Rewrite of Buddhist prayers

I decided to rewrite the Buddhist prayers using an independent Nichiren Buddhist perspective. I used the liturgy from SGI, Nichiren Shu, and Nichiren Shoshu. I also used the prayers on http://www.nichirendaishoninsbuddhism.com/ and http://thenichirensite.org/dailypractice.html. The prayers for deceased relatives have been omitted.

1st prayer
I offer appreciation for Daibontenno, Taishakutenno, Dainittenno, Daigattenno, Daimyojotenno and all the other Shoten Zenjin, sworn guardians of the Lotus Sutra that serve to protect us, and pray that these protective forces will be further strengthened and enhanced by my Practice.


2nd prayer
I offer profound appreciation to the gohonzon of the 3 great secret laws (one's enlightened life or Buddha nature, the location of one's Buddha nature [within oneself], and the daimoku).

3rd prayer
I offer sincere gratitude to Shakyamuni, the original Buddha; Nichiren Daishonin for his interpretation of Buddhism; and the 6 senior disciples Nissho, Nichiro, Nikko, Nitcho, Niko, and Nichiji for propagating Nichiren's teachings.

4th prayer
I pray that everyone finds a way to transform society for the better whether it be via Buddhism or not. I pray for not just religious tolerance but religious acceptance.

5th prayer
I pray to bring forth Buddhahood from within my life, change my karma, and fufill my wishes in the present and future. I will continually deepen my faith, practice, and study so that I may obtain enligtenment in this existence. [additional prayers here]

I pray for peace throughout the world and the happiness of all living beings.

FAQ on Kemetic / Tamaran path

http://www.ecauldron.net/reconegyptfaq.php

I thought it was interesting and I didn't want to lose the link. If you know of some other great links, do share.

Changing beliefs

Question from Pagan Blog Prompts:

"Do your beliefs change over the years as you change and develop?"

I'm gonna say YES. In just the 2 yrs that I have been Buddhist Pagan, I have changed my viewpoints on several issues. I did a post on this before so I'm not going to rehash it. I've been thinking about reincarnation lately though. Both Buddhist and Pagans believe in reincarnation but I haven't resolved this for myself yet. I have too many unanswered questions so if you can help me out, I would love to hear your viewpoint.

-Why don't we remember our past lives so that we don't make the same mistakes? I know karma is bigger than just cause and effect in one's personal life (lives) but it doesn't make sense to me not to be able to learn from past experiences.

-Is rebirth species specific? Are insects always reborn as insects, humans as humans? How is the increasing human population explained?

-Maybe our human existence ends and we are reborn somewhere else, another planet, another dimension.

-Could the story of Jesus be proof of reincarnation? The story goes that he was a spirit before his human existence. As a child he really was not aware of his heavenly life but at some point it all came back to him.

-People who claim that they remember past lives, can they also recall early childhood memories like being in the womb or being born?

What are your thoughts on reincarnation? Do you believe in rebirth or life-after-death?