Meet the Pros: Day 1

Today, I went to Meet the Pros at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs. We have speakers and workshops there, along with breakfast and lunch. The workshops I went to were the virtual tours for 36 Point, Swanson-Russell and dd/a; I also went to Cover Letter & Resume, the Art of Diplomacy and the beauty of internships, or something. Tomorrow, I will be running the gauntlet because my portfolio will be reviewed. I will be looking for what's good and what needs work, so stay tuned to this channel for further updates. :)

Happy News: The Plumber :D

Well, Debbie called me today and said that the plumbing's been fixed and it only cost $99! I would like to thank Amy Marie Meek, Southside Plumbing and those would helped. :D

My First Realization - Part 2: The Lower Worlds

Today, unfortunately, I entered the lower worlds of the Buddha:

Hell - Feeling helpless about my family situation.

Hungry - Feeling always hungry: for food, respect, love, financial security, etc.

Animality - Feeling posessive over my posessions.

Anger - Feeling that my family sees me as nothing more than a servant and/or ATM machine, feeling that they'll completely unable to do anything for themselves without me there to 'save them' and feeling tired of always being the 'family savior'; always saving my family but no one saving me.

I realized this as I was chanting Daimoku. I'm chanting for my family's happiness, but I haven't a clue where to start. What should I do? :(

My First Realization, I Think

Today, while I was doing Daimoku, I discovered that the Gohozon, like the image of the prophet Mohammad, is sacred and that's why there's little to no images of them. Also, like the Muslim faith, Daishonin Buddhiism has many preconceived misconceptions about the true nature of the practice. Sadly, it's fueled by old stereotypes and the misguided act of a few, which only ended up hurting the whole. I concluded that it's up to all of us who practice our faith the right way to take the first steps in showing the world that we're more than a preconceived misconception while showing kindness, dignity and respect to others who practice different faiths at the same time.

:D

Happy News! :D

First of all, congrads are in order for Kazuko-San, an SGI member in Omaha, for the birth of her second grandson! :D His name is Dillon, but Kazuko-San calls him 'D-Chan'. :D Also, Berta, another SGI member in Omaha, came back from her hometown in Spain! :D I saw her at the distinct meeting today and talked about how our hair's changed and how her trip was.

Daimoku and the uneasy mind

This morning, I woke up at around 3:10PM because I had so much on my mind. So, I got up and chanted Daimoku for an hour, then I did Gongyo and read the daily encouragement. I feel a little better. Has that ever happened to any of you?

My first New Year's Gosho.

Well, today was my first New Year's Gosho and it was really fun! We did Gongyo, Maiyumi and Kati read the New Year's Gosho, Ebony read tow poems while Katie share her experience practice. Tobey, Sharon, Neil, Claude and I ream a poem while singing 'Higher Than The Sky.' Claude, Katie, Alex, Ebony, Sharon and Erika did a dance to 'Smooth Sailing' I believe the song was. Jennifer gave encouragement, we had gohonzon conferrals and leadership appointments. We saw a DVD of Ikeda-Sensei visited China and reuniting with a friend (I forgot his name. :P) We did a group picture to give to Ikeda-Sensei and we had a potluck. It was a great time and a great success. :D Also today, I bought "For Today & Tomorrow Daily Encouragement" and "The Buddha in the Mirror" by Ikeda-Sensei and some candles. Also, Marie from the store got me a Daimoku Chant, yay! :D Also, Haruko-San gave everyone Potato Soup to take home. :D