Queen Lolo
May 04, 2005
In his latest book, “Pathways to God,” Ram Dass talks about gurus and teachers. He mentions upagurus* and how rather than being “gurus,” they are considered in India as teachings. He writes, “They are there like the marker stones along with road that say, 'Go this way. Go that way.' I think, in fact, it is much more productive to look at those beings that way – as teachings rather than as teachers. This way, we can take a teaching here and a teaching there and then go on, instead of getting hung up in deciding “Is this really my teacher?” The whole teacher-trip leads us into making The Big Commitment, and then we sit around judging and comparing and worrying whether we’ve made the right choice.”
Now I know R.D. is referring to the Hindu path, that he has a guru, that he’s made a huge commitment to his practice. But his explanation made me think that in terms of my own Buddhist practice, it would be oh-so-very-nice if Nichiren’s message could be presented as Buddhist teachings, rather than as The Gospel Truth from The Only Valid Teacher.
I don’t want to be a “member” of anything. I don’t want to sign up or, as Ram Dass calls it, make “The Big Commitment” to anything but being true to my own spiritual practice and path. I want to be able to go to a Buddhist meeting to learn about Nichiren Buddhism, not to help a district grow or be the “right” kind of Buddhist or earn brownie points for fitting into an organizational agenda. I want to be able to make it part of my own eclectic practice, just as I do when I take a class in mindfulness meditation or meet with a visiting monk. I don't want to be considered someone's "Shakabuku" and be expected to practice in a certain way in order to be doing it "right."
Do people have to practice and study Nichiren on their own if they want to approach Nichiren Buddhism this way? Are there any independent Nichiren Buddhist authors sharing their experiences and translating the teachings of Nichiren? Are there any groups of Independent Nichiren Buddhists that meet in person and share their practices with no strings attached?
*Not to be confused with Oompaloompas.
Posted by at August 12, 2007 04:43 AM