Know Why Your Attitude is Important While Chanting?

In order to achieve the results we want, it’s important to understand how the mind works on a subtle level. As Daisaku Ikeda says in the Clear Mirror Guidance,

“How you orient your mind, the kind of attitude you take, greatly influences both you and the environment.”

This guidance is based on the Buddhist principle of three thousand realms in a single moment of life, which describes life’s hidden inner workings. It says that when you have a thought, speak or act, you set a seed in the core of your own life. It remains latent until the right conditions appear. Then it manifests in the everyday world. The most important thing to remember is that seed creates an effect that matches it. If it is a positive seed, you produce a positive effect. But if it is a negative seed you produce a negative effect. In Faith into Action, Ikeda says,

“In accordance with the principle of 3000 realms in a single moment of life, pessimistic thoughts or feelings take form, just as they are, in reality producing negative results. People who have negative thoughts create effects for themselves that perfectly match their thinking. So it is important to be optimistic.”.

I discovered years ago, you can set a cause for a future effect without realizing what you are doing. I had a supervisor who was disorganized. He would change the schedules of us social workers the day before a twelve-hour shift. It drove me crazy and I started to think negatively about him. One day I realized that my relationship with him was going downhill. I didn’t want that to happen. As had recently learned about the power of thought I decided to experiment. I deliberately started to think in a positive way about him. To my amazement, within twenty-four hours, I was on his golden girl list.

This principle shows us how we create the causes for future effects in our lives. Once we understand how it works, then we can set causes consciously to create the kind of effects we want in the future. If we want positive effects, we must think positively.

 

 

 

Let’s look at how this can work in everyday life. In the morning, when chanting about your day envision your tasks progressing exactly as you want them to. For example, I am writing a book. So while chanting in the morning I envision the book moving ahead smoothly, See what happens when you envision your day working, versus a day when you leave things to chance.

Your Attitude Makes a Difference

Let’s say you are in front of the Gohonzon chanting for a goal. As Ikeda says, “When you decide to be victorious, every nerve and cell will orient itself towards your success. But
when you think, this is never going to work out, then every cell is defeated and gives up the fight.” Faith into Action. He continues with this concept in The Clear Mirror Guidance in My Dear Friends in America, he says,

“If you practice faith while doubting its effects, you will get results that are at best, unsatisfactory.” “On the other hand when you stand up with strong confidence, you will accrue limitless blessings.”
As we can see, the two attitudes can produce very different possibilities.

 

 

 

Beliefs Influence the Outcome

Ikeda makes clear that Our beliefs influence the outcome of whatever we are doing. He says, “One thing is certain. The power of belief, the power of thought, will move
reality in the direction of what we believe and how we conceive it, If you really believe you can do something, you can. That is a fact.” MDFIA, 254

” If we decide something is impossible, then consistent with our minds thinking so, even possible things will become impossible.” Faith into Action, 10

This same principle applies when creating the future you want. Ikeda says to ask yourself, what kind of future do I envision?” “What kind of self am I trying to develop?” Paint
this vision on your heart as specifically as possible. This “painting” becomes the design for your future.”

In accordance with three thousand realms in a moment of life, you can create a wonderful life following that design.

We don’t know what the future is going to be like. But what we do know is that the effects that will manifest in the future are all contained in the causes made in the present.

Awareness is the First Step

If you are chanting about something but not achieving your goal, you might want to self reflect on how you are thinking about it in front of the Gohonzon.
What if you find you are thinking negatively and you can’t really believe that you can achieve your goal? You can do a couple of things.

• You could break down the steps into bite sized pieces, steps that you are able to believe
are possible. Then chant about each step.
• Chant to pull yourself out of the lower worlds
• Study
• Get encouragement

Resolve to be the Sun

If you practice faith yet have an attitude of complaint, you will destroy your good fortune in direct proportion. And if you see everything only in a negative or pessimistic light, your life will gradually lead into darkness. Faith into Action, p. 12

On the other hand, as long as you are the sun, no matter what problems you may be facing now, the dawn will always break, fine weather will always return and spring will never
fail to arrive.” If you regard everything as a source for creating happiness and value you are on the path to an enjoyable and fulfilling life. Faith into Action, p. 12

 

 

Summary

Today we discussed how the principal of 3000 realms in a moment of life, works itself out in everyday life. We saw how the seeds we set in our lives when we think, speak or take action, will manifest in our future when the time is right. We saw that these can create negative or positive effects consistent with our thinking.
We talked about the fact that if you are not achieving your goal, you might want to pay attention to how you are thinking in front of the Gohonzon.
Finally we discussed four actions to take that can help to transform the negativity.

Other vlogs you might like

1. 7 Ways We block Ourselves when chanting for a Goal https://wp.me/p3V1J9-Ud
2. . 8 Steps to Master the Way You Think https://wp.me/p3V1J9-PX
3. 8 Warning signs You Are Manifesting What You don’t Want https://wp.me/p3V1J9-Un

Transcript download: 3000 realms

Comments:

As always I’m interested in what you are struggling with, what you’d like to hear about, and what you are thinking.  See you in two weeks.

  • Pam McLellan says:

    Great article linking beliefs with real results. I was really interested in Ikeda’s comments

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