From: Nichiren Buddhist Community
Date: April 15, 2024
Subject: April 15th, 2024 NBC Newsletter


The Eclipse and the Buddha

Clouds moved slowly over my house on Monday, April 8, 2024. That afternoon, many of my friends and family would tell me they saw the total solar eclipse, a ring of fire surrounding a black moon. I didn’t see it. Still, all around me, the birds and frogs sang their nighttime songs in the middle of the day. The temperature dropped as the earth was shielded from the sun’s rays, the colors changed in the afternoon night sky, and most amazingly, it grew very dark, very fast. I was immersed in the effects of the eclipse while looking for what I knew was there and could not see.

Though I did not see the moon covering the sun behind the clouds, the eclipse’s effects showed me the event was still happening. It’s similar to experiencing the effects of the Buddha’s teachings, Dharma. We don’t need to see or hear the Buddha in person; we just put the teachings into practice and observe the effects of our efforts, increasing patience and kindness, compassion, and equanimity.

Gassho,
Ryumon
Nichiren Buddhist Community Chaplain

Next Daily Service is Monday, April 15 from 5:00pm - 6:00pm

 

 

 

Service is meditation

Meditation is a crucial partner while traveling along the Buddhist path. In Nichiren Shu, chanting the sutra is our primary meditation. Chanting enriches the spirit, knowingly or unknowingly, by connecting the syllables of the faith language, Shindoku (a Japanese pronunciation of Chinese characters), to our Buddha nature. In a more literal way, it is very difficult to chant the verses while thinking of other things. It’s easy to get lost, fall behind, or make mistakes in pronunciation without meditative concentration.