Here we are at the end of another year. I hope you all have a revolutionary new year.
The end of this year is bringing some new challenges. I took my dog to the vet yesterday because she had stopped eating her regular food and was a bit listless. She seems to have a bit of arthritis in her hips and she perked up when I gave her the anti-inflammatory. The vet called today with the results of her blood work. She may have cancer and she is anemic and may have thyroid problems and they all may be related to the possible cancer. We adopted our dog, Jill, when we moved to Salinas. She is the family's first dog. I haven't told my kids about her - I will need to chant before I do that. My mood is not very positive right now, but I will chant for her and raise my positivity index over the next few days. She goes in for another blood test next week. I plan to chant up a better result. I'll keep you informed.
Tomorrow is the New Year celebration for our local SGI area. My kids are doing something with the youth division. Forever Sensei! Man, can't we find some new music? The new year meeting is always enjoyable because everyone comes - husbands, wives, siblings, mothers, fathers,kids, far-away members, everyone. I'm looking forward to it.
Have a safe and fun New Year's Eve and a peaceful new year.
I know what you mean about new music. But could it have been anything other than "Forever Sensei" in our current M/D environment?
This Jan. first will be my third year of membership. Even though I have found the meetings enjoyable as well, I may or may not go to ours.
I hope all goes well with Jill, and that you have a wonderful meeting, and a happy New Year!
All the best
Stacy
Posted by: Stacy at December 31, 2009 02:56 PMNancy,
Happy New Year to you and your family! Sorry to hear about your family dog. Hope she can get better.
You've been a great help to me in 2009. I'm the woman in D.C. who joined in July but who also has problems with the organization's M-D relationship push. I am trying to focus on the positives I find in the practice and to find a niche for myself. Your "guidance" to do just this has been encouraging--especially as there are no other Nichiren choices in my area outside of Nichiren Shoshu.
I went to both the New Year's Eve and New Year's Day gongyos in the D.C. area. My son and husband (both of whom are not SGI members) tagged along. Both events were positive--so positive, in fact, that the rollicking song about one's eternal vow to sensei, which the chorus sang at both events, didn't get on my nerves. :-)
Anyhow, just wanted to send you good wishes.
Blessings,
Nicki
"Forever Sensei" and most of the music presented in the Japanese videos has all the ambience of a Red Square Parade during the Cold War. Maybe someday the SGI-USA will reflect it's initials instead of Japanese cultural dictates.
Brittanie's and CL's extrapolation of religious tolerance in giving an arrogant mind a wide birth from the Lotus Sutra in Nancy's previous blog, is exactly the kind of ignorance Nichiren debated within his letters. I wish I could be kinder in my comment, but what they agreed upon condones inflicting suffering as a belief system: fundamentalist enabler 101.
Posted by: joe at January 2, 2010 08:23 PMNancy,
We had a great New years Gongyo here in DC. No mention of M/D or forever sensei song, but it was a great meeting.
We did say Happy Birthday to sensie at his 82nd Birthday.
The video was enjoyable as well. My wife and I had a great time and saw some old and new friends. the experiewnce of the motorcycle acident losing his leg was a great experience. maybe I am biased as i had a similar experience on motorcycles, as we ended up encouraging each other to continue riding and never give up.
I am sorry to hear about your family dog.
Patrick
Posted by: Patrick at January 4, 2010 06:46 AMI read Patrick's comment (above) and wanted to clarify which song was sung at the New Year's gongyo I attended at noon in D.C. (there was also a morning gongyo session). The song was "I Arise" not "Forever Sensei." "I Arise" talks about one's vow to sensei—which I see as an indirect push for the mentor-disciple (M-D) relationship.
The experience I heard was different from the one that Patrick heard, and it too was powerful.
For the New Year, I'm trying to see the glass half full as far as SGI goes (as I've said, I don't have another Nichiren option in my area). But the focus on M-D, direct or indirect, is problematic to me. The lessons in the pubs tell members how to interpret Nichiren, instead of encouraging members to discern meanings for themselves. I find this to be authoritarian at best, "cultish" at worst.
But from a half-full glass perspective, chanting as a spiritual practice seems to work for me. So I'll read Nichiren's writings for myself--I'll also read the pubs (filled with dogma though they are) and extrapolate what I can from them.
Nicki in D.C.
Posted by: Nicki at January 4, 2010 01:19 PMStacy,
Happy 3rd year to you! I hope you made it to your NYG because that meeting has a very different flavor than any other meeting. Everyone attends and there are a few people I only see once a year a - at NYG.
Nicki,
No need to remind me, I remember you. So happy you and you family went to NYG. I am not familiar with the song "I Arise" - it is good to know someone is writing some new music. Or maybe it's an old song and I just don't get around much. Try to keep that positive attitude through the year.
Patrick,
That experience sounds intense. Ours was a work place experience. My older daughter really enjoyed it.
Joe,
My comment section really got away from me on that last entry. I had to close down the comment due to spam.
Everyone,
Jill the dog will be getting another blood test this week and then we will see. She is in a much better mood but didn't eat this morning. I will be chanting with some friends tonight with my attention to Jill.
Hi, Nancy -
Happy New Year!
A bit off-topic, but one thing that helped my old dog when she contracted cancer was a switch to a raw diet. This perked her back up and gave her another year's worth of worthwhile life before she succumbed. Google BARF diet or raw feeding for dogs for more info.
I have continued to feed all my dogs this way since (11 years now), and it has been beneficial in many ways.
Namaste, Engyo Mike Barrett
Posted by: Engyo Mike Barrett at January 5, 2010 06:45 AMMike,
I just looked at some site about a raw diet for dogs. I'm going home to feed her some chicken. Thank you!
Nancy,
Clarifiactio for DC. Washington DC has both a community center and a culture center. Nicki went to the culture center on Wisconsin Ave, I believe, and I attend ther community center in Maryland.
Nicki having practiced in both DC and Maryland, as well as many places accross the country, you should read and comprehend with your inhgerent wisdom. I have learned through chanting and study all is revealed.
Happy New year everyone!
Patrick
Posted by: Patrick at January 5, 2010 09:23 AMHello
Im a new memebr for almost a mnth.I been searching
for new founD faith IN CHRIST MUSLEM.AND NOW BUDDHA.I NOTICE THAT I SEE WITH THE ORGANAZATION
THE SAME I SEEN WITH THE OTHER RELIGION.GET NEW MEMEBR AND YOU ON YOUR OWN.THE ONE THING I LIKE ABOUT IT THU IS THE MEETING BUT IC THAT PEOPLE
TALK AND AFTER MEEETING ITS EVERYONE FOR THEM SELF.THEY DONT SHOW U WERE TO START.YOU ASK QUESTION.THEY CANT ANSWER THE QUESTION SAME THING WHEN I ASK A PASTOR THEY COULDNT ANSWER WHT I ASK.
THAT MAKES IT BAD FOR A NEW MEMBER.CAUSE U GET LOST THEY SAY STUDY BUT WHEN U HAVE THEM QUESTION
THEY SAY I CALL U BACK NEVER DO I READ IN THE HUMAN REVOLUTION WHEN HE SHIN SAY THAT TO BE A LEADER U HAVE TO BE THERE FOR YOUR MEMBER NO MATTER WHAT CAUSE THERE UR RESPONSIABLITY BUT I DONT SEE THAT THAT MAKES ME FEEL LIKE DAMN THATS NOT HAPPENING.I TIRED OF LOOKING AND I HOPE THAT I CAN FIND A TRUE MEMBER THAT CAN SHOW ME THE RIGHT WAY TO BECOME A BUDDHA.So im looking for help here from a true Buddha.
Hi Joe,
That is a hard question to answer or maybe it's an easy one. I know we want to be Buddhas to free ourselves from the suffering of this life. Nichiren explains this in the Gosho "On Attaining Budhahood This Lifetime. You can find it here:
http://www.sgilibrary.org/pdf/001_0003.pdf
This is a good Gosho to read. It has many jewels in it.
I wouldn't worry about finding a "true member". I don't use those terms.
I doubt any member can tell you how to become a buddha without pointing you to a few sources. First the Gohonzon, then Nam MyoHo Renge Kyo, then the Gosho and the Lotus Sutra.
The Gohonzon is your own very precious life.
Chanting Nam MyoHo Renge Kyo is a way of appreciating your own very precious life (when you chant, chant with aprreciation for your life, with joy for this life even if you find it hard to do. The more you practice this way the more likely you will feel it in your life).
The gosho and Lotus Sutra helps us to understand that our lives are very precious and that we should not slander ourselves and others (we should not think negatively about ourselves).
This is a good place to start even though There is more I can say. I think one need to have some understanding of basic Buddhist teachings.
Buddhahood becomes a reality in our lives because of our effort to make it our reality. At the same time don't stress about it. This practice is supposed to be about joy.
I hope this helps. I am going to chant and meditate now.
All the best to you Joe.
Stacy
Posted by: Stacy at January 6, 2010 08:23 PMDear Joe and Stace:
The point of Buddhism is not to end suffering but to become awake. The end of suffering is a concept of pre-Lotua Sutra teachings, particularly the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. The Mutual Possession of the Ten Worlds and the Three Thousand Worlds in a Momentary Existence of Life taught in the Lotus Sutra reveals that both suffering and joy is eternally inherent in life. The awakened state is characterized by joy, purity, true self, and eternity. Buddhahood emerges out of the muddy swamp of pain, greed, anger, and temporary existence. Without the muddy swamp, there is no Lotus Flower.
Happy belated New Years
Mark
The point of buddhism is to become happy. To be happy, one must be fully awake to the simultaneity of cause and effect, the mutual possession of the ten worlds, and, of course, the four noble truths. This would not be relative happiness, but absolute happiness, unshakeable by any organization, person, environment, or set of circumstances.
Posted by: CL at January 8, 2010 12:05 PMMark,
I'll admit, the following wasn't inscribed on a scroll by some expressionless male priest, but it works for me:
"How do I become happy ?
If you lived in a palace where you could enjoy everything - beauty, health, money and power - would you consider leaving behind such a 'happy' life? I probably would not.
But one man did more than two millennia ago in his quest for genuine happiness. Shakyamuni's story still encourages millions around the globe to seek the meaning of suffering beyond pain and the meaning of happiness beyond pleasure.
Shakyamuni's quest for genuine happiness paved the way for Nichiren Daishonin to reveal the essential law of life as Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Based on this truth, Nichiren Buddhism explains some key attitudes for building true happiness. The following five points - though by no means complete - provide us with an outline from which each person may begin painting a clearer picture of authentic happiness.
The First Key: Happiness begins with a vow.
Do you have a despotic boss who is unhappy no matter what you do? The reason why most tyrants are unhappy is that they are waiting for someone else to please them while they themselves do nothing but make demands. Happiness served on a silver platter turns sour after a few bites. Nichiren Buddhism explains that we begin and continue the quest for happiness of oneself and others by making a personal vow and renewing it every day. Each person must create his or her own happiness. Waiting for happiness is a formula for unhappiness. Happiness is born of action.
The Second Key: Happiness is overcoming unhappiness.
Happiness is not an absence of problems, and the presence of problems does not mean unhappiness. Nichiren Buddhism explains that genuine happiness lies in overcoming difficulties. The important thing is to learn how to face our problems, not how to avoid them. Through the practice of Nichiren Buddhism, we can transform meaningless sufferings into meaningful challenges.
The Third Key: The solution to your problem lies within.
It is always tempting to blame our environment for our suffering through our delusions and that we can overcome our suffering by manifesting our innate Buddha nature. It is a common myth that we will become happy when we acquire pleasurable things or meet someone wonderful. But the truth is that when we are happy, we can truly enjoy the niceties of life or good companionship. This is a Copernican change in our view of happiness. Put simply, we are the cause and the solution to our problems, and genuine happiness must be created from within. To realize this is to free ourselves from being a victim of circumstances. Being a victim is easy, but it doesn't make us happy.
The Fourth Key: Don't compare yourself with others.
We are trained by society to compare ourselves with others, to see our lives through the eyes of others. Over the years, we've learned to feel superior to the less fortunate and disparage ourselves when we are with the more fortunate - restlessly vacillating between arrogance and self-disparagement depending on our circumstances. Nichiren Buddhism, however, teaches us how to build a stronger self that need not seek the reference of its worth outside. Nichiren Buddhism encourages us to bring forth our unique quality that cannot be compared with anything else. Each person has a unique set of karmic circumstances and - by challenging them - can make unique contributions to the world. Our karmic suffering can be transformed into our precious mission in life. With this awareness, we can change arrogance into appreciation, self-disparagement into true confidence.
The Fifth Key: Be in the here and now.
We sometimes dwell in resentment and regret about our past: 'Because that horrible thing happened to me, I cannot be happy.' At other times, we are preoccupied with worries about our future: 'What if my relationship doesn't work out?' Nichiren Buddhism teaches that the present moment contains all the past and the future. In other words, by challenging our present state of existence, we can transform resentment and regret into appreciation for our past. Of course, we cannot undo our past, but - by developing a strong state of life Now - we can change the meaning our past holds for us and change worries into hopes.
Nichiren Buddhism also teaches that we cannot create happiness simply by moving from one place to another. What's most important is to change our inner state of being where we are. Put simply, Nichiren Buddhism shows us how to create happiness in the past (appreciation), in the present (fulfillment) and in the future (hope) by challenging our lives in the here and now.
by Shin Yatomi"
nam myoho renge kyo
nam myoho renge kyo
nam myoho renge kyo
Posted by: CL at January 8, 2010 12:20 PM
Hi Mark,
I know you don't or at least think you don't consider "On Attaining Buddhahood IN This Lifetime" to be an authentic Gosho, but it does state "If you wish to free yourself from the sufferings of birth and death you have endured since time without beggining" etc... It then goes on to explain many of the things you mentioned in your post. So I don't think I'm wrong on this.
It is my understanding and experience that in waking up one free's oneself from suffering or the way one relates to the travails of the world. Pain is inevitable, suffering optional. The Buddha felt pain, did he suffer? No, his manner of relating to his body and the world had been transformed through his awakening.
I was responding in a personal way to a specific human being in a manner that I deduced was right for Joe. I could be wrong, but I sensed something in his message that told me this is what to say.
All the best in the new year!
Stacy
Posted by: Stacy at January 8, 2010 12:27 PM