some fresh insights from Chantforhappiness.com. I write from my own heart...not representing the SGI, but loving the SGI. 

Why We Chant
by Jamie Lee Silver 
from the blog chantforhappiness.com

We chant because we can feel it. 
The moment we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo 
our lives respond. 
We chant because we see and feel the benefits of chanting. 
When we chant, our lives, our feelings, 
our circumstances, and those around us change. 
We chant because we have seen the results of chanting, 
and know that we can win over our own weaknesses by chanting...and that by winning over our own weaknesses we create unshakable, authentic, absolute happiness that is not self determined, not ruled by our circumstances.
We chant because we see others Buddhists who have won over great difficulties, and we can feel their energy, see their shining lives, and we believe (or hope) "If they can do it, so can I!"
We chant because when we chant for others we see the effects in their lives. 
We chant because when we introduce others to chanting they are able to change their own lives and become happy...what could be better than that? 
We chant because we are part of the Soka Gakkai, the organization made up of regular people who are dedicating their lives to ushering in the new age of happiness, energy, education, culture and peace for our planet. 
We chant because we have goals and dreams...hopes for the future...hopes for today... and we KNOW we can make them come true. 
We chant because we know we can make the impossible possible. 
We chant because we KNOW that our potential is unending...is vast...is important and we can feel our own life force becoming stronger and stronger every day. 
We chant because we have Daisaku Ikeda, a mentor we respect...whose life pulses with purpose and direction...whose life we connect to, whose words we study, whose heart we share. 
We chant because we ALL desire a world free of misery and hopelessness.
We chant because we have awakened to our missions as Bodhisattvas of the Earth, and we are fulfilling our VOW. 
We chant because we read or watch the news and we know that all change comes from our own human revolution, our actions and our ichinen (will put into action)
We chant because we love. 
We chant because we struggle. 
We chant to release ourselves from painful emotions
We chant because we CAN!  

Have anything to add to this list? Email me at chantforhappiness@gmail.com

What is Our "Buddha Nature?" How Does Revealing it Help Our Lives?

Vincent Van Gogh

Unlimited compassion!

Eloquence!

Power!

Concentration! 

Emancipation! 

On page 79 of The Heart of the Lotus Sutra, Daisaku Ikeda translates a passage from our daily practice of reciting from the Lotus Sutra and says 

"This passage explains the expansive powers of the Buddha. That is, it describes the wonderful state of life that those who embrace the Gohonzon can develop." 

..."Here Shakyamuni identifies "immeasurable [compassion]," unlimited [eloquence],""power, "fearlessness" and so on as attributed of the Buddha's state of life. To put it simply the Buddha has infinite concern for the people (immeasurable [compassion], can freely expound the teachings through words (unlimited [eloquence]), has penetrating insight into life and the power to discern the causes of people's unhappiness (power) and has the courage to fully articulate the truth (fearlessness)." (p. 80)

How can this we use our own Buddha wisdom in our daily lives? I can tell you a little about how I use it. I just got a job working for a senior living community that has people living on its campus, and also has various services it offers to the residents of the surrounding towns. Right now I am meeting with seniors and officials to discover what we can do to help more people, and uncover more needs and ways to reach those who may need us and other services. I am chanting to help seniors live their best lives, and finding ways to make it happen. My sincere wish is their safety and to remove their sufferings and frustrations. I feel as if these communities are now a part of my Buddhist district and am chanting for them too. 

In order to fulfill this job/mission I must have compassion/eloquence/power/concentration and emancipation. I must be the Buddha every single moment. So as I am chanting every morning for an hour, I am bringing my full Buddhahood to the surface and chanting for wisdom, eloquence and to take the right action. 

In the next few weeks I'll be giving presentations in front of hundred of seniors and I am determined to make each moment count. 

As a Buddha, I know I can focus my daimoku on this great mission, while embodying my mission as a District leader and continuing to chant for every reader of this blog. I'm a Buddha. We are all Buddhas. Through persevering every day we all bring forth the wisdom of the Buddha - our own power, spirit, compassion, will and perseverance. How great is this way of life. How fulfilling. How fun!

Please send me your victories. I and the rest of the readers, are waiting to hear YOUR victories! chantforhappiness@gmail.com 

The Significance of Doing Gongyo - Chanting from the Lotus Sutra

"In general, 
every time we do gongyo and chant daimoku, 
we praise the Buddha nature in our own lives. 
We also praise the Buddha nature 
in the lives of all others, 
and we commune 
with the Buddha nature of the Universe. 
What a solemn ceremony this is! 
How fortunate we are 
to live according to the principle 
that faith expresses itself in daily life." 

The Heart of the Lotus Sutra, by Daisaku Ikeda, page 117