By: co1868
15/01/2008
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Since I have entered a lot of posts about the teachings of Buddhism and the response has been a mainly positive one, I thought it might be nice to have this room where anyone interested can come and ask questions or share their own interpretations etc.
Of course I cannot answer everything, but I do know a little after 35 years of practise, and if I can possibly help I will.
At the same time I am always anxious to learn whatever I can off others from their views and knowledge of Buddhism.
As you probably know there are many variations of the teachings of Buddhism and many various groups etc., who claim to represent the Buddha's teachings.
The Buddhism that I choose to practise is called 'True Buddhism' as taught by Nichiren Dai shonin in the 13th century Japan. Much like how Jesus rectified many of the Old Testament teachings, Nichiren rectified the provisional Buddhist teaching by disgarding the class system and statues of worship, decaring that men and women are equal and are all able to attain enlightenment which exists within through by chanting Nam myoho renge kyo - title of the Lotus Sutra and great Mystic Law of Life.
You would have heard this chant if you watched the movie about the life of Tina Turner. She was introduced to it at a crucial time in her life and through it was able to summons up an enormous confidence, wisdom and good fortune to change her life around. Many others have also had enormous benifit in their lives.
I do not belong to any organisations, so my only interest is to just share what I know and listen to what others know... |
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By: littlelady100665
16/01/2008
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| Hey co, I admire Buddhism simply because when I visited Thailand the people were on the whole some the of the sweetest people I have met. And I have travelled widely. Has to be something in that. ;) |
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By: ozchickwa
16/01/2008
11:36 pm Yahoo! Profile:
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A short while after my father died I was in a bookstore and a title caught my eye. It was "The Tibetan Book Of Living And Dying" by Sogyal Rinpoche. It made so much sense to me and in it I learned how to do the Phowa meditation to assist my father to assist him in the afterlife. There was also a chant in there that went, OM AMI DEWA HRIH.
I'm not a very good Buddhist but I do follow many of the teachings. |
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By: cantgetaloginname
17/01/2008
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I'm not Buddhist, but it is the ONLY organised religion I have respect for.
Not to say that all Buddhists are perfect; my old best mate's mum is Thai Buddhist and she was a complete nutcase! Actually physically abused my mate all throughout her life by just being violent and nutty. Yet Buddha forbid anybody ELSE touch her little girl!
I really need to learn more. The book you spoke of Ozchick sounds really interesting. I have a friend who would really like it I think. |
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By: sheepishinnz
17/01/2008
1:08 am |
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By: co1868
17/01/2008
10:57 am Yahoo! Profile:
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Hey co, I admire Buddhism simply because when I visited Thailand the people were on the whole some the of the sweetest people I have met. And I have travelled widely. Has to be something in that. ;)
Not to say that all Buddhists are perfect; my old best mate's mum is Thai Buddhist and she was a complete nutcase! Actually physically abused my mate all throughout her life by just being violent and nutty. Yet Buddha forbid anybody ELSE touch her little girl!
Littlelady and canjet are giving us 2 extreme examples here.
The truth of the matter is there are good and bad examples of peoples attitude and actions in all religions.
On top of that, one does not need to be of any religion as such to be a good caring and loving human being. In other words, some people need to be part of a group to learn and try to improve themselves and some others are just born with with good caring natures.
But one thing we all have in common in this saha world (suffering) is good and bad karma, otherwise we would be somewhere else in the universe where life is at a much higher state and where everything doesnt have to kill something else just to survive.
The trick is discovering the best way to change our poisons into medicine. Realise the bad karma and replace it with good karma by the causes we make from this moment on. And since all this karma exists within us then it seems logical that the key to changing it is also within us.
So the big difference between 'True Buddhism' prayer and most other prayer is:
Instead of prayer for something or someone on the outside to came and help us, we pray to manifest the good fortune and wisdom from within to help ourselves.
That doesnt mean others or situations on the outside don't play any part in what we need, but the difference is, we draw that circumstancial help 'effect' towards us due to our own inner worthiness according to the 'causes' we are making at any given time.
And that's really what it's all about. |
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By: reidsays
17/01/2008
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"Instead of prayer for something or someone on the outside to came and help us, we pray to manifest the good fortune and wisdom from within to help ourselves.
That doesnt mean others or situations on the outside don't play any part in what we need, but the difference is, we draw that circumstancial help 'effect' towards us due to our own inner worthiness according to the 'causes' we are making at any given time.
And that's really what it's all about."
definately prefer this interpretation of prayer...the power from within! |
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By: ozchickwa
17/01/2008
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| Excellent explanaition there co1868. |
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By: littlelady100665
17/01/2008
11:09 am |
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By: pashn4lyf
17/01/2008
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| I have selected the best bits from most of the major religions and they seem to all say the same thing.....be a good person, to the best of your ability...I try to live my life this way...I am not religous but I try to be spiritual....I admire any form of teaching and guidance that is travelling that path |
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By: co1868
17/01/2008
11:16 am Yahoo! Profile:
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Regarding peace in Buddhism - well there are a lot of austrocities in many of the provisional teachings such as rituals and some think those born lowly can only change their karma by serving those born in higher circumstances - particularly priests.
True Buddhism,as taught by Nichiren Dai Shonin, teaches that all people are equal in potential and that the way to the attainment of enlghtenment is through 'boddhisatva' activities - unselfish compassion for the happiness and welfare of others nomatter what circumstances they have been born.
From what I understand however, Buddhists have never staged war. They have protested angrilly yes, as they did recently, but they did that without weapons or by attacking others to injure them. So that's a plus... |
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By: littlelady100665
17/01/2008
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| Hear hear Pashyn, that's about where I place myself too. |
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By: co1868
17/01/2008
11:22 am Yahoo! Profile:
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""".....be a good person, to the best of your ability..."""
That's exactly what Nichiren said pash... Express this goodness of life and teach others to the best of your ability... |
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By: co1868
17/01/2008
11:23 am Yahoo! Profile:
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| i have to dart off now guys but look forward to catching up later today..please enjoy a safe and happy one :o)) |
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By: ozchickwa
17/01/2008
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From what I understand however, Buddhists have never staged war. They have protested angrilly yes, as they did recently, but they did that without weapons or by attacking others to injure them. So that's a plus...
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They do have war in their history. I read once that the Buddhist monks of the day gave their blessing and assistance to one of the Ghans(can't remember which 1) that was trying to get into China. Maybe that is what created the karma of the Chinese taking Tibet and killing Buddhists?
From the research I have done NO religion is free of blood on their hands in the name of their religion. Thing is, I see Buddhism more as a philosophy than a religion. But it still has blood in it's history. |
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By: co1868
17/01/2008
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| Interesting, I will check it out, but it would have been provision nBuddhists and not True Buddhists. Truie Buddhism didnt come into play buntil 13the century. |
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By: crystal_rosequartz_angel
17/01/2008
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I beleive in the Buddhist way and am thankful for this thread.
But i would like to ask for some advice,
Over the last few years i have had to endure quite a lot of hardship.
This involves being shafted big time by a few ppl.
How do we go on and forget the past and move on and not focus on being ripped off and taken for a ride.
People these days have no morals and no conscience and a lot of people will do anything to anyone just to make themselves more money and at the other persons expense.
I am finding it hard with the situation that i am in and to forget these things done against myself and my family, worse still when a brother in law does this to you too! |
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By: betelgeuse_2008
17/01/2008
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To Ozchick and others...
Unfortunately Buddhists, like most peoples, have been caught up in wars and territorial disputes over the years.
Thailand, Cambodia and Laos have fought many wars between themselves over the centuries for power, prestige and property.
Burma has had internal tribal/civil wars going for hundreds of years.
Vietnam and China fought for over a thousand years, before the Vietnamese nationalists took on the French and later the Americans. They invaded Cambodia to eliminate the Khmer Rouge
Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge turned Buddhists against their own countrymen with the resultant holocaust of the "killing fields."
The Tibetans in Kham Province are very war-like and are only following the Dalai Lama's peaceful line reluctantly.
There are still civil disturbances in Laos, and Nepal which is a Hindu-Buddhist mix is just settling down after years of bloodshed.
The Buddhist Sinhalese in Sri Lanka are still fighting the Tamils, with no wish to really make a peace.
Ladakh, Bhutan and Mongolia are peaceful Buddhist countries, though, with happy people. |
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By: betelgeuse_2008
17/01/2008
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Hello Co1868,
Nichiren's branch of Buddhism is mostly practised in Japan.
Japan was in full war mode during WW II. Buddhists were not spared from military service, so I guess they, too, pulled triggers, dropped bombs and manned POW camps. |
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By: betelgeuse_2008
17/01/2008
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Crystal R A... Here is a little Zen Buddhist story that might help...
A senior and a junior monk were walking back from the market to their monastery, after a rainstorm.
They reached a river-crossing which was usually shallow, but now they found it hip deep. A pretty girl was on the riverbank crying because she would ruin her clothes to wade across the river.
The senior monk picked the girl up in his arms and carried her across the river, carefully placing her down on dry ground.
The 2 monks continued back to the monastery, but the younger one was appalled...monks were not allowed to touch women, even look at, or speak to them...how could the senior monk justify this breach of his vow?
Eventually he had to ask the senior monk...How could you?
The senior monk said,"When I reached the far riverbank, I put the girl down and left her there. It is you that has been carrying her back to the monastery and can't put her down."
So, Crystal. How far do you want to carry your hurt and indignation before you put them down? |
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By: ozchickwa
18/01/2008
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Great story betelgeuse.
I have a question for Co;
I've only read a couple of books about Buddhism and 1 of them says that reincarnation is instantaneous. Now I know the spirit can stay in the spirit realm for a while before moving on as I have had experiences with spirit before. I think sometimes we may reincarnate instantly but other times we hang around in spirit so we can help the living from there. What do you think? |
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By: littlelady100665
18/01/2008
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Hey rosequartz. Not sure if this a buddhist view but the best way to move on from being shafted is to succeed, succeed, succeed.
You could apply this to anything that makes you happy, so doesn't have to be materialistic.
Also an understanding that these people are blinded by their greed and will suffer greatly because of it, can help you to feel compassion for them, they cannot see the joy in behaving honorably.
Perhaps also for yourself you can look at how these experiences have changed your life, and your outlook. Try to see some good in that.
I can see from your post that it has taught you how not to be. And you will be more circumspect in future about who you let close.
Hope this helps. |
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By: co1868
18/01/2008
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Buddha often mentions the plight of the 'hungry ghosts'. These are usually spirits (the individual life force entities) of people who have heavy bad karma and are confused and don't know where to go or where they are. Perhaps people who have only lived for the material attachments and have made no preperations for the inevitable next step.
Perhaps on the other hand there would also be those who know where to go onto but have aquired the good fortune to take their time getting there so that they can comfort their love ones.
Some will not need to reincarnate on this isolated island of suffering we call Earth. They may have made the causes while here to escalate to somewhere else in the universe where life has reached a higher state. Some may be in a position to choose what they want to go onto - the new parents and the circumstances etc, in order to have the right opportunity's to expiate more of their bad karma.
Others who have made no progress and possibly added more bad karma instead may be forced to be born in less fortunate circumstances.
But then, we should not look down on or judge others for their unfortunate circumstances, otherwise we may be forced to endure the same in a future existence. To be on the right track we need to be compassionate towards others no matter how low their circumstances. This includes murderers and such. We are right to feel anger towards what they've done, but wrong if we fail to feel any compassion for the murderer having such a state of bad karma to do such things. In other words, we need to feel sad that any human being has been fooled into stooping so dismally low.
Such people will probably linger in a hellish state for a long time before they get an opportunity for rebirth - and even then, they will suffer the effects of their actions. If they are lucky and have some good in them, they may make enough good causes to lessen their past effects. |
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By: co1868
18/01/2008
12:53 pm Yahoo! Profile:
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| Just as everything in the physical existence is finely tuned so too is the spiritual or mystic realms of LIFE. |
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By: simps1961
18/01/2008
1:02 pm |
Message deleted. Reason: Offtopic |
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