How Nam-myoho-renge-kyo touched my life

I was introduced to Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo by Parul, a chirpy young lady working in a Web design company. The owner of that company, Mr Suri, one of the finest gentlemen I know, had very kindly given office space to N and I. Both N and I were without jobs and looking for some viable options for making money. We wanted to start a Web editorial service. Mr Suri said we could use his office, his PCs (and yes, we had tea and coffee there too, were invited for all the cake and samosa birthday parties and were generally looked after very well there). Whatever money we made had to be split three ways.
Though Nishi and I were rather enthused about the whole thing and made big plans, things didn’t go well for us. For starters, nobody really cares much about online editing nowadays or bothers about punctuation marks as long as they can get the message across to their target audience. Besides, editing doesn’t really pay. Designing does, but who wants to spend a good 50 dollars over 400 words on the home page of a Website? Soon, we found we were not really making much money. N had to travel a lot in connection with some personal work, she was also having a bit of a tough time with her family – as a result of which I was getting – initially – a bit overloaded with the work and somewhat resentful because I wasn’t making the kind of money I wanted to. A few pitches made here and there worked, but the money was too little. I was in a bad shape – losing confidence without money in my bank account. I have been earning from the age of 22 and that temporary phase of being penniless at the age of 37 was getting on my nerves.
In the meantime, Parul during a chat told us about the amazing practise. She, for such a young girl, had a sparkle and friendliness that was really attractive and her energies would really lift our spirits up whenever she came over to our corner in the office and chatted with us. I initially was not rather enthused about the entire practice. N was – because of her personal life. She started her chanting, and then when I spoke to my sister about it at home and she expressed a desire to learn more about it, I got into the practise too.
Parul took a lot of pains over us. We were her flock and laughingly called her Napoleon for the enthusiasm with which she set about reforming us – and what a flock! A disillusioned 37-year-old unmarried woman; a 44 year old divorcee and single parent and a 40 year old mother-of-one (my sister) – all of us really taking our time to get into the habit of sitting ourselves down and chanting away to change our karma.
The change was slow to happen, and though my sister did not take up the practise, I got into it. Would chant whenever I got the time and prayed for improvement where my job karma was concerned. Soon, I met an old friend and colleague who had worked with me in a newspaper and he made me a job offer – to bring out a travel cum business magazine. The money was very bad but at least it was something regular. I broke up the partnership and joined this company bringing out the magazine.
It was a job from hell. I had to commute quite a distance away from home. The office was a cubbyhole – there were gas cylinders in the toilet! I had to sit in a cramped corner without a phone or net or AC and fry quietly. And bring out a magazine if you please! Also, this company had a tie-up with some immigration consultants and every day the two owners, both hurly burly men, would sit on my head and demand to see pages or whatever it was that I was making. The office people who were my direct heads told me I had no people to work for me (except two young ladies who took so long a time to get anything done that their contribution hardly mattered) and that I should try and be an ‘Editor’ (namely throw around attitude, not go for interviews etc myself) and bring out the magazine.
I had no idea how to do it. Who would I send for interviews when I had nobody to send! There was no one to give me advice… and deal with the pressures of trying to bring out about 150-200 pages of a magazine that was meant for people interested in setting up businesses abroad, wanting to study or travel there. I got into terrible fights with my employers. The money was hardly anything and the heat in that office was unbearable. Sometimes I felt as if I would choke to death.
Slowly, however, a sympathetic person in the immigration company, started helping me in my fight to get a Net connection, an AC fixed in the office, and a telephone. R was another vibrant personality. One day, while visiting her office, I saw a card with Nam myoho renge kyo on her desk. She told me she was also into chanting. From that day onwards, whatever happened, her protective presence helped. A designer friend pitched in and helped with the design. He’s an old friend and someone whose work I trust implicitly. He agreed to work for my magazine very cheaply. Soon, things fell into place, and though the immigration guys continued to bully me I did – by hook or by crook – make good progress with the work.
In the meantime, while this magazine was being printed, I got a job offer from a Noida based company. My father clipped the ad from the paper and gave it to me. I applied, gave an interview, and was selected. They were bringing out newspapers in Mauritius and I had a super boss in H – the calmest and the most decent of people you ever met. The money was better – not as much as I was earning earlier in my career – but still quite reasonable. Soon, thanks to my best buddy R’s help, I managed to rent a flat in Delhi, close to my office, and joined up with this co. Dad helped me move… and a girl who had finished almost everything in her bank account, slowly rebuilt her finances, got a TV a fridge, a nice flat on rent, beds, an AC, cupboards – a whole life again.
This job was good but salaries took their time coming. I also had seniority issues there with a colleague, but overall, things never deteriorated as they had done before, and I settled down really well there. Because of that job I also visited Mauritius and had the most wonderful of times there. It is a paradise on earth and anytime I feel low, I have to only think about my trip there to be joyful again. Through that place I have now a set of marvellous kosen rufu friends in Georgina, Amit, Doris, Swati, Chitra, who don’t do anything but bring light and joy into my life with their sound advice, unconditional care and concern for me.
From there now I have moved on to a bigger company. This job is senior level and initially came with a load of problems (please read the other TROUBLE IN PARADISE POST) but I did not run away this time or take another job. Thanks to my practice, I maintained my calm, chanted and took up each challenge that came my way. Yes I am still hot headed sometimes, yes I still have a long way to go before I become an expert on the subjects I deal with, but I think my heart is in the right place and finally I might have come at a stage where I can put down roots where my job is concerned and stabilise. It has been a long journey. There have been intense heartaches, but I have a strange feeling that finally I might have found my anchor in this job – thanks to my chanting.