Are You Trying to Avoid a Difficult Problem?

Transcript download:  Are You Trying to Avoid a Difficult Problem

Have you heard this or thought it to yourself? “I hate this problem. I just want to get away. then I wouldn’t have to deal with it.. It would be so much easier just to leave.” Many people do this. It’s called the geographical solution. They think that by going somewhere else, leaving the problem behind, they can avoid the whole thing.

Unfortunately it won’t work if you haven’t learned the lesson presented to you by the problem situation. Have you noticed that there is one problem that seems to crop up over and over in your life? There is the person whose had four spouses, the person who keeps regaining the weight. There is the problem of addiction and the person who runs one business into the ground after another. You might think that leaving town is going to solve the problem, but no matter how far you run, there you are.

Facing a Problem? You’re Engaging with a Spiritual Struggle

Every time you face problems you will have to engage with a spiritual struggle. You can anticipate this will always happen when you confront having to change in some way. You will have to engage and overcome your own negativity – the tried and true solution that has never worked.

You can maximize your strengths or give in to your weaknesses. It is this struggle that makes chanting for a goal so challenging. You are not alone in this. It happens to everyone.

The Lotus Flower and You

Remember the Lotus Flower the renge in Nam-myoho-renge-kyo? The Lotus Flower is deeply rooted in a dirty, slimy, muddy pond. When its roots are well planted and nourished in the muck, it grows and opens a beautiful lotus flower. What do you think would happen if the lotus was planted in a clean container of water. It wouldn’t bloom. It needs the muck of the pond to open its wonderful flower.

Like the Lotus flower, we achieve our human potential, our human revolution when we have our roots deeply planted in the muck of everyday life. The muck represents the problems and troubles we have to face. Often we resist having to deal with them. We procrastinate or try to avoid them. But these problems are actually the steppingstones for the flower of our higher universal self to bloom. You might say our problems are gifts in disguise. They are the lessons our karma dictates we need to learn.

As Satori Izumi, former guidance leader in Japan, says, “In order to attain your human revolution, you have to stay in the pond and struggle to grow right in that mud.” This is the principle of turning poison into medicine, where you confront your problem and turn it into something of value. When facing a difficult challenge it can be hard to believe that gearing in and overcoming that situation will create a strong foundation for the rest of your life.

This means that if you have a difficult relationship at home, in the community, in the organization, or some other kind of challenging problem, it is important to stay in the situation and use it as fuel for your human revolution. If you go to older practitioners with a problem they will say, “Congratulations, now you have something to chant about.”

They have given you the key – to chant sincere daimoku to the Gohonson. This is how you can resolve the situation or change your karma. If you need a boost, chanting about it will give it to you. Your connection with the universe through your Buddha nature will create the connections and conditions that will move your situation in a positive direction. As we know, our circumstances arise from the inside of us to manifest in the outside world, so, in order to resolve our problem we have to change ourselves.

How to Chant About a Difficult Problem.

How do you chant the kind of sincere daimoku and gongyo you need to have for dealing with a difficult problem? You double down. As Mr Izumi would say, “”When you sit in front of the Gohonzon, apologize sincerely for trying to escape from the pond…”

Then set a clear and positive objective. Seeing it as already done, chant a fighting gongyo, challenging and confronting your problem situation, committing to a firm resolve that you will be victorious. You don’t have to know how its going to work out. No one every knows this when first chanting about a problem. Do take the steps that come to you while chanting or during the day.

This radical deepening of our own chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo gives rise to a great transformation and a shift in our own mindset. When we transform our attitude and thinking, then the environment around us changes and the problem comes to resolution.

Summary:

Today we discussed that running away from our problems never works. No matter how far we
run, there we are.
Then we covered the fact that we and the Lotus flower require the muck of the pond and the
much of everyday life, to open the flower of Enlightenment. Finally we covered the steps to
chanting the fighting daimoku that will move your situation forward.

Related vlogs:

Here are some related vlogs you might like.
1. Are You Letting the Universe Have Your Back? https://wp.me/p3V1J9-Vf
2. Know why a Determination is Important when chanting for a Goal?
https://wp.me/p3V1J9-Sm
3. Are You Unsure About How to Chant About a Complex Problem?
https://wp.me/p3V1J9-Sk

Comments:

Now I’d like to hear from you. Tell me about topics you might like to hear about and tell me what you like and don’t like. I’m always interested in hearing what you think.
See you in two weeks.