HBS BUDDHISM AUSTRALIA

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 This topic is very prudent. With busy working lives and so much on offer in terms of online entertainment, it is extremely easy to postpone any chanting. To many people, even 10 minutes per day is a challenge - the excuses of too busy start flooding the mind. Most people spend more than 10 minutes on their phone looking at rubbish, however. I recently read a book by James Clear, titled "Atomic Habits." I thought many of the common sense, practical suggestions in this book could be applied to daily chanting.  Habits (in this case daily chanting) become automatic if you can: a/ make it obvious - set up your environment to trigger cues to remind you.  b/ make it attractive - if you can achieve your goal of 10 minutes every day for 6 months - give yourself a reward. Of course, chanting should be reward enough, but if a nice bottle of red wine helps then why not! c/ make it easy - start with just 2 minutes of chanting every day until the habit is formed and then inc...

This is one of the first questions a Christian or Muslim might have. The short answer to this question is yes and no. Although this sounds evasive, the answer is yes HBS does believe in Heaven (Nirvana) and Hell (Naraka). But no, they are not places a soul reaches upon death. Rather than being a destination, HBS along with most other traditions, view heaven, and hell as a place we can be in right now. They are "states of being" that we experience in our lives right now rather than a permanent location.  HBS believes there are ten possible states of being and heaven and hell are just two of them. Hell is on a spectrum from a sense of anger or frustration at the mild end to complete misery at the other end. Just as heaven could be temporary pleasure in a doing something you enjoy to the more long-lasting love you feel with a happy family. Our life floats up and down, in and out of each of these realms.  But what about upon death? Similar to what a Christian might believ...

Okosui is the term given to water given to the alter in preparation for chanting. Likewise, rice is usually given but the water holds a special significance. Offering water to Buddha or the Gohonzon is symbolic of purity of ritual and giving respect. This is all part of the daily cleaning of the alter - dusting, giving water and flowers. The daily attention given to cleaning is just as important as the practice of chanting itself. The alter cannot be pure or show due respect without it. HBS looks at a dusty Butsudan (alter) as deeply disrespectful and sign of a lazy person, who is most likely not practicing the fine dharma. The Gohonzon is not to be treated as a good luck charm. Although initially this can feel like a burden just like any other domestic chore, one can find merit in the activity itself as an act of service or giving. In reality, it only takes ten minutes a day and is a good preparation for the chanting of the Odaimoku.  What are the merits bestowed by Okosui? W...

  What is the "Gohonzon?" The Gohonzon is a scroll with calligraphy in Japanese 'kanji' characters stating: "Namu Myo Horenge Kyo" (homage to the lotus sutra). When the Gohonzon is used for praying and chanting, this process is called "odaimoku". The Gohonzon is always inked by hand by the head priest of a temple and presented to a member of HBS inside a frame and placed inside their "daibutsu" (alter). This becomes the focal point of the daibutsu; when praying/chanting, the practitioner looks at the Gohonzon, chanting to make a connection with the Buddha inside of us, the Shakyamuni Buddha and our ancestors. The Gohonzon is like a portal to universe. The Shakyamuni Buddha is the figure most associate with the dissemination of Buddhism and often referred to as the Buddha. In fact, he is only one of many Buddha's. His original name was Siddhartha Gautama; he was responsible for writing the lotus sutra 2,500 years ago - the sutra ...

  "Tamashii" means soul or spirit for both people and inanimate objects. This is a cross-over from the native Japanese religion of Shintoism to Buddhism. This spirit world is often recognised in holidays and festivals in Japan, such as the "obon" festival where people return to their hometowns to welcome the souls of deceased ancestors. The spirit world in Japan has a long history with many and varied beliefs. The big difference between Japanese and Western cultures, is the tradition of seeing objects as having a soul or spirit. This is called "animism." There is a traditional appreciation that all things are derived from nature and by attaching a soul to the object, it shows a sense of gratitude to nature. Respecting and caring for objects out of respect for the "gods" that exist in that object. This is not necessarily present in modern day capitalist Japan, but it was certainly prevalent in traditional Edo Japan. How does this relate to HBS...

In HBS, we believe our deeds and words sow the seeds of karmic destiny. Our positive actions and thoughts lead to  good fortune, and likewise, negative actions and grudges  sow harmful seeds, which can manifest as suffering or misfortune. M indfulness and ethical behavior   are essential to cultivating a positive destiny. What is 'Arayashiki'?  This is a Japanese term derived from the original sanskrit Alayavijnana . It means a 'storehouse of consciousness.' In HBS, it is the 8th level of consciousness and is considered the deepest and most complex one. What are the levels of consciousness? 1. Visual consciousness (gen-shiki) 2. Auditory consciousness (ni-shiki) 3. Olfactory consciousness (bi-shiki) 4. Gustatory consciousness (zetsu-shiki) 5. Tactile consciousness (shin-shiki) 6. Thought consciousness (i-shiki) 7. Ego consciousness (mana-shiki) 8. "Storehouse" consciousness (araya-shiki) The first five are what we would consider to be 'the 5-senses' - ...

  お知らせとお叱り   Signs and Punishment 　　 妙深寺報 2010 年 4 ・ 5 月号巻頭言　 Myoshinji-Ho   April-May, 2010 By Seijun Nagamatsu, Head Priest of Myoshinji   (translated by Keiichi Yamazaki)   　   Immediately after starting to practice this faith of HBS, various signs begin to appear before us. This is because our Buddhism is true Buddhism.   It is because the Lord Buddha and Bodhisattva Nichiren are ‘alive’. It is because our faith in eternal Dharma is correct. Then we come to realize that all the happenings before our eyes are not incidental events but rather inevitable occurrences.   Think of the timing of our seeing and hearing things, encountering people and receiving phone calls and emails.   Faithful of HBS should know that nothing of these is accidental; everything is consequential. 　 In the recent years, more and more religious groups have come to resort to various techniques for making people believe so, I am afraid, considering the “spiri...

Annica (impermanence) is said to be the biggest contributor to Dukkha (sufferings). When we fail to realise that change is inevitable, that we are ever changing both physically and mentally. When we understand all things are in a state flux then we begin to understand our true nature and break the cycle of Samsara (rebirth) and enter the realms of Nirvana (enlightened state). The Buddha talked about the 5 remembrances. They are: 1/ I will grow old. I cannot escape this. 2/ I will have ill health at some stage in my life. I cannot escape this. 3/ I will die. I cannot escape this. 4/ All those whom I love will change. I cannot escape this. 5/ My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. If we can remember these basic life lessons then we realise we are impermanent, incomplete and imperfect. We can then break free from holding onto a false sense of "self." Therefore, the concept of Anicca is closely tied with not only Dukkha but also An...

 Although schools of Buddhism can differ quite radically, there are some foundational concepts that all schools of thought must adhere to. These are part of the Shakyamuni Buddha's direct teachings: THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS 1. Suffering exists 2. Suffering arises from attachment to desires 3. Suffering ceases when attachment to desire ceases 4. Freedom from suffering is possible by practicing the Eightfold Path. *Suffering can  mean anything from mild (for example work stress) through to major (death of a loved one) THE EIGHTFOLD PATH (following the Eightfold Path will alleviate "suffering." 1. Right view 2. Right thought 3. Right speech 4. Right action 5. Right livelihood 6. Right effort 7. Right mindfulness 8. Right contemplation *Note these are all things we are mindful of and need to change within OURSELVES. This is not a judgemental view of others. The Eightfold Path is guided by "Panna" (wisdom), Sila (morality), Samadhi (meditation or chanting). What hinders...

 Particularly in Western countries we have some fairly strong stereotypes as to what Buddhism is about. Here are some of them: 1/ Buddha is a god. 2/ Buddhists don't eat meat or drink alcohol - they are pretty much vegan 3/ Buddhists just meditate 4/ Buddhists are submissive and never get angry 5/ Buddhism is not a religion - it is a philosophy 6/ Buddhists just focus on suffering  7/ To be a real Buddhist you need to become a monk or nun 8/ Buddhists believe in reincarnation In actual fact, all of the the above statements are either completely untrue or mostly false.  Buddhists revere the Buddha but we do not view him as a God but merely a master who found the answers and who we have faith in. The faith is more as a teacher not as an entity who will control our fate or destiny.  Buddhists do eat meat and drink alcohol and even smoke but this can depend heavily on the tradition. Some of the Southern traditions such as Theravada tend to be vegetarian and abstain from ...