How the Universe Works

I Asked For Strength

I asked for strength, I was given difficulties to make me strong.

I asked for wisdom, I was given problems to solve.

I asked for courage, I was given obstacles to overcome.

I asked for favors, I was given opportunities.

I asked for love, I was given people who need love.

I received nothing I thought I wanted and everything I needed.

Live each moment without fear.

Confront the difficulties, problems and obstacles before you and you will overcome them.

Recognize opportunities and you shall learn to learn from everything.

Love yourself, and others will love you.

And always…remember to breathe.

This poem has appeared on the internet in many versions in support of various faith groups, often starting with “I asked God for…” or “I asked Allah for…” but this non-denomination version is the only one I’ve found on the internet which credits the poem to a writer - Aaron Hoopes.

Helping a Hundred People

A really great leader always thinks of helping a hundred people to advance, though it be but a step, rather than making one man alone leap a hundred steps forward. (Daisaku Ikeda, The Human Revolution, Vol. 3, p 4)

The last year has been very eventful with many challenges.  My wife and I had to come to terms with the death of a close family member, but we have also been making plans for our future with a change of job for my wife and a promotion and then a change of career for myself.   It's taken a combination of determination, chanting and action, but all in all the last twelve months have been good to us and both my wife and I have made a massive leap forward in both our working and spiritual lives. 

In the midst of everything that was going on in our personal lives, on 8^th March 2012, I become the Men’s Leader for my district and the above quote kept going through my mind.   Most of my energy had previously been spent on primarily helping Miki and myself to advance, but how could I help every member to advance?

After chanting for many hours, I decided that The Human Revolution E-mail Project I had been planning might be an interesting thing to share with the district, and that receiving daily e-mails based on short extracts from The Human Revolution with a short contextual commentary and points to ponder might be one way to achieve this.

My thoughts were that members that find it difficult to attend meetings due to work, family or study commitments, would feel more connected to Buddhism and feel they are still a part of the district, that members who were overcoming challenges in their lives might find a few words of comfort or inspiration, and that members who were happy and enjoying what there is to enjoy, would at least feel motivated by President Ikeda’s story of the growth of the SGI.

We are now two months in to the project (only 10 to go!) and I hope that all of you are taking steps in faith month by month.  Hopefully by the end of Volume 12, ALL of us will have leapt a hundred steps.   

I also started this blog at the end of March to explain different aspects of the SGI's beliefs and practice.  This was intended to be a supplement to the daily e-mails and would allow me to make the e-mails a little briefer with optional information available for those that were interested.  Even though it's part of the public domain, I hadn't really anticipated this blog spreading much further than my district, but so far in addition to interest in the U.K., I have had  more than 300 visits from around the world, including people visiting my site from the U.S., Canada, Russia, China, India, the Phillipines, Japan, Singapore, Germany, Italy, Hong Kong, Venezuela, Malaysia and Switzerland!

P.S.

Going back to the quote above, even if you are not a district or chapter leader within the SGI, everyone has a part to play.  All of us that chant “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo”, believe in the Lotus Sutra of Shakyamuni Buddha and follow Nichiren Daishonin's Writings are leaders within society.  We can all help non-members to advance one step or even take one giant leap by introducing them to Nichiren Buddhism.

If one lights a fire for others, one will brighten one's own way.      (Writings of Nichiren Daishonin: Volume 2, p 1060)

The Buddhism of Hope

“True cause” (honnin myo) means that we don’t need to waste time and energy regretting things that we can’t change in our past, but should focus on the actions we can actually take in the present to create positive effects in our future. 

In the Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra: volume VI (pp244 – 245), SGI Study Department leader, Katsuji Saito, and President Daisaku Ikeda have the following conversation about true cause and true effect:

Saito:  To continually go forward – this is the Buddhism of the True Cause Ikeda:  Now is eternity.  Right now is the beginning.  The past is gone.  The future has not yet arrived.  The present moment is all that exists. …      To view this present moment of life as the direct effect of some cause in the past is to think in terms of the true effect.  To think, in other words, “I did that, so this happened.”  But that perspective alone will not give rise to hope.  The key is to view one’s life at the present moment as the cause for creating future effects.  This is the true cause that reaches the very depths of one’s being.  It is not a superficial cause. … This Is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the eternal cosmic life, the great principle that moves the entire universe and sparks constant development.  … When we believe in the Gohonzon as the embodiment of that Law, chant the Mystic Law and take action, at that moment we are experiencing eternity. Saito:  So the point is that each moment is time without beginning and everything always starts from now. Ikeda:  This is faith based on the Buddhism of the true cause.  Faith means to have boundless hope.   No matter how bad our present circumstances might be, even If it seems we are fighting a losing battle, we must stand up determined not to be defeated and from there show actual proof of the limitless potential of the Mystic Law.  Is this not the true purpose of faith?

We don’t need to wait until New Year’s Day, next month or even next week, to make a resolution or determination, we simply have to make the decision to plant positive seeds TODAY, NOW, AT THIS VERY MOMENT, and in EVERY MOMENT, of our lives.