HOW TO ENSURE THAT YOUR ICHINEN / DETERMINATION IS CHANNELLED IN A POSITIVE DIRECTION

HOW TO ENSURE THAT YOUR ICHINEN / DETERMINATION IS CHANNELLED IN A POSITIVE DIRECTION

"When you begin to practice Buddhism, all the infinitesimal angles of inclination—all the ways you relate to the universe—subtly change. You are positioned differently in life. The way you look at things, and the direction in which you stand in relation to things, changes. The ichinen or moment-to-moment determination, which comes bubbling up inside you when you chant, seeks a direction or an object or a goal, just as water seeks its own level. Beginning early in your practice, there are five steps to take to ensure that your ichinen is channelled in a positive direction:

1) Chant with courage. 

2) Make a strong determination or vow. 

3) Develop a concrete goal or goals. 

4) Offer resolute prayer. 

5) Take action until you see clear actual proof. 

"In the morning, it is a good idea to chant for the specific goals you want to accomplish that day, as well as the specific causes or actions you want to take in order to achieve those goals. So the day begins with determinations. 

"In the evening, you should take stock of how the day went. Report back to yourself on how well you did in terms of making your determinations come true. If some of the goals were not clearly achieved, perhaps only partially realised, then you should re-determine to accomplish them tomorrow. Each morning, make determinations and chant with determination. Each evening, re-determine to do what you need to do. When you do this over and over again, day after day—determining and re-determining to achieve your dreams—you become, in essence, a more determined person!

"When you summon the inner will or ichinen to accomplish an objective, everything about you shifts in the direction of that goal. It is as if the 'differential' of your entire being has been altered or moved a degree or so."

The Buddha In Your Rearview Mirror; 

Chapter 3: How to Practice; p.117-118

 

Difference between praying to a God and Chanting to Gohonzon?

Difference between praying to a God and Chanting to Gohonzon?

Chanting is somewhat different from conventional Western concepts of prayer. Instead of beseeching some outside force for solutions, the Buddhist musters his or her own inner resources to meet the problems. Chanting can be compared to priming a pump to bring the Buddha nature welling forth from the depths of your life.

When one chants, a vow or determination is being formed. Instead of "I wish such and such would happen" or " Lord give me the strength to make such and such happen", the Buddhist's prayer is more along the lines of "I vow to make the following changes in my life so that such and such will happen."(The Buddha in Your Mirror, p. 51)

SGI members direct their prayer to the Gohonzon, or object of veneration. This is a mandala, a symbolic representation of the ideal state of Buddhahood, or enlightenment, in which all the tendencies and impulses of life--from the most debased to the most noble--function in harmony toward happiness and creativity. The Gohonzon is not an "idol" or "god" to be supplicated or appeased but a means for reflection and a catalyst for inner change.

Daisaku Ikeda has written that the ultimate form of prayer is in fact a vow--a vow to contribute to the happiness of others and the development of human society.

It is this vow and pledge to action that most profoundly attunes our lives to the larger life of the universe and brings forth our highest, most noble "selves." 

[Excerpt - January 2001 SGI Quarterly]

GRATITUDE & APPRECIATION INCREASES OUR GOOD FORTUNE

GRATITUDE & APPRECIATION INCREASES OUR GOOD FORTUNE

Ikeda: You can’t expect to get paid a salary unless you work. Similarly, in Buddhism, our prayers are answered only to the extent that we exert ourselves to realize the Buddha’s wish for the happiness of all humanity. The Gohonzon (Mystic Law) has no obligation to answer our prayers. It hasn’t asked us to chant to it. We request the privilege of being allowed to pray to the Gohonzon. If we have such a sense of gratitude and appreciation, our prayers will be answered more quickly.

Ueda: A member has asked a question that seems related to that point : `Why are some prayers unfulfilled ? Do those unrealized prayers also contribute to our personal growth ?’

Ikeda: There are times when our prayers seem to take an age to be fulfilled, or when they remained unrealized despite our most impassioned daimoku. But the important thing to remember is to keep chanting until they are answered. Our continued daimoku gives us a chance to take a good hard look at ourselves, while also leading to positive changes in our daily lives. It’s like work – you get a job and go to work the first day, but you don’t get paid right away. Or it’s like gardening – you plant a sapling and water it every day, but it still takes a long time for it to grow into a tall tree.

Kimura: There’s an old Japanese saying about time and patience : `Peaches and chestnuts take three years to bear fruit, and persimmons take eight.’

CONSPICUOUS AND INCONSPICUOUS BENEFIT

Ikeda: The benefit we receive as a result of chanting to the Gohonzon is comprised of both conspicuous and inconspicuous benefit. Conspicuous benefit refers to such instances of benefit where we are clearly protected in times of trouble and able to find a speedy solution to a problem we’re facing. Inconspicuous benefits, meanwhile, are like the sapling growing into a mighty tree. We accumulate good fortune little by little and this manifests itself gradually over time. In life, it is the inconspicuous benefits that matter most. Conspicuous benefits may help in a pinch, but what really counts in life is coming out on top in the long run.

Ueda: So it can take an age for inconspicuous benefit to manifest in a visible, concrete form, can’t it?

Ikeda: Yes. With regular watering each day, a sapling steadily grows into a solid and sturdy tree. With diligent application every day, you can progress gradually in your studies. All good things are the result of, incremental efforts.

Kimura: Buddhism is the law of life, so all of its teachings accord with reason and the principles of the universe, don’t they ?

Ikeda: Yes. Just because we’ve prayed for something doesn’t mean that we’ll automatically get it. But even if our prayers are not immediately answered, if we keep chanting every day, we are creating the causes for a momentous positive change in the future. Without exception, you will look back and say to yourself that things worked out for the best.

Kimura: That’s why it is so important to keep chanting every day, isn’t it ?

Ikeda: Many factors are at work when it comes to our prayers being realized. But by chanting sincerely with those prayers in our heart, we can correct our life’s orbit and move in a more positive direction. Our prayers have a far-reaching impact on our lives. Though you may chant to do well in your studies, for example, the effect of your prayers will extend much further, rippling across the whole spectrum of your life. When all is said and done, to have the desire to sit in front of the Gohonzon and chant daimoku is very important. It is an -- expression of one’s determination to improve oneself. That spirit is important. That spirit is the proof of our humanity, an -- expression of the noble spirit to accomplish something with our lives.

Source: Discussions on youth, between SGI President Ikeda and Soka Gakkai high school division chiefs Hidenobu Kimura (young men’s chief) and Yoshiko Ueda (young women’s chief), representing the members of the high school division.

Transforming Relationships

IT’S ALL UPTO YOU

The Key to transforming relationships lies in the process of transforming ourselves. 

Whether you experience a relationship in a positive or a negative way is determined by you – by your own beliefs and attitudes. This idea may at first seem hard to accept. Nonetheless, developing successful relationships begins with accepting full responsibility for your life and your role in those relationships.

“It’s hard to soar like an eagle, when you’re surrounded by turkeys”, reads a familiar bumper sticker,. Buddhism teaches that one’s environment reflects his or her inner state of life. Buddhism suggests that if you are surrounded by turkeys, it’s very likely that instead of the eagle you may think yourself to be, you are, in fact, a turkey yourself. And, by extension, your environment is a turkey farm. The problem is not, however that your fellow turkeys are preventing you from soaring. Rather, it is that you must transform yourself into the eagle you desire to be.

As each of us is, at the most essential level, a Buddha, there is nothing wrong with us. We are not impure or flawed. It is our unenlightened mind that is flawed. This is not the same as trying to say that the victim is at fault. Certainly there are people behaving badly, causing others, perhaps you, to suffer. We are not, however responsible for the behavior of others, only for ourselves. When you understand this, you will realize that there is something ultimately liberating in this idea. Since we control the choices in our own lives, we have the power to do something about our unsatisfactory relationships.

Nichiren taught us that sufferings arise from “looking outside of oneself” for the cause or the solution to problems. The fact that it is you who are suffering means that it is your problem to solve, not someone else’s. If you are looking for others to change, you may wait for a very long time. Still, people make extraordinary efforts to modify the behavior of others in an effort to make relationships work. But ultimately this is as futile as cleaning the mirror in an attempt to clean your face. The mirror will keep reflecting back the same image.

Through Buddhist practice, we start to see ourselves more accurately perhaps for the first time in our lives, with all our weaknesses and strengths. Day after day, we come to an ever-deepening realization (although sudden, remarkable flashes of self-realization are quite common) that the relationships we have formed are a reflection of our own state of life. Then we can embark on the steady, long term process of developing our wisdom and capacity as human beings.

The key to transforming relationships lies in the process of transforming ourselves. Since the only person whose behavior you can control is yourself, use that power to the utmost. Work from the inside out.

Buddhism teaches that false attitudes or beliefs about the self and others, which lead to misery and suffering, can be traced to the “three poisons”: Greed, Anger and Foolishness. In particular, anger, the poison compounded of equal measures of arrogance and self-centeredness destroys relationships. The poison of anger leads inevitably to strife and conflict among people, whether individuals, groups or nations. War too has its roots in the poison of anger.

Buddhism calls the poisoned self, the arrogant, self-regarding egomaniac within all of us, the lesser self. The ultimate purpose of Buddhist practice is to manifest a greater or true self. Understanding the purpose of relationships and purifying ourselves of the three poisons go hand in hand.

Source: The Buddha In Your Mirror (Pg. 127 - 130)

HOW MUCH DAIMOKU WE SHOULD CHANT

HOW MUCH DAIMOKU WE SHOULD CHANT

  

"Chanting is a process of polishing and forging our lives, which is why our faith is so important. Consequently, the benefit of chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is absolutely not dependent on the amount we chant. What matters is that we chant to our own heart's content, the amount that feels right and satisfying for us. Nowhere in his writings does the Daishonin say we should chant a specific quantity. The efficacy of our prayers is influenced by the strength and depth of our faith, and by our determination and attitude. At the same time, sincerely resolving to chant a specific amount is also an expression of faith. We can chant the amount we've decided on each day, while continually renewing and deepening our resolve. It's also important that we chant honestly and openly, just as we are. All of us face times of worry, anguish and sadness in our lives. When we do, we can feel free to go straight to the Gohonzon with our suffering and chant about it wholeheartedly, just like a child seeking its mother's warm embrace."(Living Buddhism, Sep/Oct 2011, pg. 74 & 75)

  

"There’s no need to worry. You don’t need to feel pressured about the amount of daimoku you have to chant. Even chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo just once has incredible power. Nichiren Daishonin writes: “If you recite . . . the daimoku [even] once, then the Buddha nature of all living beings will be summoned and gather around you” (WND-1, 131). You will receive tremendous benefit from just a single, sincere utterance of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. That’s how powerful the Mystic Law is. On the other hand, just because that’s true, doesn’t mean we should use it as an excuse to avoid chanting daimoku! After all, as the Daishonin says: “IT IS THE HEART THAT IS IMPORTANT” (WND-1, 1000)"

 - Daisaku Ikeda