Paul Monaco .org

Most of us who are active in an organized religion from time to time experience frustration, not with the actual faith but with the day to day logistics and mindset of the organization or a particular subset of it.  I know my experience is not unique nor is it exclusive to the SGI, the Buddist orgainzation I belong to.

Lately I’ve been very discouraged with my practice.  Meetings that once expounded the wisdom of the Lutus Sutra seem to be now filled with discussions about how we can effectively introduce new members to the practice.  Sure growth is important, but when that is the primary focus it is very easy to lose sight of our primary practice. 

Now being a Buddhist, I’m all to aware of what happens when we start slipping.  Already I’m seeing the signs of karmic sewage creeping into my environment.  People close to me having difficulties, ill feelings manifesting within me and my argumentative nature trying to vocalize itself.  I can see things could easily get ugly!

So today I made the determination to refresh my faith.  First I carefully disassembled my altar and carefully put it back together cleaning and polishing it.  Then I light the candles and incense and as I chant Daimoku in front of the Gohonzon I specifically focus on this situation knowing that if I continue this destructive line of thinking I can easily lose my faith and all the amazing benefits I have received from this practice. I didn’t expect an answer to come to me so quickly, but it did.

What I must do is focus on the core of my practice and the very reasons why I embarked on this path.  The SGI is a wonderful organization that gives me ready access to resources and guidance, but it in and of itself is not Buddhism.  For me, it is the teachings of the Lotus Sutra and more specifically it’s interpretation and explanation by Nichiren Daishonin.

Now mind you, I have no intentions of leaving the SGI.  At least not yet.. but for me, my primary course of study will be the Lotus Sutra and Gosho.  Of course this study will be supplemented by my continued actions for create great cause for the future and to create value in this world for we are all Bodhisattva’s of the universe.

First, I start seeing obscure reference so peas.  One of the first is from my good friend Jason Jarrett of A Buddhist Podcast.  I don’t think much of it at first, he’s a Brit after all and well… you know how their humor can be!  You know, Monte Python, Benny Hill et. al.

Then see xpunkx from Geocaching Podcast and well.. he’s a geocacher… they take their veggies seriously and by this time I’m seeing peas in peoples avatars all over the place, so I had to investigate! 

I was a little suprised to see that it did take a little bid of effort to unravel the whole store but alas…

In her own words…

When I discovered a very thick area in my breast I called the doctor. The next day I was in her office. A half hour after that I was in the diagnostic radiologist’s.

A full afternoon and multiple stab wounds later we had a variety of samples of malignant tentacles of tissue that were on their way to the lab.

I was in a little pain - it would increase as the local anesthetic wore off - but left his office with a  soft cold pack in my bra.

Read the rest of her story at Boobs On Ice