Buddhism in the 21st Century – Purify Your Mind and Soul

I am often asked if Buddhism is a religion or a philosophy. The answer is that it is either and both. Yes, there is most definitely a religious practice associated with all forms of Buddhism. And, in the 21st century, in this time of social unrest when there seems to be a war raging between the concepts of love and hate, the philosophy of SGI Nichiren Buddhism may be a bright light that shines upon our current civilization to bring joy, peace, and trust back into our everyday lives.

Harmonious Heart Counseling

Harmonious Heart Counseling is offering an 8-week workshop explaining the philosophy of this enlightened Buddhism if you want to know more. For now, let me briefly explain a few of the major tenets that could be useful in everyday life.

In SGI Nichiren Buddhism, there is no God or Buddha to whom one can look to for comfort, reward, assistance, punishment, or blame. The Buddha, or Buddha nature, enlightened self, Holy Spirit, True Self is already with you.  SGI Nichiren Buddhism is a philosophy that encourages you to bring out this Enlightened Self into your everyday life and interactions with others. And, most importantly provides practical ways to do that.

Another major tenet rests on the belief in the dignity of all life. In SGI Nichiren Buddhism, men are not superior to women; one race or religion is not better than another; one gender orientation is not a cut above another; nor are two legged of a higher quality than 4 legged, winged, gilled, or rooted. What would the world look like, if all beings were seen as equally wonderful in their beauty and uniqueness?

One cannot talk about Buddhism without talking about Karma. It seems in my interactions with others, many people believe karma is some static “pay back” for wrong deeds: a way for the universe to punish you for being bad. In SGI Nichiren Buddhism, karma is the resulting sum of the causes you have made be they thoughts, words, or deeds. Since no one is always bad all the time, there are some wonderful causes each of us have made and those causes bring beauty into our life. Knowing this, we can be more conscious of the causes we make throughout the day and act, think, and say things that are more beautiful, more peaceful, more compassionate and kinder knowing that the effects of these causes will manifest in our lives.

The last concept I will bring forth is that of “Three Thousand Possible Realms of Existence in a Single Moment.” While this concept is far too complex for a single writing, the first basic component is that of the Ten Worlds or Life States that a being can manifest in any given moment. This concept of the Ten Life States is a way to help people live more humane lives. It can help them understand what condition or state of the self is most prominent when a person is in pain and yearning, causing wars or destruction of the environment, as well as when working for peace and friendship.

Let us begin with the lowest life state and work our way forward. The World of Hell is a life state in which a person feels powerless and helpless to influence their own life or environment. This is a life state marked by great suffering.

The World of Hunger is a continual state of yearning where nothing ever seems enough, be it money, love, power, influence, possessions, or position. This is the vast experience of greed.

The World of Animality is a life state where a person fears the strong and threatens the weak. When in this life state, a person’s acts are based on instinct or impulse, and is unable to use rational logic to make decisions or assess a course of action.

The World of Anger is a life state dominated by ego and arrogance. A person in this life state can often hide their feelings of inferiority and jealousy seeming to be benevolent or deferential. This conflict between outward appearance or behavior and inner feelings makes those in the world of anger prone to hypocrisy and betrayal.

The World of Humanity is a condition of calm and composure. In this life state, people are able to move beyond basic instincts and have the quality of reasoning that enables them to distinguish right from wrong; moral from immoral, and to make judgments based on that distinction.

The sixth world is that of Heavenly Beings. In this sense, the life state of human beings is that of joy. This is a condition when desires are satisfied and the person feels happy, festive; maybe even in a state of rapture. The reason why this is only the sixth life state is because this type of joy is based on events or situations in the environment – outside of the person, and thus, by definition, cannot last.

When people experience a partial awakening through reading an inspirational book or listening to an influential speaker, they are said to be in the World of Learning. The World of Realization is when a person has an awakened epiphany; an inner sense of knowing through observing the world around them. People in this life state are able to view themselves and the world objectively. While these life states bring people closer to understanding the truth of life and themselves, allowing the basic comprehension about impermanence of all phenomenon, they are still attached to a self-as-center view of the world.

The World of Bodhisattvas is experienced by those who strive to help others gain a higher life state. These are people who exert themselves relentlessly striving to gain enlightenment themselves, while at the same time, helping to relieve the suffering of others. They have awakened to the truth that one cannot achieve an enlightened state when others around them are still struggling in lower life states.

Buddhahood which is thought of as the supreme state of life, like the other nine worlds, is not a static state. One does not achieve Buddhahood, gain magical powers and forever remain in this enlightened state. When people are able to manifest their Buddhahood, enlightened state, their True Self, they are able to see the world and others with clarity and purity. They are able to have the wisdom, courage, and compassion to move through the world helping others gain awareness to awaken to their own enlightened life.

All of these life states are experienced by each of us in everyday life. By having the awareness of what you are feeling and how you are acting in any given moment, you may be able to understand the life state you are experiencing. With awareness comes learning. As you learn which state of life you are experiencing, you can begin to change that life state to one of compassion, courage, and kindness thus making better causes for your life. Gaining the understanding that you have the power to influence your life – to create a life that has meaning to you – is a wonderful first step in helping everyone around you, and co-creating a world of peace and caring.

If you want to learn more, contact:

Dr. Jesse Morgaina, PsyD

harmiousheartcounseling@gmail.com

970.222.9666

Or visit our website at www.harmonousheartcounseling.com and sign up for the 8 session Workshop “Buddhism in the 21st Century” beginning May 13, 2017: the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month from 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.