The question “What is happiness?” is often left
to philosophers because it requires a kind of thinking we don’t normally
engage in. It challenges who we are and how we live. Most of us believe
that the ultimate purpose of our actions is to obtain happiness but
happiness can be elusive or temporary. In our world, happiness is most
often based upon acquiring material possessions.
In
attempting to make sense of what we do, to understand our interactions
with others and the challenges that confront us, once we retreat into
our thoughts, what do we find? More confusion? Do we dislike who we are?
Is our place of last retreat only a mirror of all the uncertainties
that walk with us through the day and into the night?
This
book is intended to encourage its readers to consider Nicherin Buddhism
as a possible path for obtaining greater fulfillment in life. Even the
most confused, disappointed and angry people want a good night’s sleep
and the companionship of someone who understands their journey and their
pain. For more than 2,500 years, Buddhism has led its practitioners to
greater serenity and a more fulfilling life.
When
facing life’s uncertainties, those who think about it are often led
back to their fundamental belief system. Whether they reject or uphold
those beliefs is a reflection of individual culture, family and
community. The origin of one’s beliefs may extend back for generations
to an unknown beginning. Often, they are a reflection of religious
training, particularly if the church, synagogue or mosque was the
central institution within the community.
In
seeking spiritual fulfillment, how do we choose where to worship? We
may attend a convenient local church, or perhaps remain with the one our
parents attended. We may join a popular church to follow a charismatic
leader. Sometimes we choose a place to worship in order to establish
roots in a higher socioeconomic bracket, abandoning the storefront
church with the folding chairs that our parents may have attended. We
may follow a spouse or partner into a new belief system or religion,
telling ourselves, “it’s as good as any other and they all lead to the
same place.” But in fact most of us do not know another form of
spirituality, belief or life philosophy. We cling to the familiar one
because it’s all we know.
