I was at a meeting where a new member asked the leader "Is it OK to miss gongyo?" 

The leader looked sternly at the questioner and answered: "Never, never miss gongyo!!!" Then, with a smile, he said: "But if you do — don't feel guilty." 

When I missed morning gongyo in the early days of my practice, I did my best to simulate the effects of gongyo. I would splash my face with cold water, gulp some strong coffee (liquid ichinen we called it), or try to put on an I-can-do-anything face (hoping that my attitude would catch up with my face). 

When not at school or Gakkai activities, I had a demanding construction job. 

One day I was sent to re-panel a bathroom in an apartment building. I had missed morning gongyo for three days but everything seemed fine.* The first thing I did was to tear off a hunk of the old paneling. A corner of the paneling caught the edge of the heavy porcelain toilet top and it came crashing down breaking the toilet bowl. What a mess! 

I stared blankly at porcelain pieces and water on the floor in amazement. Then I locked the bathroom door, sat on the edge of the tub, and did a full morning gongyo. 

Around the third silent prayer, I could feel the blood flowing into my brain again, like the last time I did gongyo. By the fourth silent prayer, I felt hopeful. During the daimoku after the fifth prayer, I had an idea as to how to I could fix the mess I made. 

In order to make my idea work, I made a vow not to miss gongyo. 

I fixed the toilet and finished the job in record time. 

That was more than twenty-five years ago. 

[*"...those who stay long in privies forget how foul the smell is." From the Rissho Ankoku Ron. This phrase is used to describe a situation when one is not practicing correctly but things seem to be going OK.]