On Meditation January 25, 2007

I couldn’t resist posting this quote from another form of Buddhism (not SGI). I post it here to share it with folks who are reading this blog. I hope that it will enlighten and inform your day.

Zen meditation is not physical culture, nor is it a method to gain something material. It is peacefulness and blessedness itself. It is the actualization of truth and wisdom.

-“The Practice of Meditation,” Zen Master Dogen
From “Teachings of the Buddha,” edited by Jack Kornfield, 1993.

I understand that Nichiren Daishonin’s SGI form of Buddhism does not talk much (if at all) about the notion of Zen; however, I think the goal is to attain Zen-like qualities through this practice. For example, when we chant to the Gohonzon, we are meditating and seeking to find our own personal truth and wisdom. They live within us and we are trying to draw them to the surface. The self-awareness that results from drawing truth and wisedom to the surface, will help to improve the ways in which we experience life. In other words, meditation or chanting in this practice is in itself a peacefulness and blessedness thing because it is the method by which we access positive qualities that will enrich our lives and the lives of others.

I welcome your thoughts SGI ladies. Feel free to post them here, or contact me directly if you feel more comfortable discussing these ideas in that manner.

Myoho,
M

Daily Wisdom 1/19/2007 January 19, 2007

I thought I’d share a quote from my Daily Wisdom calendar. A good SGI friend gave the calendar to me shortly after I received my Gohonzon last year. The calendar has been a source of inspiration for me ever since.

It is certain that, even if there were an age when the sun rises in the west, or a time were to come when the moon emerges from the ground, the Buddha’s words would never prove false. Judging from this, there cannot be the least doubt that your late father is now in the presence of Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, and that you will receive great blessings in your present existence. How wonderful, how splendid!

(WND, 655)
Good Fortune in This Life
Written to Nanjo Tokimitsu on January 19, 1276

Thank you L, for this gift, and for your kind mentorship.

Love,
Michelle

Constructive Criticism January 17, 2007

One of my SGI friends recently took me aside and gently suggested that I should focus on SGI Buddhist material on this blog. It makes sense given its title. I think she’s right and from now on I will focus on SGI information more than other forms of Buddhism or even Christianity. I hope that I haven’t offended any SGI members. Stay tuned and hopefully you’ll benefit from my exploration into the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin and President Ikeda.

Thanks so much, D!

Cultivation January 16, 2007

You could, for a hundred years,
live in a forest
tending a fire,
or
pay a single moment’s homage
to one person,
self-cultivated.
Better than a hundred years of sacrifices
would that act of homage be.

-Dhammapada, 8, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.

Give a Little Kindness January 12, 2007

A negative attitude can be contagious. Fortunately, so can a positive attitude.

 One of the biggest challenges of staying positively focused can come from the negative people who cross your path. Yet instead of letting them get you down, you can choose to lift them up.

 When someone is rude to you, the most powerful response is not to reply with your own rudeness. After all, what would that accomplish?

 Your best choice in such a situation is to respond with courtesy, kindness, consideration and understanding. Though it may seem strange and unnatural at first, it can have a profoundly positive impact on the situation.

 Most people, when given the chance, will be glad for you to rescue them from their own negative momentum. When you come across someone who is clearly in a bad mood, you have the opportunity to be the best part of that person’s day.

 Seize that opportunity and make the most of it. When you give a little kindness, it can make a big, big difference.

 – Ralph Marston

Thanks, cruze37@comcast.net.

Facing Challenges January 10, 2007

I explained the teachings of the Lotus Sutra to you before. Matters of minor importance arise from good, but when it comes to a matter of great importance, great disaster without fail changes into great fortune.

-Nichiren Daishonin
A Warning against Begrudging One’s Fief
Written to Shijo Kingo in July 1277

Does No Wrong January 9, 2007

Whoever does no wrong
in body,
speech,
heart;
is restrained in these three ways:
he’s what I call
a brahmin.

-Dhammapada, 391, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

Trust January 7, 2007

Trust has nothing to do with moral courage. It occurs when we have nowhere else to turn, when we reach the end of our need to control.

-Rodney Smith, “Lessons from the Dying”

Leave No Trace of Yourself January 7, 2007

When you do something, you should burn yourself completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself.

-Shunryu Suzuki

NEW YEAR’S GONGYO January 1, 2007

Happy New Year!

Hundreds of SGI members started the year off right at the SGI Center in Santa Monica for New Year’s Gongyo. The best part of the event was SGI-USA Women’s Leader Linda Johnson’s talk about goals for the New Year. Her lecture is summarized in points below:

• Challenge yourself to address those dark, difficult areas in your life. It is difficult, but very worthwhile. By addressing these parts of yourself, you will improve your circumstances and develop a greater sense of compassion for others.
• Face difficult times with the knowledge that these hurdles are there to help you learn and/or teach others by your example.
• Realize that nothing is a coincidence. People and events appear and occur in your life because they are a reflection of what is going on within yourself. Welcome these people and events into your life and seek to learn lessons from these experiences.
• Don’t lean strictly on your understanding of circumstances. Rather, focus on issues, challenges and successes as you chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo (This means “I devote myself to the Mystic Law of cause and effect as depicted in the Lotus Sutra”). This is where you open yourself up to breakthroughs. Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is your fortune.
• Push yourself to excel! To quote Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.”
• You are perfect as you are–warts and all. You have all the tools you need to achieve Buddha-hood within you at this very moment. You just have to develop those abilities within yourself. Do it!

It was a very inspirational meeting, and one that surely encouraged all present. For upcoming meetings at the SGI Los Angeles Friendship Center and surrounding sites, visit www.sgi-lafriendshipcenter.org.

This year, stand tall as the trees in the picture above and reach for your highest potential!