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Unveiled Artist
Veteran Member
This is an good topic. I look forward to reading other peoples words of wisdom.
This is long; so, take your time reading it.
Everyone experiences life differently; and, the way we experience it and our perceptions and definitions thereof, does not exclude the fact we share one thing in common: Living our lives by what we believe and what we do. In my experience and in my view, and I see it in life in general, there are three (of many) motivations/things that people want or need to do so they can feel fulfilled in life. They need sacrifice. They need offering. They need enlightenment.
We need sacrifice:
Think of a war veteran fighting for his country. He sacrifice his time, his will, and energy to defend his own country. How many everyday people will die for someone they do not know? The "giving up something we value the most" is prominent in many cultures and belief systems. Take a mother for example. She (I will say) has decided to have a child. She sacrifice her full one hundred percent freedom to care for herself to give her full life to taking care of another. From creating the child, carrying the child, having that child, and taking care of him.... all the sacrifice of her mind, body, and spirit-yes spirit-she gave up in part so she can share it with her child. Sacrifice.
Sacrifice can be charity, it could be offering a nice comment to someone you don't like. It could be giving up your ego for a minute or two. It could be another word for fasting. Everyone does it. It's part of our human DNA.
We need offering:
It is interesting in our day to day life that many, I won't say all, of us feel that if someone has done something for us in a small measurement, we feel we should or want to do something in return. I know not everyone feels this way. Another way to put it is the opposite of sacrifice. You are giving something you value to someone else or something else that may value it or appreciate that value. That act of giving is part of us. It is like if you don't give when someone gives to you, some of us may have that gut feeling: "he gave me a birthday card; and, I should give him something for his birthday" (Not from guilt). Maybe its giving to an charity organization. Maybe you are setting flowers on your loved ones resting place.
Something about giving has always been a part of our human-language. Take away the negativity, and we work as a community, sacrificing ourselves for each other by giving what we value so, as a community, we share in that value rather than claim it for ourselves.
We need enlightenment
A friend of mine has just turned sixty years old. She told me one day, "you know. I realize 'the more I know, the more I realize I know nothing." Maybe she is a late bloomer to this realization but this realization is also her enligthenment. Go back thirty years prior, another friend told me "you know, I realize I am not going to live forever." I know this is small but it was his enligtenment. I remember listening to a radio program and the person says to listeners that young folks feel they going to live forever. At the time, I thought "no, we dont" and to think of it, some of us do. We want to get a job, have a family, do this, do that. We have to realize that live IS short. We can't get a credit card, charge it to its limit, and (unless we are rich) figure us lay people can pay it all in one lump some without it gaining interests. There is always some interest down the line. I think this friend realizes the interest part (which we do when we get around that age) but the balance to that is, we won't pay interest forever. Enlightenment is also when we accept change and accept what we cannot have again.
I know I said this is long; and, I continue:
Sacrifice
"Jesus said to him, 'If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." Matthew 19:21
Of course we don't need to give up all of our possessions to sacrifice ourselves for other people. The purpose is living for other people and not just for ourselves. I actually cannot think of any culture and religion that has no form of sacrifice or charity in their faith, religion, or worldview. Jesus says "what you have done for others you have done for me." Mathew 25:40
Basically, when we say Christ we are saying "us" and when we say God, we are sayign the tie that pulls us together. What we do for others is what we do for the Body. There are many words of wisdom especially that of sacrifice in the bible. The good parts really tell us that Jesus, God, a prophet, a lay person, whomever, is saying think of others before ourselves.
Offering
On my altar I have my family pictures. I have an insense bowl with rocks around it on the left side. Ihave flowers on the right. Everytime I sit in from of my altar, I bow. If I have food, I would put food on the altar for my family. Usually, the food was what my family members liked with they lived. I say a little prayer and move on. I love offerings. We give offerings for many different reasons. In paganism it is so broad to over in one post (and only one post), but to understand that we not only sacrifice ourselves for others we also give to others as well.
I usually follow the moon phases. In New to Full I give offerings to bring things into my life. From full to new I sacrifice things to bring negativety and what I want to change out of my life. Both New nad Full days the tide are the highests as a result, they are best days to celebrate.
"The land is sacred. These words are at the core of your being. The land is our mother, the rivers our blood. Take our land away and we die. That is, the Indian in us dies." - Mary Brave Bird, Lakota
I try to go out often and give an offering to the land. If we want to know where we come from, where we were born if not through our family is the next best place to start.
Enlightenment
What does Nam Myoho Renge Kyo mean?
I like reading Nichiren Diashonin's Writings. This Buddhist monk devoted Himself the the Buddha's Law. The Law of causality. He taught us to recite the phrase: Nam Myoho Renge Kyo because all of life, all the aspects of life: the cause, the effect, manefistation to more layman terms to consequences, responsibilities, and so forth. It's a sum up of the Buddha's teachings both of Nichiren and that of Shakymuni Buddha.
Everyone has a Buddha nature. Everyone has a nature to which is pure and clear since birth. Our karma and all the effects of the hells and demons pollute our spirit, soul, or nature to what we have now. So, as we chant, we bring out our nature--who we are, not what we think we are, and live how our true nature tells us to be.
In other words, we each are born with a pure and clean heart. It has been crudded along the way and through chanting and praying the Law of Causality, we look into ourselves, in our own causes to make changes to our karma and make better affects. We handle challenges (or the hells)better and accept the demons keep us from going forward.
In the end, Shaykamuni Buddha's enlightement ended with knowing that there is suffering, their cause, there is a way out of suffering, and how; he became comfortable with life and death. That was his enligthenment.
Each of us have an enligthenment to gain this same acceptence. The Lotus Sutra says that the Buddha used expident means (or means to which fit the people of that time) to help others "see the light."
That is why we say "everyone has their own path" because the mystic law (pun intended) works in mysteriouus ways.
We ARE the mystic law. We are the true aspect of all phenenomena.
The Buddhas all reply, we ARE Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.
Whether we express it by sacrifice, by offering, or by living our enligthenment, that is up to our path. As a combination, this is the wisdom that was bestowed on me....by the Church, by the Earth, and by the Buddha Himself.
Nam.
This is long; so, take your time reading it.
Everyone experiences life differently; and, the way we experience it and our perceptions and definitions thereof, does not exclude the fact we share one thing in common: Living our lives by what we believe and what we do. In my experience and in my view, and I see it in life in general, there are three (of many) motivations/things that people want or need to do so they can feel fulfilled in life. They need sacrifice. They need offering. They need enlightenment.
We need sacrifice:
Think of a war veteran fighting for his country. He sacrifice his time, his will, and energy to defend his own country. How many everyday people will die for someone they do not know? The "giving up something we value the most" is prominent in many cultures and belief systems. Take a mother for example. She (I will say) has decided to have a child. She sacrifice her full one hundred percent freedom to care for herself to give her full life to taking care of another. From creating the child, carrying the child, having that child, and taking care of him.... all the sacrifice of her mind, body, and spirit-yes spirit-she gave up in part so she can share it with her child. Sacrifice.
Sacrifice can be charity, it could be offering a nice comment to someone you don't like. It could be giving up your ego for a minute or two. It could be another word for fasting. Everyone does it. It's part of our human DNA.
We need offering:
It is interesting in our day to day life that many, I won't say all, of us feel that if someone has done something for us in a small measurement, we feel we should or want to do something in return. I know not everyone feels this way. Another way to put it is the opposite of sacrifice. You are giving something you value to someone else or something else that may value it or appreciate that value. That act of giving is part of us. It is like if you don't give when someone gives to you, some of us may have that gut feeling: "he gave me a birthday card; and, I should give him something for his birthday" (Not from guilt). Maybe its giving to an charity organization. Maybe you are setting flowers on your loved ones resting place.
Something about giving has always been a part of our human-language. Take away the negativity, and we work as a community, sacrificing ourselves for each other by giving what we value so, as a community, we share in that value rather than claim it for ourselves.
We need enlightenment
A friend of mine has just turned sixty years old. She told me one day, "you know. I realize 'the more I know, the more I realize I know nothing." Maybe she is a late bloomer to this realization but this realization is also her enligthenment. Go back thirty years prior, another friend told me "you know, I realize I am not going to live forever." I know this is small but it was his enligtenment. I remember listening to a radio program and the person says to listeners that young folks feel they going to live forever. At the time, I thought "no, we dont" and to think of it, some of us do. We want to get a job, have a family, do this, do that. We have to realize that live IS short. We can't get a credit card, charge it to its limit, and (unless we are rich) figure us lay people can pay it all in one lump some without it gaining interests. There is always some interest down the line. I think this friend realizes the interest part (which we do when we get around that age) but the balance to that is, we won't pay interest forever. Enlightenment is also when we accept change and accept what we cannot have again.
I know I said this is long; and, I continue:
Sacrifice
"Jesus said to him, 'If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." Matthew 19:21
Of course we don't need to give up all of our possessions to sacrifice ourselves for other people. The purpose is living for other people and not just for ourselves. I actually cannot think of any culture and religion that has no form of sacrifice or charity in their faith, religion, or worldview. Jesus says "what you have done for others you have done for me." Mathew 25:40
Basically, when we say Christ we are saying "us" and when we say God, we are sayign the tie that pulls us together. What we do for others is what we do for the Body. There are many words of wisdom especially that of sacrifice in the bible. The good parts really tell us that Jesus, God, a prophet, a lay person, whomever, is saying think of others before ourselves.
Offering
On my altar I have my family pictures. I have an insense bowl with rocks around it on the left side. Ihave flowers on the right. Everytime I sit in from of my altar, I bow. If I have food, I would put food on the altar for my family. Usually, the food was what my family members liked with they lived. I say a little prayer and move on. I love offerings. We give offerings for many different reasons. In paganism it is so broad to over in one post (and only one post), but to understand that we not only sacrifice ourselves for others we also give to others as well.
I usually follow the moon phases. In New to Full I give offerings to bring things into my life. From full to new I sacrifice things to bring negativety and what I want to change out of my life. Both New nad Full days the tide are the highests as a result, they are best days to celebrate.
"The land is sacred. These words are at the core of your being. The land is our mother, the rivers our blood. Take our land away and we die. That is, the Indian in us dies." - Mary Brave Bird, Lakota
I try to go out often and give an offering to the land. If we want to know where we come from, where we were born if not through our family is the next best place to start.
Enlightenment
What does Nam Myoho Renge Kyo mean?
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/toc/
I like reading Nichiren Diashonin's Writings. This Buddhist monk devoted Himself the the Buddha's Law. The Law of causality. He taught us to recite the phrase: Nam Myoho Renge Kyo because all of life, all the aspects of life: the cause, the effect, manefistation to more layman terms to consequences, responsibilities, and so forth. It's a sum up of the Buddha's teachings both of Nichiren and that of Shakymuni Buddha.
Everyone has a Buddha nature. Everyone has a nature to which is pure and clear since birth. Our karma and all the effects of the hells and demons pollute our spirit, soul, or nature to what we have now. So, as we chant, we bring out our nature--who we are, not what we think we are, and live how our true nature tells us to be.
In other words, we each are born with a pure and clean heart. It has been crudded along the way and through chanting and praying the Law of Causality, we look into ourselves, in our own causes to make changes to our karma and make better affects. We handle challenges (or the hells)better and accept the demons keep us from going forward.
In the end, Shaykamuni Buddha's enlightement ended with knowing that there is suffering, their cause, there is a way out of suffering, and how; he became comfortable with life and death. That was his enligthenment.
Each of us have an enligthenment to gain this same acceptence. The Lotus Sutra says that the Buddha used expident means (or means to which fit the people of that time) to help others "see the light."
That is why we say "everyone has their own path" because the mystic law (pun intended) works in mysteriouus ways.
We ARE the mystic law. We are the true aspect of all phenenomena.
The Buddhas all reply, we ARE Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.
Whether we express it by sacrifice, by offering, or by living our enligthenment, that is up to our path. As a combination, this is the wisdom that was bestowed on me....by the Church, by the Earth, and by the Buddha Himself.
Nam.
Last edited:
Unveiled Artist
Veteran Member
Underhill
Well-Known Member
Never drink around other women after fighting with your wife.
Never promise something you can deliver to someone you don't really want to do it for...
Do it right the first time or the second, or the third, or the fourth. Don't just do it.
There's more, but that is a start.
Never promise something you can deliver to someone you don't really want to do it for...
Do it right the first time or the second, or the third, or the fourth. Don't just do it.
There's more, but that is a start.