Overcoming Setback – January 4, 2014 Meditation

Numerous times in my life, and I am sure in yours too, I have experienced setbacks, or roadblocks or even dead-ends. There have been times when my best laid plans became seemingly impossible to complete. My first attempt at college was put to a stop because of lack of money and the Vietnam War. After my discharge from the Marine Corps finding a job was very difficult, some employers did not want to hire a…

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The Story of Sun Lotus #3

Quite a surprising turn of events with Abutsubo showing up with his wife several days after our first rather contentious encounter. When he showed up that first time with 40 other villagers there was so much anger among them I feared for my life. It is part of human nature that when closely held values or ideas are challenged then the response is as if one’s very life is threatened, and these folks were acting…

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The Story of Sun Lotus #2

Nichiren’s exile to Sado Island represents in many ways the ending of his persecutions and struggle against the government sponsored backing of religions . After the exile the government did little else to vex Nichiren, though the persecutions did continue for his followers. The story that has come to us through many historians is that the exile was in itself a death sentence; what couldn’t be accomplished by the sharp sword of the executioner at…

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The Story of Sun Lotus – #1

Damn it’s cold. It’s cold and the only wood we can find for a fire is either too small to be of any significance or wet; mostly wet. The snow here hasn’t stopped since the authorities dumped me in this dilapidated graveyard. My disciple and I have been here for several days and have just barely managed to create a little protection from the constant snow by taking refuge in a broken down shack that…

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