One thing practicing Nichiren Buddhism has done for me over the course of two years was improve my temperament. Back at Norfolk State University, I was a far different person. I was a walking case of sadness and rage and I took it out in very unacceptable ways. I used to pound on the piano keys more than Beethoven, much to the chagrin of many people in the Music Department. I used to spazz out at any possibly given moment. I used to fuss and curse people out at least twice a week. One time during the Fall semester of 2011, and one time during the Spring semester of 2012, I spazzed so damn hard that I flipped over every chair in the Midrise Hall computer lab. Once I began practicing (chanting nam myoho renge kyo), little by little, the rage subsided. I now understand that all the spazzing I did stemmed from being mad at my lot in life; from lack of confidence in myself; from feeling like that I had no say in my destiny and my fate; from feeling like I had very little chance of surviving in this life, in this world. Through practicing Nichiren Buddhism, and studying The Lotus Sutra, The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, and publications by Daisaku Ikeda and other Buddhists members, my faith in myself is steadily increasing. I wish I could go back to that 20-year-old me and tell him to keep chanting no matter what. Because nam myoho renge kyo will benefit you more than any praise break.
