Downs And Ups

23 Jan 2011 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: ,

Snakes & LaddersContinuing the theme of games from a few days ago, I was thinking about the ups and downs of life.

It struck me that our moods, or life-states within the Ten Worlds, mirror the board game Snakes and Ladders. I remember to this day, playing the game with my family and the disappointment of landing on the snake on the 99th square.

In life, there you are happily plodding along when you find yourself being whisked up a ladder to a higher life-state by something you find agreeable or exciting.

You may well stay at that higher life-state, again plodding along blissfully unaware that the next step may scoot you down a snake, maybe even back to square one (which may well be where the saying comes from) when a disappointment, or sadness comes your way.

The trick to winning the game, and indeed to being happy in life, is to aim for the ladders and try to avoid the snakes, to state the rather obvious.

Easier said than done, but if by taking step ladders and short snakes, by seeing events in a composed manner, you can even out the variation in your life-state. And the best way I have found to achieve that is through my learning and Practice.

The Game Of Life

19 Jan 2011 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags:

Rubiks CubeLife can be a bit like a Rubik’s cube, each part is like one of the faces, separate but all connected.

We work to get one face, let’s say Blue sorted out. On it’s own that task is pretty easy and we complete it quite quickly. So we move on to to the Red face, again it’s pretty easy, in isolation, so we get it sorted and we feel a satisfaction in that.

But then we turn the cube back to the Blue side, and it’s all messed up again, because it is connected to the Red side.

Life is like that. Our home life is connected to our family, our friends, our work, everything. Just like Rubik’s cube, unless you know the rules for arranging the sides, it can be pretty impossible.

The only way to get our lives sorted, is to learn the rules governing how they fit together. I say rules, but there’s nothing written down anywhere that will teach you. So it’s a case of trial and error, to some degree. Hopefully our parents teach us the ground rules, but every situation is different, so it’s necessary to modify the ground rules so they fit.

There are two big differences between life and Rubik’s cube. Life is no game, obviously and life is no where as clear cut as getting six coloured faces sorted out.

Whether you are playing with a Rubik’s cube, or trying to sort your life out, good luck. I’m still learning to do both.

A Day Of Learning

12 Jan 2011 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

The World of eLearningMy day has been a spent in the world of learning, though not as you might expect, about Buddhism.

We are using a new software package at work, to build and support a brand new website. As webmaster I will be responsible, to some extent, for the performance, stability and content of the new site, and today was a very pleasurable learning session.

Ok, it’s not rocket science, though they do say that even rocket science isn’t rocket science. Learning of any kind, is a process of personal growth, and I find it very stimulating. As with so much software, is has it’s little quirks and problems, but that almost makes it more fun.

I look on it as a game of mental chess, the software taking the role of a very capable opponent. I want it to lay out a page in a certain manner, it lays it out in the way I tell it, and the two are not always a convergent point. So I have had to exercise the grey matter and, so far, progress has been good.

A project as large as this requires the skills of a dedicated team. My colleagues have, and continue to do, a fantastic job. Some have designed data structures and management processes that will never be visible to our visitors. Others have been concentrating on the look and feel of the new site and have been honing the copy that will appear on the web pages. Everyone has done their bit, and the result is far more than the sum of the parts.

So the learning goes on tomorrow and the pleasure of working in a close kit team continues.

As a slight aside, I have continued to listen to the podcasts of The Buddha, Geoff and Me, so my Buddhist learning has not taken a back seat, and that gives me a great deal of satisfaction too. Chapter 3 of this great book is about Ichinen and Kyo Chi Gyo I. Click on the links to learn more for yourself.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.

Again And Again Till It Sticks

10 Jan 2011 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

The Buddha, Geoff And MeYou all know how much I admire Edward Canfor-Dumas’ book, The Buddha, Geoff and Me. It’s packed full of Buddhist philosophy and great lessons, set in everyday situations.

Well it’s been a little while since I read any of it, let alone re-read the whole book. But I have the entire volume on podcast, and today I’ve upgraded my mobile to a Nokia N8, which not only receives FM radio, it transmits it too.

The upshot is, that I will be able to listen to Ed’s adventures all over again, on my way to work, on the car radio. What a treat !!!

So if I start banging on about it once again, at least you’ll know the reason why.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Back On Track

07 Jan 2011 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

Lotus SutraNow my flu is starting to ease, I need to get my Practice back on track.

I’m going to be spending even more time on my own, with my partner having to work away from home for a few months. I could look at this as a problem, but I can also see it as giving me the time to concentrate of my Practice and Learning.

I could feel sad, as I have in the past, because my Honzon has deserted me albeit temporarily, but now my Honzon is my Practice and that stays with me at all times.

So, plenty of chanting, reading and learning are the order of the day. I’m not happy that my partner has to go away, I shall miss her, but by turning that poison into medicine I can make the most of the extra time.

I’m sure it will make the weeks fly by too, so two birds with one stone.

A Few Days Of Quiet Contemplation

16 Nov 2010 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: ,

Today has been a total mishmash of events.

I have a few days holiday this week, but with the family problems, they probably aren’t going to be the most fun I’ve had on my hols. I had to tidy up the inbox and to-do list before escaping almost on time this evening.

I’ve been rather surprised at the steady state I’ve maintained, so good news there. I hope it has been a help and a comfort to those around me.

I’m going to make the most of the days off to chant, learn and meditate. I’m sure it will do me, my family and the Universe a power of good.

hearts

The Meaning Of Life

14 Nov 2010 2 Comments

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: ,

Taken from Man’s Search For Meaning (p.113), by the late Dr Viktor E. Frankl, this is the most sensible and acceptable explanation of the age old question, ‘what is the meaning of life?’ I have ever read. It is a question we should all ask ourselves on a regular basis, for as you will see, there is no one single answer.

MSFM”I doubt whether a doctor [we] can answer this question in general terms. For the meaning of life differs from man to man, from day to day and from hour to hour.

What matters, therefore, is not the meaning of life in general but rather the specific meaning of a person’s life at a given moment.

To put the question in general terms would be comparable to the question posed to a chess champion: “Tell me, Master, what is the best move in the world?” There simply is no such thing as the best or even a good move apart from a particular situation in a game and the particular personality of one’s opponent.

The same holds for human existence. One should not search for an abstract meaning of life. Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life to carry out a concrete assignment which demands fulfilment.

Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated. Thus, everyone’s task is as unique as is his specific opportunity to implement it. As each situation in life represents a challenge to man and presents a problem for him to solve, the question of the meaning of life may actually be reversed.

Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather he must recognize that it is he who is asked. In a word, each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life he can only respond by being responsible.”

This short explanation, taking less than a page in the book, encapsulates an answer to which I can relate.

The book itself covers Dr Frankl’s own struggle for survival in Auschwitz and other Nazi concentration camps. It has tragic as well as surprisingly humorous passages, but reading it will leave you forever changed and, I believe, better for the experience.

My World Of Learning

03 Nov 2010 2 Comments

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: ,

Apart from chanting my way to work, my favourite bit of my Buddhist day is listening to my podcasts, shutting the world out, and entering the World of Learning.

I keep banging on about Edward Canfor-Dumas’ The Buddha, Geoff and Me, but I must have listened to the podcasts twenty or thirty times.

It’s not just a really good story, read beautifully, in convenient bite sized episodes, it covers pretty much every aspect of Nichiren Buddhism at least once.

So I listen to my good friends, Ed, Geoff, Dora and Piers weaving their way through the story, the ups, the downs and every time I take in a little bit more.

I truly believe that the book should be a compulsory read for every school kid, and parent too actually. It’s a modern classic, in my opinion, and could change the whole world given the chance.

It’s not for everyone, my mother doesn’t like the bad language and it’s a bit too complicated to take in on a single read, but I implore you, listen to one chapter and give it a chance. Chapter seven is my favourite, but that’s just me.

Learning – A Wonderful Life-State

09 Oct 2010 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , ,

As we all strive for Buddhahood, the life-state of Learning is a wonderful place to be.

I love reading and listening to instructional podcasts and devote as much time as I can to these every day.

Understanding the principles behind the practice is so important. If understanding is missing, chanting and working towards enlightenment is an uphill struggle.

So much is available on the internet that you can always find the information you need to take your knowledge to the next level.

To make the most of every minute of every day, I download podcasts from Jason and Karen Jarrett’s website, A Buddhist Podcast. There are dozens of topics covered, as you would imagine, they have been online for over three years now. There are also podcast versions of The Reluctant Buddhist, read by William Woollard himself, and The Buddha, Geoff and Me, both of which are hugely inspirational.

Learning is not just the way forward, it is insurance against going back to where I have come from.

I love it, and I’m sure you will too.

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