Not getting results - what to do !

The_Wonderer
Posts: 10
Joined: Mon Nov 26, 2018 8:35 pm

Not getting results - what to do !

Post by The_Wonderer »

Hi All,

I having chanting for almost 7 years now. But despite chanting for many hours in a day, doing study and following as suggested by seniors, I am not getting the desired results/goals.

This is leading to a lot of confusion:

1. What wrong I am doing?
2. Is this practice really for me?
3. What next steps I can take.

I am now at that stage in life, where hope/wish is slowly turning to desperation.

Kindly Suggest and Guide

Thanks
User avatar
Budai
Posts: 878
Joined: Fri Aug 14, 2020 1:12 pm
Location: ༀ ∞ Nam Myoho Renge Kyo ∞ ༀ

Re: Not getting results - what to do !

Post by Budai »

Are you diligently studying the Lotus Sutra? What is it that you don’t understand and where do you feel your snags are and where are you stuck? Where do you feel you need to get to in Buddhism that you think you’re not getting results towards? Is there something you are being told that is true by the Teachings that you disagree with, and aren’t making progress because of something you haven’t let go of?
User avatar
Queequeg
Former staff member
Posts: 14418
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 3:24 pm

Re: Not getting results - what to do !

Post by Queequeg »

Did you get that memo from the Buddha in which he explained that desiring things, wanting things to go away, and generally not understanding what's happening leads to suffering?

That thing about desires being enlightenment... You need to familiarize yourself with the footnotes.

Your seniors are probably well meaning fools.

It might be time to learn that this is actually not about a rain of prizes and good times.

This is about waking up.
There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
Malcolm
Posts: 42974
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2010 2:19 am

Re: Not getting results - what to do !

Post by Malcolm »

The_Wonderer wrote: Thu Apr 08, 2021 3:51 am Hi All,

I having chanting for almost 7 years now. But despite chanting for many hours in a day, doing study and following as suggested by seniors, I am not getting the desired results/goals.

This is leading to a lot of confusion:

1. What wrong I am doing?
2. Is this practice really for me?
3. What next steps I can take.

I am now at that stage in life, where hope/wish is slowly turning to desperation.

Kindly Suggest and Guide

Thanks
Has your practice caused you to become a nicer person? If not, there is something missing from your practice.
narhwal90
Global Moderator
Posts: 3504
Joined: Mon Jan 25, 2016 3:10 am
Location: Baltimore, MD

Re: Not getting results - what to do !

Post by narhwal90 »

I never noticed much difference in "getting things" vs not due to chanting, regular cause and effect seemed to apply regardless- I never had one of those amazing stories that some people share, and I've been in Nichiren-land since the late 80's.

But, when I let go of expectations about chanting being a magic formula to get or fix, and instead used it as a gateway into wider study of buddhism then things started changing.

Chanting doesn't make things suck less, but in conjunction with wider study and more nuanced practice I find it does help support equanimity, patience, kindness, tolerance.
User avatar
gohonzon
Posts: 80
Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2016 8:02 am
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Not getting results - what to do !

Post by gohonzon »

Please Connect with a Nichiren Shoshu Temple near you and get an authorized copy of the Dai Gohonzon from a Nichiren Shoshu priest, follow the guidance and teachings of the Head Temple Taisekiji and practice again without force or begrudgement. You don’t need Faith, just the willingness and sincerity.

That is my suggestion, make sure you do not listen to the negative Karma of others who will slander this faith by mixing their various religious practices in it and you shall obtain the peace, tranquility and benefits that you seek.

www.NST.org
User avatar
Budai
Posts: 878
Joined: Fri Aug 14, 2020 1:12 pm
Location: ༀ ∞ Nam Myoho Renge Kyo ∞ ༀ

Re: Not getting results - what to do !

Post by Budai »

gohonzon wrote: Thu Apr 08, 2021 5:29 am ...make sure you do not listen to the negative Karma of others who will slander this faith by mixing their various religious practices in it and you shall obtain the peace, tranquility and benefits that you seek.
Mixing various religious practices is not slandering faith. It’s perfectly good and well to stick to a single path, school, or teaching, but telling people they are slandering Nichiren Buddhism by practicing another faith along with it is not helpful. Buddhism is about freedom, as long as it follows the Noble Eightfold Path. I respect your personal view and Tradition, and I hope you find Enlightenment soon.
User avatar
tkp67
Posts: 2905
Joined: Sun May 12, 2019 5:42 am

Re: Not getting results - what to do !

Post by tkp67 »

narhwal90 wrote: Thu Apr 08, 2021 5:14 am Chanting doesn't make things suck less, but in conjunction with wider study and more nuanced practice I find it does help support equanimity, patience, kindness, tolerance.
Nichiren alludes to the state of mind the votary is meant to possess. Nichiren often posits two particular statements that might make this practice unappealing at first glance. One is "a votary will meet with persecution" and the other is "votaries who practice according to the Buddha’s teachings should enjoy peace and security in their present existence".

Bodhisattva never disparaging is the example of behavior he points to as a basis for developing this mind.

It seems unreasonable at first doesn't it. How does a man take such abuse only to bow and proclaim the buddhahood of his abusers?

His state of mind was not breakable. His joy could not be dampened by external circumstance.
The five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo, the heart of the essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra, contain the benefit amassed through the countless practices and meritorious deeds of all Buddhas throughout the three existences. Then, how can these five characters not include the benefits obtained by observing all of the Buddhas’ precepts? Once the practitioner embraces this perfectly endowed wonderful precept, he cannot break it, even if he should try. It is therefore called the precept of the diamond chalice.36 Only by p.482observing this wonderful precept have the Buddhas of the three existences become Buddhas endowed with the three bodies—the Dharma body, the reward body, and the manifested body, which are each without beginning or end. The Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai wrote of this, “In the various teachings, he [the Buddha] kept this secret and did not transmit it.”37 Now in the Latter Day of the Law, any person—whether wise or ignorant, priest or lay believer, or of high or low position—who embraces Myoho-renge-kyo and practices it in accordance with the Buddha’s teaching, cannot fail to gain the fruit of Buddhahood. For precisely this reason, in reference to the votary of the Lotus Sutra in the impure and evil age after the Buddha’s passing, the sutra declares, “Such a person assuredly and without doubt will attain the Buddha way.”
---> https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd- ... 57#para-74

The Teaching, Practice, and Proof


User avatar
gohonzon
Posts: 80
Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2016 8:02 am
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Not getting results - what to do !

Post by gohonzon »

Mixing various religious practices are Not the teachings of the Head Temple.





You can read the direct subject on Nichiren Shoshu and Nichiren Daishonin on Wikipedia or at www.NST.org for your further understanding and clarity of the topic.
User avatar
Budai
Posts: 878
Joined: Fri Aug 14, 2020 1:12 pm
Location: ༀ ∞ Nam Myoho Renge Kyo ∞ ༀ

Re: Not getting results - what to do !

Post by Budai »

That is good that you are following the directions of your Temple, but other religions traditions don’t come from negative karma, you were maybe being a bit harsh. I respect your Tradition a lot though. In SGI Nichiren Buddhism I guesss there are people of various Spiritual backgrounds and it is a nice Lay organization, and we generally live in a world where people of all sorts of Traditions have to be friends. It doesn’t mean they have bad karma. It’s good to find a common ground while still following what you believe in most as you have a true calling to Buddhahood. I think you may be making great progress, but there may be a time in your life where you have to only rely on yourself, and as you are the Gohonzon (as it is said “never look for the Gohonzon outside of yourself”), you may have to chant with people from and with various backgrounds.
narhwal90
Global Moderator
Posts: 3504
Joined: Mon Jan 25, 2016 3:10 am
Location: Baltimore, MD

Re: Not getting results - what to do !

Post by narhwal90 »

Please limit conversation to the OP's point- lets not have yet another thread descent into the usual sort of bickering.
User avatar
Budai
Posts: 878
Joined: Fri Aug 14, 2020 1:12 pm
Location: ༀ ∞ Nam Myoho Renge Kyo ∞ ༀ

Re: Not getting results - what to do !

Post by Budai »

The_Wonderer, see if this will inspire you, by Nichiren, The Dragon Gate. Nichiren mentions that attaining Buddhahood is not easy, but it is clearly possible for anyone with a full and diligent effort to do so. If you develop a determination to fully be a Buddha, you will greatly inspire even yourself and you may achieve what you are looking for in this very lifetime, for many it has even been moments away. :heart:
User avatar
Minobu
Posts: 4228
Joined: Mon Aug 15, 2016 6:57 pm

Re: Not getting results - what to do !

Post by Minobu »

Well im from the school of thought if you develop you can accomplish anything...
What do you think?
Can a Buddha do what She wishes to do ..What aBout Buddha Goddess Tara...she helps people ...she gave one guy a bag of gold...there is a story..

so people in other practices cannot accomplish anything so they say it isn't buddhism it's all about enlightenment...and yet they are the most defiled people online...trolls and such...intellectuals who who can't do anything materialistic for they have no power.

Everything i wanted i got..from my father's born marrow coming back to life...only guy in the planet to do so..to finding an edge on society to support myself through any crisis...ok so i'm borderline poverty ...but if i applied myself i could make tons more money ...but i use my time for learning and practicing...i'm satisfied to live and eat well ..really well..so poverty not really...but from western standards if trump was me he would jump out a window...

it's all in you...you won't get a damn thing asking for it...not if you wish to practice Nichiren's Teachings...for it's inside you ....


when i was a kid i started a TM practice...they promised a better life in two months...they were right...you did not meditate on things you wanted...you allowed for them to come to you...stuff you did not know you wanted or needed came to you...

The Gakki focused on this aspect but taught it wrongly...

anyway...when you are ready all will come to you...This is The Highest teaching on the planet at this time...

i suggest you give yourself more credit and focus on allowing yourself to grow ....try not to focus on your needs during practice...you know what you want and so you exercise the powers inside you ...they grow and stuff happens...

and for the love of the gods....realize they all are a part of you and you can develop their qualities in your life...respect them...Lady Lakshmi , Lady Kundalini , Lady Saraswati , Lady Kali Ka , Lord Ganesha , Lord Brahma, He is depicted on Gohonzon, Lord shiva , Lord Vishnu , Lord Indra , also depicted on gohonzon...They are not to be asked of favours...you develop their energy which is not exactly dormant in anyone's life...they are all part and parcel to this reality... they are the ones that make this universe beautiful so said my Root Guru Zasep Tulku Rinpoche...

Because of Lord Agni the god of Fire we have fire...the match lites due to the presence of Lord Agni...

Don';t let those who are defiled tell you otherwise....they are like devils thwarting you from material happiness...

you have it all ....Nichiren said no prayer goes unanswered...

my wife had major surgery ..she is a very ill person...but always we get the best doctors Canada has to offer for some odd reason...she came through aces on Monday...it's weird but we had a hack nerve doctor and like i complained to the right person ,20 years ago..and voila she pulled from her hat the best and he really helped...he could tell what was wrong with her from looking at the creases in her shoes and watching her walk...unreal....

al the doctors i get for her are like that...we just had the best fertility clinic doctor perform surgery on her for total reconstruction of woman parts...please don't ask ...winces...lol....
my life is actually beautiful...
User avatar
Minobu
Posts: 4228
Joined: Mon Aug 15, 2016 6:57 pm

Re: Not getting results - what to do !

Post by Minobu »

just side note..as for getting material gain...

Why do you think there are such practices as Medicine Buddha, Buddha DzamBhala , and such...cause these do not work for some does not mean they are of no value...they worked for me...
User avatar
Shotenzenjin
Posts: 614
Joined: Tue Jun 16, 2020 11:23 pm

Re: Not getting results - what to do !

Post by Shotenzenjin »

Contact a Nichiren Shoshu temple and learn to practice true Buddhism
Generation's shall pass, our determination shall grow, at the foot of Mount Fuji
Like smoke that reaches far beyond the clouds.--nichimoku shonin. Third high priest of Nichiren Shoshu

Hokekko of true Buddhism https://nstny.org

Introduction to Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source= ... VKyEQ_cxK9
User avatar
Minobu
Posts: 4228
Joined: Mon Aug 15, 2016 6:57 pm

Re: Not getting results - what to do !

Post by Minobu »

Shotenzenjin wrote: Thu Apr 08, 2021 4:01 pm Contact a Nichiren Shoshu temple and learn to practice true Buddhism
I was just thinking about High Priest Nittatsu Shonin...
As you know i worry about signatures of High Priests...for we end up developing their attributes as well...careful what you MyoHo RenGe Kyo to..

anyway He put a special prayer for Kosen rufu on His Gohonzon which we all got...Benefits streamed from that time...I think He was a very altruistic person and really stepped up to the plate for everyone...nothing harsh came from Him..no one worried about His temper sort of thing...

i suggest he downloads a copy of that Gohonzon or the Shutei Gohonzon ..

nothing to fear all Gohonzon are copies anyway.. modern day methods of mass production don;t seem to affect them...

so be brave try one of "Those" show the universe you are brave...not afraid of superstitious meanderings...Be Big not small in your thinking and attitude...prove me right....for the sake of Kosen Rufu...Two months is a good litmus test..
User avatar
Minobu
Posts: 4228
Joined: Mon Aug 15, 2016 6:57 pm

Re: Not getting results - what to do !

Post by Minobu »

Also priests are human and i've had a few bad experiences from a couple of shoshu priests...organizations are not the answer...

Nichiren Shonin created 6 senior High Priests for a Reason...that being it's not about a certain priest or temple ...take the knowledge ...and do yourself a favour rely on the Teachings...and what you are....like i said you have great potential and all are inside you...
User avatar
Queequeg
Former staff member
Posts: 14418
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 3:24 pm

Re: Not getting results - what to do !

Post by Queequeg »

Minobu wrote: Thu Apr 08, 2021 3:43 pm Everything i wanted i got..
Yeah, but you're a wild eyed warlock.

That's only partly a joke. You are a type that tapped into something back when the world was going through a wilder, open phase. People were tapping into real alchemy. The bureaucrats and ideologues took over the world and no one rips with that energy anymore. It takes a confident, devil may care, bad ass to ride what you're talking about. Thank your dad.
There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
User avatar
Minobu
Posts: 4228
Joined: Mon Aug 15, 2016 6:57 pm

Re: Not getting results - what to do !

Post by Minobu »

Queequeg wrote: Thu Apr 08, 2021 4:51 pm
Minobu wrote: Thu Apr 08, 2021 3:43 pm Everything i wanted i got..
Yeah, but you're a wild eyed warlock.

That's only partly a joke. You are a type that tapped into something back when the world was going through a wilder, open phase. People were tapping into real alchemy. The bureaucrats and ideologues took over the world and no one rips with that energy anymore. It takes a confident, devil may care, bad ass to ride what you're talking about. Thank your dad.
It was done during Mappo..i still have everything work out for me...

anyway..i hope i emphasized the fact mindfulness needs to come into play...My ™ training when i entered the gakki and people were just chanting willy nilly sort of confused me...i could not help it...i just used mindfulness on the practice whilst i practiced...

i recommend something Geshe La taught us..
when it's time for meditation you should first calm your self and say to yourself..ok this is the time i set aside for meditation ..all my worries and hopes and dreams are to be put on hold whilst i do this....this is meditation time only...

it was like that for me from the start...i was always able to at least concentrate on three or four ODaimoku's before losing it...lol..brought no worries bring it back...

Me dad was so cool...

when i was 13 and he saw me come home on acid in 69 my allowance went up to 50 bucks a week...I did not know he knew but stuff like this would happen ...

I came home just coming down of my peaking on acid...good acid back then...

So he offers me a ciggy and lites a match...He goes did you see what just happened there...so he lites another one...and says look...so like now he son with acid eyes is staring at the match and looking like wow yeah it's so beautiful...

so he says " A Whole universe occurred just now....the flame is energy...for us it's a few moments of time and just a match...but whole universes occur in that span...they are created ...stars form...planets..evolve...evolution takes place they have wars and history carries on and then ...snuff gone...

but it all happened exactly like what we are living in....so this is like 69 and pretty heady stuff to tell a 13 year old ...but i got it..it was like wow....

then he goes .."It's happening all over you...your body is like nuclear rector and thousands of worlds are being formed and dying just like what happened with the match....you are a frak star...."

then he went on to explain cause we are human and have a brain and are highly evolved...we effect those universes...if you are some angry hatefull person all those universes will be filled with war and pestilence and hardship...horrible places to dwell...but if you are filled with love and kindness they will be worlds of learning and fine art and people will be advanced and beautiful....

i wonder if his whole cancer was just theatre for me....

then there was the time when i was 15 and worked on weekends with him.....so like we detour and go downtown montreal and he says he is looking for someone...he stops car jumps out and gives this homeless old man a bunch of coins...i go what are doing ..he says it's not who he is looking for...it was winter..and then there she was .. a true old bag lady in tennis shoes with no socks...i recall those vividly ..it shocked me...like this is around '72..

So he jumps out and gives her twenty bucks...i go nuts and say he is nutso.....

he just glared at me and we went to his work...that weekend his drought was finished and he had like this incredible business stuff happen...tons of new orders so on the way home he goes ...."You have to give to receive..."

coolest of the cool...me dad....pure magic...
User avatar
gohonzon
Posts: 80
Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2016 8:02 am
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Not getting results - what to do !

Post by gohonzon »

If mixed religious teachings and practices of Soka Gakkai are openly done in your SGI organization, then they are no longer teaching and following the parent doctrines of Nichiren Shoshu.




Your lack of understanding regarding the doctrines of Nichiren Shoshu suggests you have a lot of studying and reflection to do, beginning with the historical beliefs of Nichiren Daishonin and your own perverse interpretation of his clear and honest teachings.




That in itself is a form of Negative Karma you must overcome in order to understand the true meaning of Enlightenment. Both Nichiren Daishonin and Nikko Shonin were very clear about mixing religious practices, if you cannot follow those teachings, then you have a conflict with your own organization because Soka Gakkai, who upheld both is doing you a great disservice by misrepresentation.

I know. Perhaps you do not read the Gosho in its entirety and rather cherry pick the ones you like and discard the rest which don’t suit your personal views, as is common with many Soka Gakkai members in modern times.
Locked

Return to “Nichiren”