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you wrote:
Hara or Hare is another name of god in the family of Vishnu type gods in Hinduism. Krishna is one of these gods. It is said that Vishnu, Hara, Hare, Krishna, and several other names are all the same god. Shiva is another god and a number of names are associated with Shiva. The principal mantra of Shiva is "Om na ma shiva ya"
My understanding, not being a Sanskrit scholar, is that both
(god name) Ye Na Ma Ha, and
Om Na Ma (god name) Ya,
mean "I bow to the (god name) within me."
So the practice of such mantras is in the direction of not worshiping images, but rather worshiping our (higher?) selves as a part of god. This is consistent with us already being in the Buddha light as is said in the Lotus Sutra.
Follow ups:
What do u mean by that? Are you trying to explain that our lives are part of the Body of God, which i could say it is the LIFE itself which is the the same with the universal Life. I think that is which I had a said before that we are special manifestations of MYSTIC LAW. I think that is what u mean...right? But why there are so may gods in Hinduism that u would say u bow into gods within you? And that is really close to Buddhism that is each and everyone of us have The "Buddha nature" within us and which is the true entity of Life.
And also in Hinduism or Brahmanism states that all the world is Brahman which is the one God head manifesting itself in various forms. God is all and all is God. The Human Soul(atman) is therefore, divine and of the same nature as Brahman. It is when the Human awaken to the immanence of this Ultimate divine principle that deliverance comes. An english writer once stated " there is no more divine and god than you yourself ". We'll that is close also to Buddhism, the Eternal BUddha always manifest in this world and what i had said before as Our Pres. Toda, who has deep understanding on the Lotus sutra, once said:
" The Buddha is the Life itself!. It is an expression of Life. The Buddha does not exist outside ourselves, but within our Life. NO, it exist outside our lives as well. It is an entity of Cosmic Life."
That is the actual entity of Buddha and Mr Toda used the word LIFE because he had percieve the Buddha as real entity. Yes! LIFE is a straightforard, familiar word we use everyday. But at the same time it is a word that can express the most profound essence of the Buddhist LAW, a single word that expresses infinite meaning. ALL human beings are endowed with LIFE, so this word has practical, concrete meaning for evryone. In this way, MR TODA's realization made Buddhism comprehensible to all.
Life has enormous diversity. It is rich and full of energy. At the same time, it operates according to ceratain laws and has defined rhythm. The doctrine of a single-Life moment possesing 3000 realms or 3000 worlds describes this harmony in diversity, and one who has percieve the essence of this principle is a Buddha.
With the word Buddha, the image of a supreme being tends to dominates poeples impression; it evokes a feeling of Buddha being somehow distant and separate from them. With the word LAW, the impersonal, as in "rule" or " phenomenon", is emphasized, and it doesn't evoke much warmth. Essentially, The Buddha and the LAW are not two different , separate things- the word LIFE encompasses both.
All people are endowed with Life, and life is immesurably precious. The declaration that the " Buddha is the Life itself" reveals the very essence of Buddhism- the Buddha and the Law- is in our own Life.
you wrote:
So in Buddhist practice you say each of the following mantras, first slowly, and then speeding up to a frenzy, and then slowing again. The speed up process goes for 4-5 minutes, hold for about a minute, and then slow down for about a minute.
Om-Aim-Na-Ma-Ha Base
Om-Vam-Na-Ma-Ha Navel
Om-Ram-Na-Ma-Ha Solar Plexus
Om-Yam-Na-Ma-Ha Heart
Om-Ham-Na-Ma-Ha Throat
Om-Na-Ma-Ha Heart
This sequence is repeated twice more to pull in light and then stimulate Kundalini, substituting different sounds for Aim, etc., at each chakra. But it is considered very dangerous to do so unless well prepared. So I will not publish those sounds.
Follow-up:
We'll for me that is NOT a kind of practice to the way of enlightenment but going us to suffering to our body itself. There is no enlightenment apart from our body. Enlightenment or Buddhahood is both Spiritual and physical aspects of Life. Nicheren's Buddhism practices is not like that,who was incarnate as the true Buddha of the latter day of the Law predicted in the sutra who will propagate the Lotus sutra in this latter age. Indeed, Nicheren was a votary of the Lotus sutra and propagate the Mystic LAw as "Nam Myoho Renge Kyo " as the Lotus sutra(Sanskrit: Sadddharma Pundrika Sutra) today as he expound it as the Great PUre Law. He stand-up boldly proclaim the lofty ideals of the Lotus sutra. Buddhism as taught by Nicheren may be summed up in the pharase "Nam Myoho Renge Kyo ", which means, " I devote myself to the inexpressibly profound and wonderful truth- the philosophy of Life- expounded in the lotus sutra, which embodies the loftiest teachings of Buddhhism. In different words, the phrase signifies dedicating oneself to the ultimate reality of life- to the life that is omnipresent in the universe. NICHEREN Daishonin held that only when man becomes one with the Life of the universe does he achieve, absolute, unshakable happiness(the realm of Buddhahood)
The practice of Nicheren Daishonin aside from prescribed carrying out Buddhist practice is chanting of that phrase. According to his Buddhism, once a person trust himself entirely to the Mystic LAw or to Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, the power of universal Life suddenly wells up in him and hw begins to live in unity with the Life of the universe. This phrase expresses the ultimate truth of Life and the universe. This truthn operates within our lives and therefore, it allows each individual to tap his or her innate enlightened nature directly. Thus, one who chants is able to gain power and wisdom to live with confidence, overcome any problems, and develop a happy future. That is the fundamental meaning of practice of Nicheren Daishonin's Buddhism.
And the enlightenment opposed by you relates to the Buddhist priciple of Oneness of Body and Mind.
Materialists claim that only the physical or material world, which can be measured or observed, is the true "reality," whereas some spiritual traditions see the physical world as mere illusion--or something which exists in order to be transcended--and the invisible, mental realm as the ultimate truth.
Buddhism views life as dual in nature, as the unity of both the physical and the spiritual. All things, whether material or spiritual, seen or unseen, are manifestations of the same ultimate universal law or source of life defined in the Nichiren tradition as Myoho-renge-kyo. The physical and spiritual aspects of our lives, although separate classes of phenomena, are completely inseparable and of equal importance. This is expressed in the Japanese expression shikishin funi. Shiki refers to all matter and physical phenomena, including the human body. Shin refers to all spiritual, unseen phenomena, including reason, emotion and volition. Funi literally means "two but not two."
Nichiren expressed this concept in a letter to one of his followers, stating:
A person can know another's mind by listening to his voice. This is because the physical aspect reveals the spiritual aspect. The physical and the spiritual, which are one in essence, manifest themselves as two distinct aspects. (from "Opening the Eyes of Wooden or Painted Images," The Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. IV, p. 32)
A person's inner emotional state is revealed in his or her physical appearance. The feelings of someone in a happy and optimistic mood can be read in their face; there may even be a skip in their step. In contrast, the painful gait and drawn features of a person weighed down by suffering can communicate his or her inner torment even from a distance.
Our inner mental state also affects the physical functioning of our bodies. The more dramatic manifestations of this are laughter and tears, physical signs of our inner feelings. Mental or psychological stress has been linked to a range of illness from skin disorders, allergies, asthma and ulcers to cancer. Depression and hopelessness lower the body's resistance, making us vulnerable to a variety of afflictions. On the other hand, a positive determination to overcome illness can "inspire" our organs and even individual cells toward health.
As Daisaku Ikeda writes, "When our determination changes, everything will begin to move in the direction we desire. The moment we resolve to be victorious, every nerve and fiber in our being will immediately orient itself toward our success. On the other hand, if we think, 'This is never going to work out,' then at that instant, every cell in our being will be deflated and give up the fight."
True health and genuine happiness must encompass both the physical and the spiritual. Many experiences of SGI members practicing Nichiren Buddhism relate to improved health, physical or material conditions. With the daily chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, practitioners also realize this inseparability of the spiritual and physical aspects of their lives. Over time a sense of physical well-being and vitality with a growing clarity and purity of the mental and perceptive processes are revealed. What are referred to as the "conspicuous benefits" of Buddhist practice relate primarily to the physical and material world. Much more significant in the course of one's life are the "inconspicuous benefits" of sustained Buddhist practice--increased self-awareness, wisdom and compassion for others. The ultimate inconspicuous benefit, of course, is enlightenment.
Buddhism views a living being as the harmonious coming together of what are termed the "five components." These are: the physical aspects of life and the senses; perception, which integrates the impressions received through the senses; conception, by which we form ideas about what we have perceived; volition, the will that acts on conception; and consciousness, the function of discernment that supports the functioning of the other components. Life is the force or energy that keeps these five components functioning together as a harmonious and integrated whole.
Within the past year, the U.S. News and World Report and other magazines have featured articles on mind-body research. More and more, medical science is beginning to explore the subtle interconnections between body and mind, between the physical and spiritual aspects of life. Buddhism views both physical and spiritual aspects as vital manifestations of the life force that is inherent in the cosmos itself. As Nichiren wrote:
Life at each moment encompasses both body and spirit and both self and environment of all sentient beings in every condition of life, as well as insentient beings--plants, sky and earth, on down to the most minute particles of dust. Life at each moment permeates the universe and is revealed in all phenomena. (from "on Attaining Buddhahood," The Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. I, p. 3).
Please see also to our SGI website( www.sgi.org)
Best reagards,
Glenn
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