CDI discusses Buddhism

By: Ashley Fuquay

Posted: 10/18/07

Tuesday, Oct. 16, the Center for Diversity Initiatives hosted Exploring Religions: Buddhism ,and asked members of Soka Gakkai International (SGI) to speak about their sect of Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism, which focuses on the Lotus Sutra.

The Lotus Sutra is unique from other older Buddhist beliefs because it states that a person can attain enlightenment in this life time with no discrimination of race, gender, social class or education.

"He [Daishonin] is actually a Japanese priest from the thirteenth century. When he was twelve he determined that he wanted to become the wisest person in Japan and so he actually goes into a monastery and starts researching Siddhartha Gautama teachings which is the original Buddha's teachings and when he is researching that, he actually by the age of 33 realizes that the highest teaching of Siddhartha Gautama was actually the Lotus Sutra, which is the last sutra that he wrote when he was 72 years old," said Michael Price, SGI Member.

Basic Buddhist beliefs include Karma, rebirth, peace, and self-revolution.

Karma is the belief of a mystic law of cause and effect in the universe. Through thoughts and actions, the things an individual does effects what will happen to that individual later on, if not in this life, then in the next.

Rebirth is the belief that death is a part of life and our essence just continually cycles through life and death. The actions and thoughts one has in this life will affect what sort of environment the individual will be born into the next rebirth.

Buddhism has the base belief that everyone has the capacity to achieve happiness. Daishonin Buddhism has an ongoing goal to contribute an establishment of a peaceful world where all achieve inner peace or happiness.

The practice of Buddhism is all about self-revolution. In Buddhism one does not pray or chant to an outside deity but to his or her own inner self.

"Buddhism is not really worshiping anything outside yourself but rather inside yourself. When you are chanting to the Gohonzon you are not actually chanting to something external," Price said. "People always try to look outside themselves for an answer, rather than inside, so when you are chanting, you actually try to find the courage and attain the Buddhahood stage to overcome your problems."

The Gohonzon means "object of devotion." It is a small scroll in a practitioner's house with ancient Chinese Sanskrit characters telling about "nam-myoho-rengo-kyo" and the 10 worlds, or states of being.

The word Buddha actually means "awakened one" or the highest state of life one can achieve. We each have infinite potential and if we tap into this infinite potential one can achieve his or her desires.

In Daishonin Buddhism "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" is ancient Sanskrit that translates to "devotion to the mystic law of the universe". It is the ultimate law of the true entity of life.

"Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is not only the core of the Buddha's lifetime teachings, but also the heart, essence, and ultimate principle of the Lotus Sutra," Nichiren Daishonin wrote in "The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin" during the thirteenth century.

SGI has members practicing in 190 countries and has more than 12 million members worldwide. The group believes in building a better world through the development of peace, culture, and education.

For more information about SGI or Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism visit www.sgi-usa.org.