Quick dharma hits

comment

test comment

"If only I had a nickel for every time I've heard someone say that the Soka skunk has changed its stripe." -- auntie

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by: mroaks @ Tue Feb 21, 2012 at 04:40:00 AM UTC

sorry

Sorry for the test comment. I tried to respond to RougeBuddha's comment "Cool Runnings" on another thread and was blocked. Mostly I just wanted to say that it was an awesome comment.

Also, Steve Milburn has posted on his blog that he has returned to Catholicism. I think RougeBuddha's comment could apply to him, too. Cool runnings.

"If only I had a nickel for every time I've heard someone say that the Soka skunk has changed its stripe." -- auntie

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by: mroaks @ Tue Feb 21, 2012 at 04:42:19 AM UTC

Post Toasties

Had a hard time posting of late. Nothing was going in.

Any who, iGongyo started with a SGI gohonzon and the appearance that it was SGI approved, which it wasn't. SGI politely asked them to enshrine a different pixel gohonzon into the pixel butsudan, one not in use by the SGI, and they (the App People from App Island) did. Of course looking at a pixelated picture of a gohonzon and not an officially xerox copy issued by the SGI (comes with a mentally residual umbilical cord attached to the so called Dai Gohonzon) will make some SGI members tell you that you'll rot in avichi hell (pretty much the same as Christian hell) for using it. Don't look back Mrs. Lot.

ChantBuddy really looks like SGI approved, complete with Ikeda's daily guidance which can be emailed (love bomb) to anyone, links to every SGI web page (gosho, dictionary, FAQ, etc.) and a mission statement about  how the ChantBuddy app was developed to help SGI members with their practice. BUT I've been told that it isn't an official SGI app. Let's see if the SGI takes all the free poison drum shakabuku or sues over copyright infringements.  

Don't let being alive ruin your day.

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by: joeisuzu @ Tue Feb 21, 2012 at 07:31:00 AM UTC

Posting timed out

I see what you guys mean about difficult posting. On threads older than 30 days, the ability to comment automatically times out. This keeps spam under control. Also, if someone wants to revisit a topic, they can start a new thread, which keeps the comment threads from becoming outrageously long and scrolly.

In the past, once a thread was timed out, you'd get a message saying "You can no longer post comments" or something like that. Now, when you try to post on an expired thread, you go through all the trouble of writing your comment, then you get an "unauthorized" message when you try to post.

Sorry about all of this.

As you may know, we've had some software updates recently. When we find bugs, we try to get them fixed. If you have issues with the site, please send a note to nine@buddhajones.com. This forwards to me, brooke, and whoever else is free to help with the site.

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by: Nine Lives @ Tue Feb 21, 2012 at 19:37:47 PM UTC

Expired

OK, on threads where posting is timed out, there should be a message that says "time to post comments has expired."

RE: Steve Milburn's return to Catholicism, I'm sort of stunned. What a reversal! He was so passionately Nichirenesque!

Our "native" religion -- the religion we are born into or know from a very early age -- is powerful in terms of its lessons and archetypes. It's hard to just let that go. I would even say that it's painful to let it go.

Some people have had terrible experiences with religion -- from institutional Catholicism to Soka Gakkai. I don't mean to invalidate the pain people have experienced at the hands of religion. I think many people are very much in their right mind when they reject one religious institution or another.

But what if you didn't have a bad experience? What if you loved everything about the religion you grew up with? It would be hard to just abandon it entirely.

And even if you had a bad experience, there might be many things that you feel fondness toward. For example, I reject the SGI totally, but I still feel fondness for the Japanese ladies who served rice balls to us kids during activities.

I've heard Buddhists say that Buddhism is so obviously intellectually superior to Christianity, that anyone who chooses Christianity after knowing about Buddhism must be stupid. This view puts too much emphasis on the intellectual appeal of philosophy and practice. Choice of religion is an emotional decision. I mean that in the best way. I think it's hard for people who grew up Christian to connect emotionally with Buddhism.

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by: Nine Lives @ Thu Feb 23, 2012 at 20:32:53 PM UTC

apostate

I don't think there is any religion in the world which stands up to intellectual examination. I agree that the emotional element is powerful. I just think that the guiding emotion is fear more often than love.

Philip

 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.

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by: philipjamesbrett @ Thu Feb 23, 2012 at 23:58:34 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

The Japanese Pope

Some people have had terrible experiences with religion -- from institutional Catholicism to Soka Gakkai.

Masaharu Anesaki, in his lectures at Harvard from 1913-1915 which became the book "Nichiren The Buddhist Prophet", compared what Nichiren tried to accomplish in Japan to the Holy See in Rome. Apart from certain doctrine, there really isn't much difference between institutional Catholicism and institutional Soka Gakkai including the concept of infallibility. He also wrote a book titled "How Christianity appeals to a Japanese Buddhist". The Catholic concept of transubstantiation really isn't that much different from many concepts contained within Nichiren's Buddhism.  

Don't let being alive ruin your day.

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by: joeisuzu @ Fri Feb 24, 2012 at 12:22:20 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

the specific and the general

I don't think that it is only Nichiren who was like the Catholic Church, all of Buddhism in Japan was that way since when it first came under government control beginning in the late 700's.
The Catholic Church is what survives of of the Roman Empire.

Philip

 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.

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by: philipjamesbrett @ Fri Feb 24, 2012 at 20:00:16 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Re Specific and General

The Catholic Church is what survives of of the Roman Empire.

Depending on how you interpret the results, one could make both an argument for and against that statement. But your point about government controlled church, or church controlled government for that matter, is well taken, in  Japan or anywhere else on the planet in any time period.  

Don't let being alive ruin your day.

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by: joeisuzu @ Sat Feb 25, 2012 at 19:10:25 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Hi

Hi, all.

I have returned to Catholicism, it might sound strange, but I do now feel 'home' and liberated. I'll still pop by here now and again. I wish you all well!

- Steve

Namu-myoho-renge-kyo

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by: Steve Milburn @ Tue Feb 28, 2012 at 02:19:06 AM UTC

Posting

I haven't been able to post a topic as it tells me I've already exceeded my posting limit, which is 1 per 24 hours, every time I try to post a topic. So the last two topics I've tried to post are over at my page here on this site. Any suggestions will be appreciated.  

Don't let being alive ruin your day.

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by: joeisuzu @ Sat Mar 03, 2012 at 16:42:10 PM UTC

In Every Way

"I Seek Sensei"
That's the name of the SGI song which is now posted on You Tube and available on ChantBuddy. The lyrics are about never giving up towards the year 2030 and "in every way I seek sensei," which, of course, is the SGI's way of combining Scientology and Evangelical Christianity but instead of accepting Xenu and auditing or Jesus and salvation you get Ikeda and kosen rufu. You just gotta go listen and watch!

As soon as this app becomes multi language they are going to make some serious dollars off the SGI membership.  

Don't let being alive ruin your day.

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by: joeisuzu @ Sun Mar 18, 2012 at 12:46:05 PM UTC

New blog URL

I know my blog is linked here, but I've changed the address. It's now:

stephenmilburn.blogspot.com

Namu-myoho-renge-kyo

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by: Steve Milburn @ Tue Mar 20, 2012 at 22:01:55 PM UTC