Never, Ever Give Up On Your Dreams
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Never, Ever Give Up on Your Dreams Speech given to the SGI-USA Arts Division, on 29-may-2001, by Linda Johnson. Linda Johnson is a women's division leader in SGI-USA. She is responsible for several thousand SGI-USA members in Southern California. In addition, she is a criminal lawyer, supervises nine other lawyers and handles her own case load. e theme of the conference and the title of her speech is, "Never, Ever Give Up on Your Dreams". You will note that her speaking style is informal, however, she speaks from her own experience of victory base upon applying her faith and practice to her daily-life. She speaks about the idea of 'esho funi' in an extraordinary way and shows how we can apply our faith and practice to this principle in order to fulfill our dreams. I believe that she also provided Dr. Tetsugai Obo's lecture. Near the end of her speech, she shares some great person encouragement from President Ikeda. I hope you enjoy and find this useful. Linda Johnson: 29-may-2001, Speech to the SGI-USA Arts Division Part 1 Good morning! So you know, I was thinking about what I was going to say this morning. And I decided to change the title of what I was going to say to the title of the conference. And that is -- I'm changing it to -- "Never, Ever, Ever Give Up On Your Dreams." (Applause) And the reason I decided to change what I was saying to "Never Give Up On Your Dreams" is because that's the point I want you to leave this conference with. None of us practice this Buddhism to compromise our dreams. None of us practice this Buddhism to compromise our life. I don't think anybody started practicing to accomplish what we could already do through our own human effort. I think we all began to practice to be able to call up something out of our life greater than what we could do with our own human effort. And I was reminded of this a couple of weeks ago... you know, I was in the bathroom putting on my makeup and I had the TV on, and "Good Morning, America" is on. And they were interviewing this lady who must be in her mid-fifties. And she shared her experience about her dream which was always to be a schoolteacher. But she had no formal education. You know? And when her husband left her, she had no skills. And she had children to raise. And she started doing home cleaning. She made money just cleaning. But she never ever gave up on her dream. And so as a consequence, fighting for years to get through college, she's
graduating this month...(Applause) And she's being asked by her peers to be the speaker at her graduation. And she was there with her children. e thing that touched me was she talked about never giving up on her dream. What she said was, "If you give up on your dream, you give up on yourself." So you cannot ever give up on your dream, because you cannot afford to give up on yourself. And then I remembered President Ikeda quoting someone, and I apologize because don't remember who it was, but I remember the quote; he quoted some man who said, "A fate greater than death is to be alive but dead inside." And I think that whenever we are not challenging ourselves to go for our dreams we die inside. You've got to have dreams! And the reason you have to have dreams is because you have to have some reason to get out of bed in the morning, to chant. You know? It's great to say that the purpose of our practice is world peace. But it's really hard to get motivated, for world peace, to get out of bed in the morning, sometimes... Do you know what I mean? It sounds good... but if you've only had two hours' sleep sometimes it's not always the thing that motivates you to want to jump out of bed.. (Laughter) And this is why we have this concept in Buddhism that says "earthly desires are enlightenment." You've got to have desires! Your desires are what motivate you to chant. And what motivates you to chant is what gives you the opportunity to learn from your own experiences of going for those dreams, going for those hopes -- it is through that that we start to realize the potential of our life. Don't ever let anyone take away your dream. Because if they take away your dream they take away your mission too... (Applause) It's those things that keep you alive. It's about being the best you can be. It's about deciding the way you want your life to be, and making it happen. Okay? I was so touched listening to her, and later this cute lady comes up to me and tells me she wants to share something with me. And she talked about how she was at some meeting that I spoke at in February And how I explained that Buddhism says that we are the screenwriters, the producers and the directors of our life, and we write this movie called `Our Life' every single moment with our thoughts, our words and our actions. And she said, "You know, I got it. I heard you. And what I understood from you is that we are writing this movie called `Our Life' every day." She said, "So I went home and sat down and decided, `Okay, if I'm writing the movie, why don't I decide what I want the movie to look like. Why don't I start directing my life in the direction in which I want." So she gave herself some goals. And she said that -- I guess the 80's were very good for her -- so she started chanting proficiently to feel like felt in the 80's, because that was a really good time in her life. And she started chanting to attract that 'right man' in her life. And so we're talking about a two-month span of time. And she said what she did, in addition to chanting -- because she got that we write this script every moment with our
thoughts, words and actions – she started being conscious about writing the script with her thoughts, words and actions that were consistent with the movie she wanted to create. After two weeks she got a telephone call to be in a movie with her acting coach from the 80's. She did that, and then she told me about how she had just recently also gotten a national commercial. And two weeks before she even saw me, she had attracted this fabulous man. So she was like, "Hey, I got it! (Laughter) and I'm going to keep writing that script called `My Life' in the direction in which I want it to go." And I was so touched by her, and I was like, "Yes!" Each one of us is directing our life -- this movie called `Our Life' – every moment, whether we realize it or not. But many of us are directing out of the negative side of life, rather than the positive side of life. And then truly what most often needs to happen in our life, whenever we're suffering, is just a slight shift in attitude. And that slight shift in attitude produces visible, dramatic and possible results in our life. So let me start back about this process, this process of creating our dreams. In the November issue of Living Buddhism -- it was the "Dialogues on the Lotus Sutra" -- and in there they asked President Ikeda, "Where do benefits come from?" And he said, "Benefits come from your faith and your action." ey come from us, no one else does it for us. ey come form our faith and our action. We're the one who makes things happen. So I think that really what's called for is for us to learn how to really practice Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism correctly. President Ikeda has said, I place a high value on personal initiative. Kosen-rufu will be advanced by brave people armed with the spirit of independence who voluntarily strive to fulfill the vow they made in the remotest past. Because they struggle of their own volition, they have no complaints or grievances. e greater the obstacles they face, the greater the courage, wisom and power they muster from within. ["For Today and Tomorrow, Daily Encouragement", 4-jul, Daisaku Ikeda] Challenging dreams with an independent spirit, I think, corresponds to Dr.Tetsugai Obo's description of an 'ocean culture' spirit or as President Ikeda has said, "Audacious, bold and tough!" So what is this 'thing' we call 'reality' and how should we deal with it..? He's given us the answer on how to make our dreams become reality. Right? He tells us that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is so powerful it can change even that thing we think is absolutely unchangeable.
Nichiren Daishonin tells us this; don't believe me, believe Nichiren Daishonin. I never saw in the Gosho where he says, "Yeahhh, it'll work for this and this but not this..." (Laughter) But as human beings we so easily get discouraged. We so easily concede defeat by looking outside ourselves for the 'sign', for the confirmation, of whether or not we're doing the right thing. I think we have cause and effect backwards. Outside is the mirror of our insides, and it has a moment-to-moment cause-and-effect relationship with us. So if we don't believe we can do something, we will attract people in our life who will tell us, "You can't do it." We will attract visible 'signs' -- 'Reality' -- telling us, "I don't think so." So we'll look at the 'reality' and the 'reality' seems to be saying, "I don't think so." Most of us then go back to the Gohonzon and think, "is must be a sign!" (Laughter) I think we have cause and effect backwards. (Laughter) And what I mean is Nichiren Daishonin teaches us -- and pardon me if you've heard me speak about 'esho funi', I always speak about 'esho funi', and I think I probably will until I leave the planet -- because it is a fundamental principle of this Buddhism that makes it different from any other religion or philosophy you will ever practice. (Applause) At the same time, I think it is also fundamentally one of the most difficult theories to put into practice because it goes against what feels right instinctively. And what I mean by that is -- let me give you an example... e moment we get hurt by another human being, instinctively we withdraw to protect ourselves. It feels right. And normally, not only do we withdraw to protect ourselves, the 'eyes of judgment' come out. Right? And we start looking at that person with these 'eyes of judgment'. And we come up with a list of reasons why it's all 'your fault'. "It's really all your fault." And when we view things this way, the solutions seems simple. e solutions is:"I need to fix you. I need you to act right...(Laughter)...It is in my best interest, because when I get you to act right...(Laughter)...I will no longer suffer." We all do this. And so we go inside of our head. And we develop -- you know those brain cells work overtime -- and we develop the most elaborate strategy designed for fixing that person. (Laughter) Right? And then we come up with the right time, and as I have jokingly said, the right outfit, (Laughter) and we are ready to work our magic on that person. (Laughter) Right? And we do this. And we do it all in accordance with 'our plan'. (Laughter) you know, and if we're successful at all, it tends to be quite temporary. And then much to our amazement, that person turns right back to where they were before.
But the thing I'm more amused by, is us: we don't learn anything from this... (Laughter)...because we go right back and do 'Strategy number Two'... (Laughter)...trying to manipulate and fix that person again. Right? And we do it day in and day out and day in and day out, until we get to 'Drastic Solution'. And 'Drastic solution' is, "I have exhausted myself with you...(Laughter)...I'm outta here." (Laughter) And that's when we decide it's time for the new job. Right? at's when it's time for the new relationship. Right? And your friends (that are Buddhist! ) help confirm this!... (Laughter)...because they care about you and they don't want you to suffer and they've been seeing you suffer for a long time so they're like, "Honey, you don't need to take this crap...(Laughter)...Go get yourself a new man! Go get yourself a new woman! Go get yourself a new job!" (Laughter) And then we do, we get the new job, the new woman, the new man, etc. And after that brief honeymoon period that always exists in life with new things... something amazing happens. (Laughter) e same ol' movie starts playing all over again...(Laughter) e names and the faces have all changed but it's the same movie. (Laughter) And Nichiren Daishonin very clearly tells us that the reason the same movie keeps playing over and over and over in our life is because we have a fundamental misunderstanding of the way life works. We instinctively as human beings -- because when I look at you I verify you're outside of me -- so, instinctively, I always treat you as something separate and apart from me, as something that has absolutely nothing to do with me. But Buddhism says that even though we cannot see it with our eyes, there is absolutely an interconnectedness between us and everything that we experience skin-out. And that interconnectedness is attributable to us. Something we do. And I'm not saying that it's not attributable to them as well and all that, but we have all made the causes to be here at this moment, to experience whatever it is we're experiencing right now. However, Buddhism says that my ability to be happy right here, right now has absolutely nothing to do with anyone or anything outside of me. Rather, it has a hundred percent to do with me and the way I choose to perceive, and respond to, and to use the circumstances in which I find myself. And at every moment I have two choices: I can choose to use my circumstances as a justification for my failure. Or I can choose to use my circumstances as the catalyst to create my dream. And which I do determines not only the effects I produce, it determines the quality of my life during the journey from here to there.
No one does this to us but us. Do you know? Even if someone says to you, "You know, I know your dream is to be a writer... but, you know, I reeallly don't think you have what it takes... (Laughter)... and perhaps you should be thinking about doing something else with your life." If you fail, you know, in terms of accomplishing your dream, it is not because of that person. It is because you have decided to believe and buy what that person says. And the instant you believe and you buy "I can't do it", "I can't do it" becomes your prayer. e law of cause and effect is in everything. It is pure; it doesn't judge us; it is the law of life whether we chant or not. And when we buy, "I can't do it/ I don't have what it takes", -- thought, word and action -- we then are the creator of that movie called, "I Can't Do It." (Laughter, applause) Does that make any sense? I hear the same thing again and again and you know... I hate this word 'Reality.' And the reason I hate it is because people always come to me and say, "Reality is telling me... (Laughter)...that I can't do this!" and I'm like, "...I don't think so!" (Laughter) I don't think so. When we truly understand this lack of separation between ourselves and our environment, this is the point. Because of this concept of 'esho funi' [or "there is no separation between me and everything I experience skin-out"], then if I'm seeing the answer as "No" or "I don't think so," then I must go back to my Gohonzon and chant to see what causes am I making -- and have made – in order to produce this effect that I am experiencing in my life right now. You will find that when you pray in this way, that perhaps your result or the lack-ofresult in your life is `nothing but the mirror of your life reflecting back to you, and specifically reflecting the truth that you do not believe you can do it. And so, because the basis of this practice is 'human revolution', once I get, "is is the connection between my causes and this effect now I know what I must challenge", we must challenge ourselves to change because ultimately, no matter what our hope is, no matter what our dream is, if there is a gap between what we wish for and what we believe we can do, our life at every moment will be our 'true heart', what we believe we can do. You see what I'm saying? Life is more than just chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Buddhist practice is everything we do 24 hours a day, right? It is about creating -- being the screenwriter, the producer, the director of -- the movie called `My Life,' which we do at every moment with our thoughts and words and actions. So if inside we don't believe we can do it, even though we may pray to do it, the process of reaching our dreams is always the process of winning over ourselves. We must win over our own negative roadblocks that come up to challenge our own belief in ourselves.
I believe that no matter what it is we pray for, doing for example, morning gongyo, when we get up from the Gohonzon and just go through our day, the specific challenges, the specific obstacles that we encounter during the day are in fact the answer to our prayer. And those obstacles are the answer to our prayer because each one of those obstacles is showing us our fundamental negativity, our fundamental weaknesses. Each one of these obstacles is showing us the part of our life that causes us to give up, to give up on ourself. And the process of 'human revolution' means, not the absence of the obstacle, but our ability, this time, to respond differently when we encounter the obstacle. And it's our ability to respond differently in the face of our obstacles that produces a different effect for us. Part 4 Nichiren Daishonin explains that absolutely everything in life has two sides to it. Two functions: a positive function and a negative function. An enlightened side and an unenlightened side; everything in life has these two functions. Nothing is inherently positive, or inherently negative. Everything possesses both potentials. And so what becomes critical is always how we fundamentally decide to use the circumstances in our life. Whether we choose to use our obstacles – our circumstances -to create our greatness or to perpetuate our weakness. From the standpoint of Buddhism, we cannot grow without resistance. It's just a fact of life. It's sort of like... when I was watching Herbie [Hancock] and Larry last night, what I felt from watching them was that each was challenging the other to become better. And it became a musical dance, where each was inspiring the other to do a little more, to do a little differently, to be a little better. It was beautiful. And that exemplifies the point. We don't become better -- we're not challenged to reach down and call up something more -- when we are challenged by someone not as good as we are. Do you know what I mean? We don't become a better tennis player by playing someone worse than us; it may make our ego feel better for the moment... (Laughter)... but we don't become a better tennis player. We become a better tennis player by trying to call out something more in our life "cause our butt's getting kicked." And it's through that we keep calling out more and more of our capability. It's the same thing with life. You know what I mean? When we want to develop muscle, and we go to the gym, we don't develop more muscle by lifting less weight... (Laughter)... Right? We develop muscle by challenging ourself to lift a heavier weight.
And so it's the same thing with life: "obstacles equal strength." Or I'll put it this way: "challenging and winning over obstacles equal strength." is is the means by which we develop an indestructible state of life. But it's a gift only we can give ourself and it comes from facing every challenge with the determination that we're going to use this to awaken more and more of our strength and potential as a human being. And this is the route by which we accomplish our dreams, because every obstacle that comes up in our life will be a 'test', a 'test' of whether once again we will be swayed by the weak side of our life. Nichiren Daishonin tells us all this in the Gosho. He's always equating our Buddha nature with a lion, and he says a lion is never destroyed by any other animal. But he warns us there's only one thing that destroys the lion -- that's that parasite within the lion's bowels. He's telling us -- that translates into -- it is our own internal negativity that pulls us down. end part 4 In the Gosho, Nichiren Daishonin says that it's only by defeating a powerful enemy that one can prove one's true strength. Nichiren Daishonin did not depend on 'gods' or other outside forces to aid him; "let the gods forsake me, let all persecutions assail me." ["e Opening of the Eyes II"]. In a sense he said, "is teaching of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and the Gohonzon is the essence of Buddhism. Try to stop me. If you succeed, then I am wrong..." e fact is that this is how he lived. Nichiren Daishonin had no power within society and yet he challenged the most powerful forces of authority of his day; religious, government and social. Nichiren Daishonin's teaching is that we are all Buddhas with all the resources we need to succeed. When we strive for our goal based on Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and the Gohonzon, we are challenging that belief within ourselves. In the process of fulfilling our dreams, we prove that we are Buddhas. Good thing we have an 'Evil Twin'..! Part 5 You know I jokingly call that part our 'Evil Twin'. Right? And we all have an 'Evil Twin' inside. And our 'Evil Twin' never shuts up. (Laughter) He or she is the most persuasive moral advocate you will ever encounter. (Laughter) And this person that lives inside of us -- the 'dark side' -- has a list of reasons at every moment as to why we can not do what we want to. And ultimately, reduced down to its simplest form, the reason we fail is because we believe this. We decide to believe this negative side when it comes out and
starts talking. So the point is, you know, we have to retrain ourselves to understand what our thoughts are. Right? Nowhere does Nichiren Daishonin say, "all you have to do is pray sincerely, and then you can get up and be totally irresponsible in your life... (Laughter) ... and take no responsibility for anything you do." We're real good at that. Buddhism teaches us that we have to take a hundred percent responsibility for our life, but how many of us do that? I think we got it clear that we're supposed to be serious in gongyo. But most of us, I think, including myself, when we get up from doing gongyo -- and in one way we never get up because the Gohonzon is always here (points to herself ) -- but, when we get up after gongyo, most of us live unconsciously. We take no responsibility for the causes that we make during the day. And we continue to live like this, and then we get frustrated, and we say, "You know, this practice doesn't work... (Laughter)... I've been chanting for this thing (whatever that is, that goal, that dream), and I don't see any result." I suggest to you that your practice is working perfectly. We have to understand again the fundamental nature of life. As explained by Nichiren Daishonin, life, at every moment, has two sides to it. And the causes we make -thought, word and action --- are revealed to us as the 'movie' of our life. And so our life at every moment is telling us completely what we believe. So it's not that the Law isn't working in our life, it is! We have just decided to direct our movie from the negative side. Does that make sense? But even though I have come to understand that our thoughts [positive or negative] are equivalent in prayers, I have also learned that we don't have to 'freak out' if we have negative thoughts. Again, the inherent nature of life is this balance between the Buddha inside of us and our 'Evil Twin'. at tension, that battle, that goes on moment to moment between the two... (Laughter)... is the fundamental nature of life. Okay? It is impossible, I think, to get rid of our 'Evil Twin'; that voice is always going to be there. But we don't suffer because of that voice, we suffer because when that voice speaks we listen. And we 'buy it'. And every time we 'buy it', that becomes our prayer. Instead, we must learn to start using the enlightened side of everything. And the enlightened side of our 'Evil Twin' is that when he or she speaks, we are made aware of own negative 'heart'. at by itself doesn't produce the effect. What produces the [positive] effect is what we do in order to overcome that. See what I mean?
So, do we 'buy it' once again, as we have over and over and over? Or do we decide, "I've decided to no longer accept my limitations as the reality of my life." And every time we fight against that negative voice by not going with it, we've made a new cause to create a new path. And because the law of cause and effect is pure, as we override our own negative voice more and more by not going with it, it is impossible not to produce a visible, dramatic difference in our life. So our negative voice becomes the means by which we achieve our dream, because the accomplishment of our dream is always the process, moment to moment to moment, of winning over every negative belief system that holds us back; never outside of ourselves. We have met the enemy; it is us... You know?... in the sense of that negative side. Now let's talk about the other side... end part 5 Mark Grasso: is is part six of Linda Johnson's discussion at the SGI-USA Arts Division conference in May 2001. We've met our 'Evil Twin'... and he/she is us. ;) Beginning in this part, Linda Johnson now introduces us to the Buddha potential within our life. It is our 'prayer' to the Gohonzon which manifests this Buddha potential. But what is 'Buddhist prayer' and what does our Buddha nature provide for us? SGI President Ikeda commented, e first thing is to pray. From the moment we begin to pray, things start moving. e darker the night, the closer the dawn. From the moment we chant daimoku with a deep and powerful resolve, the sun begins to rise in our hearts. Hope -- prayer is the sun of hope. To chant daimoku each time we face a problem, overcoming it and elevating our life-condition as a result -- this is the path of "changing earthly desires into enlightenment," taught in Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism. ["For Today and Tomorrow, Daily Encouragement/15-august", Daisaku Ikeda] In part six, Linda Johnson takes a look at the meaning of prayer in Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism and how we can manifest our Buddha potential in order to confront our obstacles and fulfill our dreams. Part 6 Nichiren Daishonin in the Gosho "On Attaining Buddhahood in is Lifetime" tells us that the only distinction between a Buddha and an ordinary human being is just the fact that the ordinary human being has not yet awakened to the truth that they are a Buddha.
e point in that is that every single one of us is a Buddha. We are! He's saying every single one of us was born with that same Buddha potential in our life. Not one of us was born without. Everyone's got it. But the question is; do we tap [utilize] ours? Can we call it out? And when we study the Goshos I believe that when Nichiren Daishonin is saying, "we are a Buddha", what he's really saying is, "everything we need to accomplish any goal, any dream, we ever set for ourself, we already have." We have it right here, right now just as we're sitting here, without first having to change anything about ourselves. We already have it! It's always been inside of our life! I think the problem is that most of us don't believe it. Most of us deny our potential. And every time we deny our potential, by that cause, we suppress it. So no wonder it can't come out. But it's like that parable of "the gem in the robe". We have always possessed that gem. It's our life. It's always been there. But we are chanting to grasp what Nichiren Daishonin is saying and to believe it with every cell of our being. And he tells us in the same Gosho, "On Attaining Buddhahood in is Lifetime", stop looking for your happiness, your answer, outside of yourself. "If you wish to free yourself from the sufferings of life and death that you have endured throughout eternity, you must awaken to the mystic truth which has always been within your life." ["On Attaining Buddhahood in is Lifetime", WND, p. 3] And that mystic truth is none other than Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. We must awaken to that mystic truth which has always been within our life! And so I think what he's saying is... You know that answer you were always looking for?: "How do I solve this?", "What do I want to be when I grow up?" You know... all those questions. We have a multitude of questions every day. And Nichiren Daishonin is saying, "stop looking for those answers outside of yourself!" at answer only exists inside of you. e question is: how do we reveal it? He tells us in the same Gosho. We polish our "mirror", by chanting Nam-myoho-rengekyo. at's the key! at key, with conviction, with the understanding that the answer we need is only inside of our lives. And we pray. But more than that, I think that another reason we chant is that chanting is the key by which we give power to our greatness. It's always been there. And because life at every moment is this struggle with the 'Evil Twin', this is the reason we need to chant. And we need to chant enough. It's because our 'Evil Twin' never takes a holiday. (Laughter) Never goes on vacation, right? Never! And so again, the key by which we are able to empower ourselves, to
empower our strength and our greatness, is through chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to the Gohonzon. Chanting daimoku calls out, it empowers the Buddha inside of us. e battle every day is a battle to win over our 'Evil Twin' and no longer be swayed by that voice anymore. And we must empower ourselves to be stronger than it, so that when it speaks, we are strong enough not to listen. Because every time we don't listen we've made a new cause for change in our life. Okay? But also, chanting is the key to call up from within our life anything we need. Do you lack hope? We have an inexhaustible supply of hope in our life, and chanting is key to call out hope from within our life. Do you lack conviction? We have an inexhaustible supply of conviction in our life, and chanting is the key by which we call out that conviction. In essence, prayer is the key by which we can call up out of our life whatever we need, when we need it, so that we can do the right thing to stay on course to the accomplishment of our dream. And the amazing thing about prayer in this Buddhism, the thing that makes it dramatically different from 'prayer' in any other religion, is that it is through the empowerment of ourselves that we accomplish what we set out to do. It does not depend on something or someone else outside of us to do it for us. What I mean is that prayer in Buddhism is first all, I believe, a determination. You know what I mean? Commit! Say... "I WILL.... [fill in the blank ...]" "I WILL get that part in that Broadway play." Make a determination. en based on that determination, chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to pull out of your life: "What is it I need to do to make my dream happen?" end part 6 Mark Grasso: is is part seven of Linda Johnson's [SGI-USA] discussion based on the theme,"Never Ever Give Up on Your Dreams". We've learned that we are both the producer and director of the movie called, "Our Life". We have also met our doubting 'Evil Twin' which strangely enough seems to be a *neccessary* part of the process of fulfilling our dreams. And finally, we have discovered the source of our power to grow, the mystic principle of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo which is originally inherent within our lives. We have learned that Buddhist prayer is the exact opposite of 'begging'. Rather, Buddhist prayer 'gives power to our greatness'. When we set a goal and chant earnestly for it, we will neccessarily encounter our doubting, weak selves. However, it is by making our determination and chanting daimoku again and again and challenging that doubt, that
we empower our lives and manifest our original life-state, far greater than our small doubts and fears. In this part, Linda Johnson speaks further about Buddhist prayer and how we open ourselves to the inherent wisdom and power of our life. part 7 And then we've got to chant... You know, I was thinking when I was listening to Pasqual talking about 'surrendering' yesterday. And I was thinking to myself about surrendering, like, when I chant do I surrender? (Laughter) I probably would have chosen a different word for me, but yeah, I do. But let me explain what I think that means. I don't know what it means for Pasqual, but I can tell you what it's like for me. Once I've decided, "is is what I'm going to accomplish", and I'm chanting "What is it I need to make it happen?", I chant with the understanding that the answer is on the inside of my life and I strive to chant daimoku with the expectation that the answer will appear from within my life. e 'surrendering' is the process by which I listen for the answer. Does that make any sense?... (Affirmative from audience)... that is surrendering. (Looks to Pasqual and he gives a thumbs-up) (Laughter) But it's a conscious process. Do you see what I mean? It's a conscious process by which I determine through my daimoku to pull up the answer from within my life. But I've also got to open up my life without caring... because too many of us use our brain too much. And for me, you know, I'm trained to use my brain. Right? I'm a lawyer, so I'm trained to use my brain. But you know, I must tell you that in the 25 years that I've been practicing this Buddhism, the Law ['Myoho'] pummels my ego every day. (Laughter) And what I honestly mean by that is that in the entire 25 years of my practice I have not once achieved a goal with my brain, (Laughter) Not once! And so it continues to reinforce my view that inside of our life is a wisdom that is far greater than our brain will ever be. And I think that's why Nichiren Daishonin says, "become the master of your mind rather than allowing your mind to master you." But then after we get that answer -chant to get that answer, chant to get that answer in a way that is undeniable for you. And it doesn't matter that other people don't get it. It only matters that you get it, and that you hear it -And when you get that answer you must then follow through with the action. is is the way we create our dreams. Okay? So it is us doing it. It is us always basing our life on Nam-myoho-renge-kyo which is the one unchanging reality in our life -- we always return to that -- returning to that true internal wisdom in our life. Not the wisdom that is dependent on our brain, that goes up and down, getting nowhere where our karma is, at any given moment.
And so we need to base the achievement of our dreams on that inherent truth. But we can only tap [utilize] that truth through this process ['listening'], because we are not chanting to something outside of us. Even though the physical Gohonzon is outside of us, we are chanting to activate Gohonzon that exists inside of us. And it's the activation of that Gohonzon inside of us that does everything. So ultimately It's through this process over and over and over of trusting our life. Trusting that when we base everything on prayer first, that the answers that come out of our life are the correct answers for us in the direction of our happiness, in the direction of achieving our goal. Now, in honor of May 3rd, I'm going to share something with you, something President Ikeda said. Because I think chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is more than just chanting the words. end part 7 Mark Grasso: is is the eighth part of Linda Johnson's discussion entitled, "Never Ever Give Up on Your Dreams'. 'Ichinen' is a profound concept in Buddhism. We often translate this as 'determination', however its meaning is far deeper. In the sixth century, the Chinese Buddhist scholar T'ien-t'ai set forth the theory of 'ichinen sanzen', 'a single life-moment possesses three thousand realms'. 'Ichinen sanzen' was the heart of T'ien-t'ai's enlightenment based upon Shakyamuni's Lotus Sutra. 'Ichinen sanzen' explains the originally inherent potential for Buddhahood in all things. In essence, the theory of 'a single life-moment possesses three thousand realms' reveals that Buddhahood is an inherent potential in our life that we can manifest at any moment. ere is no separation between a Buddha and an 'ordinary' person. e key to manifesting Buddhahood at any moment is our 'ichinen'. Nichiren Daishonin embodied this principle of 'ichinen sanzen' in the Gohonzon so that all people could chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and manifest this same potential from within their own life. In this section, Linda Johnson relates President Ikeda's warm encouragement about 'ichinen' and the power contained within each person's life.
Part 8 For what purpose? Where is your heart? Where is your drive? Most profound. It's not just, 'nammyohorengekyonammyohorengekyo,' you know..., looking around the room... (Laughter)... you know, kind of unfocused daimoku. I believe that prayers must be specific. And when you read President Ikeda and they ask him this question, he always says that prayers should be specific. He never says, "Oh, just focus on the Nam-myohorenge-kyo..., just don't worry about it." (Laughter) You know, again, this process of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo by which we call up out of our life what we need, so we can then direct it. But how can we direct it if we have no purpose? And dreams are so important, because how can we see a goal without having anywhere to go? You know what I mean? So having said that, I want to share something with you. On July 4th of 1996, was when President Ikeda was last here in this country [USA], I had the fortune of being with him in a very, very small gathering. And at that time he shared something about 'ichinen' that I have continued with... Here's what he said. I'm going to tell you exactly what he said on that day. He looked at us, and he shared with us that on May 3rd of 1960, when he became the 3rd President of the Soka Gakkai, the organization was in financial debt. ey had three dilapidated buildings in all of Japan for the members and he had six staff working for him, that was it. ose were the conditions under which he assumed the Presidency of the Soka Gakkai. He said today we have 1,300 community centers and/or culture centers in Japan alone for members to meet at. We are very financially secure. We've establish the Soka school system from kindergarten all the way through graduate school and we have two branches in southern California. He said, and even more important, Buddhism has spread from Japan to over 138 countries throughout the world. (Today that's 185...) And he looked at all of us and he said, "I'm telling you all this for one reason, and one reason only. is is what the ichinen of one human being can do." When he said that there was no arrogance in this man's body; he was not saying he was great. With his life, he was trying to wake up each one of us to realize the potential we have inside of our life. And, that our ability to move and affect the universe is greater than just where our body can be. Do you know what I mean?... it's not just where our body can be, because as human beings we are all limited in terms of how many places our body can be at one time. But he was talking about something deeper.
e 'ichinen' behind one's prayer can move everything in the universe, to support our goal, to support our dream. Right? And he was saying this is what the 'ichinen' of one human being can do! It is something about the kind of prayer we offer and how it causes those 'shoten zenjin', those forces of the universe, to emerge. It's about how we can create our dream by empowering the universe to support us. So last January when I went back to Japan, I had just received some other positions in the organization and was in a state of 'overwhelm'. (laughter) You know? Because in addition to everything else, they made me Matilda's Vice national-leader, and they also made me Southern California's Zone Women's leader, and I'm a criminal prosecutor and I supervise a team of nine attorneys and I'm responsible for reviewing all of their work and training them and none of their work is filed into court unless I approve it, And so we write lots of stuff, and I have my own case-load, so I have just a few things to do... (Laughter)... Southern California is HUGE, I mean, you know, good grief..! It's huge. And so I was in serious 'overwhelm', and so when we landed I wrote President Ikeda a memo. And I just said basically, "Hi, I'm here, and... (Laughter)... I'm really overwhelmed with all the stuff that I have to do right now but what keeps coming back to me was what you said on July 4th , 1996, about what the 'ichinen' of one human being can do. And somehow with my life I know it's not about how many more places can I get to in a day. But it has something to do with 'ichinen' in terms of my ability to use my life to help other people transform theirs. So I came back to Japan. Could you explain that to me, so I can get it deeper in my life?" And when we had dinner, you know, Sensei was talking about all kinds of stuff. And then he said, "Let me talk about ichinen." (Laughter) And what he said was, "Ichinen means to pray without doubt." He said, "Whenever you pray without doubt, all your prayers will be answered. Nichiren Daishonin says, `No prayer of the votary of the Lotus Sutra will go unanswered.' is is the kind of prayer Nichiren Daishonin was talking about." You know? It was amazing. And then he went on to talk about faith. And he said to us, "You can't see somebody's faith by just looking at them." He said, "You see a person's faith through their behavior as a human being." And so he challenged each one of us, and he said, "Each one of you must go for every hope and every dream in your life and you must win. You must win because other people watching you must be able to say, 'is Buddhism is great.'" And I share that with you because 'going for your dream' is not a selfish journey. We must understand that going for our dream and winning is our mission in life. It is the means by which we show through our life and through our example that when we tap
into that fundamental source of Buddhahood in our life, we are limitless. end part 8 Mark Grasso: is is the concluding portion of Linda Johnson's [SGI-USA] discussion presented on 29-may-2001 in California with the theme of "Never Ever Give Up on Your Dreams". SGI President Ikeda introduces us to the practical truth of the Lotus Sutra in the introduction to the "Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra" dialogue [part one]. He says, "It [the Lotus Sutra] awakens us to the universal truth that a change in our heart, our attitude, can transform everything." When our 'ichinen' ['life-moment', 'determination'] changes, our life, both inside and out, changes as well. Our faith and practice to the Gohonzon leads our ichinen to the Buddhahood which exists within our life. In a study of "e Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind Established in the Fifth Five-Hundred-Year Period after the us Come One's Passing" Gosho presented by the Soka University English Academy in 1980, the followingdescription of the Gohonzon and its relationship to our own life was made, Let us consider for a moment the relationship between the person and the law, which is very important. Nichiren Daishonin is the Buddha who is one with the law [of Nammyoho-renge-kyo]. at is, in his enlightenment, Nichiren Daishonin realized that his own life was Nammyoho-renge-kyo. He later inscribed it in the form of the Gohonzon. us the Gohonzon too embodies the oneness of the person and the law. In his orally transmitted teachings on the Gohonzon, Nichiren Daishonin is quoted as having said that the Dai-Gohonzon is like the reflection of his own figure in a pond. e Dai-Gohonzon is the manifestation of his his own enlightened life-condition. By chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to the Gohonzon with strong faith, we can attain the same life-condition as Nichiren Daishonin. rough this practice, we can develop our own Buddha nature. us, there is no essential difference between his life and that of the common person. is is the ultimate teaching of Buddhism, and we believe that no other religion can approach it; it is unsurpassed in bridging the 'ultimate reality' with the common person. In the 'Reply to Kyo'o', the Daishonin wrote, 'I Nichiren have inscribed my life in sumi [ink].' is is another way of saying he embodied his enlightened life-condition in the form of the Gohonzon. But another implication of this sentence is that the Daishonin devoted his entire life to the establishment of the Gohonzon.
If we look at Nichiren Daishonin's lifelong dedication to saving unhappy people, we can sense his great compassion. If we ponder the 'Mystic Law', we can understand its great power. In the struggle to propagate true Buddhism, both compassion and power are needed; in other words, both the person and the law are essential. Since the Gohonzon is the embodiment of the person and the law, it contains both this compassion and power. [Soka University English Academy, 1980] I hope you all have enjoyed this series as much as I have. :)And I hope that everyone has been inspired to some degree to contemplate what they would like to attain for themselves and for the world [especially in the light of recent events...] and are now taking the first steps to turn their dreams into reality. :) Kind Regards, Mark part 9 We can talk about Buddhism all day long. But unless we are able to, unless we are able to use our life as an example -- and I do not mean an example of a perfect human being because I'm not encouraged by anybody perfect... because I'm far from it -- it means we all as human beings have obstacles. As long as we are alive we will always have obstacles. What is inspiring is to watch a person's attitude in the face of their obstacles, and being able to watch their life day in and day out, and see absolute growth in a positive direction. To see the example of a human beings life in which that person is never ever defeated by any circumstances in which they ever find themselves in their life. Never!... I'm going to conclude on this because I've talked too long... (Long applause) So you're going to break up into small discussion groups. And I want you to share with each other how you've been able to use [obstacles], how you turned doubt into a positive [conviction], how you turned any circumstance that was potentially negative into something positive for your life. Because I want you to understand that 'attaining Buddhahood just as we are' means that we never have to get rid of anything. Instead we just need to chant to plug into the enlightened side of everything, the Buddhahood that exists inside of everything, so that we can use everything as an undeniable tool for our own human development. at's the point of this Buddhism. So, it's not just about goals. Goals are the driving force that motivate us. But, it's the driving force that motivates us that allows us to experience so much more. Because when we accomplish our goals, it's through that journey that we come to understand that we are greater and better than we ever expected to be. You know? And I think that this journey of life, the constant journey of winning over ourselves, is spending many, many, many, many years of our life to learn one thing. And that is that
everything we were always looking for we always had. We always had it inside and it never goes away. ank you. (Applause)
graduating this month...(Applause) And she's being asked by her peers to be the speaker at her graduation. And she was there with her children. e thing that touched me was she talked about never giving up on her dream. What she said was, "If you give up on your dream, you give up on yourself." So you cannot ever give up on your dream, because you cannot afford to give up on yourself. And then I remembered President Ikeda quoting someone, and I apologize because don't remember who it was, but I remember the quote; he quoted some man who said, "A fate greater than death is to be alive but dead inside." And I think that whenever we are not challenging ourselves to go for our dreams we die inside. You've got to have dreams! And the reason you have to have dreams is because you have to have some reason to get out of bed in the morning, to chant. You know? It's great to say that the purpose of our practice is world peace. But it's really hard to get motivated, for world peace, to get out of bed in the morning, sometimes... Do you know what I mean? It sounds good... but if you've only had two hours' sleep sometimes it's not always the thing that motivates you to want to jump out of bed.. (Laughter) And this is why we have this concept in Buddhism that says "earthly desires are enlightenment." You've got to have desires! Your desires are what motivate you to chant. And what motivates you to chant is what gives you the opportunity to learn from your own experiences of going for those dreams, going for those hopes -- it is through that that we start to realize the potential of our life. Don't ever let anyone take away your dream. Because if they take away your dream they take away your mission too... (Applause) It's those things that keep you alive. It's about being the best you can be. It's about deciding the way you want your life to be, and making it happen. Okay? I was so touched listening to her, and later this cute lady comes up to me and tells me she wants to share something with me. And she talked about how she was at some meeting that I spoke at in February And how I explained that Buddhism says that we are the screenwriters, the producers and the directors of our life, and we write this movie called `Our Life' every single moment with our thoughts, our words and our actions. And she said, "You know, I got it. I heard you. And what I understood from you is that we are writing this movie called `Our Life' every day." She said, "So I went home and sat down and decided, `Okay, if I'm writing the movie, why don't I decide what I want the movie to look like. Why don't I start directing my life in the direction in which I want." So she gave herself some goals. And she said that -- I guess the 80's were very good for her -- so she started chanting proficiently to feel like felt in the 80's, because that was a really good time in her life. And she started chanting to attract that 'right man' in her life. And so we're talking about a two-month span of time. And she said what she did, in addition to chanting -- because she got that we write this script every moment with our
thoughts, words and actions – she started being conscious about writing the script with her thoughts, words and actions that were consistent with the movie she wanted to create. After two weeks she got a telephone call to be in a movie with her acting coach from the 80's. She did that, and then she told me about how she had just recently also gotten a national commercial. And two weeks before she even saw me, she had attracted this fabulous man. So she was like, "Hey, I got it! (Laughter) and I'm going to keep writing that script called `My Life' in the direction in which I want it to go." And I was so touched by her, and I was like, "Yes!" Each one of us is directing our life -- this movie called `Our Life' – every moment, whether we realize it or not. But many of us are directing out of the negative side of life, rather than the positive side of life. And then truly what most often needs to happen in our life, whenever we're suffering, is just a slight shift in attitude. And that slight shift in attitude produces visible, dramatic and possible results in our life. So let me start back about this process, this process of creating our dreams. In the November issue of Living Buddhism -- it was the "Dialogues on the Lotus Sutra" -- and in there they asked President Ikeda, "Where do benefits come from?" And he said, "Benefits come from your faith and your action." ey come from us, no one else does it for us. ey come form our faith and our action. We're the one who makes things happen. So I think that really what's called for is for us to learn how to really practice Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism correctly. President Ikeda has said, I place a high value on personal initiative. Kosen-rufu will be advanced by brave people armed with the spirit of independence who voluntarily strive to fulfill the vow they made in the remotest past. Because they struggle of their own volition, they have no complaints or grievances. e greater the obstacles they face, the greater the courage, wisom and power they muster from within. ["For Today and Tomorrow, Daily Encouragement", 4-jul, Daisaku Ikeda] Challenging dreams with an independent spirit, I think, corresponds to Dr.Tetsugai Obo's description of an 'ocean culture' spirit or as President Ikeda has said, "Audacious, bold and tough!" So what is this 'thing' we call 'reality' and how should we deal with it..? He's given us the answer on how to make our dreams become reality. Right? He tells us that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is so powerful it can change even that thing we think is absolutely unchangeable.
Nichiren Daishonin tells us this; don't believe me, believe Nichiren Daishonin. I never saw in the Gosho where he says, "Yeahhh, it'll work for this and this but not this..." (Laughter) But as human beings we so easily get discouraged. We so easily concede defeat by looking outside ourselves for the 'sign', for the confirmation, of whether or not we're doing the right thing. I think we have cause and effect backwards. Outside is the mirror of our insides, and it has a moment-to-moment cause-and-effect relationship with us. So if we don't believe we can do something, we will attract people in our life who will tell us, "You can't do it." We will attract visible 'signs' -- 'Reality' -- telling us, "I don't think so." So we'll look at the 'reality' and the 'reality' seems to be saying, "I don't think so." Most of us then go back to the Gohonzon and think, "is must be a sign!" (Laughter) I think we have cause and effect backwards. (Laughter) And what I mean is Nichiren Daishonin teaches us -- and pardon me if you've heard me speak about 'esho funi', I always speak about 'esho funi', and I think I probably will until I leave the planet -- because it is a fundamental principle of this Buddhism that makes it different from any other religion or philosophy you will ever practice. (Applause) At the same time, I think it is also fundamentally one of the most difficult theories to put into practice because it goes against what feels right instinctively. And what I mean by that is -- let me give you an example... e moment we get hurt by another human being, instinctively we withdraw to protect ourselves. It feels right. And normally, not only do we withdraw to protect ourselves, the 'eyes of judgment' come out. Right? And we start looking at that person with these 'eyes of judgment'. And we come up with a list of reasons why it's all 'your fault'. "It's really all your fault." And when we view things this way, the solutions seems simple. e solutions is:"I need to fix you. I need you to act right...(Laughter)...It is in my best interest, because when I get you to act right...(Laughter)...I will no longer suffer." We all do this. And so we go inside of our head. And we develop -- you know those brain cells work overtime -- and we develop the most elaborate strategy designed for fixing that person. (Laughter) Right? And then we come up with the right time, and as I have jokingly said, the right outfit, (Laughter) and we are ready to work our magic on that person. (Laughter) Right? And we do this. And we do it all in accordance with 'our plan'. (Laughter) you know, and if we're successful at all, it tends to be quite temporary. And then much to our amazement, that person turns right back to where they were before.
But the thing I'm more amused by, is us: we don't learn anything from this... (Laughter)...because we go right back and do 'Strategy number Two'... (Laughter)...trying to manipulate and fix that person again. Right? And we do it day in and day out and day in and day out, until we get to 'Drastic Solution'. And 'Drastic solution' is, "I have exhausted myself with you...(Laughter)...I'm outta here." (Laughter) And that's when we decide it's time for the new job. Right? at's when it's time for the new relationship. Right? And your friends (that are Buddhist! ) help confirm this!... (Laughter)...because they care about you and they don't want you to suffer and they've been seeing you suffer for a long time so they're like, "Honey, you don't need to take this crap...(Laughter)...Go get yourself a new man! Go get yourself a new woman! Go get yourself a new job!" (Laughter) And then we do, we get the new job, the new woman, the new man, etc. And after that brief honeymoon period that always exists in life with new things... something amazing happens. (Laughter) e same ol' movie starts playing all over again...(Laughter) e names and the faces have all changed but it's the same movie. (Laughter) And Nichiren Daishonin very clearly tells us that the reason the same movie keeps playing over and over and over in our life is because we have a fundamental misunderstanding of the way life works. We instinctively as human beings -- because when I look at you I verify you're outside of me -- so, instinctively, I always treat you as something separate and apart from me, as something that has absolutely nothing to do with me. But Buddhism says that even though we cannot see it with our eyes, there is absolutely an interconnectedness between us and everything that we experience skin-out. And that interconnectedness is attributable to us. Something we do. And I'm not saying that it's not attributable to them as well and all that, but we have all made the causes to be here at this moment, to experience whatever it is we're experiencing right now. However, Buddhism says that my ability to be happy right here, right now has absolutely nothing to do with anyone or anything outside of me. Rather, it has a hundred percent to do with me and the way I choose to perceive, and respond to, and to use the circumstances in which I find myself. And at every moment I have two choices: I can choose to use my circumstances as a justification for my failure. Or I can choose to use my circumstances as the catalyst to create my dream. And which I do determines not only the effects I produce, it determines the quality of my life during the journey from here to there.
No one does this to us but us. Do you know? Even if someone says to you, "You know, I know your dream is to be a writer... but, you know, I reeallly don't think you have what it takes... (Laughter)... and perhaps you should be thinking about doing something else with your life." If you fail, you know, in terms of accomplishing your dream, it is not because of that person. It is because you have decided to believe and buy what that person says. And the instant you believe and you buy "I can't do it", "I can't do it" becomes your prayer. e law of cause and effect is in everything. It is pure; it doesn't judge us; it is the law of life whether we chant or not. And when we buy, "I can't do it/ I don't have what it takes", -- thought, word and action -- we then are the creator of that movie called, "I Can't Do It." (Laughter, applause) Does that make any sense? I hear the same thing again and again and you know... I hate this word 'Reality.' And the reason I hate it is because people always come to me and say, "Reality is telling me... (Laughter)...that I can't do this!" and I'm like, "...I don't think so!" (Laughter) I don't think so. When we truly understand this lack of separation between ourselves and our environment, this is the point. Because of this concept of 'esho funi' [or "there is no separation between me and everything I experience skin-out"], then if I'm seeing the answer as "No" or "I don't think so," then I must go back to my Gohonzon and chant to see what causes am I making -- and have made – in order to produce this effect that I am experiencing in my life right now. You will find that when you pray in this way, that perhaps your result or the lack-ofresult in your life is `nothing but the mirror of your life reflecting back to you, and specifically reflecting the truth that you do not believe you can do it. And so, because the basis of this practice is 'human revolution', once I get, "is is the connection between my causes and this effect now I know what I must challenge", we must challenge ourselves to change because ultimately, no matter what our hope is, no matter what our dream is, if there is a gap between what we wish for and what we believe we can do, our life at every moment will be our 'true heart', what we believe we can do. You see what I'm saying? Life is more than just chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Buddhist practice is everything we do 24 hours a day, right? It is about creating -- being the screenwriter, the producer, the director of -- the movie called `My Life,' which we do at every moment with our thoughts and words and actions. So if inside we don't believe we can do it, even though we may pray to do it, the process of reaching our dreams is always the process of winning over ourselves. We must win over our own negative roadblocks that come up to challenge our own belief in ourselves.
I believe that no matter what it is we pray for, doing for example, morning gongyo, when we get up from the Gohonzon and just go through our day, the specific challenges, the specific obstacles that we encounter during the day are in fact the answer to our prayer. And those obstacles are the answer to our prayer because each one of those obstacles is showing us our fundamental negativity, our fundamental weaknesses. Each one of these obstacles is showing us the part of our life that causes us to give up, to give up on ourself. And the process of 'human revolution' means, not the absence of the obstacle, but our ability, this time, to respond differently when we encounter the obstacle. And it's our ability to respond differently in the face of our obstacles that produces a different effect for us. Part 4 Nichiren Daishonin explains that absolutely everything in life has two sides to it. Two functions: a positive function and a negative function. An enlightened side and an unenlightened side; everything in life has these two functions. Nothing is inherently positive, or inherently negative. Everything possesses both potentials. And so what becomes critical is always how we fundamentally decide to use the circumstances in our life. Whether we choose to use our obstacles – our circumstances -to create our greatness or to perpetuate our weakness. From the standpoint of Buddhism, we cannot grow without resistance. It's just a fact of life. It's sort of like... when I was watching Herbie [Hancock] and Larry last night, what I felt from watching them was that each was challenging the other to become better. And it became a musical dance, where each was inspiring the other to do a little more, to do a little differently, to be a little better. It was beautiful. And that exemplifies the point. We don't become better -- we're not challenged to reach down and call up something more -- when we are challenged by someone not as good as we are. Do you know what I mean? We don't become a better tennis player by playing someone worse than us; it may make our ego feel better for the moment... (Laughter)... but we don't become a better tennis player. We become a better tennis player by trying to call out something more in our life "cause our butt's getting kicked." And it's through that we keep calling out more and more of our capability. It's the same thing with life. You know what I mean? When we want to develop muscle, and we go to the gym, we don't develop more muscle by lifting less weight... (Laughter)... Right? We develop muscle by challenging ourself to lift a heavier weight.
And so it's the same thing with life: "obstacles equal strength." Or I'll put it this way: "challenging and winning over obstacles equal strength." is is the means by which we develop an indestructible state of life. But it's a gift only we can give ourself and it comes from facing every challenge with the determination that we're going to use this to awaken more and more of our strength and potential as a human being. And this is the route by which we accomplish our dreams, because every obstacle that comes up in our life will be a 'test', a 'test' of whether once again we will be swayed by the weak side of our life. Nichiren Daishonin tells us all this in the Gosho. He's always equating our Buddha nature with a lion, and he says a lion is never destroyed by any other animal. But he warns us there's only one thing that destroys the lion -- that's that parasite within the lion's bowels. He's telling us -- that translates into -- it is our own internal negativity that pulls us down. end part 4 In the Gosho, Nichiren Daishonin says that it's only by defeating a powerful enemy that one can prove one's true strength. Nichiren Daishonin did not depend on 'gods' or other outside forces to aid him; "let the gods forsake me, let all persecutions assail me." ["e Opening of the Eyes II"]. In a sense he said, "is teaching of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and the Gohonzon is the essence of Buddhism. Try to stop me. If you succeed, then I am wrong..." e fact is that this is how he lived. Nichiren Daishonin had no power within society and yet he challenged the most powerful forces of authority of his day; religious, government and social. Nichiren Daishonin's teaching is that we are all Buddhas with all the resources we need to succeed. When we strive for our goal based on Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and the Gohonzon, we are challenging that belief within ourselves. In the process of fulfilling our dreams, we prove that we are Buddhas. Good thing we have an 'Evil Twin'..! Part 5 You know I jokingly call that part our 'Evil Twin'. Right? And we all have an 'Evil Twin' inside. And our 'Evil Twin' never shuts up. (Laughter) He or she is the most persuasive moral advocate you will ever encounter. (Laughter) And this person that lives inside of us -- the 'dark side' -- has a list of reasons at every moment as to why we can not do what we want to. And ultimately, reduced down to its simplest form, the reason we fail is because we believe this. We decide to believe this negative side when it comes out and
starts talking. So the point is, you know, we have to retrain ourselves to understand what our thoughts are. Right? Nowhere does Nichiren Daishonin say, "all you have to do is pray sincerely, and then you can get up and be totally irresponsible in your life... (Laughter) ... and take no responsibility for anything you do." We're real good at that. Buddhism teaches us that we have to take a hundred percent responsibility for our life, but how many of us do that? I think we got it clear that we're supposed to be serious in gongyo. But most of us, I think, including myself, when we get up from doing gongyo -- and in one way we never get up because the Gohonzon is always here (points to herself ) -- but, when we get up after gongyo, most of us live unconsciously. We take no responsibility for the causes that we make during the day. And we continue to live like this, and then we get frustrated, and we say, "You know, this practice doesn't work... (Laughter)... I've been chanting for this thing (whatever that is, that goal, that dream), and I don't see any result." I suggest to you that your practice is working perfectly. We have to understand again the fundamental nature of life. As explained by Nichiren Daishonin, life, at every moment, has two sides to it. And the causes we make -thought, word and action --- are revealed to us as the 'movie' of our life. And so our life at every moment is telling us completely what we believe. So it's not that the Law isn't working in our life, it is! We have just decided to direct our movie from the negative side. Does that make sense? But even though I have come to understand that our thoughts [positive or negative] are equivalent in prayers, I have also learned that we don't have to 'freak out' if we have negative thoughts. Again, the inherent nature of life is this balance between the Buddha inside of us and our 'Evil Twin'. at tension, that battle, that goes on moment to moment between the two... (Laughter)... is the fundamental nature of life. Okay? It is impossible, I think, to get rid of our 'Evil Twin'; that voice is always going to be there. But we don't suffer because of that voice, we suffer because when that voice speaks we listen. And we 'buy it'. And every time we 'buy it', that becomes our prayer. Instead, we must learn to start using the enlightened side of everything. And the enlightened side of our 'Evil Twin' is that when he or she speaks, we are made aware of own negative 'heart'. at by itself doesn't produce the effect. What produces the [positive] effect is what we do in order to overcome that. See what I mean?
So, do we 'buy it' once again, as we have over and over and over? Or do we decide, "I've decided to no longer accept my limitations as the reality of my life." And every time we fight against that negative voice by not going with it, we've made a new cause to create a new path. And because the law of cause and effect is pure, as we override our own negative voice more and more by not going with it, it is impossible not to produce a visible, dramatic difference in our life. So our negative voice becomes the means by which we achieve our dream, because the accomplishment of our dream is always the process, moment to moment to moment, of winning over every negative belief system that holds us back; never outside of ourselves. We have met the enemy; it is us... You know?... in the sense of that negative side. Now let's talk about the other side... end part 5 Mark Grasso: is is part six of Linda Johnson's discussion at the SGI-USA Arts Division conference in May 2001. We've met our 'Evil Twin'... and he/she is us. ;) Beginning in this part, Linda Johnson now introduces us to the Buddha potential within our life. It is our 'prayer' to the Gohonzon which manifests this Buddha potential. But what is 'Buddhist prayer' and what does our Buddha nature provide for us? SGI President Ikeda commented, e first thing is to pray. From the moment we begin to pray, things start moving. e darker the night, the closer the dawn. From the moment we chant daimoku with a deep and powerful resolve, the sun begins to rise in our hearts. Hope -- prayer is the sun of hope. To chant daimoku each time we face a problem, overcoming it and elevating our life-condition as a result -- this is the path of "changing earthly desires into enlightenment," taught in Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism. ["For Today and Tomorrow, Daily Encouragement/15-august", Daisaku Ikeda] In part six, Linda Johnson takes a look at the meaning of prayer in Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism and how we can manifest our Buddha potential in order to confront our obstacles and fulfill our dreams. Part 6 Nichiren Daishonin in the Gosho "On Attaining Buddhahood in is Lifetime" tells us that the only distinction between a Buddha and an ordinary human being is just the fact that the ordinary human being has not yet awakened to the truth that they are a Buddha.
e point in that is that every single one of us is a Buddha. We are! He's saying every single one of us was born with that same Buddha potential in our life. Not one of us was born without. Everyone's got it. But the question is; do we tap [utilize] ours? Can we call it out? And when we study the Goshos I believe that when Nichiren Daishonin is saying, "we are a Buddha", what he's really saying is, "everything we need to accomplish any goal, any dream, we ever set for ourself, we already have." We have it right here, right now just as we're sitting here, without first having to change anything about ourselves. We already have it! It's always been inside of our life! I think the problem is that most of us don't believe it. Most of us deny our potential. And every time we deny our potential, by that cause, we suppress it. So no wonder it can't come out. But it's like that parable of "the gem in the robe". We have always possessed that gem. It's our life. It's always been there. But we are chanting to grasp what Nichiren Daishonin is saying and to believe it with every cell of our being. And he tells us in the same Gosho, "On Attaining Buddhahood in is Lifetime", stop looking for your happiness, your answer, outside of yourself. "If you wish to free yourself from the sufferings of life and death that you have endured throughout eternity, you must awaken to the mystic truth which has always been within your life." ["On Attaining Buddhahood in is Lifetime", WND, p. 3] And that mystic truth is none other than Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. We must awaken to that mystic truth which has always been within our life! And so I think what he's saying is... You know that answer you were always looking for?: "How do I solve this?", "What do I want to be when I grow up?" You know... all those questions. We have a multitude of questions every day. And Nichiren Daishonin is saying, "stop looking for those answers outside of yourself!" at answer only exists inside of you. e question is: how do we reveal it? He tells us in the same Gosho. We polish our "mirror", by chanting Nam-myoho-rengekyo. at's the key! at key, with conviction, with the understanding that the answer we need is only inside of our lives. And we pray. But more than that, I think that another reason we chant is that chanting is the key by which we give power to our greatness. It's always been there. And because life at every moment is this struggle with the 'Evil Twin', this is the reason we need to chant. And we need to chant enough. It's because our 'Evil Twin' never takes a holiday. (Laughter) Never goes on vacation, right? Never! And so again, the key by which we are able to empower ourselves, to
empower our strength and our greatness, is through chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to the Gohonzon. Chanting daimoku calls out, it empowers the Buddha inside of us. e battle every day is a battle to win over our 'Evil Twin' and no longer be swayed by that voice anymore. And we must empower ourselves to be stronger than it, so that when it speaks, we are strong enough not to listen. Because every time we don't listen we've made a new cause for change in our life. Okay? But also, chanting is the key to call up from within our life anything we need. Do you lack hope? We have an inexhaustible supply of hope in our life, and chanting is key to call out hope from within our life. Do you lack conviction? We have an inexhaustible supply of conviction in our life, and chanting is the key by which we call out that conviction. In essence, prayer is the key by which we can call up out of our life whatever we need, when we need it, so that we can do the right thing to stay on course to the accomplishment of our dream. And the amazing thing about prayer in this Buddhism, the thing that makes it dramatically different from 'prayer' in any other religion, is that it is through the empowerment of ourselves that we accomplish what we set out to do. It does not depend on something or someone else outside of us to do it for us. What I mean is that prayer in Buddhism is first all, I believe, a determination. You know what I mean? Commit! Say... "I WILL.... [fill in the blank ...]" "I WILL get that part in that Broadway play." Make a determination. en based on that determination, chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to pull out of your life: "What is it I need to do to make my dream happen?" end part 6 Mark Grasso: is is part seven of Linda Johnson's [SGI-USA] discussion based on the theme,"Never Ever Give Up on Your Dreams". We've learned that we are both the producer and director of the movie called, "Our Life". We have also met our doubting 'Evil Twin' which strangely enough seems to be a *neccessary* part of the process of fulfilling our dreams. And finally, we have discovered the source of our power to grow, the mystic principle of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo which is originally inherent within our lives. We have learned that Buddhist prayer is the exact opposite of 'begging'. Rather, Buddhist prayer 'gives power to our greatness'. When we set a goal and chant earnestly for it, we will neccessarily encounter our doubting, weak selves. However, it is by making our determination and chanting daimoku again and again and challenging that doubt, that
we empower our lives and manifest our original life-state, far greater than our small doubts and fears. In this part, Linda Johnson speaks further about Buddhist prayer and how we open ourselves to the inherent wisdom and power of our life. part 7 And then we've got to chant... You know, I was thinking when I was listening to Pasqual talking about 'surrendering' yesterday. And I was thinking to myself about surrendering, like, when I chant do I surrender? (Laughter) I probably would have chosen a different word for me, but yeah, I do. But let me explain what I think that means. I don't know what it means for Pasqual, but I can tell you what it's like for me. Once I've decided, "is is what I'm going to accomplish", and I'm chanting "What is it I need to make it happen?", I chant with the understanding that the answer is on the inside of my life and I strive to chant daimoku with the expectation that the answer will appear from within my life. e 'surrendering' is the process by which I listen for the answer. Does that make any sense?... (Affirmative from audience)... that is surrendering. (Looks to Pasqual and he gives a thumbs-up) (Laughter) But it's a conscious process. Do you see what I mean? It's a conscious process by which I determine through my daimoku to pull up the answer from within my life. But I've also got to open up my life without caring... because too many of us use our brain too much. And for me, you know, I'm trained to use my brain. Right? I'm a lawyer, so I'm trained to use my brain. But you know, I must tell you that in the 25 years that I've been practicing this Buddhism, the Law ['Myoho'] pummels my ego every day. (Laughter) And what I honestly mean by that is that in the entire 25 years of my practice I have not once achieved a goal with my brain, (Laughter) Not once! And so it continues to reinforce my view that inside of our life is a wisdom that is far greater than our brain will ever be. And I think that's why Nichiren Daishonin says, "become the master of your mind rather than allowing your mind to master you." But then after we get that answer -chant to get that answer, chant to get that answer in a way that is undeniable for you. And it doesn't matter that other people don't get it. It only matters that you get it, and that you hear it -And when you get that answer you must then follow through with the action. is is the way we create our dreams. Okay? So it is us doing it. It is us always basing our life on Nam-myoho-renge-kyo which is the one unchanging reality in our life -- we always return to that -- returning to that true internal wisdom in our life. Not the wisdom that is dependent on our brain, that goes up and down, getting nowhere where our karma is, at any given moment.
And so we need to base the achievement of our dreams on that inherent truth. But we can only tap [utilize] that truth through this process ['listening'], because we are not chanting to something outside of us. Even though the physical Gohonzon is outside of us, we are chanting to activate Gohonzon that exists inside of us. And it's the activation of that Gohonzon inside of us that does everything. So ultimately It's through this process over and over and over of trusting our life. Trusting that when we base everything on prayer first, that the answers that come out of our life are the correct answers for us in the direction of our happiness, in the direction of achieving our goal. Now, in honor of May 3rd, I'm going to share something with you, something President Ikeda said. Because I think chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is more than just chanting the words. end part 7 Mark Grasso: is is the eighth part of Linda Johnson's discussion entitled, "Never Ever Give Up on Your Dreams'. 'Ichinen' is a profound concept in Buddhism. We often translate this as 'determination', however its meaning is far deeper. In the sixth century, the Chinese Buddhist scholar T'ien-t'ai set forth the theory of 'ichinen sanzen', 'a single life-moment possesses three thousand realms'. 'Ichinen sanzen' was the heart of T'ien-t'ai's enlightenment based upon Shakyamuni's Lotus Sutra. 'Ichinen sanzen' explains the originally inherent potential for Buddhahood in all things. In essence, the theory of 'a single life-moment possesses three thousand realms' reveals that Buddhahood is an inherent potential in our life that we can manifest at any moment. ere is no separation between a Buddha and an 'ordinary' person. e key to manifesting Buddhahood at any moment is our 'ichinen'. Nichiren Daishonin embodied this principle of 'ichinen sanzen' in the Gohonzon so that all people could chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and manifest this same potential from within their own life. In this section, Linda Johnson relates President Ikeda's warm encouragement about 'ichinen' and the power contained within each person's life.
Part 8 For what purpose? Where is your heart? Where is your drive? Most profound. It's not just, 'nammyohorengekyonammyohorengekyo,' you know..., looking around the room... (Laughter)... you know, kind of unfocused daimoku. I believe that prayers must be specific. And when you read President Ikeda and they ask him this question, he always says that prayers should be specific. He never says, "Oh, just focus on the Nam-myohorenge-kyo..., just don't worry about it." (Laughter) You know, again, this process of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo by which we call up out of our life what we need, so we can then direct it. But how can we direct it if we have no purpose? And dreams are so important, because how can we see a goal without having anywhere to go? You know what I mean? So having said that, I want to share something with you. On July 4th of 1996, was when President Ikeda was last here in this country [USA], I had the fortune of being with him in a very, very small gathering. And at that time he shared something about 'ichinen' that I have continued with... Here's what he said. I'm going to tell you exactly what he said on that day. He looked at us, and he shared with us that on May 3rd of 1960, when he became the 3rd President of the Soka Gakkai, the organization was in financial debt. ey had three dilapidated buildings in all of Japan for the members and he had six staff working for him, that was it. ose were the conditions under which he assumed the Presidency of the Soka Gakkai. He said today we have 1,300 community centers and/or culture centers in Japan alone for members to meet at. We are very financially secure. We've establish the Soka school system from kindergarten all the way through graduate school and we have two branches in southern California. He said, and even more important, Buddhism has spread from Japan to over 138 countries throughout the world. (Today that's 185...) And he looked at all of us and he said, "I'm telling you all this for one reason, and one reason only. is is what the ichinen of one human being can do." When he said that there was no arrogance in this man's body; he was not saying he was great. With his life, he was trying to wake up each one of us to realize the potential we have inside of our life. And, that our ability to move and affect the universe is greater than just where our body can be. Do you know what I mean?... it's not just where our body can be, because as human beings we are all limited in terms of how many places our body can be at one time. But he was talking about something deeper.
e 'ichinen' behind one's prayer can move everything in the universe, to support our goal, to support our dream. Right? And he was saying this is what the 'ichinen' of one human being can do! It is something about the kind of prayer we offer and how it causes those 'shoten zenjin', those forces of the universe, to emerge. It's about how we can create our dream by empowering the universe to support us. So last January when I went back to Japan, I had just received some other positions in the organization and was in a state of 'overwhelm'. (laughter) You know? Because in addition to everything else, they made me Matilda's Vice national-leader, and they also made me Southern California's Zone Women's leader, and I'm a criminal prosecutor and I supervise a team of nine attorneys and I'm responsible for reviewing all of their work and training them and none of their work is filed into court unless I approve it, And so we write lots of stuff, and I have my own case-load, so I have just a few things to do... (Laughter)... Southern California is HUGE, I mean, you know, good grief..! It's huge. And so I was in serious 'overwhelm', and so when we landed I wrote President Ikeda a memo. And I just said basically, "Hi, I'm here, and... (Laughter)... I'm really overwhelmed with all the stuff that I have to do right now but what keeps coming back to me was what you said on July 4th , 1996, about what the 'ichinen' of one human being can do. And somehow with my life I know it's not about how many more places can I get to in a day. But it has something to do with 'ichinen' in terms of my ability to use my life to help other people transform theirs. So I came back to Japan. Could you explain that to me, so I can get it deeper in my life?" And when we had dinner, you know, Sensei was talking about all kinds of stuff. And then he said, "Let me talk about ichinen." (Laughter) And what he said was, "Ichinen means to pray without doubt." He said, "Whenever you pray without doubt, all your prayers will be answered. Nichiren Daishonin says, `No prayer of the votary of the Lotus Sutra will go unanswered.' is is the kind of prayer Nichiren Daishonin was talking about." You know? It was amazing. And then he went on to talk about faith. And he said to us, "You can't see somebody's faith by just looking at them." He said, "You see a person's faith through their behavior as a human being." And so he challenged each one of us, and he said, "Each one of you must go for every hope and every dream in your life and you must win. You must win because other people watching you must be able to say, 'is Buddhism is great.'" And I share that with you because 'going for your dream' is not a selfish journey. We must understand that going for our dream and winning is our mission in life. It is the means by which we show through our life and through our example that when we tap
into that fundamental source of Buddhahood in our life, we are limitless. end part 8 Mark Grasso: is is the concluding portion of Linda Johnson's [SGI-USA] discussion presented on 29-may-2001 in California with the theme of "Never Ever Give Up on Your Dreams". SGI President Ikeda introduces us to the practical truth of the Lotus Sutra in the introduction to the "Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra" dialogue [part one]. He says, "It [the Lotus Sutra] awakens us to the universal truth that a change in our heart, our attitude, can transform everything." When our 'ichinen' ['life-moment', 'determination'] changes, our life, both inside and out, changes as well. Our faith and practice to the Gohonzon leads our ichinen to the Buddhahood which exists within our life. In a study of "e Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind Established in the Fifth Five-Hundred-Year Period after the us Come One's Passing" Gosho presented by the Soka University English Academy in 1980, the followingdescription of the Gohonzon and its relationship to our own life was made, Let us consider for a moment the relationship between the person and the law, which is very important. Nichiren Daishonin is the Buddha who is one with the law [of Nammyoho-renge-kyo]. at is, in his enlightenment, Nichiren Daishonin realized that his own life was Nammyoho-renge-kyo. He later inscribed it in the form of the Gohonzon. us the Gohonzon too embodies the oneness of the person and the law. In his orally transmitted teachings on the Gohonzon, Nichiren Daishonin is quoted as having said that the Dai-Gohonzon is like the reflection of his own figure in a pond. e Dai-Gohonzon is the manifestation of his his own enlightened life-condition. By chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to the Gohonzon with strong faith, we can attain the same life-condition as Nichiren Daishonin. rough this practice, we can develop our own Buddha nature. us, there is no essential difference between his life and that of the common person. is is the ultimate teaching of Buddhism, and we believe that no other religion can approach it; it is unsurpassed in bridging the 'ultimate reality' with the common person. In the 'Reply to Kyo'o', the Daishonin wrote, 'I Nichiren have inscribed my life in sumi [ink].' is is another way of saying he embodied his enlightened life-condition in the form of the Gohonzon. But another implication of this sentence is that the Daishonin devoted his entire life to the establishment of the Gohonzon.
If we look at Nichiren Daishonin's lifelong dedication to saving unhappy people, we can sense his great compassion. If we ponder the 'Mystic Law', we can understand its great power. In the struggle to propagate true Buddhism, both compassion and power are needed; in other words, both the person and the law are essential. Since the Gohonzon is the embodiment of the person and the law, it contains both this compassion and power. [Soka University English Academy, 1980] I hope you all have enjoyed this series as much as I have. :)And I hope that everyone has been inspired to some degree to contemplate what they would like to attain for themselves and for the world [especially in the light of recent events...] and are now taking the first steps to turn their dreams into reality. :) Kind Regards, Mark part 9 We can talk about Buddhism all day long. But unless we are able to, unless we are able to use our life as an example -- and I do not mean an example of a perfect human being because I'm not encouraged by anybody perfect... because I'm far from it -- it means we all as human beings have obstacles. As long as we are alive we will always have obstacles. What is inspiring is to watch a person's attitude in the face of their obstacles, and being able to watch their life day in and day out, and see absolute growth in a positive direction. To see the example of a human beings life in which that person is never ever defeated by any circumstances in which they ever find themselves in their life. Never!... I'm going to conclude on this because I've talked too long... (Long applause) So you're going to break up into small discussion groups. And I want you to share with each other how you've been able to use [obstacles], how you turned doubt into a positive [conviction], how you turned any circumstance that was potentially negative into something positive for your life. Because I want you to understand that 'attaining Buddhahood just as we are' means that we never have to get rid of anything. Instead we just need to chant to plug into the enlightened side of everything, the Buddhahood that exists inside of everything, so that we can use everything as an undeniable tool for our own human development. at's the point of this Buddhism. So, it's not just about goals. Goals are the driving force that motivate us. But, it's the driving force that motivates us that allows us to experience so much more. Because when we accomplish our goals, it's through that journey that we come to understand that we are greater and better than we ever expected to be. You know? And I think that this journey of life, the constant journey of winning over ourselves, is spending many, many, many, many years of our life to learn one thing. And that is that
everything we were always looking for we always had. We always had it inside and it never goes away. ank you. (Applause)
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