Strangely Perfect

What Does That Title Mean! A. Those who practice Buddhism do so without any expectation of grace or favour.  They do it for two reasons: To Improve their own life and continuing existence To improve other’s lives and future existences You don’t have to believe that they do this – after all, it could all [...]

The fundamental spirit of Buddhism is that all people are equal. A person is not great simply because of his or her social standing, fame, academic background or position in the organization. In the world of faith, the truly great are those who spread the Mystic Law and strive for kosen-rufu, who actively work for [...]

Introduction Some time ago I tried out Flickr, ultimately deciding to host my own pictures on-site.  I don’t the idea of someone having MY picture resource at THEIR beck and call… Whatever.  FlickrHQ sent me an email today (from “The Flickreenos” by gad!) introducing me to something they call, People in Photos. As they say, [...]

The Hell of Incessant Suffering and the Land of Tranquil Light Note: This was originally published here http://buddhastate.co.uk/blog/?p=30 on Sunday, September 24th, 2006 at 4:28 pm and filed under Buddhism..  The link has been dead for quite some time, looks unlikely to re-appear,  so I’m showing the words here as they are so wonderful because [...]

I woke up this morning ……and read two small passages, both written by Buddhists, one of which quotes one of “The Buddha’s” last works, the Lotus Sutra. What struck me, was that sometimes, this Buddhism that I do can get a bit confusing, and then suddenly – suddenly someone says something that brings everything right [...]

Coroner and Law I’m often struck when reading the papers or news, to see the coroner’s verdict on someone’s death as: Ending his own life while the balance of his mind was disturbed Well they have to say something, it’s their job, but the phrase is very peculiar. Take this couple, the Milners, who were [...]

Our existence in this world can be likened to a dream. The issue of the greatest importance and eternal relevance is how we face death, the inescapable destiny of all living beings. For in the face of death, external factors such as social status or position in the organization count for naught.  Everything depends on [...]

Some may recognise this post’s title – it’s the opening line from David Bowie’s ‘Quicksand’ and refers to Alistair Crowley‘s OTO-like organisation.  Personally, I like the tune and it always comes to mind on mornings like today when the sky was like the photosphere of the Sun, absolutely flawless in it’s colour transitions.  The pictures [...]

Exploring the Simultaneous Nature of Cause & Effect Star Trek: The Next Generation: Finale, Episode – “All Good Things…” I’ve just watched the double episode finale to the TNG Picard series just after the cyclists finished their ascent of Mont Ventoux in this years Tour de France.  It was “All Good Things…”(see link, link & [...]

Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl, aged 23, of Ketchum, Idaho, is a member of the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, from Fort Richardson, Alaska.  He was captured in circumstances that aren’t clear and has appeared in a Taliban video (prev at http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-afghan-soldier20-2009jul20,0,4913063.story), seen world-wide. So far, it appears [...]

Belle and Sebastien (Belle et Sebastien) This is the signature tune of a French show which appeared on UK TV in the late 60s.  For some interconnected reason, I stumbled on it and realised that I still whistle it now and again when it pops in my head.  I have to whistle it as there’s [...]

Freedom and the Law In stark contrast to the US which still insists on draconian measures against people thought to be bad (the lowest of the low Rumsfeld called them), the UK has had a landmark ruling for common sense in a democratic, freedom-loving country. Nine Law Lords have unanimously ruled it was unfair for [...]

Let’s make one thing clear; I like this tune. I bought it after one ‘part’ hearing from memory when it was released. As it turned out, it’s the only track on the ‘influential’ LP ‘Angel Dust’ that I actually did like… It popped in my head today so I’ve fished out this video from YouTube. [...]

FYI: Two Things About Nichiren One: While fishing around back-links to this website, I came across two pages on the BBC website that explain Nichiren’s Buddhism and the Soka Gakkai International (SGI) quite well.  Go for it Robert!! http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/subdivisions/nichiren_1.shtml http://www.bbc.co.uk/berkshire/content/articles/2005/03/17/sgi_uk_feature.shtml Two: I’ve just seen this ridiculous rat with a Nichiren t-Shirt on the Amazon website. [...]