Welcome to my Blog. I'm a practising member of SGI-UK a lay buddhist organisation practising the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin. It is often described as a practise of Active Humanism which I think reflects it perfectly. The basic practise is the chanting of 'Nam Myoho Renge Kyo' on a daily basis and putting the practise into use in our daily lives thereby making this a practical rather than esoteric form of Buddhism. For more information, please follow the Buddhist links on the right of this page


“Prayer is the courage to persevere. It is the struggle to overcome our own weakness and lack of confidence in ourselves. It is the act of impressing in the very depths of our being the conviction that we can change the situation without fail. Prayer is the way to destroy all fear. It is the way to banish sorrow, the way to light a torch of hope. It is the revolution that rewrites the scenario of our destiny... Believe in yourself! Don't sell yourself short! Devaluing yourself is contrary to Buddhism, because it denigrates the Buddha state of being within you.”.
Daisaku Ikeda.

Ch ch ch changes ................

Not the most interesting day yesterday and must admit that I felt bored for quite a bit of it. Did have a phone call in the evening from a Buddhist though who explained to me why he was stopping practising. Some of the reasons were personal and he may well change his mind in time, but he did bring up a few 'issues' which I sometimes feel we ignore .. to do with the organisational side of things of course ... nothing major but maybe we don't , as 'leaders' always project our thoughts too well and resort to terminology or just regurgitate things we have read. It's important to remember that we want people to practise so that they can change their lives for the better and therefore, society. Surely that is the key point of this practise .... Certainly got my mind whirring about how new people see us and how we casually use terminolgy when we shouldn't ... so my determination from this point on is to be the 'kick ass' buddhist in our area :-)

Actually managed to get out of bed (after watching an episode of Buffy of course) and go to the Mens meeting this morning .... only 3 there which isn't surprising really as it is the Bank Holiday, but worth going to as I managed to to a few thoughts over ... the revolution starts here lol

Lazy Saturday

Well .. yesterday was exciting .. not really ... usual kinda day .. bit of work, bit of a swim etc though I did go for a few beers in the evening which was nice ... don't usually go out at the weekends so it was good to remember what town is like then !

The good news of the day was that my Buffy DVD arrived so I bet you can guess what I did all morning in bed .. yes ... watch the DVDs ... Buffy just gets better with age :-)

No idea of plans for the weekend at the moment .. it's currently about 2.30pm and I really should get moving to go into town. As usual, I seem to have missed the sun and no doubt it will be raining when I get there ....

I had every intention of doing a decent amount of chanting this morning but it all went pear shaped .. must do at least SOME before I go out .... Just re-read The Buddha, Geoff and Me by Eddie Canfor-Dumas .... Not the best written novel in the world but it does help to remind me of why I practise ... so a bit of arse kicking in gear is called for over the bank hols me thinks !

Right .. to town >>>>>>>>>

OK .. so I'm sad !!!

Today I did something I should probably be ashamed of, but hey .. I'm not ... I finally got round to ordering Buffy The Vampire Slayer season 3 ! Guess not a lot is going to get done over the bank hols.

Funny day today .. starting poff a bit bleary from the night before and feeling very calm and relaxed .. probably the alcohol I guess. Couldn't even be bothered to go outside today .. despite the sunshine .. which was probably a bit stupid as the forecast isn't good for the weekend.

So .. a bit of a non day really .. oh well !

I love Cuprofen

Wow .. after waking with that pain in my tooth/jaw .. it didn't come back all yesterday ... seems like it must have been some inflamation .. so impressed, I went out and bought another packet ... just in case !

Bit of a bitty day .. work was bits and bobs but seems to have cleared the decks a bit so I can get on with stuff.

Was looking forward to a swim but the pool was out of action for a fair while so I had to sweat in the sauna and steam room for a while before I could get in there .. good to get a swim in though .. felt so stodgy after yesterday.

Went to the Horse and Groom in the evening to see some local Jazz with guest Alto Sax player Christian Brewer .. very good .. really nice sound from the sax .. and small world eh ... turns out he's a Buddhist and SGI member too .... how cool is that !




















Looking to progress with some work this morning and have a long lunch break and watch The 39 Steps .. haven't seen that for a while.

Ok .. morning Gongyo now then work ........ >>>>>

Does it get better ?

Well .. Yesterday wasn't too painful ... felt knackered from the outset though as I'd slept pretty badly.

Always strange going back to Lincolnshire ... and Soooooo quiet in the village .. it would drive me mad to live there ! All in all though, an ok time .. apart from the obligatory puddings that Mothers always insist we eat !

Got back to Nottingham at 7.15 straight to a Buddhist meeting which went on until 10pm .. so I was well knackered and grumpy by the time I went to bed .. only to wake at 5am with tooth/jaw ache !! Had a couple of Cupronol (and some brandy) .. seems to have done the trick ... will see what the day brings !

Is it light yet ?

God .......... woke before 8am today .. what is happening to me ?????

Probably as well though as I have to catch a train to go over to see my Mum in Lincolnshire .. better prepare for the howling gales across the coast when I step off in my old home town .... smelling the dampness of a coastal town .. or maybe it's the locals ! Oh well .. not a fun day but has to be done .. not seen her for a while .. then it's most likely straight from the train when I get back ... to a Buddhist meeting tonight unless I really feel too knackered ...

Oh well .. best chant a little now then go ...

Monday Monday .. so blah blah blah

Well .. after some early rain yesterday, they finally got the game started with one more rain break .. sadly .. another one day defeat for Notts .. not their strongest point !!! They did, however nearly manage to claw it back at the end .. so maybe their is hope !

Had a bit of a slow start this morning as I felt a bit groggy for some reason .. must be the fresh air I got yesterdy and not the wine of course ! Decided to bring myself round slowly with a Buffy DVD in bed before getting on. Looking like a busy period coming up now so I'm clearing bits and bobs out the way today as I'm visiting my Mum tomorrow so won't get much work, if any done tomorrow. Looking to 'crack on' on Wednesday .. heard that one before eh :-)

Had a good swim anyway despite the jacuzzi being out of actiomn grrrrrr
Haircut in afternoon (yeah I know .. ha ha ) ... more work and TV .. Going over to see my Mum tomorrow

That's it for today

the season starts here ...........

Finally .. some half decent weather so I managed to drag myself out of bed (really !) to go down to watch the last day of cricket of this game .. inevitably a draw but at least should see some decent batting.

Needed to get out .. had a pretty crap Buddhist meeting last night and came away feeling a bit pissed off and annoyed. I hate the meetings that get used as therapy sessions .. NOT what it's about ... or maybe it's me being intolerant lol

Anyway .. the weather stayed ok though a bit cooler than I'd hoped for but Notts managed to get the maximum batting bonus points anyway so that's a good sign that they are continuing from where they left off. Didn't get a chance to bowl but weather permitting, should get a change to see that in the C&G one day game tomorrow.

Had intended to do a few things in the evening but too tired ... all that fresh air !! Crashed out with an M&S curry and a bottle of wine instead :-)

And they're away .............

Finally .......

Cricket starts proper for the season yesterday and how much do we get ? .... 14 overs .. then it rains again. Pretty sure Notts have accepted a draw and will try to grind out as many bonus points as possible ... not the most exciting thing to watch but I din't mind a bit of slow cricket :-)

Went to see Killer Shrimp at Jazz at Arnold last night .. pretty good .. especially after the drummer realised that it wasn't Moby Dick he was supposed to be playing, and fell in with the rest of the band ! Pic below (note to self - get a digital camera !!)















Oh well ... making an early start today with th intention of getting some work done, having a quick swim then hoping to get the best part of an afternoons Cricket in depending on workload and weather (and that's looking very 50/50 right now) ... Will have to leave early though to get to our Buddhist Discussion meeting this evening ... busy day ahead !!!

............................Later..........................

Anddddddddd yet more rain .. no cricket once again .. very frustrating .. nearly a dead cert for a draw now .. still .... did get more work done anyway .... off to Buddhist meeting now !

Is there hope ?

Another glum grey and very wet morning .. and once again, the cricket has been delyaed. Pitch inspection at 11am. Have just poked my head outside though and it has stopped, so hopefully there will be some cricket this afternnon. Planning to go for a couple of hours after lunch all being well.

Could be a good day if work goes ok and I get some cricket in .. also got a Jazz Gig to go to tonight ... Killer Shrimp .. sound quite good if a little eclectic .. we'll see !

Ok .. kettles' boiled ... later .......................................

Plans Askew

Thought I had it all planned out today ... client meeting at 9.30am, work for a few hours, swim, work a few hours then end the day sitting in the sun watching cricket.

BUT .........................

Client rang .. can't make meeting at that time (and I got out of bed early for that !) .. so will have to swim early as he's now coming at 11 which will leave me strugling for time to do his job as it's a rush job ... Looking unlikely to get to cricket too as the weather is crap and wet ... bah humbug .. life eh ... need to chant for some sunshine lol .. mmm now there's an idea !

...................later ........................

Well .. client finally turned up at 12.30 .. even worse time keeper than me ... Lucky he caught me in as I had just packed to go swimming .. so I've got that job to do in even less time than I originally had .. not a lot of room for trial and error as he wants it at printers tomorrow !!

Had a good swim anyway amd then worked some more with the imntention of catching the end of the cricket at Notts but ended up being no play today due to weather .. maybe catch a bit more tomorrow with a bit of luck ...

right .... soak in bath then grab some food now.

And so ...... back to ............

Well, it should be work really but just going to sneak a quick cuppa in bed before I get on with some work. Got quite a bit to do today so not a long lie in I'm afraid, though I've had a few of those the last few days !

Good night out last night at the Mayfair .. my favourite chinese ... good food, good value AND take your own wine .. what more could you want eh !!


And for added entertainment here's Gary doing an alcoholic Rahsaan Roland Kirk Impression.
















Mmm .. well turned out to be a strange sort of day ... nothing really went right ... though in the end, I probably just about held out for a goalless draw kind of day. Just hope more progress can be made tomorrow. Even got a client coming round at 9.30 am .. I mean .. are these people human or what !!!

Finally managed to renew my Notts Cricket membership .. hoping to catch some of the game tomorrow ... though the way things are looking it will only be an hour or so ... shame :-(

Oh well .. starving now so time to put the oven on, chant a few mins then crash in front of the TV.

One Day to go

Before the end of the Bank Holiday ..... Can't say I'm too dissapointed .. not really done anything with it ... Quite enjoyed the lie ins for the first couple of days but started to get a little dull after that .... Had intended to go to the Comedy Club last night with a friend but she cried off with a cold so that was yet another night in !

At least today has been a little more fruitful up to now at least . I did get up earlier and chanted a bit more than usual. Also have taken the first steps to writing a small booklet on Buddhism which I hope to sell for a pound or so online when it's done. Won't make me a fortune I'm sure .. well you never know :-)

On the cricket front, it's all looking good for Notts who declared on 471 for 5 in their second innings leaving them with a lead of 493 if my maths is correct. At lunch MCC are on 143 for 4 so unless the weather intervenes, it looks like a Notts victory.

Right .. finally going to try to get the blood pumping again and going for a swim now .. Need to work up an appetite as I'm out at the Mayfair Chinese tonight .. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Sunday Sunday .... so dull to me

Looking like another uneventful day today .. and the sun isn't even out so I took advantage and laid in bed watching DVDs ... again !!!!

Did at least manage to give the flat a nominal clean .. nothing special, but until I can afford a cleaner .. probably not gonna happen !! .. As Quentin crisp once said:

"After four years, you don't notice the dust." .. Though I'm not as bad as that ... quite !!!

Looks like after an uninspired start, Notts are looking to win at Lords .... Leading by 23 runs going into the second innings, at Lunch they are on 211 for 4 with stand in skipper Jason Gallian on 124 not out !

Oh well .. back to the cleaning for now!

.............................Later.......................................

Well that livened the afternoon up a bit .... had my maddest friend round ... under the pretense of wanting to do some chanting as she had brought a friend too ... We did chant for about 5 minutes but they spent most of the time using my PC to surf their messages on various dating sites ... I swear Charman gets worse each time I see her .. and she was hyper active today too ... aaaaaaarghhhh. Her best quote of the day though was 'Errrrr I smell like a Lesbian" !!!





















Managed to avoid going drinking with them despite a fair bit of pressure ... and now at least I have a nice quiet cuppa outside in peace ... guess I am getting old :-)

Here comes the Weekend

And it's looking like being a pretty quiet one .. which actually suits me fine as I quite fancy a chilled out weekend .. possibly with lots of TV .. though I'm scared to look at the listings .. not optimistic about that !

First kind of 'official' day of the cricket season and Notts away at the MCC going all out for 191 .. not a good start .... though looking at the time of posting, the MCC are on 57 for 5 .. so obviously a dodgy wicket ... looks like the groundsmen will get some overtime after the match ends !

What does the day hold ... ? Not a lot to be honest .... only just got out of bed after watching DVD ... well why not eh .. I get up early normally ... Oh wait ! No I don't :-)

Trip into town this afternoon .. maybe have a coffee .. and then could be a TV evening unless anything else crops up !

Later
Finally made the trip into town at about 4pm so too late really to grab a coffee so just bought my papers and finally bought some shoes. What is it with that Pointy Toe design .. horrible, and yet the alternative seems to be those chunky shoes with 2 inch soles ... horrible!

Anyway .. good old M&S rescued me ... not maybe ideal but they'll do for now.
















And that's me done for today now ... bit of tidying then a TV evening.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

SGI President Ikeda's Daily Encouragement for April 14
Thoreau, a renowned American Renaissance thinker, wrote in his journal: "Nothing must be postponed. Take time by the forelock. Now or never! You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment." We shouldn't put anything off but seize the moment, living with all our being in the present. If we do that, he says, each moment will become eternity.


Well .. I was certainly correct about yesterday ... NOT my most creative ever, in fact, I only did the bare minumum of what I needed to do .... Seems, that as I get older, I don't recover from drinking like I used to do and I suspect that today will only be marginally better.

In fact, I did sleep in this morning and decided to make the most of the first day of the bank holiday by lying in Bed, watching Buffy DVDs ! ..

Not really planning a great deal today .. maybe a bit of flat tidying (or maybe not !) .. Definitely going for a swim in an hour or so .. just hope it's not full of kids as they're on hols ... grrrrrr little buggers !


And that's about it for today really ... maybe pop into town for a coffee, maybe a little work but all in all a nice lazy day (despite what the guidance for today says :-)

Bleeeugh !!!!

SGI President Ikeda's Daily Encouragement for April 13
Quite simply, there can be no true democracy unless the citizens of a country realize that they are sovereign, that they are the main protagonists, and then with wisdom and a strong sense of responsibility take action based on that realization. Democracy cannot be successful in its mission unless the people rouse themselves to become more informed and involved, unless they unite, unless they establish an unshakable force for justice and keep a strict eye on the activities of the powerful.


Mmmmmmm this isn't going to be the most constructive day of my life I feel ! Had a really good Buddhist meeting last night then headed down the pub ... was definitely in the mood for a drink and managed that ... a really nice fruity hoppy beer made with hops from Kew Gardens .. then some lovely stout and a few really nice whiskies ..... That, as usual, was followed by bizzare snacking in front of TV when I got home .. I think this time it was a mini banquet starting with sushi, followed by lumps of cheese in sweet chilli sauce (!) followed by a salad sandwish with salad cream ... oh and a Magnum Ice Cream for desert ..... No wonder perhaps then, that I woke with the TV on loud at 4am and had to drag myself to bed .... finally waking around 9am.

Not been a lively start so far .. bit of reading in bed with a cuppa to come around ... but now I need to do my chanting and get on with some work ... planning possibly to watch a rubbish film in the afternoon .... winding down for easter :-)

So Typical

All day yesterday .. it rained and rained .. just when I was hoping to get more cricket in .. but that's England for you ! At least I did get some work done though.

Sunny day today though I bet it's cold (haven't been outside yet !).

Plan for the day is work/swim/town/work/buddhist meeting then on for some good old REal Ale in the Lincolnshire Poacher tonight ... Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

A Dedication

To my blog fan who always e-mails to remind me to post .. just to lighten up his dull day ... so here we go .. a little poem (he's gonna kill me for this).

Ken, Ken,
Remember - when
you were a
nearly
famous
rock star

But then Ken,
you took up
the pen
and
work for the
City Council.

...................................................................................

Today is looking less stressed than yesterday though quite busy work wise. Had hoped to pop to Trent Bridge later on to catch the end of another friendly but looking outside, fat chance that will happen ... guess today is a 'crack on' day .. though could yet involve a little day time TV in teh afternoon :-)

Busy busy busy !!


Phew .. what a busy day .. I even had to get up at 8.30am ! Managed to get a fair bit of work done by 1pm then popped down the gym for a quick 20 lengths in the pool before dashing off to the cricket.

And the sun even came out ... look I'm even squinting (what a flattering pic eh)















Shame we lost but it was only a one day friendly to Leicester and we looked like getting hammered but nearly won it at the end ... good to be back though :-) ..., Match report on my cricket blog.

Was told today that my blog


"is a Beckettian metaphor for the ennui and absurdity of
modern existence"



errrrr thanks Ken ... I think !!!!

Anyway .. must dash for the rest of my busy day .. Buddhist Planning meeting in 20 mins then finally back for some food and TV wind down ... I mean .. I haven't even seen Neighburs yet today !!

The Season Starts ....................

Finally ... after months of cold bleak weather ... the cricket season starts today with a home friendly for Notts. I always try to get for the first ball of the season (geek) .. hope to today but that may not happen, though I'll definitely pop down for some of the day .. though feeling quite bleary from wine round at a friends last night.

Headed for a Buddhist Meeting at short notice which was unfortunate as the weather looked ok this morning and the cricket would have been nice. Not a bad meeting though and I caught the Tram back looking forward to at least part of an afternoons cricket ......

Finally got there just after they had left the field for lunch so decided to have mine too.















And finally .. after months and months of Winter .. the team came out for the second innings defending a 285 run lead ..... and here's the first ball I saw this season (bit grainy though)















I settled back in my seat .. thinking 'this is the life' .. though it was a bit cold ... then all of a sudden ...................................................















2 bleedin overs .. that's all I saw.. then after an hour it was called off .. mind you, in that short time Paul Franks had managed to deliver 2 consecutive wide balls .. no change there then !!!!

Mr D.W. ... you wait till next time I se you .. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr :-)

Here comes the Summer

Or so I thought on opening the curtains this morning but it feels so bloody cold still .... Oh dear .. can't you tell that I woke feeling grouchy today .... going to retire back to bed with a cuppa and start again later ... Had a good Buddhist meeting last night though.. Study meeting - not generally one of my favourites though it does tend to depend on who's doing it but it was quite inspiring last night ... though I always worry that Katie is going to ask us to dance or do something embarrassing like that .. like that's going to happen !!!

Oh great .. the day just gets better ... just broken a chunk off a tooth ... a trip to the dentist looms... my favourite place :-(

Slipping ......

Oh dear ... slipping on my early starts ... still .. I did only get a few hours kip the previous night so it felt good to wake in that sleepy dreamy state only to be let down when I looked at my clock to find it wasn't even 9am ! I had at least hoped for a mid day start today :-) ....

Finally got some definite work through the post today .... start of a busy month by the looks of it .. probably need it, to be more disciplined ... Oh well .. I'll have to have an easy weekend ready for the early starts (cough) next week !

Bit of a dissapointment today .. visited my old work place ... Broadway Cinema in the hope of getting a few pics of the visitors to the Silent Cinema Festival but it didn't prove possible .... never mind ... soon be the start of the County Cricket season ... ample opps for photos there .. example below for those who just can't wait !

and all that Jazz

It's funny what alcohol does to your body I guess ... In my younger days, it was usually followed by pretty bad hangovers but these days it just wakes me early which is pretty frustrating ... 6.30am today !!!!

It was worth it though. Checked out a new Jazz event called Stablemates in Nottingham at the Horse and Groom near the old Shipstones Brewery. Check out my Jazz blog for further info but pic posted below for now.

















Not a completely productive day but not without it's good points .. met an old work colleague for coffee in a small French Bistro ... What is it with the idea that French food is sooo wonderful .. I mean , come on , name me 5 popular French meals ... can you huh ? .. The place had the pleasant aroma of strong cheese .. unfortunately not reflected in their weak espresso ... should always leave that to the Italians ! . Seriously though .. nothing against the French but they do seem to have a sense of self importance when it comes to food and wine, and maybe when you get in the upper price bracket they may have a point but for mid range wines certainly, France is probably my last choice .. I'd probably even chance an Albanian one over that ... but that's another story ....

So tired from waking early today that I'm planning a big slob out this evening ..... ready for a wind down Friday :-)

A new beginning ?

In all things patience is the key to victory. Those who cannot endure cannot hope to win. Ultimate triumph belongs to those who can forbear. Daisaku Ikeda - Guidance for today.

Managed to wake a little earlier today so finally, an earlier start ... cup of tea first and a quick look through the Morning Star before my morning Buddhist practise. Have skipped the last few in the evening so I'm determined to do that today.

Just came across this photo from a recent SGI Mens meeting .. what a bunch of dodgy looking geezers eh !!















Just had an e-mail from a friend complaining about me not updating the blog frequently enough ... so here's my revenge ... :-)

Accidental Lazy Tuesday

Well .. no strange dreams last night, but after watching Morgan Spurlock's 30 days about living on minumum wage in the States, it embarrassed me how relatively easy my working life is. Essentially, him and his girlfriend lived on minumum wage in Ohio .. he was working two jobs working 18 hours a day and she was getting up at 6am. During the 30 days, both had to visit hospital for minor things .. he with a sprained arm which required x ray and bandages and she had a bladder infection. The trip cost them approx £600 between them ... certainly makes you grateful for our inprfect NHS ! Anyway .. the point is it made me realise how hard some people do work and made me resolve to get up early and do more hours ... and what happens .... it's 10.30am and I'm about to start ... so much for good intentions ... in fact.. I'm going to chant first, so it will probably be 11 when I start !!!!

Is it just me or does the logo of the new UK style 'FBI' look more like a fascist paramilitary logo ... not a great choice !!!








It's been one of those days when things just don't happen ... even chasing people on teh phone seems to have little effect .. maybe it's something in the air ! Anyway .. I've spent a short time on my NEW BLOG ... hopefully will have some fun with that one.

Oh well.. not the most constructive day, though, despite the sun, I didn't leave the house and ended up setting up yet another blog ... just for design purposes though .... if you're really curious, it's HERE.

Lazy Monday !


I really need to get over these late starts ... I'm not sure why I wake so late feeling tired ... probably not a good idea to eat heavy pasta meals as late as I tend to do ... !!

It's 10.30am and I've just dragged myself out of bed ... about to do my morning chanting .. probably a shortish one .. 15 mins or so .. then 'crack on' with some work .. at least for the morning as I have 'Things to do' this afternoon :)

I had a dream last night. I wish I could say it was a Martin Luther King style one, but it wasn't ! I remember that I was being posted to Botswana for 2 months but couldn't get on board the plane as I'd left my passport so I couldn't go. I remember feeling very relieved, but not because I was worried about going, but because it would mean 2 months of missing Neighbours ... how tragic is that !!!!


Kosen Rufu Day

Well ... with the best intentions in the world, I failed to get up in time for our Buddhist meeting today at 10.30am .. I'm blaming my bad back though I suspect my inherent laziness may have something to do with it .... Oh well, made it eventually ... a worthwhile meeting anyway .. and now time for brunch ... later !!!!

Today is also Josei Toda's (second SGI President) Memorial Day ... Perhaps my favourite quote by him is "Never passively accept suffering as your destiny. We alone are responsible for the direction of our own lives. Every person has the right to become happy".

Just found a new interesting looking book about the SGI today called Encountering the Dharma: Daisaku Ikeda, Soka Gakkai, and the Globalization of Buddhist Humanism - Think I'll have to invest in that.

Welcome to Chanting Buddha's Blog

Hi y'all and welcome to my blog .. It's been some time coming but I've finally decided to start it .. might as well be constructive on a day when I've got a bad back and should have been going to Taplow Court .. our main centre in the UK.













After a late start to the day waking up at 11.30am .. Just managed to do morning gongyo and some daimoku and definitely feel much more motivated, so as there's not much of the day left, think I'll use the rest of the day to prepare for the days ahead .. and on that note ... I'll leave you for now.