Prayer for Love and Mercy

Well, maybe the current situation of Buddhism is that there are too many Buddhist scriptures, and various sects have been born and it is difficult to control them, but I think that the basis of Buddha's teachings is still the original Buddhist scriptures (Agama sutras). I was originally saved by Shinran, so I think of myself as a "Jodo Shinshu sect". Despite that, why do I dare to push the "original Buddhist scriptures" (Agama sutras) here? Because I have to go back to the topic of money here. In modern society, or rather since ancient times before Christ, humans have been obsessed with, addicted to, and controlled by the "money" they created themselves, and as a result, they have become increasingly unhappy. God, Buddha, could not bear to see us like that, showed us the path to happiness that we should really follow. So I guess that at that time, full-scale religions arose simultaneously all over the world, and the teachings to regain control over ...

 I was troubled by the sheer number of Buddhist scriptures, but now I think they were all expressions of the Buddha's compassion. They are all organically connected, and I think that it would be a disregard of the Buddha's compassion to say which is higher and which is lower, or to take which and discard which. The image is that the entire Buddhist scriptures form one whole body, and each scripture is like a part of that body. Or perhaps it's like the process of the Buddha's answer to the ultimate problem of "saving everyone." For example, the Lotus Sutra suddenly gives the answer that "everyone will become a Buddha," but if you read the Lotus Sutra as it is, your honest impression is that you don't really know what to do to achieve that. I think that this is the ultimate answer to the ultimate problem, and the process of answering that leads to this has continued from the original Buddhist scriptures to the Lotus Sutra. First, the historical Bud...

 Since the Mahayana Buddhist scriptures were established after the death of Buddha, are they false sutras? It is true that the Buddha, as a historical entity, did not preach them. So who preached them? It was the usual "guided by love and compassion." Someone. Oh, love is God. And Buddha is compassion. So in Buddhism it was "guided by compassion." The Mahayana Buddhist scriptures were preached after the death of Buddha "guided by compassion," but Buddha is compassion, so it was Buddha who preached them. The original Buddhist scriptures show the way to enlightenment, and to get there you have to become a monk and practice. Then you finally attain enlightenment and become a Buddha. However, that is not the end. Once you become a Buddha, it is impossible to look at people who cannot become a monk or practice, and therefore cannot become a Buddha, and do nothing. Inevitably, they return to this world to save those who cannot be saved. They have no choice but t...

Well, I'd like to talk about how I first got involved with religion. I'm sure I'll go off on a tangent again soon, but I'll deal with that when the time comes. Anyway. I was born in Japan, so Buddhism is the most familiar religious soil to me. So I started with Buddhism. Well, it was a natural progression. I went to a Jesuit school for middle and high school. Priests and teachers were there. Apparently there was a Bible study group every Friday, but I never attended one. Looking back, I wonder why I went to that school. It's the end of the road. The treasure was right in front of me, but I couldn't see it at all. You can't see true treasure unless your spiritual eyes are opened. It's not smart to get into a good university by taking an entrance exam. If you can't see the treasure even though it's right in front of you, you're just an idiot. It's embarrassing. So anyway, I started with Buddhism. Not Christianity, which I thought I had a co...

If I continue talking about money, it will become all about politics and economics, and it will no longer be a prayer blog, so I would like to return to the main topic of religion. However, human beings cannot be happy by prayer alone. We must be involved in reality. And reality is money, above all. What cash! I will definitely come back to this topic later. To take back sovereignty from money and into the hands of humans. By the way, I said that you cannot be happy by praying alone, but I don't really think so. I will take back what I said before, "People can be happy just by praying" In fact, this is my true feeling. The reason is that if you pray, God, that is, Buddha, will always listen. And he will tell you what to do and guide you. If you pray, he will always answer you. And after that, you just have to proceed as usual led by love and mercy. So, last time I said that God, Buddha, had pity on us and sent down the true religion to all parts of the world, and this is ...

So when did humanity start to become addicted to money? Well, here is what Socrates said. "Aren't you ashamed that you only think about increasing your own money?" Already in the 5th century BC, Greek philosophers were astonished. I have seen almost the same words in Buddhist scriptures. In other words, people all over the world were already addicted to money by this time. There was no need to wait for modern capitalism. And this period roughly coincides with the emergence of advanced philosophy and religion in the world. Greek philosophy in Europe, Buddhism and Jainism in India, and the Hundred Schools of Thought in China. Then Judaism, Christianity, and Islam followed. (However, it may not be true that the establishment of Judaism was triggered by humanity becoming addicted to money.) Unable to bear to watch humanity become obsessed with the money they themselves created, become slaves to it, worship it, become addicted to it, and become unhappy, the merciful God, the B...

When did humanity become dominated by money? You might first think of modern capitalism. You say capitalism, but what is capital? It's money, right? Isn't it "moneyism"? People often say that capitalism is an ideology that is opposed to socialism, but which is more important, money or society? It's society, of course! But don't some country's leaders use the word "socialism" as if it were a synonym for evil? They say, "X is socialism. (And that's why it's no good)." Of course they say that because they are super rich, that is, they are the poster children of money. And the people around them are also super rich (with personal assets of hundreds of billions of dollars! Completely incomprehensible), so there's no stopping them. What was meant to be "a government of the people, by the people, for the people" (Lincoln) has become "a government of MONEY, by MONEY, for MONEY" (a certain leader) Is this really o...

In the last two posts, I finally revealed that I am an online game addict. I am certainly an online game addict (though I've temporarily regained my sanity), but isn't humanity addicted too? "Money addict" or "Money wreck" In fact, writing about this is one of the aims of this site, but the time has come sooner than expected. Humans pride themselves on being the most intelligent creatures on Earth, but then why aren't we all happy? Why does so much unhappiness still exist, forever? It's so strange. Don't you think so? Isn't it strange? If we had advanced intelligence, language, and science and technology, it would be no surprise if everyone was happy by now and this world became a paradise. Heaven's nowhere near us! If academics and science and technology are developing at an accelerating rate, then the happiness of humanity should also increase at an accelerating rate in proportion to that, but that's not happening at all. I think it...

Last time, I exposed my shameful side again, and I regret it. The more I write, the more I'll reveal myself... Even if I try to act like a saint just because it's a religious blog, my true colors will come off anyway. It's pointless because God and Buddha know everything anyway. Well, I guess I'll just have to be myself. By the way, everyone is so shiny on social media and blogs. Some people may feel inferior when they see that, but I've recently come to think that there's no need for that. I have a friend who is so shiny on social media, but when I met him at a class reunion after a long time, he would quietly confess his troubles to me. They were quite serious, and I thought, "Oh, really? He can't write about that" (even I can't here).  Even if they look shiny on social media, they may actually have deep troubles. With work, with family, and so on. If they keep posting, they eventually can't hide it anymore, and they come out as if they...

Talking about evil has led me to the topic of addiction, so I guess it's time to talk about myself. Whether it's drugs, gambling, womanizing, being addicted to hosts, cigarettes (nicotine), or alcohol, once you get addicted you can't quit. I understand that feeling very well. Because I'm one of those addicts. What addiction am I addicted to? Online game addiction I don't think the game itself is evil because it doesn't provide profits to criminal organizations, but once you get addicted you throw your life away. It was fun. Controlling the Japanese Navy destroyers Shimakaze, Kagero, and Fubuki and sinking enemy battleships and aircraft carrier players one by one with my proud oxygen torpedoes, I felt relieved and proud. But it seems I went a little too far. Before I knew it, I had become a net game addict. And my wife and children lost patience with me. I got punished. I got punished for my retreat. It's divine punishment. So, I was feeling horny and wanted ...

Evil is destined to be destroyed, so why are criminal organizations still rampant? It is because they are sometimes in a "collusion" with us. The sources of funding for criminal organizations are drugs, illegal gambling, prostitution, etc., but unfortunately, there is a demand among us citizens to use these things. If you use drugs, gamble illegally, or engage in prostitution (buying sex), the customer will also be punished. The supply side is the criminal organization and the demand side is the citizen, so a complicity relationship is formed. When this happens, it becomes difficult to eradicate them. The reason drugs, gambling, and prostitution are illegal is because they ultimately harm the citizens who use them. Take drugs, for example. By taking drugs, you can get temporary pleasure, but when the effect wears off, you will suffer greater pain than the effect you got. It's withdrawal symptoms. To avoid that pain, you then take more drugs. Then, after the effect wears o...

Why does God first elevate evil before punishing it? And why does evil always perish? There is a natural logic to this, so let's explore it. Let's say you first succeed in causing harm to others and stealing their profits. You get a taste for it. You'll do it again. It works again. You get a taste for it even more. You'll do it again. This time, on a bigger scale. It worked. You can't stop laughing. You get a taste for it again. People who work hard look stupid. You can't stop. Once you get a taste for evil, it's addictive. Next time, you'll recruit friends and do it on an even bigger scale. It works again. Super! You think everyone in the world is stupid and you're the only one who's smart. By this time, the number of victims will increase. It will become a problem in society as well. "It's my turn next." They will become more wary. "We can't let this go unchecked." Finally, society is getting serious. The police are ...

The fact that one's happiness is inseparable from the happiness of others, the happiness of the whole, also applies to relations between countries. The current trend is "my country first," but what country's leader would say, "I prioritize the interests of other countries over my own interests"? I don't know any leader in history who has said something like that. Every country puts its own interests first. So a manifesto that says "my country first" is essentially saying nothing. The problem is the way in which it benefits one's own country. If a country is blinded by short-term profits and acts as it pleases, regardless of appearance, and takes actions that harm the interests of other countries, the international community, and ultimately humanity, the leader of that country will be frowned upon and will not be trusted. "That leader is pretty bad," and that will continue to be the case, "That country is pretty bad," and...

Well, history has proven many times that evil will be destroyed, but what happens to evil people after their destruction? They must be saved. First of all, regarding the category of evil people, I don't think there are any 100% evil people. That's because every person has Buddha nature, the seeds of compassion, and the seeds of love. There is a little god in the heart of every person. At the same time, I don't think there are any 100% good people. As long as we are human, there is always a dark side, an evil side, in our hearts that we cannot do anything about. The world is quick to divide people into good and bad people, but I think such simple stereotypical thinking will lead us to miss the truth. So evil people, or rather people who have once committed a crime, must be saved. If we don't do this, that person will be placed in an unfortunate situation, and that unfortunate situation will affect the entire society and ultimately have a negative impact on our happiness....

It is difficult to realize that in order for oneself to be happy, others and society must be happy, because there is a time lag. It takes some time for the happiness of others and the happiness of society to lead to one's own happiness. Because one cannot wait for that, or rather does not realize it in the first place, one pursues only immediate profits. And one jumps at the "me first" idea of ​​"as long as it's good for oneself". From there, it is a straight line to crime and falling into evil. With the slightest trigger, the slightest temptation, one will get involved in crime, evil, and war. This is not limited to individuals. It is the same for large corporations and nations. Not only individuals, but also corporations, not just yakuza front companies but legitimate large corporations and nations, have committed many evil acts such as fraud, deception, and making others miserable, even taking their lives. It was all because they pursued their own short-t...

 Yesterday I criticized the "me-first" attitude, but that doesn't mean that I don't think about my own interests. Just as I said that we have an obligation to be happy, I also have an obligation to be happy. It's not a right, it's an obligation. However, if you look at the relationship between the whole and the individual, and the relationship between people and cells, you can see that if you pursue your own interests and it harms the interests of others and ultimately the whole, the benefits you gain will only be short-term, and it is now clear that you will also harm your own interests. So "me-first" is not qualified to be an egoist. In the end, you will not gain your own interests. If you really want to gain your own interests, you need to align the interests of others with the interests of the whole. And that is possible by working. Work hard while always being conscious of whether your work is in line with the interests of others and the interes...

 Last time, we started talking about work, but somehow we got into politics, saying that "me first" is wrong, but since this is a religious site, I don't want to go into it too much. What I want to say is, "We are actually one." I think it's easiest to understand this by imagining the relationship between humans and cells. Each cell is certainly alive, but if each cell were to say "me first!" and act selfishly, trying to monopolize nutrients for itself, the person would be ruined. Only when the person as a whole is healthy and wholesome can each cell be alive. If a cell or tissue acts selfishly, trying to monopolize nutrients without considering the interests of the whole, the person as a whole would get sick and eventually die. Then the selfish cell or tissue would die too. Doesn't this look like something? Yes. It's cancer cells. Cancer occurs when cells lose their natural control and start to grow on their own. It then metastasizes to an...

 There was a logical incompleteness in my last post. In the section on the relationship between work and reward, I developed the logic that not receiving reward would hurt the dignity of the other person, but before that, I should have mentioned the relationship between the individual and the whole. The reason why we are paid when we work is because individuals cannot survive without it. Work is providing goods and services for others. In most cases, the other person is an individual, but since the individual is connected to the whole of society, it can be said that it is for the whole. If an individual is not paid, that person will not be able to make a living and will not be able to survive. In that case, he or she will not be able to continue working. In other words, he or she will not be able to provide goods or services to others and society. In the end, it will be a loss and a disadvantage for both the other person and society. The whole is made up of individuals, and the who...

 The conversation has gone off topic and we've gone off on a tangent and gone off into "what happens to people when they die," but before that, we need to think about "how to live in the present." First, save yourself before you save others So, the answer I've come to is simple: "Work." That means working. Any kind of work is fine, as long as it's a legitimate job. It's fine to volunteer or donate in the name of saving others, but wait, where will your food and money come from? If you're not independent first, you'll quickly run out of funds and resources and end up being the one being given. This won't do. It won't last. Or you might be enthusiastic about saving others, and jump into the midst of the poor like Mother Teresa, become a revolutionary fighter like Che Guevara, or stand up for the people non-violently like Ghandi. I certainly admire them, but if they're too great, too dazzling, and their goals are too high, ...