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From: kde@heawk1.gsfc.nasa.gov ( Keith Evans)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.eastern
Subject: Re: Buddha Dharma and free thinking
Message-ID: <1990Dec14.033802.1815@nas.nasa.gov>
Date: 14 Dec 90 03:38:02 GMT
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In soc.religion.eastern you write:
 
>   Keith your unwavering confidence in Nichiren Daishonin is remarkable.
> I would say keep it up, since you have understood him very well I assume
> you are following him properly.  For me, I have an enquiring mind.
> therefore, I read everything that I come across according to the time
> I have, and try to analyse them finding out the validity of them. But I
> haven't found any material to read about Nichiren Daishonin, in fact
> I was trying to find books about him and the sect in a library
> and I could not.  So, whatever information about him and his teachings
> are from what I read from your articles and what I heard from others.
> In fact, a few years ago after seeing a telephone number for Nichiren
> sect in the telephone directory I called them, since I am interested
> in learning about different sects of Buddhism.  The person I talked
> to told me they perform cultural activities together.  From what I
> understood from your writings, Nichiren Daishonin was concerned about
> future of Japan (with his predictions on Japan etc.).

At that time Japan was so isolated, it was the whole world to the
Japanese anyways. In a few places he mentions concern for all mankind,
not just the Japanese.
 
> (from my enquiring mind:  What is Nichiren Daishonin's teachings
> about mindfullness, consciousness, middlepath, investigation,
> questioning, analysis of nature of things?  These are some of the
> concepts that matters me most in my day to day life.  Could you elaborate
> more on these with respect to Nam-myoho-renge-kyo?  These questions are
> not asked for argumentation or comparisons but for curiosity and
> knowledge.)
 
Mindfulness, investigation, questioning analysis of the nature of
things is okay and actually should be done as he says that Buddhism
(the law of cause and effect, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo) are one and the
same. The idea is not to go live on amountain top and be a Buddhist,
but it is to live within society (and for that one needs to know and
understand society) and make it better through our efforts. The
idea of chanting is so that we can do our human revolution, i.e.,
change ourselves (from wholeheartedly pursuing money or fame, for example,
to wholehearted concern for the suffering of others) on the inside and
then the outside (the environment, society, etc) will change as it
is a reflection of ourselves. I saved consciousness for last because
there is a lot of theory about it. There are 9 consciousnesses,
the first 5 are the 5 senses, then the 6th is the integration of th
first 5, that reconizes things in the environment, the 7th is the
subconscious, the 8th is the karmic storehouse of all ones past
causes (for karma to become manifest requires an internal cause and
an external cause), and the 9th is the pure-nature that nothing
can destroy (the Buddha-nature). Being a Buddhist does not mean
going against the laws of society. Buddhism is common sense.
Buddhism is reason.
 
 
>For some, the search is hard without (since I have confidence in goodness
>of others I am sure that there are some genuine followers of the Dharma)
>a physically existing Buddha, but the Buddhist way is a way of wisdom
>and effort.  Therefore, I do not see any point in discouraging others
>about their investigations.
 
I agree. As Buddha said in many sutras (when the true law is lost,
the 3 disasters and 7 calamities occur) and Nichiren Daishonin wrote
a letter to the Kamakura government of Japan, that the cause of
suffering is incorrect religious beliefs and false ideologies.
One's actions are based on one's beliefs. I go to 7-11 to get coffe
because I believe it. If I didn't believe it I wouldn't go or I
might try to do it once and find out different and never do it
again. The problem with doing this in religion is that you only
got one shot. Nichiren says that the idea is to have the correct
faith at the moment of death, then one is cedrtain to attain
to be met by a 1000 Buddhas and reach Eagle Peak (attain
Buddhahood). If not, then one is reborn in the hell of incessant
suffering, for aeons, and beleiving in a wrong religion is a
cause to be born to parents with heretical beliefs and the cycle
of suffering continues. Buddha taught to overcome the sufferings
of life and death.
 
>  The law is one, this is what one realizes.  The way of realisation,
>our cultural background.  More people may have got diseases earlier
>days due to lack of sanitation and lack of widespread use of preventive
>methods. On the other hand, more people would get diseases today
>due to stress, pollution etc.  The bottom line, both in the past and
>the present people are subject to diseases.  So in summary, the nature
>of the problem is the same.
 
Right. Because there has not been a religion in widespread use that
allows the people to change, and so they kepp going through the
same sufferings over and over again (i.e., history repeats itself).
 
>   The way people go about finding that ther is a problem may seem
>'different'. This difference is due to differences among people.  Each
>of our experiences, our way of thinking are different from one another.
>On the other hand,there are rich,poor, lazy, enthusiastic, dull, keen,
>wise ,ignorant etc. in this world.  Because of this difference,  world
>and countries get into trouble when the freedom is supressed.  That is
>why the freedom of thinking is essential.  That is why the Buddhist
>emphasis is not on converting people but on realization.
 
Yes, on realizing this pure nature inside, and when one understands
that he has, then he realizes that so do others. Buddhist emphasis
is on practice, not just realiization. One has to exert oneself to
change his karma and create a happy and peaceful society. Actually,
only in Buddhism is the individual truly an individual. When all
are centered on the goal of the happiness of all mankind, then their
efforts result in a happier life for themselves as well.
 
>Ignorance of people, and accord with mind are more deeper subjects, which
>cannot be dealt so easily in few sentences)
 
I agree. The basic ignorance is the ignorance of the true self (the
Buddha-nature).
 
>  The world is more open and smaller today due to better communication
>than in the olden days. Because of this, some people are more enthusiastic
>...
>the others are also conscious and thoughtful as we are.  In this process,
>we forget about others' capabilities, rights, duties etc.
 
I think that the more communication is the cause of less beleif in the
Christian and the new non-communist movement. The concern is not to
make everybody beleive the same why (like you said, it won't happen),
but for everyone to chant for the sake of their happiness.
 
>>asking questions and even answering them, too. Ignorant people in this
>>day and age read them and thinking that since it accords with their mind
>>that is must be the Way. Also in these earlier sutras, he taught that
 
>  How do you know exactly how other people understand dharma and think
>about dharma?  From what you have written so far (I am not passing any
>judgements on your view as to whether it is good or bad) you 'do not
>beleive' in 'enlightenment in this day and age', that leads to the
>conclusion that you never tried to understand it.
 
orry if I gave that impression. Actually, chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo
to the Gohonzon (the physical manifestation of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo
as enscribed by Nichiren) one is actually enlightened (in the world
of Buddhahood) adn the idea is to gain enlightenment in this lifetime.
 
>>If a Buddhist sees one slandering the Law and fails to admonish him,
>>then he also is a slanderer. That is the whole point of explaining
 
>   The openness to Buddhism came earlier than the openness of the modern
> world. Historically thinking, that is why it spread everywhere freely.
> So if you were to find out the falsehood of slandering about Buddha dharma
> and to admonish others you have to be open, conscious and aware
> of other cultures etc.  (more open than if you were to talk about
> other global issues).
 
I agree.
 

--
   Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
            Respectfully,
  	         Keith Evans		kde@heawk1.gsfc.nasa.gov