"There are two kinds of wisdom, correct and perverse. No matter how wise a person may appear, if his assertions are warped you should not listen to him. Nor should you follow priests merely because they are venerable or of high rank... If you do not question and resolve your doubts, you cannot dispell the dark clouds of illusion, any more than you could travel a thousand miles without legs."(WND, 1028, 1031)Bringing happiness to people's daily lives was Nichiren's greatest wish.
Hello! My name is Art and I'm in the Youth Division in Anchorage, Alaska [age 13]. I've been chanting for a year and a half, with my mom, who is in the Women's Division. We heard about Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism many years ago in Thailand, through my aunt,who has been practicing for many, many years.
It seems like my life is different now that I have chanted. There are many obstacles that I've overcome through chanting. I used the quote above from one of Nichiren's writings because it really says that you can't succeed fully if you don't question your doubts... if you simply leave them alone then the dark clouds of illusion will hang over you! And rain will fall and sunshine will cease to exist, unless you strive to resolve those doubts.
Chanting also makes me feel better, every time. For example, if I am upset for whatever reason, and I go chant, I feel better. I also notice that when I chant vigorously for something, sometimes I don't necessarily get what I want, but I get something that is better than what I had chanted for originally. For instance, I was chanting for something incredible to happen at school. Within that week, my teachers told me I was picked to be a Student of the Month. Furthermore, I also won a prize drawing at the quarterly assembly (it was an iPod - 3rd generation, 8GB and a $50 gift card) and I was thrilled!
And, one of my favorite daily guidances from President Ikeda:
"Buddhism is wisdom. As long as we have wisdom, we can put all things to the best use; we can turn everything in the direction of happiness."
Art, Fireweed District
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