Being away for so long, that many of you
actually pinged me personally to ask me where I have been. I had a huge and intense
year in terms of my own human revolution that it took a whole year and even
still trying to understand and absorb all I have been going through.
Meanwhile, I am here again as a Nichiren Daishonin’s
Buddhism practitioner to share my actual proof of faith and my debt of
gratitude to my parents and especially my sister, as she has been standing up
for our family all alone for past 7 years while I was away.
In the gosho, “Four virtues and four debts of
gratitude”, the first is the debt of gratitude to one’s father and mother. The
Daishonin says that our debt to our father is higher than Mount Sumeru, and our
debt to our mother is deeper than the ocean (see WND-2, 637). We must find some
way of repaying this enormous debt. The first thing we need to do, he tells us,
is to take faith in Buddhism (see WND-2, 637).
My parents always insist on how we never go
anywhere together as a family for some or the other misunderstanding or lack of
time. Though, recently after so much family drama, the 4 of us decided to go
attend a reception at the last minute just for my father’s sake. While I and my
sister thought of just dressing up and take some good clicks and come back. What
we didn’t imagine was, in just 1 hour of being at the venue, my mother would
start vomiting which went on for 4 hours, lost her balance to stand or walk.
Situation was only getting worse while my father’s eyes filled with tears
reminded me of my late grandfather watching my late grandmother die like that.
My sister was trying to wipe off her tears and calling for an ambulance. And I
kept chanting “Nam Myoho Renge Kyo” and doing all that was needed on my part.
We were 15 kms away from hospital as we were in middle of some highway side
resort location. Even ambulance took 40 minutes to be there and immediately the
doctor suggested to take my mother to hospital as her blood pressure was
180/130 which can lead to serious consequences including permanent damage. I
got into ambulance with my aunt. I continued chanting, there came a point in
ambulance where I really felt like this is it for my mother. And my heart said,
“Gohonzon, has a plan, trust the mystic law.” And I did.
Soon, in hospital, doctor was busy whispering
with that he was worried about my mother having a brain bleed or heart stroke.
And I stood there knowing, whatever it is I have faith in gohonzon, I can and will
do whatever I need to. With continuous daimoku, soon we found that my mother’s
ECG and CT-Scan report came all clean and she was told to be admitted for
overnight in high dependency unit (H.D.U) as her blood pressure needed to be
stablised. Also, she was going through a chronic giddiness with a very high
blood sugar leveels. My sister and I took full responsibility and stayed in
hospital overnight while we sent my father along with our relatives as he
himself is a heart patient. In fact, we even had to buy medicines for him from
hospital pharmacy as him missing his medication was not even imaginable.
Meanwhile, what was nothing but actual proof
and protection of faith was finances. As we only went for a function, I and my
sister didn’t even carry our wallets, on the other hand with a scarcity in our
bank accounts since past 6 months suddenly we had exactly same amount in my dad’s
account as medical bills. I and my sister knew this was a huge protection and
truly nothing is coincidence in this practice rather it is the working of the
mystic law. Next morning, as daimoku continued and hoping to have my mother
discharged, my mother was complaining about still feeling giddy and she is not
feeling any better. With the further discussion with doctor there, we were
advised to wait for Neuro specialist. After another 3 hours of continuous
daimoku and uncertainty the neuro doctors examined her and with 80% surety that
it was a brain stroke and she requested MRI scan even though she was pretty
certain. I kept focusing on the gratitude part and continued chanting. While
mystically the news about my mother spread and all of the district members and
fellow gakkai friends started pouring daimoku for our mother and us, like
written in gosho “many in body, one in mind” I truly felt fortunate as without
any close relatives or any sort of financial support, our gakkai family came
forward with their sincerest prayers. Another 3 hours flew by with people
telling us how the hospital was not good or how my mother has a brain stroke
for sure and so on. I looked at my fathers’s scared face and his eyes filled
with tears. My sister going week in her knees and I kept saying… don’t worry, Gohonzon
has a plan. I stayed calm and emotionally
became the center point for my family. I told my father, look at me I am strong
as tigress and you are my father so be strong. I even reminded him that how his
wife is even stronger. With my words of hope and encouragement, I saw a glimpse
of hope in my dad’s eyes too and he first time smiled. I realized that
all the challenges, journey filled with challenges or suffering has actually
trained me well for crisis and be much wiser rather tap into a higher life
condition. We continued chanting and finally we were called by my mother’s
doctor and told that “her MRI scan too came clear even to their surprise and
she could be moved back to Delhi.” My sister took a sigh of relief, I was truly
proud of myself as I genuinely stood as a true disciple without giving in to
doubt or fear rather I actually lived by the gosho lines, “The stronger one’s faith, the greater the
protection of the gods.” as long as one maintains firm faith, one is
certain to receive the great protection of the gods. I say
this for your sake. I know your faith has always been admirable, but now you
must strengthen it more than ever.”
We finally shifted
her to another hospital in Delhi closer to home. I could see that whole
situation has impacted my family to the core. Even though my parents and sister
were dealing with it by losing patience or being cranky, I took full
responsibility & continued chanting with one prayer “through this
opportunity, I will pay my debt of gratitude to my family.” Even though my
mother’s report came clear, she continued with her giddiness and her diagnosis
was still unclear, which we still don’t know. Next day, my sister woke up with
high fever as well, and I took it as another opportunity to further pay my debt
of gratitude to my sister as well. Soon my mother was discharged; I used all my
Gakkai Byakuren training as I kept calm and patient while I dealt with so many
things at a time. I not only lived by each word I read in gosho or monthly VC
but I went even further by truly doing my human revolution. I took responsibility
as an elder daughter as couple of our relatives showed up in coming days with
whom we weren’t really on close talking terms. I told myself, they are Buddha
and I must treat them with respect, mystically, when I saw them after 4-5 years
I felt that my heart at peace instead of any rage or anger rather I even had a
dialogue about Buddhism with them. At present, my mother is stable and at home
and she is happily screaming or scolding me for my life decisions. Well sensei
says, “We should be grateful for this as well, as them screaming means they are
in good health.”
With this I would
like to conclude with my determination or more of vow:
“I vow to
continue living as a true disciple of Nichiren daishonin Buddhism and spread
the mystic law with as many people as I can. I vow to forsake my life for
nothing but kosen rufu. I vow to give my best wherever I am, by basing my life
on new human revolution. I vow to go back to Gohonzon day after day. I vow to
really expand my life and work towards believing in my own Buddha nature, and
support others do the same with faith.”
Happy Chanting 😊😊
