Table of Contents
Preface 11
1 The Law of Cause and Effect
1 Perspectives from Different Religions: Are Humans Separate from God or Integrated with God? 14
2 The Basis of Buddhism: Equality and Fairness 19
3 Causality Is the Law of the Great Universe 23
4 The Power of Reason Underlies the Law of Causality 26
5 Applying the Idea of Causality to Spiritual Training in Life: The Principle of Self-Responsibility 29
6 The Law of Causality Is the Essence of Buddhism 33
2 What is Buddha-Nature?
1 Our Inner Potential and Condition for Attaining Enlightenment 38
2 Returning to the Original Teachings of the Buddha 42
3 Gaining a Thorough Understanding of the World of Our Mind 45
4 The Same Principle of the Mind Applies to Our Value Judgments 49
5 How Buddha-Nature Manifests 52
6 Aspiring to Realize Buddha's Ideal 56
3 The Essence of Zen Meditation
1 The Purpose of Zen Meditation 60
2 Refining the Vibrations of the Mind 63
3 Surface Consciousness and the Subconscious 67
4 Removing the Rust from Your Mind: Self-Reflection 70
5 From Self-Reflection to Meditation: Reflective Meditation 73
6 The Source of Spiritual Energy: The Essence of Zen Meditation 76
4 Transcendental Wisdom and Forgiving Love
1 What Is Transcendental Wisdom? 82
2 Intellectual Perception and Spiritually Nurturing Love 86
3 Looking into the Origins of Good and Evil 89
4 Seeing the World from the Perspective of Your Guardian Spirit 93
5 Transcendental Wisdom and Forgiving Love 97
6 A Religious Perspective and Spiritual Training 99
5 The Benefits of an Egoless Perspective
1 The True Meaning of Egolessness 104
2 The Torch Within and the Torch of Dharma 107
3 Developing Oneness with Buddha 110
4 The Determining Factor for Heaven or Hell: Egolessness 113
5 Advice on Egolessness 119
6 Egolessness and Love that Nurtures Others 124
6 Practicing the Philosophy of the Middle Way
1 Avoiding Extremes 128
2 Blaming the Outside World and Blaming the Inner Self 129
3 The Middle Way Lets You Manifest Your Buddha-Nature 134
4 Finding Balance between Body and Spirit 137
5 Cultivating a Spiritual Perspective: Practicing Self-Reflection 139
6 Knowing How to Be Content in Life 143
7 Enlightenment and Spiritual Powers
1 Spiritual Experiences as a Precondition for Enlightenment 150
2 The Influence of Spiritual Experiences on Enlightenment 151
3 The Relationship between Enlightenment and Spiritual Power 161
4 Enlightenment through Faith: The Bridge-Building Theory 163
5 A Long Way from Enlightenment: The Zen Sect 165
6 What Is True Enlightenment? 168
8 What is Karma?
1 Good Karma and Bad Karma 172
2 Ignorance Causes Bad Karma 175
3 Wisdom Crushes Ignorance 178
4 Mistaken Beliefs about Ritual Services for the Dead 182
5 Good Religions Teach Self-Reflection and Self-Responsibility 184
6 A Shared Destiny: Group Karma 189
Afterword 193
About the Author 195
About Happy Science 197
About IRH Press USA 203
Books Ryuho Okawa 204
