Inspiring Blog Award

Thank you to Vanessa Gobes at Bringing Up Buddhas for awarding me with this.

Please visit her page  http://bringingupbuddhas.com/, This is fanastic page where Vanessa writes about life and bringing up children as Buddhists.

These are the requests of award recipients:

1. Display the award logo on your blog.
2. Link back to the person who nominated you.
3. Nominate a few other bloggers for this award and link to them.
4. Notify those bloggers of the nomination and the award’s requirements.

1.  Vanessa Gobes - http://bringingupbuddhas.com/ This is a space where buddhist and peace-seeking parents can connect with and learn with each other.

2. Davey Wavey - http://www.breaktheillusion.com/ Davey Wavey is a YouTube personality with more than 100 million video views in more than 160 countries around the world. Using his platform to spread a message of love, acceptance and the occasional penis joke, Davey has become one of the leading online voices for the gay and lesbian community. Famous for his authentic and often irreverent approach, some of Davey’s 600+ videos include What Gay Guys Think About Vaginas, Straight Guy Sexy Underwear Crisis, Coming Out to Siri and Naked in New York.

3. A Buddhist Podcast - http://abuddhistpodcast.com/ A blog about the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin. Jason and Karen Jarrett

4. Ralph Smart -  http://infinitewaters.net/about/ Ralph Smart is a Psychologist. Author. Counsellor. Life Coach. Relationship Guide. Alchemist. Researcher. Radio Host. Musician. Graphic Designer. Cinematographer. & Infinite Being.

5. Seleus Blelis - http://lotusflowersgi.blogspot.co.uk/ My SGI Lotus Flower Blog: Spreading the wonders and joy of Nichiren Buddhism through articles, experiences, art, music, film, comedy and pop culture. For beginners to long time members, I hope this blog serves you well. Like the Lotus Flower we can bloom right where we are.

6. Michael N http://ichinensanzen.ca/  is a project dedicated to an independent exploration of the philosophy and practice of Nichiren Buddhism.

Thanks again Vanessa!

Love and Gratitude
Robbie
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Modern Day Slavery by Lisa Kristine.

I am 150 feet down an illegal mineshaft in Ghana. The air is thick with dust and heat. The lack of oxygen makes it hard to breathe. The brush of sweaty bodies passing me in the darkness reveals the activity in the shaft. I can hear soft murmurs of miners talking, but mostly the shaft is a cacophony of men coughing and stone being broken with primitive tools.

do you believe you’re perfect?

Is perfection a Myth?

Self work (that’s Self with a capital “S”) is something that we all experience over the course of a lifetime.  This work begins with our very first breath, when we start figuring out how to survive on earth, how to use what we learn to create new experiences.  Some make choices that lead to hardship and struggle.  Others experience hardship and struggle that lead to better choices.

I’ve gone both ways – creating messes and surviving them.  And I’ve found that both ways of living are equally valuable.  I can especially see this now, after several years of active awakening.  Though I fail at tasks, though I say the wrong things, though I fall short in my domestic responsibilities and sometimes feel overwhelmed by emotion, I trust that my Self is perfection and I don’t feel embarrassed or egotistical for saying it.

Male or Female or Both, does it really matter?

Alice Dreger works with people at the edge of anatomy, such as conjoined twins and intersexed people. In her observation, it's often a fuzzy line between male and female, among other anatomical distinctions. Which brings up a huge question: Why do we let our anatomy determine our fate?

How Buddhism Saved my life

One of the first videos I ever watched. Which really inspired me to practice.

A young man talks about how practicing Buddhism changed his life, and saved him.

The Importance of Suffering

Suffering is sometimes part of our transformation. 

If you do not like something about your society, change it.

If you feel you have no courage to change it, embody what it is you wish to see in others. You really only have power if you are within the system. This is vital.

For most of us, it is easy to complain, to moan, about our struggles but what this does is denegate our Buddha-nature. We have to have a fighting spirit to stand tall and speak with conviction about our ideals.

I believe with all my heart and body that the mystic law is the secret to happiness for all humanity, the simply idea that you are 'it', is all you need. The daily practice of self realisation is the key to freeing your self and your community from the confines of fear.

Fear is what paralyses our society, it is the overriding force which holds back the progression of what we wish to become.

Sensi Ikeda often says "Prayer is battle" and those words couldn't be more true. Every-time we sit down and face the Gohonzon we are battling it out with the internal forces that exist to hold us back.

But naturally without them we would not be the people we are today, so they do serve a purpose. As awful as the negative forces in our lives can sometimes be, they have a function.

I remember a story from when I was a child about a man who saw a butterfly struggling to get out of its cocoon, he sat and watched at the butterfly struggled and squirm.

Overwhelmed with compassion for the poor insect he produced a blade and cut open the cocoon, to allow the butterfly to be free.

But instead of being free, it flopped to the ground and slowly dragged itself along on its tiny black legs, quivering in the wind.

What the young man did not realise is that the actual painful process of bursting through the chrysalis does for the butterfly is to force fluids in to the wings which gives it its incredible ability of flight.

Unbeknown to him, he had removed the butterflys struggle and it was unable to fly, it soon died.

This simply story illustrates the importance of struggle in our lives to purify our spirit in such a way that we live lives of real gratitude.

Every day I learn more and more about the importance of this gratitude to really see the benefit in every situation and try to transform negativity in to value.

I want to learn how to chant nam myoho renge kyo?

So you want to learn how to chant nam myoho renge kyo?

A short film created by the SGI a Buddhist Peace movement of which I am a member.

A great introduction video which simply explains what you need to do to learn how to chant nam myoho renge kyo,

Nichiren Said:

"It is the same with a Buddha and an ordinary being. When deluded, one is called an ordinary being, but when enlightened, one is called a Buddha. This is similar to a tarnished mirror that will shine like a jewel when polished. A mind now clouded by the illusions of the innate darkness of life is like a tarnished mirror, but when polished. it is sure to become like a clear mirror, reflecting the essential nature of phenomena and the true aspect of reality. Arouse deep faith, and diligently polish your mirror day and night. How should you polish it? Only by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo."

From http://www.sgilibrary.org/view.php?page=4&m=1

Holi

Holi from Variable on Vimeo.

The world is fascinating. People and cultures inspire us. Sadly, the fast paced lifestyles of our generation result in many not taking the necessary step back to soak in the existing world around us. Our goal with this film is to help viewers further appreciate and take notice of the beauty in life & culture that lies within our world...
...so the next time you notice something that strikes you as interesting, stop for a second, start powering on your camera, think about why it's unique, and snap the shot before you miss it. Life is extraordinary. Embrace it.

http://vimeo.com/40123818

Production Company: Variable
Creative: Variable
Post Production/Editorial: The Mill
Directors/Cinematographers: Jonathan Bregel & Khalid Mohtaseb @ Variable
Executive Producers: John Rule & Mike Sutton (@MNS1974)
Producer: Tyler Ginter @ Variable
Line Producer: Viraj Velinker
Phantom Tech: Nick Midwig
The Mill: New York City
Post Production Producers: Dee Allen & Alex Maxwell
Editor: Ryan McKenna
Colourist: Sal Malfitano
Original Score/Sound Design: Salomon Ligthelm - ligthelm.tv
Special thanks to the risk takers who helped make this job possible:
Rule Boston Camera - for trusting us with their Phantom Flex - Rule.com
Angenieux - for trusting us with their prototype glass - Angenieux.com
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