“If one lights a fire for others, one will brighten one’s own way.” Nichiren Daishonin
Up until the age of about 27 I lived a pretty selfish life. By the time I was 25 I had already made a couple million dollars and was living a life of high-adventure and luxurious extravagance in Aspen Colorado. You would’ve thought I had everything and was the happiest guy in the world, but in reality, I was very unfulfilled. There was something very fundamental missing from my life.
The first thing I discovered was missing I only found out about when I hit rock bottom emotionally and was forced to really take a deep look at myself. It was at this time when my twin brother suggested I go back to chanting a Buddhist mantra which we had learned from our mother in high school. Since the practice also involved reaching out to help others who are in need, It was my first real experience with going out of my way and sacrificing my life to help others and not myself.
It was a major struggle over my lesser ego, but over the period of about a year or two I began to feel fulfilled, less angry, happier and it was all because I was lighting a light for someone else instead of myself. Since then I’ve helped literally thousands of people from the influence of my music to the yoga I teach and the books I write and my greatest joy is indeed to light that fire for someone else.
Expectedly and return my life has since been protected by unseen forces. Gifts, beautiful people and blessings come my way on a regular basis and I am eternally thankful for my brother encouraging me and for the decisions I’ve made to lead a life of service. So I encourage you to open the door for someone else either literally or figuratively and watched your own path brighten each day.
