Debugging Life

09 May 2014 2 Comments

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

Debugging LifeThere seems to be a nasty bug going round, both at work and at college, so I was looking around to see how Buddhism concerns itself with illness and healing that illness. I found these wise and thought provoking words …

Buddhism teaches that illness is one of the four sufferings which cannot be completely avoided in life, whether directly or through the experiences of close family or friends.

Buddhism takes a holistic approach to the treatment of sickness, stressing both the importance of finding the best and most appropriate medical treatment and care, and also that using our Buddhist practice will enable us to summon the energy and courage needed to fight our illness.

Often facing illness can lead us to deepen our understanding and appreciation of the profound principles of Buddhism, and we find that it is possible to create something valuable out of the experience.

As Nichiren wrote:

“Life is the most precious of all treasures. Even one extra day of life is worth more than ten million ryo of gold.”

Namaste ~ Anupadin

Strength

16 Apr 2014 2 Comments

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , ,

ReflectionsSome days we are strong, some days not so strong. Nichiren says this …

When water is clear, the moon is reflected. When the wind blows, the trees shake.

Our minds are like the water. Faith that is weak is like muddy water, while faith that is brave is like clear water.

Understand that the trees are like principles, and the wind that shakes them is like the recitation of the sutra.

                                                   ~ Nichiren

The Only Way Is Up

10 Apr 2014 3 Comments

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , ,

Harry PotterAs we discussed in previous posts, we can use our problems to make us stronger, by turning the poison of challenges into the medicine of learning and success.

Nichiren Daishonin said that ‘from sickness arises the mind that seeks the way’ meaning that when we are in Hell, we are in exactly the right place to find our way out of the situation that is causing our grief. The darker the Hell, the greater the motivation can be to take action to improve the situation.

We can all relate to this in one way or another. Imagine a situation or problem, that you allowed to go from bad to worse before you took action to put it right.

Let’s use a perfect example of this. J.K. Rowling, of whom I am sure you have heard, the author of the Harry Potter books, was almost destitute when she started to write the first book, and maybe it was that dire position that gave her the life-force she needed to make a start. Her success took her from being on welfare to being a millionaire within five years.

By chanting, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, we can raise our life-energy and that changes our life-state, making us feel better and more able to think rationally about the problems we need to solve.

So next time you are down, so down there is no way up, remember that you are in the perfect place to completely transform your life.

Failures Of Perception

03 Apr 2014 2 Comments

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

Failures Of PerceptionIt’s a well known Buddhist saying, that our problems are not the real problem, it is the way we perceive them that is the problem.

So don’t have problems, have a series of challenges. Challenges are just problems that we are confident that we can overcome. Our problems come and go, nothing lasts forever, so view them with an open mind, look on them as challenges and remember, you are turning poison into medicine.

Even places that have been shrouded in darkness for billions of years can be illuminated by a simple lit candle. Even a flint from the bottom of the deepest river can be used to produce fire.

Our present sufferings, no matter how dark, have certainly not existed for billions of years, nor will they linger forever.

The sun will definitely rise, in fact its ascent has already begun. With determination, we can all overcome our problems, so look on them as challenges and enjoy the victory when it arrives.

Just Look Around You

11 Mar 2014 1 Comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

Just Look Around YouWe all appear to have an inbuilt ability to feel sorry for ourselves. Sometimes it seems we have problem after problem, and think the world is against us. But we can all take a step back and look at our situation compared to others, and the chances are that there are millions of people in much worse circumstances.

In Buddhist terms, the effects in our lives are the result of causes we make along our way, it’s called Karma. Whilst it is difficult sometimes, to reconcile ourselves with the fact that we have, in some way caused our own problems, it is important to remember that we are not being punished.

So when you have had enough of your troubles, and are ready to throw in the towel, just take time to look around and realise that there is always someone worse off somewhere. Be grateful for what you have, and concentrate on making causes for the effects you need to improve the situation. To do anything else is to lack wisdom, courage and compassion towards yourself, and that doesn’t help anyone, least of all you.

An All Round View

05 Jan 2014 Leave a comment

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

An All Round ViewI have always been prone to setting my expectations too high, and that leads to disappointment when the expectation isn’t met. My Dad, on the other hand, always seemed to be a bit pessimistic, he never appeared to have very high expectations, never got overexcited about things, so didn’t allow himself to show disappointment, or that was the way it looked to me.

Since I have been practicing Nichiren Buddhism I have an inner strength that helps me through difficult times. It is a great comfort and I would recommend it to anyone who is struggling with issues or problems.

The strange thing is that Buddhism doesn’t always make the problems go away, although that does sometimes happen, but it gives me a different way of looking at the situation and a focus that makes the problems more easy to understand and to bear.

In general, my life has been pretty easy. I have a very loving family, great parents and had a very stable home life in my formative years. I’ve been through a few troughs, the usual things like losing my grandparents and my father, and failed relationships, the same as every one else. I’m about to set off on a new career path of teaching, which could prove to be a challenge, but I truly believe that my inner strength will see me able to cope much better now.

If I were to try to pinpoint the single most important reason for this, I would say it was a new found mental calm. Now I’ve never been a fighter. At school I used to use humour to get out of the usual confrontations all kids get into. But I was prone to letting my feelings show, particularly when disappointment was involved.

It does seem that because I can now see the situation from all angles, just like those images on the web, where you can spin the item around and look at it every which way, I can rationalise things more easily. Being able to see a situation from other peoples perspective allows me to make sense of how things appear to them, and understand why they are reacting in the way they are.

It has changed my life, or at least the way I look at it, and it can help anyone. Maybe it could help you.

Challenge Or Opportunity?

26 Nov 2013 4 Comments

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

IndonesiaWith my recently announced redundancy still five months away, time is not yet of the essence to find alternative employment.

But as we all know, times are tight, jobs few on the ground, and times flies when things of this nature are concerned.

Not, I have to say, that I am unduly concerned at present, but I have been having a look around.

Having put in a 40 year shift in IT, I’m not at all sure I want to continue in the same vein, so I’ve decided to have an open mind and see what opportunities present themselves.

Interestingly, during a recent night out in Poole to watch Jack Dee in concert, a friend asked whether I had thought about teaching English as a foreign language, know as TEFL in the profession. I had to admit that I hadn’t.

I’ve never been drawn to teaching. In the past I would never have had the patience to teach anyone anything. But with age and, maybe more so Buddhism, I have a great deal more calmness and patience. So I have been looking at the process needed to get qualified.

On the face of it, it all looks rather straightforward. There is an international qualification required, a TEFL certificate from an academy accredited by the World TEFL Accrediting Commission (WTEFLAC).

The course takes a minimum of 120 hours, of which 20 hours are face to face tutorials and practice. The cost is not too crazy, and the opportunities appear quite realistic, in places as close as Paris or as far away as China and Indonesia.

Whether or not the notion takes hold, the whimsies turn into reality or the possibilities become fact is in my hands. At the moment I have to say that it all sounds rather exciting, and I’m certainly going to take some time to investigate further.

So, far from being the end of the world, this redundancy might be the start of a whole new adventure. We all need a short, sharp, shock at times, just to ease us out of the comfortable rut we have made for ourselves. The shock has been administered, so time will tell.

Two Parts Of The Whole

08 Nov 2013 Leave a comment

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

Yin and Yang, Good and Bad, two parts of the wholeSo many things in life, although they may seem very different, are actually the opposite sides of the same coin. Good and evil, love and hate, passion and obsession are so close to one another when we look at the causes behind each of them.

Buddhism teaches that our lives are endowed with both good and bad aspects simultaneously. The human mind switches between ten individual conditions, The Ten Worlds, and as we know, each World contains the other nine.

The lowest three Worlds are those of Hell, filled with suffering, Hunger, which is dominated by greed, and Animality, characterised by fear of the strong or powerful and contempt of the weak. The two highest worlds are those of Bodhisattva and Buddhahood, states of mind in which people strive to help others to eliminate their suffering and attain happiness.

Good and bad, happiness and sadness exist together, they cannot be separated and are integral parts of life. In fact it could be said that to try to describe one without the other would be meaningless.

Buddhist practice cannot remove bad things from our life nor the sadness, but it can help us deal with them (Poison into Medicine), and by doing so, help us and those around us promote the good and the happy aspects.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.

Choosing Happiness

13 Oct 2013 2 Comments

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

Happiness Is A ChoiceIt may seem to be a strange thing to say, but our happiness, or otherwise, is actually a choice we make for ourselves. It’s basically tied to the way we view the challenges that life throws at us.

When something happens, something we would rather hadn’t happened, we have a choice to make. Do we throw our hands in the air and go into a mood of depression, or do we face the issue head on?

If we take the former route, only seeing the bad side of things, the issue will seem to get bigger and worse than it actually is. Our depression will make things even worse, and a negative spiral ensues. This is not a good route to a positive outcome, and even if we were to conquer the problem, it would take us longer and require more effort in the long run. How often have you got into a state over something, only to realise, in the fullness of time, that it really wasn’t as bad as you thought?

The other way to approach things, is to remain calm, look for the positives, and there will be some, rather than focussing on the negatives. A calm mind works better than a frantic mind. Focussing on the positives actually raises our life-state, which makes us feel more energetic and more able to do what needs to be done and meet the challenges head on.

Enlightenment has been described as a state in which we are continuously happy. Now that might sound a bit far fetched, but if we make the right choices, consciously and subconsciously, we can maintain a state of happiness. To attain the ability to control our minds to such a degree that we make the right choices every time is no small matter, which is why the path to enlightenment is long and winding. But I know that I am further down the path each day, and the goal is worth every ounce of effort.

It’s All About Perception

12 Sep 2013 Leave a comment

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

It's All About PerceptionIt is a well known Buddhist saying, that our problems are not the real problem, it is the way we perceive them that is the problem.

Don’t have problems, have a series of challenges. Challenges are just problems that we are confident that we can overcome. Our problems come and go, nothing lasts forever, so view them with an open mind, look on them as challenges and remember, you are turning poison into medicine.

Even places that have been shrouded in darkness for billions of years can be illuminated by a simple lit candle. Even a flint from the bottom of the deepest river can be used to produce fire.

Our present sufferings, no matter how dark, have certainly not existed for billions of years, nor will they linger forever.

The sun will definitely rise, in fact its ascent has already begun. With determination, we can all overcome our problems, so look on them as challenges and enjoy the victory when it arrives.

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