Greetings again folks, on hump day, you know, it's Wednesday and we are half way through the work week, and it's all down hill from here, umm, that's just for the rest of this week only, ya know.
Now, I"ve been giving you information on the subject of death that should be helpful to you all in facing your future from here, that is, if you are wise enough and open minded enough to consider it as a valuable learning to be considered seriously. If you do, you will surely find life much easier to handle.
Having given you Nichiren Buddhism's view on death, there is also the thought left hanging, as to... is there a life after death, and if so, how does all this transformation come about? You will recall my mentioning along the way of the 10 Worlds, you and particularly Nichiren Buddhists experience every day and at one time or another.
Then there are the 9 Consciousnesses. The first 5 are our senses, you know, smell, hear, see, etc. and then onto the 8th Consciousness which holds the data that will affect your entire future lives. Also I will explain the steps from one life to another as viewed by Nichiren Buddhism.
I have to appeal to your good senses not to just shrug off, out of hand, what you will learn on this subject, because when completed you will realize the good human level common sense this information is, far more believable, than going to heaven or hell, angels, sitting at the right hand of God, etc. And you will feel a hecka of a lot more comfortably as to what life and lives are about.
O.K., this will be a short blog so I can prepare for what I will put in my blog for you starting friday.
Cheers, and don't forget, good things happen to and for you, all to be grateful for, because as you should know, being grateful for good things brings more good things. CJ
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
RELIGION or POLITICS ?? How about DEATH....yours...? (Cont'd.)
(As stated before, most of the passages herein have been taken from the book "Unlocking the Mysteries of Birth and Death" by Daisaku Ikeda, President of the Nichiren Buddhists Organization SOKA GAKKAI INTERNATIONAL".)
Hello everyone, happy new week, I just want to finish up the subject I"ve been on the past week, death. This passage was from Jose Toda, the second president of Soka Gakkai Int'l. (Ikeda was the third.)
Nirvana, that is, oour death, is a means to our rebirth. ith age, we are destined to become weak and sickly, and eventually, to die. At death, our physical body will decay, but our life will merge back into the great life of the universe. In this latent stage, it recharges with energy, so to speak, for its rebirth. In this way, we repeat the cycle of birth and death, based on the Law permeating all living things and phenomena in the universe. Death, then, can be likened to the function of sleep. It is an expedient means to dispel our fatigue and rejuvenate our lives for our next existence.
Undergoing the cycle of life and death in the 9 worlds, means navigating one's way awkwardly through difficulties and hardships. It is like veering along a path strewn with pot holes; sometimes we fall in and cannot get back on track; sometimes we have accidents and get injured. On the other hand, experiencing life in the world of Buddhahood is like driving a high performance car on a smooth highway while enjoying the brilliant scenery around us.
For the present, this ends the discussion, if you will, on the subject of death. In short, not to fear. If anyone reading these past blogs lately, and should decide to just examine Nichiren Buddhism, he/she would find out a new way to enjoy live to the fullest, without fear and trepidation. Cheers. CJ
Hello everyone, happy new week, I just want to finish up the subject I"ve been on the past week, death. This passage was from Jose Toda, the second president of Soka Gakkai Int'l. (Ikeda was the third.)
Nirvana, that is, oour death, is a means to our rebirth. ith age, we are destined to become weak and sickly, and eventually, to die. At death, our physical body will decay, but our life will merge back into the great life of the universe. In this latent stage, it recharges with energy, so to speak, for its rebirth. In this way, we repeat the cycle of birth and death, based on the Law permeating all living things and phenomena in the universe. Death, then, can be likened to the function of sleep. It is an expedient means to dispel our fatigue and rejuvenate our lives for our next existence.
Undergoing the cycle of life and death in the 9 worlds, means navigating one's way awkwardly through difficulties and hardships. It is like veering along a path strewn with pot holes; sometimes we fall in and cannot get back on track; sometimes we have accidents and get injured. On the other hand, experiencing life in the world of Buddhahood is like driving a high performance car on a smooth highway while enjoying the brilliant scenery around us.
For the present, this ends the discussion, if you will, on the subject of death. In short, not to fear. If anyone reading these past blogs lately, and should decide to just examine Nichiren Buddhism, he/she would find out a new way to enjoy live to the fullest, without fear and trepidation. Cheers. CJ
Friday, September 24, 2010
RELIGION or POLITICS ?? How about DEATH....yours...? (Cont'd.)
Hi y'all, Well, what do you know, here it is friday already. Where do the days go? Guess when you are having an enjoyable and beautiful life, not rich mind you, just beautiful and the days go faster.. I feel so good when I get through chanting, and my prayers in so doing, I can't help but give thanks with gratitude, and why I say at the end, declaring..." I am too strong for fear, too kind for anger, and too happy for worry." ............... So to continue on from the last blog of Death.
We finally seem ready to recognize the fundamental error in our view of life and death. We are beginning to understand that death is more than the absence of life; that death, together with active life, is necessrary for the formation of a larger, more essential whole. This greater whole reflects the deeper continuity of life and death that we experience as individuals and express as a culture. Our central challenge is to establish a culture based on the understanding of the relationship of life, death and eternity. Instead of disowning death, we could thereby confront and correctly position it within the larger context of life.
Buddhism speaks of an intrinsic Buddha nature existing in the depths of phenominal reality. This nature depends upon and responds to phenomal conditions. and it alternates between states of emergence adn latency. All phenomena, including life and death, can be seen as elements of the cycle of emergence and latency, or manifestation and withdrawal.
Cyles of life and death can be likened to the alternating periods of sleep and wakefulness. Just as sleep prepares us for the next day's activity, death can be seen as a state in which we rest and replenish ourselves for new life. In this light, death should be acknowledged, along with life, as a blessing to be appreciated.
The Lotus Sutra, the core of Mahayana Buddhism, states that the purpose of existence, the eternal cycles of life and death, is to be "happy and at ease". It further teaches that sustained faith and practice enable us to know a deep and abiding joy in death as well as in life, to be equally "happy and at ease" with both.
Nichiren describes the attainment of this state as the "greatest of all joys".
So there you have it, my friends, for your ponder and consideration for your future happiness.
I notice that for Glenn Beck followers, he respectfully suggests that the country turn back to God, and get familiar and accept in our lives, the principles and values. I prefer to call it a spiritual re-awakening. And I shall probably make comments and my views on this as we go on from here. I too think the masses have to wake up to the very real dangers this country is in, and take action on Nov. 4th. Cheers and have a great weekend, y'all. CJ
We finally seem ready to recognize the fundamental error in our view of life and death. We are beginning to understand that death is more than the absence of life; that death, together with active life, is necessrary for the formation of a larger, more essential whole. This greater whole reflects the deeper continuity of life and death that we experience as individuals and express as a culture. Our central challenge is to establish a culture based on the understanding of the relationship of life, death and eternity. Instead of disowning death, we could thereby confront and correctly position it within the larger context of life.
Buddhism speaks of an intrinsic Buddha nature existing in the depths of phenominal reality. This nature depends upon and responds to phenomal conditions. and it alternates between states of emergence adn latency. All phenomena, including life and death, can be seen as elements of the cycle of emergence and latency, or manifestation and withdrawal.
Cyles of life and death can be likened to the alternating periods of sleep and wakefulness. Just as sleep prepares us for the next day's activity, death can be seen as a state in which we rest and replenish ourselves for new life. In this light, death should be acknowledged, along with life, as a blessing to be appreciated.
The Lotus Sutra, the core of Mahayana Buddhism, states that the purpose of existence, the eternal cycles of life and death, is to be "happy and at ease". It further teaches that sustained faith and practice enable us to know a deep and abiding joy in death as well as in life, to be equally "happy and at ease" with both.
Nichiren describes the attainment of this state as the "greatest of all joys".
So there you have it, my friends, for your ponder and consideration for your future happiness.
I notice that for Glenn Beck followers, he respectfully suggests that the country turn back to God, and get familiar and accept in our lives, the principles and values. I prefer to call it a spiritual re-awakening. And I shall probably make comments and my views on this as we go on from here. I too think the masses have to wake up to the very real dangers this country is in, and take action on Nov. 4th. Cheers and have a great weekend, y'all. CJ
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
RELIGION or POLITICS ?? How about DEATH....yours...? (Cont'd.)
( As explained in a previous blog, certain passages come directly from the book "Unlocking The Mysteries of Birth and Death" by Daisaku Ikeda, President of Soka Gakkai International.)
Hello my friends, welcome and how are y'all today? Yeah, good ole hump day, the rest of the week will go faster, and if you happen to be a Nichiren Buddhist, also happier. I say this latter with sort of tongue in cheek, because I assume most are not Buddhists .... but will be some day, in this life or another one of your lives in the decades or centuries ahead.
Anyway, I continue with the subject matter of Birth and Death. If you read my last blog, you may feel more at ease about it all, so onward we go.
The thought of death, the inescapable reminder of the finite nature of our existence, weighs heavily on the human heart. However limitless our wealth or power might seem, the reality of our eventual demise cannot be avoided. During our lives, we experience transience as the sufferings of birth ( and day-to-day existence), aging, sickness, and finally death. No human being is exempt from these sources of pain.
It was, in fact, human distress -- in particular the problem of death -- that spawned the formation of religious and philosophical systems. Shakyamuni, the original Buddha, in his accidental encounters with life's sorrows, glimpsed a dead body and was inspired to seek truth.
Plato stated that true philosophers are always engaged in the practice of dying; and Nichiren admonishes us to "first study death, and then study other matter."
Death Seen from a Larger Context
Modern civilization has attempted to ignore death. We have diverted our gaze from this most fundamental of concerns, attempting to drive death into the shadows. For many people, death is the mere absence of life; it is blankness; it is the void.
Life is identified with all that is good: with being, rationality and light. In contrast, death is perceived as evil, as nothingness, and as the dark and irrational. The negative perception of death prevails.
We cannot, however, ignore death. Today, many issues demand a re-examination and re-eval-uation of death's significance. These include questions about brain death and death with dignity, the function of hospices, alternative funerary styles and rites, and research into death and dying by writers such as Elizabeth Kubler-Ross.
Okay, I'm going to cut it off here because of the seriousness of the topic, the length of the discussion hereby, and will continue in the next blog. I do appreciate everyone who visits here, and I have hopes that somewhere along the way, I will get comments, for or against, to ad spice to the discussions, because I will answer all who take the time to visit. Cheers. CJ
Hello my friends, welcome and how are y'all today? Yeah, good ole hump day, the rest of the week will go faster, and if you happen to be a Nichiren Buddhist, also happier. I say this latter with sort of tongue in cheek, because I assume most are not Buddhists .... but will be some day, in this life or another one of your lives in the decades or centuries ahead.
Anyway, I continue with the subject matter of Birth and Death. If you read my last blog, you may feel more at ease about it all, so onward we go.
The thought of death, the inescapable reminder of the finite nature of our existence, weighs heavily on the human heart. However limitless our wealth or power might seem, the reality of our eventual demise cannot be avoided. During our lives, we experience transience as the sufferings of birth ( and day-to-day existence), aging, sickness, and finally death. No human being is exempt from these sources of pain.
It was, in fact, human distress -- in particular the problem of death -- that spawned the formation of religious and philosophical systems. Shakyamuni, the original Buddha, in his accidental encounters with life's sorrows, glimpsed a dead body and was inspired to seek truth.
Plato stated that true philosophers are always engaged in the practice of dying; and Nichiren admonishes us to "first study death, and then study other matter."
Death Seen from a Larger Context
Modern civilization has attempted to ignore death. We have diverted our gaze from this most fundamental of concerns, attempting to drive death into the shadows. For many people, death is the mere absence of life; it is blankness; it is the void.
Life is identified with all that is good: with being, rationality and light. In contrast, death is perceived as evil, as nothingness, and as the dark and irrational. The negative perception of death prevails.
We cannot, however, ignore death. Today, many issues demand a re-examination and re-eval-uation of death's significance. These include questions about brain death and death with dignity, the function of hospices, alternative funerary styles and rites, and research into death and dying by writers such as Elizabeth Kubler-Ross.
Okay, I'm going to cut it off here because of the seriousness of the topic, the length of the discussion hereby, and will continue in the next blog. I do appreciate everyone who visits here, and I have hopes that somewhere along the way, I will get comments, for or against, to ad spice to the discussions, because I will answer all who take the time to visit. Cheers. CJ
Monday, September 20, 2010
RELIGION or POLITICS ?? How about DEATH....YOURS?
(Certain excerpts and writings in following blog is taken out of the book.. Unlocking the Mysteries of Birth and Death .... by Daisaku Ikeda, President of Soka Gaikkai International.)
Oh boy, here I go touching on the untouchable. Hope those of you who read this won't feel offended, for whatever reason, but all I can say is, avoid reading this won't affect the inevitable, since the fact that we all must die someday. Realistically, is that something we should fear? Well, you should be well advised to hang in here and learn some things that will take the fear out of the equation.
Montaigne said, " To philosophize is to learn to die". Similarly Buddhism teaches us: "First learn about death, and then about other matters". As both, statements suggest, learning about death enriches life.
To continue from the above source; How we perceive the meaning of death and the meaning of life hinges completely on whether we can establish a correct view of life and death. Goethe says, " Those who have no hope of another life are already dead in this one."
WE study Buddhism to live vibrantly and with eternal hope. Well death, which inevitably comes to each of us, be a time of dignity, and honor? Or will we end in pitiful demise? This is completely reliant on how we live our lives right now, today. In that sense, the moment of death truly exists in the present.
This lays the ground work for my blog ahead in this week, so please, consider the above and please come back and don't forget, if you want to comment, do so. Welcome always. Cheers CJ
Oh boy, here I go touching on the untouchable. Hope those of you who read this won't feel offended, for whatever reason, but all I can say is, avoid reading this won't affect the inevitable, since the fact that we all must die someday. Realistically, is that something we should fear? Well, you should be well advised to hang in here and learn some things that will take the fear out of the equation.
Montaigne said, " To philosophize is to learn to die". Similarly Buddhism teaches us: "First learn about death, and then about other matters". As both, statements suggest, learning about death enriches life.
To continue from the above source; How we perceive the meaning of death and the meaning of life hinges completely on whether we can establish a correct view of life and death. Goethe says, " Those who have no hope of another life are already dead in this one."
WE study Buddhism to live vibrantly and with eternal hope. Well death, which inevitably comes to each of us, be a time of dignity, and honor? Or will we end in pitiful demise? This is completely reliant on how we live our lives right now, today. In that sense, the moment of death truly exists in the present.
This lays the ground work for my blog ahead in this week, so please, consider the above and please come back and don't forget, if you want to comment, do so. Welcome always. Cheers CJ
Saturday, September 18, 2010
RELIGION or POLITICS - Why Buddhism?????
Oh how wonderful, I have a follower and I must say thanks to you, good person. You are wise and you will become wiser. AND, I welcome your comments anytime you feel disposed to do so, whether you agree with me or not.
The other day I listened for a few minutes to the rant of Farrakhan, the black activist. His rant was against the USA and it's form of government etc. and so on. Then I he said, "I pray to Almighty God every day to change this country into what I think it should be".
Right this minute, I am not sure what Farrakhan's religion is, Islam, whatever, or maybe he is in some form of Christianity of his own creation. Whatever, but I make reference to his saying, "I pray to Almighty God".
Now, that is what Protestants, Methodists, Catholics, Baptists, even Islamists, might say. Doesn't that raise a question in your mind, as to whose God will answer these prayers? Each of these religions have some differences in their religious philosophy's. Could it be that these Gods are all one and the same??? Of course they are, but why does all this create such differences of feelings toward the other religions other than the one you, allegedly have faith in. (I say, allegedly. as to faith, but that is a topic for another time), Still, you have to agree that the differences create a SEPARATION. Who is YOUR God??
And then, you now have politics, political parties, more than two, who also have different ideas on how this country should be run. To the point now where there is hatred, openly and active, and this is strongly radiating to the general public, you see examples of it everyday in every newspaper across the land.
Separation, Separation, Separation. Hardly an atmosphere for love and peace, right???
Again, Nichiren Buddhism, in their incredible Religious Philosophy, does not believe in a Supreme Deity. We do believe in a higher power, but that power is spiritual and resides in each and every one of us. It is right there with us, day and night, and it's power is available at all times, and requires only REAL fAITH to be activated in your behalf or for someone elses. Simple really. Every one has this Great Spiritual Power, as I call it, but so many choose not to believe or use it.. Sad, but that is life and why we are all on earth. WE are supposed to take complete responsibility for ourselves. Many don't, and that is why we have the Universal Law of Cause and Effect, to even out the good and bad over a long period of time. This Law is infallible and inevitable, with no time limits.
Believe me, and it is true... life is much simpler living as a Nichiren Daishonin Buddhist. Trust me I know because I proved it out. A former Christian and I guess, not a very good one.
Okay, so much for the weekend. Looking ahead. How do you feel about the subject of "DEATH"??
Scary, afraid, a NoNo? Well, I don't think it is any one of these. so I am going to expound on death next week. You may be surprised. Like, what happens when you pass on? You'll see. Cheers CJ
The other day I listened for a few minutes to the rant of Farrakhan, the black activist. His rant was against the USA and it's form of government etc. and so on. Then I he said, "I pray to Almighty God every day to change this country into what I think it should be".
Right this minute, I am not sure what Farrakhan's religion is, Islam, whatever, or maybe he is in some form of Christianity of his own creation. Whatever, but I make reference to his saying, "I pray to Almighty God".
Now, that is what Protestants, Methodists, Catholics, Baptists, even Islamists, might say. Doesn't that raise a question in your mind, as to whose God will answer these prayers? Each of these religions have some differences in their religious philosophy's. Could it be that these Gods are all one and the same??? Of course they are, but why does all this create such differences of feelings toward the other religions other than the one you, allegedly have faith in. (I say, allegedly. as to faith, but that is a topic for another time), Still, you have to agree that the differences create a SEPARATION. Who is YOUR God??
And then, you now have politics, political parties, more than two, who also have different ideas on how this country should be run. To the point now where there is hatred, openly and active, and this is strongly radiating to the general public, you see examples of it everyday in every newspaper across the land.
Separation, Separation, Separation. Hardly an atmosphere for love and peace, right???
Again, Nichiren Buddhism, in their incredible Religious Philosophy, does not believe in a Supreme Deity. We do believe in a higher power, but that power is spiritual and resides in each and every one of us. It is right there with us, day and night, and it's power is available at all times, and requires only REAL fAITH to be activated in your behalf or for someone elses. Simple really. Every one has this Great Spiritual Power, as I call it, but so many choose not to believe or use it.. Sad, but that is life and why we are all on earth. WE are supposed to take complete responsibility for ourselves. Many don't, and that is why we have the Universal Law of Cause and Effect, to even out the good and bad over a long period of time. This Law is infallible and inevitable, with no time limits.
Believe me, and it is true... life is much simpler living as a Nichiren Daishonin Buddhist. Trust me I know because I proved it out. A former Christian and I guess, not a very good one.
Okay, so much for the weekend. Looking ahead. How do you feel about the subject of "DEATH"??
Scary, afraid, a NoNo? Well, I don't think it is any one of these. so I am going to expound on death next week. You may be surprised. Like, what happens when you pass on? You'll see. Cheers CJ
Thursday, September 16, 2010
RELIGION or POLITICS - How about HELL? Hmmm?
(Much of these writings are out of the Book "The Buddha in Daily Life" by Richard Causton.)
A couple blogs ago, I wrote about the 10 Worlds that all Buddhists do and, can live in day to day - HELL being the first. It was brought on by seeing again, the hell of the terrorist's attack on 9/11. It was vividly displayed on most all television stations. A hell for sure.
Then I gave the story of a young Jewish chemist, Primo Levi, who in 1944 was transported to a labor camp near Auschwitz, Germany and the subsequent horror he and some 100 others experienced there, another type of pure hell on earth.
Fortunately, most of us wil never have to suffer the sort of agony which Levi and other death-camp victims went through, but that is not to say that Hell of other individuals cannot be as intense, say, like losing a loved one. We may not understand another person's particular hell, or perhaps think that the cause of it is insignificant, still for that person it is real and undeniable.
For instance, RAGE, is the world of Hell. (different than the world of Anger). Rage, essentially is directed toward one's self. It is the rage of frustration and even self destruction, often including the desire to destroy one's surroundings.
Worry is also a manifestation in the mind of the world of Hell, a particularly cruel and subtle one, consisting of imagining the worst possible outcome of some event. Another aspect is the Lack of Hope.
To all intents and purposes, the state of Hell really is the lowest of he Ten Worlds. Part of the greatness of Buddhism, however, lies in teaching that all nine worlds, Fom Hell to Bodhisattva, have both a positive and negative aspect (Buddhahood alone being wholly creative) and that all are necessary to life. It might be thought there can be absolutely no redeeming features in the world of Hell, but actually there are. Firstly, and quite simply, without Hell we could never know happiness.
Then again, the desire to keep out of the world of Hell is a powerful motivation for action: if we did not suffer the pain of hunger, we would never know when to eat, for instance. Similarly, suffering can be a form of protection: if fire did not hurt, we could seriously injure ourselves without being aware of it.
Perhaps most importantly, though, if we never suffered ourselves, we would never be able to identify and sympathize with the suffering of others, or be moved to help them. In other words, in Buddhism the world of Hell leads directly to the world of Bodhisattva. ( I'll explain what a Bodhisattva is at a later time, but achievement is definitely a good thing).
Thanks for reading, good person. You will be wiser of doing so. For today. Cheers CJ
A couple blogs ago, I wrote about the 10 Worlds that all Buddhists do and, can live in day to day - HELL being the first. It was brought on by seeing again, the hell of the terrorist's attack on 9/11. It was vividly displayed on most all television stations. A hell for sure.
Then I gave the story of a young Jewish chemist, Primo Levi, who in 1944 was transported to a labor camp near Auschwitz, Germany and the subsequent horror he and some 100 others experienced there, another type of pure hell on earth.
Fortunately, most of us wil never have to suffer the sort of agony which Levi and other death-camp victims went through, but that is not to say that Hell of other individuals cannot be as intense, say, like losing a loved one. We may not understand another person's particular hell, or perhaps think that the cause of it is insignificant, still for that person it is real and undeniable.
For instance, RAGE, is the world of Hell. (different than the world of Anger). Rage, essentially is directed toward one's self. It is the rage of frustration and even self destruction, often including the desire to destroy one's surroundings.
Worry is also a manifestation in the mind of the world of Hell, a particularly cruel and subtle one, consisting of imagining the worst possible outcome of some event. Another aspect is the Lack of Hope.
To all intents and purposes, the state of Hell really is the lowest of he Ten Worlds. Part of the greatness of Buddhism, however, lies in teaching that all nine worlds, Fom Hell to Bodhisattva, have both a positive and negative aspect (Buddhahood alone being wholly creative) and that all are necessary to life. It might be thought there can be absolutely no redeeming features in the world of Hell, but actually there are. Firstly, and quite simply, without Hell we could never know happiness.
Then again, the desire to keep out of the world of Hell is a powerful motivation for action: if we did not suffer the pain of hunger, we would never know when to eat, for instance. Similarly, suffering can be a form of protection: if fire did not hurt, we could seriously injure ourselves without being aware of it.
Perhaps most importantly, though, if we never suffered ourselves, we would never be able to identify and sympathize with the suffering of others, or be moved to help them. In other words, in Buddhism the world of Hell leads directly to the world of Bodhisattva. ( I'll explain what a Bodhisattva is at a later time, but achievement is definitely a good thing).
Thanks for reading, good person. You will be wiser of doing so. For today. Cheers CJ
Monday, September 13, 2010
RELIGION or POLITICS - Why Buddhism????? (Cont'd)
Greetings y'all, hurray, it's monday and the start of another beautiful week where many "good things" are going to happen to be grateful for. They do for me, and I hope they do for you, you, and you.
And whoopee, my Tampa Bay Bucs won their first game of the year and now at least they can't lose all their games. (only won 3 all last year). My Rays lost, boo hoo, and tonight the Yanks. We'll beat them.
Now I may have touched on this before, but it is appropo to the times, so bear with me, huh?
A Commentary, by Bob R. Sanders of Fort Worth Star Telegram, listening to National Public Radio, a local conservative talk show,heard, at one point, a caller called offended by a remark on the program stating that Buddhism was older than Christianity. The caller insisted that there was absolutely no religion older than Christianity.
As a matter of fact Buddhism dates between the 4th and 6th century B.C., as in before Christ.
The commentator made this observation, "what makes people, especially Christians, so arrogant, and frankly, so bigoted. (And the writer is a Christian).
As he further said, " that is just the way it is with some folks. If you don't believe what I believe, Christians or not, hell is definetly reserved for you.
Talk about separation. Why do some people find it so hard to accept and respect others who have different beliefs. Certainly many of the principles of Buddhism are not that much different than those in other religions. Principles like --seeking wisdom, respecting others, and leading a moral life.
It seems, said Sanders, that too often we become like feuding children, gragging about whose God is the biggest, boldest, oldest; whose religion teachings are most divine??
On he goes, tht we live in a nation that incorporated freedom of religion as a founding principle. People in the country have a right to believe in anything or nothing.
If human beings have a set of values, regardless where they come from, that instructs them in the decent treatment of others, then we ought to applaud that without trying to fault their religion.
It might do us all good to study ( and perhaps practice) a little Buddhism from time to time. It might make us a little stronger, wiser, and morally fit.
As a Nichiren Buddhist, I heartely agree. ( I remind that I was a minister's son, and a former Christian), so let us just consider this an unbiased dialogue. For today, nice people. Cheers CJ
And whoopee, my Tampa Bay Bucs won their first game of the year and now at least they can't lose all their games. (only won 3 all last year). My Rays lost, boo hoo, and tonight the Yanks. We'll beat them.
Now I may have touched on this before, but it is appropo to the times, so bear with me, huh?
A Commentary, by Bob R. Sanders of Fort Worth Star Telegram, listening to National Public Radio, a local conservative talk show,heard, at one point, a caller called offended by a remark on the program stating that Buddhism was older than Christianity. The caller insisted that there was absolutely no religion older than Christianity.
As a matter of fact Buddhism dates between the 4th and 6th century B.C., as in before Christ.
The commentator made this observation, "what makes people, especially Christians, so arrogant, and frankly, so bigoted. (And the writer is a Christian).
As he further said, " that is just the way it is with some folks. If you don't believe what I believe, Christians or not, hell is definetly reserved for you.
Talk about separation. Why do some people find it so hard to accept and respect others who have different beliefs. Certainly many of the principles of Buddhism are not that much different than those in other religions. Principles like --seeking wisdom, respecting others, and leading a moral life.
It seems, said Sanders, that too often we become like feuding children, gragging about whose God is the biggest, boldest, oldest; whose religion teachings are most divine??
On he goes, tht we live in a nation that incorporated freedom of religion as a founding principle. People in the country have a right to believe in anything or nothing.
If human beings have a set of values, regardless where they come from, that instructs them in the decent treatment of others, then we ought to applaud that without trying to fault their religion.
It might do us all good to study ( and perhaps practice) a little Buddhism from time to time. It might make us a little stronger, wiser, and morally fit.
As a Nichiren Buddhist, I heartely agree. ( I remind that I was a minister's son, and a former Christian), so let us just consider this an unbiased dialogue. For today, nice people. Cheers CJ
Saturday, September 11, 2010
RELIGION or POLITICS - Why Buddhism????? (Cont'd)
Hi good people, after having a good short week, I trust you are now enjoying the weekend, what with the Universities starting their 2010 football season, most of them today. I am a Gator fan, being a half century Floridian, as opposed to Florida State and Miami.
I am also an avid baseball fan, and having a heck of a year rooting for the RAYS, as well as the San Fran Giants, whom I have rooted for and followed for many decades. Whooooeeee!
Ya know, timely was my blog of the past day or so, touching on the differences in the views of HELL between the Christian religion, and Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism.
Then today I watched the repeat showing of the 9/11 terrorist's attack on New York City. I could only watch in awe as the planes hit the World Trade Center buildings and the subsequent devastation. But, more to the point, could you think of anything more of a HELL than this?
As I watched I could only think that I, for one, would feel betrayed if they allow the Muslims to establish their Mosque anywhere near that area. I say NO, NO, and NO.
To further exemplify Hell. In 1944, Primo Levi, then a young Jewish chemist, was transported. along with 650 others, old men, women, and children, from a detention camp in Italy to a labour camp near Auschwitz. On arrival most of them went straight to the gas chamber. Those left, maybe 100 or so left, were taken to the camp. Levi has said............
The journey did not last more than 20 minutes. Then the lorry, their transportation, stopped, and we saw a large door, and above it a sign, brightly illuminated (its memory still stikes me in my dreams) Arbeit Macht Frei, work gives freedom.
WE climb down, they make us an enormous room that is poorly heated. We have a terrible thirst. the weak gurgle of the water in the radiatiors makes us ferocious; we have had nothing to drink for 4 days. But there is also a tap - and above it a card which says that it is forbidden to drink as the water is dirty. Nonsense. It seems obvious that the card is a joke, 'they' know we are dying of thirst and they put us in a room, and there is a tap, and Wassertrinken Verboten. I drink and I incite my companions to do likewise., but I have to spit it out, the water is tepid and sweetish, with the smell of a swamp.
This is HELL. Today, in our times, hell must be like this. A huge, empty room: we are tired, standing of our feet, with a tap which drips while we cannot drink the water, and we wait for something which will certainly be terrible, and nothing happens and nothing continues to happen. What can one think about? One cannot think any more, it is like being already dead. Someone sits down on the ground. The time passes drop by drop.
These are two pictures of hell right here on earth. Who needs this imagined Hell, that no one can ever experience, or at least, no recorded experience. Hey, we need something that will allow us to surmount the hells right here on earth. Are you ready? Where? Why, Nichiren Buddhism of course.
I gave you a list of the 10 Worlds that Buddhism lives by, with more than half are worlds we live in each day. HELL is first on the list. As I present others and how they fit into everyday life, and how our Buddhism teaches us how to handle all the worlds, you will readily understand why we are in ABSOLUTE HAPPINESS.
Cheers y"all, be back soon. CJ
I am also an avid baseball fan, and having a heck of a year rooting for the RAYS, as well as the San Fran Giants, whom I have rooted for and followed for many decades. Whooooeeee!
Ya know, timely was my blog of the past day or so, touching on the differences in the views of HELL between the Christian religion, and Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism.
Then today I watched the repeat showing of the 9/11 terrorist's attack on New York City. I could only watch in awe as the planes hit the World Trade Center buildings and the subsequent devastation. But, more to the point, could you think of anything more of a HELL than this?
As I watched I could only think that I, for one, would feel betrayed if they allow the Muslims to establish their Mosque anywhere near that area. I say NO, NO, and NO.
To further exemplify Hell. In 1944, Primo Levi, then a young Jewish chemist, was transported. along with 650 others, old men, women, and children, from a detention camp in Italy to a labour camp near Auschwitz. On arrival most of them went straight to the gas chamber. Those left, maybe 100 or so left, were taken to the camp. Levi has said............
The journey did not last more than 20 minutes. Then the lorry, their transportation, stopped, and we saw a large door, and above it a sign, brightly illuminated (its memory still stikes me in my dreams) Arbeit Macht Frei, work gives freedom.
WE climb down, they make us an enormous room that is poorly heated. We have a terrible thirst. the weak gurgle of the water in the radiatiors makes us ferocious; we have had nothing to drink for 4 days. But there is also a tap - and above it a card which says that it is forbidden to drink as the water is dirty. Nonsense. It seems obvious that the card is a joke, 'they' know we are dying of thirst and they put us in a room, and there is a tap, and Wassertrinken Verboten. I drink and I incite my companions to do likewise., but I have to spit it out, the water is tepid and sweetish, with the smell of a swamp.
This is HELL. Today, in our times, hell must be like this. A huge, empty room: we are tired, standing of our feet, with a tap which drips while we cannot drink the water, and we wait for something which will certainly be terrible, and nothing happens and nothing continues to happen. What can one think about? One cannot think any more, it is like being already dead. Someone sits down on the ground. The time passes drop by drop.
These are two pictures of hell right here on earth. Who needs this imagined Hell, that no one can ever experience, or at least, no recorded experience. Hey, we need something that will allow us to surmount the hells right here on earth. Are you ready? Where? Why, Nichiren Buddhism of course.
I gave you a list of the 10 Worlds that Buddhism lives by, with more than half are worlds we live in each day. HELL is first on the list. As I present others and how they fit into everyday life, and how our Buddhism teaches us how to handle all the worlds, you will readily understand why we are in ABSOLUTE HAPPINESS.
Cheers y"all, be back soon. CJ
Thursday, September 9, 2010
RELIGION or POLITICS - This is INTERESTING ......
Hello again, Right this minute I am quite upset. Yesterday evening I had my blog nearly finished but wanted to do some research to complete it, but didn't have time, what with one thing and another, and so I put the blog in SAVED. Now, I can't find what I had written, can't finish the blog and now must start over. Grrrr!
My subject matter was on the difference between religions or basically Christianity and Nichiren Buddhism as to Heaven and Hell. When you think about it, religions differ only in their points of view, and the hope that enough people will prefer their view over the others, enough to fill their churches etc.
In Christianity, they have heaven, where good people go to eventually to join past family members in a place where everything is perfect and all attended to by Angels and headed by this Man God figure. Hell, on the other hand is a place down under, all fire and brimstone, an unbearabley hot place, where bad people go, and tormented throughout eternity. All this overseen by the Devil, a creature, red in color, with a tail and a pitch fork to nudge the miscreants.
Now most people I know and have known, have been both bad and good all their lives, so I don't know how one keeps score to earn the right to either of these places. Again, many people don't believe in this picture of hell, but would like to believe in this wonderful heaven idea. I can't swallow either one, but then that is why I am a Nichiren Buddhist.
We learn about the Ten Worlds, where everyday we live in at least half of them. They are in order, Hell, Hunger, Animaility, Anger, Tranquillity, Rapture, Learning, Relaxation, Realiza-tion, Bodhisattva, and Buddhahood.
1. Hell is the state of suffering.
2. Hunger is the state of being under the sway of desires.
3. Animality is the state of instinctive behavior.
4. Anger is the state of constant competition or conflict in which one tries arrogantly to surpass others.
5. Tranquillity is the neutral state of peace and calm.
6. Rapture is the state of being temporarily overjoyed at the gratification of a desire.
7. Learning is the state where we something from the teaching of others.
8. Realization is the state in which we come to some partial understanding of life, however great or small, through our own efforts and observations.
9. Bodhisattva is the state of altruism - in finding joy in helping others.
10. Buddhahood is definded as absolute happiness, and is attained only as the result of the actions we take when in the state of Boddhisattva.
You will notice there is no mention of Heaven. Well, as you study, which you will love doing in your practice of Buddhism, you will learn why no heaven, as in, Unlocking the Mysteries of Birth and Death, by Daisaku Ikeda, President of Soka Gakkai International, the management and practice arm of Nichiren Buddhism. That explanation for another time.
I think I will stop here for today and let you digest what I've just written, because in my next blog I will get into explaining what Hell is to a Buddhist. Thanks for reading. Cheers CJ
My subject matter was on the difference between religions or basically Christianity and Nichiren Buddhism as to Heaven and Hell. When you think about it, religions differ only in their points of view, and the hope that enough people will prefer their view over the others, enough to fill their churches etc.
In Christianity, they have heaven, where good people go to eventually to join past family members in a place where everything is perfect and all attended to by Angels and headed by this Man God figure. Hell, on the other hand is a place down under, all fire and brimstone, an unbearabley hot place, where bad people go, and tormented throughout eternity. All this overseen by the Devil, a creature, red in color, with a tail and a pitch fork to nudge the miscreants.
Now most people I know and have known, have been both bad and good all their lives, so I don't know how one keeps score to earn the right to either of these places. Again, many people don't believe in this picture of hell, but would like to believe in this wonderful heaven idea. I can't swallow either one, but then that is why I am a Nichiren Buddhist.
We learn about the Ten Worlds, where everyday we live in at least half of them. They are in order, Hell, Hunger, Animaility, Anger, Tranquillity, Rapture, Learning, Relaxation, Realiza-tion, Bodhisattva, and Buddhahood.
1. Hell is the state of suffering.
2. Hunger is the state of being under the sway of desires.
3. Animality is the state of instinctive behavior.
4. Anger is the state of constant competition or conflict in which one tries arrogantly to surpass others.
5. Tranquillity is the neutral state of peace and calm.
6. Rapture is the state of being temporarily overjoyed at the gratification of a desire.
7. Learning is the state where we something from the teaching of others.
8. Realization is the state in which we come to some partial understanding of life, however great or small, through our own efforts and observations.
9. Bodhisattva is the state of altruism - in finding joy in helping others.
10. Buddhahood is definded as absolute happiness, and is attained only as the result of the actions we take when in the state of Boddhisattva.
You will notice there is no mention of Heaven. Well, as you study, which you will love doing in your practice of Buddhism, you will learn why no heaven, as in, Unlocking the Mysteries of Birth and Death, by Daisaku Ikeda, President of Soka Gakkai International, the management and practice arm of Nichiren Buddhism. That explanation for another time.
I think I will stop here for today and let you digest what I've just written, because in my next blog I will get into explaining what Hell is to a Buddhist. Thanks for reading. Cheers CJ
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