Sensei's Guidance on Getting Good Sleep

Excerpt from the book "Discussions on health" by Daisaku Ikeda:

Ways to get a sound sleep at night

• Establish and maintain a daily rhythm - go to bed at the same time every night and get up at hte same time every morning
• Sit in the sun or take a morning walk
• Take an afternoon nap
• A lukewarm bath can also be helpful in promoting sleep
• Avoid drinking large quantities of caffeine containing beverages like coffee
• Listen to some soft, soothing music

He says, "Sleep is an activity where we fuse our lives with the universe and recharge ourselves with that vast life force. That's why it is important to stay in tune with the rhythm of life and the universe. 

Sleep appears to be a world of stillness and repose. But life itself never rests; it is continually active. We can't expect to be able to sleep soundly without realising the imortance sleep has in our life as a whole. The real secret to healthy sleep is what we do during the day. Has that day been a satisfying and fulfilling one, mentally and physically? In turn, a night's healthy sleep contributes to our healthy activity the following day. As someone said, "Sleep is the golden chain that ties health and our bodies together."

"Weariness is the best pillow," he quotes Benjamin Franklin

- Discussions on health by Daisaku Ikeda

Thoughts - Health is a topic I am very passionate about, making this work of Sensei very important to me. Guidance on health based on True Buddhism! It has Sensei in conversation with Soka Gakkai's Doctor and Nurses Division members where they discuss about various topics such as obesity, stress, back pain, children's health, heart disease and many more. You can purchase it online at Eternal Ganges. 

It is The Heart That is Important

President Ikeda's Guidance:

"It is the heart that is important", writes the Daishonin.

When we do something, do we approach it with a negative attitude - grumbling, "Oh, not again! I hate this!" - or a positive attitude - telling ourselves brightly, "All right, here's a fresh opportunity to gain good fortune!"?

This seemingly small, subtle difference n attitude can make a huge difference in our lives. It can change things 180 degrees. This is what the Lotus Sutra and the doctrine of "three thousand realms in a single moment of life" teach us.

The heart is invisible, and Buddhism provides a comprehensive understanding of the principles governing that invisible heart. It represents the highest form of psychology, neuroscience, and psychotherapy.

Appreciation and joy multiply our good fortune. Complaint and negativity erase it.

We often find that those who live in the city yearn for country life, while those who live in the country long for city life, or that those who are single dream of being married, while those who are married wish they were single again. That is a common tendency of the human heart.

But happiness doesn't life somewhere far away. It is something we must achieve for ourselves through our present struggles in the here and now.

When we have a positive and appreciative attitude toward our communities, it will give greater confidence and impetus to our activities. The joy of kosen-rufu will spread.

Sensei's Guidance on Reading

Question (by a young adult): Even when I set out to read a book, I get bored in a minute. I always give up halfway through..

What is the secret to learning how to read without getting bored. 

Sensei says, "As for your question, let me say this: why not begin by reading a book on a topic that interests you? 

Go ahead and read something that deals with a topic that you are concerned about. 

Beyond that, make up your mind to plough steadily through works you know you must read, even if you dislike doing so  - text books for example. 

Even if you think the task at hand is difficult, or even if you should find the book hard to understand, never mind, go ahead and finish reading it. 

Whenever you manage somehow to read a whole volume, you'll gain a sense of fulfillment from having completed it. And out of that satisfaction will come the desire to read still another book. 

The point is that you must first of all complete one book on a topic that interests you. Your success in finishing will give you a sense of satisfaction and a taste of the joy of reading. You will not be able to stick to your plan unless you do experience such a sense of fulfillment and joy. 

As long as you keep a distance, printed words are especially difficult to become 'chummy' with. On the other hand, words in print have the characteristic that their 'foreignness' disappears when you get used to dealing with them. Then they become surprisingly good friends. But of course you have to make some effort to develop to that point. I would like you to take it as a challenge to do so and by all means, I hope you will not accept your present attitude as the last word. 

Source: Advice to Young People, written by Dr. Daisaku Ikeda

The Osaka Campaign - Part 1

Over the next few days I will be sharing Sensei's guidances from the Osaka campaign which we were studying towards Mar 16th. This campaign is one of my favourites. I find it abundantly encouraging. 

"When one comes to the end of one's good fortune, no strategy whatsoever avails. When one's karmic rewards are exhausted, even one's retainers no longer follow one." - The Gosho

Ikeda Sensei: "When you no longer have good fortune, nothing will go smoothly, no matter how hard you try or how excellent your strategies are. Good fortune means faith. As long as you doubt the Gohonzon, you won't accumulate good fortune or benefit. Buddhism is the body and society is the shadow."

My thoughts: Good fortune is integral to achieving happiness. While good fortune may be interpreted as good circumstances, it may also be viewed an ability to enjoy these circumstances. 

Sometimes one may feel that one has to 'accumulate' good fortune in the traditional sense by making causes on a day to day basis. While that is definitely true, Sensei here gives us very clear guidance that at the most basic level, good fortune is nothing but faith. The moment we determine and choose faith over doubt, we have hope. A shift in our ichinen, a shift in our minds from doubt, despair or hopelessness to belief, joy and hope causes us to obtain good fortune in that very moment. How hopeful! This definitely gave me courage and energy as I began to feel that I can have good fortune right now. Just by being hopeful. Just by believing in the Gohonzon. Just by believing in the infinite power of my life. 

How amazing! Thank you Sensei...

Changes towards May 2015

As we move forward towards the May 3rd campaign for 2015, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for taking the time to read this blog.. I also apologize for not posting regularly.
As I was going through the previous posts, it got me reflecting on why is it that I am not posting enough...What I found was that besides laziness being a cause, it is also because I am primarily typing out Sensei's guidances that have encouraged me and not adding the important link that SGI members bring in. This link is the reason we attend meetings, the reason it is so importance to practice with the organization, the reason we need each other:
- To Understand How One, Personally, translates Faith into Action.

The intent to stick to official content was to ensure that what goes on this blog is our mentors' guidance and not a my limited interpretation or misinterpretation of it. But that by itself is not working.

So this year, I intend to take this blog to the next level. While I will stick to posting Sensei's guidance, I will add a bit of 'me' to it by sharing personal realizations/determinations/experience I may have had with regard to that particular piece of guidance.

That will help me make these posts more interesting for you, and add value to your life. It will also help me stay motivated to blog with the hope of adding more value to you.
Wish me luck!

Become Big-Hearted!

"What does it mean to have a big heart? It is how much you are able to care for another person and how much you are able to extend your concern to those around you. The more deeply you chant for your friends and others, the bigger your heart becomes."
-Daisaku Ikeda

Value Creation, May 2014

How to have a Big Heart

No matter how confining your circumstances may seem, you can have a big heart that nothing can bind or shackle. At the same time, when you go out into a vast, unknown world, your mind can soar boundlessly without constraint.

The mind is always free and unfettered; it has limitless power. Faith in the Mystic Law draws out that great power. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo lets us reveal our best possible self. The reason we practise Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism is to unlock our potential, infinitely vaster than the sea or the sky. 

My young friends, become world leads with big hearts! Become experts in the art of happiness who can embrace others warmly with a rich spirit!

Value Creation, May 2014

Significance of the Soka Gakkai

It is the members of the Soka Gakkai, who are widely and compassionately propagating this great Law throughout the globe, who are reading the sutra passage, "I am always here, preaching the Law" with their whole being. In other words, the Gakkai itself is a Buddha - the Soka Gakkai Buddha.
This was President Toda's absolute conviction. Therefore to devote ourselves for the sake of Gakkai members is to devote ourselves to the Buddha.
To protect the mentor and disciple bond of the Soka Gakkai is to protect the correct teaching and principle.
To expand the ranks of the Soka Gakkai is to expand kosen-rufu. The Soka Gakkai has a tremendously grand mission, destiny and good fortune.
If, as the phrase from the Sutra says, we "do not see (the Buddha) even when he is close by", we are the ones to lose out.

There is no Buddha who lacks wisdom. 
There is no Buddha who lacks compassion. 
There is no Buddha who lacks courage. 
And, there is no Buddha who will become unhappy".

- Daisaku Ikeda
Source: Blue deeper than Indigo Vol 1

Four Seasons Significance

IF spring is symbolic of vibrant activity, then autumn is the season of the mind; and if summer is the time of impassioned celebration, then winter must be the season of training. Thus, I have chosen to walk a path through the four seasons of life so as to live with infinite value.
- Daisaku Ikeda

Respond Immediately

THERE are members and friends who are suffering. We need to reach out to them with words of support and encouragement. It is important to respond immediately to the issues before us. Remaining silent is foolish, lacking in compassion, and leads to defeat.
- Daisaku Ikeda

Complaints Drain Good Fortune

IF one lacks courage, all of his experiences of hardship will turn into complaints and resentment towards others. He will then lose confidence in faith, as well as the energy to move forward. As a result, he will feel nothing but loneliness and regret.
- Daisaku Ikeda

Un-glorifying Suffering

PRESIDENT TODA declared: “It is not good to lead a life bound by the chain of suffering. Daimoku and the practice to propagate the Law constitute the sharp sword that can cut through those chains. The mission and spirit of the organization is to enable all our fellow citizens to attain a state of life unfettered by the chains of suffering.”

-Daisaku Ikeda

People Around Us are a Reflection of Us

IN general, the people around us reflect our state of life. Our personal preferences, for example, are mirrored in their attitudes. This is especially clear from the viewpoint of Buddhism which elucidates the workings of cause and effect as if in a spotless mirror. 
- Daisaku Ikeda

Sensei's Guidance

FIRST, chant daimoku.
First, be in good health.
First, work cheerfully.
First, establish your finances.
And first, take the initiative.
- Daisaku Ikeda

How Many Things Can You Chant For?

YOU can chant for as many things as you like. A person with many wishes and dreams should pray earnestly to fulfil each one. Buddhism is reason. Sometimes our immediate prayers are realised and sometimes they are not. When we look back later, however, we will be able to say with absolute conviction that everything turned out the way it did for the very best. - Daisaku Ikeda

Sensei's Guidance on Fighting Evil

YOU are who you are. All you have to do is to walk resolutely in a manner true to yourself along your own path. The important thing is having the courage to fight evil or negative forces which obstruct the path of your conviction. If you leave evil to its devices, it only multiplies and will eventually make us its accomplices. Good exists only in one’s genuine efforts to fight evil. - Daisaku Ikeda

Sensei's Guidance on Interaction

WHEN we interact with others with true sincerity, the other person will more often than not come to respect and value our own character. And this is all the more so when our actions are based on prayer. Conversely, holding others in contempt only leads to being held in contempt oneself. One whose life is tainted by feelings of hate towards others will come to be reviled by others. - Daisaku Ikeda

Sensei's Guidance on Training

ONE who fails to train his body and mind while young, will in many cases find that his determination and ideals are often destroyed in his later years. Furthermore, it is likely that such a person will turn out to be a complete loser in life. - Daisaku Ikeda

Sensei's Guidance on Thoughtfulness

"MERCY and wisdom are two sides of the same coin. To be thoughtful of a friend is to be always filled with thoughts of what you can do for him/her, what that person needs or what is in his/her best interest. Leaders of kosen-rufu must always be filled with new, sensitive thoughts, never forgetting the circumstances of friends." - Daisaku Ikeda

Sensei's Guidance on Communication

YOU do not have to pay anything to express yourself; it is free of charge. What matters is how, through your expression others are revitalized, influenced and awakened. The wisdom to do this cannot be bought with money. After all, most essentials of life, like the air we breathe, have no price. Compassion, affection and wisdom – all of these are free. You do not have to be in the least bit stingy with them - Daisaku Ikeda