Sun Sep 25, 2011 at 07:49:24 AM PDT
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( - promoted by Nine Lives)
After vandalizing this website, Mark Porter (markp) has removed himself from participation on BuddhaJones. Mark is the founder of ION, a new Nichiren Buddhist organization.
The comments below pertain to a request he posted here seeking members for his board of directors. The moderators of BuddhaJones wish him well.
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Fri Sep 23, 2011 at 17:02:47 PM PDT
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Is this thing on?
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Sun Aug 07, 2011 at 15:43:17 PM PDT
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Hey there. You might notice some squirrelish things happening with this site. The SoapBlox code is being updated. Other SoapBlox blogs have reported disappearing comments and posts. I'll let you know when the software update has been completed.
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Thu Aug 04, 2011 at 12:49:15 PM PDT
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The new issue of Shambhala Sun features an interview with Tina Turner, whose chanting of the Lotus Sutra appears on the CD Beyond.
I feel that chanting for thirty-five years has opened a door inside me, and that even if I never chanted again, that door would still be there. I feel at peace with myself. I feel happier than I have ever been, and it is not from material things. Material things make me happy, but I am already happy before I acquire these things. I have a nature within myself now that's happy. Practicing the words "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" for so long has put me in another frame of mind, so that when I don't practice for a day or a week, I still feel happy. But I do practice.
In the interview, Turner namechecks "the Soka Gakkai tradition" but does not cite Nichiren. If you're wondering if she's "temple" or "gakkai" in the infamous war between Nichiren Shoshu and SGI, I guess that answers your question.
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Wed Jul 27, 2011 at 10:51:51 AM PDT
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Amy Winehouse died. Even though she chanted daimoku. Does that mean daimoku doesn't "work?" Depends what you mean by "work."
If you think namu-myoho-renge-kyo is a magic phrase that makes you happy and is a get-out-of-death-and-suffering-free card, no, it doesn't "work." Nichiren Buddhism is a life-long practice -- even if your life turns out to be heartbreakingly short. It's not a quick fix or magic cure.
Better to have chanted one time than never at all. Winehouse's death is sad, but it's no basis for questioning the value of Nichiren Buddhism.
Now for some links....
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There's More...
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Sat Jul 23, 2011 at 12:19:49 PM PDT
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Singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse has died at the age of 27. The Los Angeles Times reports that Winehouse was found dead in her London home.
Winehouse chanted daimoku. As exemplified by this report, the press treated her practice in a snarky way:
The smackhead singer has been trying to find peace in her chaotic life by chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.
Goodbye, Amy. Thanks for making your voice heard.
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Fri Jul 22, 2011 at 13:35:12 PM PDT
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Barbara O'Brien offers up a strong post... Idiot Compassion (Updated):
Here in Buddhist Blog World, people who speak bluntly sometimes are accused of not being compassionate or not practicing Right Speech. But sometimes issues need to be addressed, and saying the "safe" or "socially correct" thing so you can be part of the crowd is very far from Right Speech.
As I was reading it, I was reminded of people who insist it's wrong and terribly unbuddhist to "criticize" and "judge" organizations that purport to practice Nichiren Buddhism.
We shouldn't "judge" because, hey, the people we're "judging" chant daimoku just like us, so we should all stick together. We are all disciples of Nichiren. Daimoku is always right even if it is exploited or misrepresented. Nonsense!
Conversely, some Nichiren sects claim that the only way to exercise true compassion is to tell everyone else that they are wrong. They're wrong because they are members of the wrong sect. They're wrong because they have personal opinions about Buddhist practice. They're wrong because they don't believe that their wrongness causes earthquakes. (I wish I was exaggerating.)
"Idiot compassion" can manifest in two ways. One way is niceness. As Barbara described:
...sometimes the urge to be "nice" is about maintaining a polite and pleasant facade over a situation we don't want to confront.
The other way is strident un-niceness -- by being a fanatical, fundamentalist jerk, and presuming to understand Nichiren Buddhism better than everyone else.
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Sat Jul 09, 2011 at 11:48:24 AM PDT
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The time has come once again for us to pay the bill for our hosting/software license. The person who actually pays the bill has asked me if I wish to keep this site online, since I am the person primarily responsible for posting updates.
I've been really bad about posting updates, haven't I? The idea of BuddhaJones is that it's a group blog where people can post topics as well as comment on other posts. But it's my job to keep the ball rolling.
Our traffic statistics remain high, with the majority of people finding this site through search engines when looking for info on Nichiren Buddhism and related topics.
So I put the question to you: Should we stay or go? You can post a comment below or e-mail me at nine@buddhajones.com.
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