With the weather being the way it is, I spent much of the morning finishing The Water Road, a great book about a four month, event filled, narrowboat odyssey around the extensive British canal network. I then started re-reading William Woollard’s The Reluctant Buddhist, a superb book if you are looking for a good grounding in Nichiren Buddhism.
The great thing about William’s book, is that he explains his own path into Buddhism in such a way that you can easily relate it to your own journey. Sixteen chapters of beautifully explained Buddhism principles, all annotated with his own feelings of doubt and reticence as he slowly grows into the philosophy.
My own path started with many years of Buddhist study into New Kadampa Buddhism. Although the ideas of quietening the mind and removing feelings of desirous attachment were very interesting, the deities never sat well in my mind. It was only when I discovered, if that is the right term, Nichiren Buddhism through Jason and Karen Jarrett’s A Buddhist Podcast and the serialisation of William’s book, that I realised I had found the right life philosophy for me.
Every time I read, or listen to The Reluctant Buddhist, I get a little more from the book. Of course, many of the aspects covered are common with those in The Buddha, Geoff and Me or The Buddha in Daily Life, but each book covers them in a slightly different way. I think that by comparing and contrasting the different views gives me a better and more complete understanding of the principles.
I love reading and the World of Learning. It gives me a great feeling of academic satisfaction as well as the joy of expanding my knowledge of the anchor of my life, my own Practice.
The purpose behind my Buddhist Practice is to bring me a little closer to Buddhahood, each and every day.
When we practice gongyo and chant daimoku before the Gohonzon, the good and evil capacities of our lives begin to function as the exalted form of fundamental existence.
When you are waiting for something, an answer, a decision, an outcome, it can be almost like the world is holding its breath.
Since finding Nichiren Buddhism a couple of years ago, even though I have been a Buddhist for nearly twenty years, I still have a huge thirst for learning.
You might be thinking this is going to be a section taken from a Dyno-Rod manual, looking at the title, but it’s far more useful than that. 
Let’s just think back to Friday evening. The anticipation of a couple of days away from the office, maybe big plans, maybe just looking forward to the chance to recharge the batteries. But where is that time now? Of course you can remember what you got up to, at least most of it I hope, but it’s time that has gone and you can never get it back.
Having used all my holiday, and more, over the summer, I’m the muggins who has had to look after the office today. Not that I’m here completely alone, there are others around the place, but in terms of IT, I’m it … if you see what I mean. So in the quietness of the office, I’ve been able to keep one hand on the tiller and one ear on my Buddhist audio books.
You know the old adage, ‘you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink’. I believe it means that you can introduce an idea to someone, but you can’t make them accept the suggestion.
You know the saying about taking the rough with the smooth? Well life generally consists of a mixture of good times and bad times, happiness and sadness, health as well as sickness. In general, it is the ratio of these opposites that makes us feel that life is going well, or going badly.
The Search For Enlightenment 
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