The Journey Begins

 JOB KARMA: HOW TO REPORT VICTORIES IN CAREER?

When we first chant, we chant for benefits. We chant because we have heard great things about it from our friends, family and others. In the initial phase of our practice, we tend to experience beginners luck but gradually as we develop, we face challenges and the lack of even a single thing amongst the three pillars of Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism i.e faith, practice, study lands us into a deadlock.

When we chant for benefits. They allow us to prove the practice to others and are always helpful in resolving other concerns.

But in certain circumstances, chanting might solve the problem temporarily as the problem returns in a similar form.

THIS IS KARMA.

Karma is tendencies laid down by action which, repeated over and over again, have become habits over time. They can be positive or negative.

For example,  a  person keeps quitting job one after the other due to lack of satisfaction and another stays in the same company for more than ten years.

In such a situation what should one do?

Firstly, remember we are practitioners of Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism. We are bodhisattvas of the earth and we all have vowed to Sensei to win because Buddhism is all about winning.
We must always continue to strengthen our practice, deepen our faith and increase our study. These could be done by chanting more daimoku, read President Ikeda’s guidance, participate in Gakkai and kosen-rufu activities and carry out our responsibilities as a leader of kosen-rufu.  We must never give up and show actual proof of our practice. .

With Sensei’s guidance that when starting our career, it is fine to pick up whichever job one gets and very soon the path will open for you. Just chant and read Ikeda sensei’s guidance daily. He says that “be the best in whatever you do and you will soon be able to create a new path”.

However, Ikeda sensei says that you must have impossible dreams and then the courage to challenge them so that you can prove the power of the Mystic Law.

Our bad karma in our jobs looks so abstract and overwhelming that we seem to have no control over it. The truth is, we can treat it as a springboard to advancing in our jobs and win wherever we are. The key to this is how earnestly we want to eradicate our bad job karma permanently, transcend it and bid it good-bye for good. We absolutely hold the power, the wisdom and the means to turn this poison into medicine, because we practice Nichiren Buddhism.

Since we are all aiming to report victories by November 18, there’s no better time than this moment to face our karma and turn our negative job karma into positive. If we have given up on job and have not worked over a time now, our daimoku should be such that it gets us into high gear for a victorious and inspiring come back. We have all the time we need at our disposal. If we are constantly in fear of losing our jobs or feeling unhappy and depressed by our unfit jobs, we can spur ourselves into working for future promotion. Coping with it indomitably, we can use the frustration to strengthen our determination.

Buddhism teaches the law of simultaneity of cause and effect. Effect can’t come about without cause being made first. In other words, cause must precede effect When you make kosen-rufu your life’s objective and pray to excel at your work in order to show proof of that goal’s validity, you will be opening the way for your own victory and good fortune.”
In both Presidents Toda’s and Ikeda’s minds, in order to spread Nichiren Buddhism far and wide, it is important that we succeed in our jobs to strengthen our abilities for our goal and create value in the society.

President Ikeda points out how we can open the way for our victory and good fortune:

1. Make kosen-rufu our life’s objective.
   2. Pray to excel at work to show the validity of kosen-rufu.
   3. Activate our wisdom by consistently chanting daimoku.
   4. Work twice as hard as those around us. 

 

Cause No. 1: Set a master goal that contributes to achieving kosen rufu. 

Our goals also include developing ourselves in order to advance no matter what our duty is at work. Everyone starts at the bottom on the way up. No job is too small, no position is too low and no field is too insignificant.

All companies are constantly on the lookout for capable leaders on every level.

We would like to polish and develop ourselves to the extent that we are obviously over-qualified for our position.

If it is so obvious, they will see it and make the appropriate position adjustments to let the companies benefit from our ability. We want to become people who are constantly approached by recruiters with better and better job offers, even if we already have good jobs.

Knowing that we excel in our field, we enjoy going to work, setting a great example and inspiring others.

Are such goals too optimistic and ambitious to reach? Not at all. Our chanting of daimoku is like the roar of the lion and our practice like the mighty sword. With them, we will succeed dauntlessly in every endeavor for the execution and completion of our plan.

2. Chant abundant daimoku, praying to excel at work.  

As practitioners of Nichiren Buddhism, we all know that with chanting, we can activate wisdom, accumulate fortune, elevate our life condition, expand our capacity and obtain protection and opportunities from the Buddhist Gods. The Buddhist gods (shoten zenjin) manifest themselves as ordinary people who come to our aid at the right time in the right place.

Example of prayers in such situation could be like:

“Gohonzon, I am chanting to activate my wisdom to enable myself to see a clear picture of how to change my job karma. I am chanting so that my life force is so strong that I can staunchly complete a grand task of human revolution.

Gohonzon, I am taking every action that I can possibly  prove how I am about creating good karma in my career. I know my destiny is in my own hands.

Gohonzon, every day, just as I am using my whole being to send daimoku out to the whole universe, I am sending my resume out to the world. Those acquaintances will watch for job openings for me and recommend me to their companies. My prayer will also make my resume stand out in the eyes and minds of companies that need my service and can benefit from my work.

3. Selection of a kosen rufu job

Mr.Toda once said the criteria for selecting a job could be found in “The Theory of Value,” a philosophical treatise by his mentor, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi.

Mr. Makiguchi taught that there are three kinds of value: beauty, benefit and good. In the realm of employment, the value of beauty means to find a job you like; the value of benefit is to get a job that earns you a salary so that you are able to support your daily life; the value of good means to find a job that helps others and contributes to society. More often than not, people have to work at a job they never expected to have to do.

Mr. Toda once said, “Everyone’s ideal is to get a job they like (beauty),that is financially secure (benefit), and where they can contribute to society (good).”

“Without running away from a disagreeable job, you should continue to work hard while praying to the Gohonzon. By continuing in this way, in the end you will definitely find yourself in a position that you like, that is profitable, and, moreover, that creates great good for society.

3. Make a Habit of Exerting you Utmost

You mustn’t be halfhearted. When you pursue something with a strong determination, you will have no regrets even should you fail. But if you succeed, you will achieve truly great things and inspire others. Either way, your unceasing efforts will lead you to the next path you should follow. 

5. Have that Consistency to continue exerting and Excel! 

A tree doesn’t grow strong and tall within one or two days. In the same way, a successful person doesn’t get to where they are in only one or two years. This applies to everything.

There is a saying that urges, “Excel at something!” It is important to become a person who is trusted by others wherever you are, a person who shines with excellence. Sometimes a person may dislike their job at first, but grow to love it once they become serious about doing their best in it.

“What one likes, one will do well,” goes another saying. Growing to like your job can also enable you to develop your own talent.

Once you have made a decision to work at a certain place, it is important that you pursue the path you have chosen without being discouraged or defeated, so that you will have no regrets over making that choice.

6. Be Proud & Happy

The important thing is to be proud of your work and your capacity and to live true to yourself. Activity is another name for happiness. What’s important is that you give free and unfettered play to your unique talents, that you live with the full radiance of your being. This is what it means to be truly alive. 
“Not only that, when you later look back on this period of struggle, you will see that none of your hard work was wasted, that your past efforts have all become precious assets. You will then understand that everything you have been through had meaning.”

Lastly,

Mr. Toda once said: “You can make a defeat the cause for future victory. You can also make victory the cause for future defeat.”

The Buddhism of Nichiren is the Buddhism of the true cause, the Buddhism of the present and future. We don’t dwell on the past. We are always challenging ourselves from the present toward the future. “The whole future lies ahead of us! We have only just begun!”–because we advance with this spirit, we will never be deadlocked.

You can either tell yourself, ‘It’s too hard, I don’t think I’ll be able to do it,’ or ‘Yes, I can do this. Let me at it!’ Only a fine line separates the two. But I’ll tell you one thing: if you work like crazy, you’ll come to display capabilities that you never knew you had–potentials that you always possessed, but never tapped.”

 

Happy Chanting:)

Share your views regarding the same and enlighten us all 🙂

NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton