The story of my path to Buddhahood through the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin
20 Oct 2013 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Criticism, Feelings, Point Of View, Positive, Self Awareness, Self Discipline, Wisdom Courage and Compassion
It is very easy to be critical of others, particularly when they are out of earshot. It is, however, valuable to also look for their strengths, as you gain nothing by only criticising others imperfections.
In fact, it is helpful to take a step back, for even a moment each day, and try to consider the feelings and positive qualities of those of whom you are critical.
16 Oct 2013 1 Comment
in Buddhism Tags: Buddhist Practice, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, Self Awareness, Self Discipline, Self Improvement, Ten Worlds, Tolerance
Looking back at the events of the past few weeks, I have issued myself a warning not to rest on my laurels. Buddhist practice is like a dog, for life, not just for Christmas, and must be part of your very being.
I have not shirked my practice, but my tolerance of people has waned, so I know I must do more towards my goal. The difficulty is getting the balance right, treading a line between regular practice and learning, and an obsession with the challenges in life, like losing weight and getting fit.
Given the fact that the whole point of adopting Buddhism as a way of life is to gain a happier existence for me and those around me, I need to get this right.
Those of you who know me, know that I have an addictive nature and throw myself into new ventures wholeheartedly. The problem, in the past, has been keeping that going. I have been, I admit openly, in the World of Hunger, for most of my life, always looking for the next new thing.
I am certain that I am addressing that and making some headway, but self criticism is always healthy in this respect.
The reason for keeping this blog, apart from sharing the joy, is to prove to myself that I have changed, and that I have the drive and desire to keep my practice strong. You have my permission to tell me if you see cracks appearing, and I know a certain someone who will.
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.
14 Oct 2013 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Challenges, Point Of View, Problems, Self Awareness, Self Improvement, Wisdom Courage and Compassion
When we become submerged in difficult situations, when the way forward looks bleak and less than inviting, it can be tempting to start pointing a finger at others in order to find a way to lay the blame at their door.
But there is an old Buddhist saying about pointing fingers at others. When you point, one finger points out, away from you, towards the one you are blaming.
But look at your hand, three fingers are pointing back, at you, towards the person who is also to blame. Meaning that for each inference you point at others, three will be pointed back at you. But there is another way.
If you are honest with yourself, really, truly honest, and you examine the situation from all angles, you will almost certainly find that you are indeed responsible for making some of the causes that, in conjunction with another or others, have contributed to the outcome in which you find yourself.
Rather than trying to apportion blame, take responsibility for your own actions, you will find it a very cathartic experience, I know, I’ve been there. The unsurprising side effect is that it will also change the way in which others perceive you. They will recognise the Wisdom, Courage and Compassion in your new found attitude, and will respect you for all it represents.
07 Oct 2013 2 Comments
in Buddhism Tags: Breathe, Breathing, Control, Cycling, Mindfulness, Self Awareness, Self Improvement
There will be people reading this, who remember me saying to them, in times of stress, ‘just remember to breathe’. It’s good advice, stopping breathing has been scientifically proven to be bad for us. But seriously, it is all too easy to forget to breathe properly.
When I’m out riding (and I can hear the groans from here) I can actually slow my heart rate at will by moderating my breathing. When you are working at, or close to, your maximum it is easy to start panting. Short sharp breaths into the top of your lungs are rather inefficient.
The trick is to be mindful of this, to slow your breathing, but to take deep full breaths and allow the oxygen to be absorbed into your bloodstream. Your body will have more oxygen at its disposal, your heart will recognise this and will slow accordingly and this is a much more efficient state in which to continue.
I found this poem while I was browsing the subject …
Breathe
If you feel overwhelmed, breathe. It will calm you and release the tensions.
If you are worried about something coming up, or caught up in something that already happened, breathe. It will bring you back to the present.
If you are moving too fast, breathe. It will remind you to slow down, and enjoy life more.
Breathe, and enjoy each moment of this life. They’re too fleeting and few to waste.
~ Leo Babauta
Being mindful of our thoughts or, in this case, our bodies and their processes is an important part of the Buddhist practice. If we are to control our emotions, restrain our darker thoughts, or even supress a propensity to hyper-ventilate, we must be mindful.
Creating some form of trigger, by which we force ourselves to look at our behaviour, will allow us to have more control. How we create that trigger is an individual choice, but it could be visual, audible or simply mental. Whatever you choose, stick with it, you will be rewarded in the fullness of time.
29 Sep 2013 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Cause And Effect, Cycling, Life-Energy, Life-State, Pain, Progress, Self Awareness, Self Improvement, Wisdom Courage and Compassion
Those of you who have followed my blog for a while will have seen posts about my cycling exploits over the past few years.
Just the same way we test the progress of our Buddhist practice, I have been monitoring my progress in cycling terms.
In some ways, comparing my training times is an easier process. Am I completing the distance more quickly, is my heart rate lower for the same effort, so many metrics to compare. But testing the progress of my practice is more obvious to me day to day.
Almost a year ago to the day, I rode to Hengistbury Head and back, a journey that really caused me a whole world of pain. So much so, that I blogged about the experience. Today I repeated the journey with ease, I even raced, and beat, a bunch of lads who were waiting at the closed Poole bridge on the way home.
The difference? Last year, I was so much less fit. This year, I have been putting my heart and soul into my training. Today’s trip pushed my monthly training distance over the 900km mark, and that has made a huge difference.
When we put all our effort into something, be that training, or our Buddhist practice, we see the results. My cycling effort is backed up by lists and lists of figures and statistics. My effort in Buddhist practice terms shows up in my self awareness, my life-energy and life-state and I can feel the progress each and every day.
And there is an added bonus. The fitter I get, the higher my life-state, the more I chant, the higher my life-energy and the fitter I can get … the ultimate positive spiral !!!
26 Sep 2013 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Human Revolution, Nichiren Buddhism, Nichiren Daishonin, Personal Growth, Perspective, Point Of View, Self Awareness
It may seem perfectly acceptable to put ourselves and our own wishes first, to simply follow the dictates of our emotions and cravings, but the truth is that there is very little that is more unreliable than our own mind.
Life doesn’t always run like clockwork and things will not necessarily turn out as we hope or plan. Consequently, Nichiren frequently stressed: “You should become the master of your mind, not let your mind master you.”
We must not allow ourselves to be ruled by a self-centred mind. Rather, we have to discipline our mind and gain mastery over it. So often these days we are confronted by the ‘mind over matter’ attitude, ‘I don’t mind and you don’t matter’.
Always try to see a situation from the others perspective. You may find that the view from their side of the table is rather different than your own, and it may well illuminate facets that you had overlooked.
23 Sep 2013 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Buddha Nature, Freedom, Gohonzon, Growth, Mystic Law, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, Self, Self Awareness, Self Determination, Self Improvement
We can all be guilty of trying to hold things, or people, too close to us. This may be for a number of reasons, fear of losing them probably being the most common. With possessions we may only cause ourselves problems, but with people, the act of holding them close, may actually have the effect of pushing them away. We must learn to give people the freedom to grow, to learn, to blossom and the chance to be themselves, otherwise we may lose them forever.
Nichiren writes: “Myoho-renge-kyo is the Buddha nature of all living beings…. The Buddha nature that all these beings possess is called by the name Myoho-renge-kyo” (wnd, 131). Regarding how to manifest one’s innate Buddha nature, Nichiren explains: “When we revere Myoho-renge-kyo inherent in our own life as the object of devotion, the Buddha nature within us is summoned forth and manifested by our chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. This is what is meant by ‘Buddha.’ To illustrate, when a caged bird sings, birds who are flying in the sky are thereby summoned and gather around, and when the birds flying in the sky gather around, the bird in the cage strives to get out. When with our mouths we chant the Mystic Law, our Buddha nature, being summoned, will invariably emerge” (wnd, 887).
In Nichiren’s metaphor, our innate Buddha nature, whose name is Nam myoho renge kyo, is a bird trapped in the cage of ignorance. In other words, our deluded minds create this cage that imprisons our Buddha nature. But when we chant Nam myoho renge kyo to the Gohonzon, which expresses Nichiren’s enlightened life and the potential of all people, our dormant Buddha nature becomes activated.
The singing of the caged bird is our chanting, and the birds flying in the sky are the Buddha nature in our environment, particularly as it is expressed in the Gohonzon. Through our chanting, the Buddha nature within our lives and the Buddha nature inherent in the universe begin their dynamic interaction.
For Nichiren’s metaphor to work, however, it is necessary for the caged bird to recognize the birds in the sky as being its own kind. In other words, when we pray to the Gohonzon, rather than thinking of it as an external power or deity, we must think of it as the mirror image of our own Buddha nature. If the caged bird thinks of itself as an elephant, it is unlikely to give the slightest thought to flying.
Nichiren Buddhism clarifies that the teaching of the Buddha nature is a teaching of faith and practice. All people have it, but not many can believe in it. Furthermore, some of those who believe in their Buddha nature may not practice to manifest it, erroneously thinking-I’m already a Buddha, so I don’t have to do anything. One’s faith in the Buddha nature must be expressed in one’s actions to manifest it.
Those who see the universal Buddha nature of oneself and others, and work to awaken it in all people are already Buddhas, for such actions belong to none other than a Buddha. As we cultivate our inherent Buddha nature through our conviction and actions to manifest it no matter our circumstances, we begin to see it and experience it. In our everyday lives, seeing may be believing. But in the world of Buddhism, believing in the Buddha nature is the first step toward seeing it.
(from Living Buddhism – February 2005)
13 Sep 2013 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Ichinen Sanzen, Mindfulness, Self Awareness, Self Improvement, Ten Factors, Ten Worlds, Three Realms
Let’s talk about Ichinen Sanzen for a moment, about how each of the Ten Worlds contain all of the other Worlds, meaning we can move from one to another in an instant.
Ichinen Sanzen means Three Thousand Realms in One Instant. The maths is simple, Ten Worlds each containing all the others makes one hundred Worlds.
Multiply them by the Ten Factors gives us one thousand ‘states’ of existence, giving us three thousand when we take the Three Realms into account.
Here is a list of The Ten Worlds, The Ten Factors and the Three Realms.
| The Ten Worlds | |
| Buddhahood | Enlightenment |
| Bodhisattva | Helping others |
| Realisation | Absorption and understanding |
| Learning | Self reflection and study |
| Heaven | Rapture |
| Humanity | Tranquillity |
| Anger | Self righteousness |
| Animality | Instinct |
| Hunger | Insatiability |
| Hell | Extreme suffering |
| The Ten Factors | |
| Appearance | Physical aspect |
| Nature | Mental aspect |
| Entity | Substance, life itself |
| Power | Inherent energy |
| Influence | Influence or power |
| Inherent Cause | Habit or karma |
| Relation | External cause |
| Latent Effect | Potential effect |
| Manifest Effect | Visible outcome |
| Consistency | Connected nature of all |
| The Three Realms | |
| The Self | Form, perception and consciousness |
| Living Beings | Society, community, people |
| The Land | The natural environment |
I hope this helps you understand the concept of Ichinen Sanzen and the true nature of Life at any given instant. It shows us why, in any particular situation, there are so many factors that will influence our actions, reactions and the eventual outcome.
Maybe we should now grasp the reason why being mindful of all things, and reacting to the situations of daily life, in a controlled manner, is such a challenge.
09 Sep 2013 1 Comment
in Buddhism Tags: Challenges, Circumstances, Enlightenment, Learning, Lessons, Self Awareness, Self Improvement
When I sit down to write my blog, I try to relate to the circumstances surrounding a particular lesson I have learned that day.
Quite often a post has been rattling around in my head for hours, and it is simply my role to mould it into some form that might be more easily understandable to others.
However, I find that the lesson for today is, that there is not necessarily a lesson to be learned. Of course the day has been filled with the micro challenges of work, family, relationships, just the stuff of life, but there hasn’t been a focus on anything particular.
If anything has come out of today, it has been the realisation that some of the lessons of the past have actually been learned and the effect of that really does make a difference when I meet the situation again. And that has to be a good sign, another step along the path.
04 Sep 2013 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Life-Energy, Life-State, Self Awareness, Self Discipline, Self Improvement, Ten Worlds
Each day brings us joys and challenges, all of which have the potential to alter our life-state in some manner. Joys tend to raise our life-state, challenges may lower it if we let them, and there lies the conundrum. We need to be vigilant, to observe our life-state from moment to moment, but in doing so, we affect that life-state.
Just as in quantum physics, the mere act of observation affects the phenomenon being observed, self observation of our life-state can, and most likely will affect that too. Imagine a situation where you become angry because something has not gone the way you would like. Initially you may be reacting instinctively, in an animalistic fashion. But as soon as you realise that you are reacting in such a manner, in other words, you observe your life-state, there is a fair chance that you will change to that of a more calm and reflective mood, even into a state of tranquillity.
So we have this little test for ourselves. We must be, as far as possible, aware of our life-state. Ideally we want to be in one of the higher states, not grubbing around in the worlds of Hell, Hunger, Animality or Anger, but in Learning, Realisation, Bodhisattva or even Buddhahood. The act of testing can help us raise our life-state through awareness, which is a good thing. But be warned, when the results come back, and you find you are in one of the lower worlds, that can be a sobering moment, when you realise that you are not as far along the path to enlightenment as you would like to be.
The Search For Enlightenment 
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