(Photo above by Jakob Owens / Unsplash)
We’re all about creating positive habits that improve ourselves this year.
Doing anything consistently is hard, even when we know it’s good for us. Remember that time you said this was the year you’d start eating healthy and going to the gym? Same.
So, what’s needed to restart our Buddhability journey when we’ve stopped chanting for a bit?
First, don’t be too hard on yourself! It’s easy to think, why start now if you’ve missed out up to this point. But what is the purpose of practicing Buddhism? It’s to become happy. It’s for you.
If you want some advice from inside the Buddhability community, listen to 3 Tips for Starting or Continuing Your Practice for some stellar inspiration.
What is the purpose of practicing Buddhism? It’s to become happy. It’s for you.
Second, Buddhism is not about obsessing over the past, it is about creating the future from where we are right now. It’s not about how we feel today, but how we want to feel tomorrow. That’s why it’s always a good time to start chanting again, because chanting helps us bring out our best selves so we can create a great future.
Third, what are some things in your life you want to improve? Or, is there someone in your life you’re worried about and want to see break through this year? When we have clear goals or intentions in mind, it can make it easier to feel motivated to chant.
The Buddhist teacher Daisaku Ikeda offers a clarifying point on what happens when we chant:
When we pray, we change ourselves. And by bringing forth the life-state off Buddhahood from within ourselves, it is possible to influence those around us to change. We can also make the entire universe our ally.
The New Human Revolution, vol. 23, pp. 359–60
I mean, how incredible is that? We can literally change our lives and, by doing that, impact the people around us and the world.
It’s important to remind ourselves that the purpose of chanting is to be happy. Guilt has no place here.