We back on April 11, 2002, I met my two cousins, Lilia and Alice, on my way to my home. During that time I was carrying heavy loads of problems in my life. That was also the time when my father, Jualian, had been 2 years in bed due to old age. Caring for elderly for long span of time had also been a burden, since nobody else in our household could spend 24 hours caring for a degenerating and frail person.
When they looked at me, they told me I had so much burden manifested on my face. The recommended the Nichiren Buddhism way of chanting "NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO" assiduously. As they also reminded me the time they introduced it to me way back in 1986. I remember I had no interest to do it seriously during that time. Yet, it was a few months when my mother, Juanita, died on September 13, 1986 and problems were still bearable.
By that time I met them again, I was chanting the NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO while walking towards our house. Then continued doing it in my room informally while caring for my father. I also remembered when I came to the house, my sister had a Christian prayer meeting in our sala and I stopped chanting when they ended their prayer session. The chanting that took for long hours had helped lighten my feelings.
The following days, months, and years while I kept on chanting the NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO in two, three, five or six hours a day my life has changed from having a morose face and burden laiden and to a relaxed-looking face. As the Buddhist teachings says, "problems are means to development", "enjoy what there is to enjoy and suffer what there is to suffer as those are part of our existence". We will learn to conquer the problems of birth and death as it is an unending cycle. It is governed by the mystic LAW OF LIFE.
This relentless practice of chanting in the morning and evening helped a lot to lighten my burdens in life. Although, the presence of a patient itself became a big sacrifice and problem, still I was able to move around with ease unlike before when I was doing some readings of Christian religious teachings. Although, this is not to compare and create hatred to the past religious practice. I really found out there is the mystic power of the words the real Buddha, Nichiren, had first chanted.
Up to the time when my father passed away on April 18, 2004, I feel my burdens not only became lighten but it became something on top of a rapture life condition. This life condition, freed from too much burden is a thing to be taken cared of by becoming sincere in the practice so that when problems come my way I could remain firm and feel happy in the midst of troubles.
Presently, as I receive many insults from my own sister, I still pray for her happiness as well as for the happiness of her own family. Although, there is always pain along the way but I remain calm, not fighting back, able to take patience, and become compassionate to her. On my pursuit for employment online the internet, I always make a wish that someday there could be the right one that could give stability in my financial condition. To my love one, she has become a benefit to my practice. I also become a more loving and thankful person that I never did in my younger years.
