Buddhism!

Four Vows:

I am a human being who practices Buddhism within the Nichiren/Lotus Sutra tradition. I was introduced to Buddhism by the Sokagakkai and am still in admiration of the founder of that tradition, Nichiren Daishonin am grateful to that organization for my experiences with Buddhism. As a Buddhist, my beliefs are based on the original four vows of Buddhism:

to save innumerable living beings

to eradicate countless earthly desires (negative tendencies)

to master immeasurable buddhist teachings

to attain supreme enlightenment

As a human being, my need is to reconcile Buddhist philosophy and teachings with the traditions of my environment and upbringing. This effort is known as Zuiho Bini and is a basic principle of Buddhism. It is written by Nichiren (or in his name)¹ that Zuiho Bini means:

"When we scrutinize the sutras and treatises with care, we find that there is a teaching about a precept known as following the customs of the region that corresponds to this. The meaning of this precept is that, so long as no seriously offensive act is involved, then even if one were to depart to some slight degree from the teachings of Buddhism, it would be better to avoid going against the manners and customs of the country.

He goes on to say:

This is a precept ex-pounded by the Buddha. It appears that some wise men who are unaware of this point express extreme views, saying such things as, because the gods are demon-like beings they are unworthy of reverence, and that this has offended many lay supporter."

I believe that this precept is integral to understanding and practicing buddhism in the modern age in an intelligent manner. Not only does it imply that one should one can adapt one's previous philosophies and religion to Buddhist thinking and that this is okay as long as the result doesn't violate the scope of Buddhism. But I believe that this principle mandates that people think intelligently about their religions in general and use the universal principles they learn from Buddhism and other universal religions to intelligently analyze their own "family" beliefs and draw out what is true within them and what is false. I believe that this is the practice of "breaking what is false and subduing what is incorrect, known in Nichiren Buddhism as Shakubuku. We have a requirement to untwist our minds from incorrect beliefs -- where-ever they come from -- and focus on what will move us forward on our project of enlightenment.

I have found that I can practice some religious beliefs, for example elements of Judaism without violating that scope. And that religious groups such as unitarianism and a few others also can harmonize with Buddhism. I have also found that those religions that can't can't harmonize with Buddhism can't harmonize with anyone else either -- and that some groups that call themselves Buddhism violate the central essentials of Buddhism.

Summary

This site is dedicated to truth. It deals with issues of all sorts, mostly related to Nichiren Buddhism, but also universal ones. Buddhism is dedicated to finding and realizing "enlightenment". Part of enlightenment is waking up to truth. The other part is simply "waking up." Buddhism's foundation is "dharma", "Buddha" and "Sangha", which means (truth, law and teaching), "Enlightened teachers" and Community. Since truth deals with universals, Buddhism should be compatible with all other religions that are genuinely based on truth. To the extent that it is those religions don't need to be set aside to practice Buddhism. To the extent that people believe in lies, often there appears a conflict.

If religions claim exclusive ownership of truth (I'm right and everyone else is wrong), then they is usually something fishy in what they are saying. Often they are wrong about that. Nichiren commented on this extensively in his two great Gosho the Kaimoku Sho and the Ho'on Sho, and we can examine this more in detail in the issues section of my website. To claim truth in the face of adverse evidence is to be advancing a great lie. If something is not true, it is not Buddhist. On the other hand, as you will see if you follow the narratives here, "truth" requires us to understand and use the power of logic, allegory, creativity, and insight, to truly understand any teachings of religious or non religious literature. Therefore the subject of "truth" is a multilayered thing. Is a vision true? Is a fictional story true? What are the layers of truth? As Mulder says "The truth is out there." Once you ask the right questions you can find the right answers.

History

Buddhism started with a Indian Prince named Siddhartha. To understand Buddhism you have to start with him and then follow whole chains of transmission and discussion that followed his teachings. This Buddha lived long enough ago for his life to be shrouded in myth and allegory. He was in a sense "pre-historical" rather than historical, as all the histories were written long after he had already become myth and legend. His teachings were memorized an repeated orally. Each begins with the simple words "Thus I heard." What we know of his teachings has to be sifted from all the various lineages and traditions, and many things that are attributed to him are actually the works of scholars and sages who lived long after his death. These people believed they were hearing him through his presence in this world in the form of what is referred to as the "bliss body."

Because Buddhism is a teaching that focuses on enlightenment, and the most definitive thing about these teachings is that the Buddha told people they had to "work out salvation" for themselves. Buddhism is a bit difficult to pigeonhole in terms of ordinary religion. Ordinary religion seeks to "tie" or "bind" (religiere) people together using rituals and story. Buddhism focused on individual relief. It began with a monastic tradition, and sometimes had an apparantly chaotic influence on society as a result. In some ways Buddhism is a religion that transcends religions. In others it is an "anti-religion" in that it seeks to "break" attachments to false things, and sometimes those false things take the form of religious beliefs. At the same time it is a "term" In some senses Buddhism is an "anti-religion" or at least an anti-dote to religion's worst excesses. And any ideas out there that are common sense, enlightening, and true, usually are the same as Buddhist ideas anyway once you get to their essence.

Buddhism, and the Lotus Sutra

The Lotus Sutra was probably not literally preached by the pre-historic Buddha. It nevertheless expresses the highest understanding of what Buddhism is all about. Religion is meant to enlighten us to the secrets of religion and in a sense unite those meanings by making us realize that the purpose of all these innumerable meanings is to teach, "save", "edify", and delight innumerable sentient beings. The Lotus sutra starts with a foundation that explains this commonality, and then goes on to provide a blue-print for "true religion" or a truly consensual way of enlightening the world.

I first created this site with the aim of introducing Nichiren's teachings, and helping people navigate all the issues and complications of them. But thanks to Nichiren, and others who have followed in his footsteps, with time I've come to see that the issues are broader than those of one religion. And so this site has become a living, breathing growing, meditation on the Buddhist notion of "upaya" and the Lotus Sutra, as I've learned to see it by studying the teachings of an ikonclastic Buddhist monk of bloodthirsty thirteenth century Japan.I've come to find out many consonances with other religious experience, psychology, and other things. But I can only share a small part of all that. So I hope as you navigate this site, it will lead you to other worlds and other delights. One thing I've learned, there are both great dangers and great rewards to be had. One needs to navigate with at least one eye open.

Parables and Stories // Upaya

Shakyamuni used parables to tell his stories. He also used strong logic. Some of them can be found at this link: http://www.ezlink.com/~dozer/fc_sgi/parables/parables.htm

Following Shakyamuni there came a number of great Buddhist thinkers such as Nagarjuna and Ashvagosha. Buddhism developed in a context of rivalry and appropriation in the same way as all other major religions have. I also cover some of this in my Issues section under "literal"

More on Nagarjuna's logic:

http://ccbs.ntu.edu.tw/FULLTEXT/JR-PHIL/richard2.htm

Lotus Sutra, T'ien-T'ai, and Tendai

My form (Nichirenism) is based on the Lotus Sutra. and the teachings of the T'ien-t'ai tradition that emerged from it. The Lotus Sutra was the basis for the creation of the "T'ien-tai" sect by Chi-Hi, and it's transmission to Japan by Dengyo Daishi. Both Chi'Hi and Dengyo had "refuted" the other forms of Mahayana of their time. The other forms present during Ch'i-Hi's age later borrowed from Ch'i-Hi's teachings, and Dengyo used this fact in his own critique of them. Dengyo's colleague Kobo Daishi introducing esotercism to Japan by borrowing and coopting earlier teachings and by appealing to these same schools that had been "refuted" by Dengyo. He did this by transmitting his esoteric teachings to them as secret teachings only meant for an elect. Dengyo's own disciples were attracted to this esotericism, and as a result his third Zasu, Jikaku Daishi became in effect a convert to Shingon teachings.

Nichiren Buddhism and the Lotus Sutra

The founder of my school saw the deplorable state that even his own sect had fallen to as a result of both esotericism and neglect of the teachings of the Lotus Sutra and sought to rectify that state with his remonstrations. He also saw himself as founding essentially a new religion based on exclusive devotion to the Lotus Sutra. His teachings are all derived from this Lotus Sutra, which advocates the benefit of embracing "even a word or a phrase of this sutra." His writings themselves form a sacred compendium of texts and are known as "Gosho".

Links and References

These Links will take you to more information:

http://www.euronet.nl/~advaya/excerpts.htm.

http://www.budsas.org/ebud/ebidx.htm

IssuesInBuddhism/index.html

Lotus Sutra, some stuff on the language:Gakkai online

Footnotes and links

NoteEverything on this website is "borrowed" from somewhere else, indeed, while some of these thoughts I claim are my own thoughts, they all come from somewhere. Sometimes digested from a hodgepodge of sources. I've tried to "source" everything, but that is nearly impossible. One result of these efforts are broken links. I'm working to repair them, but the websites I cite once existed so please accept my apologies in advance that they are now gone. I also have to apologize for any unintended plagiarism, and credit all my sources for their contributions. As much as possible I'd like their permission.

1. Quotes on Zuiho Bini http://sgi-usa.org/cgi-bin/pagecontext.cgi?page=72&term=PRECEPT&lineid=6759
2. The precise date of Shakyamuni's teachings is uncertain, because like most religions the origins of Buddhism lie in oral teachings of a founder and his disciples. Even later teachers such as Mohammed or Nichiren Daishonin (the founder of my sect) taught much more than they themselves could possibly have recorded. A large part of my literary issues page deals with this subject in regards to my religion.
3. Theravada Buddhism is predominant in South India, Southeast Asia, and South China.
4. Mahayana is dominant in Northeast Asia.
5. The notion of Mappo is substantiated by the fact that Buddhism and Buddhists were violently exterminated in what is now Afghanistan and other parts of the world. And that it overall has faced long periods of decline and misuse by monks and members of the community.

Back to main index

If you like essays, one of my friends, has some nice ones at this link: http://www.stories.com/main/view_item.php?user_id=mmhr473

Another Essay, and apropo to today is at this website: http://www.eaglepeak.clara.co.uk/warhabit.html By Richard Causton, one of the mentors and teachers of the SGI-World, and one of the prime movers in the founding of SGI-Great Brittain.

http://www.buddhistinformation.com/ Is a good site for Buddhist Texts

The imagery of this Buddhism is itself a topic. One of my friends has been trying to understand the Chinese characters behind much of it. See this link for more: http://www.gakkaionline.net/Imagery/daimoku.html

Member of Don Ross's "Lotus Sutra-net" webring:

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