Ritual

Rituals are Symptomatic

I think Dunbar's question of why we have religion at all is is a bigger better concern than the ritual itself which is symptomatic. I brush my teeth religiously because I believe in dental hygiene as advantageous to my overall health. It's a ritual I do twice a day. But that tactile ritual is not imbued with the same perception as what I do ritualistically as a Buddhist. Of course this has all been covered before by Joseph Campbell, A Hero With A Thousand Faces, Robert Bly, Iron John, and others who deal with the power of myth in mankind's connection to the cosmos and the rituals we practice to celebrate them.

But now that I think about it, it is interesting what we do to protect and validate those rituals which sometimes become more important than what they supposedly reflect. That too could be symptomatic.  

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by: joeisuzu @ Sun Dec 27, 2009 at 00:24:29 AM CST

Rituals of Buddhism

One of the things we have to remember about our rituals is that they are a positive action that form a basis for positivity each day. This positive action has a great deal to do with the rhythm that some of us experience on a day to day basis. They are not just a ritual, but have a strong influence on our individual environment.
Reaching some kind of peak really goes against Buddhism in that the wise person doesn't fall into the trap of highs and lows. The peaks I experience have all come from insights into how life actually works, and were all experienced while chanting. I have never went on a pilgrimage to Japan, and though I probably will some day, I don't see the need right now. The only possible thing that would draw me to Japan would be to find out if there is a priest that is teaching ichinen sanzen. That I haven't seen yet.

Markp

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by: markp @ Mon Dec 28, 2009 at 09:29:46 AM CST

Positive Action

a positive action that form a basis for positivity each day

Good point. Nice to find something we agree upon too for a change.  

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by: joeisuzu @ Mon Dec 28, 2009 at 11:10:34 AM CST

[ Parent ]

How does it work

How is chanting to a piece of paper a positive action?

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by: Cultmember @ Wed Dec 30, 2009 at 18:50:58 PM CST

[ Parent ]

what is positive and negative?

In the causal reality, negative action begets negative response and that's same for positive action. Even negativity that emanates from brainwaves is the same as negative action. Both are causes, because brainwaves can be measured, so any positive or negative action whether by thought or deed gets an equal and opposite reaction. This is the reality of cause and effect, and it is why peoples environment reflects their own mind, whether pure or impure.

So why is chanting to the Gohonzon a positive action? Because the Gohonzon represents the absolute positivity of the enlightened mind, and the Daimoku is the action of actual ichinen sanzen, in that it is the trigger than can change karma. Without the trigger ichinen sanzen is only theoretical, and while the theory in itself is enough to affect the personal environment, it doesn't have the kick of actuality. The positive or negative force that emanates from the mind, while substantial doesn't have as great effect on the personal environment, so don't worry if you have bad thoughts from time to time, it aint gonna kill you. :)

What you can observe is that most people that practice daily, over time change their behavior in a way that is more positive, and their environments reflect that. Even though they may not understand a thing about Buddhism. This is true, and [b]observable[/b]. But most is not all. Those that engage in negative action like slandering other people, though they chant, their lives can be observed in a negative fashion. So it works both ways, even though we may chant. Most of the ones that slander find that their practice falls away until it becomes irrelevant, yet there are some who are so sure of themselves that they would drive themselves right into hell chanting all the way.

So it must be understood, that with the basis of the pure mind, the effect of chanting is one of purification. However, with the basis of the impure mind, the opposite occurs. The Daimoku can be a double edged sword, but in the end the point of the sword is in the direction of enlightenment.

Markp

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by: markp @ Wed Dec 30, 2009 at 20:37:52 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Good answer

nicely done.

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by: mroaks @ Wed Dec 30, 2009 at 21:00:56 PM CST

[ Parent ]

re;

That last paragraph is a slight contradiction that I would like to try to correct.

The person who studies Buddhism will always move in the direction of purity, while those that are set in their own shallow understanding and are attached to their own anger and stupidity will move in a direction of impurity. This point is full of contradictions, and I'm not sure I can articulate it correctly, so I won't go any further.


Markp

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by: markp @ Wed Dec 30, 2009 at 21:07:51 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Not quite

I don't see how sitting there chanting changes your karma. If bad karma comes from slandering others, wouldn't you have to help others to change that? You say Buddhism is scientific. What's the scientific basis for saying chanting changes your karma? It doesn't make sense.

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by: Cultmember @ Thu Dec 31, 2009 at 00:20:38 AM CST

[ Parent ]

change the conditions

Change the conditions and you change the way the karma can manifest. Chanting, and even studying Buddhism changes the conditions. When people no longer have the desire to live in the lower four worlds, hell yes you have changed the conditions.

People seem to think that they are in charge of their life, but it is their subconscious that drives the decision making process. Only in this way can we be driven toward our fate. Of course this is one area of the theory that cannot be proven no matter what anyone wants, but then there is the preponderance of the evidence of the entire theory to think about. I'd give ichinen sanzen about a 50/50 split on what can be proven and what not, so maybe it becomes a great hypothesis instead. It really doesn't matter because scientists are too caught up in theism anyway.

Markp

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by: markp @ Thu Dec 31, 2009 at 16:53:16 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Conditions

It really doesn't matter because scientists are too caught up in theism anyway.

I'll give you a chance to qualify this predilection and blanketed   generality.  

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by: joeisuzu @ Thu Dec 31, 2009 at 17:15:33 PM CST

[ Parent ]

I agree

That statement was a blanket statement and can't possibly be correct about all scientists. Most are atheist I would assume because of the contradictions of theism, but how many are Buddhist?

Generally, I see our great thinkers as one of our better karmas. They come in lifetime after lifetime and benefit society greatly, but think what would be possible if they were born into a great society.

A collection of the five aggregates of self is generally called a society. Societies are not the same

A. A collection of the aggregates of self on the three roads of evil is a sinful and suffering society.
B. A collection of the aggregates of self in the realm of personality or heaven is a society that feels contentment.
C. A collection of the aggregates of self without affliction is a truly noble society.
D. A collection of the aggregates of self with kindness and compassion is a society of great saints.
E. The collection of the aggregates of self that is eternally remaining is the ultimately honored society15.

We have been stuck in society A for a long time now. How much better will our great thinkers be if born into a great society?

Markp

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by: markp @ Thu Dec 31, 2009 at 21:43:51 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Great Society Myth

We have been stuck in society A for a long time now. How much better will our great thinkers be if born into a great society?

Laughing, not ay you, but the "Great Society" myth that keeps getting promulgated by well meaning individuals, only to watch it turn into the exact opposite of what was intended by those who take advantage of it's message exactly because of the substance of the myth.  

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by: joeisuzu @ Fri Jan 01, 2010 at 09:49:07 AM CST

[ Parent ]

a great society

I'm definately not a promulgator of "The Great Society" because it isn't going to just happen in our lifetimes. T'ien-t'ai outlined the types of societies based on the type of people that lived within it. A society without affliction is basically a society made up of people that have no attachments. No amount of technology can lead us into this type of society, so the Great Society is as you say, a myth. :)

Markp

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by: markp @ Fri Jan 01, 2010 at 11:07:50 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Tedium

Interesting link, Cultmember. Glad to see you posting items.

I don't know that we need to "overcome" the tedium that can come with daily, repetitive practice. In Shambhala, they talk about working with the boredom, just like any other attitude or feeling that arises. Even boredom can somehow contribute to meditation, and it's running away from the boredom that presents a problem. Why can't we just "be" with the boredom, accept it, embrace it?

There are times when I have to make myself chant because I'm tired of it. (There are also times when I skip chanting because of my attitude - bored, tired, hopeless, etc.) But when I sit down and make myself chant with the attitude of "I'm doing this just to do it, I'm not getting anything out of it," I'm usually glad I did.

Not because anything miraculous happens as a reseult, mind you. It's because I'm just being myself in front of the Gohonzon, and it can be hard to cut through all the expectation, wishful thinking and religious programming to just be myself. So in this way, being bored with gongyo can help me just relax and not act as if doing gongyo is something special.

Several years ago, SGI changed the content of the gongyo service to make it easier, faster, not so boring. I think that was a mistake, because it wasn't all that hard to begin with, and people get bored with anything repetitious. But SGI policy basically tried to run away from the boredom, and that just can't be accomplished for long. Boredom always catches up.

Nichiren schools are not guilty of creating personally painful rituals, such as those described in the article. But there are plenty of manufactured "peak" experiences, like all-night chanting sessions, weeks of tireless preparation for the "once in a lifetime" visit of a figure like Ikeda, etc. No, no one is asked to give blood from their own tongue, but I have seen people pushed to the limit in preparing to "greet sensei" or "reply to sensei."

Anyway, thought-provoking stuff. Thanks.

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by: brooke @ Tue Dec 29, 2009 at 13:57:35 PM CST

Peak experiences

Been thinking about this topic. Noticed Barbara's Blog had some points along similar lines.

I used to get wrapped up in the manufactured peak experiences, as brooke calls them. Manufactured. Meaning it was about someone else or their agenda and not necessarily about my life.

When you drop out of all that, all that organizationally organized religious-experience stuff, you still have peak moments. I do. I bet everyone does, even if they are still buying into the organized ones.

Sometimes it is an obvious thing, like when you see how close you came to being in a terrible accident that, somehow, didn't happen. Or you see how events happened in a way that you could not have predicted, but you wished for them to turn out well. I guess that comes under the category of "answered prayers," which seems like sucha misnomer in Buddhism, considering there is no one like a God to answer our prayers.

Maybe I have changed my definition of peak experience. It used to mean Total Effort for the sake of an organization or some abstraction. Now it's Total Effort, no matter what I'm doing. It can be about a project at work, or one of my hobbies, or something involving my family. It doesn't matter what. It matters that I'm totally focused and alive, feeling that I am doing something that's important to me at the moment. I am in a flow state. I used to have a problem where I could not focus in this way, so even being able to focus is a benefit.

I attribute the benefit part to Buddhism. Learning how to zero in and chant taught me how to focus and get in a flow state. That's what I call a peak experience, and it is not dependent on organized religion.

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by: mroaks @ Wed Dec 30, 2009 at 01:44:32 AM CST