A Note on Posting in the Nichiren Forum

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Queequeg
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A Note on Posting in the Nichiren Forum

Post by Queequeg »

I ask everyone, before posting in this forum, or any forum here at DharmaWheel, to please review the Terms of Service for this site as well as the rules for this forum.

Please keep in mind that despite any doctrinal differences, we are all dharma brothers and sisters, and more fundamentally, fellow human beings deserving of profound respect. Recall that Bodhisattva Sadaparibhuta (Never Disparaging; Fukyo) honored all beings as Buddhas and that this was the cause of Shakyamuni's enlightenment in the remote past. Further recall that Nichiren taught that the Daimoku he taught is the same teaching as Bodhisattva Sadaparibhuta.

Before hitting the "Submit" button, think about what you are about to post three times - as Nichiren counseled we should do before saying anything. I will be the first to admit that I need to take this counsel to heart more consistently.

Consider, are you adding substance to the discussion, or are you just venting and giving voice to reactionary emotions? Can what you are wishing to express be conveyed in an artful and constructive way? Is the personally directed comment embedded in your post necessary to your argument? Does that insult or barb encourage open and friendly discussion, or does it have the effect of raising ire and causing enmity? Keep in mind that once discussions take a turn down to personal antagonism, substantive discussions become difficult or impossible and all we are left is an exchange of venom.

The subjects discussed on this forum often touch matters of deep concern to us, and therefore it is even more critical that we keep in mind first and foremost the profound connections we have to each other - we have all been each other's mother and father, son and daughter, lovers and friends. As Sadaparibhuta always honored people, each of our posts should do the same, whether we agree with each other, and even more importantly, when we disagree.

There are many forums across the internet where we are free to indulge our basest impulses, call each other names, spew hate and and unleash venomous insults. If you wish to engage in such demeritorious conduct - which you should understand leaves a deep karmic stain on your life - do it elsewhere. It is not welcome here.

We should realize that the freedom of the internet - indeed life - is fundamentally neutral, but when used to amplify the poisons, the freedom becomes evil. When we use the freedom to amplify generosity, openness and wisdom, the freedom becomes the ultimate good.

This site is not completely free. It is moderated because people do not always abide by the good and we, as Buddhists, only wish to generate good karma. To the extent that we can prevent you from creating negative karma at this site, we do so, for the sake of the community, and also for you. You should recognize that this is actually consistent with Nichiren's teachings in documents such as Rissho Ankoku Ron.

This is not a bar on critique and disagreement. Critique and disagreement are welcome here - we want people with differing views to explore these through frank, but friendly, discussions. We may not come to agreements, but hopefully we come to mutual understanding of each other's positions. Be confident that in open exchanges, your point has made its mark in the other's mind. If your point is true, trust in cause and effect to bear out. You do not need to beat others into submission if your positions are in fact correct. BuddhaDharma is tenacious that way.

Before the disagreements get personal, let it go. Again, I refer to Nichiren - if after making your point three times and your disagreement remains unreconciled, withdraw and leave it be.

If you do not abide by the rules of this site, be advised that you will be subjected to the varying forms of reprimand, including restrictions on your posting privileges as well as suspensions and bans.

As a moderator, I am the main person reviewing this forum. However, I am not infallible and I will make mistakes. Please do not hesitate to raise concerns about my moderation with me or with other moderators at this site. I assure you, your concerns will find a fair hearing.

I profoundly appreciate all of you who participate here. I think that the discussions we have here are helpful to participants and lurkers as we turn over ideas and controversies with each other. To continue to ensure the value, let's make efforts to be kind to each other, especially when we disagree.
There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
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Queequeg
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Posts: 14418
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 3:24 pm

Re: A Note on Posting in the Nichiren Forum

Post by Queequeg »

In recent days, I've found occasion to refer to the excellent blog post by and old friend of the online Nichiren community, Robin Beck, on Shakubuku:
Even when it became necessary to scold an unrepentant individual, the Buddha almost always remained equanimous, polite, and cheerful. At any rate, samgrahana or shakubuku 折伏 might be best defined as a method of education, debate, or propagation in which wrong views are clearly exposed and refuted. There is no reason for this to turn into a ‘cold war’ or an incessant battle of words. After three failed attempts at rational persuasion, it might be time to move on cheerfully and remain good Dharma friends, despite differences of view.
Read the whole blog entry here:
Shakubuku and Jihad: a comparison and contrast
There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
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Queequeg
Former staff member
Posts: 14418
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 3:24 pm

Re: A Note on Posting in the Nichiren Forum

Post by Queequeg »

There are quite a few new posters here, so I just want to extend a welcome and share some things about this forum and Dharma Wheel Mahayana/Vajrayana in general.

1. This forum, and its sub-fora, are for the discussion Nichiren Buddhism and sub-sects. The main forum is for discussion of Nichiren Buddhism in general. Sectarian teachings may be discussed critically in the general forum - but always civilly, please. In the sect specific sub-fora, sect specific teachings may be discussed but critiques are to be very limited. The point of sect sub-fora is to discuss concerns specific to those traditions from within the view of that school. Please respect these boundaries.

2. This forum, and its sub-fora, are for you. We welcome you to make a community here. DW was established for this purpose. Make yourself at home and make the forum yours by establishing and perpetuating your own online culture.

3. Moderators are here to help keep up the community standards. If you see a post that violates the rules or the spirit of the forum, flag it by pressing the exclamation point button in the upper right corner of the message. A moderator will review the message and take appropriate action. Moderators rely on community members to identify problematic posts that violate the rules of the board.

So, again, welcome.

If you have not reviewed the Terms of Service, please take a few minutes to do so.

https://dharmawheel.net/viewforum.php?f=109
There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
narhwal90
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Joined: Mon Jan 25, 2016 3:10 am
Location: Baltimore, MD

Re: A Note on Posting in the Nichiren Forum

Post by narhwal90 »

As the new moderator of the Nichiren forum, my policy is to generally follow Queequeg's precedent. However, please note that DharmaWheel is a discussion forum, and as such, discussion should be fostered. Accordingly I am adding the following rule;

Posts containing substantially more quotation versus commentary by the poster are subject to deletion at the moderator's discretion. The intent of this rule is to discourage quotation being used as a substitute for discussion. This is not to discourage long posts using extensive quotation, that is very much encouraged as long as a reasonable amount of commentary is also present. Quotation is defined as either; incorporation of a previous poster's content in a response, or an excerpt of some other material pasted into a discussion post.

Some topics are used for collecting quotations members find particularly meaningful. Such topics are excluded from the rule, however I will also limit the amount of discussion that may occur- either by deleting it or moving the discussion to a new topic.

For further reference, please see the "Posting Rules" - https://www.dharmawheel.net/viewtopic.php?f=109&t=30555
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