MahaBlack

Humanist. Writer. Creative. #GuysLikeUs #NMRK #Nichiren #Seeker

[maureen2musings]

Magical Madeira, Portugal

michaelkagerer

[wanderthewood]

 by Sylvester Atn Supertramp

[philotheoristic]

Morning at Roosevelt Lake... somewhere Northeast of Phoenix in the Tonto National Forest

[dk-thrive]

Tree 3x. 6:25, 6:46 & 7:21 am. 49° F. October 26, 2024. Cove Island Park. Stamford, CT (@dkct25)

[quotemadness]

“But maybe being brave didn’t mean being unafraid.”

— Leigh Bardugo

[thepersonalquotes]

[philosophybits]

“Fame or self: which matters more? Self or wealth: which is more precious? Gain or loss: which is more painful? He who is attached to things will suffer much.”

— Laozi, Daodejing, Feng & English tr. (Ch 44)

[simply-buddhism]

[mahablack]

[mahablack]

[signorcasaubon-deactivated20171]

Detail of an estandarte, or processional banner, for Our Lady of Guadalupe; design and execution by Vincent Canlas of Nuevo Siglo

[mahablack]

I thought of you when I read this quote from "Male Supremacy in the Catholic Church: An Insider's View" by Roy Bourgeois -

"“Our greatest enemy in life is ignorance. Our weapon must be wisdom.”"

Start reading this book for free: https://a.co/gvS9PUK

Male Supremacy in the Catholic Church: An Insider's View

Quote shared via Kindle: "“Our greatest enemy in life is ignorance. Our weapon must be wisdom.”"

[redsamuraiii]

How Buddhism Influenced Japan

I see Buddhism as less of a religion and more of a philosophy, as it doesn’t tell you what you can do and what you can’t do in order to avoid getting burn in the fires of hell but teaches you how to go to navigate through hell on Earth.

As for Shintoism, I see it as a way to respect all living things, which is why they believe that even a tree has a spirit that dwells within it. The idea is for us to respect it just as we would with a human being and not treat it as an object.

And it’s rare to see two “religions” joined together which what makes Buddhism unique in Japan as it has some elements of Shintoism. The two were originally fused thanks to the efforts of Emperor Shomu in the ancient capital of Nara.

You can read about it here. 

[redsamuraiii]

Nichiren and The Great Mongol Invasion / Nichiren to Mōko Daishūrai (1958)

Few years before the Mongol Invasion, Japan is going through a political and religious turmoil, coupled with never ending natural disasters, which divided the peasants and the warrior class further. A monk named, Nichiren, arrives in Kamakura, hoping to help and unify the people, both peasants and samurai alike under the banner of the Buddha. 

He preaches the ideals of Lotus Sutra, while criticizing the various sects of Buddhism for their failures in helping those in need when the nation is struck by several calamities and citing the failures of the greedy Shogunate for its inability in unifying the country. He warned that such a path will lead to the destruction of the country by foreign invaders.

The corrupted monks and power hungry samurai sees his presence as a political threat that could destabilize the country and upset the balance of power that exists among the Buddhist sects and samurai clans. As Nichiren gains more followers from both peasants and samurai alike, who wants equality and justice, the Shogun ordered the arrest of Nichiren.

[zenthropology-deactivated202508]

I went to my local Nichiren Shu temple for the first time and I think I’ve found my sangha 🙏

[simply-buddhism]

[simply-buddhism]

Green Tara