[the following is an experience I shared at the July 2011 World Peace Prayer Meeting--also know as Kosen-Rufu Gongyo--on July 3rd 2011.]
After sharing the following with my fellow bodhisattvas, this letter was faxed immediately to President Daisaku Ikeda, my Mentor.
Happy birthday America,
Happy birthday Lady Liberty
The land of the free
The land of the many
I’m so fortunate to have my karmic manifestations result in my propagating the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day of the Law in America. I am essentially here to share with you the experiences I’ve encountered through practicing Nichiren Buddhism. The tremendous fortune, the tremendous benefits, both conspicuous and inconspicuous, have been so immense that not sharing these with you would be counterproductive to my role as a Bodhisattva.
July 3rd 2011
Sensei,
The Pacific Ocean stands between you and I, nonetheless we are working side-by-side to fulfill one mission: to relive all sentient beings from the sufferings of (birth, sickness, and old age). To establish peace in the Latter Day of the Law is no easy task, it takes courage and autonomous drive to pave such a road.
My name is Ararat Alex Yarijanian and I have the deep fortune of practicing Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism in this lifetime. I migrated from Iran to the United States in 1998, when I was 10 years old, and I have been living here ever since. As a scholar, I am currently studying social psychology in pursuit of a doctoral degree in this field. I’m of Armenian descent and—naturally—the roots of Christianity are deeply planted within my culture. As a matter of fact, my parents are devout followers of Christ. When I began practicing this Buddhism—February 14th of 2010—I was very scared to chant in my house. I would shutter at the thought of my parents seeing my Gohonzon, or even hearing me chant, for that matter. Nonetheless, I was not going to let these fears and insecurities pose an obstacle in my pursuit of the Law. I told the leaders in my jurisdiction that due to my cultural and familial heritage, I would be extremely uncomfortable with the idea of establishing a shrine with the Gohonzon in my room. This would be considered completely egregious and unacceptable; and I would be accused of idol worship. After giving this much thought, the leaders offered to confer a travel sized Gohonzon upon me so that I can commence my practice.
After the conferral, I embraced my Gohonzon; chanting outside on the streets near my house or at my ‘sanctuaries’ at school; anywhere—just away from home. Eventually, I received spontaneous guidance, and with a sense of awareness that at all times I am under the protection of the heavily deities, I summoned the courage to chant in my house. Today, I am happy to report to you that I chant this Daimoku and recite the sutra in my room with a deep sense of rhythm with the Law. Also, both my parents and I have deepened our faith, each in our respective doctrines. My relationship with my family has improved dramatically since then, and things are progressing more and more with each passing day—this I would have never fathomed in the wildest of dreams. With mutual respect, and understanding, of the meaning of faith: we are Buddhist and Christians living harmoniously and happily under the same roof.
Thus far, Sensei, I have received tremendous benefits; I’ve acquired more wisdom, along with a deeper understanding of the human condition. Now, I would like to understand the mentor and disciple bond, you as my mentor, and I, as your disciple. After listening to your son speak on your behalf at the SGI-Youth Leaders Meeting at the World Peace Ikeda Auditorium, I began to seek this bond with you. Please Sensei, lend me your wisdom, how can I connect with you spiritually? How can I truly benefit from this bond I’m seeking? I know that this is the time for me to build this understanding. I know this because I, too, fight for world peace and global unity amidst my personal battles, pushing the walls of my existence and declaring my human revolution. I'm naturally involved with actives and I attend my district meetings with genuine happiness and enduring care for each member. I stand with the SGI and uphold the fundamental building element of our organization: the Lotus Sutra. I participated in the Rock the Era Cultural Festivals in the Long Beach Arena to have the baton of kosen-rufu passed down to me from you. And I also take every opportunity to awaken individuals to the Law by the way of Skakabuku. I know what we stand for—I’ve done Soka spirit presentations a number of times; wholeheartedly exposing the erroneous ways of the priesthood. We share so much together in many regards; we must have a connection that transcends logic and intellect—I’m certain of this!
Leaving much detail out, I would like to directly go to my point and express the purpose of my letter to you.
I’ve been waiting to share an experience of my own with my fellow members since I began practicing. And since I am leaving my chapter, area, and zone, next week, I decided to not only share my experiences with you, but to also read this letter to my fellow members as well. Seeking to understand the bond between mentor and disciple, I would also like to leave with an impression of my experience as a Nichiren Buddhist. I believe that experiences matter; they give hope, they help us grown and develop.
I will explain some landmark [major] causes I have made, followed by the subsequent effects that have manifested. This shall serve as a brief account of what I’ve realized using this practice.
The Causes:
- May Contribution
For this year’s May Contribution, I made a contribution that was three times the amount I contributed last year. I also was inspired to make this contribution the first day of the Contribution campaign. This very day also happened to mark the 758th anniversary of the day Nichiren Daishonin chanted Nam Myoho Renge Kyo for the first time--April 28, 1253. The daily encouragement from you [Daisaku Ikeda] for that day read: How incredible it is to chant this wonderful Daimoku each day! Nichiren Daishonin writes, "There is no greater happiness for human beings than chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. The sutra [Lotus Sutra] says, 'The people there [in my land] are happy and at ease.'"(MW-1, 161). There is no joy, happiness and ease surpassing what we can attain through chanting Daimoku. No matter how much you may pursue the things you love and skip gongyo to have a good time—all such fleeting, worldly pleasures pale beside the deep sense of satisfaction that comes from chanting Daimoku.
- Daimoku: I hour/day
This was absolutely relevant, because Interestingly enough, earlier this year, I’d made yet another firm determination, which was to chant Daimoku an hour a day, in spite of what the day might be like; no matter how tired I would be from a full course-load; no matter how much studying I still had to get done; regardless of my mood; I would complete my hour a day. As a full-time student, this was the change that made the difference. The determination to chant an hour a day started to directly reflect on my school work, my performance, my attention span, and essentially I found myself approaching many different aspects of life with a sense of determination. Through this transformation, I understood what the phrase “life condition” means. This is when everything around you somehow looks different. Thoughts, emotions, and perceptions take on vivid forms. Every material aspect of life (such as this podium, that tree, this stage) all remain the same, they do not change. But as we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change. This is the elevated life condition; its attainment is only achieved by diligently chanting these seven characters of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.
Also, the way in which the Daimoku is projected also plays a major role in one’s life condition. The voice is important; the voice does the Buddha’s work. Pronouncing each syllable, with emphasis on the meaning of the Daimoku: I devote myself to the Mystic Law of Cause and Effect Through Sounds and Vibrations; or I Take Refuge in the Lotus Sutra.
And I cannot overstate the deep impact of actually writing down goals, prayers, and wishes.
- Study
The power of faith is fueled by the understanding of faith and its function. Study is such a crucial component of fully actualizing your inner potential in this regard. Because when I chant, or when I recite the Sutra, I’m compelled by the meaning of Nichiren’s teachings and its significance. Studying Buddhism has given me confidence and concrete belief in the Mystic Law.
The Effects:
To illustrate the power of this practice, I would like to highlight three benefits I've received--conspicuous and inconspicuous--as a direct result of the causes listed above.
Conspicuous Benefits
- An Apartment
I am now at a pivotal point in my life; in the sense that I am gearing up for my mission in this life time. I have graduated from a community college and I have been accepted to attend University of California Riverside this coming Fall quarter 2011. I chanted for an apartment that would best function as a dwelling of the Buddha, in a space that would also accommodate my needs for best focus and concentration in my studies. Within three weeks of my prayer, I found this exact apartment; and a week after, I signed the agreement. I’m moving to my own apartment to continue my education and I am receiving a full sized Gohonzon today (July 3rd) to enshrine at my new home: the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light!
- A Car
To carry out my mission effectively and to its full extent, I needed a car. I chanted for it and received it.
- The David Ledbetter Scholarship
To help fund my education; I was awarded a scholarship. Now, this played out in a very interesting way. I had gone to the night of the award ceremony only to find out that out of everybody receiving scholarships and awards, my name was missing from the program booklet. My parents and I had arrived at the banquet excited; and I ended up not receiving a check and certificate that night. So, I went to follow up on this issue the day after and I spoke with the director of the office. He began apologizing profusely, and offered to add an additional $500 to my award, bringing the total to $750; as opposed to the $250 I was originally going to receive.
Inconspicuous Benefits
I hold that conspicuous benefits are the tools we need to fulfill our mission.
Conspicuous benefits are the material manifestations of our life condition; which ultimately exist to support the development of our inconspicuous benefit: our mission in life.
My practice and the causes I am making are also perpetually integrated with my kosen-rufu mission. Even the blueprint I’ve set forth for my life is in sync with Buddhist elements; directly. As I mentioned earlier, I am in studying social psychology and I will be earning a PhD in this field. Cutting edge psychological and neurological research is beginning to support basic Buddhist principles. Through Brain imaging technology and behavioral research, two new branches of social psychology are beginning to gain a lot of momentum in the scientific community: positive psychology and humanistic psychology. Also Harvard has begun funding a number of mindfulness based stress reduction programs.
The Western World is paying more attention to the Buddhist ideals; bodhisattvas are now emerging here in the United States. As a social psychologist, I will have the credentials and the skills to then have everything I need at my disposal to scientifically add and develop new bodies of research to bring Buddhist ideals to humanistic psychology. As a Buddhist, I have all I need to make this happen: the Gohonzon, My mentor, and the Soka Gakkai.
I’m working on two things at this point in my life: 1) to not be blind to the casual relations between things/phenomenon; and 2) to build a spiritual bond with you, Sensei, during this lifetime.
With my Most Sincere Regards, I send this message to you. Please rest assured knowing that the youth are taking their positions at the forefront of Kosen-Rufu. I am dedicated to expanding this noble cause and moving forth using your guidance as a source of wisdom.
ARARAT ALEX YARIJANIAN
Student of Shakyamuni,
Follower of Nichiren,
Disciple of Daisaku Ikeda,
Prayer is not of the realm of logic or intellect. It transcends these. Prayer is an act in which we give expression to the pressing and powerful wishes in the depths of our being and yearn for their fulfillment. Prayers are invisible, but if we pray steadfastly they will definitely effect clear results in our lives and surroundings over time. This is the principle of the true entity of all phenomena. Faith means having confidence in this invisible realm.- Daisaku Ikeda
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