RELIGION or POLITICS - Why Buddhism?????

Hello y'all,  hey, a whole new week ahead and a chance to contribute to life and your happiness.

What great rallies there were on Saturday in Washington and New York? Working on the nation's spiritualality is a wonderful thing, which in turn will eventually affect the nation's virtues and principles, collectively and hopefully it's political character, badly needed. And about time, don't you think????

This morning in another email avenue, a writer touched on this business of making choices. Like, between, cat or dog, spinach or hotdog, republican or democrat, et al.

It got me to thinking about how people make choices between religions. Most I think, like me, are born into families who practice one relgion or another, you know, Protestant, Baptist, Islam, Hindu, Buddhism and on. Of course, many also, upon adulthood, change for one reason or another.

Like me, born a son of a Protestant Minister, who died at my age of 14. I am now a senior and over time I joined the Christian Science group, Unity, (not Unitarian), and finally Nichiren Buddhism. It seems people like me are searching for something, a meaning of life, who am I in this life, you know, and I finally found what finally made sense to me spiritually. Now I am totally Happy, as in Absolute.

Now, here is a question for you, or you, or you. Are you totally and absolutely Happy? AND, is it because of your choice of religion or, if not, what else do you attribute it too. (no smoking here ).

I will define my side of the fence, so to speak,  in my next blog, and if anyone out there reading this and want to jump into the waters, be my guest and welcome. Thanks.     Cheers    CJ 

RELIGION or POLITICS - Why Buddhism????? (Cont'd)

Well, what do ya' know, here it is again, TGIF. Well, are you ready for some weekend???? YEAH !

For those looking for spiritual strength and are not fanatically locked into any particular 'religion', and are open minded otherwise, here are your thoughts, to ponder for yourself, these, on Nichiren Buddhism.

                           NICHIREN BUDDHISM, THE BUDDHISM OF THE "SUN".

Nichiren Buddhism is shedding its light all around the world. We have arrived at a time in which our movement for Peace, Culture, and Education, grounded in Buddhist Principles, will send it's light of Hope thoroughout Society.

Do you have any idea just why you should consider Nichiren Buddhism in your life????? No?

How would you like to have,  "ABSOLUTE AND INDESTRUCTIBLE HAPPINESS" or in short,
BUDDAHOOD.

Normal happiness, by contrast, is only relative happiness. Wealth instead of poverty, health instead of sickness, and peace instead of conflict are all examples of relative happiness -- happiness that depends on necessary conditions. The moment one of these conditions disappears, our happiness is shattered; and if the loss is a serious one, we experience dispair. Such finiteness and uncertainty are inherent in mundane happiness and characterize life in the world.

The absolute happiness of Buddhism, however, is unaffected by circumstantial changes or difficulties. Although absolute happiness does not imply freedom from sufferings and problems,
it does indicate possession of a vibrant, sturdy life force and the abundant wisdom to challenge and overcome all sufferings and difficulties we may encounter.

By making such a condition our own, we can live with unassailable confidence. Buddhahoo is also characterized by deep compassion for others and boundless wisdom. Indeed, all of the elments that enable us to lead truly humane lives are contained in the state of Buddhahood

This is it for this week, friends. Have a good one.   Cheers      CJ

RELIGION or POLITICS ? Today, THINGS I'VE LEARNED..cont'd.

Dear loyal readers, Yeah I know, 2 days in a row, but just wanted to complete the "I've learned list". So here we go.

                                                     *******************

                                                      I'VE LEARNED -

that your family won't always be there for you. It may seem funny, but people you aren't related to can take care of you and love yuo and teach you to trust people again. Families aren't biolog-ical.

                                                     I'VE LEARNED -

that no matter how good a friend is, they're  going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

                                                     I'VE LEARNED -

that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others, sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

                                                    I'VE LEARNED -

that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become !!

                                                    I'VE LEARNED

that because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean the do.

                                                    I'VE LEARNED -

that we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

                                                    I'VE LEARNED -

that your shouldn't be so eager to find out a secred. It could change your life forever.!

                                                    I'VE LEARNED -

that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.!

                                                     I'VE LEARNED -

that your life can be changed in a matter of minutes, by people who don't even know you. I've learned - that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.

                                                    I'VE LEARNED -

that credential on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

                                                    I'VE LEARNED -

that the people you care about most in your life are taken from you too soon.


Now there, you have learned some of the things in life that I have.   Cheers     CJ

RELIGION or POLITICS ? Today, THINGS I'VE LEARNED..

Hi people, how is everyone on hump day. Cheer up, the week will soon reach TGIF day. I ran across this in my file the other day, and so I thought a change of pace would be good. Here is a long list of things I've learned in my extended life.

                                                            I'VE LEARNED
that you cane do something in an instant that will give you a heartache for life. I've learned - that it's taking me along time to become the person I want to be.

                                                             I'VE LEARND
that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them. I've learned - that you can keep going long after you can't.

                                                              I'VE LEARNED
that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel. I've learned - that either you control your attitude or it controls you.

                                                               I'VE LEARNED
that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.

                                                               I'VE LEARNED
that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

                                                               I'VE LEARNED

that money is a lousy way of keeping score. I've learned - that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

                                                               I'VE LEARNED

that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.

                                                                I'VE LEARNED

that sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel. I've learned - that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

                                                                I'VE LEARNED

that just because someone dosn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.

                                                                I'VE LEARNED

that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

 More later, cheers. CJ                                                                                                                                  

RELIGION or POLITICS - Why Buddhism????? (Cont'd)

Hey, y'all, here we are, back to TGIF again. Yeah, and we are all looking forward to a fun filled weekend, right? Sure we are. But you know, not everyone will, because that is not the way it works. There will be some having troubles, others, health problems, or your unemployed and you will continue worrying, hoping or praying next week will be better, like finding that job. Still, this scenario is not new, is it?

Whatever your religious bent, there is no substitute for FAITH. It really is so simple, but 'religions' make it difficult. Each has a different view of their mission and who and what God is (fundamentalists), which in my mind is a separation, pure and simple. Then there is politics and another form of separation. Its no wonder people wonder or feel 'different' in both cases.

Nichiren, as in, Nichiren's Buddhism, makes it simple. He says "Faith alone, is all that really matters". We, who practice his humanistic religious philosophy, develop such faith that we all feel confident that we can handle whatever turns up in our lives. We take full responsibility for whatever happens to us, knowing full well that this Great Spiritual Power resides within each and available just by chanting prayer.

Now, the Buddhist reachings developed and were expounded in many scriptures, from early Buddhism through Mahayana Buddhism, which explains the potential Buddhahood --the Buddha nature --INHERENT IN EVERYONE.

Though original Buddhism dates back nearly 3000 years ago, originating in India, the Buddhism of Nichiren dates from seven centuries in age, and provides a marvelous prescription for the helpless and despair now pervading society. Fate, of course, does not always turn out according to our wishes, but Buddhism --especially Nichiren Buddhism -- posses the power with which we can transform destiny. It sheds light on all aspects of human life and penetrates to its core. Universally applicable to all humanity, in EVERY circumstance, it is well worth lifelong study and application.

Believe me folks when you have this kind of FAITh, as in, unlimited faith, and which actually proves itself, whether you believe it will or not, there is no happier feeling in this world to know that whatever comes up in your life, you can handle it.

Oh, and in case you slip up or get careless with your daily choices that we all have to make, you will soon recognize that you also come under the Universal Law of Cause and Effect.  If you keep getting bad consequences for your bad causes, you soon will become very careful how you make choices. That takes care of the variables in life, which leads to real HAPPINESS.

O.K., I leave you to your own devices for a couple days and I will be back on Monday filled with all sorts of good things for you, and ready to enlighten you on Easter wisdom, a religious philosophy for the ages.

Cheers       CJ                        Can I expect some responses ? YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS 

RELIGION or POLITICS - Why Buddhism????? (Cont'd)

Hi Ho y'all, Now aren't you glad the weekend is over and you are happily back to work? No? AWWWW!  For those who aren't working, cheer up, it surely might get worse, so all I can say is "WAKE UP" to what where this country is being led to.

ON the other hand, "WHEN THE 'POWER OF LOVE' OVERCOMES THE 'LOVE OF POWER'  THE WORLD WILL KNOW PEACE." ........Meanwhile....

I closed my last blog with Shakyamuni's have described what it means to be enlightened. (Check archives) . He said,    "This is my constant thought: how I can cause all living beings to gain entry to the highest way and quickly attain Buddhahood".

I don't want to get into the story of Shakyamuni, who basically founded what is now Nichiren Buddhism, even though he lived nearly 3000 years ago, but for your understanding, he was born a prince of the Shakya caste and originally called Siddhartha Gautama. He grew up in regal luxury, but nevertheless it was prophesied before his birth that he would never inherit the throne, but, rather, was destined to become a man of great wisdom. He did and he was.

To jump ahead a bit; In Buddhism, this spirit of universal and impartial compassion is called 'jihi', comparable in some ways to the function of love in Christianity. Literally, 'ji' means to remove suffering and 'hi' means to give fundamental happiness. Implicit in  the concept of 'jihi', then, is an emphasis upon action.

Shakyamuni wanted to discover the solution to problem of birth, old age, and death, and so took the necessary action to reach the understanding of life he sought. Once he had attained enlightment he spent the rest of his life among the people, actively passing on what he had learnt and ensuring that his teachings would be transmitted to posterity. In this light, the idea that Buddhism is something that is the special preserve of wise men meditating on mountain tops begins to look a little mis-placed.

Bearing these points in mind, and before we go on to discuss in more detail the Buddhist niew of life, it is important to mention a central feature of Buddhism which sets it apart from a religion such as Christian-ity (which most people in the West have at least a passing familiarity), namely, its atheism.

At heart, the difference between the two religions lies in their respective explanations of the nature of the primary force of teh universe and how we, as human beings, relate to it.  Christ-ianity teaches the existence of an all-powerful and all-seeing God. In contrast, Buddhism assserts the existence of a universal Law of life, expressed as - Nam Myoh Renge Kyo -. Of course, it msut be admitted that the Christian idea of god has evolve considerably from the Yawweh of the ancient tribes of israel, and that to some Christians today, God, is not a being in any sense but, rather, an abstract force with certain similarities to the Buddhist concept of the Universal Law. Even so, the implications of this basic difference between the two religions are far-reaching.

Fundamentally, Christianity teaches that there is an unbridgeable gulf between humanity and God for, even if one is taken into his grace, a humna bein can never actually become God or his equal. In contrast, Buddhism teaches that all people have the inherent potential to attain the supreme life-condition of Buddhahood in this lifetime and, indeedm that the prime purpose of a Buddha is to awaken ordinary people to, and then teach how to bring forth, their Buddha nature.

IN the Lotus Sutra , for example, Shakyamuni states, 'At the start I pledged to make all people perfectly equal to me, without any distinction between us', and throughout his writings, Nichiren Daishonin is at pains to convince his followers that Buddhism is not the exclusive possession of the Shakyamuni who died over 2000 years before, but that they all have it too.

He says, we common mortals can see neither our own eyebrows, which are so close, not heaven in the distance. Likewise, we do not see that the Buddha exists in our own hearts.

Buddhism explicitly denies the existence of a force external life. As Nichiren Daishonin states in ON MAINTAINING BUDDHAHOOD, one of his most famous writings:

You must never seek any of Shakyamuni's teachings of the Buddhas or bodhisattvas of the universe outside yourself. Your mastery of the Buddhist teachings will not relieve you of mortal sufferings in the least unless you perceive the nature of your own life. If you seek enlightment ouside yourself, any discipline or good deed will be meaningless. For example, a poor man cannot earn a penny just by counting his neighbor's wealth, even if he does so day and night.


I leave you here with the best of all emotions, love.  Back shortly.  Cheers     CJ

RELIGION or POLITICS - Why Buddhism????? (Cont'd)

Greetings oh great ones, thanks for visiting, Today I digress a bit but only to give a bit more background on the creator of Modern age Buddhism, Nichiren Daishonin. This is his take on RELIGION.

In thirteenth-century Japan, Nichiren promulgated these ideas, which are today practiced by millions of people in nearly 200 nations. Yet despite this widespread following, many people still know little but nothing of Nichiren's teachings.

Nichiren's teachings have also been misapplied and even exploited in the past as in the case of Japan's militarist aurthorities, who branded them as ultranationalistic and superpatriotic. Today, some characterize Nichiren's as exclusivist and sectarian. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.

Nichiren lived during a period of social upheaval. Natural disasters, epidemics, famine, and the threat of foreigh invasion terrified the people of Japan. Nichiren was adamant that such troujble had befallen the country because Buddhist teachers of his day neither understood nor taught the significance of the Lotus Sutra. He wrote several discourses and letters explaining his views, and he vigorously criticized the government and other Buddhist teachers, arousing such animosity that he was banished twice.

Any religions will assert the absolute correctness of its teachings. For precisely this reason, religion can easily lead people astray. In full recognition of this, Nichiren struggled to refute the aspects of religion that keep from entering the path to full awakening, without attacking the followers of specific Buddhist schools or merely trying to expand his own school.

Nichiren'e critcism of these aspects i summed up as the four dictums, which point out four un-balanced religious archetypes, and which represent areasoned religious criticism that strictly identifies sources of self-righteousness and religious authoritarianism. Religion becomes un-balanced, Nichiren taught, through dogmatic emphasis of any of the following concepts:

1. SEEKING SALVATION ONLY THROUGH THE EXTERNAL POWER OF AN ABSOLUTE BEING.

2. SEEKING ENLIGHTMENT ONLY THROUGH DIRECT PERCEPTION OF ONE'S OWN MIND AND CONTENTMENT WITH THIS SELF-ENLIGHTENMENT.

3. BENEFITTING IN THIS LIFE THROUGH OCCULT MEANS.

4. ALLOWING ONESELF TO BE CONTROLED BY PERCEPTS OR STANDARDS.

The perfectly balanced teaching succumbs to none of thes extremes. Rather, it expounds the fusion of internal and external power as the means fo transform the life of the individual as well as the surrounding circumstances. A fully developed religion, as conceived by Nichiren, is completely balanced, harmonious-ly incorporating the religon's fundamental characteristics without bias or distortion.

The modern significance of Nichiren's four dictums lies not in simply refuting Japanese Buddhist schools but in fully developing the positive power of human life. His teaching transcends the narrow boundaries of a single shool. It is a religion for all humanity.

TOO REPEAT, A FULLY DEVELOPED RELIGON AS CONCEIVED BY NICHIREN, IS COMPLETELY BALANCED,  HARMONIOUSLY INCORPORATING THE RELIGION'S FUNDAMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS "WITHOUT BIAS OR DISTORTION", A RELIGION FOR ALL HUMANITY.

Can your religion measure up??? If yes, great, and your faith should be Unlimited.

If not, you definitely should hang in with me and get involved in dialogue. If not now, WHEN??

\Cheers,   CJ

RELIGION or POLITICS - Why Buddhism????? (Cont'd)

Hi y'all, it's a wonderful sunday even though here in the west coast of Florida it is raining, off and on, but our glorious sun will appear soon.


Now, I am on the subject of life and how to win. My last blog's final paragraph was "Society is complex and harsh, demanding that you struggle hard to survive. No one can make you happy. Everything depends of YOU as to whether or not you attain happiness... A human being is destined to a life of great suffering if he is weak and vulnerable to his external surroundings."

TO GO ON:    Of course, this is not to deny the gravity and scale of some of the problems facing mankind today. Starvation in the Third World, wars within and between states, the excalating pace of the destruction of the natural environment - these are not going to disappear over night simply because people start to think about them in a different way. Always, is the real physical suffering of someone with a  painful illness of course, but even of the nature our problem relates directly to our own strength; when we are weak, our problems seem large, even insuperable; when we are strong, they appear small.

The real question then, is how to make ourselves stronger. The answer tha Nichiren's Buddhism gives is that, when we chant our problems, we can use the very sufferings we are trying to overcome to help us grow. This may sound strange but from the viewpoint of this Buddhism, sufferings - whether personal, social, or those facing mankind as a whole - are not just inevitable; they are essential.

In other words, problems are the very means by which people can develop their full potential as human beings. As Nichiren Daishonin says, "Only by defeating a powerful enemy can one prove his real strength".

To put it simply, the highest teachings of Buddhism show how the desire to overcome suffering can be one of the greatest incentives for progress.

For instance, the development of medical science is perhaps the most obvious example of this, but one can also point to the principle at work in the development of whole countries, the suffering caused by periodic famines in India, for example, forced the nation's agronomists to tackle the basic problems of food pro-duction; they have solved this to the extent that India is now not only self-sufficent in food but also a net exporter.  

When it comes to personal suffering the principle works in a more particularized way, one which responds to the individual's unique circumstances. And the principle works, just as certain as the, Universal Law of Cause and Effect, and Karma. They are absolute, and because people ignore these principles, is why the sufferings.

For a moment briefly, as to karma, it teaches that the effects we experience in the present are the inevitable results of causes we have made in the past, either in this lifetime or over many previous life-times.


I leave you for now, and will expound on the subject matter in my next blogs.

Meantime, I offer a quote by Jimi Hendrix...... "When the Power of Love overcomes the Love of Power, the world will know Peace".

Cheers.         CJ

RELIGION or POLITICS - Why Buddhism?????

Hello again, wonderful people, thanks for coming back, so here is more on the subject of Nichiren Buddhism and life's problems. The last ended on Personal Relationships, and why it is important to tackle a problem between two people. (see last blog),

Not doing it --like in clash of desires for instance -- usually for fear of no knowing what the consequences will be, or perhaps simply because of dislike of conflict, can easily lead to a build-up of resentments which, when finally expressed, can be immensely destructive.

The story of the "mild-mannered" civil servant who, in 1987, was jailed for strangling his wife of 26 years of marriage, ostensibly because she simply moved his favorite mustart from its usual place at the dinner table, is an extreme, but true, example of this.

One of the natural consequences of the close link between problems and suffering is that people tend

to confuse the one with the other. For example, if you are unemployed, it is vert probable that you are also
unhappy; you will probably think that you are unhappy because you are unemployed.

While it may be very well be true that you would probably be happier in work that out of it (though this is

debatable, in view of the number of people who complain about their jobs), strictly speaking your un-

happiness is not because you are unemployed but, rather, because you feel helpless inbeing unable to

find a job. In other words, it is not so much our problems which cause us to suffer as our INABILITY to overcome them. Remember, our natural tendency as humans is always to find out reasons outside ourselves, in our environment, to excuse what really is our own shortcomings.

Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism teaches that it is our fundamental attitude to problems and the suffering

which usually accompanies them that determines the extent to which we win or lose in creating a happy

life.  The Chinese, for example, write the word "crisis" using two characters, one of which means "danger", the other "opportunity". The crucial issue, then, is whether or not we can recognize the opportunity amidst the danger. Daisaku Ikeda writes:

Society is complex and harsh, demanding that you struggle hard to survive. No one can make you happy. Everthing depends on you as to whether or not you attain happiness... A human being is destined to a life of great suffering if he is weak and vulnerable to his external surroundings.

That's all for today, friends, you are greater than you think.   Cheers  CJ  (Check back soon)