In addition, there are no-things called noumena. These exist, yet do not exist. The mental conception of them is abstract, but noumena are not mere abstractions. Neither despair nor bliss has any shape, size, or color. They do have any particular sound, aroma, flavor, or texture. One can not weigh them. Yet the brain gives them a name. I write despair; you have a conception of what I mean, based on your own experience of despair. However, defining despair, in terms of sensory perception, leaves one wanting. One can not 100% empirically deduce what I mean, but can sort of adduce the meaning.

Consider the 5 skandhas, or 5 components. Ryuei and I can not quite agree on translations. Mine are form/body, sensation, conception/cognition, motives/habits, and consciousness /cognizance {which might even be unconscious}. His, out of my hat, are something form, feelings, perception,
will or volition, and consciousness. Someone else I knew used matter, perception, cognition, habits, and consciousness. I have also seen body, sensation, ideation, will, and cognition. Another had the 5th as cognizance. Different people describe the same concepts with different words, and mean different things by the same words, especially when dealing with no-things or noumena, We can agree on material form, and the first five [sensory] faculties, the rest gets dicey.

So one person has perception as the 4th, another uses the same word as the 3rd. Cognition and / or cognizance are used as both the 3rd and the 5th. One person who had the 4th as will or volition, admitted that it has a non-volitional aspect. He also admitted that consciousness includes aspects of mental activity that are generally unconscious; but can be made cognizant. Or rather, not-made.

People talk about manufacturing ideas as if they are material things made by the hands. However, ideas are not manual products, nor are they made, as they have no shape, size, color, and so on. We even assign ideas, thoughts, or emotions textures or other sensory features -- we might say that they are rough or smooth, weighty, stinking, ugly, attractive, tasty, and so on. When someone writes something, wee might say that they said it. When he grasp an idea, we say we see it; when it resonates, we claim to hear it. A behavioral psychologist might reduce everything to sets or patterns of observable, measurable, quantifiable, or recognizable phenomena or behavior. Yet even her or his own ideas are sort of subjective noumena.

My point is that the Lotus Sutra talks a lot about noumena; about a broad principle, some concepts, some methods, and a lot subjective spiritual or mental states; using words that create visual imagery. Itb does not to say practice, meditate. or worship, it has images ofb various beings who are engaged in practicing, meditating, and worshiping. I do not take those beings as literal beings, but as symbols. My take is that these symbols point to noumena, not phenomena. I do not think the events as described in the Lotus Sutra took place at a specific time or location. I am sure that a seven jeweled stupa, half the size of the Earth's diameter, did not come out the ground and ascend into the sky.

I do not think the historical Buddha literally preached the Lotus Sutra, I do think he preached the teachings of the Lotus Sutra. Here are some suttas I have read, at least in part:

Mulapariyaya Sutta
Culavedalla Sutta
Sikkha Sutta
Satipatthana Sutt
Nibbana Sutta / The Udana {the third book of the Khuddaka Nikaya}
Pabhassara Sutta
Maha-Parinibbana Sutta

A lot of translations of these, or excerpts, are in line. There are some verses or phrases that make me think of the Lotus Sutra, I would point to:

"...The Tathagata has totally awakened to the un-excelled right
self-awakening, I tell you. ... That is what the Blessed One said.
Displeased, the monks did not delight in the Blessed One's words."

"The noble eightfold path is fabricated. ... The Threefold Trainings
are not included under the noble eightfold path, friend Visakha, but
the noble eightfold path is included under the the Three-Fold Training."

"There are these three trainings. Which three? The training in higher
morality, the training in higher spirituality, the training in higher
discernment."

"Now, if anyone would develop these four frames of reference in this
way for ... seven days ... This is the direct path for the
purification of the senses, for the overcoming of sorrow &
lamentation,, for the disappearance of pain & distress, for the
attainment of the right method, & for the realization of Unbinding."

"There is an unborn, an un-become,an un-fabricated, an unconditioned.
If there were not, there could be no escape from what is born, become,
fabricated, and conditioned. But since there is an unborn, an
un-become, an un-fabricated, an unconditioned, therefore is there
release from what is born, become, made, and conditioned."

"Luminous, monks, is the mind. And it is freed from defilements. The
well-instructed disciple of the noble ones discerns that as it
actually is present, which is why I tell you that — for the
well-instructed disciple of the noble ones — there is development of
the mind."

"Then the Blessed One said to Ven. Ananda, "Now, if it occurs to any
of you -- 'The teaching has lost its authority; we are without a
Teacher' -- do not view it in that way. Whatever Dhamma & Vinaya I
have pointed out & formulated for you, that will be you Teacher when I
am gone."

It is not so much the jargon, but what it means, that can be highly useful, for one who wishes to truly benefit from Buddhism. As for putting off new people, as someone suggested too much jargon might do, marketing Buddhism to the masses is not really my gig. I suspect that almost anything that has too much popular appeal is probably not worth pursuing.

I know that might seem sardonic, or worse, elitist. I just wonder at what point does changing Nichiren's teaching, so that it is not much different from other popular self help schemes, turn it in to something other than Buddhism? A friend once told me that he liked Soka Gakkai because it taught what he already believed. My reaction was, why bother then? Why do we practice Buddhism? Is it so we can stay as are, and receive some self affirmation, to build up our self esteem?

If someone takes up the practice of chanting Namu Myoho Renge Kyo; while gazing at the Mandala Gohonzon, things should start happening. Things like Dharma Lists of Buddhist terms then become useful in sorting out one's experiences. I know, in retrospect, that I would have been better off in the past, had I pursued then, what I now pursue. Instead, I was swayed by guidance that we do not really need to understand anything, that all we have to do is do it.

Is understanding Buddhist jargon; or technical knowledge in general, essential? How about understanding the differences between the various sects; the Nichiren schools, the Nichiren derived schools, and other forms of Buddhism; is that necessary? On all accounts, probably not for a stream enterer. However, wrong knowledge can do harm; while correct knowledge can certainly be helpful. The main thing is, one should not get bogged down, or overwhelmed. Otherwise, we might be like a leaky boat, overladen with cargo, sent out into stormy seas, with a confused captain at the helm. Chances are, we would sink.

I get overwhelmed all the time. So, I just say "not yet." It is not necessary to dismiss that which we are unable to understand -- that is sour grapes. With time, study, chanting, concentration, and reflection; insight arises; it actually becomes possible to understand what presently seems impossible to grasp.

I can not find the exact quotation. However, I read something from Bob Dylan years ago. He said something to the effect that the trouble with young blues singers of that time, was they were trying to get the blues, to feel the blues. The real masters, the traditional blues artists artists, already had the blues. They were trying to beat the blues and were able to do so through the music. The music took themselves outside themselves and gave them perspective. They were not wallowing is sorrow or self pity.

I am in no way a musician. I am more what Jerry Garcia called a musicologist, except I have almost zero technical knowledge. I guess I consider myself a connoisseur of art who appreciates good music. I can not say I have a favorite genre; as I like nearly all of them. One form I like a lot is slow blues. My feel for it is that Robert Johnson's "Love in Vain" is sort of an archetype of slow blues. FWIW, it is slow-change 12-bar blues -- whatever that means.

Recently, I noticed that the sensation / felling {vedana} I get from really good slow blues is similar to what I get from chanting the Mantra of Great Compassion or the Om Mani Mantra. It is sorrowful but also joyful; kind of a bittersweet emotion. I got me to thinking, what is having the blues, but a response to dukkha. One of the Rolling Stones early rock hits, expressed dukkha quite well, "I can't get no satisfaction." Slow Blues are usually about a specific kind of suffering, the sadness experienced from the loss of or failure to gain what attracts us; especially the love or affection of others and the satisfaction of lust. Perhaps, for these reason, slow blues is particularly emotionally charged. It can elicit real tears; as can the cultivation of mahakaruna.

Negative kleshas or bonno; such as annoyance, anger, hatred, enmity, rage, malevolence, vengefulness, cruelty, and gloating seem to be thoughts, desires, and emotions rooted in aversion, which sometimes comes from loss of or failure to gain what we wish. Realizing that all of existence is dukkha, that we are not alone in this, is one way of beating negative kleshas. Really good blues cultivates a feeling of empathy; as opposed to apathy or antipathy. Bad blues elicit feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, and pity; especially self pity. Or worse yet, ir reinforces alination and induces a generalized militant malevolence.

My thought is that this goes to two, or three different ways of cultivating compassion. Some pray to Amida, Kannon or Jesus asking for compassion from them, for our pathetic self. This is, perhaps, rooted in a self centered desire for others to feel our pain and feel sorry for us. There are also those who might feel pity for others, to build themselves up, which is just as bad. Compassion in the sense of Mahakaruna is somewhere in the middle, where distinction between self and others melts away, where the suffering, dissatisfaction, and stress of others is also our own, and vice versa. We are all in the same sinking ship, or burning house.

This also relates to khanti / kshanti -- patience or forbearance. If we wish our own sins or unwholesome causes to be forgiven, then we should stop blaming and start forgiving others; while also forgiving ourself. Note that kshanti means to be patiently forbearing -- to be patient not only with the deserving, but also with things or those that / who do not really deserve tolerance or patience.

Finally, and I am stealing from Ryuei, another way to beat the blues is to realize that all conditioned phenomena are empty; and that, within change, there is an underlying constancy. I think a perception or recognition of shunyata or sunnatta is also found in good blues. Ryuei wrote about Otis' classic "Dock of the Bay" from this angle. See The Zen of Otis Redding.

The songs on this playist may not all be strictly considered slow blues, though I am not sure what slow blues means, so they might be. They ARE all sort of sad and /or reflective, It includes my two favorite slow blues guitar tracks. One is Mick Taylor's awesome work with Mayall on "Marriage Madness." I never bought Mayall's views on marriage; but Taylor's 'guitaring' here is special. The other is the late Duane Allman's contribution to Boz Skagg's "Somebody Loan Me a Dime."

This play list starts with Robert Johnson doing "Love in Vain," That is followed by a series of slow love songs that I have lined up together on tapes for decades. Dorothy Moore's version of the country hit "Misty Blue" is followed by Otis' soulful "These Arms of Mine." Both express the human desire to be hugged; a need or want that abuse can turn into aversion. Next, the fairly recently departed Etta James sings a song that expresses the jealous pain of being "cheated on." Then James Brown asks "Try me". Janis ends this set with "Little Girl Blue." The back up band is not the best, but that is maybe the best female blues vocal I have ever heard; and I have included clips from Etta James. Ella Fitzgerald, & Billy Holiday on this playlist. I think Janis, or her higher self, was singing that song to lecture herself. The grand finale of the first "side" is "Dime" which features my third favorite slow blues guitar track, with BB King doing "The Thrill is Gone."

A few comments on the second set of seven songs: It is more reflective; it starts with Roseanne Cash's second best hit, "Runaway Train." Then the aforementioned "Marriage Madness," followed by Ella doing "Blue Moon." Then "Dime" with Duane on guitar. I do not like the way the recording cuts out, but beggars can not be choosers. Next is Billy Holiday with Lover Man. After that, I was not sure whether to include the live version of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." That was hardly "slow hand's" best work; but George was excellent, I especially like his vocals there. Maybe Clapton was deferring? I end with one of the best folk-pop music compositions ever, "Both Sides Now." I have always been impressed with the way Joni Mitchell mixed sound, the use of words to create visual imagery, and multi-leveled metaphor. I know, this song is not really blues at all, but:

Her songs are generally very introspective, she always made me think.

Rows and floes of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons evrywhere
Ive looked at clouds that way

But now they only block the sun
They rain and snow on evryone
So many things I would have done
But clouds got in my way
Ive looked at clouds from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
Its cloud illusions I recall
I really dont know clouds at all

She takes that cloud imagery and extends it, first to love, then life. The well structured music and the tonal changes in her voice aids that. The Lotus Sutra is also full of visual imagery and word play; as is the Daimoku. Since we generally chant it in shindoku, we might focus on more on the rhythm, There is nothing wrong with that, but the words have some really profound meaning.

"Now how is mindfulness of in-&-out breathing developed & pursued so as to bring the four frames of reference to their culmination?

"There is the case where a monk, having gone to the wilderness, to the shade of a tree, or to an empty building, sits down folding his legs crosswise, holding his body erect, and setting mindfulness to the fore. Always mindful, he breathes in; mindful he breathes out.

"[1] Breathing in long, he discerns that he is breathing in long; or breathing out long, he discerns that he is breathing out long. [2] Or breathing in short, he discerns that he is breathing in short; or breathing out short, he discerns that he is breathing out short. [3] He trains himself to breathe in sensitive to the entire body, and to breathe out sensitive to the entire body. [4] He trains himself to breathe in calming the bodily processes, and to breathe out calming the bodily processes.

"[5] He trains himself to breathe in sensitive to rapture, and to breathe out sensitive to rapture. [6] He trains himself to breathe in sensitive to pleasure, and to breathe out sensitive to pleasure. [7] He trains himself to breathe in sensitive to mental processes, and to breathe out sensitive to mental processes. [8] He trains himself to breathe in calming mental processes, and to breathe out calming mental processes.

"[9] He trains himself to breathe in sensitive to the mind, and to breathe out sensitive to the mind. [10] He trains himself to breathe in satisfying the mind, and to breathe out satisfying the mind. [11] He trains himself to breathe in steadying the mind, and to breathe out steadying the mind. [12] He trains himself to breathe in releasing the mind, and to breathe out releasing the mind.

"[13] He trains himself to breathe in focusing on inconstancy, and to breathe out focusing on inconstancy. [14] He trains himself to breathe in focusing on dispassion [literally, fading], and to breathe out focusing on dispassion. [15] He trains himself to breathe in focusing on cessation, and to breathe out focusing on cessation. [16] He trains himself to breathe in focusing on relinquishment, and to breathe out focusing on relinquishment.