April 9, 2012 What is Buddhism ? (English version of February 15, 2012 written in Japanese)
Buddhism is what Buddha taught us. It covers all aspect of everyday life: that is to say, we have only to fully live the present moment, but it is not so easy, as you know.
It starts with how to breathe: it is the essential way of yoga, because Buddha started from Hinduism and developed and created Buddhism.
The posture is very important for this breathing method. Firstly straighten your spine, and then push forward your lower abdomen a little bit. Secondly breathe with your lower abdomen freely and naturally through your nose, irrespective of your sitting, standing, or walking.
Buddha tells us that individual human beings have their own Buddha natures innermost in their spiritualisms behind their bodies and minds. Namely “一切衆生悉有仏性 ( issai syujoh sitsuyuh busshoh)” in Japanese.
Entrusting all our beings to this Buddha natures, we have only to breathe without any other thought.
If you count in your mind numbers 1, 2, thru 10, one number for each exhaling and inhaling, it will help you.
As you can easily know It is not easy, but continuation is important.
Next, Buddha taught us in his made sutras, that indeed every human being is an infinitesimal part of the universe but his or her Buddha nature can make the sun, moon, a star or even the universe itself of himself or herself, if he or she entrusts all of himself or herself to his or her Buddha nature, that is to say, “心とは日月星辰なり(kokoro towa nichigetuseishin nari)”in Japanese.
In addition, regarding time and our beings, they are at the center of a circle with an infinite length of radius and a moment they disappear and a moment later regenerate ever changing, Buddha taught us.
I think this concept is similar to the world of Einstein’s theory of relativity.
In 2011, three physicists received Nobel Prize by discovering that the universe is dilatating with acceleration. This means that for any being in a star or planet, time and length (mass) are always contracting by the formula √1-(v/c)2 (here v is the present velocity of the star or planet and c is the velocity of light that is 300,000km/sec), when viewed from a coordinates system standing still in the universe. (This is called Lorentz’s contraction.)
I think this theory shows Buddha is right in his above-mentioned concepts.
These Buddha’s concepts show the relation between us and time & the universe.
I recommend you to read the book entitled “Light sitting in light” written by Elaine MacInnes who is a famous Canadian Catholic sister and also a respected Zen-priest called “Rohshi” in Japanese.(I used the word “Zen-priest” instead of “Zen-sister” because a Japanese “Rohshi” is always a gentleman.)
Buddha taught us Ten commandments as what every human being ought to do, as follows:
Do not kill any living creature; do not steal; do not have any illegal sexual relation; neither lie, nor slander, nor speak in duplicity, nor flatter; detach yourself from avarice; do not get angry; do not have any misguided thinking.
We can not live without killing other creatures and it is the destiny of every living creature. Therefore it means we ought to minimize killing other creatures, and to coexist harmoniously with them.
In addition we are taught the last thing to kill is our time because we have very limited lives, and the penultimate thing to kill is our bodies, that is to say, -for example- we should not damage our livers by drinking too much alcohol, because every human can attain spiritual enlightenment if he exerts his utmost effort rightly.
By entrusting all of ourselves to our Buddha natures, we can rightly see all things and phenomena, and based on it, we can do the following: to have the right thought, tell the true story, perform the right deed, spend the right life, exert the right effort, have the right consciousness, perform the right meditation, and so we will be able to live harmoniously with all the other beings including human beings and to live our lives most meaningfully.
These are called “8 right ways” in Buddhism.
Therefore we have only to focus on living the present moment to the fullest extent trying to entrust all of ourselves to our own Buddha natures.
Hereunder in one sentence I summarize as follows.
Try to keep the Buddhist breathing regardless of your sitting, standing, or walking, entrust all of yourself to your Buddha nature, and fully live the present moment.
The Buddhist breathing keeps your gastro-intestinal system healthy.
Our past failures most damaging to our mind and heart are attributable to the fact we did not entrust ourselves to our Buddha natures. Our knowledge and technique will be accumulated in due course but our mental and spiritual problems tend to be neglected and remain intact unless consciously tackled.
Therefore how to entrust ourselves to our Buddha nature is the most crucial problem to us.
Nobody helps you but yourself in this regard, and I recommend you to try to meditate in the Buddhist way, to go forwards regardless of your religion.
Nowadays there are not a few serious groups that focus on practicing Zen meditation all over the world. So try to find out a group nearest to you.
Buddhism is a truth, not religion, many people say. And I think it is the most valuable and reverent truth.
So Zen meditation is surely worth doing.
Here once more I recommend you to peruse the book titled “Light sitting in light” written by a Canadian Catholic, Sister Elaine MacInnes.
I thank AMIDA BUDDHA and SHAKA BUDDHA and vow to spread Buddhism.
NAMUAMIDABUTSU NAMUAMIDABUTSU
Buddhism is what Buddha taught us. It covers all aspect of everyday life: that is to say, we have only to fully live the present moment, but it is not so easy, as you know.
It starts with how to breathe: it is the essential way of yoga, because Buddha started from Hinduism and developed and created Buddhism.
The posture is very important for this breathing method. Firstly straighten your spine, and then push forward your lower abdomen a little bit. Secondly breathe with your lower abdomen freely and naturally through your nose, irrespective of your sitting, standing, or walking.
Buddha tells us that individual human beings have their own Buddha natures innermost in their spiritualisms behind their bodies and minds. Namely “一切衆生悉有仏性 ( issai syujoh sitsuyuh busshoh)” in Japanese.
Entrusting all our beings to this Buddha natures, we have only to breathe without any other thought.
If you count in your mind numbers 1, 2, thru 10, one number for each exhaling and inhaling, it will help you.
As you can easily know It is not easy, but continuation is important.
Next, Buddha taught us in his made sutras, that indeed every human being is an infinitesimal part of the universe but his or her Buddha nature can make the sun, moon, a star or even the universe itself of himself or herself, if he or she entrusts all of himself or herself to his or her Buddha nature, that is to say, “心とは日月星辰なり(kokoro towa nichigetuseishin nari)”in Japanese.
In addition, regarding time and our beings, they are at the center of a circle with an infinite length of radius and a moment they disappear and a moment later regenerate ever changing, Buddha taught us.
I think this concept is similar to the world of Einstein’s theory of relativity.
In 2011, three physicists received Nobel Prize by discovering that the universe is dilatating with acceleration. This means that for any being in a star or planet, time and length (mass) are always contracting by the formula √1-(v/c)2 (here v is the present velocity of the star or planet and c is the velocity of light that is 300,000km/sec), when viewed from a coordinates system standing still in the universe. (This is called Lorentz’s contraction.)
I think this theory shows Buddha is right in his above-mentioned concepts.
These Buddha’s concepts show the relation between us and time & the universe.
I recommend you to read the book entitled “Light sitting in light” written by Elaine MacInnes who is a famous Canadian Catholic sister and also a respected Zen-priest called “Rohshi” in Japanese.(I used the word “Zen-priest” instead of “Zen-sister” because a Japanese “Rohshi” is always a gentleman.)
Buddha taught us Ten commandments as what every human being ought to do, as follows:
Do not kill any living creature; do not steal; do not have any illegal sexual relation; neither lie, nor slander, nor speak in duplicity, nor flatter; detach yourself from avarice; do not get angry; do not have any misguided thinking.
We can not live without killing other creatures and it is the destiny of every living creature. Therefore it means we ought to minimize killing other creatures, and to coexist harmoniously with them.
In addition we are taught the last thing to kill is our time because we have very limited lives, and the penultimate thing to kill is our bodies, that is to say, -for example- we should not damage our livers by drinking too much alcohol, because every human can attain spiritual enlightenment if he exerts his utmost effort rightly.
By entrusting all of ourselves to our Buddha natures, we can rightly see all things and phenomena, and based on it, we can do the following: to have the right thought, tell the true story, perform the right deed, spend the right life, exert the right effort, have the right consciousness, perform the right meditation, and so we will be able to live harmoniously with all the other beings including human beings and to live our lives most meaningfully.
These are called “8 right ways” in Buddhism.
Therefore we have only to focus on living the present moment to the fullest extent trying to entrust all of ourselves to our own Buddha natures.
Hereunder in one sentence I summarize as follows.
Try to keep the Buddhist breathing regardless of your sitting, standing, or walking, entrust all of yourself to your Buddha nature, and fully live the present moment.
The Buddhist breathing keeps your gastro-intestinal system healthy.
Our past failures most damaging to our mind and heart are attributable to the fact we did not entrust ourselves to our Buddha natures. Our knowledge and technique will be accumulated in due course but our mental and spiritual problems tend to be neglected and remain intact unless consciously tackled.
Therefore how to entrust ourselves to our Buddha nature is the most crucial problem to us.
Nobody helps you but yourself in this regard, and I recommend you to try to meditate in the Buddhist way, to go forwards regardless of your religion.
Nowadays there are not a few serious groups that focus on practicing Zen meditation all over the world. So try to find out a group nearest to you.
Buddhism is a truth, not religion, many people say. And I think it is the most valuable and reverent truth.
So Zen meditation is surely worth doing.
Here once more I recommend you to peruse the book titled “Light sitting in light” written by a Canadian Catholic, Sister Elaine MacInnes.
I thank AMIDA BUDDHA and SHAKA BUDDHA and vow to spread Buddhism.
NAMUAMIDABUTSU NAMUAMIDABUTSU
