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

Great News, For Now

31 Mar 2014 Leave a comment

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

Minke Whales - Safe For NowThe ruling today, from the International Court of Justice, that Japan must cease its whaling in the Antarctic is great news for the whales. The fly in the ointment, isn’t there always one, is that the ban is temporary.

The ban will be seen as a victory for the Sea Shepherd organisation, who have been a constant thorn in the side of the Japanese whaling fleet. Only earlier this month, there was a collision between Sea Shepherd’s Bob Barker and the Yushin Maru No. 3. There were no injuries, but both ships sustained damage.

Though the ruling is cause for celebration, only time will tell whether the Japanese will comply with the decision of the court long term. It is also only a very small step towards the observation of the right of all living things to be allowed to live free and peaceful lives. The wholesale slaughter of cows, pigs, chickens and a multitude of other innocent animals continues unchecked.

Beauty And Buddhahood

30 Mar 2014 Leave a comment

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

Hengistbury HeadI’ve been out cycling this weekend, surrounded by beautiful nature and in the soft spring sunshine, just wonderful.

All thoughts fade away, as you lose yourself in the surroundings, so here is a snippet of wisdom from Nichiren Daishonin, about letting go of worldly desires…

Now, 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

Prayer Beads

29 Mar 2014 1 Comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , ,

Click for a larger imageIn the practice of Nichiren Buddhism, we hold juzu beads in our hands while reciting Gongyo and chanting Diamoku.

There are 108 beads in the main body, signifying the 108 Earthly Desires.

The 4 smaller beads in the main body represent the 4 Great Bodhisattvas of the Earth … Jogyo, Muhengyo, Jyogyo, and Anryugyo.

The 2 large beads at each end of the main body, are the “parent” beads.  The “mother” bead, representing “mystic” is on the side with 3 dangles, and is placed over the middle finger of the right hand.  The “father” bead, representing “law” is on the side with 2 dangles, and is placed on the middle finger of the left hand.

We cross the beads in the middle, which shows our oneness with THE LAW.  Also, we cross the beads so our benefits do not fall through our hands and lives.  By placing the beads on our hands this way, we are accepting the reality that Buddhahood exists within our lives.

When we press our hands together while we hold our juzu beads, our 10 fingers represent the 10 Worlds which fuse together simultaneously in the life of a Buddha, our lives.  Our life is now one with the Mystic Law!

The one small bead that sits below the “father” bead, represents Absolute Truth.

Prior to Nichiren Buddhism, there were only 2 dangles on each end of juzu beads.  The third dangle, consisting of 10 beads and a “Kosen-Rufu” bead, on the side of the “mother” was added, actually tied on, to signify Nichiren Buddhism and distinguish it from other Buddhist sects.

On the remaining 4 dangles, there is a differently shaped bead part way down each string.  This bead is called the “jar” bead and holds the benefits of our practice.

The 5 larger beads at the bottom of each dangle are the “Kosen-Rufu” beads, and represent our desire to spread Nichiren Buddhism,  Kosen-Rufu, throughout the World.

My huge thanks are due to my lovely friend Lily Rose of Myoho Beads for researching the meanings of the individual beads and for allowing me to use her explanation.

As Lily Rose says on her site, be careful buying juzu beads on line.  Use this description or the juzu purchased in SGI bookstores as a guide.  Make sure the beads you purchase have been created in an ethical and politically correct manner. Sorry to say, but many are not.

If you would like to learn more about chanting, this link will take you to a very informative video produced by SGI.

On The Fiddle?

28 Mar 2014 1 Comment

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

On The Fiddle?In case you were wondering, my CELTA course is going rather well, all things considered. Apart from the fact that I am really enjoying the whole experience, it’s a bit like Chinese water torture, the lesson preparation and assignments just keep coming.

Last night was a little milestone on our collective path, half way through the sixteen weeks of study and a brand new gaggle of victims, or more properly, teaching practice students. A lovely group of people, all very keen to learn and very willing to be subjected to our formative teaching skills.

As well as being a new set of faces, these students are still taking their first steps in learning English, as opposed to our previous charges, who were really quite fluent. So the challenges, on both sides of the classroom, were slightly different. There was more emphasis on keeping things simpler and checking that individual students understood what was being taught.

The evening went really well. We were teaching them new vocabulary in the context of music, and they worked really hard. The highlight of the evening, for me, was talking to the oldest student, an 83 year old Middle Eastern gentleman, who was keen to tell me that he has been playing the violin since he was 7. He had the callouses on his fingers to prove it.

It’s so interesting, meeting new people. People who have incredible stories to tell. None of this would have happened had I not made the causes. Karma is a wonderful thing.

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