Life changing...

Robbie, you helped me find a computer file of the lotus sutra a few months ago.

I found you through your YouTube lotus sutra information, and you were so gracious to send it to me via internet email.

I listen to it every day several times. My life started working out immediately, and I am so pleased and happy and healthy compared to how I was before you sent it to me.

My family is all staunch Christians, nothing specific wrong with that; it just doesn’t help me find peace in my life the way they do.

I am very grateful to you; you gave me a precious gift.

Thank you so much.

MM

How much should I chant? Does chanting Nam myoho renge kyo work?

First, everyone is different, some of the Japanese ladies use the little daimoku charts where 15 minutes equals a tiny square of a huge picture...etc. You try to set a goal it sounds like of x minutes per day. This also leads in my second point, which is that I do not believe that chanting itself is necessarily a "good cause". I say this because.... what IS the Gohonzon? It is the actual manifestation of Ichinen Sanzen, and we seek Kyochi Myogo in our practice.

That is, a fusion between our life and the perfect blueprint of life which is "Gohonzon". So back to the point: Within Ichinen Sanzen, cause and effect is explained in detail. The Ten Factors ("Ju Nyo Ze") make it clear that it is the NATURE of a cause that matters, not the cause itself. This would indicate that the act of chanting itself has no value, positive or negative. It's value rather would be determined by one's motivation or nature in that cause of chanting the daimoku.

What if in my head as I chant, I curse this Buddhism? Is it still a good cause? How about those who appear to betray Buddhism, yet chant... are they making a good cause when they chant in anger and pray for the Gakkai to die? Think it over.... It is always the NATURE of a cause that matters and thus creates an immediate latent effect which will manifest in time.

This leads to point 3: QUANTITY of daimoku, in my opinion is irrelevant. It is sincerity that matters. One sincere daimoku is more valuable than a million careless daimoku. The opposite is true as well, Nichiren Daishonin states "1000 pots of laquer can be ruined by a single crab leg". Which I believe indicates that every single cause counts and ones destiny or "karma" is constantly accumulating.

Anyway, just wanted to share my thoughts on it and especially stress the Ten Factors as they are very fundamental to how our life conditions change (ie how we interact with environment and have influence over it and it over us) which is the main point you seem to be trying to make. The damoku is indeed the "One Essential Phrase" as Nichiren Daishonin puts it, but I do believe that faith is the key to making it awaken one's Buddha nature. NOT the act of chanting itself, but FAITH.

A last thought: So I suppose it's like this: If I have a bike, if I don't know how to ride it, it's not going to help me get very far. I just don't see much value in chanting without faith.  Otherwise, anyone who chanted could not be deluded... yet we know that is not the case. I do not think one can awaken Buddha Nature without chanting, but I also don't think chanting works without faith and sincerity.

I am joining the army, but I want to become Buddhist, how do I do it?

My name is Ashton, im 18, and i live in Texas. Iv been interested in converting for about a year or so now but im having trouble figuring out how to start. In September of 2010 ill be enlisting in the US army and im a little scared on how I should approach becoming Buddhist while im in the army. Im still in high school so u can just imagine how easy it must be for me ha. but if u could get back to me and plz show me a path on starting i would greatly appreciate the help. :]

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Dear Ashton,

Firstly thank you for writing to me. It is always such an honour to get messages such as yours from people around the world. It is quite a humbelling experience.

My advice to you is to listen to your heart, if you feel that this practice is something that helps you then presue it.

I am sure in the army there are people that are athiest, buddhist, jewish and other faiths. Buddhism will be no different.

But to be buddhist you need 3 things.

Firstly strong faith - This is faith in your self, your life, your family and your humanity and faith that you will have absolute victory in every thing you do.

Secondly practice - Chanting daily will raise your life state and help you cope with the heavy emotional and physical work you will undergo as you build your self up in the army. You can chant in the toilet quietly to your self, you can chant loudly in your room if noone is around, you can chant loudly in your room if there ARE people around and you feel comfortable, or you can chant in your head. It doesnt really matter how you do it but what matters is that you do it every day. Chanting connects you to your enlightend self.

It isnt easy and it wont be easy, but if you push forward you will succeed and you will recieve great benfit from this.

Lastly and most importantly is study - It is vital that you learn every day, even if it is just one line about what buddhism is about, the teachings and wisdom of the lotus sutra. Leanring more about how this practice can help you achieve unshakable happiness is key to your strength.

When you put your hands together and you chant, you are making a vow to your self that you are the one driving your life. You let go of blame and you focus on your own human revolution!

Be strong, chant an hour a day, ready books and ask questions. Never be embarrssed of yoru faith.

You are at the center of your religion and you have the power to change anything in your life.

Chant for security, happiness and success and the happiness of all humanity

Go well friend and feel free to ask me any more questions.

i am sorry it took me so long to get back to you.

All the best

Robbie

Why do Buddhists pray? Who are they praying to?

Hello,

My name is Faisa and I have been watching your videos.
I'm really fascinated by this whole Buddhism religion. You seem to be really at peace and content. I'm just confused by one thing.....I don't understand who you pray to. As I understand it (please correct me if I'm wrong) is that Buddhists believe that there is no god and everyone has the power to great their own world right? But yet Buddhists pray. So how does that work? I'm sorry that I'm ignorant I'm just curious.

hope that you are in good health and hope to hear from you

kind regards
Faisa

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hi Faisa,

Thank you for your message.

Please do not be sorry, it is good to ask questions. There are no bad questions, only bad answers! :-)

You have asked a very good question, who or what do Buddhists pray to?

In Christian faiths and religions where a deity is concerned people put their hands together and pray to their god or gods. Most people adopt a position of begging for help or forgivness or assistance for the lifes sufferings.

In Buddhism we do not believe in god, but a universal force that governs the universe, we are different to Christians because we believe that each and every human being is in control of their own destinies, this is all done with the direction of karma.

Good and bad karmic events occur in a persons life due to choices, words and thoughts made in this life and in others.

So when we are chanting, we are connecting with the part of our consciousness that stores the karma, the 8th conciousness or the alaya consciousness.

When we pray at the end of our chanting, it is a way of sealing off the chant or practice and wishing well our family, our friends, our communities and the world around us.

You could say that becuase buddhists believe that every living thing or every THING in the universe is connected, when we pray we send out positive vibrations.

The whole point of a religion is to lift people out of suffering and to help the transcend suffering.

All religions were created or manifested in to the world with the intention of helping people, well I would say all, but recent religions like Scientology dont seem to have hte best interestes of the people at heart.

Nichirine Buddhism is a religion of the people, it is about people and the lives of these people. The lotus sutra teaches that every single person is capabale of buddahood. this is a never ending supply of courage, goodwill, strength, compassion and wisdom.

But it teaches that this power is inside us, always. All we need to do is chant nam myoho renge kyo and connect with this higher state of being, that resides in the 9th level of consciousness. When we do this, our buddah nature comes forth and we are able to battle and win against any kind of suffering.

I hope all this makes sense. And if it doesnt please feel free to ask me some more questions.

All the best my friend

Robbie

The Journey

Hi Robbie

Thanks for posting your videos charting your journey with Nichiren Buddhism.

I have been practicing for about three months (24th of May 2009 to be exact !) after seeing a stall at Birmingham Pride. I'd been interested in Buddhism for quite a while and had been along to the FWBO temple in Birmingham, but it wasn't quite what I was looking for. I have to admit that having found the Pride stall and being told about the chanting I nearly made a friendly but hasty retreat, but I was given a copy of 'Art of living', various leaflets and I left my contact details. Well the rest is history - I started chanting and was amazed at the changes that I felt within myself. I didn't wait for our local group to contact me - I phoned Taplow and got the details of the district men's division leader and got in touch with him. It just so happened that there was a meeting that very evening so I went along and met some great people, who in the short time that I've known them, have become very special to me. It hasn't all been plain sailing though. The analogy that the practice can be likened to stirring up sediment at the bottom of a glass of water has certainly been true for me ! However the 'shit' thats hit the proverbial fan were things that I had to face up to at some point and I know I can face them head on with unfaultering faith. I'm thinking about receiving Gohonzon but I'm not sure I'm quite ready yet !

Anyway - sorry to have gone on a bit ! The reason I mailed You is to thank you for your encouraging and informative videos and keep up the good work Shakubuku-ing via youtube !

Nam myoho renge kyo

Paul J

I cant face the gohonzon

I received my gohonzon last september after i had gotten out of a really traumatic break up. I really like the Philosophy of Nicheren Buddhism so that motivated me to chant once in a while. But the more i chanted to more my life went downhill. Everything seem to go wrong, i was like in quick sand.
Problems at work, school, home, family, friends, money. I became severely depressed were i developed and eating disoder. And the more i chanted to bigger my problems got.

Finally i left chicago and went to mexico. I chanted once in a big while over here. i was able to overcome alcoholism and manage to hold some control over my eating disorder. all this i did without chanting.

But the question is this. Everytime i study and/or practice Nicheren Buddhism i go back to the past were i dont want to be. Its like i open a door which should remain closed and locked. Everytime i looked at the gohonzon i think of my ex. it is an unbearable feeling. yesterday i rolled up my gohonzon and put all my reading materials in a bag ready to throw them up. Maybe by doing that i will see buddhism as a thing of the past just like my hardships i faced in chicago. I thought that by chanting things were suppose to get better not worse. I fought hard regardless of all the personal problems i was facing with myself. i ask you because i was just looking onyou tube and came across your page. i never really got involved with the sgi organization in chicago because i was going tru to much shit.
what do you think is the best thing to do? i chant but no good evercomes of it.

I said:::::

Hello Friend,

It sounds like you are going through a great suffering.

I am very surprised that you received a gohonzon after two weeks and you never recited gongyo.

It would be best if you learn a bit more about the faith, what it all means and what the gohonzon acctually is.

Watch my video about what the gohonzon is and how it works.

You have been on a downward spiral that ONLY YOU can get your self out of, but that means respecting your life.

You are only 20 and you have your whole life ahead of you, why let another person ruin your chance for happiness.

It sounds to me that her heart may have stayed with her ex, so it wasnt your fault or hers.

If you truely love someone, you want them to be happy, you dont want to possess them or own them.

By chanting to "get her back" you are invoking a sense of ownership over her, she chose to go the direction she did, and it wasnt your fault.

When I was 19, I was in exactly the same boat as you, I lost so much weight and i wanted to die, I was so in love, so I feel your pain my friend.

This is a wave you have to ride, but if you carry on chanting FOR YOUR OWN happiness and nothing more, you will SUCCEED! I PROMISE YOU!

but I would recommend you watch my video about the gohonzon and you start going to meetings and getting support.

YOU CAN GET THROUGH THIS!

Dont let this girl ruin your life... it belongs to you!

Stand up, pick your self up, all the problems you are having are because your mind and emotions are clouded with grief.

Move on, she isnt worth it..

its going to take some time, but you will heal.

just chant... you dont need to use a gohonzon...

do it to a blank wall, but focus on the prayer and when your mind wonders

bring it back to the prayer of your happiness

peace
Robbie

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Hello,

I recently became a member of SGI-USA. I'm from Chicago and recieved my Gohonzon three weeks ago.
The introduction of this practice to my life proved extremely overwhelming--in both good ways as well as bad.
I had some of the most emotionally charged weeks of my life and became frightened. I was at a standstill with chanting but started up again with a near ethereal chanting experience in the waters of Lake Michigan and by studying again.

I watched your videos and found them to be encouraging and insightful. It was especially exciting to see you mention the Law of Attraction as I currently have a book of Abraham's teachings out from the library on that very subject.

Thank you for all that you do. And I wish you the best of life!

Namaste,
Cassandra

I said:

Dear Cassandra,

Thanks for your message!

Its always encouraging to hear people talking about their experiences. It gives me so much joy and so much motivation to continue chanting.

I still find it very difficult sometimes, but life is difficult.

If every thing was easy, if enlightenment was simple, the universe would cease to exist. Everything needs something to push up against, to push towards.

That is the nature of myoho and the mystic law of the universe.

Keep chanting and chant through to the positive benefits that will come to you.

No doubt, just faith

Love and light
Robbie

The Dai Gohonzon is it fake?

Today i received this question about the Dai Gohonzon, from a user on Youtube

hey whats up? i was checking out Nichiren Buddhism. One thing that came up on you tube was the the gohonzon was fake. i did more research i found out the that the dai gohonzon is fake to. i was wodering if you knew anything about this?

Here is my response.

There is some negativity on the internet about SGI.

There is a lot of negativity about Barrack Obama on the internet. There is a lot of negative things about many people or organisations that are trying to bring about change for the greater good.

People will stop at nothing to bring down the good name, of others standing up from the crowd and daring to challenge the self proclaimed authorities/churches/priests etc.

At the end of the day my friend, the Gohonzon exists inside you, Nichiren said, never seek the power outside of you, but from within.

The Gohonzon, the scroll serves as a reminder of an enlightened state, it is nothing more then ink and paper.

It is not a magic talisman.
 
The focus is on your intention, your chanting and your prayer.

Nam myoho renge kyo is the expression of the law of life, and it matters not which group you are affiliated to, what matters is what is in your heart.

We are all practising for the happiness of our selves, our family's and for all of humanity.

We do not practice so that we can stand on a pedestal and point fingers at others saying who is right and who is wrong.

True Buddhism isn't not about judgement or dogma, it is about real life, real people and the human revolution, inherent, in all human beings.

Each one of us has infinite potential, each one of us has Buddha nature.


Do not allow your self to be sucked in to negativity and slander.


Give it a try for your self, and see how it feels in your life, you and nam myoho renge kyo.


Being with chanting 30 minutes every morning, day and night.


Focus on the sound the prayer and focus on the goals for your happiness and the happiness of all humanity.

Best wishes