Let me state right off the bat that I am not a practicing Buddhist. I know a little bit about Buddhism, having studied at the All Faiths Seminary International in New York City.
As the school’s name directly states, it is an All Faiths educational institution that educates and trains people to become ordained Interfaith ministers.
The thing I love about this approach to religion is that it pre-supposes that all religions have at their heart, at their root, a Universal Truth, and a universal goal. As such, I personally take my spirituality from a smorgasbord of spiritual paths including metaphysical Christianity, Taoism, the I Ching, A Course in Miracles, 12-Step Recovery – all enhanced and enfolded within the loving and gentle mantle of the Transcendentalist and New Thought sensibilities.
I believe that the core of each religions’ Universal Truth (no matter how far off the mark the fallible people, the religious “leaders” have taken their spirituality) is this:
There is a Force that stand below, above and around the physical world – which is the metaphysical world. And that this Force is good and wants nothing but good for each person individually and for all of humankind. It is both intensely intimate and personal as well as Universal.
The good that this Force desires for us is also beyond the physical and is made up of things such as peace, love, joy, freedom, and safety, and many more gifts of the spirit.
The universal goal at the heart of each spiritual path is a desire to bring every being to a place where peace and plenty exist in abundance and for all eternity. Each religion at its purest, wants to elevate – to uplift – us all to the highest level possible.
Call it heaven, nirvana, Valhalla, paradise, Jannah, samahdi, the “Happy Hunting Ground” or whatever. Although many envision heaven as a place, the deepest and clearest understanding among those whose spirituality is simplest and authentic is that the concept of heaven is a state of mind.
Heaven is not a place we go when we die. It is a way of seeing, of thinking, of believing and living that is here, now.
When asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied,
The kingdom of God will not come with observable signs. Nor will people say, ‘Look, here it is,’ or ‘There it is.’ For you see, the kingdom of God is in your midst.
Luke 17:20-21
Some translations say heaven is, “In your hearts.” or “Surrounding you.”
This statement was in response to the Pharisee asking when heaven would come. They were expecting, in their set and solidified spirituality, to be told that it would come with pomp and grandeur, trumpets and earthquakes – perhaps with they themselves leading the parade into the Pearly Gates.
Instead, Jesus tells them that heaven is already here. That it has come, quietly, sneakily even, stealing into their midst right under their very noses, and they never knew! They never saw it coming.
For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night.
1 Thessalonians 5:2
There will be no spectacle or splendor. Just like in Christianity, the “savior” comes as a humble baby in an animal stall, the arrival of perfect peace is a personal event of sublime power and quiet resolution. The Christ Mind (Krishna Consciousness, becoming the Buddha) is that state of perfect peace that The Buddha described as “the surface of a lake on a windless day.”
So, while not a practicing Buddhist, I often get into a groove where I find chanting the Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō to be very peaceful, powerful, satisfying and enlivening.
I learned this chant from my dear friend Maylin, musician, singer/songwriter, filmmaker, shaman and ardent student of Buddhism.
Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō are Japanese words chanted over and over. In English, they mean "Devotion to the Mystic Law of the Lotus Sutra" or "Glory to the Dharma of the Lotus Sutra".
According to sources, this chant was first delivered by the Japanese Buddhist priest Nichiren in 1253 atop Mount Kiyosumi in Japan.
The lotus grows out of the muck and dirt of a pond, but it unfolds into a flower of a thousand petals. In both Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism, the lotus is a sacred flower representing the path to spiritual awakening and enlightenment.
In Christianity, the lotus flower is often associated with the apostle Thomas and his coming to India, and is mentioned in the bible. In South Asian Ismaili literature, the lotus is compared to the pure soul; the lotus has delicate white petals, which remain pure and beautiful, despite its murky environment.
The purpose of prolonged chanting is to reduce suffering by eradicating negative karma with the goal of attaining perfect and complete awakening.
Chanting, along with meditation, clears the mind, stops the “wind” of our human thinking from blowing, causing ripples (and monstrous waves) on the surface of our spirit, of our being.
The very intention of the meditation or chanting to achieve a quiet spirit can serve to focus our minds and bring intention and attention to the idea of heaven, to the goal of perfect peace.
Freedom from a restless spirit leads to the joy of serenity.
The world is still out there and seems to be unchanged. But we are still inwardly, and we are changed.
And (as I’ve come back to this theme repeatedly)…. When we change our perspective, the outer world changes to meet our new way of seeing and believing, thinking and perceiving.
Namaste (I bow to the light within you)
Johnny
I am available to do amazing I Ching readings and dream interpretation. I offer individual and group Prosperity Now! sessions and general life-coaching.
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