New Year Holidays....

Well, today is the third day of New Year. It is hot as usual and guess what? I'm sick!! Yeah.. Yeah!! Perhaps, you might think that I am crazy... I'm not, mind you that. It's just that everytime I fell sick, I got special care from my friends and family... Heehehhe....

To cut the story short, I went back to my Ah Ma's house yesterday at around 11am from my house. Everyone from K.L, JB, And other places flock to P.D... I don't know why, but every year, the beach will be full of people from out station, thus, it caused traffic jam right here in front of my house. It took us 45 minutes to reach my Ah Ma's house (usually around 20-25 minutes). Anyway, at last we were there. All my uncles and aunties came back with their children, so it's a little bit crowded there. Around 12 something, I started to feel uneasy. Headache, sore throat, fever and also red spots on my hand. Small ones, and there are alot of them! I panicked for a while and hope that it's not dengue or chicken pox... I left Ah Ma's house after luch and went to see doctor. It's a benefit from Gohonzon. I was wondering whether the clinic in my garden is open. If not, I will have to go to Town and go to a 24 hours clinic that will cause me a fortune. Luckily, the clinic in my garden was open and it took me not more that 15 minutes and RM20 for that whole process.

Anyway, I slept like a baby from 2pm to 7pm and woke up to eat porridge that my mother cooked and after that they went back to my Ah Ma's house to pick up my father. I was alone at home and I did my daimoku, gongyo, washed the clothes and talked to my buddy for quite a while through the phone and after my family came back, I went to sleep until this morning at 9.30am. I was sleeping all the time and feel like a baby... Heheheheh... Feeling very lethargic is the main problem why I slept so long... Like Ah Ma... Heheheh...

I'm getting better now. My throat still sore, but, I think it'll be all right. Tonight going over to my sister in law's house for dinner. She called just now to check whether I am all right to go. I said Yes. It's hot here and I hope that No one will fall sick during this holiday. I treat this holiday as a chance to be with my family and also to get enough rest for the battles to come. Not to get sick when it's working time. Boleh sakit bila cuti, tapi kalau dah habis cuti, mesti pulih dari sakit! Heheheh... Lama tak tulis dalam Bahasa Melayu.

I'm going to have my first term exam in UM on the 18th and 25th of February which I have yet to start reading the materials... All of us (the 5 of us who is taking the diploma in UM) were elated when we passed up all the assignments... At least we managed to complete all the task last minute!

I think that would be all for now. I'll try to update this blog the best I can. But, I need help from you, Carryn and Boon How!!! Help!!!! I'm desperately calling for help here!!!!

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!!

Hi Anna and all Soka friends in Malaysia! This is Viki in Hong Kong - thankyou so much for visiting us and inspiring us, the children loved your visit and so did we! it was so lovely to share experiences, let's continue, and hopefully I will be able to visit your kindergarten in the coming year. Here's the most wonderful article on Courage, from the Amsterdam Zenshu site. Happy Christmas!love Viki In the Gosho “Letter to the Brothers”, NichirenDaishonin says: ‘The cart which overturns on the roadahead is a warning to the one behind. In a time likethis no one can help but thirst for the true way. You may hate this world but you cannot escape…. You must endure this trial and see for yourselves the blessings of the Lotus Sutra. Nichiren Daishonin will also loudly call upon the Buddhist gods. Now more than ever, you must neither show nor feel any fear. (Major Writings, Vol.1, p.139). When Dr. Kawada (Director of the Institute of OrientalPhilosophy) was asked how we can recognize the qualities of Buddhahood beginning to work in our lives, he answered with one word: ‘Courage!’.We can change the fear, insecurity and lack of confidence by starting to like ourselves and therefore beginning to have more confidence. Once you’re happy within yourself, other people respond positively. If you are in harmony with yourself, others will be too. Only, it’s confusing when you don’t know how to get in harmony. There are different ways to live and different lifestyles. Your lifestyle is not what determines your happiness. What matters is to draw out your Buddha nature. Fundamentally, Buddhahood is about having the confidence to be our true selves wherever we are and whatever is happening. This means really appreciating life itself. When we appreciate our own lives and the lives of others, we are able to perceive things andact in a different way – a creative and positive way. Stress is often the cause of diseases. And stress itself is usually the effect of lack of confidence,like, that things will work out (which causes insecurity to come out); or always trying to control things with your mind (which causes anger to comeout); and thirdly, the fear for commitment. When we start the process by facing the lack of commitment to ourselves and others, fear and anger will come out as physical symptoms of our spiritual ‘poison’. If we don’t take care and speak out for ourselves, how can we take care of others? The opposite of fear is courage. When you have the courage to face yourself, you can overcome the fear. Fear is there because we don’t want to see or acknowledge something. Karma in itself is not good or bad, but what we create from it is important. If we try to cover it up and pretend to be something we are not, then we suffer deeply. It is one’s reaction to one’s karma that matters. If you don’t fear something you can’t discover your courage. Courage is one of the qualities of Buddhahood viki 12.16.05 - 11:40 pm #

Flight to Taipei from Hong Kong 28.11.05

"It's a beautful day today," "25 degree celsius, it's clear blue skies" said the pilot, Albert Low. The sky is indeed blue, carrying my dreams and feelings along. How does it feels like to grasp a handful of clouds? Now I am up away from the clouds, soaring high like a bird, no, higher than a bird... My high school dream has become a reality, My second high school dream, to be precise. The first was realized during my 5th month in TSS, Now, thw second is now a reality to be on a plane flying to different countries... "15 minutes to Taipei." "Ground temperature is 26 degree celsius" Looking out from the window, I see the wings piercing through the wind and the clouds. How wonderful the world is! I have already started to miss every one in Hong Kong Soka Kindergarten. Hoping deeply that I'll be able to visit Hong Kong in near future... WIth love, ~*aNnA*~

They are giving a name to their own flag. They have created a flag of their own before this. By the way, all of the children in Hong Kong are using 繁体字 instead of 简体字(like we all here in Malaysia)。他们真得很厉害哦！虽然有些字不会写，但是，他们模仿字是一流的！小女孩叫 Moon, 小男孩叫Skyey So.

This is Lai Cheok Hei. He's very sweet and nice. All children in HK Soka Kindergarten are adorable! We were having snack together. This was the first time we met.

Yes! At last we are here at Hong Kong Soka Kindergarten! It's a beautiful place. Full of laughter, full of love and passion. Most of all, we don't feel like a foreigner here!

Four of us: Me, Siew Hui, Pooi Yin and Boon Yean took several pictures here. It's written with Ikeda Sensei's words for HKSGI members - 广布，和平。

This is the hotel we stayed at during our visit to Hong Kong for 7 days. It's 15 minutes walk from Hong Kong SGI Headquarters.

Hope Courage Friendship

Tadika Seri Soka

success

You are worthy of the highest respect. You are noble leaders who are praised and protected by Nichiren Daishonin and the Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions. Right now you may be unknown. You may have no money. You may be laughed at and ridiculed by people ignorant of the Daishonin's Buddhism. But when viewed from the perspective of the eternity of life you are all supreme victors, people who will achieve unsurpassed success in life. There is no doubt that in future existences each of you will enjoy an expansive life-condition far surpassing that of presidents, business tycoons or eminent scholars. Nichiren Daishonin assures us of this in his writings. If it were not true the Daishonin would be a liar. And that just isn't possible. The Daishonin never lies. (7/11/99) One kind of actual proof of victory in daily life is financial security. I hope, therefore, as you accumulate bountiful treasures of the heart and much good fortune, that you will also become secure financially. As long as we are living and working in society, having a certain amount of financial security is an important element for happiness. (9/26/93) The second Soka Gakkai president, Josei Toda, used to say, even though your wallet may be empty, there is an abundance of money floating about in the world—it just hasn't come your way, that's all! But, he would continue, if you accumulate good fortune, using it to "drill a hole" into that vast reservoir of money and tap some for yourself, you will never have to be wanting. (9/26/93) A tree doesn't grow strong and tall within one or two days. In the same way, successful people didn't get to where they are in only one or two years. This applies to everything. (DOY 1, ch. 8) In too many cases, acquiring fame, status or wealth alters a person's character. It is as though the person turns into a pup-pet of fame or wealth. How can human beings live in accordance with their unchanging innermost self and not be affected by these influences? Herein lies the battle of human life; such is the path believers in the Mystic Law must follow. (1/6/91) Success is not a matter of accumulating more of this or that; it is not measured in quantity. It means changing the quality of your life. Wealth, power, fame and knowledge alone can-not make you happy, no matter how much of these you ac-quire. Nor can you take them with you when you die. But by improving the quality of your life you will at last approach true happiness. (3/5/97) The only way to succeed is by first bringing to completion that which is most immediate. This principle applies in all affairs—in our daily lives, our work and our families, as well as in the progress of kosen-rufu. (2/17/90) Buddhist scriptures describe secular millionaires as being of a good family, possessing wealth, having dignity; being pure in their actions, exhibiting proper manners and enjoying great prestige. In accordance with the teaching that "all laws are the Buddhist Law," it is worthwhile for us to strive to acquire the virtues of these millionaires. I hope that, basing yourselves on faith, you will become wealthy people of virtue and influence who are widely respected. (2/18/90) What is success in life? Who are the truly successful? There are famous and powerful people who become pitiful figures in their old age. There are people who die alone, feeling empty and desolate inside. Just what is success? The English thinker Walter Pater (1839—94) wrote: "To burn always with this hard, gemlike flame, to maintain this ecstasy, is success in life." The person who lives life fully, glowing with life's energy, is the person who lives a successful life. (3/5/97) Such things as money, fame and material possessions offer fleeting satisfactions that can be called relative happiness. However, when we transform our lives internally, when we develop within ourselves a brilliant inner palace, then we can be said to have established absolute happiness. (DOY 2, ch. 20) A person of success in the true sense is one who can enjoy a free and unrestrained state of life. (2/18/90) You who have embraced this great Law are millionaires rich in life force who possess good fortune surpassing the wealth of even the world's richest people. Material possessions can-not be enjoyed after death. But "millionaires rich in life force" can freely make use of the treasures of the universe in lifetime after lifetime and enjoy a journey of eternal happiness. (2/18/90) Worldly success is not equivalent to true happiness. Achieving this requires that we have a profound understanding of the nature of life. There is much truth to the words of Benjamin Franklin that "success has ruined many a man." (2/18/90) There is nothing wrong with being successful in society and enjoying a degree of fame. But ultimately, the lives of those dedicated to the welfare and happiness of others, even if they remain unrecognized, are the ones truly worthy of respect. (DOY 1,ch.2) Daisaku Ikeda

Even one daimoku can permeate the entire universe. How much greater then is daimoku's capacity to move anything when it is chanted with sincerity and determination! Daimoku chanted with the profound conviction that "my life is the entity of the Mystic Law" or with the resolve that : "I will dedicate my life to spreading the Mystic Law as an emissary of the Buddha" cannot fail to draw a response from the Gohonzon. Such daimoku cannot fail to permeate the universe. (7/21/92) Invisible radio waves travel vast distances through space, reaching Mars and Venus. In the same way, our inner determination, which is unobservable to common mortals, activates the forces in the universe—the heavenly deities and the Buddhas throughout the ten directions—and appears as solid actual proof in accordance with the principle of 3,000 realms in a single moment of life. (4/11/92) Faith means making 100 percent effort—in our daimoku and in our actions. When we practice in this way, the Buddhist gods will lend us their protection. We mustn't have a complacent, dependent attitude in faith, chanting haphazardly without definite goals, making only halfhearted efforts in the belief that we'll be protected automatically. Deep determination and unshakable character are vital. Those with these qualities are second to none in faith. (11/25/96) When your determination changes, everything will begin to move in the direction you desire. The moment you resolve to he victorious, every nerve and fiber in your being will immediately orient itself toward your success. On the other hand, if you think, "This is never going to work out," then at that instant every cell in your being will be deflated and give up the fight. Then everything really will move in the direction of failure. (3/24/97) Anyone who has ever made a resolution discovers that the strength of that determination fades in time. The moment you feel that is when you should make a fresh determination. Tell yourselves: "OK! I will start again from now!" If you fall down seven times, get up the eighth. Don't give up when you feel discouraged just pick yourselves up and renew your determination each time. (DOY 1, ch. 6) Life is a struggle with ourselves. It is a tug-of-war between progress and regression, between happiness and unhappiness. Those short on willpower or self-motivation should chant daimoku with conviction to become people of strong will who can tackle any problem with seriousness and determination. (DOY 1, ch. 6) DAISAKU IKEDA

SLANDER

"To speak ill of that person [who embraces the supreme Law] is to speak ill of the Law, just as to show contempt for the son is to show contempt for the parents who bore him" (MW-5, 32). The "person" here, in the specific sense, refers to Nichiren Daishonin. In a broad sense, however, it indicates his followers, we Soka Gakkai members who promote kosen-rufu. To speak ill of those who propagate the Law even at the cost of their lives is to speak ill of the Mystic Law. To show contempt for the children of the Buddha is to show contempt for the Buddha himself. (9/30/91) When people worship the Gohonzon, all Buddhas and bodhisattvas in the entire universe immediately respond to their prayers by lending their protection. If people slander the Gohonzon, the response will be exactly the opposite. For this reason, one's mind of faith is extremely important. The mind of faith has a subtle and far-reaching influence. (2/27/90) Shijo Kingo suffered on account of calumny. But the Daishonin told him, "Never let life's hardships disturb you." Those who resort to libelous accusations are defeated as human beings; no action is more lowly and base. We should not be swayed in the least by such despicable actions. Just as we do not put garbage into our mouths, we must not permit such rubbish to enter our hearts. The Daishonin encouraged Shijo Kingo to shut the cowardly behavior of his accusers out of his mind. The Roman philosopher Seneca says that the arrows of slander cannot pierce the heart of a person of wisdom. (LG, p. 242) Those who abuse the SGI, who exploit the members for their own selfish reasons and aims, are committing the gravest slander of the Law. (6/25/96) There are cases when we wonder why merit doesn't reveal it-self in spite of our earnest and high degree of faith. At such times, rather than suspecting that you may entertain doubt about the Gohonzon, it is better to ask yourself whether you are guilty of any slander. Because a person who is contemptuous, hating, jealous or holds grudges will realize no benefits. (2/20/90) Buddhism reveals the ultimate Law of the universe and the ultimate principle for achieving happiness. Taking faith in Buddhism plants the seed of true happiness in our lives. Therefore, we must not uproot and throw away, scorch or otherwise spoil this seed of happiness as a result of harboring hatred and jealousy toward fellow believers and eventually discarding our faith. (2/14/90) DAISAKU IKEDA

What Is Buddhahood ?

What it certainly isn't is some transcendental state of life that is seperate from daily reality. Buddhahood means enlighment : enlighment to the true nature and potential of life. As such, it is a state of life which each individual inherently possesses. The awakening of this state in our lives brings with it such characteristics as strengthened life-force, courage, determination, compassion and wisdom. There are no commandments whatsoever in Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism, since an awakening to our higher state of life, or Buddhahood, enables us to make our own moral and ethical judgments. These are based, above all, on respect for the dignity of all life and a growing awarness of the reality of a strict and inescapable, universal law of cause and effect. Buddhism does not believe in the concept of heaven or an afterlife but rather speaks of the eternity of life. Our physical body must at some point decline and need to be replaced, but the essence of our life will continue, to be reborn in a new body at some time in the future. Buddhism states that life is to be enjoyed and, whilst it recognises the basic suffering of life, directs its followers to challenge them. Through this, we grow as human beings and become strong, improving both the quality and circumstances of our own lives and that of society, with all the potential at our disposal. The Buddhist practice activates the power within us to do this.

MIND OF FAITH

There may be times when you feel reluctant to do gongyo or take part in activities for kosen-rufu. That state of mind is reflected in the entire universe, as if on the surface of a clear mirror. The heavenly deities will then also feel reluctant to play their pan, and they will naturally fail to exert their full powers of protection. (2/27/90) No matter how healthy, intelligent or affluent we may be, if our minds are weak, then our happiness will also be frail and brittle. Our minds of faith, moreover, enable us to bring out the full positive potential in all things and situations, so it is crucial that we strive to forge our minds of faith. (2/2/93) Mahatma Gandhi (1869—1948) once said that people become the people they expect themselves to be. Your mind, your ichinen, determines your future, your life. (3/9/93) Faith is the secret to happiness for all people. When you truly forge your mind of faith, you will become an eternal victor throughout the three existences of past, present and future. Strong faith enables you to display appropriate wisdom, so that you can take advantage of change and move forward in the direction of hope and victory. (1/31/93) It may seem perfectly all right to put ourselves and our wish-es first, to simply follow the dictates of our emotions and cravings, but the truth is that there is nothing more unreliable than our own minds. Life doesn't always go like clockwork and things will not necessarily turn out as we had hoped or planned. Consequently, Nichiren Daishonin frequently stressed that you should become the master of your mind, not let your mind master you. We mustn't allow ourselves to be ruled by a self-centered mind. Rather, we have to discipline our mind and gain mastery over it. This is the Daishonin's strict admonition. (8/27/97) As long as our mind of faith is connected to the Gohonzon, our benefits will never disappear. That's why it is vital to per-severe in our Buddhist practice throughout our lives, no matter what, even if on some days our physical condition or other circumstances prevent us from doing gongyo and chanting daimoku to our full satisfaction. Those who continue to challenge themselves to the end savor ultimate victory.(1/31/93) The mind of faith is invisible. Those who advance together with this organization dedicated to kosen-rufu will evolve the correct mind of faith that matches the time. With this mind of faith, you can fill the canvas of your lives with portraits of happiness in which all your wishes are fulfilled.(1/31/93) DAISAKU IKEDA

FAITH EQUALS DAILY LIFE

Faith manifests itself in daily life. Daily life, in turn, is the stage upon which we show proof of faith. True human victory and happiness are attained through the earnest and steady day-to-day efforts we make. The pattern of our lives, like that of the sun, may seem monotonous and routine, but there is nothing more profound than our daily endeavors. Achieving brilliant victory in our daily lives is what being victorious in faith is all about. (9/26/93) One who takes good care of his or her job, daily life and family is a person of deep and genuine faith. Activities are intended to be carried out in the spare time that you have from work and family. (2/25/90) Please steadily advance along the fundamental path of "faith manifests itself in daily life;' living in the way that best suits you. Just as the sun rises every day, if you persistently advance based on the Mystic Law, the absolute Law of the universe, you can definitely lead a life in which all desires are fulfilled, a life of which you cannot now even conceive. Please be convinced that you are now leading the most certain and valuable life. (2/26/90) We have been born, and life is made for living. It is important that we strive to live on tenaciously to the very end, no matter what happens. Faith in the Mystic Law supplies us with the immense life force we need to live strongly and confidently each day so that we can overcome the various sufferings and hardships we encounter. (6/19/96) Faith and daily life, faith and work—these are not separate things. They are one and the same. To think of them as separate—that faith is faith and work is work—is theoretical faith. Based on the recognition that work and faith are one and the same, we should put 100 percent of our energy into our jobs and 100 percent into our faith, too. When we resolve to do this, we enter the path of victory in life. Faith means to show irrefutable proof of victory amid the realities of society and in our own daily lives. (10/6/95) When we plant the seed of happiness that is faith and carefully tend its growth, it will produce fruit without fail. We have to keep in mind, however, that we cannot plant a seed today and expect it to bear fruit tomorrow. That's not reasonable and Buddhism is reason. If we persevere in the practice of "faith equals daily life" in accord with reason, then our prayers will definitely be answered. This is Nichiren Daishonin's promise to us. And his words are true beyond any doubt. (6/9/96) DAISAKU IKEDA

ACTUAL PROOF

Buddhism is an earnest struggle to win. This is what the Daishonin teaches. A Buddhist must not be defeated. I hope you will maintain an alert and winning spirit in your work and daily life, taking courageous action and showing triumphant actual proof time and again. (3/8/96) In this lifetime, to demonstrate the power of faith in the Mystic Law to others, some of you have been born into poverty so that you can show actual proof by gaining secure and comfortable lives. Some of you have been born with ill health so that you can show proof by growing strong and healthy. Irrespective of your situations, however, the light of faith in the depths of your beings will continue to shine eternally with diamond-like brilliance. (6/22/96) Since we have taken the lead in embracing this great religion to which so much of humankind still remains oblivious, it is important that we demonstrate the value of this Buddhism by showing actual proof in our daily lives. Seeing such proof is what enables people to realize the greatness of this Buddhism, that it is something unique that they have not en-countered up until now. (2/26/90) When we speak of showing actual proof, it doesn't mean we have to try to put on a show of being any more knowledge-able or accomplished than we are. It is my hope that, in the manner that best suits your situation, you will prove the validity of this Buddhism by steadily improving in your daily life, your family, place of work and community and by polishing your character. (2/26/90) Shijo Kingo, a person of strong faith, was at one point envied and slandered by others, earning the disfavor of his lord. But later he received a new estate from him. In modern terms, we might say that Shijo Kingo scored this victory by showing wonderful actual proof of faith at his place of work. The test of faith is winning in daily life and society, since that is where Buddhism finds _expression. (4/23/96) Science is based on tested proof or empirical evidence. You conduct a test or experiment and then observe the results. Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism, similarly, teaches that nothing beats actual proof. In this regard, it stands alone among world religions. I hope that each year you will strive to show clear proof of victory in Buddhism and your studies. Please always remember that showing such proof is the mark of a true successor. (4/2/98) Daisaku Ikeda

HOW TO CHANGE ONE’S KARMA ?

When something unexplainable happens in our life, which we cannot seem to figure out, we will usually say, "This is my karma." Therefore although karma can be positive or negative, many associate the word karma with something negative. Viewed from a negative, karma can leave a person with a sense of powerlessness whereby we accept our present sufferings as results of negative causes we have made in the past; with no hope of ever changing it. But this is a distortion of the original meaning of karma. Buddhism teaches that "if you want to know the causes that existed in the past, look at the results as they are manifested in the present. And if you want to understand what results will be manifested in the future, look at the causes that exist in the present." Therefore as indicated in the Gosho passage above, to accept the idea of karma does not mean to live under a clout of guilt and vague anxiety, not knowing what bad causes we may have made in the past. Rather, it means to be confident that our destiny is in our own hands and that we have the power to transform it for the better at any moment. We must realize that what we are experiencing in our lives at this moment is the result of causes we did in the past. It was not something handed down from above. Since karma is based on the principle of cause and effect, the causes we make now will decide the effects that will appear in the future, that gives our present lives and its accompanying sweet and bitter moments its true significance. Karma is a Sanskrit word meaning action. According to Buddhism, karma can be caused by our thoughts, words and action. Although words and action creating causes in our life is easy to understand (the scientific principle of "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction,") the notion that our thoughts too can create karma in our life is beyond science. Yet, since our thought is what gives rise to our words and action, its impact on the causes we are making becomes crucial. For this reason, we are constantly reminded about the importance of having a correct positive thought or determination (ichinen) in our practice as this will impact the results we are looking for. As all these causes create a latent effect in our life that will be manifested, through an external cause, as a manifested effect in the future, we cannot in a sense, escape the effects of our karma. It will be manifested, if not in this lifetime then in future lifetimes. But as Nichiren Daishonin said in the Gosho Lessening One's Karmic Retribution, "If one's heavy karma from the past is not expiated within this lifetime, one must undergo the sufferings of hell in the future, but if one experiences extreme hardship in this life (because of the Lotus Sutra), the sufferings of hell will vanish instantly." We must realize that our present sufferings are an opportunity for us to expiate our past karma in this lifetime and change it for the better. Therefore the key to changing our present sufferings into good fortune, now and in the future, depends on whether we have the courage to squarely face our karma with the determination that, no matter what, I will fulfill my vow, my mission as a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra. It is to link our karma to our mission. When we work for the sake of kosen-rufu, for other's happiness, we ourselves will be making the greatest causes that will secure our future now and into the eternal future. This is the purpose of our Buddhist practice.

How To Change and strengthen The Inner Core of your Life ?

First of all, before you begin to chant - RELAX :CLEAR YOUR HEAD. CLEAR YOUR HEART! But especially your head - your mind. Relax emotionally, mentally, physically. It is important to be very natural. Second, when you chant, you really need to use your eyes. FOCUS ON THE GOHONZON. Then listen to your voice. Focus on the center part of the Gohonzon "myoho" - mystical. You have to use your eyes. This is extremely important. When you really use your eyes, your mind stops. Clear your mind by strongly focusing your eyes. Let your thoughts rest by using your eyes. When you're busy thinking all the time, your brain is sucking energy. This means your brain is getting stronger - (which isn't healthy), but your core isn't changing because the energy isn't being directed there. What you really have to do is look at the Gohonzon with power and let your mind relax. The Gohonzon in your life already knows your worries and desires. Keep everything in your heart - JUST CHANT WITH YOUR EYES LOCKED ON THE GOHONZON. Then when Nam Myoho Renge Kyo comes into tune with the core of your life, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo will melt away and dissolve karma. It will change into strength so you can become strong and clear minded enough to accomplish your desires. In this way, you should come to enjoy the act of chanting because you're feeling the core of your life. You're fusing with the highest potential in your life, represented by the Gohonzon. WHEN YOU'RE THINKING STRATEGIES, YOU'RE NOT CHANGING YOUR KARMA. Q : When I chant I often imagine what I want. I picture it in my mind. I see it happening in my mind. Is that okay ? A : Positive imaginations are a good thing, but not strategies. If you get to imagining how to make it happen, instead of the images of it, then you are strategizing. Prayer should come from your heart!The Gohonzon knows your worries and desires. Keep them in your heart, focus on the Gohonzon and SIMPLY CHANT. If you can do simple good daimoku and gongyo, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo goes stronger, deeper, to expand you, dissolve difficult karma and generate positive results. Daimoku should come from your core. If it comes from the brain, the brain becomes stronger and so does the confusion. When you close your eyes or avert them from the Gohonzon, the power to fuse the core of your life with the Gohonzon weakens and the mind plays around. Chant clearly, confidently, comfortably. We need to keep checking ourselves. It's easy to get carried away by force of old habits and chant while uptight or emotionally. DON'T READ WHILE YOU CHANT ! DON'T DO ANYTHING WHILE YOU CHANT! JUST CHANT. When you read, read. When you chant, chant. After good daimoku, you may read, or your schedule may require you to get right to work or do things you need to do. You may have a busy life, but don't have busy daimoku. Don't be busy while you chant - FOCUS ! Through focused daimoku, you can melt away negative karma. Karma is going to be dissolved. Chanting is a time to cultivate your life, not think about your strategies. Daimoku is the time to enrich your Buddha nature, not the time to have a planning meeting for your life or day. In my head : Positive imaginations In my heart : Deep prayer In my mouth : Clear chanting Thank you for reading.

On Daimoku

f you underestimate the power of daimoku, And use other strategies, you will lose in the end; You can accumulate good fortune only when you fight for kosen rufu, Without begrudging your life; Unless yours prayers are united, The fight for kosen rufu cannot gain momentum; No matter what anybody says, or does, Nothing can defeat the power of daimoku; But without action, you cannot call it faith; The Gohonzon can penetrate through everything; The world of faith is very mystic, and once you become serious, You can gain one thousand times or ten thousand times more benefits; When you chant abundant daimoku You have the power to open the heaviest iron door that stands in your way, You can overcome the most massive obstacles in your life, You can definitely change your negative karma; The world of faith is the place where many of us, Chant powerful daimoku in unity, Thus creating the power like the huge force of the wind. There is nothing but daimoku; Daimoku determines everything, Daimoku has more power than one million guidance, Or one million books on philosophy. Chant abundant daimoku and pray to the gohonzon; Ask the Gohonzon for whatever you need; Everything will come true as you wished, And the path of kosen rufu will open up in front of you. Everything depends on how much daimoku you chant; When you chant a lot of daimoku, You will naturally feel that you need to study more; When you chant abundant daimoku, Your work will become fulfilling. There may be many times when you experiences great suffering and deep sorrow, There may be many nights when tears will not stop flowing, At such times, my heart will be open to you, I am always here to listen to you; I, too will share your tears with you, You don't need to tell me anything, If you are happy, I can tell just by looking at your face, Just tell me about the problems and pain that you have, I will always carry half of your heavy burden, And walk together with you. Daisaku Ikeda