One of the principles of Nichiren Buddhism concerns the Oneness of Self and the Environment and how that connection affects all of us in ways we sometimes fail to grasp.
If you drop a pebble, no matter how small, into a pond, the ripples generated spread out in all directions and interact with everything in their path.
This principle states that there is a connection between the person and others around him or her. It is therefore clear that changes in our life-state, the way we relate or react to others and changes due to our Practice will affect those whose lives we interact with.
Some of these affects are very obvious. If we walk around with a happy demeanour, we find that people are more likely to be pleasant towards us. If, on the other hand, we walk around in a bad mood, with a scowl on our face, we find that people are less friendly and may try to avoid us completely.
Ok, so no rocket science there then, but there are more subtle ways in which changes can be felt. In my own case, my Practice has allowed me to stabilise my life-state, generally I am now more often in higher Worlds (see The Ten Worlds) than lower ones. The result of that is that I am better placed to create value, for myself and those around me.
I think it is also important to be aware that the ripples, whilst being generally well accepted, can also rock the boat in some circumstances. The idea of getting a teaching certificate with the idea of going off to far away lands to teach others to speak English may cause such ripples.
No man is an island. Family, friends and acquaintances will all be affected to some degree if I up sticks and wander off to the far side of the planet. That’s why it is so important for me to ensure that if and when I do go ahead with plans, that my Wisdom, Courage and Compassion are used in equal measure, so I can make sure the ripples are all good ones.
With my recently announced redundancy still five months away, time is not yet of the essence to find alternative employment.
It’s a fairly well known fact that 90% of the wealth of the UK is in the hands of 10% of the population, which is a shocking state of affairs in my opinion.
I have to admit to having shed a few tears this afternoon, whilst reading how the epidemic levels of heart disease caused by our western diet, can be easily and effectively reversed by simple changes in that diet.
I saw 
So many of the World Religions base their beliefs on a God, a Supreme Being, a Creator or an Entity whose existence is the focus of the religion’s belief.
The challenges we meet in life are often seen as the negative side of our existence. We alone can decide how we deal with them, either we can accept them, tackle them head on, or we can shy away from them and hope they go away. Anyone who has tried the second path will know that it virtually never works, so accepting challenges has to be the right way to go.
If you think about it, although we may not be destined to die five minutes from now, we are all, without exception, going to die at some point. We can count on it 100%. There is nothing surer than this.
The Search For Enlightenment 
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