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 deadlocked, we are in a struggle between negative and positive forces. We don’t see the path forward: we feel up against a wall. It is then that our faith is put to the test. Are we going to succumb to negativity, doubt our Buddha nature, and give up? Or, are we going to seize […]
When overwhelmed, too busy or in crisis, the temptation might be to chant less because of time constraints You think,”I’m so busy I don’t have time.” The net effect of this is to push the practice to the periphery of your life rather than keeping it in the center. when we do this, we’ve pulled […]
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 […]
Believe it or not, chanting with faith produces more benefit than trying to control the process. What Does Control Look Like? When we strategize we are attempting to control the process by thinking through different probable paths to the goal. When we try to control the process this way, we are, in essence, saying that […]
Complacency is one of the biggest obstacles to our Buddhist practice and it is a hard obstacle to recognize. It is insidious, creeping up on us while we are unaware of what is happening. Complacency is seductive. It is self-satisfaction, the lure to relax, enjoy instant gratification, and stop pushing. But there is a price. […]
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 […]
Katy had run a successful consulting business in the high-tech industry where her clients were all in another state. She had to travel frequently and she had a her young daughter and husband at home. The work was lonely and she couldn’t be part of a team. Then, in 2012, her business slowed down. Looking […]
I was really excited to see a Ted talk by psychiatrist Robert Waldinger on a 75 year long Harvard Study of Adult Development, reported in the January 15th, 2016 World Tribune called How to Create a Good Life. He is the fourth director over the 75 years of the study. The researchers studied 724 men […]
Have you ever had this experience? You are facing a problem so you set a goal and chant very hard for it. At some point you achieve your goal and then you say, “Whew, well now that’s done I can relax. I don’t have to chant so hard now.” And you slack off, either stop […]