by Beth Tucker

Created on: April 25, 2008

Practicing Buddhism is everyday life. It is like taking a breathe. In the morning at my alter I chant to elevate my life condition, to bring from out of my life the ultimate wisdom, courage and compassion. When I get up from chanting and leave my altar the day of practice begins. I can not separate my life as a Buddhist and the everyday experiences in my life. They are all one in the same.

If I am chanting to have a better relationship with someone at work. Perhaps we don't get along well or we are having a hard time coming together on a project, or butting heads or acting in ways not benefiting to either. As that day begins, that interaction is the food that builds the strength within myself. It is the challenge to make each obstacle, each poison into medicine that builds the foundation of my life and helps me maintains my practice.

How I respond to that individual, what I think and say all have the potential to either build a bridge to a better interaction with this person or adversely to tear apart our relationship. Since I can not control the other persons will, it is my own attitude and will that must be the driving force to make a difference.

Since our environment is a reflection of what is going on inside of us there is no getting away from the experience. To often when humans look at obstacles and confrontations they often back away. They run from the thing that they think is causing them to suffer. The suffering comes from the value or emphasis their feeble untrained minds place on that obstacle or problem. The lessons learned as we grew up helped to shape our idea's and most often were not our own idea's at all.

Buddhism places the responsibility squarely in the right lap. We are the keepers of our environment. We create our environment, by what we say, think and do, so no one is blame but me. Once we make that perfectly clear to ourselves and we believe it then the real work begins.

Inevitably some attempt to bury the obstacle with external stimulus like drinking or eating or sports or TV. Some resort to anger or animality, striking out at those close at heart. Others simply don't deal with it. We all know of those types.

In most common day religions a famous saying like "I give it up to God" is the all time cop out line of all. If I could just hand over all my problems to some unseen, holy person who is supposedly better and wiser that I, what joy!

Whatever the measure used to deal or not deal, in all cases the obstacle only gets worse with time. It becomes like the elephant in the room no one wants to deal with. It sits festering in the mind of the person, eventually it might manifest as dis ease., but it does not go away.

Buddhism is about changing those everyday obstacles and confrontations and creating medicine from poison. To do that we much come from a place of absolute wisdom, compassion and courage. The practice of chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo as outlined in Nichiren Daishonion Buddhism is the polish that polishes the mirror of our lives.

It creates a transformation in us that will enable to create the best possible value in our everyday lives.

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