Ninety Minutes Of Heaven And Hell

22 May 2011 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , ,

Heaven or Hell?Ok, football, or soccer as the Americans call it, may not be your cup of tea, but today’s last day of the English Premier League was the perfect example of the way that each of the Ten Worlds contain all the others.

Watching the mood, or life-state, of the Birmingham, Blackpool, Wigan and Wolves fans this afternoon, it was easy to see the way they went from Heaven to Hell and back again, time after time as the games unfolded and their respective teams either faced, or escaped the ignominy of relegation to the Championship.

Bill Shankley once said that ‘some things are a matter of life and death, but football is more important than that’ and I’m sure that all those fans would agree with him today.

We all know that isn’t the case. With so many people in the world living in poverty, war zones and injustice, football pales into insignificance. But that just shows us that everyone has their own ideas of what is Heaven and Hell.

The interesting thing was that it was further proof of the Principles of Buddhism, Principles that were formulated thousands of years before the Premier League was even dreamed of.

Seconds Out …

03 May 2011 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: ,

boxing-glovesHaving the energy to argue is a sign of good health. When two people in a relationship share similar conditions, it is only natural that they will lock horns from time to time. If on the other hand, one begins to outgrow the other, then they will probably not have serious confrontations, because their life-states are so different.

It would be great if we could live cheerfully, enjoying life to the extent where we regard our partners nagging as a sign of their good health and proof that they are still alive and kicking. If we can develop a broad state of life together, then even our partner’s ranting and raving will sound like sweet birdsong.

Secret? What Secret?

01 May 2011 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , ,

Image078It is interesting how people react when they discover that I am a Buddhist.

Some immediately imagine that I wander around in saffron robes going “Om”, others seem to have an idea that Buddhism is a retreat from the reality of life.

Being a practicing Nichiren Buddhist is neither of those things, nor anywhere between the two. And there’s nothing secretive about any of it either. I guess that the only thing that people interested in becoming a Nichiren Buddhist is that, as I found out myself, you have to seek them out, they are unlikely to come looking for you.

One interesting thing about Nichiren Buddhism is that there are no rules, no do’s or don’ts, it is perfectly suited to fit into and around your life and lifestyle, because you make it fit the way you want. Personally, I chant morning and evening every day. If there is something on my mind, I’ll chant longer. or I’ll take myself off for a walk or a drive during the day and chant more often. I would bet there are many, many people who drive the route between Poole and Ringwood every day, who have seen me chanting away while negotiating the traffic. So there are no hard and fast rules, if it works for you, then you are doing it right.

If you follow my blog, you’ll know how much my Practice has changed my life, in so many ways. It is no secret, and anyone can benefit from it, the way I do. If you would like to know more, visit the SGI-UK website or go and take a listen to Jason Jarrett’s podcasts, that’s how I found this ‘secret’.

Tranquillity

25 Apr 2011 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: ,

TranquillitySometimes the World of Tranquillity can be a true blessing, a lull after a period of intense work.

Sometimes it can be be like the dying notes of a moving piece of music, the echoes of the most magnificent firework display.

Maybe the biggest difference between the two is whether you wish for Tranquillity or not.

If you do wish for it, Tranquillity can be the most restful of time, if not it can be like the quiet of the grave, peaceful but not something which you might actively desire.

Buddhism And Life

22 Apr 2011 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: ,

BuddhaBuddhism does not ask “What religion does this person follow?” but “What is this person’s state of life?”

Buddhism exists to enable all people to cultivate and manifest the world of Buddhahood in their lives.

Society is a realm of discrimination and distinctions, but Buddhism transcends all superficial differences and focuses directly on life.

Recharging The Batteries

21 Apr 2011 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

Recharging The BatteriesI was musing today, about the fact that there are no Buddhist bank holidays in the UK. I’m not sure if they have banks in Tibet, but I’m sure if they do, that they have Buddhist bank holidays.

Anyway, with luck, we all have a short respite from work, a time to chant, take stock and to recharge our physical and spiritual batteries.

They have promised us nice weather, so it will probably rain, but even so, we’re at the seaside and because we’re British, we’ll jolly well enjoy ourselves, come rain or shine.

Have a nice break everyone.

What Is Joy?

16 Apr 2011 1 Comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: ,

The Mystic LawWhat is true joy in life?

This is a difficult question – and one that has occupied a great many thinkers and philosophers.

Joy can quickly give way to suffering. Joy is short and suffering long.

Also what passes for joy in society is superficial. It cannot compare with the joy derived from the Mystic Law.

The key then lies in cultivating a state of mind where we can declare without reservation that life is a joy.

This is the purpose of our Buddhist Practice.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.

Ripples Around The World

24 Mar 2011 2 Comments

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

Ripples Around The WorldOne of the principles of Nichiren Buddhism is that of the Oneness of Self and the Environment.

If you drop a pebble, no matter how small, into a pond, the ripples spread out in all directions and interact with everything in their path.

This principle states that there is a connection between the person and others around him or her. It is therefore clear that changes in our life-state, the way we relate or react to others and changes due to our Practice will affect those whose lives we interact with.

Some of these affects are very obvious. If we walk around with a happy demeanour, we find that people are more likely to be pleasant towards us. If, on the other hand, we walk around in a bad mood, with a scowl on our face, we find that people are less friendly and may try to avoid us completely.

Ok, so no rocket science there then, but there are more subtle ways in which changes can be felt. In my own case, my Practice has allowed me to stabilise my life-state, generally I am now more often in higher Worlds (see The Ten Worlds) than lower ones. The result of that is that I am better placed to create value, for myself and those around me.

Let me take the example of my daughter Charlotte’s current condition. My Practice has allowed me to remain calm and positive, when twelve months ago, I may have let my emotions get the better of me. I am completely certain that this has been of much more use to Charlotte and probably for the rest of the family too.

I think it is also important to be aware that the ripples, whilst being generally well accepted, can also rock the boat in some circumstances. I read Joey’s comment with great interest and compassion, when he said that although his partner had seen positive changes in his attitude and demeanour, other members of his family are less happy with his practice.

My Practice is changing me and those changes are affecting others. That’s why it is so important for me to ensure that as these changes take place, my Wisdom, Courage and Compassion increases too, so I can make sure the changes are all good ones.

The Wonderful World Of Woollard

13 Mar 2011 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

The Reluctant BuddhistAs I mentioned yesterday, I’ve been re-reading and listening to William Woollard’s book The Reluctant Buddhist. It’s a fantastic account of William’s journey from Buddhist sceptic to devout Nichiren Buddhist practitioner.

His second book, Buddhism And The Science Of Happiness is, in my opinion, is an even better read. More scientific, to which I can relate, it shows how modern science is converging towards the Buddhist principles of eternal change and energy, all the time.

Sometimes tasks are a bit of a labour of love. So it was with the process of organising the chapters from William’s books from Jason Jarrett’s podcasts. I worked on the mp3 files for hours, arranging them into a structure that allows me to store them on my mobile phone and play them back through my car stereo on my way to and from work.

Buddhism and the Science of HappinessI find that listening to books on the drive to work, coupled with my morning chanting, puts me in a higher life-state, and helps me apply Buddhist principles to my working day. The same applies to the drive home, the World of learning again raises my life-state and means that I am in one of the higher Ten Worlds for the rest of the day. I find the higher the World I am in, the happier I am.

Given that the main reason I practice Nichiren Buddhism is to make me a happier person, I find that this way I can virtually guarantee that I am happy for most of the day, seven day a week.

So you can just imagine what a happy chappie I am today, almost 48hrs of the Wonderful World of Woollard has been fantastic. Thank you William, please keep the inspiration coming. I would also like to extend my thanks to Jason Jarrett for working with William to bring William’s books to the whole world, through his amazing podcasts.

World Book Night

04 Mar 2011 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

World Book Night on the BBCTomorrow is World Book Night, and as you would imagine, it is devoted to books.

It’s a fantastic idea, giving away books to get people reading, but I think there are a few missing from the list.

Obviously, The Buddha, Geoff and Me should be top of the list, closely followed by The Reluctant Buddhist and Buddhism and the Science of Happiness. I know I’m biased, I tend to read books to learn rather than for entertainment, though I admit I did read the entire series of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy in a week, whilst commuting to and from London.

The nice thing about World Book Night is that it is a fine example of the World of Bodhisattva. As there is no such thing as altruism in Buddhism, Bodhisattva is the nearest equivalent. Doing good for others results in the accumulation of good Karma, so it’s not strictly altruistic.

Reading is a great way of learning, either in paper form, or via one of the ever improving handheld readers. Learning about Nichiren Buddhism has  changed my life, I would be really pleased if you would give it a go too.

Here is what it’s all about (from worldbooknight.org)

About World Book Night

World Book Night represents the most ambitious and far-reaching celebration of adult books and reading ever attempted in the UK and Ireland.

On Saturday, 5 March 2011, two days after World Book Day, with the full support of the Publishers Association, the Booksellers Association, the Independent Publishers Guild, the Reading Agency with libraries, World Book Day, the BBC and RTE, one million books will be given away by an army of passionate readers to members of the public across the UK and Ireland.

The book give-away will comprise 40,000 copies of each of the 25 carefully selected titles, to be given away by 20,000 ‘givers’, who will each distribute 48 copies of their chosen title to whomever they choose on World Book Night. The remaining books will be distributed by World Book Night itself in places that might otherwise be difficult to reach, such as prisons and hospitals.

The twenty-five titles were selected by a wide-ranging editorial committee, chaired by James Naughtie.

See the 25 World Book Night titles here

Enjoy the evening.

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