Pomp And Circumstance

10 Sep 2011 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

Last Night of the PromsI’ve been watching the Last Night of the Proms since I was a little lad, and it’s a wonderful and enduring spectacle. With the people watching around the world I imagine the audience must run into the tens of millions. Of course it’s a very British event, but seeing so many people united, by the pure joy of the evening, lifts the heart.

How wonderful the world would be if we could unite people in love, compassion and respect for each other. That is the aim of Kosen-Rufu, to transform the political and religious differences into a mutual love and respect for all living beings.

If it can be done on a small scale by the Henry Wood Promenade concerts, surely there is hope that it can be done on a world-wide basis.

Another Perspective

09 Sep 2011 1 Comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , ,

9/11 - The Twin TowersThe 10th anniversary of 9/11 is filling the media with stories of the day, accounts from relatives of the victims and the like. As you might suspect, most of the stories see the tragedy from the western viewpoint, and maybe rightly so, but, as always, I like to see things from every perspective.

I was therefore very interested to hear a report on BBC Radio 4 in which Hugh Sykes went to Islamabad on September 10th and again just recently, to record the mood in Pakistan, and it gave a completely different perspective on the events that were to change the world forever.

Messages such as ‘Americans, think why you are so hated’ and cries of ‘Taliban, Taliban’ show just how polarized the views of East and West were, and sadly, still are. I suggest that you take a moment to listen to the report yourself. You can fast forward to about 38 minutes into the program to catch the report.

In terms of karma, cause and effect, the actions of al-Qaeda have left them with a huge amount of bad karma. But one has to ask what America as a whole did, and continues to do, to illicit such a venomous hated from such a large section of the world’s population.

All these events, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the UN military support of the Libyan rebels and the recent reports of atrocities of the British Army, just bring home the urgent need for us all to strive unstintingly towards Kosen Rufu, or world peace. How can we ever hope for any form of lasting peace without understanding the viewpoint of those with whom we are trying to make peace?

Back To Basics

08 Sep 2011 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

The Global SocietyA society that has sacrificed so much to material wealth that is has forgotten the human heart and the best of human aspirations, degenerates into something compassionless, doctrinaire, ignorant and ultra-conservative. When this happens, fundamental solutions to the issues of that society become impossible. If we protect the truth and are resolute, we are capable of creating peace and prosperity, and the truth that we should be protecting has to be high and great.

The great truth of Nichiren Buddhism, the thing that we must do our utmost to protect, involves ethics and the very best of human nature. At the very heart of this lies our duty to protect the truth of life, the truth that we are all one with the universe, and that every single human thought contains the entirety of universal life.

All the talk, this week, about 9/11, al Qaeda, terrorists and political strife fails to address the fact that we are all one, connected by our membership of the global society, and that the only solution to such deep seated issues is that of human revolution. If we all conduct ourselves with wisdom, courage and compassion for others, there are no issues that are beyond solving.

Every Life Is Sacred?

07 Sep 2011 4 Comments

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , ,

Human DNASurely the ultimate measure of a civilised society is the way it considers the sanctity of life itself. As civilised human beings we believe that the right to life of another person is beyond question, or do we? Two back to back news items, on the BBC tonight, tend to suggest that we do not, that the value of any two lives can be measured against each other, and ultimately be found to be different.

The first item of news was about a young student, Steven Grisales, who was stabbed to death by a 15 year old boy, after he confronted a group of youths who were throwing conkers at him. The second was the report of the acquittal of Cecil Coley after he had stabbed a 30 year old man who was robbing his shop. The man, Gary Mullings, later died of his wounds and Coley was charged with his murder.

So the two murders differ in their context, but a life has been lost in each one. Was one life that of an innocent victim, the other of a thug who ‘deserved’ what he got? I’m not sure, and I certainly do not know enough about the incidents to pontificate over the rights and wrongs.

I just found it amazing that the two stories were reported in such a different manner, and that the contrasts were so vivid. Read the stories for yourself, via the links above, and see what you think.

The Eye Of The Beholder

06 Sep 2011 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

Not The Mona LisaA great work of art is one that truly moves and inspires you. The test is when you yourself are moved. Don’t look at art with anyone else’s eyes. Don’t listen to music with others’ ears. You should view art with your own feelings, your own heart and mind.

If you allow yourself to be swayed by the opinions of others, ‘It must be good, because everyone else is raving about it’ or ‘It must be bad, because nobody else likes it’, your feelings, your sensibilities, even your confidence, which are the basis of every artistic experience, may wither and die.

To enjoy art to the fullest, you must abandon any preconceived notions, and look at things through fresh eyes. You should then confront the work directly, with your whole being. If you find that you are deeply moved, then for you, that is a great work of art.

Precisely the same applies to your faith. What moves you is a personal thing, it should not be based on what other people feel, nor should they influence you in any way. Have the wisdom, courage and compassion to stand firm and hold onto your own beliefs.

Taking A Pace Back

05 Sep 2011 1 Comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: ,

The Buddha, Geoff and MeThere are times when you need to take a pace backwards, re-evaluate your situation and start to rebuild from a position of strength.

On my path to enlightenment, my epiphany moment came whilst I was reading, or rather listening to, The Buddha, Geoff and Me by Edward Canfor-Dumas. Ok, so it’s a story, it’s not a text book or a definitive work of Buddhist teaching, but it changed my life, forever.

I have many books on Buddhism, in fact most of my limited library consists of them. Nichiren’s writings, Daisaku Ikeda’s writings, study materials and dictionaries, that help me learn the finer details about my religion. But the fact is that, for me, none of them strike that unique chord that brought me to Nichiren Buddhism in the first place.

So I have taken that pace back, I’m re-reading The Buddha, Geoff and Me, and it’s working. The chord is resonating once again, I’m fired up about my belief, and feeling all the better for it.

This post may come as a bit of a shock to some of you who read the blog regularly. So let me just explain a little more. My faith has never wavered, my chanting is as constant and central to my life as it has been from the start, but now I feel ‘unburdened’ from some of the fog that had started to cloud my view. Maybe my mirror needed polishing, I’m sure it still does, but I am confident that I am going about it the right way, and that feels good.

The Perfect Role Model

04 Sep 2011 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

Shakyamuni BuddhaWhy was Shakyamuni Buddha so well respected? One of the reasons was the power of this voice, which was said to be ‘beautiful, sweet like honey, warm and graceful, resounding and clear’. He is also described as an individual who ‘speaks brightly, remarks positively, narrates gracefully, talks clearly and expresses himself eloquently to make himself understood’.

Shakyamuni is recorded as having always called out to his visitors, ‘welcome,welcome’. It is known that he associated with people with friendliness, joy and gentleness. He never greeted people with any semblance of an unfriendly manner. It is said that he was always first to speak to visitors, so that he or she would feel comfortable and have an easier time opening up to Shakyamuni Buddha.

Such an approach is nothing magical or mystical and still works well today. Employing this manner is an easy and powerful way to emulate the perfect role model.

The Right Path

03 Sep 2011 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , ,

Moral CompassWe all have to find our own path to enlightenment. One person’s way may not be that of another, but we all have a path, if we take the time, and have the courage to find it.

Everyone has the right to flower, to reveal his or her full potential as human beings and to fulfil their particular mission in this world. You have this right, as does everyone else.

This is the meaning of human rights. To scorn, violate and abuse people’s human rights destroys the natural order of things. Valuing human rights and showing respect for other people are amongst our most important tasks.

Give Me Wisdom

02 Sep 2011 4 Comments

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: ,

Horse To WaterTwo of the closest people in my life are struggling with almost impossible situations. They are in positions where it seems that whichever way they choose, they will lose. Whilst I am in no position to influence either of them directly, I would like to help them if I can.

To do so, I need a great deal of wisdom, more than I feel I have at my disposal. I have chanted and prayed for an answer, or even a snippet of an answer, that I might pass on, but nothing seems to come to me. I know that I need to keep chanting, that with time an answer will reveal itself, but in the meantime I have to watch the pain they are feeling, continue.

I have no training in being a therapist or a counsellor, and maybe being so close to these people is a hindrance rather than a help. Maybe I should suggest that they seek out the help of such a professional, maybe they already have done so, but that seems to be ducking the issue.

We all have situations for which we search and search for answers. I seem to be much better at solving my own problems, now I have my faith to fall back on. I know that the answers to their problems lie within their own hearts, so I might suggest that they start looking there.

At the end of the day, all I am seeking to do, is to relieve them of their unhappiness. I know that if they could gain the faith that I have found, the answers would come more easily. But as I have said before, you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink.

Time After Time

01 Sep 2011 1 Comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

Time After TimeTime only moves in one direction, forwards. That is why we say time after time, and not time before time.

Life is eternal, and we need to fix our focus on the two existences of the present and the future. We must not let ourselves get caught up in the past, it is done, and cannot be changed or undone.

No matter what the circumstances, we must never concede defeat. Never come to the conclusion that we have reached a dead end, that everything is over, finished.

We all possess a glorious future, no matter how things look right at this moment. Precisely because of this fact, we must persevere, study, learn and go right on.

So focussing firmly on our goals, we must cultivate the strength of spirit to begin anew ‘from this moment’, to redouble our efforts and face our challenges, day after day after day, until we are victorious.

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