Is Karma Fate, God’s Will Or Your Responsibility?

Poison Into MedicineSometimes in life we find ourselves in difficult or disappointing circumstances. But the laws of Karma are universal, and we get what we deserve, whether we recognise the causes or not, the effects speak for themselves.

We might feel sorry for ourselves, we may think it’s unfair, but we make the causes for the effects we experience day in, day out. Now you may be saying that it’s destiny, or coincidence, but that simply means you are delegating responsibility for your life to fate or a mystical figure whose existence can never be proven.

Why do we allow ourselves to be fooled? When we know the reason for events, we accept the situation and move on. When we don’t know (or remember) why something has happened, we waft it away with airy fairy excuses, like fate or God’s will.

I’ve been through the mill in the last year. Failed relationships, serious illness and deaths in the family. More than enough to make me feel, at times, enough is enough. But when I sit and think things through, at the bottom of every disaster, is a cause of my own making.

So I hold my hands up, I’m culpable, in part at the very least, and my chanting, prayer and meditation are the tools I am using to start to put things right. You might be thinking this doesn’t apply in your case, but you are wrong. Accept your own responsibility and start making the causes to get the effects you would like to see.

So What Is It About Mondays?

The Calm After The StormHaving had a lovely varied weekend, today has been like having a bucket of cold water thrown over me.

Of course, it’s always busier on a Monday, with the weekend issues to deal with, but today has felt like swimming in treacle.

Good job I have my practice to fall back on, turning poison into medicine and all that. Remembering back to how I used to be before Nichiren, made me feel a lot better.

The day is nearly over, and things are on a much more even keel again. Nobody got eaten by bears and hopefully all the efforts from today will pay dividends during the rest of the week. So it’s just a case of thinking happy thoughts and letting the waves of anguish lap gently against the solid foundations of calm and reason.

And just to put it all into perspective, I know from personal experience, that it is a lot better to have too much work to do, than have none at all. A little gratitude for the good things in life makes the bad things melt into their proper perspective, but it’s easy to say that now.

On Remaining Strong

The Reflected MoonSome days we are strong, some days not so strong. Remaining strong requires understanding our faith, Nichiren explains …

When water is clear, the moon is reflected. When the wind blows, the trees shake. Our minds are like the water.

Faith that is weak is like muddy water, while faith that is brave is like clear water. Understand that the trees are like principles, and the wind that shakes them is like the recitation of the sutra.

                                                   ~ Nichiren

A Pain In The Purbecks

In The SaddleFour of us set off from Wimborne this morning on a fifty mile bimble around Dorset.

Now cycling in a group is fun, we work for each other and try, where possible, to warn the others about the frequent and numerous potholes along the way.

If you ride a bike on UK roads, you’ll know how lovely it can be to find yourself on a stretch of nice smooth new tarmac. The lumps and bumps of our older repaired roads really can rattle your bones, so the new surface is a real treat.



Here’s a record of how we did today … Click Here

The Ride Of Your Life

The Ride Of Your LifeNobody ever said that life was supposed to be a bowl of cherries.

Our journey from birth to death, whichever lap we happen to be on at any one time, is a series of lows and highs, the rough and the smooth, the not-so-happy and the happy, the bad and the good.

So by assuming that even though things may be going along smoothly just now, we should prepare ourselves for the next pot hole, the unexpected hairpin or that most untimely puncture that will most certainly come along, to make that journey even more satisfying. Being prepared, as all boy scouts know, is the trick to reducing the effect that these unforeseen circumstances will have on our progress.

We have often talked about turning poison into medicine, using the difficulties in life as our way of making ourselves stronger, and seeing obstacles as challenges rather than problems. The old adage of ‘what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger’ is exactly right, if we approach these things in the right manner. Being doggedly determined not to be beaten, to meet the challenges head on and win through, come hell or high water, is a great start and a great way to move on.

Imagine how disappointed we would all be, if the latest ride at Alton Towers was a perfectly straight, perfectly level piece of track, that started slowly, trundled along at walking pace, and gradually slowed to a genteel halt five minutes later. Who in their right mind would queue for something so predictable, so comfortable, so boring? Nobody I know.

The most popular rides, the ones that have the longest queues, and the ones that we want to get back on, time after time, are the ones that scare us witless, the ones that actually make us wonder if we will live to tell the tale. And that is how life can be if we prepare ourselves for the turns, the plunges, the unexpected. The greatest books, films and life stories are all about facing almost impossible adversity, battling against the odds, getting the odd knock along the way, but coming out as the victor in the end.

So face up to the rigours of life, meet those challenges head on, stay strong, be brave and make your life the subject of the greatest story Hollywood has ever told.

Oops !!!

PoisonMy progress, through my Practice, has been pretty steady and positive for quite a while now.

So imagine my surprise when I seemed to take a step backwards yesterday. Nothing terminal, of course, and maybe it was long overdue and rather understandable.

Naturally, it’s tempting to only blog my successes, the good things, and paint a rosy picture. But that wouldn’t be a true reflection of my path.

I’m not going to go into details, those who need to know, already know, but I am going to use this challenge to strengthen my resolve, so more poison into medicine and proof that my faith is strong.

Choose Happiness

Choose HappinessIt may seem to be a strange thing to say, but our happiness, or otherwise, is actually a choice we make for ourselves. It’s basically tied to the way we view the challenges that life throws at us.

When something happens, something we would rather hadn’t happened, we have a choice to make. Do we throw our hands in the air and go into a mood of depression, or do we face the issue head on?

If we take the former route, only seeing the bad side of things, the issue will seem to get bigger and worse than it actually is. Our depression will make things even worse, and a negative spiral ensues. This is not a good route to a positive outcome, and even if we were to conquer the problem, it would take us longer and require more effort in the long run. How often have you got into a state over something, only to realise, in the fullness of time, that it really wasn’t as bad as you thought?

The other way to approach things, is to remain calm, look for the positives, and there will be some, rather than focussing on the negatives. A calm mind works better than a frantic mind. Focussing on the positives actually raises our life-state, which makes us feel more energetic and more able to do what needs to be done and meet the challenges head on.

Enlightenment has been described as a state in which we are continuously happy. Now that might sound a bit far fetched, but if we make the right choices, consciously and subconsciously, we can maintain a state of happiness.

To attain the ability to control our minds to such a degree that we make the right choices every time is no small matter, which is why the path to enlightenment is long and winding. But I know that I am further down the path each day, and the goal is worth every ounce of effort.

Problems – Look At Them This Way

Problems - Look At Them This WayIt is a well known Buddhist saying that our problems are not the real problem, it is the way we perceive them that is the problem.

Don’t have problems, have a series of challenges. Challenges are just problems that we are confident that we can overcome.

Our problems come and go, nothing lasts forever, so view them with an open mind, look on them as challenges and remember, you are turning poison into medicine.

Even places that have been shrouded in darkness for billions of years can be illuminated by a simple lit candle. Even a flint from the bottom of the deepest river can be used to produce fire.

Our present sufferings, no matter how dark, have certainly not existed for billions of years, nor will they linger forever.

The sun will definitely rise, in fact its ascent has already begun. With determination, we can all overcome our problems, so look on them as challenges and enjoy the victory when it arrives.

Meeting Challenges Head On


Overcoming Obstacles








Testing Times

Nichiren DaishoninNichiren Buddhism is not simply about blind faith in the practice.

Nichiren Daishonin teaches us to always test our practice for successful results, a little like a scientist would do the results of on of his experiments.

If the practice isn’t working, we must modify our methods, learn more about perfecting the process, or we are simply wasting precious time and effort.

There’s no point repeating the same thing, over and over. If the results are constantly unsatisfactory, or not improving over time, we must make changes in order to perfect the process. If a problem arises, we might feel like screaming and shouting, taking our anger out on those around us, or finding someone to blame.

Nobody wants problems in their life, but The Daishonin teaches us that making use of these everyday problems or challenges is a way to strengthen your mind. Like changing poison into medicine, our problems help us increase our mental strength, like a weightlifter lifting ever heavier weights in order to increase his physical strength.

Problems that aren’t addressed don’t go away, they simply grow and worsen. So if you are troubled by something, get to it head on, and turn that poison into medicine before the poison taints every aspect of your life.

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