Here we are at the end of another year. I hope you all have a revolutionary new year.
The end of this year is bringing some new challenges. I took my dog to the vet yesterday because she had stopped eating her regular food and was a bit listless. She seems to have a bit of arthritis in her hips and she perked up when I gave her the anti-inflammatory. The vet called today with the results of her blood work. She may have cancer and she is anemic and may have thyroid problems and they all may be related to the possible cancer. We adopted our dog, Jill, when we moved to Salinas. She is the family’s first dog. I haven’t told my kids about her - I will need to chant before I do that. My mood is not very positive right now, but I will chant for her and raise my positivity index over the next few days. She goes in for another blood test next week. I plan to chant up a better result. I’ll keep you informed.
Tomorrow is the New Year celebration for our local SGI area. My kids are doing something with the youth division. Forever Sensei! Man, can’t we find some new music? The new year meeting is always enjoyable because everyone comes - husbands, wives, siblings, mothers, fathers,kids, far-away members, everyone. I’m looking forward to it.
Have a safe and fun New Year’s Eve and a peaceful new year.
I went to a meeting last night. These meetings are where the chapter and area leaders can talk about the management side of the local organization. We have had these once a month for quite awhile. Recently, Pres. Ikeda wrote a message to the Central Executive Committee of SGI. In this message, he talks about the need to develop new leaders. He stresses that the leaders are going to have to lead this organization into the future. The man keeps telling us to stand up and take responsibility for this organization. Maybe he is getting through to some of us.
Due to many factors, many of which I do not understand, my local organization is a very top down, managed area. It just worked out that way. This management style leads everything to go through the area leaders. There are two people in charge, but really there is one person in charge of everything. When we wanted to bring Victory Over Violence to our schools in honor of our murdered friend, we were not allowed to do it, it had to go through the area. There is just too much to do to be involved and in charge of everything. VOV never happened.
SGI is so much like any other organization - it has a management structure and people rise into management for many reasons, not all of which are management skill. In SGI, we have that pesky problem of faith. Our leaders wear many hats - manager, faith adviser, councilor, leader, motivator, speaker - you can add to the list. Some of us are good at some of these roles, but few of us are good at all of them. I can do all of the roles, but I lack the drive to do some of them well. I haven’t excelled in the current management structure.
That may be changing. The local leadership is going to attempt to give the next step down, chapter leaders, autonomy. They are going to let the chapters move in their own direction, create their own culture, and thereby grow new capable leaders. This is great news for some of us and very scary for others. I can’t wait to help my districts do what they want to do. To help them figure out what they want to do. It should allow the members to express themselves, become happier and just maybe invite others to join. But I noticed a few chapter leaders were not as enthusiastic about this. Mostly the newer leaders who have not developed the skills to lead yet. It may take a little time, but they will soon warm to this new process.
One of my districts has already struck out on their own. Three members from the district went to a local coffee shop Sunday afternoon and talked about The Buddha in Your Mirror. The district leader has big goals for this district and this is the first baby step to those goals. The idea is to get the members out in public talking about Buddhism. We start by just talking amongst ourselves, then move to talking to our friends about Buddhism and then, gasp, inviting them to a meeting. By the way, this district is having some great meetings.
I have talked about goals before. That was about stuff or achievements. This time I am talking about the end, the aim. I started thinking about this a few weeks ago when my kids were home visited by two local YWD leaders. I was busy that day with guests and wasn’t involved with the home visit. When it was over and I talked to the kids, I wondered was there a goal? Was there a plan to achieve the goal? Did the leaders chant before they went out to these visits? So many questions, no answers. I soon started to think about other activities and how the goal can be missed.
Sometimes one of my daughters wants me to do something for her, but ends up yelling at me. I often ask if this was planned and if she thought this course of action was expected to work. She is always too worked up to answer. If she were to think about her goal and make a plan to get there, I would most likely do what she asks. But emotions take over and she just can’t help herself and her goal goes unmet.
I find that sometimes the stated goal and the underlying goal are at odds. Have you ever had an argument with someone close to you and tried to stop it? If one of you is not ready to stop, the goal can not be reached. The stated goal is to stop arguing, but the underlying goal is to get those last few snipes in. One of my district leaders wants to put on a lecture about Buddhism for the public. I asked her the goal. It is to introduce people to SGI. But, I believe, the underlying goal is to be the lecturer. Which goal will be achieved? The underlying, personal goal. Well, actually neither will happen, because we helped her find an alternative activity that can involve everyone.
This happens when chanting… at least to me. I know the goal. I chant for wisdom to make it happen. I chant for confidence. I chant for a positive outcome. I have a plan. But deep down… doubt. I have tried this before. I have failed every time. What if it doesn’t happen? Oh, this will never happen. So which goal will be achieved? I can overcome the doubt most of the time when chanting, but this one thing is just so scary. So I chant. I chant much more now than I have in a long time. I want something, not just stuff. Since it involves “human revolution” on my part, it is not as easy as chanting a few minutes and doing it. I must overcome my own delusion, my inner darkness. Now that is something to chant about.
The point of this is to chant to understand the deep dark secret goal. There are always goals in SGI.
***40 home visits this month***
What is the stated goal? To encourage 40 people. What is the deep dark secret goal? To log 40 home visits , no matter what? To tell other members how many home visits you did?
***1000 members donate to SGI in May***
When there is a big natural disaster somewhere in the world, I donate to the Red Cross for that disaster. It never crosses my mind that I will get anything in return for this donation. I just want to help the people who need it. Every year when May Contribution comes around, we have to walk this fine line. SGI is a very wealthy organization. It will survive with or without my donation. So why should I donate? There is the fine line. We are told not to do it with the expectation of financial return, but then all the experiences are about financial gain after donating large sums to SGI. So what is the stated goal? This is an opportunity to show your appreciation for all you have gained through SGI. What is the underlying goal? The more you donate, the more benefit will come your way. It is a fine line that many members just don’t understand. Most just donate because that is what is expected.
My final thoughts:
The more I study the gosho, the more I come to understand what Nichiren was talking about. The inner darkness, the delusion, is in all of us, we just don’t always see or acknowledge it. Nam(u) myoho renge kyo is the way to shed light on that darkness. I have read all the gosho. I have gone to countless study meetings, but until I took the initiative to study for myself, I never really understood the power of Nichiren’s Buddhism. I didn’t understand what many of the concepts meant. I could give you an explanation, but I didn’t understand. Little by little I am shedding some light by chanting and study.
