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

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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

Photo credit: 
Atelier Design Studio, Swellendam.
- http://www.atelier.co.za
- Atelier 028 514 1429

Tim Shieff shows mind blowing Power, Strength, Agility and Courage. 100% Plant Powered.

This is Tim Shieff, world champion Free Runner. #veganTim 'Livewire' Shieff Official. Tim is 100% plant powered and a true testament to the strength, power and agility that is possible on a plant based diet.

Find out more about how you can help stop the unnecessary suffering of animals for human pleasure at www.peta.org.uk

--

Every single thing in existence is worthy of supreme reverence. Nature is not something for human beings to exploit as they see fit, solely for their own interests. Both nature and humanity are part—and at the same time complete expressions—of the life of the universe. To destroy the natural world is to destroy human life.
Daisaku Ikeda 

First world problems? Do they really matter?

Many issues are nowadays dismissed as mere 'first world problems'. But the problems of the first world are deeply important and need to get addressed - as the whole planet will eventually have them. Please help us to make films by subscribing here: http://tinyurl.com/o28mut7

Brought to you by http://www.theschooloflife.com

Transforming our karma

Unless we understand our own karma, at least attempt to understand it, we are destined to repeat the same patterns over and over.

The definition of madness is repeating the same thing over and over expecting a different result. 

Our Buddhist practice gives us the opportunity to sit and introspect and make changes within us, which then becomes present within our lives.

This process seemingly simple is incredibly profound. 

Power in the present. Change in the future.

This is all we have.

Cultivating a happy brain. A story of compassion, gratitude and empathy.

What do you do to cultivate your happiness? As a Nichiren Buddhist, it is part of my daily practice to take responsibility for my own happiness.

But do you know that your brain and mind has the potential for this kind of happiness based on some key points.

Check out the video below and let me know what you think.

Against all the odds an experience by Ken Boggle

My story begins in a very small town, in rural South Eastern Kentucky. From an early age, it was obvious that I was different. At times, that difference made my life unbearable. Growing up is not easy for anyone. Growing up gay in a city with a population of less than 3,000 complicated every aspect of my life. Because of which, I remained in the closet for most of my youth.

At the age of eight, my parents divorced. Strangely, this was a welcomed decision. My biological father was verbally, mentally, and emotionally abusive to us all. Every Sunday he would force me to a Southern Baptist Church, where I was told I was an abomination and would burn forever in Hell. He was a negative and dangerous man, he still is.

Who are you? I watched this video and so much became clear.

We can spend our lives trying to be something, someone. We can waste so much energy attempting to develop this image of ourselves that isn't really who we are.

Who are you? Are you, you, or are you a collection of things other people want you to be, of whats expected of you?

This simple and short video, opens a doorway to questions we so seldom ask ourselves.

Who am I really?

If I let go of the fear, and control. Who is it that is left behind?

Don't accept the world as it is by Peter Tatchell

An interview with People of London




“Don’t accept the world as it is. Dream of what the world could be - and then help make it happen.”

 — Peter Tatchell 

Monument by Robyn

Make a space
For my body
Dead or whole
Push this side apart
This is what I'm controlling
It's a mold, the inside that I cart

Are you awake?

Video compilation by By Tim Shieff

I'm just a person shuffling through life, I am not really any different from when I was a little kid.

All I wanted really was, that I didnt want that feeling in my stomach that people are being, treated badly. I don't want the feeling that people are being exploited.

People need to live spiritual lives, all of us. I'm a person, and it's good to have access to the infinite consciousness that's available to all people but through the five senses is delineated, keeping us trapped on a material plain.
We think reality is what we can appropriate through the limited instruments of the senses, but reality is of course far beyond that.

Spiritual data is that we don't have the correct instruments to receive it and live primarily in the realm of the senses.

Anything that we're describing through science, we're describing through the prism of the five limited senses. Our eyes can only see between infrared light and ultraviolet light.

Your life is a glass of water.

Think of your life like a glass of water, at the bottom of the glass is mud or sand. The sand or mud is all your hurts, fears, rejections, pains and worries.

When we chant nam myoho renge kyo, we begin to stir the glass of water by chanting, all the stuff at the bottom (which we have been sitting on top of, repressing for years) begins to swirl to the top, a storm appears often.

When we do this we have to face our inner demons, fears and negative self beliefs. It has taken you your whole life to collect all these things, it will take some time to let them go.
The more you chant, the clearer the water will become, but it will take time.

Facing your negative self beliefs by chanting with the Gohonzon, it is like facing a cloudy mirror, the more we chant, the clearer the mirror becomes, becuase we introspect each day and focusing on these fears, working each day to be free of them.

What happens when we polish the mirror every single day? The mirror becomes clearer.

And what do we see in that mirror when it is clear?

Ourselves as we truly are.

Robbie
Letters to a Nichiren Buddhist.

Like a bird in a cage. The story of Zay, from boy to girl.

Zay Crawford felt trapped in a boy’s body at a young age. With puberty fast approaching, she got an implant that suppressed the puberty process. This is the story of one family’s journey to acceptance and understanding of their 12 year-old daughter.The Enquirer/Meg Vogel

Do you know any transgender people? What do you know about them and their transformations? 

Most people know very little. When people hear the word transgender images of badly dressed men in women clothes appear in many peoples minds. 

But what many people do not know or understand is that you can be born to appear male or female, but your brain contains the functions and structure of the opposing gender. 

Diversity & Inclusion – Love Has No Labels

While the vast majority of Americans consider themselves unprejudiced, many of us unintentionally make snap judgments about people based on what we see—whether it’s race, age, gender, religion, sexuality, or disability. This may be a significant reason many people in the U.S. report they feel discriminated against. Subconscious prejudice—called “implicit bias”—has profound implications for how we view and interact with others who are different from us. It can hinder a person’s ability to find a job, secure a loan, rent an apartment, or get a fair trial, perpetuating disparities in American society. 

The Love Has No Labels campaign challenges us to open our eyes to our bias and prejudice and work to stop it in ourselves, our friends, our families, and our colleagues. Rethink your bias at lovehasnolabels.com.

What is love?

What is Love by Daisaku Ikeda 

The agonies of love are many and varied. Each person has their own character and personality; they have different backgrounds and circumstances. So there is no set rule that applies equally to everyone.

Whom a person dates is also a matter of personal choice. No one has any right to meddle in your private affairs.

However, I would like to stress at the outset how important it is not to lose sight of pursuing your own personal development.

Love should be a force that helps you expand your life and bring forth your innate potential with fresh and dynamic vitality. That is the ideal but, as the saying "Love is blind" illustrates, people often lose all objectivity when they fall in love.

If the relationship you're in is causing your parents to worry, or making you neglect your studies or engage in destructive behavior, then you and the person you're seeing are only being a negative influence and hindrance to each other. Neither of you will be happy if you both just end up hurting each other.

What do you want to do with your life?

What should I do with my life is a series of films on people who have dared to ask the ultimate question. This is Natalie's story but more importantly, what will your story be ?

Watch and enjoy.



This film was made by James Light a talented and gifted film maker.

What is your truth? Is this it?

At this moment you could be anywhere, doing anything. Instead you sit alone before a screen. So what’s stopping us from doing what we want? Being where we want to be?

Each day we wake up in the same room and follow the same path, to live the same day as yesterday. Yet at one time each day was a new adventure. Along the way something changed. Before our days were timeless, now our days are scheduled.

Is this what it means to be grown up? To be free? But are we really free?

Food, water, land.

Announcing: The Human Revolution Orchestra 2015

SGI UK PRESENTS ‘ODE TO THE HUMAN SPIRIT’ A CELEBRATION OF UNESCO JAZZ DAY featuring ROBIN EUBANKS with THE HUMAN REVOLUTION ORCHESTRA and GUESTS

APRIL 30TH 2015, UNION CHAPEL, ISLINGTON, LONDON

7PM DOORS 7.45pm concert

TICKETS £22   available from www.unionchapel.org.uk

For further information contact:   Lisa Cowan at lisa.cowan@sgi-uk.org or Sean Corby at seanshoju@gmail.com

What will you change?

We are the change.

At the heart of every social movement is a call for change. On Change.org, more people are taking action now than ever before. In 2014 more than 5,000 Change.org petitions became victories, nearly one victory every hour.

What will you change in 2015? from Change.org on Vimeo.

and the universe said I love you by Julian Gough

and the universe said I love you
and the universe said you have played the game well
and the universe said everything you need is within you
and the universe said you are stronger than you know
and the universe said you are the daylight
and the universe said you are the night
and the universe said the darkness you fight is within you
and the universe said the light you seek is within you
and the universe said you are not alone
and the universe said you are not separate from every other thing
and the universe said you are the universe tasting itself, talking to itself, reading its own code
and the universe said I love you because you are love.

End Poem

by Julian Gough