Cheer The Folks Up !!!

14 Mar 2014 3 Comments

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , ,

Be Their Sunshine

Life is full of ups and downs, as we all know.

Little things can make friends and family members unhappy or even depressed, so make it your job to make them feel better.

There are so many people, so many lives on this planet, too numerous, in fact, to count.

From this great multitude, we wondrously find ourselves together with those in our families, as parents and children, as brothers and sisters, as husbands and wives.

If we do not live joyfully and cheerfully with whom we share this profound bond, what is life for?

Should the atmosphere at home be sombre, you can be the ‘sunshine’. By being a shining presence, you can cast the light of hope on your mother, father, children and indeed the whole family.

Well, If You Will Ask …

12 Mar 2014 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

Qs and AsI learned a really important lesson today, one which at my age, you might expect I had already learned. When you ask someone a question, you must be prepared to receive an answer, and not necessarily the answer you were expecting.

Without going into any detail, I asked a light hearted question of someone this evening, and already had the answer ready in my own head. To my huge surprise, I actually got a completely different response to the one I expected and it really threw me.

After further discussion, and not a little self reflection, the mini wobble was stabilised, but it did teach me a good lesson as I said. That is, to never ask a question of someone unless you are truly prepared to deal with the answer.

Just Look Around You

11 Mar 2014 1 Comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

Just Look Around YouWe all appear to have an inbuilt ability to feel sorry for ourselves. Sometimes it seems we have problem after problem, and think the world is against us. But we can all take a step back and look at our situation compared to others, and the chances are that there are millions of people in much worse circumstances.

In Buddhist terms, the effects in our lives are the result of causes we make along our way, it’s called Karma. Whilst it is difficult sometimes, to reconcile ourselves with the fact that we have, in some way caused our own problems, it is important to remember that we are not being punished.

So when you have had enough of your troubles, and are ready to throw in the towel, just take time to look around and realise that there is always someone worse off somewhere. Be grateful for what you have, and concentrate on making causes for the effects you need to improve the situation. To do anything else is to lack wisdom, courage and compassion towards yourself, and that doesn’t help anyone, least of all you.

A More Enlightened Future

08 Mar 2014 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , ,

Sadness On The Path To HappinessI know that my Buddhist practice has changed the way I interact with everything and everyone in my own personal Universe.

The change is difficult to explain, and even more difficult to prove, over the relatively short term, to others within that Universe.

Those difficulties are still further compounded by the fact that no matter how radical the changes, nothing can change the past.

Like karma, my past was formed from the past causes I made. What I can do, is to try to make better causes now, and in the future. What I can not do, is influence the past.

That limitation is, I have to say, a very real sadness on this journey towards a happier and more enlightened future. However, the changes I am making now, appear to be creating a better and brighter future for everyone.

Localised Disturbance

04 Mar 2014 1 Comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , ,

RipplesWhen we start changing things through our practice, our life-state, our life-energy, we must expect to encounter a reaction.

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction and these can be rather unexpected in nature.

So as we try to improve ourselves, we change the way we react with the world and sometimes the world, or more often the people within it, aren’t quite ready for that change and it can make for some rather uncomfortable situations.

The main thing to remember is, that if you change, your environment must change too. They fit each other perfectly, just like dropping a piece of putty into water. No matter what shape you make the piece of putty, the water will always adapt to fit around it, it has no choice, it is a law of nature.

Even though the ride might get a little bumpy at times, you should see those reactions as confirmation that the changes you are working towards are really happening, and you should remain resolute in working towards your goals.

Just remember to add a little wisdom, courage and compassion into the mix too, that always helps to smooth the ripples you are causing in your own little part of the universal pond.

One Hundred Years On … WWIII?

03 Mar 2014 4 Comments

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Kepp Calm and Support UkraineWith the media alive with recollections of the onset of The Great War in 1914, it is ironic that one hundred years later, Russia has taken control of The Crimea, and Western leaders are warning of dire consequences, should they fail to heed calls to withdraw.

Although reports of the military action are reporting that the local people welcome the move, and that no shots have yet been fired, it would appear, from outside Ukraine at least, that Russia is invading a sovereign country.

With the possibility of dire consequences, if Russian and the West resort to military conflict instead of political dialogue, one can only hope for calm heads in both camps to prevail. William Hague has already called the situation ‘Europe’s biggest crisis of the century‘.

With northern Ukraine seeking to form closer ties to the European Union whilst the southern Crimea region remains firmly allied to it’s former Soviet overlord, there would appear to be a strong possibility of civil war, should a political solution not be found.

A military conflict cannot be the way forward for either parties. But as Putin flexes his muscles, and takes control of the area surrounding their Black Sea bases, it is left up to the G7 leaders and President Obama to show wisdom and rational thinking in the weeks ahead.

20-20 Vision?

02 Mar 2014 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

As one of my recent posts said, having the wisdom and courage to make a difficult decision is to be admired and saluted. Even though that decision might be painful, if it is made for the right reasons, it should never be regretted.

At times, we follow the same path as others for many years, sometimes our paths cross very briefly. Either way, the outcome can be beneficial for both parties and have deep and far reaching results.

Karma works in ways we sometimes do not understand.

So do not regret those decisions that might have left you in a slightly unsettled situation. Think rather about what the outcome may have been had you not used your wisdom, courage and compassion, at that time, and remember that hindsight is always 20-20 vision.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could run our lives through a ‘what if’ machine, where we could input every situation and foresee the outcome of each and every decision. Would we always make the right decision, given that circumstances change over time? I somehow doubt it.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

The Turning Point

01 Mar 2014 2 Comments

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , , ,

Mirror, Mirror On The WallSelf awareness, the realisation of who, or what you really are, comes to some people with age, but for me, it came at a point in life where I was at my all time low. Seeing my true reflection in the mirror was a long and painful process, there’s no joy in realising that you are someone you don’t really like, but it lead me to the turning point that has allowed me to change for the better.

It is said ‘that we hate in others, what we refuse to see in ourselves’ and I suddenly understood what that meant. Things that annoy us about other people, are sometimes the very things in us that annoy others. Being honest enough with ourselves, to admit our failings or less attractive traits, can be the start of a process of self improvement.

In Nichiren Buddhism we refer to that process as Human Revolution, the nurturing and growth of self improvement through the acquisition of wisdom, courage and compassion. It is achieved, over time, through a determined adherence to our practice and continued learning.

So next time, before you go criticising others, take a long, hard and honest look in that mirror, and have the courage to see the faults you are so desperate to hide from yourself. It will be a painful process, but you will emerge on the other side, like a butterfly emerging from the chrysalis, a better and more beautiful being for doing it.

Social Values

26 Feb 2014 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , ,

ShameEvery day, online, in the press, on radio and TV, we hear reports of people in positions of power or authority, abusing those positions in order to gain yet more wealth or power. It is said that power corrupts, and that absolute power corrupts absolutely. It seems, with the ever growing gap between rich and poor, that responsibility and being held to account, are fast fading traits from a bygone age.

As Daisaku Ikeda says, “We must establish the correct standard of value upon the foundation of the dignity of life. Leaders of society, including politicians and schoolteachers, should teach children the distinction between good and evil and lead society in the direction of goodness. Today, however, the higher the status that people achieve, the more wrongdoings they tend to commit. Those in high status think only of their selfish interests while exploiting ordinary people. The “me first” attitude prevails. Looking at those adults, children cannot possibly grow upright. Such social trends, in a sense, are destroying our children. Adults must first reflect on their own way of life. Without self-reflection, adults are not qualified to scold children.”

History shows us, that given sufficient provocation, citizens who feel a total lack of power or hope for their future, will take matters into their own hands, often with catastrophic consequences. Remember the French and Russian revolutions, bloody events where the citizens of the country took back control.

How long will it be before we begin to see, that our leaders, and those with wealth and power, have started to heed the lessons of history, and are using wisdom, courage and compassion to reverse the ugly trend towards increasing greed, selfishness and elitism?

Just Wishing

24 Feb 2014 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , ,

Be Careful What You Wish ForSo many of us wish for things we would like, or wish to be things we aren’t. Short people wish they were taller, plump people wish they were thin, people with straight hair wish it was curly, people with curly hair wish it was straight.

Of course we are all ‘trained’ to want things from an early age, it’s a product of the consumerist society, and we are all urged to be dissatisfied with what we have, in favour of what the ad men can tempt us into buying.

But surely this way of going about things is a recipe for a certain degree of unhappiness. There are bound to be things we cannot have, maybe because it’s a physical impossibility, being taller when you are short, curly haired when your own is straight. So maybe there is a better way to look at things.

How about concentrating on the good aspects of our lives? You only have to take a few moments to think about it, and you will find that there are dozens, if not hundreds of things you are happy to have.

Maybe it’s your partner, family and friends. Maybe it’s good health, a decent job or even just having enough. So rather than thinking about the things you would like to have, take time to celebrate the things you already have, that are so precious to you, and things you would not like to live without.

And remember, you should always be careful about what you wish for. As a wise man once said, ‘Don’t wish for the stars, after all, where would you keep them all?’

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