Hi Everybody,
Many people have written to me over the past year to tell me that The Case for Buddhism is the book they most readily give to people they are seeking to inform about Nichiren Buddhism or, hopefully, introduce to the practice. That's immensely encouraging, because as I think I mentioned in the introduction, somewhere, it was specifically written to be given to the most sceptical and the most disinterested, hopefully to spark their interest in what a Nichiren Buddhist practice has to offer anyone trying to make the most of their life in today's busy, crowded, time-slicing, media-addicted society. So
what I've decided to do is to go back to the beginning of the book and sort of cherry pick my way through it, covering some of the bits that I think are most effective in conveying difficult stuff, or most perceptive.
' So a major part of the purpose of the journey this book takes us on is to clear away many of the vague and totally unhelpful stereotypes that exist in the West and replacing them with a much clearer sharper understanding of what Buddhism is about. I believe strongly that Buddhist values and principles can enhance any life, lived anywhere, in any circumstances, whehter or not that person has the slightest interest in taking up a Buddhist practice. So this is certainly a serious committed personal account of Buddhism, but only in the sense that Buddhism is about ordinary daily life. It is not in any way about a remote, inaccessible and other worldy philosophy. Not at all.
It's about the problems and the challenges and questions that we all encounter every day. What should I do in this difficult situation? How should I best handle this relationship or that problem.? And it's about some of the deeper issues we're all concerned with , even if they rarely actually surface in conversations in families or among colleagues at work, because they are too deeply buried in our lives. Concerns we all share such as the fundamental desire for a stronger and more consistent sense of well-being amidst the unexpected and challenging turbulence of our lives; the crucial and deeply-felt need we have for a genuine sense of connectedness and engagement with other people, and a concern for their well-being too; and the intimate realtionship that we now know exists between a resilient sens eof hope and optimism and a fit and healthy and fulfilling life. and how do we maintain that spirit of optimism amidst the hurly burly of daily life. As one psychologist expressed it to me in conversation,
' Cheerfulness matters. Hope and optimism really matter. They make a huge difference to the quality of our daily lives. They are not just a sort of optional salad dressin gon the surface of life!'
So put simply, this particular case for Buddhism is basically about learning in a wholly practical way, how to build a stronger and more resilient sense of well-being, for oneself and others, no matter what the circumstances we find ourselves in.'
Nuff said for today!
See you next time. Thanks for reading.
Best wishes,
William
PS The Case for Buddhism is available from Amazon of as a downlaod on Kindle, in English or Spanish!!
Monday 30 May 2016
Monday 16 May 2016
my buddhist blog number 133
Hi Everybody,
I was in the park this morning running with Gatsby at not much after 7.30 and it was just heavenly. The stillness. The light. The bright promise of the day to come. And Gatsby who knows the run as well as I do now, bounding off between the trees. There is so much to be grateful for in an English summer morning. Not least a Buddhist practice that makes one aware of the transforming power of the gratitude.
I think this is thelast post for this book, unless I retrace my steps and pick out some of my favourite passages. Meanwhile, we're rounding off the passage about the practice in front of the Gohonzon.
' What the practice in front of the gohonzon does require is real application and effort, and the commitment to persevere, to give it our best shot if you will. Of course there are ups and downs. You stride forward one months and stand still the next. But the stark reality of course is that people only continue with this practice because of the benefits that appear in their lives. That has to be the acid test, and the implications are profound. We are not talking about a heaven of whatever form in some hereafter, coming for the way one lives this little life. Buddhism, as we have said so often is daily life.
this life in the here and now. The benefits have to be felt in the home and in the workplace, in how one feels about life today, and tomorrow and the day after.
There is no test more exacting, more strenuous, more meaningful...than daily life. '
THE END.
Its been such an interesting journey for me. It may seem a strange thing to say, but going through the book again so slowly and carefully has taught me so much. I hope that there has been at least something of that for you as well.
Can't tell you how grateful I am to anyone who has hung in there and made it to this point. A truckload of gratitude.
With my best wishes,
William
PS A case for Buddhism is available as a paperback on Amazon and as a download on Kindle.
I was in the park this morning running with Gatsby at not much after 7.30 and it was just heavenly. The stillness. The light. The bright promise of the day to come. And Gatsby who knows the run as well as I do now, bounding off between the trees. There is so much to be grateful for in an English summer morning. Not least a Buddhist practice that makes one aware of the transforming power of the gratitude.
I think this is thelast post for this book, unless I retrace my steps and pick out some of my favourite passages. Meanwhile, we're rounding off the passage about the practice in front of the Gohonzon.
' What the practice in front of the gohonzon does require is real application and effort, and the commitment to persevere, to give it our best shot if you will. Of course there are ups and downs. You stride forward one months and stand still the next. But the stark reality of course is that people only continue with this practice because of the benefits that appear in their lives. That has to be the acid test, and the implications are profound. We are not talking about a heaven of whatever form in some hereafter, coming for the way one lives this little life. Buddhism, as we have said so often is daily life.
this life in the here and now. The benefits have to be felt in the home and in the workplace, in how one feels about life today, and tomorrow and the day after.
There is no test more exacting, more strenuous, more meaningful...than daily life. '
THE END.
Its been such an interesting journey for me. It may seem a strange thing to say, but going through the book again so slowly and carefully has taught me so much. I hope that there has been at least something of that for you as well.
Can't tell you how grateful I am to anyone who has hung in there and made it to this point. A truckload of gratitude.
With my best wishes,
William
PS A case for Buddhism is available as a paperback on Amazon and as a download on Kindle.
Monday 9 May 2016
my Buddhist blog number 132
Hi Everybody,
Brilliant sunny day. All's right with the world. Had a brilliant intro to Buddhism meeting here last night.
Some really interesting discussions with people who hadn't encountered Buddhism before about the kinds of things that can change fundamentally how we feel about our lives. Anyway here we are very close to the end of this book, talking about the meaning of the Gohonzon.
' The characters on the Gohonzon are there to make clear that there isn't a life state or a condition that a human being can experience that would in some way prevent that journey towards our greater self. Everythign but everything can be transformed.
That is the scale of the promise.
And that really is the Gohonzon's basic purpose. It is something physical to focus on. It is that practical. Something to keep our wandering mind on the task in hand, namely chanting. Nichiren has given us this picture of what it is we are seeking to achieve. It is nothing more than that. Nor, it's important to remember nothing less. It is sometimes described as a mirror that reflects back at us our true nature. And just as we cannot see our face without a mirrored surface to reflect it back to us, so Nichiren argues, we cannot really perceive our Buddhahood without the ' mirror' of the Gohonzon to reflect its image.
Does it really happen? Yes, undoubtedly, and for many thousands, millions indeed, of ordinary people.
Can we clearly say why? I do not believe so. '
Lets leave it there. On the cliff edge so to speak.
Back next week with the last episode in this series.
Thank you for reading thus far.
all my best wishes,
William
PS The Case for Buddhism is available on Amazon as a paperback and on Kindle as a download.
Brilliant sunny day. All's right with the world. Had a brilliant intro to Buddhism meeting here last night.
Some really interesting discussions with people who hadn't encountered Buddhism before about the kinds of things that can change fundamentally how we feel about our lives. Anyway here we are very close to the end of this book, talking about the meaning of the Gohonzon.
' The characters on the Gohonzon are there to make clear that there isn't a life state or a condition that a human being can experience that would in some way prevent that journey towards our greater self. Everythign but everything can be transformed.
That is the scale of the promise.
And that really is the Gohonzon's basic purpose. It is something physical to focus on. It is that practical. Something to keep our wandering mind on the task in hand, namely chanting. Nichiren has given us this picture of what it is we are seeking to achieve. It is nothing more than that. Nor, it's important to remember nothing less. It is sometimes described as a mirror that reflects back at us our true nature. And just as we cannot see our face without a mirrored surface to reflect it back to us, so Nichiren argues, we cannot really perceive our Buddhahood without the ' mirror' of the Gohonzon to reflect its image.
Does it really happen? Yes, undoubtedly, and for many thousands, millions indeed, of ordinary people.
Can we clearly say why? I do not believe so. '
Lets leave it there. On the cliff edge so to speak.
Back next week with the last episode in this series.
Thank you for reading thus far.
all my best wishes,
William
PS The Case for Buddhism is available on Amazon as a paperback and on Kindle as a download.
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