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.
Thursday, 21 April 2016
my buddhist blog number 131
Hi Everybody,
Hope you're enjoying this beautiful spring.
We're talking about the Gohonzon and we're re-affirming if you like Nichiren's famous declaration; ' I Nichiren have inscribed my life in sumi ink, so believe in this Gohonzon with with your whole heart.'
We've talked about the meaning of the word Gohonzon itself. We've talked a bit about what seems to be going on when we chant in front of it, that transformation of the spirit. And we've talked about what the inscription itself means. That's where we pick it up.
The Gohonzon is said to depict in its complex calligraphy all the aspects of our ordinary human life. The good the bad and the ugly, the positive and the negative, the light and the dark. All those aspects of our everyday life are there, and Nichiren's too of course , for he was after all an ordinary human being. The ten life states that we discussed in an earlier chapter are set out clearly on the Gohonzon. But they are illuminated...that's the key word... illuminated by the principle that can enable us, however strong our anger, or however deep our despair, to move our lives towards the life state of Buddhahood that Nichiren captured in sumi ink. Nothingn is excluded. No life state is rejected. We don't have to get rid of anything, or feel guilty about anything. The characters on the Gohonzon are there to make clear that ther eisn't a life state or a condition that a human being can experience, that would in some way prohibit that journey towards our better self. Everything can be transformed.
That is the huge scale of the promise.
That's a big promise to absorb. So enough for today.Enough to dwell on and think over.
See you next week.
Best wishes,
William
PS The Case for Buddhism is available from Amazon and on Kindle. Good value!!!
Hope you're enjoying this beautiful spring.
We're talking about the Gohonzon and we're re-affirming if you like Nichiren's famous declaration; ' I Nichiren have inscribed my life in sumi ink, so believe in this Gohonzon with with your whole heart.'
We've talked about the meaning of the word Gohonzon itself. We've talked a bit about what seems to be going on when we chant in front of it, that transformation of the spirit. And we've talked about what the inscription itself means. That's where we pick it up.
The Gohonzon is said to depict in its complex calligraphy all the aspects of our ordinary human life. The good the bad and the ugly, the positive and the negative, the light and the dark. All those aspects of our everyday life are there, and Nichiren's too of course , for he was after all an ordinary human being. The ten life states that we discussed in an earlier chapter are set out clearly on the Gohonzon. But they are illuminated...that's the key word... illuminated by the principle that can enable us, however strong our anger, or however deep our despair, to move our lives towards the life state of Buddhahood that Nichiren captured in sumi ink. Nothingn is excluded. No life state is rejected. We don't have to get rid of anything, or feel guilty about anything. The characters on the Gohonzon are there to make clear that ther eisn't a life state or a condition that a human being can experience, that would in some way prohibit that journey towards our better self. Everything can be transformed.
That is the huge scale of the promise.
That's a big promise to absorb. So enough for today.Enough to dwell on and think over.
See you next week.
Best wishes,
William
PS The Case for Buddhism is available from Amazon and on Kindle. Good value!!!
Monday, 11 April 2016
my Buddhist blog number 130
Hi Everybody,
We're talking about the Gohonzon, what it is and what it does and we've come to the famous passage from Nichiren's letters when he writes.
' I Nichiren have inscribed my life in sumi ink, so beleive in this Gohonzon with your whole heart.'
I have inscribed nothing less than my life he says, his life as a Buddha. With that simple phrase Nichiren sums up the scale of the task he has accomplished; he regarded the creation of the Gohonzon as the fulfilment of his life -long mission as a teacher of men. The characters on the scroll, in Chinese and Sanskrit script are held to represent the reality of human life. Right down the centre of the Gohonzon in bigger and bolder characters than the rest, and as it were illuminating all of the human life those characters represent are the characters, nam myoho renge Nichiren.
That bold central inscription is the key to understanding the nature and the intent of the Gohonzon. When Nichiren wrote these words he was, as I've said, talking about his life as a Buddha or in the state of Buddhahood. So when we are chanting we have it there in front of us, a representation of what it is that we are seeking to draw out from within our own life, our highest life state, our Buddha nature. It is his great legacy if you like to all of humanity, this representation of the Buddha Nature, and in that sense it embodies the fundamental principle first revealed in the Lotus Sutra, namely that all ordinary human beings have the potential for Buddhahood inherent within their lives.
It is difficult to think of a meaningful analogy that come sclose to expressing what it is that is going on when we chant in front of the Gohonzon. One that might come close is perhaps the musical one. When Beethoven or Mozart for example sat down to write a piece of music, they too were expressing their life state, their passion, their spirit, their elation or their melancholy, at that moment in time. A supremely inner world transmuted into bold marks in black ink on whit epaper. Wgatever happens subsequently to that piece of paper, the spirit that flowed through the writer's inner world has been indelibly inscribed on it for all of time. The sheet of paper with the ink marks could rest unnoticed on a dusty library shelffor decades on end. It could be copied out lovingly by a clerk's hand, or it could be put through a digital copier to churn out a thousand copies. But whatever journey it travels, when the thousandth copy is placed in fron tof a musician and played, then the spirit embodied in the original ink marks all those years ago is, to a greater or a lesser extent, brought back to life, to fill the room with its sound and its vibration, and to recreate in those who hear it, some measure of the spirit that went into it when it was first written.
The Gohonzon in this analogy, is the musical score that presents to us the life state of the writer when he first wrote it. We occupy the role of the musician seeking to recreate to the very best of our ability...no more can be asked of us...the spirit or the life state embodied in the original. '
Enough for one episode. I have to say I love that analogy, and it took so long to find it in my head!!
Thank you for reading thus far.
See you next time,
William
PS The Case for Buddhism is available, in Englsh and Spanish now on Amazon, or as a download on Kindle.
We're talking about the Gohonzon, what it is and what it does and we've come to the famous passage from Nichiren's letters when he writes.
' I Nichiren have inscribed my life in sumi ink, so beleive in this Gohonzon with your whole heart.'
I have inscribed nothing less than my life he says, his life as a Buddha. With that simple phrase Nichiren sums up the scale of the task he has accomplished; he regarded the creation of the Gohonzon as the fulfilment of his life -long mission as a teacher of men. The characters on the scroll, in Chinese and Sanskrit script are held to represent the reality of human life. Right down the centre of the Gohonzon in bigger and bolder characters than the rest, and as it were illuminating all of the human life those characters represent are the characters, nam myoho renge Nichiren.
That bold central inscription is the key to understanding the nature and the intent of the Gohonzon. When Nichiren wrote these words he was, as I've said, talking about his life as a Buddha or in the state of Buddhahood. So when we are chanting we have it there in front of us, a representation of what it is that we are seeking to draw out from within our own life, our highest life state, our Buddha nature. It is his great legacy if you like to all of humanity, this representation of the Buddha Nature, and in that sense it embodies the fundamental principle first revealed in the Lotus Sutra, namely that all ordinary human beings have the potential for Buddhahood inherent within their lives.
It is difficult to think of a meaningful analogy that come sclose to expressing what it is that is going on when we chant in front of the Gohonzon. One that might come close is perhaps the musical one. When Beethoven or Mozart for example sat down to write a piece of music, they too were expressing their life state, their passion, their spirit, their elation or their melancholy, at that moment in time. A supremely inner world transmuted into bold marks in black ink on whit epaper. Wgatever happens subsequently to that piece of paper, the spirit that flowed through the writer's inner world has been indelibly inscribed on it for all of time. The sheet of paper with the ink marks could rest unnoticed on a dusty library shelffor decades on end. It could be copied out lovingly by a clerk's hand, or it could be put through a digital copier to churn out a thousand copies. But whatever journey it travels, when the thousandth copy is placed in fron tof a musician and played, then the spirit embodied in the original ink marks all those years ago is, to a greater or a lesser extent, brought back to life, to fill the room with its sound and its vibration, and to recreate in those who hear it, some measure of the spirit that went into it when it was first written.
The Gohonzon in this analogy, is the musical score that presents to us the life state of the writer when he first wrote it. We occupy the role of the musician seeking to recreate to the very best of our ability...no more can be asked of us...the spirit or the life state embodied in the original. '
Enough for one episode. I have to say I love that analogy, and it took so long to find it in my head!!
Thank you for reading thus far.
See you next time,
William
PS The Case for Buddhism is available, in Englsh and Spanish now on Amazon, or as a download on Kindle.
Saturday, 2 April 2016
my buddhist blog number 129
Hi Everybody,
We can't leave this brief account of thr daily practice of Nichiren Buddhism without a touching upon the meaning and the implications of the Gohonzon as a central feature of that practice. The Gohonzon is a simple rice paper scroll, and it marks out Nichiren Buddhism from all other Buddhist schools. It is its distuingishing characteristic. Hinayana or Theravada Buddhism is very much focused on the person of Shakyamuni Buddha and the worshipping or honouring of him as a unique human being, almost to the point of deifying him. Mahayana Buddhism, which embraces Nichiren Buddhism is, by contrast, very much more concerned to bring Buddhist teachings into the daily of ordinary people everywhere. That in essence is what Mahayana means, it translates as roughly the greater vehicle. And in Nichiren Buddhism, the Gohonzon as a point of focus, and as we've seen over the past few episodes, the chanting of the title of the Lotus Sutra, myoho renge kyo, make up the primary means of achieving that aim.
The word ' go' in classical Japanese means ' worthy of honour,' and the word ' honzon' means ' object of fundamental respect.' So it is clearly an object that is held in the highest esteem in Nichiren Buddhism. With it's bold and graceful calligraphy it is also I have to say, a work of considerable beauty.
The Dai Gohonzon ( dai means 'great' or 'original' )was inscribed by Nichiren on 12th October 1279. The original Gohonzon that he inscribed is still extant in Japan at a place not far from Tokyo, but anyone who is prepared to make the commitment to practice in accordance with the principles of Nichiren Buddhism , and to look after their own Gohonzon as an object of fundamental respect receives a smaller block print version to enshrine in their own home, as a focal point for the daily practice. This is how members of the Soka Gakkai practice. Soka Gakkai means esentially Value Creating Organisation, and it's important to emphasise that it is an entirely lay organisation. No priests, no temples. Nichiren himself during his lifetime established this pattern of committed individuals receiving a personal Gohonzon to make it easier for them to practice in a place of their own chosing. Not long afterwards he wrote in one of his letters,
' I Nichiren have insctibed my life in sumi ink, so believe in this Gohonzon with your whole heart.'
Sumi is the form of ink used particularly in Japanese calligraphy, and with this immensely simple phrase Nichiren sums up the scale of the task he had accomplished; he regarded it as nothing less than the fulfilment of his life-long mission as a teacher of Buddhist principles.
Enough for today I think.
Thanks for reading thus far.
Next week we discuss the symbols inscribed on the Gohonzo scroll.
Best wishes,
William
The case for Buddhism is available from Amazon and as a download on Kindle.
We can't leave this brief account of thr daily practice of Nichiren Buddhism without a touching upon the meaning and the implications of the Gohonzon as a central feature of that practice. The Gohonzon is a simple rice paper scroll, and it marks out Nichiren Buddhism from all other Buddhist schools. It is its distuingishing characteristic. Hinayana or Theravada Buddhism is very much focused on the person of Shakyamuni Buddha and the worshipping or honouring of him as a unique human being, almost to the point of deifying him. Mahayana Buddhism, which embraces Nichiren Buddhism is, by contrast, very much more concerned to bring Buddhist teachings into the daily of ordinary people everywhere. That in essence is what Mahayana means, it translates as roughly the greater vehicle. And in Nichiren Buddhism, the Gohonzon as a point of focus, and as we've seen over the past few episodes, the chanting of the title of the Lotus Sutra, myoho renge kyo, make up the primary means of achieving that aim.
The word ' go' in classical Japanese means ' worthy of honour,' and the word ' honzon' means ' object of fundamental respect.' So it is clearly an object that is held in the highest esteem in Nichiren Buddhism. With it's bold and graceful calligraphy it is also I have to say, a work of considerable beauty.
The Dai Gohonzon ( dai means 'great' or 'original' )was inscribed by Nichiren on 12th October 1279. The original Gohonzon that he inscribed is still extant in Japan at a place not far from Tokyo, but anyone who is prepared to make the commitment to practice in accordance with the principles of Nichiren Buddhism , and to look after their own Gohonzon as an object of fundamental respect receives a smaller block print version to enshrine in their own home, as a focal point for the daily practice. This is how members of the Soka Gakkai practice. Soka Gakkai means esentially Value Creating Organisation, and it's important to emphasise that it is an entirely lay organisation. No priests, no temples. Nichiren himself during his lifetime established this pattern of committed individuals receiving a personal Gohonzon to make it easier for them to practice in a place of their own chosing. Not long afterwards he wrote in one of his letters,
' I Nichiren have insctibed my life in sumi ink, so believe in this Gohonzon with your whole heart.'
Sumi is the form of ink used particularly in Japanese calligraphy, and with this immensely simple phrase Nichiren sums up the scale of the task he had accomplished; he regarded it as nothing less than the fulfilment of his life-long mission as a teacher of Buddhist principles.
Enough for today I think.
Thanks for reading thus far.
Next week we discuss the symbols inscribed on the Gohonzo scroll.
Best wishes,
William
The case for Buddhism is available from Amazon and as a download on Kindle.
Sunday, 27 March 2016
MY BUDDHIST BLOG NUMBER 128
Hi Everybody,
Easter Sunday. A time for peace and friendship. Lets hope in the next few months we see peace breaking out in Syria and the pain and suffering of so many people brought to an end.
The ground we've covered in the past dozen or so episodes has been a necesssarily brief account of the many meanings locked up within nam myoho renge kyo. But having a more comprehensive understanding of those meanings isn't really the key to unlocking the value that it embodies. The fact is that it's this practice focused around the chanting of this phrase that is Nichiren's great legacy to all of us. Nichiren was in many ways a great modernist, and he makes it clear in his writings that this practice was fashioned for ordinary people no matter what place or period they inhabit, 13th Century Japan or 21st century Europe. People with busy everyday lives and much else to grab their attention, to enable them to get to grips with the values and the principles of Buddhism, and so to understand that even in the very midst of life's difficulties and challenges, it is possible to build lives filled with hope and optimism and resilience, and yes...great happiness too.
That's it. Done for today. It's shorter than normal I know but it brings us to a neat end for the discussion of nam myoho renge kyo, and next time we can launch off into a discussion about the gohonzon.
Hope to see you then.
All my best wishes,
William
PS The Case for Buddhism is available from Amazon and as a download on Kindle.
Very soon out in Spanish!!!
Easter Sunday. A time for peace and friendship. Lets hope in the next few months we see peace breaking out in Syria and the pain and suffering of so many people brought to an end.
The ground we've covered in the past dozen or so episodes has been a necesssarily brief account of the many meanings locked up within nam myoho renge kyo. But having a more comprehensive understanding of those meanings isn't really the key to unlocking the value that it embodies. The fact is that it's this practice focused around the chanting of this phrase that is Nichiren's great legacy to all of us. Nichiren was in many ways a great modernist, and he makes it clear in his writings that this practice was fashioned for ordinary people no matter what place or period they inhabit, 13th Century Japan or 21st century Europe. People with busy everyday lives and much else to grab their attention, to enable them to get to grips with the values and the principles of Buddhism, and so to understand that even in the very midst of life's difficulties and challenges, it is possible to build lives filled with hope and optimism and resilience, and yes...great happiness too.
That's it. Done for today. It's shorter than normal I know but it brings us to a neat end for the discussion of nam myoho renge kyo, and next time we can launch off into a discussion about the gohonzon.
Hope to see you then.
All my best wishes,
William
PS The Case for Buddhism is available from Amazon and as a download on Kindle.
Very soon out in Spanish!!!
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