I learned of the death of Angela Olivera from a blog comment from Engyo Mike Barrett. A few days earlier, a new men’s division senior leader kindly called me to introduce himself to me and in our conversation mentioned that Angela was critically ill with ovarian cancer. I put her on my prayer list, as she was a very sweet person that I had a small connection to since the illness of her late husband, the great Pascual Olivera, a man I had known well for thirty years.
In my most recent book, Riding the Wheel to Wellness, I wrote about the heroic struggle of Pascual and Angela in his battle with cancer. When Pascual first went into remission, I had an opportunity to chat with him and Angela about the book. The last word Pascual ever spoke to me was that he hoped I sold a million copies. Well, that hasn’t happened yet, but it is the kind of book that should be as viable in 500 years, as it is today. In that conversation, Angela thanked me for helping Pascual, and said that she was reading the book too, but because of her poor English, she could only absorb a few sentences at a time. I was so honored that these beautiful and compassionate people were somehow influenced by my experience.
With that said, Engyo Mike Barrett raised some thought provoking ideas in his query in my comment section. Engyo gave me permission to use his comment as the centerpiece for this blog. This subject is a red herring – a subject that many consider taboo. Based on my own personal experience with cancer, near-death, ministering to the dying, and three decades of intense Buddhist study and practice, I have made a career out of writing on this mysterious and oft-times emotional subject. Keep in mind that the Buddhist sutras devote considerable coverage to the various aspects of death. Nichiren wrote about the causes and conditions of death, and there has been voluminous writing on the very subject by Buddhist scholars for more than two millennia.
Another point to keep in mind is that author, Dr. Larry Dossey has suggested that there may be some strange and unknown connection between attaining a high level of spiritual development and manifesting the worst diseases or experiencing the worst kind of accident or personal tragedies. One only need consider the ends of King, Gandhi, Jesus, the painful deaths of Shakyamuni and Nichiren, to name just a few to see that there is some very real possibility to Dossey’s observation.
Please consider the question and observations of Engyo. I will attempt to answer his questions.
Charles -
This is way off-topic, but I have a question. It was sparked by reading the obit for Angela Oliveira by Gary Murie yesterday. I was very sad to read this, and she will be in my prayers.
My question is this: It seems, from the very unstatistical standpoint of my admittedly imperfect memory, that a very high percentage of the passings of SGI-USA leadership types involve cancer. Maybe this is well within the statistical norms, and it is just my perceptions that seem to make this inference.
Please understand that I am not casting aspersions, or trying to disrespect people or organizations. This is a sincere question, and one which has been poking at me since I read her obit. I am recalling a number of prominent names, all of whom passed due to cancer, and I cannot off the top of my head recall more than one who didn't. Family members dying of accidents, yes, and the one gentlemen who was involved in September 11th. But other than that every one I can think of was from cancer.
I truly hope I am way off base with this, but I don't recall such a high incidence rate in the population of my family, friends and co-workers. I did mention that this is unstatistical, didn't I? What are your thoughts?
Namaste, Engyo Mike Barrett
Your questions are both timely and important because they encompass a wide range of concerns, not just limited to the suffering of death, but also to the question of whether affiliation to a certain doctrine or organization can bring forth premature death and tragedy. Myself, and others have noticed that there has been a recent trend in the SGI-USA of what would seem premature death, tragedy, and may I say unrelenting misfortune in the form of intractable obstacles for all level of members, all the way to the highest level.
I would first like to make a very personal observation of the death of Angela Olivera. I do know that she was the epitome of vigilance at her husband’s side while he endured the rigors of treatment, remission, and relapse. Such an ordeal – when expectations based on faith and daimoku were so boundless, then so hopeless, put a strain on one’s life and subsequently their immune system. To watch the love of one’s life ravaged by the merciless beast that is cancer is one of the most difficult experiences a human being can go through. I’m sure she had a broken heart that never had a chance to mend. In my own experience, it was far easier to go through cancer yourself than remain virtually helpless at a loved one’s bedside. I base this on my own experience and my hospice experience with my mother. I do believe that the universe is life and ultimately merciful. As John mentioned in his own comment, individual death as such is a private matter and it is okay to be sad. I agree with him completely, but the subject of death is very public and important to discuss. My prayers are with Angela and her family.
Engyo writes:
My question is this: It seems, from the very unstatistical standpoint of my admittedly imperfect memory, that a very high percentage of the passings of SGI-USA leadership types involve cancer. Maybe this is well within the statistical norms, and it is just my perceptions that seem to make this inference.
My suspicion – without some type of meta-analysis, is that within the past 15 year, since the temple issue, that there is a higher rate of cancer, chronic and intractable disease, and accidental death in the SGI-USA. Further, it has been my observation and personal experience it is most difficult to quantify the scourge of agonizing obstacles like financial problems, relationship problems, and other troubles that we typically ascribe to karma. They do seem to be the rise. Could these mighty obstacles be a sign of our proper fight or could they really be bad effects from a wrong path? I've made my decision, you must make yours.
If this premise has even one grain of truth to it, the big question is, why? Before we can explore the karmic possibilities, one should be aware that within the SGI, when troubles emerge, as they do in anyone’s daily life, we approach them with the attitude of tenju-kyoju – or transforming heavy karma into manageable karma. From the idea that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo has the mystic power to transmute accrued causes from the infinite past, compact them into heavy, but mostly manageable doses of experiential phenomena, is one of the featured benefits of taking up the practice and working hard for kosen-rufu. We assume that by chanting, studying, doing activities, shakubuku, and living an altruistic life for the sake of ushering in a peaceful era or Buddha land, that we will somehow in the process eradicate our negative karma, and attain enlightenment in this life time.
In my belief system, this process is not only viable, it has proven true in my own life. With that said, there seems to be conditions that allow for this transformation of the human spirit from an ego-driven, unenlightened human to one that is awakened and blessed by the jewels of good fortune, happiness, robust health, and victory. There are many of these conditions. I term the major ones beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. I assert that these personalized conditions of mind apply to any person of any belief system, whether it’s religious or secular.
It is my opinion that the general membership in the SGI – especially here in the U.S., is beleaguered because of several fundamental errors. The first is doctrinal errors such as believing and teaching that Nichiren is the true Buddha of Mappo while diminishing Shakyamuni. Another is promoting the Gosho above the Lotus Sutra. I enjoy them both, but it is my opinion that the Gosho is based on the Lotus Sutra and that if you want to understand the truth of Buddhism, like Nichiren, you go to the source. The opposite is practiced in the SGI, perhaps because of the experience of President Toda after his release from prison when attempting to rebuild the lay society by lecturing on the Lotus Sutra. There are other erroneous doctrines, but time does not allow me to dredge them all up.
Attitudes, the second condition, really shape our life. I would say that the SGI really encourages us to have a positive and undefeatable attitude toward life and our obstacles. Such an attitude is highly beneficial to our ability to change our lazy nature, our personal weaknesses, and positively influence our environment. However, when we have the attitude that we are the “chosen ones” – the bodhisattvas of the earth, here to save the planet, and other religions, teachings (even our former priesthood), and certain people are slanderous, we become narrow-minded fundamentalists. This one condition, I believe promotes bad karma, thus manifesting illness, tragedy, or manifold personal problems. The solution offered from within the organization would be to challenge your obstacles, no matter what, and claim victory.
I have personal experience with this very condition of attitude, coupled with the third of action. Cancer couldn’t kill me, so another form of karmic torture was needed. As I’ve reported before, when the disassociation with NST began, like a dutiful son and warrior, I began writing letters of remonstration to NST. There ended up to be 37 letters of more than 31,000 words of raving and invective. Result? My business went bankrupt, followed by the deaths of my father, brother, then my mother all in a three-year period. I was disinherited from a $250,000 estate when my mother went insane and tried to kill me while I followed the guidance to treat her like I was bodhisattva Fukyo – I should have put her in leather restraints, but I digress. Next, my 25-year marriage broke up and I got divorced.
Once I reflected on the entire string of events and put the entire doctrine, belief system, and organization under the microscope, I made some hard decisions. The rest is history. I’ve written two popular books, my personal life is magnificent, I am prosperous, perfectly health, happy, and my faith has been renewed.
So, is it unhealthy to be an SGI member? It is my opinion that no matter what your belief system is, if you embrace doctrine counter to the intention of the Buddha, then you are wandering off the path that leads to the Phantom City. Can your attitudes make you sick, shorten your life, or perhaps overwhelm you with troubles? Yes, I believe that is true. There is definitely an indivisible relationship between mind and body that is extraordinarily difficult to understand, but it can play havoc on our emotions and health. If your attitude is that you are superior to others while faking respect so you can convert them, that is duplicity.
Combine belief in mistaken doctrine, duplicitous or aggressive attitude, and top it off with wrongful actions in the name of doing right, and you have a recipe for quickening the onset of illness, inviting disaster, and opening up the flood gates for horrendous obstacles.
Some might ask that if I feel this way, why are you still a member of the SGI? First, I am entitled to my opinion and they haven’t expelled me yet. If they did, there could be no possible justification because I have never discouraged one person from their practice or attending meetings. In fact, I may have influenced more people to embrace the dharma or Nam-myoho-renge-kyo because of my books, than any other American – if not, I’m in the top ten.
I still believe in the good things about the SGI – their value creation, their drive to improve society, the camaraderie, and most of all the practice. It’s just my opinion that right now, the pure gung ho Gakkai way may not be as beneficial as one might think. I won’t pass judgment on any individual, but it seems that there’s trouble in River City.
Being a keen observer of life is vital in a world of shysters, cut throats, petty thugs, demonesque pedophiles and other sexual predators, and the army of smarmy aura Armani suited hucksters. One must be ever aware of other denizens like social victims, racists, deadbeats, and ultra liberal do-gooders that want a world where everyone wins. The latter type are the ones who gave us the skill inhibiting game of T-Ball and scoreless sporting events for their over protected kids. Just a note on suburban kid's sports; it’s the venue where each child wears more than $100 of fancy sporting equipment from leather batting gloves and knee pads to designer shoes – the only problem is the kids don’t know how to play the damn game of baseball! All one needs is a mitt, a ball and bat, and maybe some broken glass or dog-doo on the field to make it interesting.
In my earlier installment of the Three Poisons, I described five defilements that beset humanity: The are Delusion, Drunkenness, Narcissism, Gluttony, and Entitlement. These psychological and spiritual impediments are like a hundred pound boat anchor on a kayak. Most people I’ve ever come into contact with – being common mortals – have embodied one or all of these defilements. Any self-reflective person does not remain in their clutches too long unless they are unable to see the problem and overcome their weakness. Those who tumble down into abject misery can attribute their downfall to the Three Poisons and Five Defilements. Sometimes it is the best medicine the universe can offer a fool.
Delusion is perhaps the most deceptive trait. One can truly believe that they are on the right path in life and end up stretched out on the splintered rack of suffering. They fall prey to the illusion of duality – right and wrong, good and bad, cool and bogus, and the endless pairs of opposites that the ego carefully cocoons itself in. Delusion leads people to chase money as a worthy objective, or to form such strong attachments to people, possessions, or beliefs that when the crowbar of inevitable change dislodges reality, suffering results. Some people build on their delusion in a quest for salvation and no measure of truth or clarity can awaken them. People who are faithful and zealous to religious mythology like creationism, an anthropomorphic God, resurrected saviors, the everlasting kingdom of heaven or eternal damnation for unbelievers, and the holy benefits of suicidal martyrdom, suffer from a poison that has sunk so deeply that only the Ten Kings or bardo guardians can cure them.
Drunkenness is a true scourge on mankind. Prohibition doesn’t work as we partially learned in the early 20th century. However, the government really didn’t learn the entire lesson as they have attempted the same thing with their failed war on drugs. It’s ironic when you compare the dangers of alcohol to marijuana. I cite as an example my deceased older brother, a Vietnam vet and all around decent person, except for one major problem – he was an alcoholic. One, two or three drinks were not enough for him. Warnings from his doctor to never drink again fell on deaf ears. Finally, at age fifty, he died a horrific death in a VA hospice of the complications of chronic alcoholism. I had to hold his hand during his demise and the only phrase he could utter from his demented mind was, "let's get out here and have a drink."
In my own life, I can trace virtually every stupid or vile act to the influence of alcohol. In 1994, I quit drinking. Of all the regrets I have in my life, the choices, actions, and words under the influence of alcohol are the ones that I wish I could undo. Nevertheless, there are few things more annoying than a reformed alcoholic or former smoker. I don’t preach to anyone. You want a drink – fine, but don’t expect me to hang on your every inspired slurred word. Moderate drinking of wine can be beneficial to your health and I know some people can unwind nicely with a couple of drinks after work. It’s when you get drunk, make risky sexual decisions, drive home imperiling others, or taunt and beat your spouse or children that alcohol becomes an evil thing.
It never ceases to amaze me here at the University of Illinois at how this so-called upscale, yuppie, academic environment promotes drunkenness. The local government loves the tax revenue from selling drinks. On unofficial St. Patrick’s Day, the emergency rooms of our three area hospitals fill to capacity with young people who have drank themselves into oblivion, requiring medical intervention. I find it appalling to see these kids bar hopping all night, puking in the street, and screwing whomever they can because they’ve lost all good moral sense. But it’s not just college kids here or anywhere that are doing this – it’s everywhere and it’s all age groups. If you’re drunk, you get stupid, and enlightenment isn’t something of concern. I think all drugs and alcohol should be legal while better education on the subject should begin in elementary school.
Narcissism is all about “me, me, me!” It’s road rage, stampeding for that bargain, butting into line, betraying someone’s confidence to improve your standing, manipulation, and doing whatever you can to get ahead. Yes, narcissism is an extreme trait of animality – no offense to my critter friends. Being around or at the mercy of a narcissist is as much fun as developing a burning hemorrhoid on a cross-country trip. When that narcissist is your boss, you try to please them to get through your day. When your good friend is a narcissist, you listen and try to slip in some advice if you can insert yourself between the drum-roll of “I’s. If it’s someone you are exposed to by social mandate, we smile politely and look for the first chance to bolt. If it’s an entertainer, we are more forgiving and marvel at them. I like Mick Jagger and a lot of the other peacock like rock stars, but they seem so self-involved that they quickly start to annoy me. Paris Hilton is, in my mind a prime example of celebrity narcissism – a shooting star that will burn out quickly. When it’s a religious figure who humbly allows their greatness to be proclaimed while giving off the vibe that it’s all about “you”, "run Forrest, run." The problem with the narcissist is that history usually proves them to be legends, but only in their own minds.
Gluttony is a problem because our bountiful society allows it. We live in times and a place with plenty of food. I’m not talking about overweight people here. Hell, my personal taste is for a woman to have some meat on her bones. I don't like the concentration camp survivor look so popular now - I suppose that is narcissism as well. My father used to kid my mom when she got drunk and nagged him, “behave yourself or I’ll marry one of these local old farm girls with an ass two axe-handles wide.”
It's true that there are lots of obese people today. Fast food, greasy food, snacks, very poor eating habits, empty beer calories, and soda pop are the culprits. I see overweight kids everywhere. When I was growing up, there were only a few to be seen. Genetics? Maybe in some cases. The other day I saw an overweight woman encouraging her obease 10 year old son to eat all of his fries. I think part of the problem is the kind of crap food distributors make available, and the ever-present fast food establishment. Busy life styles contribute to obesity. When I was active in the organization back in the 70s-80s, we lived 50 miles from the Kaikan and we had just enough time to pick up our kid, change clothes, and hit the road in time to make the meeting, usually in Chicago. Of course, we had to eat fast food while commuting. That really added to my waistline. About a year ago, I clearly recall being in a restaurant and couldn’t help but notice a very large man of, say 400 pounds by himself at a table, shoveling a plate of food into his face with another full plate of food near by, ready for consumption.
But I’m not really talking about people’s weight – as I mentioned, I like meaty girls with sweet dispositions. I think society has been extremely cruel to overweight people. Girls are especially hard on themselves and others because of some artifical standard of beauty here in America. In some cultures - and during certain eras, being overweight was a sign of prosperity because one could afford food. There are a lot of old paintings that feature the large woman and her alluring curves. The times and society seem to dictate whether a person is revered or scorned. So let's be decent to overweight people for chirst's sake, they've got feelings and people really do need to get some perspective. So regarding gluttony, I’m actually talking about insatiable desire, for whatever. We need to curb that endless need to over eat, over imbibe, and lust for more, more, more, but even more than that, we need to control our insaitable desire for pleasure, possessions, and riches.
Entitlement is a delusion. Sure, in America, we have inalienable rights and that makes us a great country. Free speech, freedom of religion, the right to bear arms, the pursuit of happiness (within limits, folks), and guaranteed equality from the government and enterprise are the hallmarks of a free society.
I'm talking about people who think that life, the government, family, and society owe them a quality of life. I have met so many people who are under the illusion that they deserve high pay, their parents are supposed to buy them a car and pay for their college education. The government doesn’t owe you anything beyond providing a safe homeland – something they are actually not too great at, as we have so sadly learned. I don’t believe in welfare, food stamps, Katrina-like handouts, affirmative action, or tax breaks for the rich or to lure a new business to an area. There are private social service agencies to assist people who become homeless, suffer catasthropic loss, and otherwise fall through the cracks and hit the bottom. But the key here, unless you're completely disabled - which is an entirely different matter and SSD is there to help, one should find a job - any job, and work, work work.
Immigrants (legal) are amazing to me. They thrive in our society, starting businesses, saving money, and working harder than others - especially the incredibly spoiled American kids I've seen. They succeed, often working two full time jobs. These people generally don’t have some unrealistic sense of entitlement, but strongly believe in the work ethic and making success happen for themselves and their families.
I expect nothing from anyone, except, perhaps a respect for my right to exist. Disrespect that, put my family or my own life in peril, and I don't turn the other cheek, but may in fact take you out with extreme prejudice. Further, there will be no regret. Despite that, I have earned great benefits and appreciate that, but if they were taken away, there would be no complaint from me, not even a grumble or whimper. I’d would (and have) just roll up my sleeves and move forward until I ceased to exist. And as we know, there is no ebb and flow of life, there is only the mutual arising of phenomena. So, karma means that you've got all you deserved and there's no one to blame.
The five defilements are temporary conditions that emerge from within us in response to our environment. Being aware of our proclivity to be seduced by drunkenness - impairment, narcissism – self-centeredness, gluttony – over indulgence, and entitlement/selfish, unwarranted expectation is the key point. None of us are perfect and unless you’re on the level of Buddha, which none of us are, we rise and fall through these traits like we do the Ten Worlds. I am fully aware that at times we enjoy a drink or joint to unwind, we focus on the self for personal preservation and advancement, we gorge on life’s bounty in anticipation of famine or from insecurity, and we have expectation for either what we believe should be ours or have been promised.
In my mind, it is far better to be aware of these five defilements as bonno like steppingstones, conditional desires that can usher in keen self-awareness and advancement. Daimoku makes this awareness and transcendence possible. It is true that the Three Poisons choke out the breath of happiness and the Five Defilements only prove that we are common mortals, afflicted by the conditions here in samsara. Next time you see an egotistical drunk complaining about slow service, then observing them wolf down a triple cheeseburger with fries, think to yourself, I respect your Buddha nature. I’m not there yet, but maybe you are. Chow.
Today I am being reflective and a little cantankerous. CNN has hurt my brain to say nothing of the wretchedness posing as real entertainment. As I move away from the seductive TV mandala, and once again wander with awareness through the mundane world, the spectacle is enough to revolt a rishi. Turning on the radio, the invective prone conservatives impale the vacillating liberals on the spear of hypocrisy. I turn on my FM radio which proceeds to puke out degraded vernacular disguised as poetic discourse. The infection of the three poisons is evident. Greed, anger, and stupidity are pandemic. Considering the state of humanity, I have decided to expand on our baseness with another concept I term The Five Defilements: Delusion, Drunkenness, Narcissism, Gluttony, and Entitlement.
One could effectively argue that all of my five designated defilements can be found in the three poisons. Regardless, let me open up this overflowing grease trap and let the stink out - but it will take at least two blogs to cough up this hair ball. Perhaps there will be some benefit in stating the obvious. Having been guilty of manifesting all three poisons – sometimes all at once, not to mention the five defilement, I have some perspective on their hindrance.
Greed is the genital herpes of human nature. We have always carried this virus and it does seem to be becoming more virulent. We must not lose the understanding that institutions and businesses are not greedy, it is the people behind them. Greed gives rise to cheating, lying, duplicity, callousness, insensitivity, war, all manner of misdemeanor and social felony. Take for instance the military industrial complex in all its demonic guises, just in our country alone. It has spawned whole industries that manufacture armaments products like guns, landmines, missiles, and biological agents and sells them where ever possible - sometimes illegally. These lucrative enterprises so-often funded by government contracts, support workers and their families. The designers and engineers are creating a product for the market, the laborers are only doing their job, and the salesmen hide behind the principle of supply and demand. One could argue that no one is to blame that the end-result of these products is death and destruction, yet profit trumps morality. Greed here cloaks itself in the bloody robe of self-defense, national and international security, while exporting arms – often brokered through our own government – to unstable or warring nations in some chessboard effort to balance powers. I have always wondered how some nations, especially in Africa and the Mideast do not have enough money for proper sanitation systems, but have hordes of explosives and weapons - enough to blow the shit out of everyone.
But greed also extends down to the individual. Greed is the ugly intention to sell a defective product to a trusting consumer, cooking the books to drain workers of their hard earned pensions, and the strategy of price fixing. Pharmaceutical companies make products that can cure and manage disease, but they cannot save themselves from their financial exploitation of the sick.
One of the most frightening examples of rampant greed is provided by certain politicians who are supposed to serve the public and benefit society. Instead, we see example after example of elected officials – especially on the national level who subtly put their vote and influence up for sale to enrich themselves and their family's, regardless of the public good. One need only look at how Congress votes themselves raises even in difficult financial times, replete with absurd pension benefits, and medical coverage the average citizen can only dream of. Although this appears to be institutional greed, it is nothing more than individual human greed. How many other examples do we need to realize that greed – the same greed that justifies the poisoning of our air and water may in fact be the poison that does us all in.
How does one dispel greed? Faith? Religion? How many religions, preachers, and ordinarily decent people have we see become seduced by insatiable greed? I would like to say that simply chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo could end a person's greedy nature, but it’s not that easy. Greed can only be controlled through wisdom, love, and compassion. Buddha and other great holy men set the example, but most of us have not seen fit to live by that example. What I do know is that greed will ultimately destroy you.
Anger is a poison that requires little explanation. Rage is at the root of war along with its ravenous sibling, greed. This poison is overt and upsets everything it meets. What rational decision has ever been made in the state of anger? I suppose that there is a form of merciful anger where a teacher or parent corrects a student who has become their own worst enemy or a danger to themselves.
When I look on the face of terrorists as captured on videotape, even when speaking quietly, the hyenia of anger is evident in their eyes. When I see the image of a dead terrorist as witnessed in a recent broadcast around the world, I do not see a holy man, blissed out in heaven, being pleasured by 72 virgins and a brick of hashish. I only see a hallowed out shell of a hell dweller, choked by the rotting grip of anger and delusion.
Stupidity or foolishness is the curse of our wretched species. There is hope for us, but we are not that highly evolved. I have more respect for the apes at the moment. Right now Israel and Lebanon are engaged in war, Iraq is home to the exploding martyr, Muslims and Hindus are plotting attacks against each in-between prayers, while millions of clueless Christians long for the rapture that will never come. If an alien race were to travel from some other star system or dimension to observe our civilization and people, we would surely look like stooges, locked in moronic conflicts, murdering people for their sneakers and spare change, and defecating in our own drinking water. We must be devolving.
One might wonder if there is any hope for a species that at one moment shows such technological and moral promise and in the next instant seems intent to destroy every organism on the planet based on a wholly delusional mythology. Buddha accurately described this three-fold world as a burning house. He also said that this violent, greed infested world of hell dwellers was also the land of eternally tranquil light.
I believe that the Lotus Sutra, the Gohonzon which is depicted therein, and the mantra of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo are the mythology, the image, and word that provide the answer to counteracting the three poisons that are destroying the people and our realm. The world will continue without our kind, even if we blow ourselves to bits. In planetary time, this world may be uninhabitable for aeons, but if even one organism survives, it will evolve - I shudder at the idea of the insect arhat, but could it be any worsae than what we've managed to do? It might also be said that the myriad possibilities of manifest life would include existence that need not conform to our limited perspective of what is required for sentience. As far as our kind, so infected with the three poisons – life is not a matter of ebb and flow or as the sutra explains, existing in this world and not existing. We are the matrix of life, mutually arising and apparently still greedy, angry, and stupid as hell.
Part two of my commentary is about the Five Defilements of Delusion, Drunkenness, Narcissism, Gluttony, and Entitlement. I made all of that up just to pass the time seeing as how the news always sucks. It will be about deluded idiots of dubious mythos intent on personal and societal destruction. It will be about drunks urinating in the alley and your front lawn as well as their scourge on family, friends, and enlightenment. It will be about self-serving narcissists who have no time to think about anyone but their own pathetic selves – which do not really exist anyway. It will be about people with an insatiable desire to cram their face with greasy food while teaching their children to become insulin dependent diabetics or drunks. It will be about unrealistic, spoiled people who have an undeserved expectation that life and this world owes them something. It is about a false sense of entitlement without work and effort and a lack of perspective about the difficult struggles of our people to pull themselves from the cycles of famine, war, want, and political oppression. There, I feel better now.
Nature is wondrous. From plant life that can signal danger to single cell organisms that move about with purpose. How much more so for sentient life? The ant and the bee move in cooperation with a multitude of others like one being of one mind. Some unknown, unseen intelligence of supreme programming orchestrates existence. It is this mysterious yet all pervasive intelligence that makes our planet a living entity. Human beings are the pinnacle of nature’s creation. Intelligence is not another word for an anthropomorphic God. Intelligence is the vibration of the Mystic Law that is made manifest in the world of form. Intelligence, or essential consciousness, is the force that drives healing in the lives of sentient and insentient beings.
In the mid 1990s sometime prior to my thesis on modern Buddhist healing, I frankly discussed my findings with an SGI member who so happened to be an oncologist. At the time, I was just a pioneer member that had overcome advanced cancer. The good doctor and I had known each other for years, in fact since his beginnings in the youth division. At that meeting, perhaps out of desperation, he connected me with a patient of his who had a massive tumor in his abdomen – I forget now exactly where the tumor was or of what type. He had brought the man to a meeting in Chicago. His belly was grossly distended and his skin ashen. I told him my experience and gave him guidance on how to chant daimoku using mantra-powered visualization.
I received word a few weeks later that the man’s tumor had begun to shrink, his health and vitality had rebounded dramatically, and the man wanted to know more. I sent a fax to my doctor friend to deliver to his patient of a particularly inspiring chapter from my book manuscript that described in detail how healing was possible through mantra-powered visualization.
I was stunned when my doctor friend wrote back a terse fax that lambasted me for distorting the Mystic Law. I wrote back to the doctor saying in effect that withholding my spiritual advice would be detrimental to his patient’s health. I also said that I knew he was a person of dedicated faith, but didn’t know what kind of doctor he was. The next time I saw my friend, he apologized and mentioned that his patient had died. He confessed to me that I was probably right about daimoku and visualization.
Based on his admission of the probable correctness of my thesis, when my book was finished and being marketed to various publishers, I asked him if he would consider writing an endorsement for the book jacket. He responded that he would only endorse it if the SGI also endorsed it. I told this to his senior leader who said although he was a great guy, he wouldn’t want to be in a fox hole with him. I shrugged it off and moved on to get the endorsement of author, Dr. Larry Dossey. Even though SGI-USA turned a blind eye to me, shortly thereafter the SGI in Japn did endorse it, PI and Mr. Tsuji also backed me up, but it was too late for the good doctor.
In 1998, I was contacted by the good doctor to be a featured speaker at a health and spirituality symposium to be held at the Chicago Culture Center. We spoke that day and it was there that he told me how I was right all along. But what really caught my attention was his comment that he “hated” the work of Deepak Chopra, someone that I had drawn immense insight from. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and one would think that a physician’s opinion – especially a Buddhist doctor, would be both informed and wise. I didn’t know how to respond, so I just let the comment go and went to the VIP room with the other two featured speakers. I was handed a brochure of the event and found my name laundry listed in small print as if my inclusion that day was an after-thought. The other two speakers were prominently featured with nice bios. I was informed that I would speak first, followed by a chaplain from a major Chicago hospital, and the keynote speaker would be a renowned physician from the University of Chicago hospital system. There was nothing to do but set the bar high. When we entered the main Gohonzon room, it was completely full.
Never in my life did I give a more powerful or compelling presentation. After my ten-minute speech, I was given a standing ovation. My speech completely stole both other speaker's thunder. During the question and answer period, the University of Chicago doctor referred several questions to me. I tell you this not to make myself look great, but to drive home the point that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and my victory over cancer turned a high school graduate into an indisputable authority on healing. When leaving, my SGI oncologist friend and his wife marveled at what had just transpired. His wife said that she wished that every SGI member could have been there that day. I have never spoken to him since that day.
Although it has been many years since that day - more than his slights, oversights, and thinly disguised objection to my thesis, most of all I am struck by his comments about Deepak Chopra. Granted, there are probably a lot of people out there that regard Dr. Chopra as a fraud. I am not one of them. In my opinion, his book, “Quantum Healing,” lays a theoretical foundation for the true aspect of how the deepest aspect of the healing process works. In fact, by inserting the mantra of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo for his introduction of “primordial sounds,” to the healing process, I contend that the concept of “bodymind, quantum mechanical body, and intelligence” is made most effective and perfectly clear.
One of the most important ideas that comes from his work is the idea of cellular memory. As we know, cells come into being; perform their function, then die, to be replaced by new cells. This perpetual process renews our body.
“At any point in bodymind, two things come together - a bit of information and a bit of matter. Of the two, the information has a longer life span than the solid matter it is matched with. As the atoms of carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen swirl through our DNA, like birds of passage that alight only to migrate on, the bit of matter changes, yet there is always a structure waiting for the next atoms. In fact, DNA never budges so much as a thousandth of a millimeter in its precise structure, because genomes – bits of information in DNA – remember where everything goes, all 3 billion of them. This fact makes us realize that memory must be more permanent than matter. What is a cell, then? It is a memory that has built some matter around itself, forming a specific pattern. Your body is just the place your memory calls home.” Page 87, Quantum Healing.
Taking this idea further, if a person with cancer can attain a state of bliss where the memory of the reproduction of errant cells can be erased, like the short-term memory loss of an Alzheimer’s patient; the natural intelligence of the body could conceivably allow the immune cells to completely destroy the disease. Sound far-fetched? Not really when you consider that a localized cancer completely wiped out by surgery, chemotherapy, and or radiation has been known to return. Why? If all those cancer cells have been destroyed, it is the cellular memory that has lived on and remembered how to malfunction. What drives something like cancer? I believe it has to do with karma coupled with our state of mind. When our mind and spirit gets right, we add to that the primordial sounds that recalibrates the bodymind. When that happens, even diseases like cancer can be overcome.
I find even more interesting possibilities with this idea of an all pervasive intelligence comprising life, cellular memory, and memory surviving the cell. In the sojourn from life, to death, to rebirth, the ego is extinguished and the self is no more. But what experiences this extinction? Impressions of life and the causes and effects of the individual are said to carry over into the next incarnation. Perhaps there is a subtle link between the survival of memory after the death of a cell and the greater bodymind and our own extinction. Perhaps I’ll give a speech on that subject one day and invite my old friend, the good doctor. Perhaps not.
Every month or so, I do some keyword searches to see how my books are doing, or if there have been any new reviews that slipped by my radar. This due-diligence paid off last year when I discovered that my first book was published in India. When I brought this oversight to my publisher’s attention, she apologized profusely and promptly sent me a nice royalty check.
Over the past few years, I have been far too busy to indulge in chatrooms (although they look both educational and fun). So it was very interesting to me when I stumbled across a Nichiren site that mentioned my name. It was there that I saw the following entry from a Nichiren Shoshu member named Cody (same primary philosophy as SGI). Ordinarily, I am not surprised or swayed by criticism, as my work on healing is somewhat controversial. Writers need a thick skin or they will never be psychologically healthy. Buddhists must be impervious to the shrieking curses of scavenger gulls disguised as virtuous men of learning. I found the comments of Cody to be tragically telling and quite humorous.
“Charles Atkins is a taiten ex SGI member and I am supposed to be
impressed because he's taken the same chase the tail route as you and
Robin have taken? Buddhism is action, not an intellectual pursuit. “
After reading the entire volley of comments on this site, it was quite clear that Cody is regarded as somewhat of a narrow-minded zealot, so frequently produced by the Nichiren Shoshu and the SGI. I had to ask myself the question. “what is taiten?” Having spent 30 plus years running at breakneck pace as a frontline soldier of the SGI, it would seem that someone of that experience would have a considered opinion of what the term “taiten” actually meant.
It had always been my understanding that taiten implied a person who quit practicing Buddhism. It never occurred to me that taiten meant that a person left the organization of Nichiren Shoshu or the SGI. Perhaps my understanding was/is in error, if so I stand corrected by Cody.
However, the sheer gall of this type of squawking gull has compelled me to comment on that insipid bird that sails through the sky looking for rotting morsels in its odious flight to survive. I can almost hear its self-righteous call of “slander, slander!”
For the record, I am not an ex-SGI member. I am still an SGI member and believer in Nichiren Buddhism. I will continue to be an SGI member, until, of course, I am expelled, join another sangha, or begin my own sect. My practice to the Gohonzon has never been better. Faith, practice, and study seem to be encoded now, into my very cells. My phone number and email address are there for my SGI leaders in case they want to save me from the truth. The last call I received was, I believe, in February, by a senior leader who said he would call back in a month so we could have a beer and talk. That never happened. The last time someone called was two years before that, and then again, a year before that. I’m still waiting to hear from them just how wrong I am and how my improved life could be made so much better by returning to the hive. In fact, I am still waiting for my “eternal friends” that are now top senior leaders to inquire on how I’m doing.
It is also humorous that Cody used the image of me and others “chasing our tails,” because we moved away from the SGI merry-go-round. I can only speak for myself, but in the three years plus that I’ve stopped attending meetings, my life has improved ten-fold. Since I have written on this very subject several times, there’s no point in elaborating further except to say that every area of my life and mind have advanced dramatically. What is chasing one’s tail is having the same meeting and repeating the same slogans for decades without end. Interesting enough, further along in the arbn someone wrote comments stating that is a person broke from PI, they would burn in the flames of Hell. How compassionate. I always considered PI to be a master of Buddhism and a great writer (although it’s unclear what he, versus his staff has actually written). PI and the SGI have greatly influenced my development as a Buddhist and human being, but my actual happiness and attainment of enlightenment really has nothing to do with him or the SGI – it is my direct connection with the Mystic Law, the Lotus Sutra and the Buddha. One must achieve this by themself. No one, no matter how great, nor any organization, no matter how wonderful, can do this for you. One often forgets this truth while spinning endlessly on the merry-go-round. Yes, I owe an immense debt of gratitude to the SGI and all the leaders and members, but time, actual proof, and hard earned lessons have clearly demonstrated that the SGI core doctrines are on shaky ground and their much hearlded eternal friendship is conditional on whether or not one agrees with the philosphy and especially their fearless leader.
Cody has also mentioned that “Buddhism is action (and not an intellectual pursuit).” I wonder what he considers “action?” Obviously, from reading Cody's other posts, he is perfectly willing to allow objectivity to lapse and regard intellection as an impedimet to faith. I find this idea as provincial and cult-speak supremeo. Speaking (and critically thinking) only for myself, I am engaged in virtual non-stop actions for the Buddhadharma, whether it’s chanting for myself or others, helping the sick and suffering through my works on healing, or setting the Buddhist gold standard of conduct and ethics in my work place, family, and community. Does one need to be a card-carrying, slogan uttering, arm-waving member of the SGI to correctly or (perhaps) effectively practice Buddhism or attain Buddhahood? Based on the Lotus Sutra, the Gosho, and virtually every Buddhist sutra, I think not.
I now sound the mystic conch to issue an appeal to all my eternal friends and former exalted leaders to call or write and tell me how I (or others) will be unable to fulfill our individual missions and please the eternal Buddha outside of the SGI movement. I also wish them to explain how the SGI is any different from Nichiren Shoshu in terms of their core doctrine beliefs. Further, I ask them to explain where in the Lotus Sutra or Gosho it says that Bodhisattva Jogyo or Nichiren is the true Buddha of Mappo, and while they're at it, prove to me the Dai-Gohonzon is the authentic mandala for kosen-rufu, as proclaimed. I'm ready to learn. Also, and this is just an issue that I'm mildly curious about, but please explain to me how PI is allegedly one of the wealthiest people in all of Asia, and how did he accumulate this wealth on an executives salary? Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for kosen-rufu, all for the member’s happiness, and all for the welfare of PI. I just want to know. I won’t hold my breath for the answer. In fact, I already know the answers to all the questions that I posed, it's just that the truth is usually painful. But there is also wisdom in the expression that the truth shall set you free. So my old friends, contact me once again and share your wisdom with me. I'm waiting...
Sidebar: I was going to finish my series as Jesus was a Buddhist, but I haven’t had time, so please be patient, it’s coming. Also, I have something new coming to you here at FWP on quantum healing and cellular memory that will be helpful to the sick.