Re: Buddhism is a wonderful philosophy of life

[obemon]

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Man that's a lot of reading. I'll just stick to the basic law of KARMA. "You do good things, good things will happen. You do bad things, it will come back to haunt you."

[d_guy1024]

Man that's a lot of reading. I'll just stick to the basic law of KARMA. "You do good things, good things will happen. You do bad things, it will come back to haunt you."

Exactly!

But we cannot deny that we have created already many bad karma in the past whose effect is not yet being manifested, and also, we could create another bad karma in the future if we do not have a firm foundation of goodness. Because our life is inherently endowed with both positivity and negativity, life is indeed a constant battle between our own positivity and negativity, creating good and bad karma respectively. How can we increase the balance of good karma then? This is exactly the basis of Buddhist practice. Buddhism teaches us to return to our most fundamental self, or greater self, which is buddhahood. This can be thought of as the life of the cosmos itself; it is also referred to as the fundamentally pure consciousness, amala consciousness. Unstained by the workings of karma, this consciousness represents our true, eternal self.

The Lotus sutra teaches that all people has a Buddha nature, as Shakyamuni's states that all people can become equal to the Buddha, "without any distinction between us," Nichiren declares that Buddhahood is in fact inherent in the lives of all ordinary people. The role of the Buddha is not that of a supernatural being to which others are subservient.

By stating that "attaining Buddhahood is nothing extraordinary," he indicates that, remarkable as it may seem, we are originally endowed with the potential to do so. He uses the analogy of an egg to illustrate this fact. An egg is a common object, unremarkable on the surface and containing nothing but a sort of gooey liquid. Yet it possesses the potential to develop into a bird that can fly freely in the sky. Our lives are just like this. Outwardly we may be common mortals, yet we are naturally endowed with the potential to develop the state of absolute freedom of Buddhahood.

Although the Lotus Sutra attests to the existence of our Buddha nature, Nichiren Daishonin gave us the method to develop it by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. In doing so, the Daishonin says we can develop the Buddha's thirty-two distinguishing features. These are interpreted to be compassion, insight, wisdom and other human qualities, and not as physical attributes that set the Buddha apart from other people. The ultimate reality of life lies nowhere apart from ourselves. We attain Buddhahood in our present form.

[br]Posted on: October 18, 2006, 09:06:42 AM_________________________________________________The Nine Consciousnesses

The Buddhist teaching of the nine consciousnesses offers the basis for a comprehensive understanding of who we are, our true identity. It also helps explain how Buddhism sees the eternal continuity of our lives over cycles of birth and death. This perspective on the human being is the fruit of thousands of years of intense introspective investigation into the nature of consciousness. Historically, it is grounded in efforts to experience and explain the essence of Shakyamuni’s enlightenment beneath the bodhi tree some 2,500 years ago.

The nine consciousnesses can be thought of as different layers of consciousness which are constantly operating together to create our lives. The Sanskrit word vijnāna, which is translated as consciousness, includes a wide range of activities, including sensation, cognition and conscious thought. The first five of these consciousnesses are the familiar senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. The sixth consciousness is the function that integrates and processes the various sensory data to form an overall picture or thought, identifying what it is that our five senses are communicating to us. It is primarily with these six functions of life that we perform our daily activities.

Below this level of consciousness is the seventh consciousness. Unlike those layers of consciousness that are directed toward the outer world, the seventh consciousness is directed toward our inner life and is largely independent of sensory input. The seventh consciousness is the basis for our sense of individual identity; attachment to a self distinct to and separate from others has its basis in this consciousness, as does our sense of right and wrong.

Below the seventh consciousness, Buddhism elucidates a deeper layer, the eighth or ālaya consciousness, also known as the never-perishing or storehouse consciousness. It is here that the energy of our karma resides. Whereas the first seven consciousnesses disappear on death, the eighth consciousness persists through the cycles of active life and the latency of death. It can be thought of as the life-flow that supports the activities of the other consciousnesses. The experiences described by those who have undergone clinical death and been revived could be said to be occurrences at the borderline of the seventh and eighth consciousnesses.

An understanding of these levels of consciousness and the interaction between them can offer valuable insights into the nature of life and the self, as well as pointing to the resolution of the fundamental problems that humanity confronts.

According to Buddhist teachings, there are specific deep-seated delusions in the seventh consciousness regarding the nature of self. These delusions arise from the relationship between the seventh and eighth levels of consciousness and manifest as fundamental egotism.

Buddhist teachings describe the seventh layer as emerging from the eighth consciousness: it is always focused on the eighth consciousness of the individual, which it perceives as something fixed, unique and isolated from other things. In reality, the eighth consciousness is in a state of continual flux. At this level our lives constantly interact, exerting a profound influence on each other. The perception of a fixed and isolated self that the seventh consciousness generates is thus false.

The seventh consciousness is also the seat of the fear of death. Being unable to perceive the true nature of the eighth consciousness as an enduring flow of life energy, it imagines that upon death, the eighth consciousness will become permanently extinct. Fear of death thus has roots in the deep layers of the subconscious.

The delusion that the eighth consciousness is one’s true self is also termed fundamental ignorance, a turning away from the interconnectedness of all being. It is this sense of one’s self as separate and isolated from others that gives rise to discrimination, to destructive arrogance and unbridled acquisitiveness. Humanity’s ravaging of the natural environment is another obvious result.


A Karmic River



Buddhism posits that our thoughts, words and deeds invariably create an imprint in the deep layers of the eighth consciousness. This is what Buddhists refer to as karma. The eighth consciousness is therefore sometimes referred to as the karmic storehouse--the place where these karmic “seeds” are “stored.” These seeds or latent energy can be either positive or negative; the eighth consciousness remains neutral and equally receptive to either type of karmic imprinting. The energy becomes manifest when conditions are ripe. Positive latent causes can become manifest as both positive effects in one’s life and as positive psychological functions such as trust, nonviolence, self-control, compassion and wisdom. Negative latent causes can manifest as various forms of delusion and destructive behavior and give rise to suffering for ourselves and others.

While the image of a storehouse is helpful, a truer image may be that of a raging torrent of karmic energy. This energy is constantly moving through and shaping our lives and experience. Our resultant thoughts and actions are then fed back into this karmic flow. The quality of the karmic flow is what makes each of us distinct beings--our unique selves. The flow of energy is constantly changing, but, like a river, it maintains an identity and consistency even through successive cycles of life and death. It is this aspect of fluidity, this lack of fixity, that opens the possibility to transforming the content of the eighth consciousness. This is why karma, properly understood, is different from an unchanging or unavoidable destiny.

The question, therefore, is how we increase the balance of positive karma. This is the basis for various forms of Buddhist practice that seek to imprint positive causes in our lives. When caught up in a cycle of negative cause and effect, however, it is difficult to avoid making further negative causes, and it is here that we turn to the most fundamental layer of consciousness, the ninth or amala consciousness.

This can be thought of as the life of the cosmos itself; it is also referred to as the fundamentally pure consciousness. Unstained by the workings of karma, this consciousness represents our true, eternal self. The revolutionary aspect of Nichiren Buddhism is that it seeks to directly bring forth the energy of this consciousness--the enlightened nature of the Buddha--thus purifying the other, more superficial layers of consciousness. The great power of the ninth consciousness welling forth changes even entrenched patterns of negative karma in the eighth consciousness. Because the eighth consciousness transcends the boundaries of the individual, merging with the latent energy of one’s family, one’s ethnic group, and also with that of animals and plants, a positive change in this karmic energy becomes a “cogwheel” for change in the lives of others. As SGI President Ikeda writes, “When we activate this fundamentally pure consciousness, the energy of all life’s good and evil karma is directed toward value creation; and the mind or consciousness . . . of humankind is infused with the life current of compassion and wisdom.” Nichiren identified the practice of chanting the phrase Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as the basic means for activating the ninth consciousness in our lives.

As the layers of consciousness are transformed, they each give rise to unique forms of wisdom. The wisdom inherent in the eighth consciousness allows us to perceive ourselves, our experience and other phenomena with perfect clarity and to profoundly appreciate the interconnectedness and interdependence of all things. As the deep-rooted delusions of the seventh consciousness are transformed, an individual is enabled to overcome the fear of death, as well as the aggression and violence that spring from this fear. A wisdom arises which enables us to perceive the fundamental equality of all living beings and to deal with them on an unchanging basis of respect. It is this type of transformation and wisdom that is sorely required in our world today.

---http://www.sgi.org/english/Buddhism/more/more24.htm

[The_Child]

though buddhism is a "nice" philosophy to life, one must first be able to discriminate between the many strains of Buddhism I dont think there is such thing as a General Buddhism. For one thing, Buddhists have many arguments on what is the Ultimate Reality. The Earlier Buddhism and some of its Strain now hinge upon atheistic beliefs, while other Buddhist are hinged on a theistic belief.

For those who dont interest themselves with the complexities of Buddhism, would find it satisfying to merely read a 'general' description of Buddhism of Inner Peace, of Fleeting existence, of causal dependence, of Karman , and etc... but Buddhism is more than that.

I've seen so many Christian who have not absorbed their Spirituality that much and are already embracing Eastern Religions and some New Age Beliefs because they find it to their fancy and whims, Which is of course deplorable, im not saying Buddhism is bad, on the contrare, it is a very a beautiful and deep religion, what is deplorable is that there are Christians out there who embrace 'exotic' spirituality without even knowing the beauty of their own spirituality. Quite sad really, the bitter part is that they become what Fr. Gerry Bulatao S.J calls "Split-level Christians" a christian in a day, another thing in the next day.

[jugs_06]

nice thread.. thanks.. full of info.. :mrgreen:

[d_guy1024]

though buddhism is a "nice" philosophy to life, one must first be able to discriminate between the many strains of Buddhism I dont think there is such thing as a General Buddhism. For one thing, Buddhists have many arguments on what is the Ultimate Reality. The Earlier Buddhism and some of its Strain now hinge upon atheistic beliefs, while other Buddhist are hinged on a theistic belief.

For those who dont interest themselves with the complexities of Buddhism, would find it satisfying to merely read a 'general' description of Buddhism of Inner Peace, of Fleeting existence, of causal dependence, of Karman , and etc... but Buddhism is more than that.

Yes, there are many streams of Buddhism, but I don't understand in your statement about theistic/atheistic beliefs. Do you mean that some Buddhist believed in a supernatural being? However, as what i posted in the introduction to Buddhism, all of Shakyamuni's teachings were expounded for the sole purpose of solving the universal sufferings of birth, old age, sickness and death, as well as to seek a way to transcend them.

I will be posting more about the history of Buddhism in the next.

I've seen so many Christian who have not absorbed their Spirituality that much and are already embracing Eastern Religions and some New Age Beliefs because they find it to their fancy and whims, Which is of course deplorable, im not saying Buddhism is bad, on the contrare, it is a very a beautiful and deep religion, what is deplorable is that there are Christians out there who embrace 'exotic' spirituality without even knowing the beauty of their own spirituality. Quite sad really, the bitter part is that they become what Fr. Gerry Bulatao S.J calls "Split-level Christians" a christian in a day, another thing in the next day.

Maybe they just find Buddhism very plausible.

[br]Posted on: October 18, 2006, 02:05:18 PM_________________________________________________E arly Buddhism

Buddhism generally is believed to have arisen in what is now India during the sixth or fifth century B.C.E. from the teachings of the historical Buddha, or “enlightened one.” Shakyamuni [1] (literally, “sage of the Shakya tribe”) was kept in isolation during his youth by his father, but excursions beyond the palace walls led to one of his most fundamental realizations: Life inevitably manifests suffering and impermanence. This is represented in Buddhism as the four sufferings of birth, aging, sickness and death which affect every living being, without exception. Choosing to confront this dilemma, Shakyamuni renounced his claim to his father’s throne and embarked on a search for a way to transcend the sufferings of life. After years of practicing the most extreme forms of asceticism and no closer to an answer, he concluded that the path to understanding lay neither in self-denial nor in the pleasure-filled life of his youth, but in between them, in a Middle Way. Abandoning his ascetic practice and meditating deeply through the night, he “destroyed his remaining impurities, eliminated his false views, and experienced the goal of Buddhahood (literally ‘the state of being awakened’).” [2]

Thus began the career of one of the great religious figures of history. By all accounts he was a man of boundless compassion and peace, “a thinker of giant proportions who, for the sake of people in ages to come, persisted in his efforts to ... free human existence from all impediments.” [3] By the time of his death, thousands had been converted to the new wisdom he propounded. Some joined his monastic order, renouncing the secular world; but many did not, remaining as “householders” amidst the flows of society.

Within a year of Shakyamuni’s death, most scholars agree, the first of four Buddhist councils was held. It apparently was highly successful in solidifying the teachings, unifying the Buddhist order and providing a practical foundation for the conduct of its affairs. Approximately 100 years later a second council was convened to resolve a dispute over rules of monastic behavior. Over the ensuing century and a half, as Buddhism continued to spread, further doctrinal disputes arose. By the third council, circa 250 B.C.E., sponsored by King Ashoka [4] , the one thousand monks in attendance sought to clear up confusion and to correct misinterpretations of the Buddha’s teachings.

Within a century of that third council a major new movement had developed, called Mahayana (literally, “greater vehicle”). Rejecting what they perceived as isolationism and exclusivism in the traditional schools, its adherents introduced the idea of a practice exemplified by dedication to the salvation of others as well as the self—the Bodhisattva way—which they believed more accurately reflected the intent of Shakyamuni than the self-oriented practice of the traditionalists. Mahayana spread rapidly along the Silk Road into China, then into Korea and Japan. The schools of the earlier tradition, collectively called the Nikaya sects because they are based on the Nikaya sutras, spread into Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. [5] Tantric Buddhism, also known as Vajrayana or Esoteric Buddhism, developed around 600 C.E. and became a formalized stream within Mahayana that spread to Central Asia, China, and Tibet, where it has remained an important influence. In India itself, Buddhism was gradually absorbed into Hinduism, virtually ceasing to exist as an independent faith.

---http://sgi-usa.org/buddhism/resourceguide/resourceguide.html#section1[br]Posted on: October 18, 2006, 02:10:32 PM_________________________________________________T he Development and Spread of Mahayana Buddhism

Mahayana, within a few hundred years of its inception, split into two main schools. The first, Madhyamika, is grounded in the work of the great Indian philosopher Nagarjuna (c. 150–250) who elaborated the doctrine of sunyata, the non-substantiality or “emptiness” of all phenomena. (This influential concept is discussed further in the section “Nichiren and the Core of Mahayana Doctrine.”) The second school, Yogachara or Consciousness-Only school was based on yogic practice. For them, all phenomena arise from the vijnana, or consciousness, and the basis of all functions of consciousness is the alaya-consciousness. [6]

Both schools spread into China, where there is a reliable record of a practicing Buddhist emperor by around 250 C.E. T’ien-tai, a major school within the Mahayana tradition, was founded in China by Chih-i (538–597). This school emphasized doctrinal studies amd meditative practices based on the Lotus Sutra. It also taught the doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life, the unification of the three truths and the six stages of practice. After traveling to China for further studies, Saicho (767–822), also known as the Great Teacher Dengyo, returned to Japan in 805 and established what later became known as the Tendai sect.

According to Chih-i’s interpretation, the Lotus Sutra proclaims the Buddha nature to be inherent in all human beings. This provided the theoretical basis for Nichiren’s 13th-century asertion that all people can attain Buddhahood as they are and within the context of the phenomenal world. He taught that everyone has the potential to attain Buddhahood “in this lifetime” and “in one’s present form” without going through countless lifetimes of Buddhist austerities. Nichiren was among the first to embrace the idea that Buddhahood is a real, rather than theoretical, possibility for all human beings and, within the context of feudal Japan, asserted the revolutionary view of the equality of men and women. [7]

---http://sgi-usa.org/buddhism/resourceguide/resourceguide.html#section1

[boxingfan529]

this is a good historical read.

thanks!

[d_guy1024]

this is a good historical read.

thanks!

You're most welcome. =)[br]Posted on: October 18, 2006, 04:55:21 PM_________________________________________________N ichiren’s Life and Teaching

Nichiren was born on February 16, 1222, in a small fishing village named Kominato. His parents sent him at the age of 12 to a local temple to begin his formal education. There he perfected his skills in reading and writing in both Japanese and Chinese, the latter being the language of official and scholarly communication at the time. The temple where he studied, Seicho-ji, belonged to the Tendai school which nominally adhered to the teachings handed down from the T’ien-t’ai school in China. In fact, the T’ien-t’ai teachings had become mixed with rituals from other religious schools—a syncretism typical of Japanese Buddhism in the thirteenth century. Nichiren was disturbed by this confusion of doctrines and decided at age 16 to continue his religious studies rather than return to secular life.

Nichiren later recounted that he had prayed to the Bodhisattva Space Treasury to become the wisest person in Japan and had been presented with “a great jewel as brilliant as the morning star.” [8] He set out in 1239 to find documentary confirmation of his understanding at the centers of Buddhist learning elsewhere in Japan. During the succeeding fourteen years that he spent studying Buddhist texts and doctrine, he became increasingly critical of the various Buddhist schools, finally becoming convinced that the Lotus Sutra (Hokekyo in Japanese) was the only teaching that fully expressed the truth to which he had been awakened. He returned to Seicho-ji in 1253 and, shortly afterward, very early in the morning of the twenty-eighth day of the fourth month, chanted the daimoku—the invocation of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo—for the first time, proclaiming that this phrase embodied the essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra, that is, the ultimate truth of all phenomena. [9]

Preaching this doctrine at the temple where he had been educated precipitated the first of many persecutions and attempts on his life. Persevering with equanimity despite such hardships, he continued to teach that chanting the phrase Nam-myoho-renge-kyo would lead practitioners to perceive their essential, enlightened nature and thereby attain Buddhahood. In order to enable people to sustain their practice after his death, he inscribed a mandala called the Gohonzon as the focus for the religious practice of his followers. [10] He taught that chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to the Gohonzon would enable people to discover their own essential unity with the ultimate reality of the universe. According to Nichiren, this practice, when rooted in faith and sustained by study and compassion for others, is the way of enlightenment.

Nichiren spent his life teaching this doctrine, always supporting the spiritual growth of his lay followers as well as training young priests. In his final years Nichiren appointed six senior disciples to carry on his teaching. On his deathbed, he named one of them, Nikko, as his successor. [11] He died on October 13, 1282.

---http://sgi-usa.org/buddhism/resourceguide/resourceguide.html#section1

[The_Child]

yes atheistic and theistic, by atheistic; there are buddhists strains that dont believe in a God, by theistic; there are buddhists strains that believe in God.

Mahayana, within a few hundred years of its inception, split into two main schools. The first, Madhyamika, is grounded in the work of the great Indian philosopher Nagarjuna (c. 150–250) who elaborated the doctrine of sunyata, the non-substantiality or “emptiness” of all phenomena. (This influential concept is discussed further in the section “Nichiren and the Core of Mahayana Doctrine.”) The second school, Yogachara or Consciousness-Only school was based on yogic practice. For them, all phenomena arise from the vijnana, or consciousness, and the basis of all functions of consciousness is the alaya-consciousness. [6]

that school of thought also Atheistic. They dont believe in God or rather they have no mention of a God.



Now if im not mistaken, that is IF im not mistaken, the buddhism that dominated as a Religion that gain ground together with Daoism, Confucianism and Mohism(dead) was called C'han Buddhism, that later on was brought to Japan and became Zen Buddhism. these are atheistic buddhism. No talk of God the closest thing to a God, was Wu or the First Principle, like that Dao of Daoism both describe as the undescribable, paradox i know, but undescribable in the first-order description.



Maybe they just find Buddhism very plausible. in the realms of metaphysics i dont think it has something to do with the plausibility because the theories in Metaphysics whether Buddhist or Christian couldnt be demonstrated rather it is what one feels like embracing. Others call it faith other just inlove with the Spirituality and practice, others of intellectual interests

Buddhism is such a Marvel of a School of thought. Deep and old.

[d_guy1024]

yes atheistic and theistic, by atheistic; there are buddhists strains that dont believe in a God, by theistic; there are buddhists strains that believe in God.

Mahayana, within a few hundred years of its inception, split into two main schools. The first, Madhyamika, is grounded in the work of the great Indian philosopher Nagarjuna (c. 150–250) who elaborated the doctrine of sunyata, the non-substantiality or “emptiness” of all phenomena. (This influential concept is discussed further in the section “Nichiren and the Core of Mahayana Doctrine.”) The second school, Yogachara or Consciousness-Only school was based on yogic practice. For them, all phenomena arise from the vijnana, or consciousness, and the basis of all functions of consciousness is the alaya-consciousness. [6]

that school of thought also Atheistic. They dont believe in God or rather they have no mention of a God.



Now if im not mistaken, that is IF im not mistaken, the buddhism that dominated as a Religion that gain ground together with Daoism, Confucianism and Mohism(dead) was called C'han Buddhism, that later on was brought to Japan and became Zen Buddhism. these are atheistic buddhism. No talk of God the closest thing to a God, was Wu or the First Principle, like that Dao of Daoism both describe as the undescribable, paradox i know, but undescribable in the first-order description.

So where can we find theistic Buddhism?

Maybe they just find Buddhism very plausible. in the realms of metaphysics i dont think it has something to do with the plausibility because the theories in Metaphysics whether Buddhist or Christian couldnt be demonstrated rather it is what one feels like embracing. Others call it faith other just inlove with the Spirituality and practice, others of intellectual interests

Buddhism is such a Marvel of a School of thought. Deep and old.

plausibility that i'm talking about is like the Mystic Law of cause and effect, this is very plausible. But you're right, there are many things in this world that cannot be explained by common mortals, that is why it is called mystic...

And yes, Buddhism is a deep and old philosophy, yet, it is still valid in this modern day.[br]Posted on: October 19, 2006, 10:55:03 AM_________________________________________________N ichiren and the Core of Mahayana Doctrine

“All existence is suffering and change.” This is the first of Shakyamuni’s “four noble truths.” The second is, “Suffering is caused by craving.” But why do we selfishly crave? Why are we so foolish? The answer given by Buddhism is that our minds are filled with illusion, fictions that we embrace as true. The aim of Buddhist practice, therefore, is to enable us to see through these illusions, to arrive at a correct understanding of the way things are and free ourselves from selfish craving and, hence, from suffering.

Nagarjuna developed the concept of “non-substantiality” in connection with those of dependent origination and the nonexistence of self-nature. Because phenomena arise only by virtue of their relationship with other phenomena, they have no distinct nature or existence of their own; and there is no independent entity that exists alone, apart from other phenomena. Nagarjuna described a Middle Way that regards the categories of existence and nonexistence as extremes and aims to transcend them. The practical purpose behind the teaching of non-substantiality lies in eliminating attachments to transient phenomena and to the ego, or the perception of self as an independent and fixed identity.

Chih-i asserted that the Buddha nature was possessed by both sentient and non-sentient beings. Thus every individual fully possesses the ultimate truth of the Buddha nature and is interconnected with all of existence. Furthermore, anyone has the potential to discover this reality at any time.

The continuity of this thought is evident in Nichiren’s explication of the Middle Way. Working within the framework established by Nagarjuna and reprised by Chih-i as the doctrine of the “three truths,” Nichiren stated that: “Life is indeed an elusive reality that transcends both the words and concepts of existence and nonexistence. It is neither existence nor nonexistence, yet exhibits the qualities of both. It is the mystic entity of the Middle Way that is the ultimate reality.” [12] In describing the Middle Way in this fashion, Nichiren emphatically affirms that the Buddha nature is the fundamental reality of our lives and of the world in which we live.

It is not necessary to flee from the everyday world or eliminate all desires in order to perceive this reality and attain enlightenment. In place of the very complex and primarily linguistic and philosophical formulations that had developed over the centuries and effectively excluded the general populace from enlightenment—either because they focused on a monastic vocation or simply because they offered no accessible means to achieve this end— Nichiren offered a strikingly new method of self-awakening. Indeed, he sought to demonstrate that all people—female or male, upper class or lower, intellectual or not—can attain enlightenment in this life as they are. [13]

This is possible, according to Nichiren, because a correct understanding of the Middle Way reveals that although a person’s life manifests both impermanence and non-substantiality, it equally manifests the unchanging reality of all existence. Thus it is the fundamental reality of all human existence and in no way the exclusive possession of a select few. For Nichiren, the phrase Nam-myoho-renge-kyo expresses this truth in its purest form since it both invokes and embodies the ultimate reality that pervades the universe. This is the basis for his assertion that reciting the daimoku would enable an individual to connect with this reality of one’s life and the universal Buddha nature.

As mentioned earlier, in order to facilitate this practice Nichiren inscribed the Gohonzon—a written, thus physical manifestation of his life and enlightenment. [14] The Gohonzon serves as the mandala, the “object of devotion,” for those who practice Nichiren Buddhism. It serves as a focus for them in seeking to discover their own enlightened reality through chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and reciting portions of the Lotus Sutra. According to Nichiren, it is not merely the individual’s life that is transformed through this practice; because of the interconnectedness of all life, society and the environment, too, will be reshaped on their most fundamental level. [15]

---http://sgi-usa.org/buddhism/resourceguide/resourceguide.html#section1

[Ironside]

hi... may GOD bless you for having such patience and love for your son.
was your son the reason why you said the brain was created and did not evolve?

if it is true then who created such marvel?

actually, i have no son nor children for that matter. I am not married.

The article came from Christian Apologetics Research Ministry. The article refutes the idea that evolved from lower species to higher ones, then eventually evolved into human beings.

It also refutes the idea that humans are only using 10% of their brains.

thanks