The story of my path to Buddhahood through the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin
28 Sep 2011 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Chanting, Daimoku, Practice, Wisdom Courage and Compassion
A very quick post tonight.
Just when we were hoping that things were getting back on track, Charlotte has been admitted to the Bristol Royal Infirmary oncology unit for a series of tests.
I shall be chanting for her, Rob and the boys and doing all I can to help. Your daimoku will be gratefully received. More news when I have some.
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.
27 Sep 2011 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Afghanistan, BAE Systems, Economy, World Peace
On the day when BAE Systems announce losses of nearly 3000 jobs, whilst it is the worst of news for those employees, for humanity, there is also a glimmer of hope. The reason for those losses is that the UK government, along with many others around the world, are cutting back their spending on ‘defence’.
Obviously, sympathy goes out to the families of the people who find themselves suddenly out of work, but we have to be happy at the underlying reason. The less money that is spent on military hardware, the more money is available to spend on productive, constructive schemes to help those in our society who need it.
Not only that, but if countries are less well armed, potentially the less likely they are to wage war against their neighbours. And a more peaceful world can never be a bad thing, can it. Just imagine if the $3.6 billion, that the US are spending on the Afghanistan campaign, was pumped back into the US economy.
So on a personal basis, this is bad news for those skilled workers from BAE Systems, but on a global level, it’s the best of news, even if the peace is coming at such a high price for the world economy.
26 Sep 2011 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Enlightenment, SGI, SGI-UK, Wisdom Courage and Compassion
The SGI is a gathering of ordinary people. We struggle to ensure that people are not despised or exploited by those more powerful. To help all people become strong and wise, we are developing a network of peace and culture and putting great emphasis on education.
By nature, SGI people are strong, wise, cheerful and warm. Faith in Nichiren Buddhism has the power to bring out these qualities. The result of our faith is not to turn people into sheep, it is to make them wise, strong and confident.
Wisdom is not using knowledge to cause suffering to others, it is using enlightened insight to improve everyone’s life, including our own.
2011 is the 50th anniversary of SGI Europe.
25 Sep 2011 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Determination, Practice, Wisdom Courage and Compassion
What a strange weekend. A eclectic mix of work, sport, walking, sleeping and lots of chanting. I’m not sure that getting up in the middle of the night to watch the Rugby World Cup is having a beneficial effect on me, especially when Scotland managed to lose to Argentina in the last few minutes of their match this morning. Not the end of the world (cup), for them or for England or Argentina, but not the result I have hoped for.
The walk on the heather in the New Forest was great, and that at least solved a few questions, but there are still more requiring answers. Usually, chanting seems to bring situations into clear focus, but not this weekend. Each answer seems to have brought more questions, and each chanting session has brought more doubt.
The answer is, of course, to press on with even more determination. My practice is not the problem, my progress is not the problem either, so I will press on. The problem is my impatience with getting answers. Modern life is all about getting everything now, not later, instant access, not waiting, and realising that, is I guess, another part of the answer.
Tomorrow is the start of another working week, so an early night, followed by an early start will get me off and running. My search for enlightenment goes on, and sometimes, just standing still, rather than regressing, can be seen as progress.
24 Sep 2011 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Decisions, Honesty, Wisdom Courage and Compassion
When you find yourself in a situation where you have to decide what happens next, you must be completely honest, with everyone concerned, including yourself. When that decision is possibly not what others expect or want, you must be compassionate when you announce it.
Of course you can hurt others if when your decision is contrary to theirs, but you will hurt them more by delaying or by going along with them, just to go with the flow. Eventually, your feelings will show and the result will only be more angst for all.
So when you feel that you have to make a decision that will be difficult for others to accept, make it quickly, announce it gently but firmly, and reduce the pain, to you and those affected, to the minimum.
23 Sep 2011 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Fortune, Wisdom Courage and Compassion
Sometimes, we find ourselves in situations, or potential situations, were we are a little unsure of what the outcome may be. Our minds race, we mull over the possibilities, the what ifs, the maybes, and it can be all too easy to form ideas in our minds as to how things will pan out.
That’s fine, and perfectly normal, as long as we don’t let these expectations run away with us. Having a preconceived idea is one thing, but pinning our hopes on that idea is a recipe for disaster. Things rarely, if ever go exactly as we imagine.
So the trick is to keep a level head, let events unfold as they will, and be tolerant, or the inevitable differences between what we expect, or would like, and what actually comes to pass.
As someone once said ‘Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it’. Conversely it has also been said that ‘That thing you wished for, the thing you never got, might have been the most fortunate moment you could ever imagine’. So muse way, daydream to your hearts content, but remember that, at the end of the day, the reality of the situation will become clear soon enough.
22 Sep 2011 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Learning, Wisdom Courage and Compassion
My own experiences with Nichiren Buddhism have shown me how powerfully it can change your life. Whether that is simply making you a happier person or helping you see situations from a different perspective, that may help you solve your problems in a better way. As with all good things, you want to tell people about it, so they can share the benefits.
So the greatest feeling, for me, is when someone actually comes straight out and asks. At that point, it’s important to offer as much, or as little as they request. Force feeding them will kill that spark as surely as piling logs onto a smouldering ember. So be enthusiastic, but be reserved as well. Let them set the pace, be there for them to ask for more, and just see what happens.
Giving people a gift is a great feeling, that shining smile you see when they open it and are delighted by what they find. Giving people the way to find Nichiren Buddhism is just like that, only a million times better.
21 Sep 2011 2 Comments
in Buddhism Tags: Cause And Effect, Determination, Karma, Responsibility, Wisdom Courage and Compassion
When your life isn’t going the way you want it to, change it! We are all in control of our own lives, though at times that may seem a little hard to believe. We are all where we are today, doing what we are doing and being what we are being, because of the choices we have made along the way.
Karma is a perfectly imperfect science. Perfect because, as with everything in the universe, every effect has a cause, every cause has an effect. Imperfect because, with karma, the effect will only appear when the situation is right, so it’s rather difficult to predict. But that doesn’t detract from the truth, that everything we think, say or do has some form of effect, on us or others.
So if you are in a rut, if you are unhappy with your lot, if it feels as though the world has a personal grudge against you, change it. Sitting there feeling sorry for yourself will not help, sitting there blaming everything from the economy, your partner, your boss, all the way to the dog, will not help. Fix your mind on the changes you want to see in your life, decide the best route to achieving those changes, then make causes to bring that change about. Don’t wait, set about it with determination, there has never been a better time to make that change.
20 Sep 2011 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Fortune, Rhidian Brook, Wisdom Courage and Compassion
As a devotee of BBC Radio 4, I usually listen to Thought for the Day just before I get out of the car and get myself into the office, and today was no different. This morning was delivered by the writer Rhidian Brook and concerned the distribution of wealth. You can listen to it yourself here.
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. Of course it’s easy to be shocked when you aren’t one of the 10%, and it got me wondering whether I would be any more benevolent if I were.
Brook also relates the fable about the rich farmer who, having grown his crops, decided that he needed to store it somewhere safe, so that the peasants of the area couldn’t get their thieving hands on any of it. So he set about building a huge barn, and made it secure so it kept out the riff-raff. It must have taken quite a while to build it, but finally it was finished, and he was happy that his crops would now be safe.
Of course, there was far more than he could ever need himself, but he locked it all away and hoarded it for his old age. Ironically, the night the barn was finished, he died in his sleep. So the adage that ‘you can’t take it with you’ is anything but new. So I suppose the lesson from the story is, if you have enough of anything, money, food, whatever, you are fortunate. If you have more than enough, you are more than fortunate, and you might consider sharing some of it with others less fortunate.
19 Sep 2011 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Determination, Fernando Torres, Goals, Kyo Chi Gyo I
As a lifelong Chelsea fan, I was distraught yesterday when Fernando Torres missed a guilt edged, open goal chance in the match against Manchester United. Torres had done all the hard work, controlled the through ball, rounded the keeper and had the goal gaping in front of him. But he managed, unbelievably, to let the pressure get the better of him and shoot wide.
So what I hear you say, on earth, has that got to do with Buddhism? Well it’s everything to do with our old friend Kyo Chi Gyo I. It’s all about concentrating on our goals and forgetting the status that reaching that goal (in this case literally) will bring.
Torres joined Chelsea from Liverpool for £50m last season, and that has weighed heavily on his shoulders ever since. Pressure can do funny things to people, in this case, turning one of the most prolific goal scorers in the world into a bit of a disappointment, football wise.
I hope that someone at Chelsea has taken Fernando aside, put their arm round his shoulder and pointed out that this miss wasn’t a matter of life and death, and that the next chance will be along soon. They also need to point out that he needs to forget the status he will achieve next time he scores, and concentrate on the simple task of putting the ball in the back of the net.
And if anyone at Chelsea actually reads this (of course they all do), all you need to do is to tell Fernando that the fans forgive him and believe in him, and to get him to read this.
On a slightly more serious note, Kyo Chi Gyo I really is the route to everything, not just football, but to life. Set your sights on your goal, hone your related skills and steer unswervingly towards that goal and anything, no everything, is possible.
The Search For Enlightenment 
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