Buddhism

[xuechengfeng]

I went to my first buddhist service today, it was quite interesting to say the least, although i didn't come away with knowing much more about the religion.

[Quest]

few really know about buddhism nowadays.

[wix]

Chinese Buddhism, in its various forms, is fairly inaccessible to the casual observer. It is wrapped up in Chinese culture and it is really difficult to see where the Buddhism lies in all this. Even many "Chinese" lay people that would identify themselves as Buddhist may lack knowledge of basic Buddhist teachings and confuse practices that come from other traditions as being Buddhist.

This is not to say there are no Buddhist masters in China or that Chinese Buddhism is not really Buddhism. For the interested it is possible to learn a lot about Buddhism by studying Chinese Buddhism. It is just a matter of finding the right community or teacher that suits you.

[badatpool]

few really know about buddhism nowadays.

This is so called "末法时期"in the buddhist doctrine?It is said that it would be easier to get the achievement in such a period...good luck to all...

[xuechengfeng]

well, yes it has to do w/chinese culture, but i am in america, so the crowd was a little.. diverse shall i say?

the crowd was about 4 or 5 japanese people, my roommate and i, and about 7 or 8 lesbians, and a gay man..

also, it was a form of buddhism Soka Gakkai based on the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin..

is this a popular form?

basically what we did there was chanted mainly a phrase "nam-myoho-renge-kyo"

and had a discussion about buddhism relative to other religions, and how it is more accepting, etc.

[Shi Rui'en]

Is this from the Buddhist Temple up on Rt. 161? I forget what the name is called, but I went there once. Fascinating place. Interesting people. Though I'm not too famaliar with Buddhism though either. Is Chinese Buddhism considered Theravada Buddhism or Mahayanna Buddhism? I'm curious.

[xuechengfeng]

Hey..

It was actual at the house of this Japanese guy my roommate knows who owns this art gallery right down the street from us.. which leads me to believe either Buddhism or his sect isn't too prevelant, at least in America.

by the way, thanks for the video, I'll get it back to u soon

[trooper]

Chinese Buddhism is part of Mahayana Buddhism.

I don't know how popular Soka Gakkai is, but I do know that it puts a lot of effort into gaining converts, in a similar way to the evangelical Christian churches, so Soka Gakkai's membership is diverse and spans all ages, races and classes.

Soka Gakkai comes from the Pure Land school of Mahayana Buddhism. I have heard it's quite different from the mainstream Pure Land Schools though. The Pure Land School is the largest of the Mahayana schools and most Chinese and Japanese Buddhists, whether in the West or in Asia belong to it.

By the way, I'm not a Buddhist, but I am interested in Buddhism.

[sunyata]

This is so called "末法时期"in the buddhist doctrine?It is said that it would be easier to get the achievement in such a period...good luck to all...

easier? you mean harder...

I was looking around for some Chinese Buddhist temples and monasteries in the US one summer...eventually ended up going to The Sagely City of Ten Thousand Buddhas "萬佛聖城" in Ukiah, CA. It's a functioning monastery, started by a Chinese master some time ago. I highly recommend it to anyone interested. They don't ask for money and don't try to convert you...

The website is www.drba.org

They also have intensive Chinese classes this summer, for anyone who wants to learn, but can't go to China. The monastery's population is mostly Chinese, so it's a good environment to practice...

[ananda]

Chan(2) or zen(japan) is also the main stream of China's buddhism,

which is originated in Shao(4)lin(2) temple. mercy is greatly emphasized,

but not doctrine, and mercy is the best virtue of human being. It's said

that talented people could 'suddenly' know the 'toppest' buddhism's truth

in the normal life, to study day and day, night and night won't always

help. And there's a stream of buddhism in china, they never

'beg' for food and only eat what they have planted and harvested. Well,

the temples in ancient china often function as orphanage.

[wix]

it was a form of buddhism Soka Gakkai based on the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin..

Soka Gakkai is a modern Japanese Buddhist sect. Its practices and teachings are very different to traditional Chinese forms of Buddhism.

[Shi Rui'en]

Not to detract from the subject of this article, but does anyone know a good link or site that explains the difference between Mahayanna and Theravada Buddhism? From what I've gathered on my own it is similar to the East/West Orthodox split in Christianity.

And Xuechengfeng: No problem. Just get it back to me whenever you can. I am in no rush to watch it again.

[tokyo_girl]

Sokka Gakai is considered cultish by a lot of Japanese. (but to be fair so is anything that is organised religion). SG has a political arm New Komeito 公明党　that is in coalition with the ruling Liberal Democrat Party.

It is supposed to be a pacifist religion - in the past it has been very strongly critical of visits to Yasukuni and the like because it believes that no one religion should be favoured by the state. (Buddhists were persecuted to varying degrees from Meiji to the end of WW2).

New Komeitou has lost credibility among a lot of Japanese because they are seen to been compromising their founding principles. (Japanese Self Defence Force in Iraq has highlighted this.)

It is also seen by some as being a bit like a society not unlike the masons which has a lot 'mutual benefit' relationships. I understand, lots of small business owners are in Sokka Gakai because of the networking possibilities.

Buddhism in Japan (and China) reminds me a bit of the mosque in Kaifeng where the mosque attendant told me earnestly that Islam had been in the area for 2000 years.....

[holyman]

soka gakkai was a new branch from japanese traditional buddhism. but after the war a politician joined and became a prominent leader later on. since then it became a funding and voter source for a certain political party.