The story of my path to Buddhahood through the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin
11 Oct 2014 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Buddhist Practice, Determination, Family, Goals, Love, Practice, Youth
If you allow the passing of time to let you forget the lofty vows of your youth, you stand to block the source of your own boundless good fortune and sever the roots of limitless prosperity for your family and loved ones as well.
Please never let this happen. Only by remaining steadfast to the vows we have made in our youth can we shine as true victors in life.
~ Daisaku Ikeda
10 Oct 2014 3 Comments
in Buddhism Tags: Challenges, Connections, Daisaku Ikeda, Determination, Happiness, Positive, Possibilities, Sensei
It’s amazing how we and the rest of the Universe are so closely connected. The shoots of progress are suddenly showing through a fog of uncertainty, and I find myself running dozens of ‘what if’ scenarios through my head.
And as if to focus my own thoughts on just what situations might be possible, I stumble across this Thought For Today from Sensei …
“When we plant the seeds of self-doubt, only noxious weeds sprout. When we limit ourselves with low expectations, the growth of the tree of happiness immediately ceases.
The power of growth, of improvement, the power to overcome all stagnation and break through every obstacle and transform a barren wasteland into a verdant field—that unstoppable power of hope resides right there in your own heart.
It will well up from the rich earth of your innermost being when you face the future without doubt or fear: “I can do more. I can grow. I can become a bigger and better human being”—life and faith are a never-ending struggle to grow.”
This is my last day before I set of with Jacqui for a week afloat. The posts may be delayed due to the lack of connectivity, but rest assured, they will be worth the wait once they arrive.
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
09 Oct 2014 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Challenges, Daisaku Ikeda, Nichiren Buddhism, Problems, Relationships, Wisdom Courage and Compassion
Being in a fantastic relationship is just the best thing. But we all know that even the smoothest mill pond has the occasional ripple.
It’s these ripples that teach us how to navigate more effectively through the problems they represent.
Relationship problems are opportunities to grow and mature. Such problems can be character building if you don’t let them defeat you.
That’s why it’s important not to isolate yourself. No one can exist apart from others. Remaining aloof from others cultivates selfishness, which accomplishes nothing.
~ Daisaku Ikeda
08 Oct 2014 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Cause And Effect, Destiny, Eternal Life, Nichiren Buddhism, Practice, Strength, Vitality
When you realise that karma, the simple law of cause and effect, dictates the course or our lives, it really makes the events that toss us this way and that, so much easier to accept.
Our actions in previous lives are all engraved upon, this lifetime. The causes for our present suffering, our joy, happiness or misery, all lie with our own past actions. But Nichiren Buddhism enables us to fundamentally transform our destiny.
When we truly base ourselves on the Buddhist view of eternal life, we realise the first thing that must change is how we live in the present. In Nichiren Buddhism, change arises from the very depths of our being, brought about by our daily Practice.
When we practice with vigour, strong pure vitality wells forth in abundance. The chains of our destiny are broken, and our original identity, the fresh and robust world of Buddhahood, shines forth. Far from being set in stone, our destiny truly is in our own hands, through our everyday thoughts, words and deeds.
07 Oct 2014 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Buddhist Practice, Buddhist Principles, Challenges, Daisaku Ikeda, Happiness, Joy, Lotus Sutra, Suffering
We only have to watch the news on TV, listen to the radio, or even simply talk to the people around us, to be aware of the challenges and sadness that can accompany the process of living our daily lives.
Buddhism has at it’s very core, the ultimate goal of removing suffering and promoting a state of happiness in all those with whom it comes in contact. Many may think that this is an unachievable target, and that those who strive towards it are deluded.
But the principles and method for attaining such a state are encompassed by teachings contained in The Lotus Sutra. That is not to say that there is any magic bullet or instant fix to alleviate our suffering, but striving to do so is surely a task worth undertaking.
Daisaku Ikeda summarised it thus:
What is true joy in life?
This is a difficult question – and one that has occupied a great many thinkers and philosophers.
Joy can quickly give way to suffering. Joy is short and suffering long.
Also what passes for joy in society is superficial. It cannot compare with the joy derived from the Mystic Law.
The key then lies in cultivating a state of mind where we can declare without reservation that life is a joy.
This is the purpose of our Buddhist Practice.
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.
06 Oct 2014 3 Comments
in Buddhism Tags: Death, Eternal Life, Fragile, Life, Reincarnation, Wheel of Life
The sudden and tragic passing of a local chap, due to a motoring accident, led me to think about how fragile life is, and how we often take it for granted.
It also prompted me to find this well known poem about death, from the Buddhist perspective.
Though we may relinquish our body in this lifetime, we are not gone, nor will we ever be.
For me, it holds a number of consoling thoughts …
This body is not me.
I am not limited by this body.
I am life without boundaries.
I have never been born, and I have never died.
Look at the ocean and the sky filled with stars, manifestations from my wondrous true mind.
Since before time, I have been free.
Birth and death are only doors through which we pass, sacred thresholds on our journey.
Birth and death are a game of hide-and seek.
So laugh with me, hold my hand, let us say good-bye, say good-bye, to meet again soon.
We meet today.
We will meet again tomorrow.
We will meet at the source every moment.
We meet each other in all forms of life.~ Thich Nhat Hanh
05 Oct 2014 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Buddha Nature, Buddhahood, Enlightenment, Evil, Good, Nichiren Buddhism, Nichiren Daishonin, Practice, Purity
Nichiren said,
“If the minds of living beings are impure, their land is also impure, but if their minds are pure, so is their land.
There are not two lands, pure or impure in themselves. The difference lies solely in the good or evil of our minds. It is the same with a Buddha and an ordinary being.
While deluded, one is called an ordinary being, but when enlightened, one is called a Buddha. This is similar to a tarnished mirror that will shine like a jewel when polished.”
We can all purify our minds, follow the path to enlightenment and strive towards Buddhahood.
Get polishing those mirrors folks!
04 Oct 2014 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Birth, Death, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, Nichiren Buddhism, Nichiren Daishonin, Old Age, Religion, Sickness, Wheel of Life
Often we hear about the different attitudes of religious doctrine around the world, some we are happy to embrace, others we find unsettling. But whatever the doctrine, religion must teach us an ‘attitude to life’.
To live a life of true human dignity is certainly difficult. Life is change, it is continuous change. Nothing is constant. The four sufferings of birth, old age, sickness and death are an eternal theme that no one can escape.
Amid harsh reality, people yearn from the depths of their beings, to live with dignity, for their lives to have meaning, and they make efforts towards that end. The product of these human yearnings, these prayers, is religion. Religion was born from prayer.
What is Nichiren’s response to these prayers of human beings? What attitude towards life does he teach? The answer, in short, is the principle of attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime through continued practice.
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.
03 Oct 2014 1 Comment
in Buddhism Tags: Buddhahood, Earthly Desires, Economy, Fairness, Lotus Sutra, Money, Nature, Nichiren Daishonin, Poverty, Reincarnation
With an increasing feeling of dismay, I see the gap between the have’s and have not’s of this world continually growing.
The very concept of fairness in our societies seems to have been completely forgotten.
With that in mind, I can think of a whole bunch of people who would do well to listen to the following advice …
If you wish to attain Buddhahood, you have only to lower the banner of your arrogance, cast aside the staff of your anger, and devote yourself exclusively to the one vehicle of the Lotus Sutra.
Worldly fame and profit are mere baubles of your present existence, and arrogance and prejudice are ties that will fetter you in a next one.
~ Nichiren Daishonin
02 Oct 2014 2 Comments
in Buddhism Tags: Challenges, Daisaku Ikeda, Determination, Effort, Self Improvement, Strength
There is no self-improvement without effort.
Without taking action, happiness will never come, no matter how long you wait.
A life without peaks and valleys is a fairy tale. Reality is strict, because it is a win or lose struggle.
This is the way it is for human beings. Therefore, you should not allow yourselves to be battered about by reality but rather willingly rise to its challenges and use them as opportunities to train and strengthen yourselves.
~ Daisaku Ikeda
The Search For Enlightenment 
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