August 26, 2005
Western Buddhism, Anyone?
On the Three-Fold Training
Provisional Practices?
As I alluded to in an earlier entry, I think that SGI has largely replaced the provisional teachings of Buddhism with modern Positive Mental Attitude motivational training; and that simply does not work for many, if not most, people. Personally, I have recently decided that all the 'goal setting' and 'winning in life' "stuff" is useless, at least for me, right now, and dumped it in the ash can.
That approach, for those who want it, can be found in any number of self help books. I have been there and done that; and it seems the big money is in teaching others how to win. And it might be better to learn it from the tapes and writings of Hill, Carnegie, Nightengale, Stone, & Mandino, than to mix it with, and call it, Buddhism.
In my own life, I am gradually replacing SGI PMA training with the traditional Samatha-Smrti practices of Buddhism.
I went though a phase where I pretty much dumped chanting in Sino-Japanese altogether, and began surfing the web for something new to try.
After trying many different things from various sources, I have found some chanting meditations that I like, and which, despite Nichiren's warnings, IMCO, do successfully generate divine states of loving kindness, empathetic compassion, and shared joy. I am also learning to 'sit' quietly, although I find this more difficult than chanting.
I have only taken a casual glance at Theravadin Vipassana. Note that this is not necessarily the same as the popular teaching called Vipassana; which appears to be, at a glance, syncretic Samatha-Vipassana. Real Theravada Vippasana {Insight} is the advanced teaching that leads directly to Nibbana/Nirvana or Awakening to the Unborn & Deathless, by direct Insight into the Three Signs of Dukkha, Anicca, & Anatta (Suffering, Impermanence, and Not-Self.)
For practical purposes, at present, I borrow from both the traditional Wisdom (Panna/Prajna/Hannya) Teachings and Esoteric Mikkyo/Vajra Practices. I view these as advanced Samatha, rather than ultimate teachings. I find the Prajna Paramitta practice effective at cultivating equanimity, or a kind of poised, warm detachment.
What I have essentially done is to replace the Vipassana-Prajna practices of traditional Buddhism, with what might be called Vipassana-Bhakti {Kanjin?}. {I think this is what Nichiren did to develop an exclusive practice, as an answer to Honen. Early on, Nichiren advocated Tendai Inclusiveness. But that is best left for another entry.}
At any rate, Nichiren wrote that we should replace prajna (hannya, wisdom) with Shin {Faith-Bhakti}. So instead of meditating on the three signs, or Emptiness {sunyatta}, I gaze at the Mandala Honzon and chant "The Title" with whatever faith my skeptical mind/heart can muster.
It turns out that what I am doing maybe looks a lot like Nichiren Shu; though without near as much Japanese flavor. {mixed metaphor}.
There is a lot of imbedded Shinto in Japanese Buddhism that I have trouble grasping. It does appear to me that, for the most part, Nichiren Shu has kept the Shinto elements distinct; there are Shinto Shrines on a lot of the Temple Grounds, but they are separate. This seems consistent with what Nichiren wrote about Zuiho Bini. Not sure how that works in America. I doubt we will see Jinja devoted to Inari or Shichimen Daimyojin.
In Nichiren Shoshu, Shinto is woven seemlessly into the fabric. Nichiren as True Buddha replaces Amaterasu Omikami, Their DG is like the sacred jewel or mirror, and the Head Temple replaces the sacred Ise Shrine. Honmon Shoshu, a half sister of Nichiren Shoshu, is more overt about their Shinto-Buddhist fusion. They still hold to Kammakura Era Mikkyo thinking that equated specific Shinto Kami with specific Buddhist Divinities. Nichiren = Amaterasu = Dainichi = the Shakyamuni of the Juryo Chapter is an example. It is a tad more complex, but that is the gist.
Posted by rbeck at August 3, 2005 04:21 PM
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July 20, 2005
First Western Buddhist Sangha
Encyclopaedia of Buddhism Vol. 1,
edited by G. P. Malalasekera O.B.E in 1965, published by Government of Sri Lanka, clearly states that an Englishman named Charles Henry Allan Bennet, who had been ordained as a Buddhist monk in Burma in 1902, returned back to England, eighty nine years ago, to establish the first ever Buddhist Mission in the United Kingdom on 16 July 1908, 'a belief shared twenty-three years later by the Anagarika Dharmapala when he came to England on a mission from Ceylon. TILAK S. FERNANDO
Buddhismus in Großbritannien link
5. Buddhismus in Great Britain 1. Until 1959
Posted by rbeck at July 20, 2005 04:14 PM
Charles
Posted by: Charles at August 4, 2005 02:26 PM
Robin! You did it! You gave me an answer I have been searching for. I can't quite articulate the question, but it was answered in this blog when you wrote: "At any rate, Nichiren wrote that we should replace prajna (hannya, wisdom) with Shin {Faith-Bhakti}. So instead of meditating on the three signs, or Emptiness {sunyatta}, I gaze at the Mandala Honzon and chant "The Title" with whatever faith my skeptical mind/heart can muster."
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I had been trying, unsucessfully, to separate the intent of Nichren from the intent of the various Nichiren schools. This blog finally shed some light on the issue for me. THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
Posted by: queen lolo at August 5, 2005 12:02 AM
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