You can learn how to navigate agitated feelings, when blindsided by life, to maintain stability in the face of shocks. Many people feel flung about by their feelings when confronting an obstacle. Usually they are talking about despair, suffering, anxiety and depression. These can take over when faced with an obstacle that seems impossible to […]
Sometimes we may have set a goal which might limit us, but we don’t know that. While we keep our eye on our initial goal that seems to take forever, our lives might be growing in ways we would never have imagined. But this growth is not obvious; it happens out of sight. The greatness […]
When we run up against a mental limit we think we are going to do something, and then we don’t do it. We resist moving forward, and abandon our goal or project. My Experience With Mental Limits I came up against my mental boundaries in the gym, where at seventy one I challenged myself to […]
When confronting a difficult obstacle, we may have doubts that we can ever overcome it. “Can I really overcome this situation using this practice?” we ask ourselves. This fog of illusion results in our inability to see our unlimited potential. Doubts about our unlimited potential can translate into doubts about the practice. We can’t see […]
Are you in the position of putting everything else in life before your practice? We’re trained to do that in our culture. We are taught to plan and strategize and talk over things with our friends. When someone starts to chant they are taught to chant first when dealing with an issue before doing anything […]
It is said that with Nichiren Buddhism no prayer goes unanswered. But this doesn’t mean every prayer will be answered right away by magic. Some prayers require making changes in our lives before they can be answered. We will have to make efforts, take action to realize them. Something of Substance Doesn’t Happen Overnight It’s […]
Our Thoughts Influence Everything President Ikeda, the foremost proponent of this form of Buddhism in the world, says in his book Faith into Action that positive thoughts take form in reality, creating positive results, where pessimistic thoughts take form and produce negative results. This principle doesn’t apply to an isolated thought here or there, but […]
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 […]
To achieve a goal successfully requires you to chant about it and then take action. When you take a step towards a goal, you chant about the first step and then act on the first step. This sequence of chanting first, then taking action, will repeat with each step. Taking action can be a sticking […]
When first starting to chant, most people are excited and hopeful. This was what they were looking for, something to truly change their lives. Some people start with great enthusiasm. Then as the days and weeks pass, their initial excitement dies down. This is a description of a faith like fire. It burns brightly and […]