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

Well, people, Happy weekend. As usual I am trying to clean up for the week and tieing loose ends.
As I've said, this blog is not for fanatics, religious, political or otherwise. If you are happy with your religion, and/or your political choices, so be it. I'm not trying to convert you from what you are.

This blog is for those who have an open mind, and enjoy learning and discussions, then, this is for you. Also you must be totally happy. IF you are not totally happy with "things" in your life, then, this is for you. I guaranteed that if you like what I am revealing here about Nichiren Buddhism, and give it a try, an honest try, you will be happier that you have ever been in your life, and with proof.

Now, Buddhism has not been clearly understood in the West for three main reasons: the history of the spread of Buddhist teachings to the West; the inherent difficulty posed by many of those teachings; and the difficulties posed by their sheer numbers.

To start with history, the Buddhism first encountered by travellers from  Europe was the type called HINAYANA. This form of Buddhism, once dominant in India and still the main religion of Sri Lanka and south-east Asia, follows the earlier teachings of Shakyamuni, Buddhism's historical founder, and places great emphasis on a strict and highly detailed code of personal conduct.

So strict is Hinayana in its pure form that it is impossible to follow while living in the everyday world. For example, some Hinayana priests rigorously observe 250 commandments for each of the four acts of walking, standing, sitting, and lying. totally 1,000 commandments in all. As one might expect, therefore, Hinayana Buddhism has a marked tendency towards monasticism, as monks are the only people who can afford the time and effort to wholly devote themselves to it.

The other main stream of Buddhism thought, called Mahayana., flowed northwards from India through Tibet and China to Korea and Japan. This stresses the need for Buddhism to be a religion of the common people, capable of helping them tackle the day-to-day realities of living; it is much less well known and understood in the West.

In addition, the atention that yoga, transendental meditation, the Hare Krishna, and Japanese Zen sects have all attracted in Europe and America in recent times has further confused the picture, to the extent that many people now have vague notions that these disciplines are virtually interchangeable and, since they are all originally from the Orient, are all "something to do with Buddism".

SO. IN SIMPLE TERMS, BUDDHISM IS A PHILOSOPHY WHICH EXPLAINS HOW LIFE WORKS AND HOW ONE CAN LIVE HAPPILY AND CREATIVELY.

Since life itself is anything but simple, and as the teachings of Buddhism have evolved gradually over the past 3,000 years or so, they naturally mirrror this complexity, at tiems even saying things which seem to be completely contradictory. Especially challenging is the teaching of the Lotus Sutra in which Shakyamuni describes what it means to be enlightened.

Guess this will do for now. In my next blog I will explain enlightenment in this context and also will explore what REAL HAPPINESS  is. I am the example.    Cheers    CJ