The story of my path to Buddhahood through the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin
16 Apr 2011 1 Comment
in Buddhism Tags: Buddhist Practice, Ten Worlds
What is true joy in life?
This is a difficult question – and one that has occupied a great many thinkers and philosophers.
Joy can quickly give way to suffering. Joy is short and suffering long.
Also what passes for joy in society is superficial. It cannot compare with the joy derived from the Mystic Law.
The key then lies in cultivating a state of mind where we can declare without reservation that life is a joy.
This is the purpose of our Buddhist Practice.
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.
08 Mar 2011 3 Comments
in Buddhism Tags: Buddhist Practice, Daisaku Ikeda, Karma, Learning
Tonight was my first study group meeting, and it was fantastic.
There were only five of us, I say only, but when we chanted together there was a melodic resonance that completely filled the room. Chanting alone is great, it boosts my life-energy and raises my life-state, but group chanting is like lone chanting on steroids.
A small altar was set up at the front of the room, with flowers, candles and a picture of Daisaku Ikeda surrounding the Omamori Gohonzon, a miniature copy of the Gohonzon.
Gongyo, chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo and part of The Lotus Sutra, took about thirty minutes although it just flew by.
We then discussed the nature of Karma. Mutable Karma, that which is created and experienced within this lifetime. Immutable Karma, that which was created in previous lifetimes and which can be experienced within this, or future lifetimes.
We discussed The Nine Consciousnesses. Sight, Hearing, Touch, Smell and Taste being our five senses as well as The Mind, The Subconscious, The Karmic Storehouse (alaya) and Buddha Nature (amala). We talked about how chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo allows us, with constant practice, to perceive all nine levels on consciousness.
There were study notes on all aspects covered during the discussion. We covered a lot, and the notes will help jog the memory on some of the finer points.
The group was very welcoming and happy to help me find a group nearer to home, so I may attend another meeting on Thursday near Poole. I was also given a gift of a book of lectures ‘On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime’ by Daisaku Ikeda.
All in all a brilliant experience. Thank you all, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.
06 Mar 2011 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Buddhist Practice, Wisdom Courage and Compassion
Going back over your mistakes, being asked painful questions and giving honest answers is a difficult, but cathartic experience.
We’ve all made mistakes in life, some more serious than others, but talking them through, trying to explain why you made that decision at that point in time, makes you re-examine your own values. In my case, having changed through my Buddhist Practice, it also becomes clear that I would have made different decisions in many cases.
Our history is set in stone, we cannot go back and make those decisions anew. But we can try to make amends, apologise for any hurt we have caused, and, above all, be honest with ourselves and others.
The changes in myself, that I see and feel, the way I view life, and my responsibility for events affecting me and people around me, have come about through my Practice and my study of Nichiren Buddhism.
As I have said before, once you see things in a different light, you cannot undo that change. Nor would I want to, because even though I know I will make other mistakes in the future, I know that those mistakes will be made despite honourable intentions, and with a great deal more Wisdom, Courage and Compassion.
28 Feb 2011 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Breast Cancer, Buddhist Practice, The Oneness of Self and the Environment
Tomorrow, Charlotte may have to decide whether to save her unborn child or to save herself. It may be that the oncology specialist can offer a course of treatment that allows her to do both. If not, I cannot imagine a more difficult decision with which to be faced.
As a helpless observer, I can do little but chant and pray for a fortunate outcome. As her father, I would willingly swap places with Charlotte if it would save her the pain and distress she is going through.
From the first day we knew about her condition, we have all been trying to maintain a positive attitude. Knowing that the Oneness of Self and the Environment is so important in such situations, we must believe that we can influence the outcome through our own mental strength.
If you are a practicing Buddhist, I would ask, most respectfully, for you to chant for Charlotte. If you are of another denomination, please pray for her wellbeing.
The greater the efforts. on her behalf, the more influence we will achieve.
11 Feb 2011 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Buddhist Practice, Gongyo, Honzon, Juzu Beads, Myoho Beads, William Woollard
With the pressure of work having eased slightly, albeit for only a few days, it was nice to give more time and focus to my Practice.
It never ceases to amaze me how quickly things drift to the back of your mind when they don’t receive the attention they deserve. So it was with my Gongyo, having been too tied up to make a proper job of it.
Now I know what you are saying, that my Honzon should come first, last and everywhere in between. But life isn’t like that really, is it? Man cannot life by Gongyo alone, to paraphrase, so work had to take precedence.
While I was at work this week, my two books arrived and until this evening I hadn’t even had time to open the parcel to take a quick peek.
The copy of The Buddha, Geoff and Me is similar in every respect to the last one I owned. No surprise there, though it will be good to have an old friend back on my bedside cabinet.
Having dipped into the new William Woollard, it does look interesting. He has a way of saying very profound or very technical concepts in a very easy to understand way, a real gift. He has been struggling against cancer and I will be very interested in how he has gone about it. I say struggled against cancer, but he is so grounded, that I can’t imagine William struggling against anything now.
Any road up, as my Mom might say, it’s nice to be back in the swing and I’m looking forward to relating my take on Buddhism and the Science of Happiness to you over the coming weeks.
P.S. In case anyone is wondering where the Juzu beads came from, they were made by my friend Lily Rose at Myoho Beads. Lily Rose is a lovely lady who happens to live just round the corner from the Arizona supermarket where the US Senator was shot a little while back. I really get in touch to make sure she is recovering from the shock of it all.
21 Jan 2011 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Buddhist Practice
Living by the coast it can get very foggy, to the point where you can’t see your hand in front of your face.
That’s where my life is at the moment, and all the chanting in the world doesn’t seem to be making any difference, yet.
All the landmarks, the points of reference have gone and I’m lost. The very things I took for granted have disappeared, maybe because I took them for granted.
So I’m here, trying to get my life into perspective and I have nothing to guide me, other than my Practice.
To be honest, this isn’t the first time it’s happened, even recently, but this time there is a huge difference. This time I have my belief and my Practice to support me and it is a great comfort.
Decisions have, and will have to be, made. I am sure, however, that this time I’m better prepared to pull things together. Like a driver who has invested in a powerful set of fog lamps, I am seeing things more clearly, capable of managing my life-state, and able to navigate through the situation all the better for it.
06 Jan 2011 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Buddhist Practice, England Retain Ashes
On the day that the England cricket team retained The Ashes in Sydney Australia, it’s nice to be able to publish my 100th post.
Blogging is a labour of love, fun at times, less so at others and rather reminiscent of my Buddhist Practice.
I’m not saying that the Practice itself is a chore, but take today as an example. I’ve finally succumbed to the flu bug that’s been going round since before Christmas. So chanting while trying not to cough, and concentrating while feeling like I’d fallen down a flight of stairs was not as easy as usual.
So the one hundredth post is here, and it marks a minor milestone in my path to Buddhahood. I started the blog as a record of that path and I’ve enjoyed revealing the rough and the smooth with you all.
Thank you to all those people who have commented on the posts and I look forward to the next hundred. Who knows where we will all be then, geographically or spiritually.
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
11 Dec 2010 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Buddhist Practice, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, Ten Worlds
As bad as yesterday was, today has been a day of productivity and smiles. From Hell to Humanity in twenty four hours.
By the time I had written my blog last night, I was well on my way back to a higher world. After a good night’s sleep and a chanting session that probably took a few tiles off the roof, I was buzzing.
So I got down to all manner of chores and odd jobs that have been sitting staring at me for while. Very therapeutic and a nice satisfied feeling that accompanies a blank to-do list.
Having sorted myself out, I decided I deserved a lazy evening watching some great programs about The Who, one of the bands I went to see in my teens. Brilliant music and fantastic memories of over forty years ago.
Nice to be able to report a step forward again, especially for those who had asked how I was.
10 Dec 2010 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Buddhist Practice, The Buddha Geoff & Me, The Dark Passenger
Today has been just one of those days. Too much time to think of the things that could, or have, gone wrong lately.
My Dark Passenger, who Geoff calls ‘My Evil Friend’ in The Buddha, Geoff and Me, has had a field day today. Pointing out all the things that, had I thought more clearly, were obviously not the way he or more precisely I, thought they were.
In a Hell state, with no energy or inclination to chant my way out of it, and lapsing into that self-absorbed lethargy that can be so destructive.
Fortunately, my significant other came to the rescue, though not before I had done my best to make the situation worse, when my role at this time should be to be strong, resolute and reliable.
Disappointing, deflating, I was so confident in my Practice. I had been heading in the right direction for so long without a hiccough, I had almost forgotten what real Hell felt like.
So a good reminder, and a good kick up the backside for me.
Tomorrow is another day, a better day, and the lesson learned will make me stronger when it arrives.
08 Dec 2010 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Buddhism, Buddhist Practice, Gongyo, Kosen-Rufu, Nichiren Daishonin
During morning Gongyo we say four Prayers, the first out loud, the last three silently to ourselves. During evening Gongyo, the first prayer is omitted.
The First Prayer – Appreciation for Life’s Protective Forces (spoken – morning Gongyo)
I offer appreciation to the Shoten Zenjin, the functions in life and in the environment that serve to protect us, and prey that these protective powers may be further strengthened and enhanced through my practice of the Law.
The Second Prayer – Appreciation for the Gohonzon (silent)
I offer my deepest praise and most sincere gratitude to the Dai-Gohonzon of the Three Great Secret Laws, which was bestowed upon the entire world.
I offer my deepest praise and most sincere gratitude to Nichiren Daishonin, the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law.
I offer my deepest praise and most sincere gratitude to Nikko Shonin.
I offer sincere gratitude to Nichimoku Shonin.
The Third Prayer – For the attainment of kosen-rufu (silent)
I pray that the great desire for kosen-rufu is fulfilled, and that the Soka Gakkai International develops eternally in this endeavour.
I offer my most sincere gratitude to the three founding presidents – Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, Josei Toda and Daisaku Ikeda – for their eternal example of selfless dedication to the propagation of the Law.
The Fourth Prayer – Personal prayers and prayer for the deceased – (silent)
I pray to bring forth Buddhahood from within my life, change my karma and to fulfil my wishes in the present and the future.
(we may offer additional prayers here)
I pray for my deceased relatives and for all those who have passed away, particularly for these individuals:
(we name our relatives and friends here)
I pray for peace throughout the world and for the happiness of all humanity.
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
The Search For Enlightenment 
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