Lessening of Karmic Retribution

Lessening of Karmic Retribution

Experiencing The Effects of Bad Karma To A Lesser Degree

Thus how can we lessen our karmic retribution? “The Letter from Sado” quotes a passage the Hatsunaion Sutra that reads, “lt is due to the blessings obtained by protecting the Law that one can diminish in this lifetime his suffering and retribution." (MW 1, 40) The blessings obtained by protecting the Law refer to the act of embracing the Gohonzon, chanting daimoku as well as the actions one takes for the sake of kosen-rufu. Even though one may have created karma heavy enough to experience sufferings for countless lifetimes, by believing in the Gohonzon and by practicing Buddhism, one is able not only to diminish the sufferings but also to vanquish them completely. The great benefit of changing one's karma is made known in this way in the “Letter from Sado."

Why are we able to change our karma by taking faith in the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin? This is because Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the one and only pure Law that penetrates the origin of life and the universe and is deeper than the dimension of life that generates karma. When drawing out this karma from within one's life, one is able to eradicate all tendencies that have been produced by karma created in the past.

Of course, the process of changing karma is not an easy task. It certainly requires tremendous hardship. To change negative karma or the filth in one's life, one must first get out the dirt before getting rid of it. Hardships will thus appear as the filth which enables one to eradicate one’s negative karma through the practice of the Mystic Law. Only by overcoming such difficulties is one able to achieve true happiness and growth in one's life.

When we confront hardships in life, we must have firm conviction that each one is the chance to change our karma and put the principle of lessening karmic retribution into effect. This kind of practice leads to human revolution.

(Source: Buddhist Studies, Pg:11-13)

Relative and Absolute Happiness

Relative and Absolute Happiness

"Nichiren Daishonin left us the Gohonzon. Through its power the poor can become rich and the sick, healthy. This is still a relative state of happiness and that's all you ever pray for, but eventually before you realise it, you'll be in the absolute state of happiness. You never pray for absolute happiness, but you enter that state without fail, whether you want it or not. It is the state in which you find your life meaningful, no matter where you are - I repeat, no matter where you are. At any time and in place you'll enjoy living itself. So, wherever you are, there will be bright atmosphere and never any argument. Sometimes you may get angry, but even this you'll be doing pleasantly. Don't you think you'll be delighted to be in such a state? I close my speech, praying that each one of you will graduate from relative happiness as soon as possible and enter into absolute happiness - a state you never even imagined you could enjoy."  

- Daisaku Ikeda, The HR 10, 330.

Guidance on Faith & Practice

Guidance on Faith & Practice

NO matter what happens, you must carry out the practice of gongyo and chant daimoku every day. Doing gongyo and chanting daimoku give rise to a bright and vibrant life-force from the depths of your life, giving you the power to resolve life difficulties. Therefore, you should never neglect gongyo on account of being too busy or too tired. Never "pull the plug" of your faith.

WHEN I say faith, I do not mean blind faith. I assume that the person with true faith lives in accord with the most profound wisdom. Wisdom is what gives meaning to religious beliefs.

MOST religions do not seek to make their followers wiser. In fact, we observe the opposite tendency - to keep their followers in darkness. The danger there is that such followers may become spiritual slaves. True Buddhism completely opposes this. It tries to open people's eyes, to awaken them.

IT is when we carry out our practice of faith with a sense of courage and joy that we are able to gain truly immense benefit. If, on the other hand, one has a grudging, negative attitude in faith, then one will be unable to gain great good fortune - good fortune that is truly profound and inexhaustible. While only a fine line separates these two attitudes in faith, the difference in the effects they bring about is immense.

FOR those who have not yet decided your future course, please concentrate your energies on the things you need to accomplish right now. You will discover your path as you keep searching, chanting earnestly to find your direction, and seeking advice and guidance from those around you.

IT is easy to simply parrot the word, "faith". However, putting faith into practice is difficult. The activities of the Gakkai are significant, however in that they allow us to strive together to continually solidify our faith and to help one another improve. This is the purpose of our organisation and the basis of our unity of itai doshin.

BY guiding another individual towards happiness, we guide ourselves towards happiness. This is our practice of introducing others to Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism. Through such efforts to share Buddhism with others, we can carry out our human revolution, and we can transform our karma.

This is the greatness of Buddhism. The act of introducing others to Buddhism, which enables us to profoundly benefit ourselves and others, is the formula for hope for humanity.

I sincerely hope you will advance with courage. Courage is necessary in an individual’s practice of faith in the family, in the community and in society as a whole. Furthermore, only courageous faith is instrumental in proving our justice.

THE SGI's movement for peace is striving through dialogues to establish a philosophy of the sanctity of life as the spirit of the age in the 21st century. The dialogues you engage in everyday are noble and important. I hope you will continue them with supreme confidence and pride.

TO the extent that one is earnest in his/her faith and activities, everything will become his good fortune and benefit. Do not let grumblings or complaints lead you to abandon your faith. Whether you gain or lose will become clear ten or twenty years down the line.

Excerpts from the book "Guidance Today" volume 1 to 5, published by Singapore Soka Association.

Are You Chanting for Benefits OR to Change your Karma?

Are You Chanting for Benefits OR to Change your Karma?

By Margaret Blaine

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 long there’s not enough again. Perhaps one relationship after another goes south. Maybe you suffer from depression recurrent or anxiety. Possibly you are battling chronic overweight. Whatever the situation, you have that feeling that it is much too familiar.

When we first start to chant, we chant for benefits. They allow us to prove the practice to ourselves and are always helpful in resolving other concerns.

In this situation chanting for a benefit might solve the problem for a while but then…. that problem returns.  You lose 20 lbs and gain it back.  You find the perfect partner and then discover he or she has developed the same problem you vowed to leave behind.

Recognizing Karma When You See it.

When you find problems recurring, you are dealing with karma. Karma is tendencies laid down by actions which, repeated over and over, have become habits over time. They can be good or bad. Some examples of bad karma would be compulsive gambling or overeating. An example of good karma, would include the unerring ability to establish good relationships.

Or, karma might also manifest as the tendency to attract the same kind of circumstances over and over. One example is a man who finds one job after another. He blames his bosses for bad decisions, loses his temper and is fired. An example of good karma, someone who always seems to be in the right place at the right time.

Our current circumstances are the result of our past choices and actions positive or negative. You see this in partners of alcoholics, who divorce one partner and then find another alcoholic. You also see it in people who are born with a lucky spoon in their mouths.

4 Ways to Change Karma

1. Shift the way you chant

As you chant for an end goal you might ask this question, “What do I need to know to keep this from happening again?” Or, “What do I need to change in myself so that this won’t continue to occur? “ Or, “I need to know the truth about myself.” Chanting in this way moves your practice to a deeper level. Here you can address established patterns which repeatedly bring you to back to the same place. Changing karma is one of the reasons we have the practice.

2. Apply the Concept of Oneness of Self and Environment

Chanting in this way means that you have taken responsibility for creating your situation, even though, on the surface it may appear it is someone else’s problem. You are applying the Buddhist concept of oneness of life and its environment.  Buddhism teaches that when you change yourself your circumstances will change.

3. Chant with Intensity and Determination

Challenging difficult obstacles is the fast track to overcome karma. It is in the midst of tremendous hardships that it is possible to transform one’s karma at a fundamental level. Laid back chanting will not work. You must chant with powerful intention, intensity and determination and follow through with action accordingly.

4. Encourage the Practice of Others

You can change karma more quickly by encouraging the practice of others and teaching others how to chant along with chanting about your concern.  This is a powerful positive cause for your life and places your life on the fast track to enlightenment.

Changing Karma Can Be done

Changing karma is not easy but it can be done.  Read life experiences where people have changed their karma through practice of Nichiren Buddhist practice.

Note: Teachings for Victory, Vol 1, p. 45-49 has an important discussion about changing karma.

Why is my goal taking so long?

Why is my goal taking so long?

By Margaret Blaine

  

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 not being realistic if we think we can build something of substance in a day. The purpose of Buddhist practice is to transform our lives on the deepest level. Imagine a mature tree. We are transforming our lives at the level of the root, not on the outer level of the leaves.

When we chant we may be addressing a root level issue, something deeply etched through repetition in our lives. When we think, act and speak, we plant a seed in the depths of our life, which will produce an effect at a later time. Some actions may have been repeated just a few times, but others might have been deeply etched. Dealing with the former, we might see results quickly when chanting for a goal. But if we are dealing with something of a deeper nature, it may take longer.

An Experience

Let’s see how this worked in the life of Mark. He was a new practitioner, and a practicing alcoholic. He drove trucks and the driving jobs he had had for the last twenty years had been marginal, changed frequently, and only brought him minimum wage. He was tired of living from hand to mouth. But as long as he was a practicing alcoholic, he couldn’t envision anything more. After he started chanting and realized this was a way to change his life, he started to chant for a career level job in his field.

Identifying the Problem

When we first start to chant for a goal, we may not know what needs to change.

For Mark to have a position with this kind of potential, the first thing that had to change was his use of alcohol. He didn’t understand this when he began to chant for his goal.

Soon after he started chanting for his goal, he had a devastating fight with his girlfriend. He moved out of their house and went to live with two family members who were strong practitioners. His friends told him that he got so paranoid when he drank, that he was close to being admitted to an inpatient mental health hospital. On the surface it would have appeared that his life was getting worse not better.

Horrified by the fight, the loss of his girlfriend, and the view of his drinking shown to him by his friends, Mark recognized he had a serious problem. He made the decision to turn his life around and stop drinking. He attended meetings at AA, and began to work the twelve steps. Since he was now living in the household of two practitioners, he began to chant regularly.

Gradually he pulled out of the mental fog created by the drinking. He rested a lot allowing his body to recover from the debilitating effects of the long daily use of alcohol.

As he cleared mentally, he looked carefully at his life. He was fifty. He had nothing to show for his life and nothing to support him in his retirement. There was no future at the place where he worked.

He continued to chant for his goal while a period of months passed with no obvious change.

Making a Determination

Feelings long dormant returned. One of these was a belief in himself. He became absolutely determined to achieve his career level job, to leave behind his marginal lifestyle.

Deepening Faith

He deepened his practice chanting more and more frequently behind the wheel of his truck, as he made his rounds, sometimes for many hours a day. He attended meetings and listened to experiences for encouragement. He chanted many hours on the weekend as well.

Taking Action

He put out applications all over town. He followed up the applications with many interviews but didn’t land a job. More months passed

Then Mark interviewed for a position that was the kind of job opportunity he wanted. He would have health insurance, and shares in the company. He could build something in this company. To his dismay, someone else was offered the position, but he understood why that person was chosen from a friend who worked there.

Never Give Up

He continued to chant, continued to work on his life, remained focused and positive, his eye on his goal. He had been sober for a year. He went and got the highest certification in his field, something he had avoided doing when he had been drinking. He wore a tee shirt that said Never Give Up.

Sometime later another interview came up with this same company and after a period of suspense he got the position. The company turned out to be everything he had hoped for, well run and owned by the employees. Mark had had a major success.

Summary of the Steps Mark Took

•Identify the problem

•Make a determination

•Deepen your faith

•Attend meetings and get encouragement

•Take Action

•Never give up

Everything Will Move You in the Direction of Happiness 

You can count on the fact that once you start to pray about something all of your prayers will move you in the direction of happiness, even though sometimes it might not appear that way on the surface. When you chant Nam-myoho-renge –kyo you will definitely gain the best result. If it seems to take a long time to achieve your goal, you may be dealing with something at the root of your life.

Set your goal, chant, identify the problem, make a determination, deepen your faith, attend meetings and get encouragement, take action and never give up until you achieve your goal.