Initiation to Buddhist Path
Today, anyone uses the word “karma” in their daily lives. But, what does it even mean? If we were to define it in simple words, karma refers to a “compulsory force.” Now, why do we denominate it a “compulsory force”? It is because, under karmic influences, any will and effort of humans as well as the sacred teachings are almost useless to impede the actions of people.
For example, any criminal knows not to practice evil deeds. He knows this teaching is important for any human being in any circumstance. In spite of this knowledge, he ends up doing the very opposite. Alcohol addicts know that they should not drink even if no one has ever told them not to do so. They know more than anyone about the unhealthy effects drinking will bring. However, they find themselves drinking again.
If we were to refer to someone able to stop some of his or her actions after becoming aware of their consequences, then we would not call this subconscious weakness a materialization of karma. However, if there were some behaviours that are simply impossible to be eliminated despite the knowledge of the consequences, those behaviours can then be referred to as the manifestation of karma.
Now, if we were to see this metaphysical phenomenon from a far-field perspective, we could observe a greater picture of karmic influences in human life. That is: the indestructible structure of life circumstances. For example, despite having fine human qualities, there could be a trail to woeful fate. Despite the will and efforts, diverse conditions may surround him or her, leading to an unfortunate fate.
This illogical compulsory force is what we call karma.
Now, wouldn't our society be full of people who no longer find salvation in teachings alone, and also of people who suffer from karma without being aware of this reality?
Everyone is born with karma and suffers chained to the compulsory fate.
How Compulsory Fate Manifests Itself in Life
The number of people who know about the existence of compulsive destiny is simply too small. Are there not more people who believe that fate is the result of divine intention, under which only unconditional acceptance remains? Are they not contributing to the force of their compulsive destiny intensifying even more and becoming even more evident?
Well, regardless of their beliefs, compulsive fate does exist and in variety. See some examples below:
1. Fate of suicide, homicide, and death by accident - Those who have the fate of unnatural death always die in tragedy.
2. No matter how hard an individual tries, or how much he works, his luck only tends to get worse, being, after all, forced to give up the goods and properties inherited from his parents and ancestors, starting to wander as a nomad in strange lands. Such is the bearer of the compulsive fate of family decay.
3. A person has talent, skill and judgment above normal and, in the meantime, is unable to obtain a suitable stage or opportunity to develop these qualities. Other people don't recognize him or her, even if they do, he or she ends up being slandered, insulted or becomes ill or becomes a victim of an accident, thus losing his or her precious opportunity. This is the compulsive fate of the person with the fate of frustration. The child who has this fate is characterized by having scattered attention and a lack of persistence, unable to keep up with the pace of his studies. As he or she grows up, he or she tends to change his place of work and profession frequently.
4. The girl is neither ugly nor devoid of talent, but she is unable to find a good husband, and takes a long time to get married. Even if she did, she is forced to accept a marriage that is not to her liking. Consequently, a maladjusted couple and a cold home emerge. This is the pain of the woman who has the fate of marital disorder.
5. There is the compulsive destiny that drives a person to get cancer. It's the fate of cancer.
6. Psychic illnesses or head injuries or stroke. This is the compulsive fate of those with the fate of brain damage.
7. Loss of vision, loss of upper or lower limbs, or need for repeated surgical interventions, tendency to have persistent skin disease, pulmonary tuberculosis, etc. are the sufferings people with fate of physical injuries or loss of vision have to bear.
8. Parents and children, brothers and sisters, confront each other in an abnormal hatred, causing tragedies among blood relatives. This is the reality caused by the fate of conflict between blood relatives.
Other than these, there are countless other types of fates. See details about this by reading the book by our Grand Master Seiyu Kiriyama, entitled “The Varieties of Karma.”
What do you think of the entirety of this issue? You might have recognized some of the aforementioned factors around you and perhaps in your own life.
Without the knowledge of the true cause of misfortunes and woes, people walk the roads traced by the compulsive fate as if they are puppets controlled and pulled by the strings of karma. If this continued to be the case, it would have made no sense for us to be born as people in the first place. Buddha has once told “Break the chains of karma!” and called “Cut these strings of karma and conquer freedom!”
We must respond to Buddha’s call to create a free destiny and to live the true self.
The Method of Liberation that Buddha Preaches
Apparently, Buddhism is generally recognized as the religion that teaches self-control, mindfulness, solace and spiritual awakening as its main goals. But, in fact, from the perspective of true Buddhism, those are merely a fraction of Buddhist discipline.
Originally, the essence and the objective of Buddhism made by the Buddha himself was to defy karma.
Without purging karma, it is impossible to change fate. And, without changing fate, it is impossible for humans to be truly saved.
Fate must not be something to be accepted.
If we have an evil fate, why not fight to change it? This is Buddhist thinking. Buddhism used to have a system capable of bringing this change to reality. This very system is found in the sutra left by Buddha himself, named Agama, which would correspond to the Bible of Christians.
In this sutra, Buddha recorded the technique for extinguishing karma (named Jobutsu-Ho or Enlightenment Process) and for attaining Buddhahood. However, throughout the history of Buddhism, new movements arose to develop new sutras, in addition to the Agama left by Buddha. And, along the way, the transmission of this valuable technique ended up being interrupted.
One could say this was a great loss for humanity.
The fact that the sutra and technique left by Buddha remained buried reflects another deeper reality: that the Buddha himself remained buried. And, without the “resurrection” of Buddha, humanity cannot be truly saved. Thinking this way, our Master Seiyu Kiriyama founded Agon Shu in 1978, in order to bring the long-disregarded original teachings of Buddha to light and glory.
This signifies the fact that, after more than two thousands years, the original Buddhism of Sidharta Gautama, the Buddha, was resurrected. This historical event represents the beginning of a decisive phase for the benefit of human evolution.
In Japanese, Agon Shu means “the religious group who guards and reverend Agama sutra.”
Agon Shu Buddhism, which began preaching the Agama sutra’s “biblical” teachings, adopted and fused with three other lineages of Buddhism, that is, Buddhism transmitted to the North, one transmitted to the South, and the one transmitted to the East, which, until then, had been following different paths from each other and far from Agama. By the reunion of the Three Major Buddhist Denominations, Agon Shu perfected itself as “The Complete Buddhism” and it is called so even by religious experts.
Nowadays, there are plenty of religions that bring the term karma into discussion. And, we see this as a progressive phenomenon in the spiritual communities. However, if not only do you wish to attain consolation, but also extinguish your karma so that you can change your fate effectively, you must stay firmly conscious of this historical truth.
The system of karmic elimination of Agon Shu Buddhism is based on the Process of Liberation inscribed in Agama sutra, with the necessary adjustments made by our master so that anyone is given the opportunity to practice in their lifetime.
The result of this powerful force that this system provides to trainers can be summarized in two points:
Elimination of compulsive fate combined with subsequent creation of free destiny.
Development and manifestation of subconscious capabilities.
And, this system begins when one receives the Sacred Stupa which is a part of the body of Buddha himself.
The Trial of Fate Begins With The Receipt of the Holy Stupa
In order to practice this Dharma, you need to receive the Holy Stupa which will become the source of your force and the object of worship. This will be the definitive beginning of your path towards freedom from fate.
The Buddhist Stupa is one of the most precious and important sacred objects in Buddhism. In Catholicism, believers worship their saints’ sacred objects. This is because sacred relics bring miracles. When the spirit of a saint who is in a spiritual realm manifests himself in this world to answer believers’ calling prayers, he descends on the object with the highest affinity with himself. In fact, this relic itself is called the Holy Spirit. This is how the miracle caused by the coming of the saint occurs.
Within the array of sacred objects, the relics (e.g. blood and bones) of saints are the most revered. If there were no such bodily remains, things such as clothes and accessories of the saints are regarded as the most sacred.
In Original Buddhism, the sacred relics called “Busshari”, which belong to the founder of Buddhism, are considered as the most sacred objects. However, as you may have perceived already, Buddhists began worshiping the sculpted or painted image of Buddha over time as if worshiping Buddha should simply be symbolical or as if those sculptures had the Spirit of Buddha. Buddhism has thus become far away from its origins as for Buddhist worship.
The sacred stupa you will receive is, however, the Buddha himself, embedded with His Light and Might, thanks to our Master’s successful evocation of Lord Buddha’s Divine Spirit with his 7-days rigorous rite.
Additionally, to help fulfill his dire need, an extremely secret method transmitted by Shingon Esoteric Buddhism, called Nyoi Hoju-Ho, was implemented in Agon Shu Buddhism. The sacred stupa, therefore, an absolutely priceless treasure.
But, you may now wonder why his relics are necessary to change one’s fate? This is because human force alone cannot even touch the flow of compulsive fate.
The compulsive fate does not exist in a vague manner like a smoke surrounding one’s body and conducting humans to unfortunate events. Compulsive fate permeates within our subconscious and in the depths of our unconscious, streaming just like a program.
If we were to make a comparison, computer memory would be the best match to do so.
The “karma of the previous life” and the “ancestral karma” lies within ourselves as a “program” that leads us towards the realization of compulsive fate. This means that the entirety of our mental elements, including our thinking, judgements, sensibilities, preferences, aspirations, likes and dislikes, is under the sway of a compulsive fate program.
Thus, the effort to defy one’s compulsive fate with human force alone would be the same as trying to block the current of river’s flow with bare hands and toes. With the goal of changing one’s fate, people may strive their best with intense will. However, as a result, there are many cases in which they end up accelerating the realization of their compulsive karma. This is the temerity of compulsive fate.
For this reason, in order to extinguish the compulsive fate, it is necessary a helping guide whose presence stands in a realm unfettered from the restraint of karma - the Buddha.
The Road to The Ethereal Realm of Buddhas
From the moment you are given the sacred stupa, your trial of fate begins, a route opens between you and the world of buddhas, and you will be bestowed divine protection from the lofty realm of buddhas. By receiving the sacred stupa, you are thus an official disciple of Buddha.
You shall walk up this rigorous path to karmic liberation with complete humility, repentance, and sincere reverence to Buddha. You may come across numerous challenges to pains and woes during your journey. And, one day, you may selflessly commit your blood, sweat, and tears entirely for Buddha and others’ welfare. It would be at this moment that your chains of karma finally snaps the first crack. At the end of your lives-long journey, unfettered from karmic strings and transcending the human mind, you shall finally attain Nirvana.
The world you live in, including its environment and conditions, is, in its entirety, the result of the program you bring from within. The world you see before your eyes is the reflection of your spiritual level. Everything you face has its cause within your inner self.
Around the man of the hell class, the infernal world unfolds.
Around the man of the Hungry Ghosts class, the world of famine unfolds.
Around the man of animal class, the world of instincts and ignorance unfolds.
Around the man of celestial class, the transient celestial realm unfolds.
You need to comprehend this Truth. However, to which class do you belong? Regardless of the class, without a change within yourself, the world around you will never change for good. If you change, the world around you will also change accordingly.
The choice of weal and woe, the choice to change yourself and your environment for good with the support of sacred stupa, lies within your hands, and you only. If you understand this, then walk up this path, aiming for the top, higher and higher. The more you rise, the more the scenery changes. If you fall, stand up again. To the one who firmly intends to climb, Buddha will extend His hand. Repentance is the cane. Gratitude is the canteen. Having both, you will be able to walk any steep climb.
We shall climb together! No matter if it’s step by step. We will one day reach our destination.
Special Worship and Practice of Cumulative Virtue
The practice of this system is not that easy. Once a day, one must pray in front of the sacred stupa. The prayer consists of the reading of sutras and the recitation of mantras with respective mudras (hand poses). There are not many schools of Buddhism that regard this ascetic practice as their main form of worship.
The attunement to Buddha through the practice of this prayer results in the purification of your mind, body, and spirit. This purifying light will also be directed towards your ancestors.
The karma inherited from ancestors has enormous power capable of replicating the woeful fate they followed into the destiny program of their descendants. In other words, humans live the same or similar events their ancestors have lived. This force is barely resistible. Yet, even this karma begins to dissipate little by little under the effect of the light of purification brought through this special prayer.
(However, in a case in which there is an ancestor who died from cancer or accident and continues to radiate waves of extreme grudge and suffering, special liberation prayer named Gedatsu Kuyo must be applied where specialized priests in the Main Temple in Japan will execute the procedure of liberation of the soul.)
Another form of devotion is also as important as the daily prayer. It is the practice for the accumulation of virtues directed to Buddha in order to extinguish karma coming from the actions in one’s present life and past lives. In other words, this form of practice is intended to atone for one’s own sins.
However, it is not enough to simply accumulate virtues. If you practice acts of kindness, the virtuous seeds planted within this life will bear fruits of help and goodness in your next life. But, the evil acts of your past lives will remain manifesting themselves in the present life. In other words, the actions taken and their consequences evolve, each independently. There must be a force capable of liking accumulated virtues with the bad virtues of past lives, rendering the effects of such evil acts null and void. Otherwise, the bad acts done in the past will not disappear. All would remain as you did in your past.
And, this “force” is that of Lord Buddha.
The practice of virtue accumulation in relation to Buddha must be done with a spirit of repentance and gratitude. It is also important to mention that this practice must not be done with a profit-and-loss mentality. One must practice this virtue accumulation with no selfish intentions but in awe of Buddha's compassion, wisdom, and divinity. This practice is called bongyo in Agon Shu Buddhism.
The Humility as an Essential Quality
Perhaps you have thought that the aforementioned practices are not out of your capacity. Yet, there is also another aspect of Buddhist practice which can be far more difficult. It is about the need to abandon your ego.
Pay attention to the next story:
A scholar asked to become a disciple of a priest whose high virtues were most renowned. The priest called his assistant to bring a jug full of water, accompanied by a ladle full of sake of famous quality. And, he said to the scholar: “Pour the sake into the jug.” Upon hearing him, the scholar said: “But, if you add the sake, it will overspill…” Soon after, the priest suddenly poured the water from the jar into the garden and shouted: “So, what now!?” The scholar, upon observing the scene, was thoughtful for a moment, and suddenly bowed his head and replied: “I understood perfectly.” In the eyes of the priest, this scholar was filled from the tip of his head to his toes with knowledge and studies acquired until then.
Your body could be compared to this pitcher full of water. Anything added to it would end up overflowing, never becoming one with the pitcher. “Empty yourself! Come back with the contents emptied!” It was the priest’s lesson.
In this story the water was a symbol of ego, and it is the “fake self” under the dominion of compulsive fate.
Naturally, it is always averse to Buddha’s teachings which aim to eliminate compulsive fate. Ego was not originally constituted to combat one’s fate. Would you be able to obey Buddha and our master's advice, always trying to use them to increasingly enrich your thinking, judgment, sensitivity, preference, desire, and logic and, at the same time, doing your best to completely abandon the harmful side of your own personality?
In order to conquer your true self, you must abandon your false self.
This is why one must eliminate the ego. For the practitioner of this system, it can be said that no quality surpasses docility and obedience to Buddha. How far is the possibility of becoming one with Buddha? If you aim to see how far you could get the Buddha's answer, you will naturally begin the practices outlined above. Everything will depend on your effort. Those who commit themselves with great dedication to these practices will be granted unlimited merits.