Tranquillity

14 Aug 2011 1 Comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , ,

TranquilityToday could not have been more different from yesterday. Other than by phone, I have had no contact with a single person, a day of pure tranquillity. There would have been a time when I would have been lonely, feel isolated and unhappy, but those days are long gone.

Every day starts with Gongyo and that sets me up for the rest of the day. Chanting clears my mind and boosts my life-energy and having Buddhism as the centre of my life puts everything into perspective. I would like to share the tranquillity I now feel with others, it is a very powerful feeling, and something that would benefit anyone.

Yesterday was a wonderful, if rather tiring day, today has been equally wonderful, restful and contemplative. Some people may feel that having days where, outwardly, you do nothing, is a little boring, sad even. But having time to yourself is a luxury, one for which many folks would give a great deal.

So now I’m rested, relaxed, and all ready to face the trials and tribulations of the coming week. I am off to London for meetings one day midweek and I’m also looking forward to having my broadband connection restored this week too. So a day very, very well spent.

Change Takes Time

10 Jun 2011 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: ,

TimeFollowing my little episode over the last week, I have been trying to continue to work and keep my life running along as normal. That, it appears, was a mistake.

Even though the temptation is to ignore symptoms and signs of tiredness, eventually your body calls time and forces you to take a rest.

Last night, for the first time in over a week, I slept right through the night. No pains, no disturbance, a full night’s sleep, wonderful. So waking this morning I felt (comparatively) fantastic.

I was in the office nice and early, rearing to get on with the backlog that had built up over the week. And I made good progress, I finally cleared my inbox, answered all the queries and made all the required changes to pages or accounts or whatever.

It was a really productive day, we nailed a number of outstanding issues and I left feeling I had put in a really good shift.

The drive home on a Friday is never the most fun, particularly now the roads are full of tourists. One of the downsides to living in Dorset I guess. So by the time I had got into the apartment, having had a soaking from a particularly heavy shower, I decided to take a little nap.

Four hours later I woke, feeling greatly refreshed, but determined from now on, to listen to my body better and not dismiss these feelings of lethargy, the World of Tranquillity, but to give my poor old frame the chance to recover.

Nice to have the chance I suppose, there must be millions of people who go through life, overworked, ill or in poor circumstances, who never get an opportunity to really let their bodies and minds heal themselves.

Happy Birthday Dad

30 May 2011 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

My DadToday would have been my Dad’s 85th birthday.

This photograph of him hangs on the wall next to my desk at home, and I look at it often and remember him with great fondness and love.

He wasn’t a religious man, only going to church for weddings and the like, though he always supported my Mom in her church activities.

As a boy, I remember him as always being at work. Back then, it was quite common for people to work on Saturdays too, and as a printer, he was always busy.

My Mom was definitely his Honzon. If ever she went away for the day, she would leave him a packed lunch, an apple cut into quarters and maybe a cheese sandwich, just to make sure he ate something. He was a bit lost whenever she wasn’t around.

His one big love in life, apart from his family, was printing. Our house was always full of books and paper and print samples, and if he was ever given a book as a present, he was far more interested in who had printed it than what it was about.

In later years, he had a passion for free pistol shooting, he kept meticulous sets of figures of his scores, and used to compile the tables of scores for the club to which he belonged. He was very angry when the Government brought in stricter gun laws, and he was unable to keep his much cherished guns. He always felt that they were punishing the innocent, for the sins of the guilty.

Sadly he spent the last couple of years of his life in the World of Tranquillity. He had a heart condition that meant he didn’t have the life-energy to get out and do very much. He still read quite a lot and watched sport on TV, but he slept a lot more.

You were a great Dad, and, in your own quiet way, a great man. You were Wise, Courageous and Compassionate in so many ways, though maybe I didn’t always appreciate it at the time. I pray for you every morning and evening during Gongyo, and although I know you are back here with us somewhere, I miss you a great deal.

Happy Birthday Dad.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

A Day Of Learning And Tranquillity

21 May 2011 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

Just PerfectWhat a glorious day it turned out to be. Beautiful sunshine, a cooling breeze, just perfect for a nice bit of learning and a spot of sunbathing.

So often lately it has been glorious all week and disappointing at the weekend, but not today.

I’ve spent the majority of the the day out on the balcony, reading Pat Allwright’s ‘Basics Of Buddhism’. Much of it reiterates what I already know, but it never hurts to go back over the basics. So much wisdom packed into such a little book.

To quote the opening page,

“If you wish to free yourself from the sufferings of birth and death you have endured through eternity and attain supreme enlightenment in this lifetime, you must awaken to the mystic truth which has always been within your life” -Nichiren Daishonin

It is quite a powerful statement with which to start a book, but as I know to my own benefit, the teachings within are just that powerful and could be the basis for a happier and more enlightened life for all of us.

We are, I believe, all Buddhists at heart, that is why, as Allwright says,

“People who hear about it [Buddhism] for the first time often remark ‘I always thought that anyway’. This is because ultimately, we all know the Universal Truths, but have become separated from them. The adventure into the inner self is an endless journey of discovery, insight and joy.”

I could not agree more.

Make Causes, See Effects

08 May 2011 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

Kosen-RufuFollowing Ken’s insightful comment, I can see that although I was talking about morals, all life is about cause and effect.

So rather than drifting into the World of Tranquillity again, I have been making causes and am already starting to see effects.

I have been working on the topic for our discussion group, Transforming Society Through a Vision of Dynamic Peace. It has allowed me to read some very powerful ideas from Sensei and other thinkers and that study has had the effect of raising my life-state and that has taken me into the World of Learning.

One of the most powerful lessons has been that the only way to overcome Tranquillity is to push myself towards resolving an achievable goal. Another lesson, is that the cause of Kosen-Rufu requires constant effort and striving, to set the goal firmly in my heart, and to compose an understandable message to the rest of the world.

Tranquillity II

04 May 2011 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: ,

Peace and QuietHaving spent several hours mulling over what I should write for my input into my works appraisal over the weekend, then wondering what feedback I would receive from my manager at the meeting today, I was pleased, not to say a little relieved, when the majority of it was positive.

Who of us hasn’t worried, just a little, about how others see our efforts? We all thrive on a little praise and the feeling of being appreciated, so it is pleasing when it comes, particularly when it is a little unexpected.

I hope that most people find me quite grounded, fairly rational, even a bit laid back. I have found that since I started practicing Nichiren Buddhism, that I am able to see the bigger picture and not react to the the immediate situation.

But that could be seen as having a predominant life-state of Tranquillity, and that is part good, part bad.

Tranquillity, also called Humanity, as seen as one of the lower of the Ten Worlds, has two sides. On the one hand it can be described as being at peace, in control of ones desires, with an ability to act rationally and with humanity. On the other, it is the World of inactivity, lethargy and inertia. Failing to tackle issues, thus leading to decline and neglect.

So, whilst I have had a metaphorical pat on the back, I must be aware that my Tranquillity has to be tempered by, or combined with, the resolution to be determined to push ahead with my goals, to confront my tendency to ‘put things off till tomorrow’ and to strive with all my being to reach the higher Worlds through rigorous Practice.

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.

Sore Feet And A Touch Of Sunburn

23 Apr 2011 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags:

Sea Cadet Training ShipWhat another glorious day, sunshine from dawn to dusk and a full and tiring time.

The walk into Poole, via Hamworthy Park, is short enough to be an achievable quest, and long enough to let your legs tell you when you are successful.

It made a very pleasant change from sitting in front of a PC for hour after hour, and it is the contrasts in life that make life worthwhile.

So the sun, sea and a little of the World of Tranquillity have done the world of good, and those batteries are charging nicely.

The End Of The Weekend

28 Nov 2010 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: ,

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.

It’s just a simple example of the unending passage of time, something we take so much for granted we often fail to remember how important it is. Because, although we have all the time in world through the process of reincarnation, to waste a single second it is to lack Wisdom.

If there is something you have been meaning to do, someone you intended to phone, but keep putting it off for any reason you can lay your hands on, you might have found the world of Tranquillity.

It’s maybe not the worst of the Lower Worlds (Hell, Hunger, Animality, Anger, Tranquillity, Heaven) but can mean that you lack the life-energy to drive you get things done.

Get chanting, raise your life-energy and hence your life-state, after all, the weekend is over for another week.

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