Free Tibet.

Traditional Buddhist Healing Blessing

Just as the soft rains fill the streams,
pour into the rivers and join together in the oceans,
so may the power of every moment of your goodness
flow forth to awaken and heal all beings,
Those here now, those gone before, those yet to come.
By the power of every moment of your goodness
May your heart's wishes be soon fulfilled
as completely shining as the bright full moon,
as magically as by a wish-fulfilling gem.


By the power of every moment of your goodness
May all dangers be averted and all disease be gone.
May no obstacle come across your way.
May you enjoy fulfillment and long life.
For all in whose heart dwells respect,
who follow the wisdom and compassion, of the Way,
May your life prosper in the four blessings
of old age, beauty, happiness and strength.

Fuel for the Fires of Suffering

In the language of the Buddha, the word for fuel and for clinging is the same: upadana. The Buddha understood that suffering arises from and is fueled by clinging. When the fuel is removed, suffering is extinguished. By understanding how deep-rooted and subtle clinging is in our own unliberated minds, we come to appreciate the mind of nibbana (coplete liberation) as refreshingly cool and peaceful.


- Gil Fronsdal, "Three Takes on Nirvana"

In response to a heated conversation about which school of Buddhism is correct. Is SGI a cult? Is Disaku Ikeda a honest man or not...

I have been observing this rather heated conversation and am reminded of what happens across other faiths when people argue and try to convience that the other is correct.

Buddhism was created to lift people out of suffering, it was developed and nurtured so that ordinary people could look in the mirror and KNOW that they had the power to change their lives and the lives of others for the better.

You are wasting precious time arguing about this text and that letter, this gosho and that gosho.
What matters is what is in your heart.

Judge a man by his actions, not by his words. If you with your own eyes have seen evil deeds by IKEDA then judge him accordingly, but as Buddhists it is not our place to cast judgment on others.
Karmic law will create an outcome for any evil doings.

Just like the Christians and the Jews and the Muslims, everyone killing each other, fighting and arguing about who is right.

At the end of the day, we all want the same thing.

Food on our tables, love in our hearts and the safety of our family and children.

If Siddhartha Gautama, was listening to this conversation, I do believe that he would shed a tear at the level of arrogance and ignorance.

It is not our place to correct others, but to show them a path we have walked to achieve unshakable happiness.

Your life is your life, and you can choose how you live it.

If you wish to share your experiences for the good of man kind, it should be able helping others altruistically not demanding that they practice, said teaching, in the way written down in stone.
Every life is different, every life is unique.

You are missing the point of Buddhism if you continue to demand others follow the same path of you.

Namaste

Becoming..

What you hope, you will eventually believe, what you believe, you will eventually know, what you know you will eventually create, what you create, you will eventually experience, what you experience, you will eventually express, what you express, you will eventually become. That is the formula for all Life. It is as simple as that.

Live in Joy.

We all know what it’s like to get trapped in dark, constricting states of mind—and how useless it is, in terms of awakening, to dwell there. That is exactly what the Buddha taught: we don’t need to stay stuck in greed, hatred, and delusion. Life can be lighter, more workable, even when it’s challenging. This lightening up, which I see as an aspect of joy, is the fruit of insight into anatta, the selfless nature of reality, and anicca, the truth of impermanence. When we are not attached to who we think we are, life can move through us, playing us like an instrument. Understanding how everything is in continual transformation, we release our futile attempts to control circumstances. When we live in this easy connection with life, we live in joy.

Realize the Undivided Mind

We often feel our everyday existence is a distraction from our spiritual intention. When this happens, life is divided between the sacred and mundane, and the mind pits one concept against the other. But belief shapes reality, and if the belief is maintained that the sacred lies somewhere else other than Now, our spiritual life will be governed by that limitation. The truth is that the sense-of-self is not separate from the moment in which it is arising, any more than the sense-of-self is outside the mind that it thinks it possesses. In fact, realizing the undivided mind also heals the dualistic notion of “me” being outside the moment.

The Role of a Teacher.

A teacher, out of compassion and love, seeing that somebody is suffering, gives a path. But each individual has to walk on the path. There is no magical miracle with the teacher. Totally out of the question. He only shows the path. That is the only role of the teacher, nothing else.

Uproot the Core Problems

In the Buddhist path we are bringing together our actions, our view, and our practice. It is a balance of awareness, insight, and action, working harmoniously together. In that way our energy is no longer divided or scattered, but we are fully present in whatever we do. That is what it means to be a genuine human being.

In Buddhism, the point is not simply to be accomplished meditators but to change our whole approach to life. Meditation is not merely a useful technique or mental gymnastic, but part of a balanced system designed to change they way we go about things at the most fundamental level. In this context, it is a way of exposing and uprooting the core problems of grasping and ego-clinging that separate us from one another and cause endless pain.

-Judy Lief, "Is Meditation Enough?" (Spring 1997)

Nichiren Buddhism is not about simply chanting, and nothing more.

Personally I don't think chanting is understanding or insight. People of course are free to practice chanting, but this is not any branch of Buddhism personally that I would associate with and my personal belief is that this is quite literally mind control , and not the original meaning of any aspect of Buddhism. Buddhism is a intellectual study for the development of the mind and spiritual insight, this practice does not fulfill either goal and misrepresents Buddhism.

My response:

Thank you for your honest comment.

I think that if the Buddha was alive today, he would say this... "do not cast judgement on beliefs and practices of others."

Nichiren Buddhism is a practice centred in daily life, there are three tenants for good solid practice.

1. practice/chanting

2. Study

3. Faith

We study the Lotus Sutra and align our lives for the greater good and happiness of others.

Through chanting Nam myoho renge kyo, and using the Gohonzon, we are able to observe our minds and emotions and make better choices and decisions in life.

Chanting is not a magic lantern, and we are quite aware that action is required to make changes in life and the world;

Devotion to the mystic law of cause and effect with the voice, is the meaning of this mantra, but primarily for people who practice Nichiren Buddhism, this is about becoming aware of all your actions, words & thoughts towards other people, your life and the world as a whole.

How do you feel about a Buddhism that forbid women that practised, how do you feel about Buddhism that said that only priests were allowed to practice, this was the case for what Buddhism had become in many parts of the world, and Nichiren Dishonan was a man who quite literally questioned these beliefs, as he felt that they were not true Buddhism.

Shakyamuni Buddah, gave birth this practice for the sole purpose of lifting people out of the three sufferings of life, birth, sickness and death. This practice meets that goal.

There are many paths to wholeness my friend, and you are correct when you say that this is some form of mind control, but I have to correct you and tell you that it is about controlling your OWN mind, not someone else, controlling it for you.

It is about mastering your thoughts, emotions and mind.

The mind is the root of most of our suffering as human beings, to master this human mind (which I liken to a wild horse most of the time) is the key to developing strong and unshakable happiness.

We generate positive karma by making and uttering the right choices, thoughts and words in our lives.

My Peace go with you Buddah.

Love and Light

Robbie