Plugging In
With so much electronic equipment that we are dependent upon being plugged in is not just a luxury, for some it is a necessity. Even the equipment that runs on batteries eventually needs to be recharged by plugging into electric current. We even use the phrase to describe how connected we are to various parts of the world surrounding us; we are plugged into social networks, plugged into our email, everywhere we are plugged in or plugging in.
As an immigrant into the digital age I have a hard time recalling what we used to do when meeting friends and we were delayed or running late. I recall how difficult it was to navigate by paper maps or scribbled drawings. Fortunately maps were not too challenging to me, but my partner was lost and doomed if he had to use a map.
“Traveling to find the place from where the light had come, the Brahmans of those worlds came to that Buddha.” (Lotus Sutra, Chapter VII)
When I first had an interest in Buddhism it was a challenge to find any materials on the subject, especially in Southern libraries. Going to the library was frustrating, you had to look in the card catalogue and from the two line description make a determination as to whether said book would be of any value. Now, things are much easier thanks in large part to the easy access to information on the internet, this blog being one example.
“Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva said to the Buddha ‘World-Honored One! I can go to the Saha-World by your powers, by your supernatural powers of travelling, and by your merits and wisdom which adorn me.’” (Lotus Sutra, Chapter XXIV)
Two things occur to me at this point, one is what recharges our Buddhist practice, where do we get the ‘juice’ to keep going? The second is source, what source are we connected to, is it the prime source?
The fundamental and primary source for both the ‘juice’ and facts is the sutras, in particular for Nichiren Buddhists the Lotus Sutra. Hopefully if nothing else in all these six months of daily postings you have had the opportunity to see that there are many gems in the Lotus Sutra and many ways in which it can teach us valuable daily lessons.
“After I attained Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi in this Saha-World, I taught these Bodhisattvas, led them, trained them, and caused them to aspire for enlightenment. They lived in the sky below this Saha-World. When they were there, they read many sutras, recited them, understood them, thought them over, evaluated them, and remembered them correctly.” (Lotus Sutra, Chapter XV)
Let me close with this little tale. Once someone was working on their laptop and noticed the battery warning was flashing. Thinking that was strange because the computer was plugged in that person decided to investigate. Upon examining all the cords it became apparent that the computer was indeed plugged into the power strip, but the power strip was plugged into only itself and not the wall socket.
