RELIGION or POLITICS - Why Buddhism?? The incredible 9th consciousness

(Again much of the contents herein are taken from the book "Unlocking the Mysteries of Birth and Death, byDaisaku Ikeda, President of Soka Gakkai International.)


Everyone who is not wholly dedicated to a religion, or who is spiritual and open minded about religion,
should seriously consider .... "Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism, the Buddhism of the SUN.".............

Buddhism of the SUN, is shedding it's light all around the world. We have arrived at a time in which our movement for peace, culture and education, grounded on Buddhist principles, must send it's light of hope throughout society.

Hello on this TGIF day, and now you can look to another new and exciting weekend. My hope for all.
And now I bring us all back to Ninth Cosciousness, where life is really at for complete happiness.
 
 
         TAPPING OUR INNER WISDOM, COMPASSION AND LIFE FORCE IS CRUCIAL. THE FULL VALUE OF THE NINE CONSCIOUSNESSES CONCEPT IS DEMONSTRATED ONLY WHEN ON PRACTICALLY BRINGS FORTH THE NINTH CONSCIOUSNESS, OR BUDDHAHOOD.
 
         Nichiren gave concrete expression to the amala-consciousnes -- the fundamental reality of life -- in Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.   He thereby opened a path through which all people can reveal Buddhahood, drawing forth their latent greater self.   "The body is the palace of the ninth consciousness, the unchanging reality,"  he wrote,  and concluded that chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the way to open the Buddhahood inherent in our lives, allowing it to gush forth and purify our lives from the inside out.
 
         Nidhiren also wrote: "You should base your mind on the ninth consciousness, and carry out your practice in the six consciousnesses"."   By establishing faith in the ultimate reality and incorporating Buddhist practice into our daily lives, we can access infinite wisdom, power and compassion;   we can achieve a fundamental inner reformation and establish an unshakable foundation for true happiness.   By analogy, while a piece of wood floating in a stream will be swept away at the whim of the curent, even the most powerful of currents cannot shift an island of rock.
 
Josei Toda used to emphasize that having a life-state of Buddhahood, or absolute happiness, means having the capacity to experience joy under any circumstances.   He would say: "When you achieve absolute happiness, you have no money troubles, and you enjoy good health. Your home is peaceful, your business goes well, your heart is filled with a sense of abundance, and everything you see or hear makes you think, 'how delightful!'    When the world appears to you in this way, then this world...becomes Buddha land. That is attaining Buddhahood."   He would say that even a quarrel with your spouse, for example, can be joyful.   And that when you get angry, you do so with contentment.
 
HAPPINESS IS NOT RELIANT SOLELY ON THE ENVIRONMENT.  THERE ARE PEOPLE IN MANSIONS WHO SPEND THEIR DAYS IN TEARS.    NEITHER, HOWEVER, IS OUR HAPPINESS ENTIRELY INDEPENDENT OF OUR ENVIRONMNET.   WHO, FOR EXAMPLE, COULD HONESTLY CLAIM TO BE HAPPY IF THEY COULD NOT FEED THEIR CHILDREN.?    A PERSON CONTROLLED BY A NEGATIVE ENVIRONMENT IS SUFFERING,  WHEREAS ONE WHO CAN CONTROL AND INFLUENCE A DIFFICULT SITUATION IS QUITE THE OPPOSITE.    WE CAN SAY THEN,  THAT A PERSON WITH  STRONG LIFE PURPOSE IS HAPPY.
 
And so good people, we close for this day and still looking forward to give out more enlightenment and food for serious thought for those who at not happy, and for those who may not have a great spiritual platform for daily life.  Believe me folks, Nichiren Buddhism is where it's at.  Cheers.     CJ

RELIGION or POLITICS - Why Buddhism?? The incredible 9th consciousness

(Again much of the contents herein are taken from the book "Unlocking the Mysteries of Birth and Death, byDaisaku Ikeda, President of Soka Gakkai International.)


Everyone who is not wholly dedicated to a religion, or who is spiritual and open minded about religion,

should seriously consider .... "Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism, the Buddhism of the SUN.".............

Buddhism of the SUN, is shedding it's light all around the world. We have arrived at a time in which our movement for peace, culture and education, grounded on Buddhist principles, must send it's light of hope throughout society.

Hello again. Here we are at hump day and the week half gone. Isn't it wonderful here in the SUN?  Well, time to get on with the Ninth Consciousness. I hope you all have been pondering your life though the eyes of all of your consciousnesses, and concluded that by not being a Nichiren Buddhist you are missing out on a bunch of good life and happiness.  AND you ARE!   But let's get on with it.


        TAPPING THE AMALA-CONSCIOUSNESS IMPACTS ALL THE OTHER CONSCIOUSNESSES, CAUSING THEM TO EXPRESS THE IMMENSE POWER AND  INFINITE WISDOM OF THE BUDDHA NATURE .

           From the standpoint of the amala-consciousness, we can see that our Karmic accumulations are in essence opportunities to manifest our Buddhahood.   Our seventh consciousness -- in which we distinguish self from other -- becomes the "seat of perception" in which we view everything equally as precious and respectable.  In other words, we can surmount our small ego and recognize the equality of all.   The sixth consciousness will drop its erroneous preconceptions and see the indiviual value of all things.   The five senses or consciousnesses will contribute to accomplishing the work of the Buddha.

          The nine consciousnesses concept, analyzing as it does the various layers of an individuals life and simultaneously sheddding light on that life's totality, offers insights for the fields of medicine and psychiatry.   In recent decades, phychosomatic medicine therapies have included Buddhist-related ideas.   For example, in helping people overcome resentment and ill will,  doctors may employ a therapy somewhat akin to Buddhist compassion.   The instruct the patient to form a clear mental image of the person who is the object of resentment.   The patient is then told to picture good things happening to the other person, imagining that person receiving love, attention, money or whatever the patient feels the hate-object would most like.

           Similarely, Shakyamuni (First Buddha) taught a form of meditation in which one first generates compassionate thoughts toward his or her love ones and then extends these to people he or she actively dislikes.   In this way, one can learn to master anger,  a major source of delusion and harmful desires. 

           TAPPING OUR INNER WISDOM, COMPASSION AND LIFE FORCE IS CRUCIAL.
THE FULL VALUE OF THE NINE CONSCIOUSNESSES CONCEPT IS DEMONSTRATED ONLY WHEN ONE PRACTICALLY BRINGS FORTH THE NINTH CONSCIOUSNESS. OR 
BUDDHAHOOD ......


Ah Buddhahood. What a wonderful destination to reach, and finally realize how really simple it is to handle life's ups and downs. It is YOU who will take care of YOU, not some hoped for influence from up there or way our yonder somewhere. We have a passage which handles it all...." Enjoy what there is to enjoy, suffer what there is to suffer,  accepting joy and suffering as a fact of life, and keep on chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo no matter what happens". 

With all of this you can take on life no matter what comes along, and handle it. And You know what levels the whole game out for us all,  the "Universal Law of Cause and Effect".  Does this give you absolute Happiness????  You betcha.    Be back soon.     Cheers       CJ

RELIGION or POLITICS - Why Buddhism?? The incredible 9th consciousness

(Again much of the contents herein are taken from the book "Unlocking the Mysteries of Birth and Death, byDaisaku Ikeda, President of Soka Gakkai International.)


Everyone who is not wholly dedicated to a religion, or who is spiritual and open minded about religion,
should seriously consider .... "Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism, the Buddhism of the SUN.".............

Buddhism of the SUN, is shedding it's light all around the world. We have arrived at a time in which our movement for peace, culture and education, grounded on Buddhist principles, must send it's light of hope throughout Society.

Greetings again, good friends, and a wonderful new week ahead for all, that is my prayer. Now, it is time to continue on with the Ninth Consciousness. This is the Consciousness that sets it all staight for you, and gives eternal hope and happiness for everyone who sincerely practices Nichiren Buddhism. The first day you commit wil be the greatest day of your life........so, here we go.

In my last blog, I left you with the question - HOW DOES THIS NINTH CONSCIOUSNESS WORK? SO........THE NINTH OR AMALA-CONSCIOUSNESS IS THE KEY TO TRANSFORMING THE DYNAMICS OF THE ALAYA-CONSCIOUSNESS.   THE SANSKRIT WORD AMALA MEANS "PURE" "STAINLESS" OR "SPOTLESS".   AS ITS NAME SUGGESTS, THE AMALA-CONSCIOUSNESS REMAINS ETERNALLY UNTAINTED BY KARMIC ACCRETIONS.   THE KARMIC STOREHOUSE, WITH ITS ACCUMULATION OF BAD KARMIC SEEDS, HAS BECOME FOULED WITH THE THREE POISONS, LIKE THE GASES ARISING FROM A TRASH DUMP.   A PURE CLEAN STREAM GUSHES FORTH FROM THE DEPTHS OF OUR LIVES ONCE THE LEVEL OF CONSCIOUSNESS IS OPENED,  AND ALL IMPURITIES SIMULTANEOUSLY AND IMMEDIATELY ARE SWEPT AWAY LIKE DETRITUS WASHED FROM THE STREET IN A SPRING SHOWER.

The Nineth Consciousness is itself the ultimate reality of all things and isequivilent to the universal Buddha nature.  Buddhism teaches that we can change our deepest karma through drawing upon this inner capacity of our lives rather than through the intervention of and external God.

The Amala-Consciousness is pure life force, the power to live, and it represents the drive to have a better life.   It is the greater self that works for the happiness of all.   The power to make all people absolutely happy is the function of the Buddha. Therefore, the ninth consciousness is know as the Buddha consciousness.   It is also called the Dharma nature, which denotes the enlightenment potential in every being...The pure Amala-Cosnciousness allows us to transform the entire interlocking web of latent causes and effects that forms the Alaya-Consciousness so that it is based on Buddha wisdom rather that delusion.

No my friends, I am cutting off here because I don't want to feed you too much of this Ninth Consciousness, so you will have time to think and contemplate the importance of what is being written.
If for whatever reason you are not entirely and irretrievably happy, then I urge you to actively dip your toes in the water and let the philosophy prove itself, whether you think it will or not. Fair enough????

Cheers      CJ

 

RELIGION or POLITICS - Why Buddhism?? The incredible 9th consciousness

Again much of the contents herein are taken from the book "Unlocking the Mysteries of Birth and Death, byDaisaku Ikeda, President of Soka Gakkai International.)


Everyone who is not wholly dedicated to a religion, or who is spiritual and open minded about religion,

should seriously consider .... "Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism, the Buddhism of the SUN."


Hi ladies and gentlemen:  Guess you are about now revving up to have a glorious weekend. Me too. But for you all, I'm starting in on explaining the Ninth Consciousness, and it takes care of all your life's problems if you will adhere to the rules of Life as laid out in the philosophy by Nichiren Buddhism. So off we go.


NOT ONLY OUR THOUGHTS BUT ALSO OR WORDS AND DEEDS ARE REGISTERED DEEP IN OUR LIVES.  OUR KARMA COMBINES BOTH GOOD AND BAD, OR ENLIGHTMENT AND DELUSION  -- OPPOSING FORCES LOCKE IN A NEVER-ENDING STRUGGLE.   BASE ON COMPASSION, WE CAN AROUSE A DETERMINATION TO MAKE CAUSES THAT OFFSET THE KARMIC EFFECTS IMPRINTED ON THE ALAYA-CONSCIOUSNESS THROUGH DELUSION.   WE CAN WORK TOWARD SELF-REFORMATION BY BREAKING THROUGH THE WALLS OF EGOISM AND DEDICATING OUR LIVES  TO THE BENEFIT OF OTHERS.   IN THIS WAY, WE CAN SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECT THE ALAYA-CONSCIOUSNESS.

Theoretically,  to overcome the negative influences of past deeds, we would have to spend as long a time making good causes as we spent accumulating bad ones since the infinite past -- replacing each bad seed in the storehouse with a good seed one by one. And we would carefully have to avoid adding new bad causes!   Changing our destiny would seem almost impossible, then, since we live in what some Buddhist scriptures call a "defiled age" in which we cannot help creating bad karmic causes.  But this bleak outlook stems from a cause-and-effect theory grounded in only the first eight consciousnesses. 

The nine consciousnesses concept explains that we can radically break through our accumulated bad karma.   Nichiren teaches that even people of little virtue or who have committed great offenses, will, by accessing the deeper currents of life,  receive the same effects as if they had made many good causes in the past.   How  does this work????

Right here, friends, is where I get off the the weekend, though I may through some wisdom in my blog over the weekend before monday. But I will go on with the Ninth Consciousness then, and you will find this more and more interesting, that is, if you are truely spiritually minded and wanting to be in the state of ABSOLUTE HAPPINESS.        Cheers       CJ

RELIGION or POLITICS - Why Buddhism?? (Cont'd) 8th Consciousness --

Again much of the contents herein are taken from the book "Unlocking the Mysteries of Birth and Death, byDaisaku Ikeda, President of Soka Gakkai International.)


Everyone who is not wholly dedicated to a religion, or who is spiritual and open minded about religion,
should seriously consider .... "Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism, the Buddhism of the SUN."
 
Hello y'all, yeah, here we are in the middle of the week already. Time goes fast when you are having fun, or are unbreakably HAPPY, as are all those who practice Nichiren Buddhism. Anyway, now we continue with the Eighth Consciousness, and the oboy, we get into the Ninth Consciousness which gives you all the answers to life and Happiness. Just wait until we get into that. 
 
DURING THE TRANSITION FROM SENTIENCE TO INSENTIENCE, OUR CAPACITY TO RESPOND TO EXTERNAL STIMULI BECOMES LATENT AND OUR LIVES BECOME FIXED IN WHICHEVER STATE WE HAVE ESTABLISHED AS OUR BASIC TENDENCY.   SO, AS DEATH APPROACHES, LESS AND LESS CAN WE USE WORLDLY MEANS TO ALTER OUR BASIC LIFE-CONDITION.   WEALTH, POWER, SOCIAL STANDING, THE LOVE OF OTHERS -- NONE OF THESE CAN HELP US, AND EVEN GREAT THOUGHTS AND PHILOSOPHIES, IF WE HAVE UNDERSTOOD THEM ONLY SUPERFICIALLY WITHOUT MAKING THEM A PART OF OUR LIVES, WILL PROVE UTTERLY USELESS IN THE FACE OF IMMINENT DEATH.   AS LIFE SHIFTS INTO A LATENT STATE, OUR POWER TO INFLUENCE THE ENVIRONMENT AND TO BE INFLUENCED BY IT IS LOST.
 
The alaya-consciousness is sometimes called "nonvanishing" because the karmic seeds stored within it do not disappear at death. Our individual lives are accompanied into ltency by all the effects of our karma.   Although habits, talents, abilities, traits and the like will NOT carry over, the elements that will determine our life-condition after death remain within the alaya-consciousness.   For example, the alaya-consciousness of someone who has established the tendency of Hell will in death go through hellish sufferings resulting from causes made while alive.   A person continually governed by desire will be tormented by frustration all the more after death. 
 
Our karmic energy mutually impacts our loved ones (living and deceased) and indeed all humankind.   It even affects animals and plants.   A positive change in the karmic energy in the depths of one's life beomes a cogwheel for change in the lives of others;  one person's internal reformation ---  or " human revolution" ---therefore, can change the destiny of that person's family and society.
 
IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WHILE WE ARE ALIVE, THE SELF CHANGES MOMENT TO MOMENT;   WE CONTINUALLY MAKE NEW CAUSE THROUGH PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL ACTIONS.   THE EFFECTS OF PAST CAUSES ARE REVEALED THROUGH THIS PROCESS, IN TURN TRIGGERING MORE CHANGES AND GIVING US MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO CREATE NEW KARMIC CAUSES.   EVEN THOUGH WE CAN CREATE NEW KARMIC SEEDS, HOWEVER, THE ALAYA-CONSCIOUSNESS CAN NEVER BE ENTIRELY FREE FROM THE DELUSION.    COMPLETE PURITY IS TO BE FOUND ONLY IN THE NINTH CONSCIOUSNESS.
 
And with that, I close for this time and really look forward to revealing the NINTH consciousness with you. It will no doubt surprise you and all that, but it should give you hope for the future of who and whee you are going in life and on.       Cheers      CJ

RELIGION or POLITICS - You've 9 consciousnesses - here is the 8th, cont'd

(Again much of the contents herein are taken from the book "Unlocking the Mysteries of Birth and Death, byDaisaku Ikeda, President of Soka Gakkai International.)



Good morning, all, and how was your weekend? A wower, I hope. I happen to be a hot sports fan and a rooter for most Florida teams and these past days have not been good at all. But, as we all must say, better days ahead, and here is our brand new week to work on our good stuff.

I have given you a couple, three paragraphs of my lastest blog on our Nine Consciousnesses, the incredible Eighth Cosciousness. And so we continue.........

ACCORDING TO  MEDICAL SCIENCE,  OVER SEVERAL YEARS,  EVERY CELL IN OUR BODIES,  FROM THE CENTER OF OUR EYEBALLS TO THE MARROW OF OUR BONES,  IS REPLACED.  TODAY CONTINUED.  ON THAT BASIS, HE SAID, YOU COULD ARGUE THAT YOU ARE NOT LIABLE FOR A DEBT FROM FIVE YEARS AGO -- IN A SENSE,  IT WAS A PYHSICALLY DIFFERENT "YOU" WHO INCURRED THE DEBT.   STILL, THE DEBT COLLECTOR WILL COME WITHOUT FAIL.  SIMILARLY, WE HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR PAST ACTIONS AND THE KARMA WE'VE CREATED.

No matter what our circumstances now, however, we can freely improve ourselves through the actions we take from this point on. To be superficially content with the way we are, or to chide ourselves for our circumstances,  ultimately creates no value. Buddhism teaches us to move toward creating value, toward cultivating deeper wisdom and compassion.   We may make mistakes in  the course of our lives, but if we reflect upon our past attitude and behavior, we can use our sorrows and mishaps as a springboard for development.

THE ALAYA CONSCIOUSNESS AND DEATH

At the time of death, one's life moves into a latent state -- from sentience to insentience -- in three stages.   First, the operations of the first five consciousnesses become latent, while the sixth consciousness continues to function.   Second, the sixth consciousness recedes into dormancy, becoming latent within the eighth, or ALAYA consciousness, while the seventh consciousness remains active as a passionate attachment to temporary existence. Third,  the seventh consciousness, too, lapses into latency within the ALAYA consciousness. Hence, it is only the eighth and ninth levels of consciousnes that constitute the "vessel" of eternal life --- continuing throughout the endless cycle of life and death.


So you see folks, those who think "this is all there is" to life are just plain wrong, and must be fatalists.
Also for those who think they go to some fantasy Heaven or Hell, depending on how good or bad they were, are just dreaming to make themselves feel better. NO, people, you have to come back and back, until you get it right. More revelation next blog, Do hope you come back and even send me comments, for or against, whatever, huh?       Cheers      CJ

RELIGION or POLITICS ?? Heaven or Hell? ...really?

Hello friends, oh happy TGIF. And everybody looking forward to a big fun weekend, right?? Yeah.

But, let me ask a question. For those who profess Christianity or merely believe in GOD. Where do you think you will go when you take leave of this world???? Heaven or Hell or no where, that this is all there is. Well, by the time I get through revealing your 8th and 9th Consciousnesses, you will have some serious thoughts to ponder, just assuming you love life and all that, and happy, happy. So here we go.

EIGHTH CONSCIOUSNESS:::

All experiences from our present and previous lifetimes accumulate in the eighth conscious-ness, believed to be the realm that undergoes the cycle of birth and death. The eighth is also known as the ALAYA-consciousness -- the Sanskrit word alaya meaning "repository" or "storehouse." This consciousness receives the results of thoughts, words and deeds and stores them as karmic potentials or "seeds." Since karmic seeds are found only at a very deep level of life, they are unaffected by the external world.  Nevertheless, there is a reciprocal influence between the seeds lying deep in the alaya-consciousness and the surface levels of consciousness, where the three kinds of action -- thinking, speaking and doing - are carried out.

ON THE MOST PRACTICAL LEVEL, THE SEEDS STORED IN THE alaya-CONSCIOUS-NESS INFLUENCE THE WORKINGS OF OUR FIRST SEVEN CONSCIOUSNESSES. KARMA AFFECTS EVERY ASPECT OF BODY AND MIND.   PEOPLE RECOGNIZE AND RESPOND TO THE SAME CIRCUMSTANCES IN DIFFERENT WAYS, DEPENDING ON THEIR PERSONALITIES.   CERTAIN PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES, TOO, SUCH AS BODY SHAPE, MAY REFLECT LIFESTYLE, EATING HABITS, BIOLOGICAL MAKEUP AND ENVIRONMENT. 

SPIRITUAL CONDITION REFLECTS LIFESTYLE AS WELL AS EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE.   THUS, THROUGH THE WORKINGS OF OUR KARMA, WE HAVE ARRIVED PHYSICALLY ADN SPIRITUALLY AT OUR CURRENT STATE OF LIFE.  THE
REWARD OR RETRIBUTION OF KARMA PRIMARILY EXPRESSES ITSELF IN THE FORM OF ONE'S INTERNAL STATE OF LIFE.  IT WILL ALSO BE REFLECTED EX-TERNALLY IN AN INDIVIDUAL'S ENVIRONMENT OR SOCIAL SPHERE.

ACCORDING TO REVERED JOSEI TODA; "ALL OF OUR ACTIONS IN PAST EXISTENCES ARE CONTAINED IN THEIR ENTIREY IN OUR LIVES...WHILE WE MIGHT WANT TO SAY, "WHAT I DID IN THE PAST IS IRRELEVANT;  I WAS BORN WITH A CLEAN SLATE, 'WE CANNOT ESCAPE OUR PAST SO EASILY.  'WHY WAS I BORN POOR?' 'WHY WAS I BORN STUPID?' 'WHY IS MY BUSINES FAILING EVEN THOUGH I AM WORKING AS HARD AS I CAN?'  THE ANSWER TO ALL OF THESE QUESTIONS IS TO BE FOUND IN OUR PAST LIVES."


O.K., I am going to knock it off right here, and let you give the above passages some thought and we will continue where we left off here next blog. Have a good one,  Cheers      CJ