20070728 Testimonial; What I Have Learned

I've learned how very important perspective is. In Nichiren's Gosho "THE TRUE ASPECT OF ALL PHENOMENA" (WND1P386) he says:

Because I view things this way, I feel immeasurable delight even though I am now in exile.

I started practicing in 1977 (30 years ago) and at that time my sole prayer was to have more happy days per year than unhappy days. Even though I had a fairly privileged life I didn't feel that way. Everything was an imposition and the weight of the world was constantly on my shoulders. At the time I was clinically depressed but didn't know it. I remember spending hours each day chanting chanting chanting just to be happy.

What I could not possibly realize at the time was the meaning of the above phrase from the Gosho. Here is the passage that precedes the above quote:

Although I was not at that ceremony, on looking at the sutra, this is crystal-clear. On the other hand, I may have been at the ceremony, but since I am a common mortal, it is beyond my power to know the past. There is no doubt, however, that in my present life I am the votary of the Lotus Sutra, and that in the future I will therefore reach the seat of enlightenment without fail. Judging the past from this point of view, I must have been at the Ceremony in the Air. There can be no discontinuity between the three existences of past, present, and future.

Here Nichiren give us insight into his logical thinking process. One take away from this passage is how important it is for me to keep my focus on my mission. Nichiren clearly knew what his mission was and for that reason, no matter what the environment threw at him, he could not be deterred. One could say his attachments were properly prioritized. So, now, today, I realize that my mission is no different from Nichiren's in the general sense. My mission is to help as many people as possible realize the Buddha inside of them as I move along that road myself. I realize, today, that there are so many avenues available to me based on timing and circumstances. Each moment is pregnant with possibility. When I reflect on this my heart sings with joy.

In Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life (WND1P216) Nichiren says

Myo represents death, and ho, life.

President Ikeda, comments as follows on the above passage

He also says that all life, all phenomena, are subject to and undergo these two phases, which are functions of the Mystic Law. He indicates that birth and death are an inherent part of life. In this way, he seeks to prevent people from making the mistake of abhorring life and death or from having a strong attachment to either.

This passage and President Ikeda's commentary have taught me not to get too attached to anything because, ultimately, it's not going to the last forever. Truth be told it's changing as we speak. An allegory for me is to not take anything for granted - to appreciate everything - sources of joy - sources of pain. Because they are all part of life. Part of my life. The air I breathe, my lovely wife, my great health, job, house. My friends, coworkers, you, them, everything. It's all part of this wonderful tapestry of life. Nothing beats it my friends. Nothing.

In A Ship to Cross the Sea of Suffering (WND1P33) Nichiren says

The greater the hardships befalling him, the greater the delight he feels, because of his strong faith. Doesn’t a fire burn more briskly when logs are added? All rivers flow into the sea, but does the sea turn back their waters? The currents of hardship pour into the sea of the Lotus Sutra and rush against its votary. The river is not rejected by the ocean; nor does the votary reject suffering. Were it not for the flowing rivers, there would be no sea. Likewise, without tribulation there would be no votary of the Lotus Sutra. As T’ien-t’ai stated, “The various rivers flow into the sea, and logs make a fire burn more briskly.”²

Sometimes life throws me a curve ball. Sometimes it's a big one and sometimes it's a lot of pesky small ones. Or maybe just one or two pesky small ones. Sometimes it's a bunch of big ones. Oftentimes my first reactions is to go "Oh jeez, not now! I'm too busy" or "Things were going so well.." or "Oh no, this can't be happening, this will ruin..." In terms of the above passage I am rejecting the river or in light of the prior passages I'm giving priority to my attachment to the thing over my attachment to the law ie my mission. Thanks to my familiarity with the above passage and my ability to consult with my friends in faith I can reorient myself and challenge the curve ball as a product of my mission and therefore with great joy.

In THE TRUE ASPECT OF ALL PHENOMENA (WND1P386) Nichiren says

Exert yourself in the two ways of practice and study. Without practice and study, there can be no Buddhism. You must not only persevere yourself; you must also teach others. Both practice and study arise from faith. Teach others to the best of your ability, even if it is only a single sentence or phrase. Nammyohorengekyo, Nammyohorengekyo.

From my very first days of practice I've been an avid student of Buddhism. Back in 1977 the WT was published daily and thank goodness for that. I would read the experience sections first (to get encouraged) and then on to the Gosho. I loved the Gosho because in it Nichiren shares the essence of this faith and how to base one's life on it. Nichiren's life is a great model for us. He went through so much persecution in the course of executing his mission. Any time I begin to feel sorry for myself I can just pick up his Gosho and it picks me right up. This passage has reinforced for me the value of study and teaching others. Teaching others is important because in this way we learn and deepen our knowledge as well.

I remember a few weeks ago I was having trouble with someone at work. I had crossed the line into demonizing and slandering this person and therefore further and further away from resolution of the issues and my relationship with this person. I was on a flight back to LA and I engaged the flight attendant in conversation. Before I knew it I was telling her about Buddhism and how this religion teaches us to take responsibility for everything and how there really is no difference between us and the environment around us. I talked about the Buddha in all of us and Bodhisattva Never Disparaging who went around praising the Buddha nature in all people and received nothing but persecution in return. As I was recounting all this to her a light bulb went off in my head and I realized I was not doing this with this person. And - I shared the realization with her and shared with her my gratitude for the role she was playing in my development. If I had not taken the time to share this practice with her and share with her what I had learned I might still be in hell over this person. Since that moment there has been much improvement in that relationship and situation...

In How Those Initially Aspiring to the Way Can Attain Buddhahood through the Lotus Sutra (WND1P872), Nichiren says

A sutra says: “Rely on the Law and not upon persons. Rely on the meaning of the teaching and not on the words. Rely on wisdom and not on discriminative thinking. Rely on sutras that are complete and final and not on those that are not complete and final.” The meaning of this passage is that one should not rely upon the words of the bodhisattvas and teachers, but should heed what was established by the Buddha..."

My take away from this is that while we all practice together and we have leaders and such in our organization we should not follow blindly especially when something doesn't sound or seem right. Again, this is why Practice and (independent) Study are so important. I now realize that ultimately I am responsibile for my thoughts and actions and their consequences so it's really important for me to understand what is what.

In On Prayer (WND1P345) Nichiren says

And yet, though one might point at the earth and miss it, though one might bind up the sky, though the tides might cease to ebb and flow and the sun rise in the west, it could never come about that the prayers of the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra would go unanswered.

I have found myself many a time in impossible situations. At those times I pulled out all the stops and chanted 3, 4, 5 hours per day, cranked up my practice for others, study and the like and campaigned like a warrior determined to take no prisoners. In all these cases my fate was seemingly in the hands of others and chances were slim those others would act in the ways I needed them to and in all these cases there was a lot at stake. But I knew that Nam Myoho Renge Kyo was the essence of the Universe and all life and I knew that my mission was to win at crucial times like this so I could stand in front of all people and proclaim the absolute power of NMRK the law of life itself. So, I pulled out all the stops and chanted chanted chanted practiced practiced practiced and lo and behold I was able to move the mountains to break through.

One time my car had gotten totalled and my car insurance was under investigation by the FBI for fraud. Their situation was tenuous and I found myself in company with many others who could not get their cars out of the body shop because the insurance company wasn't responding or paying. So each day I chanted for three hours and each day I got an inch closer to hope. Out of all those claims mine magically got paid.

Another time I had done something really really stupid and as a result my very career and life were at stake. I needed to get a loan for a lot of money fast and I had to rely on people who really didn't feel they owed me any duty of care. I chanted 4 hours per day for weeks to break through. On top of this I had people slandering me and jeopardizing my ability to get a great job with a big company. Both of these were happening simultaneously. Somehow for some reason the recruiter at this company chose to believe me over my detractors and I was able to get the loan I needed to save my life.

So now here I stand before all of you and I declare that every moment of my life throughout past present and future is a benefit. If it feels good it's a benefit. If it feels bad it's a benefit. I learn and benefit from all of it. And throughout my daily efforts to share this Buddhism with others this is what I endeavor to convey.

This whole experience has been and continues to be entirely encouraging, enervating, and, indeed mystical. On the mystical note I would like to end with a quote from Nichrien's Gosho THE UNANIMOUS DECLARATION BY THE BUDDHAS (WNDIIP860)

Then in no time one will return to the dream realm of the nine worlds; the realm of birth an death, will cause one's body to pervade the lands of the entire phenomenal realm of the ten directions, and will cause one's mind to enter into the bodies of all sentient beings, encouraging them from within, leading and guiding them from without, inner and outer complimenting one another, causes and conditions functioning in harmony, and in this way will utilize the pity and compassion of one's freely exercised transcendental powers to bestow unhindered benefit upon living beings far and wide.

In this passage Nichiren explains what will happen when we practice and protect these teachings. It validates, for me, all my prior current and future experiences with this practice and helps me to understand the workings of my life and the universe.