ENCOURAGING!

I got this email from my friend Julie:

The New Human Revolution, Vol.2, Page241

Shin`ichi Yamamoto then discussed the meaning of the word Buddha: "The expression `to attain Buddhahood` is widely used in Japanese society to refer to a person`s death, with the term Buddha being used to indicate the deceased. These, however, are erroneous usages. If we could attain Buddhahood and become Buddha`s at death without any effort, there would be no need to apply ourselves to Buddhist practise while alive."

"Buddhism teaches that the life of a Buddha exists within us. By `life of the Buddha`, I mean the supreme life force never to be defeated under any circumstances - a fountainhead for the creation of value. We could also describe it as a powerful volition towards perfection."

"Attaining Buddhahood means manifesting this inherent life of the Buddha, and Nichiren Daishonin revealed the Gohonzon precisely for this purpose. When we believe in and chant to the Gohonzon, we can open the way to happiness - not after we die but in the present - by creating real value in society. This is the principle of `faith manifests itself in daily life`."


Key Points:

1. Determination never to be defeated in spirit, no matter what our immediate circumstances.

2. Believing in our own inherent value as individual`s - for who we are not what we have.

3. Transforming our negative karma by helping others to fight their own difficulties is the best way and quickest way to overcome our own difficulties.

4.Faith is the spirit never to be defeated, never to stop trying to win, for others and ourselves.

A New Project

I had coffee this afternoon with one of my creative writing students, Liz. She was once involved with the publishing business and has proposed a superb ideafor a new project. I'll elaborate once the whole thing gets off the ground.

Speaking to her has been remarkably inspiring and she has advised me on marketing myself and I have discussed my ideas for several projects with her. I am deeply grateful that I have this chance to attract like-minded people to myself. It's looking really positive and it just proves what I believe: positive attitudes attract positive life events.



What this experience is teaching me is that I can ask for help and the right people will appear in my life to get the ball rolling and to make things happen. This is very encouraging. No matter what happens, I reckon I am going to be great. The Universe had already begun to change the landscape of my life. I noted this with the changes I have felt deep below the surface of my life: fundamental changes, karmic changes, the movement of the cogs and wheels - very mechanisms of my life - have begun to take place. What was a barely perceptable shift has now begun to feel like a huge forward push.

I know with every fibre of my being that I am going to come through with greater strength and insight than I have had before. I know that regardless of what happens at this time, I will remain strong, brave and resourceful. I am so not going to let the devils win. They don't deserve the slice of me that they keep trying to take.

Two years ago I would have allowed myself to be swallowed by the Vortex of Darkness aka depression. Not this time. The adage goes that if you do the things you have always done, you'll get what you always got. So now I am doing things differently. I am remaining positive and exploring every opportunity that is placed before me.

Life is too short for bullshit.