2008 Woodie Awards
Grad student presents intro to Buddhism
Religion branches into sects, stresses meditation, rituals
Karissa O'Brien
Issue date: 4/8/08 Section: News
Anna Ikeda, a graduate student at the Graduate School of International Studies, presented "Introduction to Nichiren Buddhism" at a meeting last Wednesday evening in the Driscoll Commerce room.
The Soka Gakkai International (SGI) Student Association hosted the event.
Ikeda started by saying that one of the things people do not realize is that there are different branches of Buddhism.
She focused on four.
Tibetan Buddhism, whose spiritual leader is the Dalai Lama, focuses on awareness of death and impermanence of life along with rituals and visual symbolism.
Mahayana Buddhism emphasizes altruism.
Hinayana Buddhism emphasizes awakening and enlightenment and is more personal compared to Mahayana.
Finally, Zen Buddhism focuses on meditation, eradicating desires and enlightenment gained through perception of one's mind through meditation.
Ikeda told the group the basic story of Buddha, also referred to as Sakyamuni and Siddhartha, who grew up rich and as a young man went on a journey to see what existed beyond his perfect world. When Buddha found much suffering in the world, he went on a quest to end suffering. Buddha knew that his teachings had to be step-by-step and provide guidance. Even without asking his followers to spread the word, Buddhism immediately began spreading.
The Nichiren Buddhists focus most on the Lotus Sutra, which was Buddha's last teaching.
Lotus Sutra states that all people can obtain enlightenment and instructs followers to strive to achieve enlightenment while helping others obtain it.
Nichiren Daishonin, the founder of Nichiren Buddhism, was a Japanese Buddhist monk who lived in a time of social unrest and natural disasters.
Daishonin created a chant for Nichiren Buddhists to follow called Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, which means "devotion to the mystic laws of cause and effect through sound and teaching."
Daishonin felt that having one phrase was a simpler way of spreading his teachings. Nichiren Buddhists chant this phrase every morning and night in front of the Gohozon, which is a scroll containing a dedication.
The Soka Gakkai International (SGI) Student Association hosted the event.
Ikeda started by saying that one of the things people do not realize is that there are different branches of Buddhism.
She focused on four.
Tibetan Buddhism, whose spiritual leader is the Dalai Lama, focuses on awareness of death and impermanence of life along with rituals and visual symbolism.
Mahayana Buddhism emphasizes altruism.
Hinayana Buddhism emphasizes awakening and enlightenment and is more personal compared to Mahayana.
Finally, Zen Buddhism focuses on meditation, eradicating desires and enlightenment gained through perception of one's mind through meditation.
Ikeda told the group the basic story of Buddha, also referred to as Sakyamuni and Siddhartha, who grew up rich and as a young man went on a journey to see what existed beyond his perfect world. When Buddha found much suffering in the world, he went on a quest to end suffering. Buddha knew that his teachings had to be step-by-step and provide guidance. Even without asking his followers to spread the word, Buddhism immediately began spreading.
The Nichiren Buddhists focus most on the Lotus Sutra, which was Buddha's last teaching.
Lotus Sutra states that all people can obtain enlightenment and instructs followers to strive to achieve enlightenment while helping others obtain it.
Nichiren Daishonin, the founder of Nichiren Buddhism, was a Japanese Buddhist monk who lived in a time of social unrest and natural disasters.
Daishonin created a chant for Nichiren Buddhists to follow called Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, which means "devotion to the mystic laws of cause and effect through sound and teaching."
Daishonin felt that having one phrase was a simpler way of spreading his teachings. Nichiren Buddhists chant this phrase every morning and night in front of the Gohozon, which is a scroll containing a dedication.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 4
James
posted 4/08/08 @ 7:42 AM MST
So naive. SGI has been labeled a cult and yet is recruiting on campus. Do a quick search and come to your own conclusion. See http://www.cultnews.com/?cat=130 as one cursory and unqualified view. (Continued…)
Ursula
posted 4/10/08 @ 11:05 AM MST
It's a shame that just anybody can post comments that have no educational backing or even personal investigation into a subject. I can easily accuse every faith of being a cult if I were to choose to close my myself to the possiblity that "I may not always be right. (Continued…)
Monica
posted 4/14/08 @ 3:52 PM MST
The comments above are irresponsible and baseless.
Daisaku Ikeda has inspired millions of ordinary people to apply Buddhism to their lives and unlock their limitless potential. (Continued…)
Post a Comment