Setting a Goal When we envision a goal, chant about it, and embark on it, we don’t usually know what it will require of us. We are excited. Reality Sets In It’s when we start to take action, that the reality of what it is going to take sets in. We discover what we are […]
A member from Kansai was discussing goals in a meeting. Everyone there knew that Kansai members have had tremendous victories when they set goals. He mentioned that we should get guidance from our mentor when chanting for a goal. Right away questions came up. “Our mentor doesn’t know about our exact goal. How can we […]
There comes a time in our practice, probably after chanting for a number of years, when we are faced with a particularly difficult obstacle or challenge and we begin to notice we have been here in this position before, possibly many times. Maybe you never have enough money and even though you get it, before […]
When we chant about a challenge or an obstacle we are taking on negative forces which we must encounter on our way to Buddhahood. They train and test us so we can forge the strength to be a Buddha. “The benefit we receive when we initially take faith is like a small mountain. The boundless […]
Certain behaviors lead to happiness, others to unhappiness. Buddhist writings have many suggestions on how to improve behavior, so we won’t live with regret. Nichiren wrote letters to his followers with suggestions on how to handle certain situations, and we have many pieces written by President Ikeda which suggest behavior changes, which can lead to […]
Many people suffer from depression. Depression can leach all joy out of life, leaving you without zest. One of the wonderful things about this Nichiren Buddhist chanting practice of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is that anyone can lift their daily life experience out of the more negative states of life, such as anxiety, depression, and anger and into […]
Chanting Alone is Not Enough In my last post we discussed how important it is to take action on ideas that we get when we chant about a goal or a challenge. Chanting alone is not enough, although it is definitely lays the foundation. When we chant we set forces in motion. The positive forces […]
Are You Chanting with Mixed Feelings? If you are struggling to surmount an obstacle, little adjustments in the way you are chanting can affect the results. One of these aspects to consider is whether you are chanting with mixed feelings or determination. If you’re chant with mixed feelings you are telling the universe that you […]
Earthly desires in many traditional religions are considered the cause of suffering and obstacles to attaining enlightenment. Eliminating them altogether becomes the goal. Enlightenment, on the other hand, is to attain a vast, expansive state of unshakeable happiness. The two would appear to be polar opposites. In Nichiren Buddhism, when you chant about your problems, […]
Your life will become much easier when you start chanting about your problems and challenges. I can’t tell you exactly how it works, but when you chant about a problem or an opportunity, then take action, events begin to move you toward your goal in surprising ways, in ways you could never have anticipated. You […]