Deogenicus

CHANGING APPROACH

2011-02-03T12:29:00.000-08:00

We all love epiphanies. True believers always interpret them as irrefutable evidence of the truth of their religion or philosophy. More flexible minds notice that epiphanies experienced by Buddhists will provide the internal experience that a Buddhist will expect and recognize. The same flexible minds notice that Chistians will experience epiphanies appropriate to their faith. An atheist may have the highly valued experience of the 'oneness of all'. However the atheist sees it as evidence of the inevitable oneness of nature and not as 'oness with God', or enlightenment itself.

The human nervous system obligingly provides the spiritual experiences one seeks. The materialist will interpret that as proof that spiritual experiences are no more than neural impulses. The faithful will simply interpret the neural correlates as no more than a byproduct of a genuine spiritual experience.

We will all have our own view and this is part of being human. We are all seekers and we will all interpret experiences to suit our beliefs and expectations. Our nervous systems will generously provide the imagery and interpretations appropriate to our beliefs.

FAITH IS A MOST PRACTICAL INFLUENCE

2010-07-31T16:30:00.000-07:00

Nichiren makes it clear that the true Gohonzon is within oneself and chanting Daimoku is the key to releasing its power. The driver of the positive changes that occur is faith. We all treat the concept of faith differently. A childlike faith is very powerful indeed. It is total belief with no contradiction. At the other end of the scale is the person for whom faith is not possible without convincing scientific evidence that is highly supportive. Amongst these people are those for whom faith is impossible - or so they think. The most absolute sceptic, whose mind is closed to anything that implies some effectiveness to belief, or faith, will still exhibit the placebo effect when given medication. Placebo is faith in action. And the scientific evidence is irrefutable.

For people who like some scientific evidence for the effectiveness of faith I recommend Herbert Benson's book, "Timeless Healing".

In the meantime keep on using the spiritual tools of Daimoku and Gohonzon. You cannot go wrong.

AVOID PASTER RAYNOR LINK

2010-07-23T17:18:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately someone calling herself Pastor Raynor has linked herself to my blog name without having the courtesy to ask permission. Not nice behaviour for anyone let alone a Pastor.

Please go away Pastor.

For other readers, please avoid the link where her name appears and use another.

BUDDHISM AND HUMAN MEMORY

2010-07-23T02:11:00.000-07:00

Sutras abound in Buddhism. Hundreds of thousands of words have been written claiming to be the words of the Buddha as they were passed down verbally, often for centuries before being put into manuscript form. The faithful are expected to believe that they are a true record of his teachings. The Lotus Sutra is the most famous and considered the most authoritative in Mahayana Buddhism.

Burton Watson, a modern translator of the Lotus Sutra, states that it was probably initially formulated in a local dialect of India or some Central Asian language. The first Chinese translation appeared some time about 255 CE. It was followed by several other Chinese versions. But it was not until the beginning of the 5th century that the version that has become the most widely known was completed by the monk and scholar Kumarajiva. This is the version that was most highly regarded by Nichiren and, consequently, his followers then and today.

Translators like everyone else vary in their literary and language skills, not to mention intelligence and the absence or presence of their own preferences or plain biases. So some translations will be closer to the original than others. The true believer in Buddhism will usually uncritically accept whatever version has been used by the sect or branch of Buddhism he/she belongs to.

Literary and translation skills aside, there is a greater influence on the accuracy of those recorded teachings and that is human memory. Some of the faithful in the earlier centuries of Buddhism would have practiced memorizing the words of the Great One in order to avoid error as they were passed on. However before they were exposed to the teachings they memorized so conscientiously there were generations of anonymous followers of the Buddha who had passed on what they had heard from others, who in turn had heard it from someone else.

The strengths and weaknesses of human memory are well understood by psychologists. In a later posting I will discuss some of them. For now it is just as well to keep the anonymous early sources and way stations through which the words of the Buddha has passed in mind when claiming that the version of his teachings that we accept are the true ones.

An important lesson here is that Buddhism is more flexible than most of its believers. Another important lesson is that the experiences and internal changes that occur because of diligent practice of meditation or chanting or just simple faith are more important than the masses of volumes of the written word. Walking the walk takes precedence over talking the talk.

Deogenicus Today

2010-07-22T03:41:00.000-07:00

After a long delay I am writing again. There has been a technical glitch but I think I have worked my way around it. This is a test to see if I have been successful. Let us see if it appears on screen.

In Memory of Warwick

2008-08-15T02:53:00.000-07:00

The lack of postings over recent months has been a result of the critical illness and eventual death of my son Warwick.

He was a scientist with a passion for the merging of spiritual and scientific pursuits. He was a living example of the harmony of creativity and compassion.

He is missed by all who knew him.

My postings will now continue and will be in his memory.

FAITH-IN-FAITH

2008-03-11T01:52:00.000-07:00

"The true Gohonzon is within oneself." - that is a saying familiar to anyone with an interest in Nichiren Buddhism. Even Nichiren said that it is faith that is the source of the benefits that arise from chanting before the Gohonzon.

If one takes those messages to heart then one realises that the true power comes from faith-in-faith and that resides within oneself. There is no magical or spiritual potency within the object of the Gohonzon but within the faith that builds within oneself as one practices. It is the "halo" of the Gohonzon and the Daimoku that develops with practice.

To claim that some sort of magical potency exists within the object or the words is missing the point. However, anyone who practises while believing in that hypothetical magical potency will, of course, still experience the benefits as they arise from within their own self because of the faith that resides there.

So if one accepts that faith-in-faith is the key then that faith can make any practice or spiritual tool potent. Consequently it is not self delusion that prompts me to say that a Gohonzon-type object specifically designed to suit Westerners who have no interest in Nichiren's Buddhism itself can still work for them in the way Nichiren intended because of the way the "halo" of potency develops through practice and as faith naturally emerges from within oneself.

A mantra designed for similar purposes will also work for the same reasons.

I am working on the design of both and have tested prototypes and find that they do work thanks to the principle of faith-in-faith.

DEOGENICUS

2008-03-10T01:57:00.000-07:00

"THE ESSENCE OF LIFE IS CREATIVITY AND COMPASSION IS ITS MORAL DIMENSION.", John Gibbons.

SGI AND NICHIREN SHOSHU BUDDHISM PLUS A NEW WESTERN ADAPTATION

Originally Sokagakkai was the lay organisation supporting Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism. But a split occurred. The reasons do not concern us here. Prior to the split the role of Mr. Daisaku Ikeda was President of the Sokagakkai.

Since the split Sokagakkai has become a repository of Nichiren’s Buddhism totally under the control of Mr. Ikeda. Although he is a Buddhist scholar in his own right the organization has become more like a personal domain than a lay organization supporting Buddhism.

His dominance is so complete, I will make a forecast. It is this: a movement within Sokagakkai will rise to promote him as Nichiren reborn. Nichiren Buddhist philosophy will become his and only his presentation of it will be pronounced valid.. His descendants will run it. Leadership will become hereditary.

Whether or not Sokagakkai does become a personal domain, as I forecast it will, is up to the organization and its members. Whatever the outcome, Nichiren Buddhism belongs to humankind, not to Sokagakkai, Mr. Ikeda or whoever follows him.

Despite Sokagakkai’s somewhat academic approach to most of its presentations of Nichiren’s teachings in its magazine, Nichiren’s basic message is very simple. It is this:

We all have and share Buddha Nature sometimes referred to as Life Force.

Nam myoho renge kyo is both the name of the Lotus Sutra in which this truth is revealed and the name of Buddha Nature itself.

This truth has been transcribed into the form of the Gohonzon in Nichiren’s own calligraphy.

By chanting Namu myoho renge kyo before the Gohonzon we can not only realise our own Buddha Nature but we can also transform our daily lives for the better, turning bad karma into good.

A great deal has been written by Nichiren and his followers presenting the philosophical arguments why this is true Buddhism.

Most interested Westerners will not read far into this material but prefer to go straight to the heart of the matter and practice the simple steps above. Loyal members of Sokagakkai will, of course, follow Mr. Ikeda’s instruction to study the philosophy in a deeper manner.

Westerners who are attracted to a simpler presentation of Nichiren’s teachings and do not wish to be subjected to the rules and philosophical interpretations of an organisation can find all of the information they need on the web. They can also download their own copy of a Gohonzon which is a faithful digital copy of one of Nichiren’s in his own calligraphy.

They can practice this simpler approach to Nichiren’s Buddhism and find, to their delight, that it works for them just as well as if they were part of an established church, sect or organisation. Nichiren’s Buddhism is for mankind – it is not owned by any individuals or organisations despite whatever pretensions they might have.

The best book I have ever read on Nichiren’s Buddhism is a simple picture book written for children. It is the best because it is stripped of complicating philosophy and gets down to the very root of daily practice and meaning. Here are the details:

“Cody Chants”, by Linda Iwamoto, illustrated by David Smee, published by Treasure Tower Books a division of SGI-USA, 2000.

There are many easily available books from the Sokagakkai that can be found on the internet so I will mention one other that few Sokagakkai members will have ever read. It is not restricted to a presentation of Sokagakkai’s views though they have some coverage which is a bit dated now. Instead it presents the origin and history of Nichiren’s Buddhism and the way it split into many sects over the following centuries.

“Fire in the Lotus”, by Daniel Montgomery, Grafton Books, a division of Harper Collins, London, 1991.

I will soon present a Westernised interpretation of the heart of Nichiren’s Buddhism, with its own English language alternative to the Sino-Japanese calligraphy of the originals. An alternative mantra will also be presented. The greatest compliment that can be given to any spiritual practice is the statement, “It works!!” – and it does.

‘Deogenicus’.