Eight Winds in My Life

Mary Jane Kotan
Author: Joanne Banks / Mary J. Kotan

In the ″Letter to Shijo Kingo,″ Nichiren Daishonin states, ″A truly wise man will not be carried away by the Eight Winds: prosperity, decline, disgrace, honor, praise, censure, suffering and pleasure.″

Prior to finding SGI and the practice, my life was governed by much of the Eight Winds without my knowledge. Now, I am in control because I understand what the Eight Winds are.

I came to this practice through a friend who does not practice but who knew this would be beneficial to me. He said, ″You really need to find your place in this philosophy. It will provide you with peace and growth, both of which will help you feel better about yourself.″ Over time I found the people to be the kind of people I wanted in my life so I started to practice, just to make friends with them. One day one of the members said, ″You really should receive Gohonzan. It will help you to do better.″ I agreed to make every one happy, but it didn′t really matter to me. So, I received and I practiced on occasion. Suddenly, my life was changing. I decided to buy a house, something I said I would NEVER do. I found the perfect house and even thought my credit was not pristine the money I needed to do that was made available from a life-long friend who also had issues. She now lives with me in OUR home. Cathy and I are working toward making our lives better.

Next, my relationship with the man who introduced me to this practice ended. We have agreed to be caring friends and are struggling to make that happen. ″The winds of change blow harshly when we resist″, is a phrase I have heard many times in my life. So, as I chant for good health and happiness for him, his life continues to improve. This is a source of pride for me as I know that my chanting is another way I can show him my love has changed to be a positive force in his life. My needs were being met for the first time in my life. No longer was I falling down and having to struggle to get back up. I received in June of this year and these are the changes which my half-hearted practice brought me:

I am a fifty one year old single woman. I have been unlovable, negative, angry, insecure, and so many other things, yet I was not willing to change it. Through my practice I see that I am responsible for my causes, my life and where I go from here. I also see that I do not need to feel guilty for the past. Since I stopped blaming everyone else and started seeing that I was carried away by the winds of censure, suffering, disgrace, and decline, my life has changed. I am no longer the negative person I was. I am in my first semester of college instead of working a dead end job. I believe in myself and no longer look to others to approve of me. I am a homeowner, I am going for a degree in Computer Information Science. I have been offered a job which is measured by the salary per year rather than the dollars per hour. I have found that with my new found self respect, I am distancing myself from those who are not positive influences in my life and I am looking toward a future filled with challenges I have the courage to meet. I find myself enjoying my own praise, prosperity, honor and pleasure, but I am not carried away with them. I know that each of the Eight Winds are fleeting, like a breeze. Each has its purpose in my life and each one signifies growth in a different form. As I work through the challenges in my life, I find more and more inner peace and tranquility. The more I CHANT FOR OTHERS TO BE HAPPY THE HAPPIER I AM. So, when you feel the challenges of outside winds, remember, you built the windmill and only you have the power to direct which way it will blow: gently or harshly. NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO

Mary Jane Kotan




From The Writings

The people of today all turn their backs upon what is right; to a person, they give their allegiance to evil. This is the reason that the benevolent deities have abandoned the nation and departed together, that sages leave and do not return.
- On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land, WND p. 7