Another POV

05 Feb 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

Ask the FamilySometimes it is really easy to get bogged down in our own little world, and find ourselves blinkered by our own thoughts, feelings and opinions, simply because we fail to see things from another person’s point of view.

Years ago, there was a TV quiz show called Ask the Family, hosted by the wonderful Robert Robinson. It was a great series, based on two families, usually Mother, Father and two children, answering general knowledge questions. Good wholesome entertainment and traditional family viewing.

I really liked the round where they would show an image of something really familiar, but from a strange angle. The trick was to identify the object by using your mind’s eye to fill in the missing bits of the image.

Being able to see the world from the others person’s point of view is a bit like that. Using our imagination to put ourselves in their position gives us a better idea of what they are experiencing and hence allows us to make wiser, more compassionate decisions about how we should react to them and their situation.

Next time you find yourself wondering about how to relate to someone’s issues, take a moment to try to see things from their side of the table. It isn’t always easy, but it is always worth that bit of effort, and you will find that you can be of more help, more supportive and more understanding for making the effort. It can be very rewarding for you, and is usually gratefully received.

Straight Down The Middle

04 Feb 2012 Leave a comment

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

Straight Down The MiddleWe are aware that life is made up of two very distinct components, the physical (ke or ketai) and the mental or spiritual (ku or kutai). They are two, but not two (shikishin funi) as one cannot exist without the other.

The body or physical aspect becomes useless without the mind, or spiritual aspect, and the mind might be thought helpless without the body. The mind however, can continue to function without the body, when we sleep for example. We have all experienced dreams where we perform superhuman feats that would be totally impossible in the physical world, like being able to fly.

So we have two rather different components, sometimes working in a way that is not necessarily harmonious, until chu (or chutai) takes control. Chu is the harmonisation of ke and ku. It controls each aspect, making sure one or the other doesn’t drag us off course.

This is known as The Middle Way (chudo).

Ichinen – Making It Happen

03 Feb 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , ,

DeterminationThe Japanese word Ichinen means, among other things, determination. Here is the definition from the SGI dictionary of Buddhism …

ichinen

[一念] (Jpn; Chin i-nien )


A single moment of life, one instant of thought, or the mind or life at a single moment. Also, life-moment, thought-moment, or simply a single moment or instant. Ichinen has various meanings in Buddhism: (1) A moment, or an extremely short period comparable to the Sanskrit term kshana. The Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom defines one kshana or moment as a sixtieth of the time it takes to snap one’s fingers. (2) The functioning of the mind for one moment. The “Distinctions in Benefits” (seventeenth) chapter of the Lotus Sutra speaks of a single moment of belief and understanding. (3) To focus one’s mind on meditating on a Buddha; Shan-tao (613-681), a patriarch of the Chinese Pure Land school, defined ichinen (one instant of thought) as chanting Amida Buddha’s name once. (4) T’ient’ai (538-597) philosophically interprets ichinen in his doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life ( Jpn ichinen–sanze Chin i-nien san-ch’ien ). In this doctrine, ichinen indicates the mind of an ordinary person, which at each moment is endowed with the potential of three thousand realms; its characteristics are: (a) it pervades the entire universe; (b) it includes both body and mind; (c) it includes both self and environment; (d) it gives rise to good and evil; and (e) it encom-passes cause and effect simultaneously. Nichiren (1222-1282) embodied this philosophical framework in the form of a mandala known as the Gohonzon. By this he aimed to establish a practical way for ordinary people to manifest Buddhahood from among the Ten Worlds of their own lives. SGI Dictionary Online

Being good or being a success at something isn’t just about talent, it’s about having the desire, the determination, deep in your heart, to settle for nothing less than victory.

If you have a strong ichinen, you are far more likely to reach your goal. You still have to put in the effort and in fact, the more talent you have, the more effort is needed, because your end result might be far more exacting than a less talented person.

If you think you will fail, you will. You must embrace your goals, your targets, with every fibre of your being. Strive with all your might, night and day towards that goal and you are far more likely to succeed. Remember, you only fail when you decide to stop trying.

Success takes focus, desire, effort, hard work, determination and perseverance.

Ichinen covers them all, and chanting for what you want to achieve, makes your ichinen stronger and stronger.

What Is Happiness?

02 Feb 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

What Is HappinessWhat 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.

My own life was made a little happier this week, when I heard a news item about an company owner in Australia, who gave each his employees a share of $15m in recognition of their efforts. I’m sure, judging by the reactions, that the employees were pretty happy about it. But how much happiness must Ken Grenda have felt himself as he made the announcement.

Whatever flavour your own happiness comes in, I wish you more of it, now and in the future. And when it arrives, 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.

Responsibility

01 Feb 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

LoveDaily life can sometimes seem drab and unexciting. Living itself can often seem a strain, and a few of us unrealistically expect the joy we feel to last forever.

But when we fall in love, life seems filled with drama and excitement. We feel like the leading character in a film or a novel.

Sadly, if you find yourself lost in that love, because you become besotted or distracted, and consequently stray from the path to enlightenment, then love is nothing more than a form of escapism.

Whilst you must always be true to yourself, remember that you must also be responsible for each and every action.

Practice, Practice, Practice

31 Jan 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

The World of BuddhahoodNichiren Buddhists believe that, not only does everyone have the World of Buddhahood within them, but that it can be achieved within this lifetime.

Think about that, everyone you know has the potential to reach Buddhahood, your family, friends, work colleagues, everyone. And not only those people you like, but those you don’t like too.

But how do we achieve this state of Buddhahood? The Daishonin had this to say …

“When 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.

A mind now clouded by the illusions of the innate darkness of life is like a tarnished mirror, but when polished, it is sure it become like a clear mirror, reflecting the essential nature of phenomena, and the true aspect of reality.

Arouse deep faith, and diligently polish your mirror day and night. How should you polish it? Only by chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.”

So there it is, such a simple Practice, so easy to learn, that when applied with faith and diligence, will allow us to reveal the Buddha in each and every one of us.

Accepting Those Challenges

30 Jan 2012 4 Comments

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

The Roller Coaster Of LifeWhoever said that life was supposed to be a bowl of cherries? Our journey from birth to death, whichever lap we happen to be on at any one time, is a series of lows and highs, the rough and the smooth, the not-so-happy and the happy, the bad and the good.

So by assuming that, even though things may be going along smoothly just now, we should prepare ourselves for the next pot hole, the unexpected hairpin or that most untimely puncture that will most certainly come along, to make that journey even more satisfying. Being prepared, as all boy scouts know, is the trick to reducing the effect that these unforeseen circumstances will have on our progress.

We have often talked about turning poison into medicine, using the difficulties in life as our way of making ourselves stronger, and seeing obstacles as challenges rather than problems. The old adage of ‘what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger’ is exactly right, if we approach these things in the right manner. Being doggedly determined not to be beaten, to meet the challenges head on and win through, come hell or high water, is a great start and a great way to move on.

Imagine how disappointed we would all be, if the latest ride at Alton Towers was a perfectly straight, perfectly level piece of track, that started slowly, trundled along at walking pace, and gradually slowed to a genteel halt five minutes later. Who in their right mind would queue for something so predictable, so comfortable, so boring? Nobody I know.

The most popular rides, the ones that have the longest queues, and the ones that we want to get back on, time after time, are the ones that scare us witless, the ones that actually make us wonder if we will live to tell the tale. And that is how life can be if we prepare ourselves for the turns, the plunges, the unexpected. The greatest books, films and life stories are all about facing almost impossible adversity, battling against the odds, getting the odd knock along the way, but coming out as the victor in the end.

So face up to the rigours of life, meet those challenges head on, stay strong, be brave and make your life the subject of the greatest story Hollywood has ever told.

Birdsong

29 Jan 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

BirdsongThe final part of the brilliant dramatization, by the BBC, of Sebastian Faulks’ Birdsong was aired tonight. It follows the life of a young Englishman, Stephen Wraysford, who having been involved in a passionate love affair in pre First World War France, finds himself fighting in the trenches of the Somme, in exactly the same area in which his affair takes place.

The screenplay is a masterpiece of interpretation of Faulk’s wonderful book, and encapsulates a rollercoaster of emotions, as Wraysford relives his memories whilst trying to stay alive in the hell-state backdrop of the trenches.

I don’t want to spoil the story for those who haven’t read the book or seen the programs, but it really makes you wonder how the young men involved managed to stay sane in the midst of all the horror and death of, what was supposed to be, the war to end all wars. With all the terror and, all too often, the ultimate sacrifice, it is saddening that we completely failed to learn the lessons provided by the conflict.

Life’s Learning Process

28 Jan 2012 1 Comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

Look Both WaysI love the way this poem beautifully encapsulates the stages of learning, and the long, long road to enlightenment …

  1. I walk down the street.
    There is a deep hole in the sidewalk
    I fall in.
    I am lost…
    I am hopeless.
    It isn’t my fault.
    It takes forever to find a way out.
    ~~~~
  2. I walk down the same street.
    There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
    I pretend I don’t see it.
    I fall in again.
    I can’t believe I’m in the same place.
    But it isn’t my fault.
    It still takes a long time to get out.
    ~~~~
  3. I walk down the same street.
    There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
    I see it is there.
    I still fall in…it’s a habit
    My eyes are open; I know where I am;
    It is my fault.
    I get out immediately.
    ~~~~
  4. I walk down the same street.
    There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
    I walk around it.
    ~~~~
  5. I walk down another street.
~ Portia Nelson

Another Person’s Shoes

27 Jan 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

Another Person's ShoesThere is an old saying, that before you criticise someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticise them, you have a pair of their shoes, and you are a mile away 🙂

But seriously, it is easy to see the faults in another when you are only seeing things from your point of view.

Today, I have had the privilege to take over one of my colleague’s roles for the day. I had always considered it to be a fairly simple task, talking to customers, answering their questions, dealing with their complaints, easy peasy … really???

No !!! It is a full on role, extremely varied, and never ending, like swimming against the tide. I made it through the day in one piece. But it has given me a completely different view of the role, and that learning process has been a really good thing for me. I take my hat off to everyone who has to deal with clients, to keep their cool, often whilst being provoked by sarcastic, even rude comments, you are all stars.

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