The story of my path to Buddhahood through the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin
25 Feb 2012 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Criticism, Determination, Devotion
When you devote yourself to achieving your goals, you will not be bothered by shallow criticism.
Nothing important can be accomplished if you allow yourself to be swayed by some trifling matter, always looking over your shoulder and wondering what others are saying or thinking.
The key to achievement is to move forward along your chosen path with firm determination.
24 Feb 2012 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Death, Humanity, Wheel of Life
Death does not discriminate, it strips us of everything.
Fame, wealth and power are all useless in the unadorned reality of the final moments of life. When the time comes, we will have only ourselves to hold to account.
This is a solemn confrontation that we must face, armed only with our raw humanity, the actual record of what we have done and how we have chosen to live our lives.
All that remains to ask is this …
Have I been true to myself?
What have I contributed to the world?
Which areas give me a sense of satisfaction, and which a sense of regret?
Think about this each and every day, for one day, maybe sooner than you think, it will be too late to make amends.
23 Feb 2012 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Chanting, Life-Energy, Life-State, Peace, Ten Worlds, Tranquillity
Sometimes the World of Tranquillity can be a true blessing, a lull after a period of intense effort.
At other times it can be be like the dying notes of a moving piece of music, the echoes of the most magnificent firework display.
Maybe the biggest difference between the two is whether you wished for Tranquillity or not.
If you do wish for it, Tranquillity can be the most restful of time, if not it can be as quiet as the grave, peaceful but not something which you might actively desire.
If you find yourself becalmed in a world of Tranquillity, chanting will raise your life-state and get the energies flowing again.
22 Feb 2012 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Decisions, Determination, Wisdom Courage and Compassion
When you make a difficult decision for all the right reasons, stick to that decision.
Whether it is painful, or someone tries to convince you that it was a mistake, stick to that decision.
Back tracking, skirting round the issue, being persuaded to change your mind, what ever it may be, will end in tears.
So don’t be swayed … stick to that decision !!!
21 Feb 2012 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Healing, Oneness Of Body And Mind, Shikishin-Funi
We must never underestimate the power the mind has over our bodies. If we can remain positive, with high life-energy and in one of the higher worlds, our bodies will respond positively and heal themselves all the quicker. If we allow negativity to creep in, the battle will be all the harder and healing will simply take longer.
The Nichiren phrase for this connection between our body and mind is Shikishin-Funi. Two, but not two, not two, but two, meaning that they are separate, but cannot function alone.
[色心不二] (Jpn shikishin-funi )
Also, non-duality of body and mind. The principle that the two seemingly distinct phenomena of body, or the physical aspect of life, and mind, or its spiritual aspect, are essentially non-dual, being two integral phases of a single reality. One of the ten onenesses formulated by Miao-lo (711-782) in his Annotations on “The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra.” In the Japanese term shikishin-funi, shiki means that which has form and colour, or physical existence, while shin means that which has neither form nor colour, or spiritual existence, such as the mind, heart, and soul. Funi is an abbreviation of nini-funi, which indicates “two (in phenomena) but not two (in essence).” This means that the material and the spiritual are two separate classes of phenomena, but non-dual and indivisible in essence, because they are both aspects of the same reality. In the above annotations, Miao-lo states that, from the viewpoints of the whole and its components, life at a single moment is the whole, while body and mind are its components. Neither body nor mind is a separate entity; there is not one without the other. They are inseparable components of life. In the Lotus Sutra, the principle of the ten factors of life represents the oneness of body and mind. The ten factors are listed in the “Expedient Means” (second) chapter of the sutra, where it states that the true aspect of all phenomena consists of “appearance, nature, entity, power, influence, internal cause, relation, latent effect, manifest effect, and their consistency from beginning to end.” On “The Profound Meaning” states: “Appearance exists only in what is material; nature exists only in what is spiritual. Entity, power, influence, and relation in principle combine both the material and the spiritual. Internal cause and latent effect are purely spiritual; manifest effect exists only in what is material.” The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings reads, “[Concerning the term dedication of one’s life ] ‘dedication’ refers to the element of physical form as it pertains to us, while ‘life’ refers to the element of mind as it pertains to us. But the ultimate teaching tells us that form and mind are not two.” – Taken from the SGI Dictionary of Buddhism
Now that’s a lot to take in, but in our current situation it basically means that staying positive in our minds will help heal our bodies.
20 Feb 2012 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Challenges, Problems, Wisdom Courage and Compassion
Have you ever had a problem or situation that has been there for a while, but you can’t drum up the enthusiasm to fix? I know you have, we all have.
Maybe enthusiasm is not the right word, maybe confidence is a better one. Maybe you should have made a phone call or gone to meet someone, but you know they aren’t going to be too pleased to hear from you when you do.
When I say you know, it’s probably more accurate to say you imagine, you suppose, see what I mean? We all build up little scenarios in our heads, and the more often we think about the problem, the more convinced we become, that our imagined outcome is what will actually happen.
This is where we need a bit of Wisdom, Courage and Compassion.
We need the Wisdom to see that what we imagine is the version of events from our point of view, and may be way off. We also need to accept that any problem that is left to fester, will only get worse and never go away by itself.
We need a deal of Courage to put ourselves into a situation that may be awkward, embarrassing or painful (hopefully not physically). Picking up that phone, or ringing that door bell, when we are unsure of the reception, takes guts. But remember that the alternative may be even worse.
Now we need a huge dollop of Compassion. The fact that we have put off doing something about this issue probably means that we feel that we are in the wrong, in some way. So we need to steel ourselves for a potential tirade, whilst remaining calm and sympathetic. We need to understand the problem from the other persons point of view. That will take a dialogue of some nature, and maintaining a compassionate nature may help defuse the situation. We need to bite our tongue when we may feel like giving a little back. I don’t mean a complete capitulation, more a flexible approach to understanding their side of things.
I imagine that each and every person who reads this has an issue, be it large or small, that falls into this category. Only you know what it is, so gird your loins, take a deep breath, and get it sorted today. You’ll feel a lot better when you do, believe me, I know from experience.
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
19 Feb 2012 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Karma, Practice, Responsibility
Sometimes in life we find ourselves in difficult and painful situations. The laws of Karma are universal, we get what we deserve, and whether we recognise the causes or not, the effects speak for themselves.
We might feel sorry for ourselves, we may think it’s unfair, but we make the causes for the effects we experience day in, day out.
Now you may be saying that it’s destiny, or coincidence, but that simply means you are delegating responsibility for your life to fate or a mystical figure whose existence can never be proven.
Why do we allow ourselves to be fooled? When we know the reason for events, we accept the situation and move on. When we don’t know (or remember) why something has happened, we waft it away with airy fairy excuses, like fate or God’s will.
Suddenly, we find ourselves in a situation which is totally of our own making. A situation so unexpected, that we convince ourselves that we had nothing to do with the causes. But then we examine the evidence, and to our horror, we find that the causes are there for all to see..
So I hold my hand up, I’m culpable, in part at the very least, and my chanting, prayer and meditation are the tools I am using to start to put things right.
18 Feb 2012 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Nichiren Buddhism, Nichiren Daishonin, Practice
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.
As an Atheist, that focus never sat comfortably in my psyche. I don’t think anyone really believes in a white haired old man sitting in the clouds these days, but there are millions of people who base their faith on a Being whose existence cannot be proven. In fact, many religions actively seek to dissuade followers from even trying to prove that existence.
I was schooled in the Sciences, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology as well as Psychology, and those sciences demand proof for each and every hypothesis. So when I stumbled, and that is the right way to describe it, upon Nichiren Buddhism, I was overjoyed to find that there was no supreme being and that every part of Practice demands we examine the results of that Practice as proof of it’s validity.
Nichiren Daishonin said that we should seek proof of the effectiveness of our Practice in the results it brings. He also says that if the results do not support the practice, that we should desist.
I don’t want anyone to think that I am putting Nichiren Buddhism above or before any other religion, I am only saying that, for me, it fits my thinking and for me, it works.
I have been practicing for a little while now, but I’m still learning new things every day. I never expected immediate results, but recently I have to say they have been truly amazing. So the proof is there for me.
17 Feb 2012 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Wisdom Courage and Compassion
Sometimes all it takes to resolve an unexpected and insurmountable issue is a cool head and a warm heart. Oh yes, and a great deal of compassion and understanding from both sides.
Wisdom, Courage and Compassion … isn’t that Buddhahood? Not that I intend to make a habit of it, but a satisfactory result for both parties, I believe.
16 Feb 2012 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Buddhist Practice, Poison Into Medicine
We should all welcome, if not exactly seek out problems, to test our practice.
Sometimes it is easy to see the benefits, sometimes it’s not and lately I have found it particularly difficult.
I think I have been guilty of swinging the lead, in practice terms, on my week off, and the results speak for themselves.
I’m back home now and have been chanting all the way to the office each day to get myself back into the right life-state.
The Search For Enlightenment 
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