“What’s Your Mission”
Let’s Use This Time to Unite as A
District and CHANT for One Another!
by Kevin D’Arcy
by Kevin D’Arcy
What a year I am having! On July 14th, I
had what I can only describe as my first honest to goodness TANGIBLE PROOF of this practice. I’m not going to go into it here because I
have been asked to give my experience at the August 4th San
Fernando/NoHo Region’s Kosen Rufu Gongyo, this coming Saturday evening. I hope
you can attend to hear my story and provide a little moral support!
Suffice to say, my
experience has led to a deepening of my practice. It has also led to many wonderful
conversations with my niece/goddaughter about spirituality in general and
Nichiren Buddhism, specifically. One
thing that has stood out for me is that I told her that some folks in the
practice said she has a mission in her life. This had a profoundly positive
impact on her. Instead of dwelling on
the negative thought of feeling like a burden to others because she is in a wheelchair,
she has become excited about coming out to Los Angeles to participate in the
50K festival but also, she has volunteered to be “proofreader” for me of this
newsletter and after the festival she plans to spend two additional days just
her and I in my apartment to serve has my interior designer, helping me to
upgrade my apartment to an LA bachelor pad, and find me a boyfriend. How could I refuse? This excitement she has, has become
contagious! As she texts me photos of new sofa beds to choose for my living
room, I am genuinely excited for her visit because she is forcing me to push
myself out of my comfort zone and live more fully.
All of this got me thinking how valuable it is to
have a mission for your life and a vision for the life you want to live. To me,
it doesn’t matter what that mission or vision is. It just matters that you have
one. It provides that extra “umphf” to
get up in the morning, chant and dive into the day!
I am working now to get very specific about my
mission and my vision for the life I want as a film/television actor and as a
gay Buddhist who wants to be truly deeply HAPPY. This year has been teaching me
that “STUFF” happens. It doesn’t even matter what that stuff is. What matters
is how you react to it, and what tools you have in place to not just help you
survive but help you to THRIVE! Nothing
will make my mother’s death okay. But I know I have to choose to live the best
life possible for myself and to be an example for those I love, like my niece,
to never give up! The alternative is to
wallow in grief and surrender to devilish functions instead of striving to be
victorious over life’s many challenges!
The beauty in all of this, I have learned, is that
aside from creating happiness for myself, as a member of this district, I am
not alone. I have the potential spiritual energy of my fellow district members,
having my back, so to speak, through the power of Daimoku! What a comforting
thought realizing WE are not alone.
I challenge everyone in our district to decide for
themselves what their mission is in this life, be okay with it changing if you
want, but make a choice and go for it while also chanting for the success of
your fellow members on their individualized journey. What a blessing we can
provide one another through our daily chanting.
I am excited to see how, with our District’s Unity Prayer, we can help
each other make 2018 “The Year of Brilliant Achievement” in every aspect of our
lives. Δ
-----
To give some context to this article, below is the speech I gave at the August Kosen Rufu Gongyo/World Peace meeting:
My Van Nuys Sherman Oaks District 50K Experience
by Kevin D’Arcy
Men’s Division District Leader
Hi
everyone! Thank you so much for this opportunity to share my experience with
you! My name is Kevin D’Arcy and I am
the Men’s Division Leader for Van Nuys Sherman Oaks District.
17
months ago I was struggling with the news that I was pre-diabetic and fearful
of becoming a diabetic. I stumbled into a Saturday morning intro mtg here at
this center and after listening to the wonderful guidance of a couple YMD
leaders, I decided to receive my Gohonzon the next week.
Seven
months into my practice, I was asked to become the Men’s Division Leader for my
District. I was completely terrified at the thought of it but I took on the
challenge largely to inspire my niece, Andrea.
Andrea is not just my niece but also my god-daughter and
about the closest thing I will come to having a kid of my own.
On October
1, 2014, in Philadelphia, my niece was hit head on by a car while she was
crossing the street. She was in a coma for four months and was not expected to
survive.
For the last four years she has been stuck in
a wheelchair. She had to give up her successful hair salon business and watch
her world shrink as many of her friends drifted away.
I face time with Andrea everyday during lunch to keep her
spirits up and remind her to never give up.
In January
of 2018, I made a commitment to be the best District leader I could because I
love my district and truly think of them as my second family. I also wanted to
truly understand this whole 50K campaign.
I know that this practice and the support of my district family helped me claw my way out of my grief. As I chanted to face my own fears I made more efforts in the district.
I spent much
of this year battling depression, fearing I would become diabetic and die like
my father all the while trying to encourage my niece to not give up on her own
life and give her hope she would one day walk again.
There
are many members on our membership list who stopped coming to our meetings. Out
of 21 youth, we have maybe one or two that come out.
I
created a monthly newsletter to encourage members to stay connected with our
district whether or not they came to a meeting.
Last month, my sister called to tell me she was bringing
my niece Andrea, my nephew Zen and his girlfriend Jessica out to California to
visit me. She had a timeshare and would be staying in Anaheim on September 23rd.
I thought this has to mean something.
I convinced my niece Andrea that the 50K festival was
something she might enjoy and she registered.
Not long
after this, Andrea told me she took 5 steps on her own for the first time since
her accident and her doctor told her that by some miracle her spinal cord is
completely healthy so the idea of her walking again is now a real possibility.
I quickly
moved on to talking with my nephew and he registered! And last Wednesday night
to celebrate the anniversary of YMD Founding Day, I texted my nephew’s
girlfriend and she also registered!
As my karma would have it, my sister called that next
afternoon to say that the timeshare made a mistake and Anaheim was no longer
available and they were relocated to Las Vegas. I started to get discouraged.
To add to my stress, I was asked along with my co-leader Patricia to give a
district experience at the Leader’s mtg on July 14th at the Ikeda auditorium to
motivate folks for 50K
I
felt I was the last person who should be giving this experience with Patricia.
To
be honest I started to get angry because I had just shared with my niece how
everyone thought it was mystic that they were gonna be in Anaheim for the
festival and how folks thought she had a mission of her own to discover so she
was all pumped up. Meanwhile I could tell my sister started feeling guilty
because we could not figure out a way to get them to attend the festival when
they were gonna be in Las Vegas.
I
said to her, “Forget it. These people keep telling me this buddhism is about
the mystic law so we are not talking about this anymore. I’ll chant about
it and this mystic law stuff will work it out or you guys will just enjoy Las
Vegas.”
While
preparing for the leader’s meeting I was mad as hell because I raised my nieces
hopes up for the festival and it all fell apart. I came up with every reason
why I should not give that speech on Saturday.
Women’s Division leaders was amazingly kind and patient with me. After a
long conversation, I could see that all of my fears that I was not good enough
and this practice was not going to work for “ME” were bubbling to the surface.
I
vomited up every negative issue going on in my life and gradually I realized
that I was being presented with the opportunity to transform my suffering into
a life of genuine happiness through my own determination to do my human
revolution and embrace Sensei as my mentor. Suddenly, this practice was making
sense to me.
Sensei
says, "In life when we feel we have reached a limit, that is when the true
battle begins. Just when you despair and think it is impossible to go any
further, will you become apathetic, or will you say it’s not over and stand up
with an unyielding spirit? The battle is decided by this single determination."
This
50K campaign is an opportunity for me to to show actual proof of this practice
and help my niece and nephew transform their lives. I have no idea how they are
going to attend but our district is chanting that they will make it there
somehow!
I
said much of what i just read to you at the leader’s meeting a few weeks ago,
and for the first time I believed that anything was possible.
After
17 long months of waiting, I had my first tangible proof of this practice. As,
I was leaving the leader’s meeting, I was approached by two men. They said they
were regional leaders from Las Vegas and after hearing my experience, they
wanted to help and offered to get my niece, nephew, and my nephew’s girlfriend
on one of the 50K buses leaving from Vegas to Anaheim if my family arrives in
Las Vegas from Philly in time on the 23rd.
My
sister said, that is so weird, she was gonna buy the tickets the night before
but she got exhausted and decided she would do it later.
So, hearing that total strangers want to help us, my
sister got tickets to fly in on September 22nd to Las Vegas. On Thursday,
two days ago, I spoke with Anna Ikeda from Las Vegas and confirmed I will be
buying bus tickets for my three family members and they will definitely be able
to attend the 50K festival in Anaheim!
Now my niece is unable to contain her excitement for 50K
and happily shared the pictures of herself for me to create this slideshow.
When I first talked to her about my being a buddhist, thinking I would
shakabuku her, she was like, thanks but no thanks uncle Kevin, I prefer my Joel
Olsteen. But now she is asking me if she is able to be a Christian and a
Buddhist. She also decided that after the 50K festival, she’s not going
back with her brother on the bus to Vegas. Instead, she plans to spend a few
days with me in LA so she can help me re-decorate my apartment, find me a boyfriend
and check out the San Fernando Valley Buddhist Center.
Seeing
my niece come alive as she has through this experience, proves to me the power
of this practice and has inspired me to study and push myself out of my comfort
zone to become the best version of myself without limitations!
Thank
you!
No comments:
Post a Comment