Religion is a funny thing really, which in itself means nothing; I just needed somewhere to start on my latest diatribe.

Ok, that's better - I'm on my way. No I'm not, I'm stuck again. Damn...

<10 minutes later>

There are many controversial issues in Nichiren Buddhism. What sect is the most correct? Which Gohonzon is correct, which is not? Who has ulterior motives and who is really seeking the truth? The questions go on and on as seen on the myriad of different discussion lists having to do with Nichiren's Buddhism.

Ok, this is not going well, I'm rambling again. Damn...

<10 minutes later>

Screw all that - religion is crap. Religion is just a fancy way of explaining how we look at the world, and so often a method of denying one's personal reality, our individual perception of the world clouded by a lifetime of painful experiences. Wow, that sounded depressing. Oh well...

What ticks me off when I listen to all the various Nichiren wanna-be fundamentalists is that they assume there is some real content outside of the human mind. I don't believe there is. There is no magic juju in the paper Gohonzon, "Nam myoho renge kyo is not the name of the godamm universe (god I hate that one). Nichiren Buddhism is a conclusion, a final explanation and definition of the teachings of several teachers throughout history who sought to find a way both to explain, and come into harmony with the fabric and workings of heaven, Earth, and Man. So often I think we as Buddhists need to chill long enough to ask ourselves, "what am I doing this for?"

Lets step back for a moment from Buddhism and address the function of all religions. No doubt religion and human life have been synonymous from that point when some man (or woman) in primordial history asked that fateful question "whom am I and what the hell am I doing here?", though that question probably sounded something closer to "grunt grunt snarl, cough spit grunt".

What is religion then? I'm glad I asked. Religion is merely an externalization of our attempt to deal with the terror that is inherent in living our short lives in a state of semi-consciousness and ignorance as to where we came from or where we're going.

The truth of religion as a function of human life lies in understanding the basic human functions from which is becomes manifest.

Human function number 1 - human beings seek power.

Human function number 2 - all other functions point back to number 1.

People generally fall into two categories when it comes to power. The first are those who, seeking power, pursue the unempowerment of those around them as well as their physical world. This is the fundamental reason why we destroy and assimilate the world around us. As Mr. Smith explains to Morpheus in "the Matrix" human beings behave more like viruses than their fellow mammals. We fight and destroy each other and seem to be on an irreversible path towards the total assimilation of the natural resources of our planet.

The other path involves the empowerment of the individual. Those who walk this path seek to further empower themselves in order to gain mastery over their individual world. In truth most people follow both these paths to some degree.

You can obviously see where I'm going with this. The "Buddhist" function is to seek to become responsible for one's own life and to transform it, while the "Christian" function is to seek forgiveness for one's transgressions through subservience to imaginary deities. This approach is generally thought of (by me anyway) as the original religion and relates to "primitive" religious practices involving human sacrifice. Of course in this modern age such barbaric and ignorant practices and beliefs don't exist (smirk).

The trick here is that there are Buddhists who actually practice their religion in a Christian manner (oh puleeze Gohonzon, puleeze) and certainly Christians who follow Christian teachings in a Buddhist manner. This is my point, it's the person, not the religion.

Religion is merely window dressing and worse, it can become an excuse and validation for bad behavior (yes, bad behavior is an understatement). I believe that religion holds no truths in itself. I have listened to those Buddhists who speak of their belief in the Lotus Sutra in a literal sense. Fine, whatever They're like the extreme "Trekkies" who go to work in their Federation uniforms living their fantasy as a replacement for reality (if you're clueless as to where this reference came from, rent the movie "Trekkies").

I met an artist years ago in the New Age 90's that firmly believed in Mermaids, trolls, fairies and other fantasy creatures. This was indeed her religion. It's a wonderful thing to be human and have an imagination.

As with everything this rant of mine relates back to the principle of Kyojitsu Tenkan, recognizing the full and manifest from the empty and false. Regarding the Nichiren wars, still ongoing, between all the different groups vying for a doctrinal victory in their endless and empty debates; you're not fooling me. Religion, Buddhism, the Gohonzon, the Bible, the Sutras, the fundamental truths of these "things" resides "only in the mortal flesh of us believers", and no, not actually IN the flesh (for those literalists), it's a metaphor. Sheesh.

So stop hiding behind your religion. Think dammitt - your beliefs are only real in your mind. There is no truth or reward in the belief that you've embraced the correct teaching. There is only truth in how you proceed throughout your life, i.e. in the causes you make. This is true for the clergy as well. There is no power or value in being ordained by some ordination body, there is only truth and value in how you proceed as a minister or priest. Our society is full of evil predators hiding behind "legitimate" ordination. This is simply natural predatory behavior found throughout the natural world. It is our responsibility to understand what is real and what is not.

You're either following a path of self-empowerment and fulfillment, or you're treading the road of destruction....

<10 minutes later>

Ok, so that wasn't my best blog, but that's... oh - kay...

Because, I'm good enough, I'm smart enough and darnitt PEOPLE LIKE ME.

Rev. Greg Dilley, Shidoshi