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!!
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