April's Storm 1
ru...@erols.com
I first met April and her husband Tom shortly after my release from
prison. They lived across the street. We shared an interest in music,
college classes, and progressive politics.
April always sided with the underdog. When she was seven, she and her
cousins formed a “labor” union and staged a strike for higher allowances.
They had a picket line with placards and everything. The parents,
amused at their ingenuity, gave in, and the young unionist won higher
wages. This only encouraged the young revolutionaries.
We both ended up at Maryland University. About 3 years into our
friendship, she started to practice the Daishonin’s Buddhism. She left
her husband and got a small apartment near the university campus. She
met a young man named Marc.
Marc had began his practice while living in the dorms at the University.
To distract and annoy, his roommate, would throw paper airplanes at Marc
when he tried to do Gongyo. One day Marc asked Raz (his roommate) “What
would it take for you to start practicing?” Raz told Marc “If you become
the Student Council President, I will consider practicing.” Marc ran for
Student Council President and established the “Unity Party”. Their motto
was “Throw the Rascals Out!” It was an anti-incumbent movement. Marc
became the first Buddhist Student Council President and April was elected
as a Student Council Representative. The next two presidents at Maryland
University were also Nichiren Buddhist.
One day April called and asked “Can you make it rain by chanting?” I
asked her why. She told me the students found out that the local police
had wire taps on the dorm phones. They were angry that their private
conversations were known to the police, some of whom they had gone to
high school with. The students planned a protest march at 2 PM. the next
day. The local police had a reputation of wanton violence. Besides
minorities, they especially loved bashing college student head. The
students were prepared to fight back. April knew there would be
bloodshed. She wanted a rain storm to deter the students from their
rally/bloodbath.
I knew it could be done but didn’t know how much Daimoku was needed. So
I suggested that she talk with our headquarters chief. She and Mark
received specific instructions from him.
The morning of the protest was cloudless. My first thought was “April is
going to be pissed at me again.” (She had a temper!) My next thought
was that a lot of people might get hurt so I chanted for their sake.
Around 1:30 a single cloud appeared in the sky. It was a dark cloud. It
went straight to the university and rained so hard that the students
called off the protest march. By 2:15 the rain stopped and the day was
clear again.
That night April asked the Headquarters Chief, “Why did only one cloud
appear?” “Why did it only rain for 30 minutes?” “Why did it rain only
over the Maryland Campus?”
He answered “You didn’t want to spoil everyone’s day, did you?”
Rogowdoc
Subj: Hoon-Jo
From: Wht Lotus
"I, however, know of some people who worked wonders in ancient days but
did
not prove their correctness in Buddhism by virtue of their wonders.
Akadasen, a brahman hermit, kept the Ganges River in his ears for twelve
years; Gito, a hermit, swallowed up the ocean in a day; Sechi, a Brahman,
grasped the sun and moon by hand; Hermit Kudon transformed the Buddha's
disciples into cows and sheep. They worked such wonders as these, which
made them too proud and self-conceited, piling up seeds of illusions.
Referring to this, Grand Master T'ien-t'ai stated: 'Seeking fame and
profit, they increased illusions in thinking and desire.' Priest
Kuang-che
(Fa-yun) could cause it to rain instantly or shower flowers by giving
lectures on the Lotus Sutra. Yet Grand Master Miao-lo said of him, 'It
does
not fit the teaching of the Lotus Sutra to show such wonders.'
"Therefore, although Grand Master T'ien-t'ai made nectar rain immediately
upon giving lectures on the Lotus Sutra, and Grand Master Dengyo caused
nectar to rain in three days, they never claimed that such miracles met
the
wishes of the Buddha."
Hoon-Jo
NOPPA edition
All the more true referring to the SGI which has distorted
even the basic tenets of the Daqishonin's Buddhism.
Mark
Matthew_E._Presseau
mark,
you are forgetting that Nichiren himself was involved in contests with
shingon priests to make it rain during a drought.
matt
Mark Herrick
Mark
You posted the folowing:
> Subj: Hoon-Jo
> From: Wht Lotus
>
> "I, however, know of some people who worked wonders in ancient days but
> did
>
> All the more true referring to the SGI which has distorted
> even the basic tenets of the Daqishonin's Buddhism.
>
> Mark
>
I would appreciate it if you would not use my name, "Wht Lotus," on a post
without my permission. One can clearly see the name Wht Lotus in the
"From" area. I did not give my permission to you to use anything I have
written.
Please be more careful in the future.
--
Namu Myoho Renge Kyo
With Gassho
Mark Herrick
Nichiren Buddhist Fellowship
www.nichiren.org
Rogowdoc
Matt, I am not forgetting anything. I am merely supplying the
Daishonin's words. You will take from them what you will.
"I, however, know of some people who worked wonders in ancient days but
did
MarcInMD
I would appreciate it if you would not use my name, "Wht Lotus," on a post
without my permission. One can clearly see the name Wht Lotus in the
"From" area. I did not give my permission to you to use anything I have
written.
Please be more careful in the future.<<<<
Dear Mark Herrick,
Right, Rogow is useing your quotes and Terry is useing MY story. By the
way, even though Terry is well intended in his posting of this story,
several fairly important facts are missing or wrong. Perhaps if I get some
time I will write it out as I remember it.
In the meantime, please offer Odaimoku for our dear departed friend
April Omara.
All of her close friends who remember her and post here would appreciate
that more than anything else.
Marc
Myodog
Matthew mentions (correctly) that the Daishonin was involved in 'contests'
regarding prayers for rain. If you check the Gosho, "Prayers for Rain',
(I'm not
running down which volume right now, but it's there), the Daishonin cites
examples
of some whose prayers for rain have been answered. As recollection serves,
they
included 'an unchaste priestess' and someone who did not keep the 250
precepts. Clearly, the Daishonin was not indicating that the ability to
cause rain
was evidence of Buddhahood; rather that Ryokan's inability to cause rain,
or later
to cause 'strange rain', was indicative of his lack of same.
I meant to point this out to Stooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, back
when he was raving about the Ikeda rains, but it slipped through the
cracks.
Matthew_E._Presseau
If I recall correctly, in that contest to cause rain Nichiren interprted
his victory when rain fell in and "unstrange" way following his
prayers. I think a typhoon hit out of season when Ryokan prayed. Well,
something to that effect.
Anyway, this gets into an intersting topic. This is a pretty profound
doctrine. There are examples of Christian (mostly Catholic) miracles in
which some people have visited holy sites and been cured of whatever
ails them. Anyway, I was tossing the idea around in my head and I
thought about how the Daishonin explains in ? gosho that confucianism,
taoism and Brahmanism are progressions towards Buddhism in that they
explain certain mysteries such as life and death and past, present and
future, with relative degrees of success.
I have read comments elsewhere that Xtianity is inferior as a religion
because it does not take into account or explain why some people get
their miracles while others do not. (and life and death, from the
standpoint of Buddhism) The belief seems, from what I understand, that
God dishes out justice as he sees fit. This saw one of its harsher and
incompassionate forms in the exclusionist Calvinist thought that some
are born predestined to go to heaven, while others even born into good
xtian families were doomed to hell.
As an aside, perhaps the variations in scriptural interpretation gives
an explanation as to why Catholics made more efforts to reach the
natives (although not altogether better in their actions towards
natives) than their protestant competitors who prefered get rid of
them. I guess if there is a God who rules according to justice, cause
and effect is alluded to in a round about way, but because its not a
central idea, C and E does not seem to have had much development as a
concept in the west until recently as Scientists begin to accept it as a
general theory.
In buddhism, some get there miracles and other do not based on their
past causes. Opponents can tear down this teaching of Buddhism by
pointing out that no one can prove that the bird with the broken wing
you helped five lifetimes ago brought back feeling in your paralyzed
arm. But none the less, Buddhism seems to accord with science, that all
powerful body of knowledge which has its own adherants, which supports
cause and effect rather than arbitrary action.
I wonder what sort of comparative effect plays out in the lives of
people who subscribe to the different views? How has the doctrine of C
and E played a role in the West if it has? Is the differing effects of
philosophy in one's life what is to be considered actual proof? And
most important, who of us Nichiren Disciples has the actual proof to
substantiate Their claim?
Oooh! I can't wait to read answers to this, especially the last, if
anyone goes for it. The first three questions are directed to anyone
with an interest in discussing philosophy and its practical effects from
a more academic and secular than not view while the last is for the
several advocates on the site.
Matt
ps. Im going on vacation for a while, but ill try to get in while Im
away. Peace, my ARBN friends.