There Are Two Paths Out of Suffering.

There are two paths out of suffering.

The first is ownership and transformation, the second is defeat and regret.

Neither path is right or wrong, each depends on your own unique situation and life state.

Whatever cards life has dealt you, we must stand and fight.
And through that suffering and pain, a beautiful lotus flower will blossom.

You are the flower, and the mud is your suffering.

No matter how dark the night the dawn will always come.

We must battle with everything within us that holds back the potential for the beauty to blossom within this life.

All human beings are born with infinite potential, however seldom is that potential realised.

Forgiveness is our most powerful tool and the antidote to even the greatest of poisons. These poisons act like a cancer on our spirit crushing us from the inside out. Like a black hole pulling all the light from our lives to it's centre.

Each of us has the capacity to offer unconditional love, and with this capacity we can transcend even the greatest of all suffering.

What has been done, can not be undone, but we have the power within us to turn poison in to medicine and realise our potential as beings of light and love.

You are a gift to this universe and no matter how dark the sky gets, remember there is so much love in this world.

--

For all my friends and family who have experienced physical or emotional abuse in this life.

You are loved.

Robbie x

What is the purpose of our lives?

Listen to me, please.
You're like me, a homo sapiens,
a wise human.

Life,
a miracle in the universe, appeared around 4 billion years ago.
And we humans only 200,000 years ago.

Yet we have succeeded in disrupting the balance so essential to life.

Today, your life, our life,
is just a link in a chain of innumerable living beings that have succeeded one another on Earth over nearly 4 billion years.

This is all we have. A tiny little blue sphere, floating like a feather on the wind. Alone, in the vastness of space.

Everyone, and everything that we have ever known. Existed here.
7.4 billion of us all alive
today.

We are seemingly lost in a sea of a trillion stars, in a not so special galaxy. In a not so special quadrant of a not so special section of the universe.

Who are you? Why are you here? What are we doing?
What is the point to all this? What is your reason for being alive?
Think about it. If you never think about it, you should.


The Earth is HOME to Earthlings. That is you, me and every other form of life.
In comparison to the Universe, we are a tiny tiny spec, so small, seemingly so insignificant.
Yet each of our lives are filled with wonder and infinite potential. We are each a wonder of the Universe, a living entity. Our lives beautiful microcosms reflecting the macrocosm.


But what are we doing with these lives?
Wasting them? On hatred, judgment or fear?
Or are we building wondrous worlds within worlds?

Are we living our dreams and lifting others from their nightmares?

Human beings are capable of so much more.
More than war, than poverty, than endless suffering.

We have the tools to solve all these problems.
Today. 

Now.

When are we going to become what we were meant to be?
Creators, and not destroyers.

We have the potential to create new worlds, to travel the stars and be incredible beings of light and not darkness.

Honour the light that you were born with.

Awaken to who you were born to be.

A remarkable and wondrous expression of life and this incredible Universe.

#life #death #earth #humanity #change #transformation #human #lifeanddeath #environmetnalism #veganism #vegan #compassion #protection

This writing was inspired in part by the film HOME. We must protect this world, it is all we have. Once it is all gone it is gone. Forever.

Why did Nichiren start chanting Nam myoho renge kyo?

In all the years I have practiced, I have yet to find an honest and direct reason for why Nichiren Daishonin chose 'nam myoho renge kyo' as the mantra for his spiritual practice.

Nichiren believed that by chanting nam(u) myoho renge kyo - to Devote my life to the wonderful lotus flower sutra, that we would invoke all the wisdom from within it, it's intent.

In the letter On the Four Stages of Faith, he states "The profound meaning indicates the heart of the text, and the heart of the text encompasses the whole of the theoretical and essential teachings.” And Miao-lo writes, “On the basis of the heart of the text of the Lotus Sutra, one can evaluate all the other various teachings of the Buddha."

He goes on to say: 

"Though muddy water has no mind, it can catch the moon’s reflection and so naturally becomes clear. When plants and trees receive the rainfall, they can hardly be aware of what they are doing, and yet do they not proceed to put forth blossoms? The five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo do not represent the sutra text, nor are they its meaning. They are nothing other than the intent of the entire sutra. So, even though the beginners in Buddhist practice may not understand their significance, by practicing these five characters, they will naturally conform to the sutra’s intent."

So specifically it is ALL about intent, as he very clearly states above the words do not represent the sutra text, nor its meaning. What we are doing when we chant is making a declaration of intent based on the entire sutra and what it stands for.

Specifically it was his belief that through chanting and having faith in nam(u) myoho renge kyo, we can activate the wisdom of the entire Lotus Sutra simply by chanting its title.

It has always confused me, because if I chanted Wikipedia, Wikipedia, Wikipedia am I really invoking all the wisdom within Wikipedia. But I do not think this is what he means.

So as you can see in the final paragraph he specifically states "The five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo do not represent the sutra text, nor are they its meaning." and then "They are nothing other than the intent of the entire sutra. "

All this aside I do believe Nichiren was potentially listening to a deep intuition, from his many years of meditation. Others have chanted nam(u) myoho renge kyo before Nichiren did, but he was the first to base an entire spiritual practice around this specific mantra.

In the letter; "The Blessings of the Lotus Sutra" there is a clue as to what he felt when he first began to chant. The words chosen are quite interesting as many who have begun practicing this form of Buddhism likely feel the same, they chant as if in a dream not knowing what they were doing, if it was right or wrong or if it mattered.

Read of the passage below and then follow the link to study the letter in depth.

--
"I, Nichiren, am not the founder of any school, nor am I a latter-day follower of any older school. I am a priest without precepts, neither keeping the precepts nor breaking them. I am an ordinary creature like an ox or a sheep, who is neither particularly wise nor ignorant.

Why did I first begin to chant as I do? Bodhisattva Superior Practices is the one destined to make his advent in this world to propagate the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo. But before he had even appeared, I began, as though speaking in a dream, hardly aware of what I was doing, to utter the words Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, and so I chant them now.

In the end, is this a good thing I do, or a bad thing? I do not know, nor can anyone else tell for certain."
You can read the rest of the letter here.
--


How did you feel when you first started chanting this mantra? Tell me in the comments below.

How do we change this world?

Being a Buddhist is a way of being, it is an attitude. It is a way of processing and making sense of this mad crazy saha world.

Reciting a mantra, reading the gosho (the religious writings of Nichiren Buddhism) and parroting the words of other people does not make you a Buddhist.

Buddhism stands for non-violence, for compassion for kindness and forgiveness.
Courage, compassion and wisdom are the only ways we can transform all the hatred, violence and anger in this world. There is no other way.

Buddhism is about shining a light so bright that the darkness has no place to hide.

Hatred, Anger, violence may be part of the picture, they may exists within us, but if we allow ourselves to be consumed by these emotions, we become just as bad as the ones who have wronged us.

We can not be demanding peace in this world if we have hatred and revenge within our hearts.

Robbie Lockie December 2015

-

Thank you Adam for reminding me about what I stand for.

Consistency is key.

If you want real results from this practice its important you put your self in to it 100%.
40% effort will result in 40% results.

Consistency is key.

If you can only chant 10 minutes each morning and night, try to stick to that. (Obviously family life and work can sometimes get in the way, but try to chant at least that much each day, even if you can not sit down in front of the Gohonzon or your place of practice.)

Effective Nichiren Buddhist practice is; Faith, Study and practice. Daily.

But how can we have faith in something we have never done before?

Buddhism does not ask you to believe in anything out side of your self, it asks you to believe in you, in your own infinite potential.

With regular practice you will begin to see how much value you bring to this world, who ever and where ever you are.

People say chanting even just one daimoku is effective, but I do not agree. That said; I think some daimoku is better then no daimoku.

But in my opinion it takes a while to develop strong faith and this can only happen with regular study of the Gosho (http://www.nichirenlibrary.org) and other Buddhist concepts, as well as strong daimoku daily. (http://www.sgi.org/buddhism/buddhist-concepts/)

Just chanting alone is not enough, it is important you grasp the concepts of Buddhism so you can effectively make changes in your life and see the benefit.

Nichiren Buddhism is a three pronged attack: FAITH, STUDY & PRACTICE. If one is missing there is no Buddhism.

As the saying goes, you can not become rich by watching your neighbour counting their gold.
You must fully engage with the practice and seek ‪#‎actualproof‬

So if you have just started and you have your doubts, TEST IT.

Put your self in 100% for 1 month, really challenge your self.

You really have nothing to loose.

Where is the Gohonzon?

Where is faith? 

信仰

Never seek this Gohonzon outside yourself. The Gohonzon exists only within the mortal flesh of us ordinary people who embrace the Lotus Sutra and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. The body is the palace of the ninth consciousness, the unchanging reality that reigns over all of life’s functions.

To be endowed with the Ten Worlds means that all ten, without a single exception, exist in one world. Because of this it is called a mandala. Mandala is a Sanskrit word that is translated as “perfectly endowed” or “a cluster of blessings.”

This Gohonzon also is found only in the two characters for faith. This is what the sutra means when it states that one can “gain entrance through faith alone.”

Source: http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/101

The Dai-Gohonzon, SGI & cutting you off from your own Buddhahood.

Kaidan of the Dai Gohonzon, at Taiseki-ji, early 20th century

When the priesthood excommunicated SGI from the temple, they in effect believed they were cutting us off from the mystic law and our ability to manifest Buddhahood without the Dai-Gohonzon.

I have recently learnt that the priesthood believe that without the Dai-Gohonzon we are not able to manifest Buddha-hood on our own.

The idea that you can cut someone else off from the mystic law and in-turn their own Buddhahood is like one fish saying to another fish, "I am going to ban you from existing in this water we both live in"

Utterly ridiculous.

Harsh words, but this is nothing more then a system of control, being used to maintain a level of status in a society that has existed on the shoulders of conformity and formality and shourded in ritual and superstition for a thousand years.

There is a saying in Japan "The nail that sticks up, must be hammered down".

Divergence (a process in which a person swims against the tide) is has never been socially accepted. Free thought has been discouraged and frowned upon, through out human history

It is feared by those with the "keys to power." When people think for themselves they can not be manipulated and controlled.

The mystic law, or universal law exists within all things; plant, animal and mineral.

Without exception.

It is not something you can simple remove, or cut off.

No human being alive has the power to stand in the way, between  you and your own Buddhahood.

The only person that stands in the way of your own Buddhahood, is you.

Nam myoho renge kyo - I devote my life to the wonderful law of cause and effect, but aligning my life for the greater good and working tirelessly in every way I know how to bring transformation to my self and all of those around me.

Nam myoho renge kyo
Nam myoho renge kyo
Nam myoho renge kyo

Robbie

The trouble with listening to other people and doing what your told...

Here in the UK I keep getting members say to me. "your activism, your environmentalism, your veganism, your desire to change things, your desire to help the refugees, do that on an individual level, the SGI only exists to teach people how to practice Nichiren Buddhism. We do not do things like that as an organisation, they are too polarising."

But I think this is wrong and I will demonstrate why, by sharing with you a list, of SGI initiatives that have happend with SGI members acting as a collective to help others:

The Peoples Decade - Setup by Daisaku Ikeda as a platform for people to speak out against Nuclear Weapons (http://www.peoplesdecade.org/)

The Amazon Ecological Conservation Center - Setup to educate and inspire people in the area about the importance of conservation (http://www.sgiquarterly.org/news2011Apr-3.html)

Soka Universities across the world, educational institutions founded on the principles of Nichiren's Buddhism. Places of value creation. (http://www.soka.edu/)

2013 Supporting The Robert Levy Foundation - A foundation setup in North London to support youth, after the young Robert Levy was stabbed to death in the streets in North London, SGI members gathered to support the event. (http://www.robertlevyfoundation.org/)

The Human Revolution Orchestra - A collection of SGI members representing SGI on world Peace day at the international Jazz Festival in London 2014/2015 (http://www.humanrevolutionorchestra.co.uk/)

Victory Over Violence - The Soka Gakkai youth of America created this campaign in 1999 as a way to help identify and root out violence in thei own lives and their community as a wey to support the United Nations "Culture of Peace" Initiative. (http://www.vov.com/)

Soka Gakkai Malaysia - On January 1, in response to the major floods that hit the East coast of Malaysia from mid-December 2014, Soka Gakkai Malaysia (SGM) held special prayer meetings at 25 venues across the country. The floods, described as the worst the area has seen in 30 years, rendered more than 100,000 people homeless, as well as causing power outages and shortages of food and water.

SGI Nepal - Together as an organisation members worked together In response to the April 25 and May 12 earthquakes in Nepal, SGI-Nepal members have been carrying out relief activities both in the capital city of Kathmandu and surrounding areas.

On June 25, SGI and ACT Alliance co-organized a side event titled "The Role of Faith Based Organizations in Disaster Resilience" at the 6th Asian Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) held from June 22-26 in Bangkok, Thailand. AMCDRR was organized by the Royal Thai Government and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR).

I could go on and on the list is endless...

These big issues matter, they matter to me, and they matter to the future of this planet, and the future of our children and our children children.

We are the society for creating value, a global movement of peace, education and culture.

We are not just another religious organisation.

Only if we ACT together can we transform this world.

As Victor Hugo once said "Nothing is stronger than an idea whose time has come."

And that time is now.

Do not let anyone tell you, especially a leader that you CAN NOT do something that you KNOW in your heart will help other people, and transform this world.

There are members out there who will join forces with you to make the change you want to see.

The trouble with the world today is people are afraid, afraid to act, afraid to speak out, afraid to take ACTION.

It's time to take action...

Robbie x

Consume less. Love more.

CONSUME LESS.

TAKE LESS.

GIVE MORE.

LOVE MORE.

What society needs is compassion & unity.

What our society today needs more than anything is the spirit of empathy—the ability to put ourselves in the shoes of those who are facing hardship and suffering, to understand and share what they are going through. When the spirit of compassion becomes the bedrock of society, and is embodied by society’s leaders, the future will be bright with hope.
- Daisaku Ikeda

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Atelier Design Studio, Swellendam.
- http://www.atelier.co.za
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