Instant Buddhahood? – Simply Add Practice

30 Dec 2012 Leave a comment

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

Nichiren DaishoninReligion must teach an “attitude to life.” To live a life of true human dignity is certainly difficult.

Life is change; it is continuous change. Nothing is constant. The four sufferings of birth, old age, sickness and death are an eternal theme that no one can escape.

Amid harsh reality, people yearn from the depths of their beings to live with dignity and for their lives to have meaning, and they make efforts toward that end. The product of these human yearnings, these prayers, is religion. Religion was born from prayer.

What is Nichiren’s response to these prayers of human beings? What attitude toward life does he teach? The answer, in short, is the principle of attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime.

What is needed to attain Buddhahood in this lifetime? Wisdom, Courage and Compassion and that comes from sustained, diligent practice.

Good Causes

08 Dec 2012 3 Comments

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , ,

Making The Right CausesBuddhism, which is founded on the law of cause and effect, stresses the concept of karma. This principle explains that life at each moment is subject to the cumulative effects of causes made in the past.

What we do, what we say and what we think are all causes. And according to Buddhism, the moment we do something, say something or think something, an effect is registered in the depths of our being.

Then, as our lives meet the right circumstances, the effect becomes apparent. Personality traits are strongly connected to our karma.

The good news is that, unlike fate, our karma can be changed by causes we make from this moment forward. In fact, the practice of Buddhism is essentially the practice of continually changing our karma.

Do Not Fear Change

07 Dec 2012 3 Comments

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , ,

A Clean SlateSometimes we need to wipe the slate clean, take a deep breath, and start anew. With the New Year just around the corner, this might just be the perfect time to do so. Having new goals, new horizons and renewed vigour is just the ticket.

I know that some people fear change, are loath to relinquish all the effort put into a particular path, even if that path may not be taking them in the right direction. I am not one of those people. I embrace change in all its forms, and look forward to a new start.

Similarly, Buddhism looks at death in same way as sleep, it is not the end of something, it is a period of rest before the beginning of something new. In the case of sleep, it is the beginning of a new day. Death, on the other hand, is the beginning of a whole new life. So I do not fear death, though I do not wish to hasten its coming.

I intend to make the most of each and every day, and when death does arrive, as it will, I will enjoy the rest before being reborn into a new and exciting experience.

Have Courage

06 Oct 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , ,

Have CourageWe all have choices to make in life. Everything from whether to take tea or coffee to the major life-changing decisions regarding money, relationships, children and careers. Whatever the choice you have to make, make it with wisdom, courage and compassion.

If you summon your courage to challenge something, you will never regret it. It would be so sad to spend your life wishing, “If only I had a little more courage.”

Whatever the outcome, the important thing is to take a step forward on the path that you believe is right.

Do not worry too much about what others may think. It is your life. Be true to yourself.

Changing Tack

21 Sep 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

Changing TackDealing with the ever changing aspects of life is a little like sailing a yacht in a squally breeze. There are external influences that push and pull on the direction of our path. Our role as skipper of our own craft, is to deal with the challenges that those influences bring, whilst trying to steer in the direction we want our lives to go.

The similarity to sailing is most evident when you compare the way a yacht has to sail across the wind, in a direction as close to, but rarely directly towards, the desired goal. So there has to be a degree of compromise in order to make progress towards that goal.

Life is exactly the same. It is pretty rare to find, that the influences on our lives, push or pull us directly towards our goals. The old adage of ‘two steps forward and one step back’ is often very accurate. A little progress in the right direction is often followed by a period of consolidation, during which we may even find that we have slipped back a little.

It is good to remember that, as illustrated in The Buddha, Geoff and Me, resistance is not only inevitable, and a measure of our progress, but is essential for some processes to work at all.

Best Laid Plans

18 Aug 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , ,

Best Laid PlansAs with all things in the universe, the normal order is that of chaos, and so it was that our Friday night plans to go over to friends for dinner were turned upside down and inside out. Not that the evening wasn’t a real pleasure, it was, but nothing like that which had been envisaged.

Having preconceived ideas about things can be a source of much disappointment. Expectations, as discussed previously, are simply one set of outcomes , seen from your own point of view. These must be shelved, otherwise the enjoyment of events can be completely overshadowed.

When things change, be flexible, allow yourself to see the positives and supress the negatives. Nothing in life is set in stone, so go with the flow, chanting along the way when necessary, and make the most of each and every possibility.

Changing Times

09 May 2012 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

The Byrds - Turn, Turn, TurnEverything in life changes, one of the main principles of Buddhism is that of impermanence the idea that nothing lasts forever. But these changes have a natural order, a structure that, if observed, make the changes simple and easy. If however, we fail to observe that order, things get difficult, uncomfortable, even unbearable.

Those of us of a certain age remember a song by The Byrds, Turn, Turn, Turn, written by Pete Seeger, the words of which are actually based on a passage from the Book of Ecclesiastes and are sometimes attributed to the wise Old Testament ruler King Solomon.

I think the lyrics perfectly explain the manner in which changes and The Wheel of Life are inextricably linked:

To every thing, turn, turn, turn
There is a season, turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under heaven
A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep
To everything, turn, turn, turn
There is a season, turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under heaven
A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones
A time to gather stones together
To everything, turn, turn, turn
There is a season, turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under heaven
A time of love, a time of hate
A time of war, a time of peace
A time you may embrace
A time to refrain from embracing
To everything, turn, turn, turn
There is a season, turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under heaven
A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time to love, a time to hate
A time for peace, I swear it’s not too late

The First Tiny Signs

05 Jan 2012 1 Comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

TwilightI have to admit that winter is not my favourite time of year. I don’t like getting up in the dark or going home in the dark, it feels, at some primeval level, rather unnatural. Maybe the caveman in me still yearns to be guided by the sun, waking when it shines, sleeping when it’s dark.

So you can imagine the delight I felt this evening, when for the first time this year, there was still a glimmer of light peeping over the horizon as I left the office. I can’t say that it was still light, certainly too dark to drive without headlights, but it wasn’t totally dark, and in my book, that’s progress.

The year is a big wheel. It never stops turning, but sometimes we don’t notice the tiny changes that happen each and every day. Today was not one of those days, I noticed, and it is a clear sign that the wheel is rolling on.

The wheel of life is a much bigger wheel, it never stops turning either, but make sure you keep your eyes open for those first tiny, almost imperceptible signs, that are there when you take the time to stop and look.

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