Is it wrong to copy the Gohonzon Oh boy, where do I start on this one? This topic has fuelled no end of internet flame wars due to people’s inability to step outside of their particular dogma. I think the argument is complex and based on several issues; What is the Gohonzon, specifically How can […]
The decline of religion in the West The precise etymology of the word religion is debatable, but most definitions indicate a common belief system of sorts, or a binding force between humanity and an ideal, or mystic, element. Religion brings people together under a common viewpoint of how we should live and interact. It could be […]
Well, the forces of Sansho Shima are upon me – if only I was a better linux administrator, then maybe I’d have finished the job I started 4 hours ago! While I wait for it to complete, I thought I would upload this article I have been thinking about in the past week or so. […]
As explained in On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime Happiness in buddhism differs from the common understanding. One of the most powerful teachings of Nichiren Daishonin lies in the short Gosho (teaching) On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime. In this lecture I would like to discuss how this Gosho can be applied to the question […]
The limits of my Buddhist wisdom was demonstrated profoundly to me recently when I learned that my grand-daughter had been born with a large cyst in her brain. It wasn’t clear if she was going to suffer from hydrocephalus, but she had a cyst that was approaching the size of a tennis ball in the […]
By realising the mystic law inherent in all living beings, we escape the confines of the physical and realise the unlimited potential of the human spirit. Just as the sun dries the newly hatched butterfly’s wings, the compassion and warmth of the Lotus Sutra allows us all to soar from our pitiful cocoons and look […]
I recently wrote an experience describing some of the life events that lead to me receiving [the] Gohonzon last year (I’ve never been sure people insist on omitting the definite article when referring to the Gohonzon). I originally sent this to my great friend, Jason Jarrett (pictured – me on the right) who had been […]