Another month has gone. Today I went for a lilac activity at the Ikeda Peace Centre, where I knew I was going to be a team of one lilac.
I didn't mind it though. I am going through so much stuff at the moment, that having to sit in the Butsuma to chant for three solid hours was pretty much the one thing I needed.
I need to be kind to myself, I need to chant to fully appreciate myself, and I need to do it now.
It only took me about fifteen minutes of chanting to understand that the searing hot pain in my heart has very little to do with what happened to me in the past year, and everything to do with my karma. That one realisation made it all better, made me believe that I can transform it, because it is inside me, not outside.
It still hurts, like a pride of lions devouring me from the inside, but I can now see the contingency as a distraction from the real problem.
I wrote this experience for an Education Division meeting. Once again, I ended up not sharing it, but hey. The experience proper happened in the last three-four years, as in, my first years in the teaching profession, however in order to understand where I am coming from, I have to, once again, start with my childhood. There will be some overlap with other experiences, since the childhood was the same!
Here we go!
Soooo, my journey to hell is coming real soon.
In the meantime, here is a little quote from The Opening of the Eyes Gosho.
I recently went through all my Buddhist books and wrote inside the front cover when I read them and, if applicable, as part of what study programme.
Lectures on the Opening of the Eyes is one of the books I am studying as part of my LIPC Dedicated Lilac training.
Last Committee meeting (a study/feedback meeting with all the team leaders), I was asked to feedback on Chapter 14 of this book.
This little quote stuck with me:
This is part of a series of posts to share my preparation for the Grade 2 Study Exam that I will sit this coming November.
From ‘Encountering persecution by sword and staff as predicted in the “Encouraging Devotion” chapter’:
A7
How did Nichiren Daishonin react to these attacks by swords and staves? What function can hardships have in our lives?
Nichiren's immediate reaction was, quite naturally, of outrage. He writes:
‘Though I knew it was for the sake of the Lotus Sutra, being an ordinary person, I felt... [that had] I had the strength, I would have wrested it from him, trampled on and broken it, and thrown it away. However, it was in fact the fifth scroll of the Lotus Sutra.’
However, wearing the ‘armour of perseverance', the Daishonin forbore his anger, behaved with self‐assurance, and spoke out with dignity for his beliefs. He didn’t display even the slightest trace of violence, hatred, or the desire for revenge.
If we look at them from a broader perspective, the hardships that assail us can function to strengthen us and spur our growth as human beings. As long as we do not allow ourselves to be defeated by suffering, even the most painful experiences can be turned into something positive. Nothing is ever wasted in Buddhism.
The profound teachings of the Lotus Sutra enable us to turn suffering into the driving force for transforming our karma.
Wrod count: 176
This is part of a series of posts to share my preparation for the Grade 2 Study Exam that I will sit this coming November.
Section A
From ‘Changing conflict and division into cooperation and harmony’:
A6 - How can humanity attain harmony and prosperity, and what is the key to this transformation?
Humanity can only attain harmony and
prosperity by pursuing a path of coexistence and cooperation based
on the universal and eternal values of respect for life and human
dignity, while recognising and affirming cultural diversity.
The key to this transformation is wisdom and compassion, as highlighted in this Gosho.
Through sincere actions and dialogue
that promotes mutual understanding, we must together reaffirm the ideal
of building a peaceful and happy society.
Word count: 71
