Back to Home

God & Science Forum Message

Forums: Atm · Astrophotography · Blackholes · Blackholes2 · CCD · Celestron · Domes · Education
Eyepieces · Meade · Misc. · God and Science · SETI · Software · UFO · XEphem
RSS Button

Home | Discussion Forums | God and Science | Post
Login

Be the first pioneers to continue the Astronomy Discussions at our new Astronomy meeting place...
The Space and Astronomy Agora
Re: Re: Re: Living Universe.....Who Or Where Is God ?????????????

Forum List | Follow Ups | Post Message | Back to Thread Topics | In Response To
Posted by Glenn on December 23, 2000 03:37:10 UTC


Buddhism as you know is much different from other religions because of its most pacifistic religion. Spirituality comes from seeing the truth from within the depths of our lives and this where Buddhism takes place which you could appreciate more the beauty of Life and of the Universe.

In Buddhist practice in day to day mundane world teaching us that each of us possesses the potential for a winning life. Within us is the ability to live with courage, to have fulfilling relationships, to enjoy good health and prosperity, to feel and show true compassion for others, and the power to face and surmount our deepest problems.

Crucial to living a winning life is to undergo an inner transformation that will enable us to bring out our highest human qualities and change our circumstances. This process is a revolution of our own character,an individual Human Revolution.

Consider the following scenario:

Perhaps you feel under-appreciated at work. Maybe your boss is belligerent or ignores you. After a while you develop a chip on your shoulder. though you may be an expert at hiding negativity, every once in a while it rears its ugly head. Perhaps your coworkers or boss perceive you in turn as not being entirely committed to the success of your job, or that you have a bad attitude. Of course there are myriad reasons for your attitude and all of them "valid." But whatever the reasons, you miss opportunities for advancement because of the poor relationship. This is a common scenario in today's working environment.

But suppose you start coming to work with a new attitude that is not just a mental adjustment but an outlook bolstered by a deep sense of vitality, confidence and compassion, and based upon serious self-reflection. Your compassion leads you to have empathy for your boss's situation. Armed with a new understanding, you treat your boss differently, offering support and finding yourself less and less discouraged by any negativity he or she may display toward you.

Your boss begins to see you in a new light. Opportunities present themselves.

This is obviously a very simple example and many of us would say this is a natural thing to do, but to live this way every day requires a basic change in our hearts and character. Once the change is made, like a never-ending domino effect, we can have continual impact on the people around us.

The catalyst for experiencing this inner revolution is the practice of Buddhism as taught by Nichiren Daishonin. It provides us with immediate access to the unlimited potential inherent in our lives by which we can live a winning life.

It is the promise of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism that we can attain a state of freedom and unshakable happiness for ourselves while creating harmony with others.

Buddhism is a way of life that - on the most fundamental level - makes no distinction between the individual human being and the environment in which that person lives. Like a fish in the water, the two are not only inseparable, but each serves as a catalyst for the other. Thus, to a Buddhist, self-improvement and enhancement of our circumstances go hand in hand. The two are actually so interlocked that it is incorrect to consider them separate entities. By contributing to help others become happy or to help relieve their sufferings, there is the accompanying benefit of better social conditions, since the one is the source of the other.


With reagards to the previos post on the Mystic LAw, Nicheren Daishonin in his various writings indentifies Myoho Renge Kyo equally with the true entity or aspect of all Phenomena, the ultimate reality or absolute truth, and the Buddha nature that is inherent in all beings, whether sentient or nonsentient.
How, then can we realize the truth of Myoho Renge kyo for ourselves. The answer to this question leads us to the unique practice established by the Daishonin. An extract from a letter of his, " On Attainin Buddhahood " tells us that:
" If u wish to free yourself from suferrings of birth and death you have endured throught eternity and attain supreme enlightenment in this lifetime, you must awaken to the Mystic Truth which has always been within you Life. This truth is Myoho renge Kyo. Chanting Myoho Renge Kyo enable you to grasp the mystic truth within you."


The basic prayer or chant is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. This is the name of the Mystic Law that governs life eternally throughout the universe. Nichiren Daishonin revealed this law as the underlying principle contained in Buddhism's highest teaching, the Lotus Sutra. All life is an expression or manifestation of this law. Thus when we chant this Mystic Law, we attune our lives to the perfect rhythm of the universe. The result is increased vital life force, wisdom, compassion and good fortune to face the challenges in front of us.

The translation of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is as follows:

NAM - Devotion. By devoting our lives to this law through our faith, practice and study, we will awaken the life-condition of Buddha, or enlightenment, inside ourselves.

MYOHO - Mystic Law. As the Daishonin explained in one of his writings: "What then does myo signify? It is simply the mysterious nature of our lives from moment to moment, which the mind cannot comprehend nor words express. When you look into your own mind at any moment, you perceive neither color nor form to verify it exists. Yet you still cannot say it does not exist, for many differing thoughts continually occur to you. Life is indeed an elusive reality that transcends both the words and concepts of existence. It is neither existence nor non-existence, yet exhibits the qualities of both. It is the mystic entity of the middle way that is the reality of all things. Myo is the name given to the mystic nature of life, and ho to Its manifestations," (from "On Attaining Buddhahood," The Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. I , p. 5 ;

RENGE - Literally, the "lotus flower," which seeds and blooms at the same time. This represents the simultaneity of cause and effect. We create causes through thoughts, words and actions. With each cause made, an effect is registered simultaneously in the depths of life, and those effects are manifested when we meet the right environmental circumstances. Life itself is an endless series of causes and simultaneous effects. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the deepest cause we can make in order to produce our desired effect.

KYO - Sound or teaching. This is how the Buddha has traditionally, instructed-through the spoken word, which is heard.

Myoho-renge-kyo(japanese term) is the Lotus Sutra's title and contains its essential meaning. Nichiren Daishonin added namu (contracted to nam from between two "m"s the "u" is generally silent), which comes from Sanskrit. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the ultimate invocation of life, often referred to as the language of the Buddha.

There are no prerequisites or rules as to what to chant for. We simply make the decision to begin chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. And by chanting, we experience the energy and wisdom to make our lives fulfilled.

In the sixty years since this Buddhism has been widely accessible through the efforts of the Soka Gakkai worldwide, millions have chanted about every conceivable problem and goal, from the most dire health and financial crises to the most urgent matters of the heart. Unlike in most Western religions, when we chant we are not praying to an external deity invested with human qualities like judgment. Our prayers are communicated into the depths of our being when we invoke the sound of the Mystic Law.

This universal Law is impartial, and no prayer is more or less worthy than another. The only issue is whether we can create value in our lives and help others do the same. As the Daishonin teaches, we attain enlightenment through a continual transformation that takes place in the depths of our existence as we seek to fulfill our desires and resolve our conflicts.

It is important to understand that our prayers are realized because we bring forth from within ourselves the highest life-condition and the wisdom to take correct action.

Once people begin experiencing the benefits of chanting, they may decide to make a deeper commitment and begin a more complete Buddhist practice. The first milestone after beginning one's practice is to receive the Gohonzon, the object of devotion for Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism. The Daishonin inscribed his enlightenment in the form of a mandala called the Gohonzon, and believers chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to a scroll form of the Gohonzon enshrined in their own homes. Thus, we are freely revealing our BUddha nature or the supreme potential of Buddhahood within our lives. There is no mediator or a priest between us and enlightenment.

We can say that the general aim of Buddhism is the freeing of Human Beings from the sufferings of birth and death by enabling them to awaken to the unchanging truth, which is their own Buddha nature. An important difference between NIcheren Buddhism and earlier systems of BUddhist order is that, while the latter showed how people could be brought to enlightenment through the exertion of tremendous effort in terms of doctrinal studies and meditative disclplines, thereby restricting enlightenment to a monastic elite(like in HInayana), the eachings of Nicheren Daishonin provide a way which allows all of us, whatever our ability or circumstances, access to the ultimate truth. I'll try to post to distinguish the Difference of HInayana and Mahayana Buddhism later on.

to be continued.....




Follow Ups:

Login to Post
Additional Information
Google
 
Web www.astronomy.net
DayNightLine
About Astronomy Net | Advertise on Astronomy Net | Contact & Comments | Privacy Policy
Unless otherwise specified, web site content Copyright 1994-2024 John Huggins All Rights Reserved
Forum posts are Copyright their authors as specified in the heading above the post.
"dbHTML," "AstroGuide," "ASTRONOMY.NET" & "VA.NET"
are trademarks of John Huggins