The Only Way Is Up

10 Apr 2014 3 Comments

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , ,

Harry PotterAs we discussed in previous posts, we can use our problems to make us stronger, by turning the poison of challenges into the medicine of learning and success.

Nichiren Daishonin said that ‘from sickness arises the mind that seeks the way’ meaning that when we are in Hell, we are in exactly the right place to find our way out of the situation that is causing our grief. The darker the Hell, the greater the motivation can be to take action to improve the situation.

We can all relate to this in one way or another. Imagine a situation or problem, that you allowed to go from bad to worse before you took action to put it right.

Let’s use a perfect example of this. J.K. Rowling, of whom I am sure you have heard, the author of the Harry Potter books, was almost destitute when she started to write the first book, and maybe it was that dire position that gave her the life-force she needed to make a start. Her success took her from being on welfare to being a millionaire within five years.

By chanting, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, we can raise our life-energy and that changes our life-state, making us feel better and more able to think rationally about the problems we need to solve.

So next time you are down, so down there is no way up, remember that you are in the perfect place to completely transform your life.

Gone, But Not Forgiven

09 Apr 2014 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , ,

Wolfie SmithThe news, this morning, that Maria Miller had finally taken the hint and resigned from her position as Culture Secretary was good news indeed.

In keeping with many other public servants who have abused their positions of privilege, she incurred the wrath of the public and media alike for her insincere apology in regard of the scandal surrounding her MP’s expenses.

She has resigned, but did she jump, or was she pushed? Even David Cameron, who prides himself on supporting his colleagues, could not have been comfortable with her actions, or lack thereof.

Amongst a stream of bleating excuses, she has finally gone because, as she said, the controversy “has become a distraction from the vital work this government is doing”. Never mind the controversy, you stole over £45,000 from the people of this country Miller.

So she has gone, albeit until her Parliamentary cronies feel the smoke has cleared and they can reintroduce her to their elite little club. Isn’t it about time the whole picture surrounding MPs was flipped on its head? They are supposed to be representing us, the electorate, in the mother of Parliament, not making as much money out of the role as they possibly can. Gone but not forgiven.

The MPs expenses scandal has really changed nothing. There must be an independent body to oversee all monies given to MPs, and one comprising a representative cross section of the UK society, not a bunch of toffee nosed knobs.

As Citizen Wolfie Smith, of the Tooting Popular Front used to say … “Power to the People”

Happiness, What Is Happiness?

08 Apr 2014 1 Comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , , ,

Happiness, What Is Happiness?What do we mean by happiness? There may be as many answers to that as there are stars in the night sky, everyone has their own idea of what makes them happy, and equally what doesn’t.

Maybe it is the love of a partner, being part of a family, the pay cheque at the end of the month or that new car you had always promised yourself. Whatever your idea of happiness, we all crave more of it.

We can probably agree that it is all too often a transitory state, punctuated by periods where we are unhappy, or at least a bit glum. So what would you give to have more of this illusive life-state, and how can you go about achieving a happier life?

Well speaking personally, I can almost guarantee happiness from my Buddhist practice. That might sound a little trite or even rather far-fetched, but for me it is true. My practice helps me see life from all angles, the ups and downs, from my view-point and from that of others, and it ‘smoothes’ out the emotional bumps we encounter each and every day.

The idea at the very core of Buddhism is the removal of suffering, and that in itself helps us to be happier. Seeing the beauty in nature, the best facets of another’s personality, the joy in helping others, happiness is there for us all, all of the time and all around us. Living a life that is more concerned with others than ourselves, giving more than we take, and so on, will also bring feelings of happiness. All we have to do is look out for it.

Living in a society that is more concerned about what we own, than who we really are, we all struggle to put those ideas into action. We hear about people earning ridiculous sums, whilst providing little by way of return, and wonder how they can live with the guilt. If society valued the good in people more than the goods of people, the world would be a much fairer, happier place.

Whatever flavour your own happiness comes in, I wish you more of it, now and in the future. And when it arrives, please make sure that you share it around. That way you will find it grows and grows, and that it lasts just that little bit longer.

Honesty – Always The Best Policy

07 Apr 2014 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , ,

Maria MillerWhen you find yourself in a situation where you have to decide what happens next, you must be completely honest, with everyone concerned, including yourself, no matter how painful that process may be.

And yes, this is aimed directly at you Maria Miller.

For Every Winner …

06 Apr 2014 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , , ,

For Every Winner ...Today it was Oxford in the University Boat Race, yesterday it was the 25-1 Pineau de Re in the Aintree Grand National.

Winners in their own fields, but what about the losers? For every winner in an event, there must be at least one loser, right? Wrong !!!

Daisaku Ikeda had this to say:

“Strength is Happiness. Strength is itself victory. In weakness and cowardice there is no happiness. When you wage a struggle, you might win or you might lose. But regardless of the short-term outcome, the very fact of your continuing to struggle is proof of your victory as a human being.”

So going home with the shiny prize isn’t the only way you can win, again President Ikeda has pearls of Wisdom …

“It is not how you compare to others that is important, but rather how you compare to who you were yesterday. If you’ve advanced even one step, then you’ve achieved something great.”

So whether you’ve had good day or not, you can look at things in several ways, and still come out of it as a winner.

Embrace The Lotus Sutra

05 Apr 2014 3 Comments

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , , ,

The Lotus SutraBe resolved to summon forth the great power of faith, and chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo with the prayer that your faith will be steadfast and correct at the moment of death.

Never seek any other way to inherit the Ultimate Law of life and death, and manifest it in your life.

Only then will you realise that earthly desires are enlightenment, and that the sufferings of birth and death are nirvana.

Even embracing the Lotus Sutra would be useless without the heritage of faith.

~ Nichiren

The Broken Pound

04 Apr 2014 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , , , , ,

The Broken PoundI know that I’m not the only one who is sick to the back teeth of the bankers taking liberties with their position, pocketing vast fortunes and laughing at us when we dare to complain.

The recent banking crisis is rather poorly named. As far as I can tell, the banks have all done rather well out of the whole debacle.

They have been ‘baled out’ by us, citizens of this nation, and come up smelling of roses. Would the same happen if you were to borrow irresponsibly and fail to pay it back, even for reasons beyond your own control, you can bet it wouldn’t.

There are people who want to keep us in the chains we all wear. Ok, we’re not slaves, like the African peoples who were bought, transported and sold, making places like Bristol and Liverpool vastly rich in the process. These chains are financial, and in a way, they are even more evil, because they are invisible and almost undetectable.

See the truth for yourself, take a moment to see the painful truths therein, and wonder why we are all sleepwalking into our own Airstrip One. I read 1984 in 1984, but I never thought it would become a near reality.

Then be brave, spread the message as far and fast as you can, the man really is coming to get us. In this anniversary year of The Great War, let’s just take a moment to think about just who we are really remembering, and what, if anything, has changed since then.

Back in 1914, the patriotic volunteers signed up to fight for their country, for a land fit for heroes. That land was never delivered, it was never going to be delivered, it was then, as now, all smoke and mirrors and false promises.

Come on, take those blinkers off, take a look at how money and the banks have us all in financial chains, and then pass it on, and on, and on …

Failures Of Perception

03 Apr 2014 2 Comments

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , , ,

Failures Of PerceptionIt’s a well known Buddhist saying, that our problems are not the real problem, it is the way we perceive them that is the problem.

So don’t have problems, have a series of challenges. Challenges are just problems that we are confident that we can overcome. Our problems come and go, nothing lasts forever, so view them with an open mind, look on them as challenges and remember, you are turning poison into medicine.

Even places that have been shrouded in darkness for billions of years can be illuminated by a simple lit candle. Even a flint from the bottom of the deepest river can be used to produce fire.

Our present sufferings, no matter how dark, have certainly not existed for billions of years, nor will they linger forever.

The sun will definitely rise, in fact its ascent has already begun. With determination, we can all overcome our problems, so look on them as challenges and enjoy the victory when it arrives.

Fuelling The Flame

02 Apr 2014 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , ,

Fuelling The FlameNichiren spoke of earthly desires being used as fuel for the flame of wisdom. Buddhism teaches the converting of personal ambitions and desires, even base ones, into good traits like wisdom through altruistic living.

A Buddhist doctrine that earthly desires are enlightenment indicates that greed, anger (violence) and egocentricism can be transformed into altruistic traits like compassion, trust and nonviolence.

The underlying delusions that drive our desires—including the desire for the development of science and civilizations—can be essentially transformed in a way that changes selfishness into altruism, violence into nonviolence and suspicion into trust.

~ Daisaku Ikeda

Two Inseparable Parts

01 Apr 2014 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , ,

Two Inseparable PartsBuddhism teaches that human life is endowed simultaneously with both good and evil.

The human mind is interpreted as partaking of ten different conditions, or states, including, at one end of the scale, hell, which is filled with suffering; hunger, dominated by greed; and animality, characterized by fear of the strong and contempt for the weak.

At the other end are the Bodhisattva and Buddha conditions—states of mind in which people strive to help others by eliminating suffering and imparting happiness.

Buddhism further teaches that the nature of life is for good and evil to be essentially inseparable.

~ Daisaku Ikeda

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