What is BUDDHISM? -Buddhism is a path of practice and spiritual development leading to insight into the nature of life.

Buddhism practice such as meditation is means of changing oneself in order to develop the qualities of awareness, kindness and wisdom.

The experience developed w/in the Buddhism tradition over thousands of year has created an incomparable resource for all those who wish to follow a path -A path which ultimately culminate enlightenment or Buddha hood.

Buddhism does not include the idea of worshipping a creator god, some people do not see it as a religion in the normal, western sense.

The basic tenets of Buddhist teaching are:

Straightforward and practical: nothing is fixed or permanent; action has consequences; change is possible.

Thus Buddhism addresses itself to all people irrespective of race, nationality, or gender.

Buddhism teaches practical methods (such as meditation) which enable people irresponsible for their experience, to be fully responsible for their lives and to develop the qualities of wisdom and compassion.

BUDDHISM EQUALS DAILY LIFE

Daily life and chanting

Many of us may have been conditioned during our upbringing to see things to do w/ a religion or a teaching primarily in spiritual terms so that a distorted view of Buddhism as being other worldly is formed. Yet Nichiren Daishonins Buddhism teaches the spiritual and physical aspect of life is inextricably linked. Chanting nam-myoho- renge-kyo and practicing Nichiren Daisshonins Buddhism, in the face of day to day realities w/ its ups and downs, gives us a power means to draw out our Buddhism. We find the key to our happiness in the middle of our daily lives. This is one meaning of Buddhism equals daily life. We naturally find ourselves chanting about our day to day realities. And in the extreme of a life threatening situation my chanting will be from my whole life and it will influence the life threatening reality. With more time, and under less pressure, I may be aware that, for example, a distant aunt is suffering and decide to chant for her happiness. There may be many other aspects of my daily reality where I may feel my happiness is related in such related in such a way that I feel I want to chant about that aspect.

In other words, to practice Buddhism means to value society; it means to contribute and work for societys benefit. This too is what it means to say that Buddhism equals daily life.

BUDDHISM AND ORDINARY BEING

If the minds of living being are impure, their land is also impure, but if their mind is pure so is their land. There are not two lands, pure or impure in themselves. The difference lies solely in the good or evil of our minds. It is the same w/ Buddha and an ordinary being. When deluded, one is called an ordinary being, but when enlightened, one is called Buddha. This is similar to a tarnished mirror that will shine like jewel when polished. A mind now clouded by the illusions of the innate darkness of life is like a tarnished mirror, but when polished, it is sure to become like a clear mirror, reflecting the essential nature of phenomena and the true aspect of reality. Arouse deep faith and diligently polish your mirror day and night. How should you polish it? Only by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo Thus there is no substantial difference between the ordinary human being and the Buddha. The difference lies in our minds and in our actions. In other words we reveal Buddhahood in our present form as we are. We cause this through our Buddhist practice and through developing faith in Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

BUDDHISM AND POLITICS TODAY

Though mere number have little culture significance, they do count politically, so that the political unlike the culture, Implications of Buddhism in the modem world are necessarily confined to Asia in which continent alone it count its adherents by the million. From what has been said above, it should already be clear that in the present, no less than in the past, Buddhism implies peace. But this peace is not a condition of unstable political equilibrium but rather a state of mind purified from all feelings of antagonism and thoroughly permeated by that impersonal and universal love which the Buddhism call matre. Buddhism work from w/ in outwards.

THE FUTURE

Prophesying is a proverbially hazardous game; but it may be confidently asserted that if we had the power of dipping into the future as far as human eye can see, we should behold there Buddhism softly pacing through the centuries hand in hand with culture and peace. So far as the immediate future is concerned, there is little doubt that the tempo of Buddhist resurgence and revival throughout Asia, as well as that of it is propagation all over the non Buddhist world, will be accelerated w/ the passing of every remaining decade of the present century. The culture manifestation of Buddhism will bloom more profusely while the grey-green olive of peace, lovingly tended by the ever-stronger growing hands of the Dharma, will put forth their black, shining fruits for the healing of the nations in ever greater abundance. If the cultural and political implications of Buddhism in the modern world succeed in working themselves out along the

present lines of their development, our two leaves and a bud will soon grow into a whole forest of flower.

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