As we practice and study more, if we didn’t already have the intent to become enlightened, we may soon find ourselves wishing to attain what the Buddha experienced. Yet even still, for some the intention of enlightenment isn’t nearly as clear as the intention to eliminate suffering or overcome some difficult problem. Over time though as we continue to practice, or when we overcome our problem, or even when overcoming our difficulty takes longer than we expected, we loose focus. We may become distracted or discouraged because things are harder than we originally thought they would be. It is, I believe, as easy to be discouraged as it is to be lulled into a sense of complacency. If we can develop these ways of intention in our lives then we too can become the king of our Sumeru-world with unhindered powers and virtues.

One of my favorite sentences from the Lotus Sutra says, “when you have great joy you will become a Buddha” – Chapter II. I have said it before, however, I think it is worth saying again. When you have great joy, when you allow the joy of the dharma to fill your life, then you will become a Buddha. This great joy is not the complete elimination of problems, but it is the belief in the assurance of being a Buddha.

Practicing Buddhism is a lot about opening ourselves up. We open our lives up to self-exploration and discovery. Through this process we weed out those things that prevent us from manifesting our inherent Buddha condition. We nourish the process through our practice of chanting the sutra and the Odaimoku, Namu Myoho Renge Kyo.

With the Lotus Sutra and our Buddhist practice we can even illuminate the sufferings we are experiencing as well as those we have experienced and with the wisdom learned we can forge a future with different outcomes. No matter how dark or how long darkness has existed in our lives, just as a light illuminates a cave that has been dark for hundreds of years, the Lotus Sutra can bring light and enlightenment to our lives.

Sometimes we might find ourselves in the midst of a serious crisis and think to ourselves that it will never get better or that things will never change. I am not sure it is possible for most of us to avoid feeling this way at one time or another in our life. But consider, if you will, for a moment that all of these setbacks, obstacles, troubles, whatever, are nothing more than stepping-stones along the path of your life. There is no reason why your life should be limited by your current condition, unless that is what you want. Stopping on the stone on which you are currently standing, though, does not get you down the road to happiness.

When it comes to your personal inner radio station, I wonder what you tune in to. Do you tune in to messages of failure, or tapes playing inside your head saying you can’t do something, or you’re not worthy? Do you have a station preset to uncertainty or doubt?

How easy it it for you to find the Buddha’s station? Let’s all sing songs of great praise and joy as we calmly overcome our troubles.

There is a story told of Nichiren on his way to his second exile, his trip to Sado Island. It is said that the water was so rough that all those on board the boat feared for their lives. According to the story, Nichiren took one of the oars and with the blade wrote the Odaimoku onto the surface of the water in order to calm the sea.

Whether or not you believe this happened exactly as it is told, there is certain documentary support for believing that he actually did attempt to do this. Still, the fact of the matter is that Nichiren placed all of his faith in the power of the Lotus Sutra. We too can cast the Odaimoku upon the ocean of our suffering, and with our practice we can calm the waters. We can change ourselves so that we can safely and confidently navigate the rough seas in which we may find ourselves.

The Buddha, in a previous life as Never-Despising Bodhisattva, is frequently used as an inspiration for how we honor the lives of all beings, bowing to the Buddha in each life. Yet, this Bodhisattva also is an inspiration for the courage to practice in less than ideal circumstances.

Courage is not an obscure word yet I would like to share a definition here: Mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.

Webster Dictionary

I am not sure how you feel after reading that or what it brings to your mind, but to me it describes very accurately how we practice the Lotus Sutra. We practice with courage. Daily we challenge both our mental and moral strength to carry out a very difficult practice, sometimes in environments that are less than supportive. Practicing the Lotus Sutra requires of us to persevere even in the face of sometimes seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

In so many ways it is easy for us to actually deny the Buddha, the very thing, which we seek to understand. We think the Buddha isn’t here; this place is too messed up. We think the Buddha isn’t in me; I’m too messed up. We think the Buddha isn’t in others; they’re too messed up. Bodhisattva Never-Despise was able to see the Buddha in others, and the Buddha tells us that he always is here. But this is difficult to believe, and difficult to practice. Part of the process of becoming enlightened is, I believe, to develop the ability, to awaken within us the capacity to begin to see our own Buddha potential and then to see it in others. It is to learn to not deny in others or ourselves the very promised reality of being Buddhas. Enlightenment is after all being awakened.