Anker's Away

I agree with you about the physical and mental benifits of a relaxation technique and that this would be true of many types of meditation.
I think as Krishnamurti said you could just chant coca-cola,coca-cola and get that effect.
but I do believe that there are different states of mind that one gets into with a different focus.
Chanting Hare Krishna is not the same as chanting Namu-myoho-renge-kyo or reciting the Prayer of St. Francis. But the benefits of meditation can be had by doing any of them.
I don't really want to develope faith, I want clarity. I don't want to believe in things I can't know or understand, I want to believe in myself. So I don't think I have faith is the Gohonzon, Daimoku, or the Buddha. All I have is the desire to have faith in myself and I see those things as tools to help me. If I say that I am the Gohonzon, the Daimoku, and the Buddha, I don't know if I should call that faith or not.

Bill,

FWIw, I think some of the well being from chanting is attributable to Absorption {jhana/dhyana} Meditation. Depending on the source there are 5v to 9 mental states associated; and 4 or 5 levels.

I go with 5.

* Directed attention.
* Sustained, rapt attention and interest.
* Physical Ecstasy.
* Mellow, Spiritual Bliss
* Non-duality of perception

I think Yoga and Chanting both do that. There are other ways as well; such as generic concentration meditation {Shamatha}. All that is needed is an object of focus. As Phil notes:

"Chanting Hare Krishna is not the same as chanting Namu-myoho-renge-kyo or reciting the Prayer of St. Francis. But the benefits of meditation can be had by doing any of them."

I agree. All can be objects of concentration meditation. They can directed as cultivations of merits. However, do they work as mindfulness insight meditation?

I do think, I am sure actually, that Daimoku chanting can work like mindfulness & insight meditation. Or put another way, as kanjin / spiritual introspection. I see this as self reflection on the first 4 aggregates; as looking objectively at our {and even others] material form & body, raw feelings {vedana}, conceptual mind & spirituality, and mental conditioning.

I know from experience that the insights at that introspective level can be very hard to deal with. It is tempting to retreat from them. The bliss of dhyana is more fun.

One other thing, I am pretty confident that there are also other ways to do mindfulness & insight meditation. Those are just not quite as accessible as chanting Daimoku. On the other hand, the other ways have the advantage of clearer guidelines as to what to do, what to expect, and what one is aiming for. Using the traditional guidelines in combination with Daimoku can be a nice tool.

We have to shut up oir monkey mind and 'listen' though. That is why Shamatha is so useful as a prelude. It helps us turn off the dismissive mind. It also gets us past all five veils ~~ sense desire, enmity, lazy boredom, restlessness & anxiety, cynical doubt.

On Faith, I find the three levels useful. The first is Trust; which subs in for Discernment. That gets us past the 5th veil of cynical doubt right away. Then we can develop shinjin, a deeper confidence felt in the heart. After that, we can get into it more deeply and reach the third level of shin-ge {adhi-mukti} Faith with Understanding.

I think Nichiren stressed trust because distrust, suspicious doubt, and cynicism tend to disable us before we even start, or cause us to quit at the first bump in the road. Who has time to sort out all the competing claims? So people tend to put their trust is something, to anchor themselves. Nichiren Shonin said people were trusting the wrong things; like senseis, government authorities, or secret transmissions.

He concluded that the Lotus Sutra was the best place to anchor one's practice; the best source to trust. Moreover, he evidently thought Chapter 2 and 16 provided the keys. I think one can do worse. One more other thing, the Gohonzon, IMO, is chapter 16. It is not, IMO, Nichiren's life, or some mystic spiritual ink blot test. It is a depiction of chapter 16, or more generally, the one chapter and two halves, or the 8 chapters. The core is the Eternal Buddha flanked by the 4 attendants; which depicts the 5 aggregates in a luminous, purified, blissful, constant, and unconditioned state.

Sorry that I wrote too much. Bill's entry and Phil's reply are inspiring, at least for me. What I write is just my present take. I apologize if I come across as preachy or pontificating. No one needs to adopt my view. I think people should go with what works for them. The shared insights of others can help light the way; as Bill and Phil helped me today.

i hope to find time this week to do part 2 on the Ichinen Sanzen Gohonzon; which is along the same lines of meditative experiences.

gassho

robin

Good to have you back. We missed an anchor.

Chris

Hi Clown,

You said you believe that there are different states of mind that one gets into with a different focus and that makes total sense to me. You followed by saying that chanting Hare Krishna is not the same as chanting NMRK or the prayer of St Francis. I don't know what the prayer of St Francis is but assuming I chanted it in english it would automatically carry with it whatever resonance those particular english words would have for me and so it'd be kind of self defining.

But what if I chanted it in Latin had no knowledge of latin, had no understanding of the christian doctrine but was instead told to focus on awakening my buddha nature. What if in addition to that when chanting the Prayer of St Francis in latin, I was told to focus on the concept of ichinen sanzen, Esho funi, and the middle way? Same question for Hare Krishna. In other words how much of what we get out of a particular practice has to do with the practice itself and how much has to do with as you said with the particular focus we bring to it?

I don't know the answer and am open to the idea that the particular vibrational energy of the sounds we make are causes unto themselves with particular results, but I also want to explore other ways of looking at things.

Full disclosure: my mystical inclinations push me toward at least accepting that vibrational energies are part of the answer but I've also started to think that the mystical experiences I've had which I've tended to see as objective proof or direct insight into objective truth might be nothing more than a lens for seeing which is particularly focused for me to see something I needed to see and that those particular experiences were tailor made for me and by me.

Clarity. Yes. me too. Gohonzon, NMRK and buddha are you? And is that faith? That starts to get too much into what I think I'll be writing about in the follow up to this for me to comment on right now. I'll just say that I think alot of faith is required to say that and to try to live that. Hopefully my next post will give you more perspective on what I currently am thinking about that.

Thanks for helping me to clarify my own thoughts.

Bill

The way I explain my "faith" to people is that I was basically raised by my family outside of all religious or spiritual forces. I was raised in the era of "Pessimistic Reaganite Increase", Atari video games, early personal computing with modem access, heavy metal, a sprinkling of dungeons and dragons, and so forth. For me to even consider "sitting" in front of an altar which houses a scroll which houses the essence of my buddha nature as reflected and bounced back to me in this brilliant continuum , is itself an act of faith. For me to even have picked up the Gosho and read letters written in the 13th century was an act of faith. Everything else is just practice, but at some point I believe all practicioners of buddhism encounter faith.

namaste

Hi CL,

I have this presentation that I have to get done today at the video game company that I work for, and becasue of that I find that I'm being particularly diligent about just about everything else. Like replying to these posts. :)

I'll just say this: I distinguish between acts of faith such as you describe, which when writ larger throughout one's moment to moment actions are essentially what I mean by living with faith, vs having faith in something or putting one's faith into something. The types of actions you describe (and by types I don't mean actions related to buddhism but rather actions that make you feel that you've left behind what's safe and you have no idea what's ahead)are in my opinion how we "change the tenets of our minds". Those types of acts are what have made me feel free, honest, brave. Not to mention scared shitless, stupid, confused and just plain wrong. So far I haven't fallen off a cliff though, so I got that going for me.

I can experience the continuum you talk about (and have) while not being sure if it's the gohonzon which houses my buddha essence or me that puts my buddha essence there. I've also experienced the continuum walking down the street, thinking "every thing I see is a golden buddha and I open myself to be nourished by the buddhahood all around me as it passes through me and it flows to wherever it needs to go."

Many more thoughts arise but I really do have to finish this stupid powerpoint thingy.

Bill

Hi Robin,

Thanks for your post. I don't have anything to say yet specifically, there's alot to digest. Curious though, you said that this and clown's response had really inspired you. Do you mind me asking why?

Bill

Bill,

I like what Phil said about different prayers or chants all having shared and distinct elements. All can induce what is called Dhyana; a meditative absorption. However, they cultivate and / or awake different mental states. I tend to think that the latter is intrinsic in the mantra and visualization.

I had zero expectation from Daimoku going in; yet it aroused both dhyana and 'insight' and some of the insights were troublesome. I had few expectations of Om Mani Padme Hung, except that it was somehow related to compassion. It also induced dhyana. Instead of awakening insight; it aroused serious karuna {compassion}. I did not know what karuna-compassion was before that; now I do. In both cases, the mantra was maybe enough; but a proper visualization or mandala greatly enhanced the experience. Those are the Nichiren Mandala and the 4 armed Chenrezig respectively.

What both of you wrote touched on the three levels of faith. We may say we are without faith; but there is some level of trust; or we would not do the practice. Shraddha 信 {shin} means trust without evidence or understanding; it is the far opposite of suspicion. We have to get past mistrust to give a practice a fair and serious effort. It took trust for me to sit down and chant to a scroll with Chinese writing on it. It took a leap of trust for me to chant Om Mani Padme Hum to a painting of a four armed man wearing a dress.

The other two levels of faith, prasada 信心 {shinjin}; which is conviction, confidence, or deep faith, and adhimukti 信解 {shin-ge}; which is faith with clarity or real understanding, are developed over time. By the way, I do not think trust is needed all the time. The presence of sufficient prajna {discernment} can arouse enough objective intellectual curiosity that cynical doubt or suspicion is not a factor. Nichiren said that trust replaced prajna for those who lack discernment. Still, I doubt anyone gets to the point of real objectivity, without some level of trust to start. The mind needs to be open. I see people all the time who claim to be objective; but in reality, they are cynical; they have closed minds. They will retreat to their box and reason away any spiritual experiences.

gassho

robin

I can;t wait for part 2!

Bill, Thank you for this post.

It makes a point I’ve been trying to make, to myself and to a long time Nichiren Buddhist friend, for years.

I’ve chanted at different times in my life mostly because I’m lazy and I fell hook line and sinker for the notion that simply saying a few words over and over could replace actual action and effort. But the funny thing was that, that is when clarity would break through and show me how preposterous such a notion is.

Meanwhile my dearest friend, a Nichiren Buddhist, who introduced me to the practice many years ago lives life convinced that simply chanting the words is the answer to whatever is the question. This never really worked for me, and my practice has been fraught with my personal quest for what is true for me, beginning at a time when I desperately wanted to know what the words of the sutra meant and I was told I did not need to know – I just needed to say them. How did we ever live without the internet?

Perhaps it’s obvious my practice originated in the NSA/SGI schools of thought. This has been both my blessing and my curse. But having said that your post reminds me of what has become my favorite thing written by Daisaku Ikeda. I have not been able to digest the whole “he is my mentor” thing, but this one entry from his Daily Encouragement caused me to guiltlessly think outside of the SGI box. It even mentions the need for an anchor! It says:

(*excerpt)“Faith is the ultimate essence of intellect. Through the practice of correct faith, the intellect comes to shine. Intellect without correct faith lacks a firm anchor in the soil of life and eventually becomes disordered. Faith without intellect, meanwhile, leads to blind faith and fanaticism. Faith or intellect alone – one without the other is – unhealthy.
*November 27 p.361 – For Today and Tomorrow Daily Encouragement.

This book isn’t used any longer at the meetings I’ve attended recently – maybe this is partly why…

Bill

Very thought provoking post - since, like you, I have been doing very little real chanting in the last 6 months or so. When I do, it is usually with the local district - and my like of doing it is more for old times sake rather than anything else (but more about that later).

However, what I want to ask you is this: could it be that your well-being, is not so much based on the yoga, or the breathing, but could it simply be, the **absence of faith itself**? Could it be that faith, far from being an enabling force, is actually one which, potentially is a restriction on what we think, what we allow ourselves to see, and what we allow ourselves to be influenced by?

I notice Robin, in another discussion related to Ryuei's latest post, talks of initially getting into fights with Ryuei because he felt defensive about SGI doctrine - might that be a really good example of how "faith" far from freeing us, actually restricts us and closes off a number of potential illuminations?

I recently for the first time had to do a business plan. I learnt about all the things necessary t0 make a business plan credible (e.g. comparable businesses with their rate of growth, detailed market research about size of markets etc). However, contrast that with the typical SGI "determination" - there we are typically told to let nothing limit us in our expectations of outcomes (you too can be a millionaire!!!) - we are told to imagine the infinte power of the gohonzon. Therefore we make determinations which very often could not possibly come true. And when they don't come true - we say that it is not the fault of the determination - it is the fault of lack of ichinen - so we chant another million etc etc.

I wonder therefore if we are asked to make determinations **deliberately in order to make ourselves feel unsatisfied and incomplete**. And this feeling of lack is soothed by tozos and hours of chanting - till we feel better again - readyto be hit on the head by reality again - to make us chant again.

If however we don't go around with mammoth determinations all the while, and just enjoy what we have - and build on what we have - doesn't that lead to a much nicer and wholesome life?

And therefore I wonder if your feeling of wellness - is potentially entirely the result of **not needing faith in the gohonzon any more**? Maybe you could try replacing deep breathing with BigMacs and see if there is any difference!

Still, I have probably taken this argument further than it can stand/ There were certainly periods in my life when I genuinely needed faith in the gohonzon.

However, am very interested in reading your follow up (living with faith) - I am genuinely intrigued as to what that might mean. Since I am too looking for a kind of post-faith settlement - which allows me to move on - but not negate all that I've experienced before.

When I do chant these days - it is mainly out of gratitude and a kind of superstitious feeling of - please allow me to remain as human and serene as I have recently become!

anyway, very interesting

steve

All of you are touching on the three levels of faith. Shraddha, Prasada, & Adhimukti are Buddhist terms that get translated as faith. Then, we have our own preconceptions about what faith means. I think the general concept in the west is that faith means belief without any evidence. In practice, this can potentially lead to blind trust, obedience, and submission in and to an external authority. The dangers of that ought to strike a critical thinker as self evident. Note that the three Buddhist Terms for faith all have a shared meaning; but also a distinct nuance. Shraddha = Faith and Trust; which is necessary in the beginning. We have all heard the pierced with an arrow analogy. Cynical doubt, mistrust, and suspicion can cripple our practice before we even start. Of course, trust in the wrong things or people can be fatal. While suspicion, skepticism, and cynicism are far enemies of trust; there is also the near enemy of gullibility.

Then, there is prasada or shinjin = Faith with Conviction or Confidence. This comes about with experience. It can be a good thing; but is Fraught with Peril. Conviction can ironically lead one into to fear of and bigotry toward anything that somehow challenges our convictions. It goes back to trust. There is some thinking that expecting any kind of evidence or proof somehow equals doubt, suspicion, mistrust, or disloyalty. The SGI says members should not ask for financial disclosure; because this implies mistrust of the leaders. "Who is right" has trumped "what is right." Some say we do not need to know what the sutra means. To want to know is seen as mistrust. Others say we should not chant any other mantras; that would be disloyal. Critical thinking or discernment is seen as an enemy of faith. It also becomes thinkable to launch smear campaigns against competing 'faiths;' in order to discredit them; to inspire distrust of them. So convicted faith can spiral downward into its own 'enemies' of fear, superstition, intolerance, and bigotry.

That is where the third level enters. The sanskrit words literally mean original, primary, or higher {adhi} and liberation or emancipation {mukti}. The sino-japanese translation means trust 信 {shin} with understanding or clarity 解{ge}. By definition, discernment {prajna} is required to reach this mature level of faith. At this level; there should be no need for fear, superstition, or bigotry. While cynical doubt is never healthy; I think healthy skepticism is really a prerequisite for 'Faith with Clarity.' Self deception, immature understanding, and attachment to fixed views are enemies of clarity. So it then perhaps becomes necessary to honestly reexamine and challenge our beliefs, assumptions, and conceptions. I suspect this is the real meaning of "honestly discarding the provisional."

gassho

robin

Bill,
It seems to me that the eastern sages believed the sounds themselves contained meaning. I am more likely to think that it is our own conotations of the words that creates our own meaning. So if I explained the meaning and philosophy of the daimoku and then gave you some different mantra I don't it would be all that different. Even though I don't agree with the idea that the sounds have any mystical identity I do think the sounds will have certain effects. Slow melodic music feels different than discordant fast music. So I think sounds can be judged to be more or less conducive.
The Prayer of Saint Francis in English at least goes:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury,pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen

Bill,
Happy to read your thoughts. It's kinda spooky how
what you're experiencing is similar to my less controlling/determination/end result practice these days.

My focus now is to get myself out of the
way so I can respond in a skillful way to each moment and each living creature/person I meet. Some days I can and most days I screw up and try again. I sometimes even manage to chew gum at the same time.

I need a clear sight of the whole picture-not just what my own ego demands right here, right now.

Navel contemplation isn't what I'm doing. It's
striping away my ongoing editorial and exposing my point of view
to self-correction using the Eighfold
Path. The Six Patamitas are useful when reality
gets uncomfortable or merely inconvenient and
I need to reign in my ego. Like when the waitress brings gloppy cheese sauce instead of red sauce.
She's busy, I scrape it off and practice Patience.

There are lots of ways to practice and we need to
find the way best suited to our individual life.
Please let us know how things progress.

And it was so nice to see lovely Jean's photo
on the Byrd's Chicks blog! Yer Pal, Patty

Bill,
I saw that picture too, and I've seen you in person. The two of you must have some good looking kids. You should post a picture of the two of you together.

I do think it is the sound that is important. I am biased because I sometimes work closely with sounds, fine tuning them, etc...but whilst chanting, for me, it is the sound which I largely perceive to be the vehicle within myself, temporarily externalized in this meditation, but self-created, thus the "continuum", words on scroll, words like running water over chakras, and words which synthesize into what I've seen referred to as the "one voice chord."

Also of interest:

http://www.thamakau.usc.edu/Proceedings/ICSLP%202002/ICSLP/PDF/AUTHOR/SL021037.PDF

namaste

"Great Concentration and Insight says: “If one lacks faith [in the Lotus Sutra], one will object that it pertains to the lofty realm of the sages, something far beyond the capacity of one’s own wisdom to comprehend. If one lacks wisdom, one will become puffed up with arrogance and will claim to be the equal of the Buddha.” -- Opening
of the Eyes.

"As for the Lotus Sutra, one may recite the entire sutra of twenty-eight chapters in eight volumes every day; or one may recite only one volume, or one chapter, or one verse, or one phrase, or one word; or one may simply chant the daimoku, Namu-myoho-renge-kyo, only once a day, or chant it only once in the course of a lifetime; or hear someone else chant it only once in a lifetime and rejoice in the hearing, or rejoice in hearing the voice of someone else rejoice in the hearing, and so on in this manner to the fiftieth hearer. And if one were to be at the end, even if one’s faith were weak and one’s sense of rejoicing diluted like the frailty of a child of two or three, or the inability of a cow or horse to distinguish before from after, the blessings one would gain would be a hundred, thousand, ten thousand, million times greater than those gained by persons of keen faculties and superior wisdom who study other sutras, persons such as Shariputra, Maudgalyayana, Manjushri,and Maitreya, who had committed to memory the entire texts of the various sutras." -- The Recitation of Expedient Means and Lifespan Chapters

"The monk Sunakshatra observed the two hundred and fifty precepts, mastered the four stages of meditation, and was versed in all the twelve divisions of the scriptures, while Devadatta memorized the sixty thousand non-Buddhist teachings and the eighty thousand Buddhist teachings, and could manifest eighteen miraculous powers with his body. And yet it is said that these men, because they had knowledge but no faith, are now in the great citadel of the Avichi hell. Mahakashyapa and Shariputra on the other hand lacked knowledge but had faith, and the Buddha accordingly predicted that they would become the Thus Come Ones Light Bright and Flower Glow, respectively. The Buddha stated, “If one should harbor doubt and fail to believe, one will fall at once into the evil paths.” These words refer to those who have knowledge but are without faith." -- The Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra

Daisaku Ikeda's guidance is a restatement of such teachings as these. Please read the Opening of the Eyes.

Mark

Hi Mark,

I don't know what you're trying to say. Could you just please write a paragraph specifically saying what you are trying to say here, but do it in your own words and try to make sure that your meaning is clear?

I don't know what teachings Daisaku Ikeda is supposed to have restated and I'm confused because it seems that you are saying that Daisaku Ikeda is restating the quotes from the gosho you use use, which I assume you agree with, but then you can't possibly be saying that you agree with Ikeda becasue I know you think he is Devadatta.

I just want to understand what you are saying.

Thanks,

Bill

Bill,

I think Mark is talking to me, and the Ikeda guidance he's referring to, is the guidance I excerpted in my eariler comment, regarding faith, intellect and blind faith.

But I could be mistaken.

If it is directed to me, Mark, thank you for the advice to re-read "The Opening of the Eyes". I've read it many times, but never straight through in one sitting, because it always leads to the Closing of the Eyes and puts me smack dab in the middle of a peaceful Buddha sleep. But I will give it another go and see if this alters or enhances my perspective.

Ikeda has some pretty good ideas. I think he strays too far from the actual teachings that support his points; then winds up reinventing doctrine. His whole faith and intellect track has a basis in the three kinds of faith. He acts like he invented the concepts and his fawning devotees seem to think so too.

Faith, in the sense of a tentative trust and and open mind, is a prerequisite to over come suspicion, biased skepticism, and cyinicism.

Faith with conviction is a double edged sword that can and does lead to excessive attachment to views and bigotry.

Faith with Understanding overcomes bigotry and leads to a mature confidence that can tolerate ambiguity and allow one to honestly deal with doubts. The sihn is shinge means trust; the 解 ge means:

Basic Meaning: liberation

Senses:
# The basic Chinese meaning is to unravel, untie, etc., therefore it is used as a translation of the Sanskrit mokṣa [or mukti], parimocana — to be liberated; to be awakened, awakening; understanding, knowledge; dissolving doubt. etc. But in translations from Indian texts, depending on the tradition, it often denotes the other senses given below. [cmuller; source(s): Nakamura]
# Inclination [for]; propensity; confidence [in]. (Skt. adhimukti, adhimokṣa, adhimukta, adhimuktikatā, adhimuktitā, adhimucya, adhimoktṛ) [cmuller]
# Understanding; (Skt. prajñā; Tib. shes rab) [cmuller; source(s): s.hodge]
# To make clear (Skt. prati-vi-nud* ; Tib. sel ba); to explain; distinguish; explanation, interpretation. (Skt. vijānati; Tib. rnam par shes pa). [cmuller; source(s): s.hodge]

source: DDB.
www.buddhism-dict.net/ddb/

That is where intellect comes in. Some seem to think that unraveling the knots is anti-faith; that we should just have faith period. That is where the bigotry and fanticism enters. Too bad Daisaku fails to see that is his own midst. Or is it could be he condones it in practice?

Not to pick on SGI.

Robin,

I wouldn't call it picking "on" the SGI but rather, picking "at" their thought process, which should be a requirement for faith and not the antithesis of it, as you described in your explanation of the 3 Levels of Faith. By the way, where did you get that and where can I read more?

I agree with you here and I think there is much straying from the teachings and it can be done so easily, when the actual teachings are not taught, thereby causing a new-comer to not even be aware that there has been a stray.

For example, there is a "campaign" dedicated to April 24th - the anniversary of the date Ikeda was forced to resign. That's fine. You can to as you wish, with your organization. But someone new to the organization may take this nugget and run with it thinking that's all that matters, while never being taught that 4 days later is April 28th - the anniversary of the date Nichiren first chanted diamoku - the equlivalent of a Buddhist Christmas Day...but there is no "campaign", for that... (sigh)...hey why don't we have an April 28th FWP- Nichiren Posting Party?...I'll bring the rice!

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for offering me so much to think about. I had pretty much figured out what part 2 was going to be but as I process everyone's responses my thoughts are changing. I resisted this because I like knowing what I think and it happens rarely. When I experience this kind of resistance my inclination is to try to get rid of it but I have kind of learned to not resist the resistance while also not reacting from it. I know it'll pass and I know that by allowing myself to absorb it,something will arise which contains whatever the resistance was all about and give me a more integrated view.

Mark, I'm sorry for being a dick to you. You're alright. Rouge thank you for reminding me that it's not all about me and thank you for quoting one of my favorite passages from Daisaku Ikeda, one which I have taken to my heart as a way that I can be a good disciple and remain authentic to my own journey. Steve, thank you for reading and being there I always hope you'll like what I write and it just feels good to feel like the connection I felt with you when we met is still there. Your fearlessness is inspiring to me and I have no doubt that you'll continue to become more and more human because I think you are one of the most human and humane people I have ever met. Maybe you're just starting to see in yourself what is obvious to everyone else. My guess is serenity will come and go but as you become more confident of the humanness at your core you'll be cool with the 9 worlds arising and falling as they will.

Robin, your precision is extremely helpful. Hopefully you'll notice how you've helped me to process what I'm going through over the course of next few blog posts.

Clown, thanks for nothing. Seriously.

Patty, it's kind of spooky how our journeys seem to have mirrored each others over the years. I appreciate that you have always seemed able to follow a unique path while always managing to integrate buddhist doctrine into that uniqueness. It's inspirational.

CL, thanks for reflecting back to me views which I have tried to discard, for making me realize that I can't discard what has helped me to become what I am.

Chris, thanks for the warm welcome back, I will certainly do my best to pull everyone down with me.

And Jean. Thanks for being my favorite cheerleader. As Clown noticed I am very fortunate to have such a hot cheerleader as my soulmate. How about I buy you a little cheerleader outfit so I can show you how much I appreciate everything you do for me?

Oh, and go Lakers! 1 down, 15 more to go.

Bill

I think it's creepy to devote even one moment towards the day President Ikeda was forced to resign. I hope they aren't serious about that one. And by the way you mention April 24 as the date, but what is the year? Just curious.

Jean,

It was 1979.
"Creepy" works...but I was thinking more like "misdirected", which is why I'm personally concentrating on April 28th.

I can not recall anything substantial happening on April 28th other than the "kick-off" for the contribution campaigns. My personal practice requires a cocktail a little stronger than that for such an important and historical day. I'm not sure how I will personally commemorate it but I will in some way. Perhaps gongyo at sunrise by the seaside. Preperation of a special feast, a gathering of friends to discuss the Nichiren... maybe all of the above. Any suggestions? Thanks you.

Dear Bill:

There is no clarity without faith. "Faith is first and foremost" --Avatamsaka Sutra. How much more so regarding the Lotus Sutra. Trying to attain Buddhahood without faith, Nichiren says is like entering a mountain of treasures without hands. At the same time he teaches that faith is nothing extroardinary. It boils down to trust. Not trust in Islam, Daisaku Ikeda, a Nichiren priest, or our monkey mind but rather trust in the mind of Shakyamuni Buddha (Myoho renge kyo). The mind of faith is the mind of Shakyamuni Buddha. We can not fathom Shakyamuni Buddha's mind without a mind of faith. The Lotus Sutra is pure and perfect. Every word is a golden Buddha.

"It surpassed even the doubt entertained by Great Adornment and the others of the eighty thousand bodhisattvas described in the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra when the Buddha, after declaring in the previous forty-some years of his teaching that enlightenment was something that required countless kalpas to attain, now announced that it could be attained quickly."

What is it that is so difficult to believe?

The immeasureable lifespan of the Buddha, our immeasureable lifespan. Do you think that their is any good discourses that you haven't already heard and believed? Do you think there is any problem you have not encountered and overcome? Under how many Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have you practiced and how many Bikshus, Bhikshunis, Upasakas, and upasikas, gods, yakshas and animals have practiced under your instruction? Do not rely on the person. Rely on the Law, the immeasureable lifespan of the Buddha and the one who taught us the Law, the Master of teachings Lord Shakya of the Original Doctrine. Then you will get clarity by calling on your own infinite experiences and those of this Buddha.

Mark

Bill,
You speak about not having faith in the Gohonzon or of nam myoho renge kyo.

I see the situation different I guess.

I see faith in the Gohonzon as faith in myself; Never seek this Gohonzon outside yourself.

I am not sure what the breathing has to do with revealing our positive self, but I am still seeking understanding.

I figured out relaxation breathing allowed me to quit smoking. I still take a deep breath whenever I need to relax. I quit smoking about eight years ago now.

Patrick

RougeBuddha

The three levels of faith are discussed some in Pure Land. I can not pinpoint a source that discusses it in detail. Ikeda appears to derive some of his ideas from the concept.

"Within the sutras which concern Pure Land teachings, the word sanjin is frequently used. The foundation of this term comes from three terms found in the Pure Land Sanskrit texts: shraddha, prasada, and adhimukti. Shraddha was translated into Chinese as hsin which means faith. Prasada was translated into Chinese as ch'eng-ching which means purity. Adhimukti was translated as hsin-chieh which means faith through understanding." ~~ Pure Land Glossary

Translations into Chinese are a totally chaotic mess. Worse than in English. The schools and translators had their own take on faith, so there is no standardization. I see talk about 'Pure Faith;' which triggers my BS meter. It smells like "trust me, not them." I do not know if they have Buddhist terms for sucker, gullible, or naive. The Buddha does seem to have anticipated confidence men in the Kalama Sutta.

Shraddha 信 {shin}: To believe, to trust.

Conviction; trust; to believe in. One of the ten wholesome mental condition elements enumerated in Abhidharma; one of the eleven wholesome mental factors in Yogâcāra. Facing the environment with clarity and calmness, thereby calming and quieting the other mental functions. Accepting the world as it is. In the Yogâcāra system, it is a 'real element' which functions throughout the three realms. Yogâcāra. further distinguishes faith into the three types of 信忍, 信樂, and 善法欲, which respectively connote the cognitive 知, emotive 情, and intentional 志aspects of faith. (Skt. śraddhā, abhiprasanna, saṃpratyaya; Tib. yid chespa, mngon par dadpa) [cmuller,s.hodge]

Prasada 信心 {shinjin} [Basic Meaning:] faith

Senses:
# A believing mind, which receives without doubting. shraddha-citta; prasāda; citta-prasāda, *prasāda-citta,

Also 歡喜 {kanki}: # Joy, bliss, delight. A joy that is produced by religious fulfillment, that which uplifts the whole person. (Skt. pramoda, prasāda;

Also: 信受 {shinju}: [Basic Meaning:] to have confidence; believe in Senses:
# (Skt. adhimukti, prāsāda, śraddhā) To have faith in. [cmuller]

Adhimukti 信解 {shinge}[Basic Meaning:] confidence

Senses:
# Trust. Believing and understanding the teachings. Having both faith and understanding in the Buddhist teaching. Correct faith, complete understanding (Skt. adhimukti, adhimukta, adhimuktika, abhisaṃpratyaya; Tib. mngon par yid ches pa). 〔法華經 T 262.9.7c08〕 One of the eighteen levels in the application of applied practices 十八有學. [cmuller; source(s): Hirakawa,YBh-Ind,Yokoi]
# Be interested in, be inclined to; (Skt. *adhi-muc;Tib. mos pa) [cmuller; source(s): s.hodge]
# Belief in oneself and others. [cmuller]
# Joy, the arousal of the mind determined for enlightenment. [cmuller]
# (Skt. adhimokṣa; adhimucyate, adhimucyanā, adhimucyamāna, adhimokṣyati, adhimoca, abhiprasādayitavya, abhisaṃbhava, avakalpanā, pratyaya, śraddadhānatā, śraddhā, śraddhâdhimukta, śraddhâdhimukti, *śraddhā-vimukti, śrāddha, saṃpratyaya; Pali adhimutti; Tib. dad pasmos pa) [cmuller; source(s): Hirakawa,YBh-Ind]

from SGI: Adhimukti is the Sanskrit title of the "Belief and Understanding" (fourth) chapter of the Lotus Sutra translated by Kumarajiva. The "Distinctions in Benefits" (seventeenth) chapter of the Lotus Sutra says, "Ajita, if there are living beings who, on hearing that the life span of the Buddha is of such long duration, are able to believe and understand it even for a moment, the benefits they gain thereby will be without limit or measure."

Hi Rouge,

All of the above sounds like a pretty nice day. Where do you live? Maybe I'll join you.

Bill

Robin, thank you for the detail and for pointing me in the direction to learn more.

Bill, I'm in the midwest and that seaside I mentioned is actually Lake Michigan...it really does look like a sea.

Good to see you're back. Thought I would chime in on something about "Faith."

Someone here wrote:

"There is no clarity without faith."

Over the years, I have heard the concept of "faith" tossed around as if it were something easy to understand - as if it had a singular meaning. It has been described as expectation, belief, conviction, and even chanting daimoku.

I don't believe for one moment that the true aspect of "faith" has any religion in it. Faith, from a religious standpoint can actually be destructive. Faith can blind one from other ideas, and when that faith is strong, it does. Faith can impell someone to strap a bomb on their body and blow up a group of people. Then, what is the Buddha talking about when He speaks of faith?

Cautious optimism may be cvlose to the idea. I only know my own personal experience when facing the seemingly impossible, and that is a sense that based on my grounding principles, the best result will come about. This has always worked for me.

When it comes to faith in the Lotus Sutra, I have an unshakable confidence that it is the truth of my life, based on my conviction that The Buddha co-exists in my own life.

I am also a man of science in the sense that I have faith that the scientific method will overturn the incorrect and reveal the factual truth. So, for me, faith is the openess to the ultimate truth, no matter where that may take me, not dependent on the theories, ideas, charisma or words of others. The inscrutible essence of faith is non-attachment to fixed outcomes or dogmas with the expectation that through this scrutiny that all will be revealed.

Religious faith as it is seen in our realm is something akin to intellectual poison. In my view, "faith" as mentioned by The Buddha is...

Charles