17 - Being Buddhist in Washington

‪@BuddhismTalks‬ In this episode I talk to Joe Parks, an SGI Buddhist in Washington DC, about waking up with armoured cars in your city. We discuss how the greatest evils can provoke good, how societal events can be a stimulus for creating positive transformation, particularly when based on human centred philosophy. We discuss topics such as:How the stress of the current challenges can deepen our sense of what it means to be humanThe value of actions in community and the inspiration of youthThe value of deepening our sense of identity beyond race and gender to our eternal identity as Bodhisattvas of the Earth, who appear to create value during the most difficult of timesThe horizon of 2030 and the crucial nature of these next 5 yearsThe importance of chanting in a vibrant, 'youthful' way This podcast is a non-official, creative project.For more information about SGI visit the official website: https://www.sokaglobal.orgFor SGI-USA podcasts and information, presented with a youthful and contemporary spirit, visit: https://buddhability.orgFor more information on Buddhism Talks and to sign up for the bi-annual newsletter "Our Renaissance" visit: https://www.buddhismtalks.com#sokagakkai #nichirenbuddhism #nichiren #nichirendaishonin #buddhismandlife #buddhistphilosophy #buddhismforbeginners #motivation #motivational #mindset #inspiration #peace

‪@BuddhismTalks‬ In this episode I talk to John Callahan, the former SGI Canada Men's Leader about the value of role models, challenges facing young men, and how Buddhist practice is like weight training for your humanity. His academic background in math, physics and industrial engineering opened a path to becoming a university business professor for 30 years, but it is his buddhist practice that is a large part of how happy he is as a person. Some of the topics we touch on are:Buddhism as "Intentional Optimism"How we can change the past with our shifts in the presentWhy Buddhist activities are never "retreats"Why leadership in SGI is more about lifting than it is about leadingWhy Buddhism is about "stupidity vs wisdom" rather than "good vs evil"This podcast is a non-official, creative project.For more information about SGI visit the official website: https://www.sokaglobal.orgFor SGI-USA podcasts and information, presented with a youthful and contemporary spirit, visit: https://buddhability.orgFor more information on Buddhism Talks and to sign up for the bi-annual newsletter "Our Renaissance" visit: https://www.buddhismtalks.com#sokagakkai #nichirenbuddhism #nichiren #nichirendaishonin #buddhismandlife #buddhistphilosophy #buddhismforbeginners #motivation #motivational #mindset #inspiration

‪@BuddhismTalks‬ In this episode I share the best moments from two talks with Ned Boyden on the life and significance of Nichiren Daishonin, and why his teachings and courageous example are more relevant today than ever before. In this heartfelt exchange, Ned and I discuss the joy and value of reading Nichiren's writings and, as a rare treat, Ned shares some of the less commonly known details he discovered during research for his book "In the Valley of the Pine Needles - Stories of Historical Fiction based on the Life and Times of Nichiren Daishonin."For access to the full collection of Nichiren's writings please visit: https://www.nichirenlibrary.orgOther recommended books, mostly available at SGI bookstores, are:1. Three Lecture Books on ND Writings by Daisaku Ikeda: On Attaining Buddhahood in this Lifetime, The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life, The Opening of the Eyes.2. The Teachings for Victory Series - Volumes 1-73. The Hope-Filled Teachings of Nichiren Daishonin4. A Foundation for Your Life - Essentials of Nichiren's Writings for Young Women (Great for everyone, not just young women)5. The World of Nichiren's Writings - A Discussion of Humanistic Religion6. Living the Gosho (A collection of quotes - with short commentaries)This podcast is a non-official, creative project.For more information about SGI visit the official website: https://www.sokaglobal.orgFor SGI-USA podcasts and information, presented with a youthful and contemporary spirit, visit: https://buddhability.orgFor more information on Buddhism Talks and to sign up for the bi-annual newsletter "Our Renaissance" visit: https://www.buddhismtalks.com#sokagakkai #nichirenbuddhism #nichiren #nichirendaishonin #buddhismandlife #buddhistphilosophy #buddhismforbeginners

‪@BuddhismTalks‬ Buddhism is all about potential and access to our powerful enlightened life energy so we can transform our lives and our world. In this episode I use the analogy of Star Wars to share some similarities with Buddhism i.e. there is a force and some get trained to become really good at using it to win against negative forces. For buddhists that training is learning how to chant and practice this Buddhism.This podcast is a personal creative project. For the official SGI website visit: https://www.sokaglobal.org For SGI-USA official podcasts and information, with a youthful and contemporary spirit visit: https://buddhability.orgThe following are a few videos on chanting:How to Chant - Soka Global:    • How to Chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo | English  How to Chant - Buddhability:    • Learn How to Chant  The Sound of Chanting - Soka Global:    • Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo | English  #sokagakkai #buddhistchant #nichirenbuddhism #nichiren #starwars #buddhismandlife #buddhismforbeginners #buddhismforlife

@BuddhismTalks⁩ What a time to talk about courage! Is there anything more important? In this episode I speak with Jenny Morrison about the examples of courage in her family, her youth and in her practice. She shares her dramatic experience of changing her financial karma. We also discuss courage from the perspective of Nichiren's writings and how we can all learn from the Tatsunokuchi incident to muster both faith and courage at critical moments. For more information about Buddhism Talks or to sign up for the Our Renaissance Newsletter please visit: https://www.buddhismtalks.com This channel is a creative personal project and not an official SGI channel. For more information from the official SGI website please visit: https://www.sokaglobal.orgFor podcasts and information created in a youthful and contemporary spirit please visit: https://buddhability.org#sokagakkai #nichirenbuddhism #buddhismandlife #buddhismforbeginners #courage #peace

@BuddhismTalks⁩ In this episode I talk to Kate Wiggins about how she transformed a very difficult childhood into her life's work supporting lives as part of youth organizations, Big Sister and the largest women's shelter in Canada. We also cover the profound encouragement to women found in essays from Daisaku Ikeda and in Nichiren's writings. To sign up for the quarterly "Our Renaissance" newsletter please visit: https://www.buddhismtalks.comThis podcast is not an official SGI podcast. For the official SGI website and more information please visit: https://www.sokaglobal.orgFor a great website and podcast series filled with a youthful tone and contemporary spirit please visit: https://buddhability.org#sokagakkai #nichirenbuddhism #buddhismandlife #women #womenempowerment

 ⁨@BuddhismTalks⁩  In this episode I talk to Shuyi about how sharing a secret love of acting with a colleague led her to move from a career in tech to an acting degree at Harvard and other adventures in the pursuit of a creative life. We discuss topics such as:*Making decisions from courage and wisdom rather than a place of fear and suppression*Being aware of the stories we tell ourselves in setting personal standards for our life*The importance of making constant causes, big and small in the pursuit of our dreams This podcast is a personal creative project as a long time buddhist practitioner in the SGI. For more information and to sign up for the Our Renaissance newsletter, visit https://www.buddhismtalks.comFor official SGI websites and information please visit the following:https://www.sokaglobal.org/For the SGI USA sponsored podcasts and videos with a youthful and contemporary spirit visit: https://buddhability.org#sokagakkai #nichirenbuddhism #buddhismandlife #nammyohorengekyo #creativity #creativityforlife

It's my honour to talk to Dr. Paul Sherman about the many dimensions of Soka education i.e. What is it? Who is Tsunesaburo Makiguchi? How did Soka education start? What is its objective and how did it get to Canada? Also, how did Paul turn a tough career situation into a dream job of creating value?As Daisaku Ikeda explains: "The starting point and essence of Soka (value-creating) education is the spirit to treasure each student's individuality so that they can become happy and enjoy a glorious future. Education does not exist for the sake of the nation, for business, or for religion. The aim of Soka education is the happiness of oneself and others, as well as society as a whole, and peace for all humanity." https://www.daisakuikeda.org/main/edu...For more information about Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and Value Creating Education visit: https://www.tmakiguchi.orgFor more information about Nichiren Buddhism as practiced in the SGI visit: https://www.sokaglobal.orgFor podcasts and content with a youthful, contemporary spirit, please visit: https://buddhability.org#sokagakkai #nichirenbuddhism #education #educationmatters #buddhism #buddhismandlife #buddhismforbeginners

In this episode we cover why karma is a buddhist concept of empowerment, liberation and changing destiny. Basics covered include what is karma, the two types, how it can be changed and why the concept of the 9 Consciousnesses is key. Feel free to share any comments, feedback or suggestions for future topics in the section below.For more information about Nichiren Buddhism as practiced in the SGI visit: https://www.sokaglobal.orgFor podcasts and content with a youthful, contemporary approach, please visit:https://buddhability.org#sokagakkai #buddhismandlife #buddhismforbeginners #nichirenbuddhism #nichirendaishonin #nichiren #karmatheory #karma

In this episode I talk about the importance of creativity and curiosity as an ideal response to stresses and challenges, both from the perspective of Buddhism, as well as current thought and neuroscience.Please feel free to share your comments, questions or suggestions for future topics in the comments below.References: The writing from Nichiren Daishonin called "On Attaining Buddhahood can be found here: https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wn...The article I refer to is called "How Curiosity Rewires Your Brain For Change" by neuroscientist, Anne Laure Le-Cunff and can be found here: https://bigthink.com/smart-skills/how...For more information about Nichiren Buddhism as practiced in the SGI, please visit:https://www.sokaglobal.orgFor great podcasts and content with a youthful, contemporary approach please visit: https://buddhability.org#nichirenbuddhism #sokagakkai #buddhismandlife #buddhismforbeginners #stressmanagement #neuroscience