Re: LEAVING SGI
Date: March 16, 2012 01:32PM
I am a former Nichiren Buddhist/SGI member, and I actually created my own mantra as it was obvious that it was merely the ACT of chanting, the FOCUS during chanting, the BELIEFS about what the person is chanting and expecting, the BELIEFS about the Gohonzon, what they were told to EXPECT by the practice, etc. They might as well had a picture of Mickey Mouse up there, I didn't really think it would have mattered. So I tried a mantra that I wrote...Nam-why-logo when I was going through an Ahteist phase a while back(although I changed it to Namahlooga as I consider myself a Deist now and this mantra has NO dogma attached to it whatsoever and it means NOTHING although I kept the simultaneouty of cause and effect, mutual possession of the ten worlds, 3000 realms in a single moment of life, and Karma) and I downloaded a colorful mandala that I feel good when I look at it-and it represents the law of cause and effect/God, had it laminated, and enshrined it in my Butsudan. I chant for things and behavior modifications/freedom from attachments just like I did in SGI and it seems to work better(as I don't have all the drama to deal with). I don't have the Dogma from the Gosho to deal with that SGI members always ignored and swept under the rug. Saying that the kind of Shakabuku that Nichiren did is not for today and not for outside of Japan, CONTRADICTS the Gosho. It is one of those points I will NOT debate with Nichiren Buddhists because I know what I read and I know what bothered me, and I know when I heard cop outs and rationalizations that sounded as hollow as people explaining away contradictions in the Bible. If you want to still chant, just create your own mantra, pick a generic mandala or picture(like of the beach, mountains, or ocean and it is important because as you focus on that it WILL affect your life), it works.