This week I had a question. “How do I deal with or overcome office politics? It seems I have bad job karma.”
Before we go into the specifics of this question, I want to take some time to remind you of what we are connecting with when we chant. The following quote came from Life an Enigma a Precious Tool written by Daisaku Ikeda.
“In the innermost depths of all beings, there is the primal life-force and it causes living beings to live. The same force supports inorganic matter and works it into the harmonies and rhythms of the great cosmic existence. In Buddhism, it’s called the Mystic Law.
When this force manifests itself in the physical world, it appears as the laws governing the inorganic world, which makes possible chemical comp[ounds and control the physical pulsations of the universe. In other words, the laws of physics, chemistry and astronomy are simply particular phenomenal manifestations of the Mystic Law of the cosmos. Similarly, the life force constructs the world of spirit, create intelligence, gives birth to conscience, gives force to urges and instincts, and thus creates all variations of mental and spiritual activity.”
Our lives are an individualized form of cosmic life and we are connected with the innermost source of cosmic being at our core through our Buddha nature. it is through this connection that we can find the answers to any question and it is through this connection we are never deadlocked. And when you think about it, we are connected to the constantly evolving, growing life of the universe, so it is our nature to grow and expand along with it.
Now that we are reminded of the power of the Mystic Law, let’s look at the question. There are two aspects to the question. The first addresses how we chant when we are not directly impacted by the situation. The second addresses how we chant when it is our own karma that is part of the equation.
The following experience illustrates how one person handled an office situation when she was not directly impacted.
Experience:
Betty worked for a bully of a bosss. She wasn’t personally directly affected except when her boss was a little snippy with her, but her co-workers and the people she supervised were having a radically different experience. They were being passesd over for projects, berated for what they did do and the boss made many of them cry. She didn’t pick on her equals, but only on people who were under her.
This situation was absolutely unacceptable to Betty. She promised her people that she would see that something was done to solve this problem by the end of the year. When she made this promise it was around Thanksgiving. This put Betty directly on the spot, as there wasn’t much time between Thanksgiving and the end of the year. She had to get something done.
She arose an hour earlier every morning to chant about the situation. “I chanted my brains out with the determination that problem would be taken care of by the end of the year. I chanted that the problem would be solved and that the bully would be able to self-reflect and see what she was doing to people.”
Not long after, one of the department heads called Betty in to ask why she was getting so many complaints about this manager all at once. Betty said that this was nothing new, that this woman was very capable with her financial duties but had absolutely no ability to supervise people. Betty continued to chant with determination and focus that this problem would be resolved.
By the Christmas party that year, the woman had been demoted. She no longer had responsibility for people but did have responsibility for financial duties, her strength. Another person had been moved in to be the temporary manager.
For Betty, it was a profound lesson in how we can change the impossible to the possible through dedicated prayer. It blew her away that the resolution happened on the schedule she gave the Gohonzon.
As we all know we are taught to chant about daily concerns both to find answers and to overcome obstacles. This is basically saying that our life is our curriculum, that the lessons we
are going to learn from dealing with concerns and problems are the lessons we need to learn to grow towards enlightenment.
Betty’s experience illustrates what we can do when we are not necessarily directly involved in the office situation. But there is a second part to this question when he says, “ I have
bad job karma”.
If the karma is yours, know that if you walk out and leave the job, that you will find another which has the same bad job karma. The universe is saying that something needs to change, so you won’t keep attracting this situation over and over.
We all know that our circumstances change from the inside out – oneness of self and environment. There is the story of a man who had an explosive temper. He kept losing it with one boss after another but rather than seeing his contribution, he blamed it on having bad bosses.
If you have a repeditive situation, then it doesn’t belong to someone else. The universe is telling you that it’s time to squarely face your problems, accept the fact that something needs to be changed and chant wholeheartedly to overcome your karma. You can change anything when you connect with the Mystic Law Realize that the circumstances you are facing today come from causes you have made in the past, and the past which are resulting in your situation today. When you get ideas on actions to take, take them.
Summary:
Betty did not try to tell the universe how the problem should be solved, but relied on that infinite intelligence to know the answer, when she didn’t. Also she didn’t determine what should happen, only that the bully would be able to self-reflect. Then she chanted with the goal that the problem would be resolved and the determination that it would be resolved before the first of the year.
When the issue is bad job karma, and you’re dealing with a repeditive situation, then rather than blaming the boss or someone else, it’s your karma, which is making you suffer and which has to be overcome. So sit in front of the Gohonzon and vow to overcome all the causes you have made in the past which has created your circumstances today. When you get ideas about what to do, take action. In this way any karma can be overcome.
URL’s
1.Know-How to Lessen Karmic Retribution? https://wp.me/p3V1J9-18W
2. Have a Spiritual Struggle When chanting for a Goal? https://wp.me/p3V1J9-17S
3. Know Why It’s Important to Master Your Mind? https://wp.me/p3V1J9-17w
Script Download: Your Life is Your Curriculum
Comments:
I really appreciate you all sending me ideas for vlogs and encourage you to continue to do so.
I’ll see you in two weeks.
How can i chant when i have more than one issues going on at the same time
Youcan set a number of goals. Then st your intention before you start. Or you can take them one at a time.
How does daimoku work? What happens when we chant?
If you read about the 9 levels of consciousness in the Buddhist literature, you will see that the 9th level is conscious and aware and intelligent but has not yet manifested into the material world. It does that as the Mystic Law which has created everything. But we also have this capacity as we are one with it. When we make a determination we connect with the quantum field where thought can solidify the particles into something that will become concrete.
When we hold this determination in our minds over time, then it manifests into our life. It is discussed from the scientific point of view in two books, What the
Bleep Do You Know and You are The Universe. Hope this helps.
Margaret . Enjoy your talks. Are you related to Curtis and David Blaine?