If one practices generosity (danaparamita) based on notions, this means that one is practicing dana for something. The practice of dana is done because of some reward or retribution; because one should do it; or some other reason. However, this cannot be the correct way to practice the danaparamita; it cannot be based on such a notion. Dana should be just practiced. Not practiced for something, or because of something. This is simply my own understanding, but doing something because “it is the right thing to do,” is a completely subjective notion. “The right thing to do,” can change from person to person, culture to culture. As Myokei shonin once told me, “you should give whatever to the first person that asks, that way, there is no judgment.” This is truly the Buddha’s wisdom (and points to the meaning of the Vajracchedika). Though thinking “this is the first person I see, so I should give to them,” is still a sort of notion, but it is certainly closer to the true meaning.

南無妙法蓮華経

When did our Sangha (in this case, I am speaking directly of the ordained) start wearing hats? For that matter… what exactly do these (various) hats mean. I suppose I should explain a little; Throughout Mahayana traditions, there seems to be a hat for just about everyone. Tibetans have a whole slough of them; which is where I think the crowns for the Sanzang/Samjang/Tam tang/Sanzo ( I like to include everybody… lol) came from. I have seen various hats from China, Vietnam, Japan, Korea (though, I suppose this is really an assumption, because I don’t think I have ever seen Korean monks with any ritual headgear) depending on the tradition and status of the monks- and nuns, I believe.

In Japanese traditions, I have seen so many various hats that I don’t know what to do with myself… the one I am most familiar with however, are the hats that are used for special rituals and ceremonies in Nichiren-shu. I really don’t know what they mean, but I would really like to know.

I just think it’s a little odd, all these various hats and flashy robes every now and again- doesn’t that defeat the purpose, at least on some level? What I mean is, don’t all these expensive materials and additions just distract from the Path? Then again, maybe they are just expedients- some people are more ritualistically oriented, which is not necessarily an issue in and of itself. So then, perhaps all these “additions” as I called them are, as stated, expedients. More so the ornate robes and such than the hats, lol. They become something of a “positive attachment”, keeping peoples’ interest in the path in a way; something along the lines of, “Wow, this looks really cool, I’ll sit and watch this for a while,” or, “Man, I want cool robes like that.” While these are not the best reasons, they still cause one to encounter the Dharma, so in the end, some good does indeed come of it. There is a point where I think it gets a tad ridiculous, but nonetheless. There are many reasons I suppose. Though I know as far as the Japanese system, the robes and the hats also have to do with Buddhism in the Japanese Court, during earlier eras.

In any case, a fun thing to research… so far my favorite hat is the Sanzo/Bodhisattva Crown.

南無妙法蓮華経

This is Sejji, I’ll be writing about my little journey on my Buddhist path. There will probably be some very mundane posts, and hopefully some not so mundane posts. Really, the topics will likely range from what I talk about with Eric (my wonderful boyfriend), or to my various Buddhist studies, or experiences chanting, meditating, and well, life. However, my attempt is to put it all in a context of Dharma. Hopefully, this blog will follow me as I begin my path to becoming a Nichiren-shu minister, as this is a goal I have had for some time now. I will make a post explaining that in more detail sometime shortly.

So, I have been meaning to make this blog for quite some time now. However, I could never come up with a name that I thought was decent to use for it (the blog). This past weekend brought some inspiration; I received my Buddhist name/Dharma name on Sunday. I have been practicing with Nichiren-shu for a decent amount of time now, and recently reveiced my mandala- after not having one (I left another Nichiren group, and gave my then mandala up), I felt a sense of ease and joy when I received one from Nichiren-shu; Myokei Shonin of Myoken Temple of TX came to our Sangha here in Tampa, and bestowed both my mandala and my name.

The characters for my name are:   説自can be said as either Setsuji or Sejji depending on if you want to use the Kanto (関東) or Kansai (関西) pronunciation. Either way, the characters  mean, “to speak/explain self/oneself (through the dharma).” According to some other sources, it can also mean “Theoretical self,” which is interesting to me, as the concept of the “Self” in Buddhism is, well, theoretical. Anyway, back to the sort-of-introduction, Myokei Shonin gave me this name in part because of the little essay I wrote; some of my favorite Buddhist practices involve the voice. Whether chanting the Odaimoku, or reciting the Lotus Sutra, the voice is a powerful expression of the Dharma. It reverberates, flows, and ripples through space. Even when the sound has dissipated, the energy continues on in some form. In truth, I would say that shomyo has to be one of the practices that reaches me the most. The tones, the scale used… it becomes such a deep contemplation. There is always a stillness after; a stillness that has such a charge to it. While visiting our Tampa Sangha, Myokei Shonin held a practice for Shomyo, and the Hokke Sembo, or Rai Hokke Shiki- a repentance ceremony. After two hours of chanting for the Hokke Sembo, there was such a charge, and such an unfamiliar silence… the mind becomes so focused on the words of the Sutra that it just permeates everything. Personally, I like to let me mind kind of paint the scene as we read the Sutra (this time in English), and follow it along as it develops- it really lets me feel like I am sitting in the assembly as the Lord Shakyamuni expounds the Wonderful Dharma. It’s really interesting because the voice becomes the focus, but after a while it falls away, and there is something else; it’s still the voice, but it just seems like something else.

I think I will end here for now, I just want to say thank you to Myokei Shonin, who while visiting us here in Tampa, provided wonderful guidence, and an amazing Sunday intensive.

南無妙法蓮華経