Distraction

03 Jan 2011 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: ,

Lotus SutraBeing a Nichiren Buddhist is a full time thing, and today I have been distracted from my Practice.

The distraction was caused by the very welcome return of my partner, so I think I can be forgiven. We had a wonderful time catching up on missed Christmas and New Year celebrations, but I feel a little guilty at missing morning Practice, so I have given it 200% this evening to make amends.

Now I’m not going to beat myself up over, what is after all, a minor lapse. But it does serve to remind me to keep my Practice and Belief as my Honzon, it’s all too easy to be distracted.

Remaining Constant

02 Jan 2011 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: ,

Right-ThinkingOne of the most difficult things to do, personally speaking, is to remain in a constant life-state when confronted by the highs and lows of life.

A simple example of this is shown by the events and associated feelings I experienced whilst watching my team this afternoon.

  • After 20 minutes we (my team) were awarded a penalty, and scored … heaven !!!
  • Just after half time, the opposition scored an equaliser … anger, animality !!!
  • Five minutes later they scored a second goal … hell !!!
  • Five minutes before the final whistle we scored an equaliser … tranquillity !!!
  • One minute before the final whistle we score a third … heaven !!!
  • One minute into injury time they score an equaliser … hell !!!

The final whistle went, the score was 3-3 and we shared the points, so not the result we wanted, but not a total disaster.

But that is not the point. Ok, the example is one of the less important trials in life, but the underlying principle remains. One of the aims of Nichiren Practice is to smooth out the emotional highs and lows in life. through right thinking.

One Buddhism quotation is that “The Wise Man is neither elated by success nor deflated by failure”. That is not to say that you cannot be happy when you succeed, or sad when you fail, it’s about the intensity of those feelings and trying to stay nearer the mid-point.

I find it tough at times, but I’m getting better.

If you would like to read about some of the Principles of Happiness you can do so here.

New Year, New Vigour

01 Jan 2011 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

GohonzonDespite a rather late night, I was up at a reasonable hour and in good form with my Practice today.

The more I chant, the better I feel, so exercising the lungs today, seated in front of my Gohonzon, was a good start to the year.

If you’ve never tried it, you might like to give it a go, you have nothing to lose.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Giving It My All

29 Dec 2010 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: ,

Lotus SutraSadly, for me, the festive holidays ended today. So I made the most of it by chanting my head off all the way to the office.

The only problem with chanting at home, is the possibility of disturbing the neighbours when I get a little over zealous and my volume goes up.

Chanting with gusto really does boost my life-energy, so giving it my all is really therapeutic. So after a nice break from work, my chanting turned a dark, foggy Wednesday morning into the perfect time to exercise my lungs.

I practice twice every day, wherever I am, but having the opportunity to chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo at full volume, in the privacy of my own car, was a real treat.

Just as well really, as my colleague coughed and spluttered his way through the day, offering me the chance to pick up all kind of bugs. With my batteries fully charged, I appear to have managed to fight off his infection, though staying up to watch England retain the Ashes did leave me a little fatigued by the end of the working day.

If you ever need that extra little boost, you really should give it a go.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.

Make Causes, See Effects

12 Dec 2010 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: ,

In the same way as leaving the car battery on charge overnight, chanting has the same effect.

Having tried to get a very cold and damp car to start yesterday, I did all the right things (causes) to get it fixed. Drying the electrics, cleaning the plugs and putting the battery on charge, meant that it fired up first turn of the key this morning.

Having chanted yesterday, morning and evening had the very same effect, but on me. Instead of having a lazy start to Sunday morning, I was up and at it, and having put everything back together I was out taking the car for a nice pootle in the sunshine by 10am.

Energy high, back on track, and the car’s going well too.

Loneliness

30 Nov 2010 5 Comments

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags:

LoveSometimes I can be as lonely in an office of a few dozen people, as I can alone in an empty room.

With my significant other more than 6,000 miles away, there’s no opportunity for the comfort that physical closeness brings.

We can phone, text, email and Skype every day, every hour even, but nothing can replace the reassurance that our auras entwining can instil.

I immerse myself in work, in study, in Practice but there is a section of my being that is in stasis, waiting for the moment our life-energies can mingle.

In the meantime I shall chant and pray for her wellbeing, her happiness and her safe return, and remain composed, patient and constant.

Practice Makes Perfect

25 Nov 2010 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

For me, my Buddhist Practice is now a way of life. A routine that I go through every day, including writing this blog.

But routine is also another word for boring, mundane or even hum-drum, so it’s important to keep in mind why we Practice.

We Practice for several reasons …

  • To raise our life-energy levels …
  • To chant for certain outcomes …
  • To move us along the road to Buddhahood …
  • To give a stable anchor in our lives …

and there are many others, often different for every individual.

As a novice, I find that I can learn a little more each day Let’s face it, Buddhism has been around for well over two thousand years, so there’s plenty to learn about.. I can improve or seek to perfect my Practice and to maintain a more focussed attention to the subject of my chanting.

I look forward to the feeling I get during and after Gongyo. I often find that I am quite warm when I finish chanting and in a really good mood, despite any problems I am facing.

I never cease to be amazed by the effectiveness of chanting either. To start with, the word coincidence came into my mind when I saw results, but not any more. But I do get surprised by the way the Universe solves the problems with which I have asked it to help. Not always the way I expected, and often in better, more subtle ways than I could have imagined.

So my Practice is a pleasure, not a chore. It’s something I enjoy and never something I feel I have to do.

As Nichiren Daishonin said, ‘If you practice something, you must test it’s validity with the results you see’. In other words, if it doesn’t work, stop doing it.

For me, it’s working wonders and I think the World would be a better place if more people were to discover those wonders.

Chanting For Someone Else

22 Nov 2010 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags:

I know that this topic keeps cropping up, but it is filling my thoughts daily at the moment.

A close elderly relative is currently seriously ill in hospital and I feel it is my duty to use all my chanting for her benefit.

Even the doctors do not know exactly what is wrong, so I concentrate on chanting for her life-energy, peace, comfort and recuperation.

She is not Buddhist, but I doubt that matters one jot, it’s the thought that counts.

So she is in my mind night and day, and I would like to ask you to chant with me, if you feel it appropriate.

I will keep you updated on her progress.

No News Is Sometimes Good News

06 Nov 2010 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

Some days are more Buddhist than others (well maybe), but today has been a nice quiet one with little to test the practice.

A lazy late start, tucked up in bed with a 25th anniversary copy of ‘Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance’ followed by a little indoor gardening, watering the Bonsai and Dragon’s Tooth plants.

Thoughts of kyo chi gyo i during the England v New Zealand game and the realisation that I was in the World of Humanity most of the day were about as deep as it got.

Chanting starts and ends days like this, so I’m off to clear my mind and try not to wake the neighbours.

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