May You Know Beauty

Take a Giant Leap

Lotus Flower Necklace

My fellow friend in faith has a wonderful website called The Treasure Tower. I blogged about her website before and I wanted to again because she has added a beautiful addition called  Everyday Artifact Silver Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Lotus Flower Necklace.

This beautiful sterling silver coin necklace is a special design for The Treasure Tower from Everyday Artifact, featuring a Lotus Flower with the words Nam Myoho Renge Kyo around the top of the image."Renge" of Nam myoho renge kyo means Lotus Flower, representing our beautiful life blooming in the muddy swamp of our existence. 

Check it out!

 As always 10% of the profits from this site are donated to the Buddhist World Peace organization Soka Gakkai International (www.sgi-usa.org)

Groovy Daimoku

The Music Emporium: "Nam Myo Ho Renge Kyo / Times Like This" Sentinel Records 4-501 Promo 1969

Initially called "The Cage", "THE MUSIC EMPORIUM" was a Los Angeles creative quartet, comprised of "Dora Wahl" (drums), "Carolyn Lee", (bass guitar and also played piano and sometimes, organ), "Dave Padwin" (guitar), and "Bill 'Casey' Cosby" ("Farfisa Compact Organ").

Compassion: Solidarity of the Heart

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   The most basic wish of all people is to live happily. Yet human society is shaped by forces that work powerfully against this basic desire: from pervasive violence, to wanton environmental destruction, to the exploitation that structures such deep inequalities between people. Buddhism sheds light on the inner dynamics of human life that lead us to create such an undesirable reality. One of the most pernicious and powerful desires inherent in human life, according to Buddhist thought, is the desire for power over others, the urge to subjugate other people to our will. In this condition, the ego finds its most unrestrained and destructive expression, regarding others simply as a means to satisfy its selfish objectives.

Buddhism symbolically personifies this exploitative, authoritarian impulse as the Devil King of the Sixth Heaven, Its imprint is evident everywhere in our world. Recognizing the rampancy of this impulse, Nichiren, the 13th century founder of the Buddhism practiced by the SGI, described the world as the domain of the devil king, and all people as being under the rule of this devil. 

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But if human nature is the cause of our most dire global problems, it is also the source of the fundamental solution. The countervailing force to the destructive aspect to human nature and the suffering it engenders is compassion, Compassion, a sense of solidarity with others-with all life- arising from a a wish for mutual happiness and growth, is the heart and origin of Buddhism.

In the original Sanskrit Buddhist texts, the concept of compassion is described by the words maitri and anukampa, Maitri indicates a sense of fellowship with others; anukampa describes a deep empathy that arises in the encounter with suffering and which gives rise to action, Buddhist compassion could be succinctly described then as the desire to relive suffering and to give joy.

Compassion is often thought of as akin to pity, but whereas pity may be condescending,m compassion springs from a sense of the equality and interconnectedness of life. Compassion is rooted in respect for the inherent dignity of life- our own and others'- and a desire to see that dignity triumph. As SGI president Ikeda writes, "True Buddhist compassion has nothing to do with sentimentality or mere pity. This is because sentimentality or mere pity cannot help the other person achieve victory in life; it cannot truly relieve suffering and impart joy."

Because genuine compassion is about empowering others, helping them unlock strength and courage from within their lives in order to overcome their problems, it may sometimes appear stern or contradictory. For example, although resolving a difficult situation for someone may seem compassionate, if this ends up making them weaker and less self-reliant, this will not contribute to their actual happiness in life. The effort to offer others effective encouragement for their specific circumstances is what gives rise to wisdom. Compassion and wisdom are thus closely related. Furthermore, even small acts of kindness require a degree of courage.  

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 Nichiren establishes the practice of chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo as a practical means for people to bring forth the strength and rich potential of their humanity and live with confidence and joy. Sharing this practice with others is therefore the most essential act of compassion for practitioners of Nichiren Buddhism.

The transformation of society can only occur through a transformation of people's hearts. A life based on compassion means a staunch belief in the unrealized potential of others and ourselves. It is easy to give up on ourselves and others in the face of our failure and foolishness; such loss of faith in humanity is characteristic of our troubled world today. To continue to believe in and encourage the innate goodness and potential of or own and others' lives is the core of the philosophy of Nichiren Buddhism. It is also the bedrock of a firm optimism upon which all people can base their actions to bring about positive change in our world.

Source: SGI Quarterly July 2010

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1.02.28

Daimoku Bird

Yes you have to see and hear it to believe it. LOL!

This is a full-length, unedited video of a  parrot doing Daimoku. His name is Congo and he speaks at the times, 00:36; 00:42; 05:42; 07:49. 

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1.02.28

Keep Positive

Joseph Bowie

Joseph Bowie was born on October 17, 1953 in St Louis, Missouri.  He is a  American bandleader, trombonist, and founder of the seminal jazz fusion band, Defunkt. The group has been blending jazz with funk and punk music for more than three consecutive decades.

Bowie is the younger brother of world renowned avant-garde jazz trumpeter Lester Bowie, and saxophonist Byron Bowie. 

After recovering from a bout with drug addiction during the 1980s, Bowie discovered Buddhism and has been a practicing Buddhist ever since. He has since founded Kosen-Rufu, another musical outfit aside from Defunkt. In 2003 Bowie moved to The Netherlands, where he lives in the small town of Gorinchem where he works with a number of groups.

In this short documentary, James talks about how he was introduced to the practice, why and chants. Fast forward the video to the time 5:38 to see this. 

Meetings

Every meeting should be lively and cheerful, the type of gathering where everyone leaves feeling: "That was fun, I'm glad I went."

(Faith In Action)

Create Happiness

Mr. Toda once said to a young woman, "If you aren't going to create happiness in the place where you are now, where else are you going to find it?' We must develop inner strength. We need to transform ourselves and become people who aren't defeated by life's struggles.

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