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Greetings from Memphis, Tennessee U.S.A., I hope that this lecture finds everyone in the
best of circumstances. This is my first lecture since restructuring the look of our Buddhist
site. In many ways I am exciting as a child in a toy store to have the wonderful opportunity
to lecture on Buddhist teachings. I am a very spiritual person and my lectures come from
my heart and spirit. In Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism we chant the words "Nam-Myoho-
Renge-Kyo". Perhaps you saw the Tina Turner movie awhile back and caught superstar
Tina Turner chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo in the movie Tina. Oprah Winfrey like
myself is a big fan of Tina Turner and I am sure Tina told Oprah about chanting. I have
been really thinking of the first subject to introduce Buddhism 101 and I was searching for a
topic. A few nights ago I was in a semi-sleep condition late at night after the Jay Leno show
and an Oprah commercial came on with Oprah asking viewers to watch her show about
Karma. After getting a sign from Oprah I knew spiritually that karma would be the subject
I will give as my introduction to Buddhism 101.

On August 18, 2000 Oprah Winfrey had a guess on her show by the name of Gary Zukav.
After watching Gary Zukav on the Oprah Winfrey show from what little I heard Gary Zukav
explain about Karma, Gary Zukav was right on target. From a Buddhist prospective it was
wonderful hearing Karma being spoken about on the Oprah Winfrey show. Under normal
circumstances in America the term Karma is spoken of silently in our Judeo-Christian
society. Karma in many ways is an ultimate Buddhist concept and concepts like Karma
rocks the foundation of Christian thought.

Had Gary Zukav been an articulate Buddhist Priest explaining the same Buddhist concept
as he explained on Oprah's show, the Karma concept would have caused mass hysteria and
confusion. Gary Zukav's explanation of Karma was calm and most of all pleasing. It was
nice to see Oprah get into the concept and I applaud Oprah's for making an efforts to help others understand their lives by understanding Karma.

Let me stop all of the chatter and explain to those of you who do not understand what
Karma is, exactly what is Karma? Also we will explain Karma for the standpoint of
Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism

What Is Karma?

Often times we hear the word Karma. Just the other day while picking my computer up
from the repair shop my computer technician said that he would not create bad Karma by
overcharging me hours for service that he did not perform. My computer tech is one of
many casual Karma word users in America. What exactly is Karma is this something that
you catch and rid your selves of like you would a disease? Many would hear of someone's
unfortunate circumstances and say, " he or she has bad Karma". Karma is the sum total of
results of causes and effects of a person life. We are born into this world with Karma and
when we die we take the effects of causes that we have made whether good or bad we carry
our Karma into our next life. In simple terms Karma is "Cause & Effect".

Let us take the word Karma to a deeper and more intrinsic level. First and foremost Karma
is a teaching of our ancient forefathers who had once mastered the science of living. When
you get into Karma you are getting into Hermitic sciences, the ancient lost city of Atlantis,
the Pyramids and mystic thinking that characterize Eastern thought. We use the term
Eastern thought because ancient practices of many of African decent practices are still
practiced in the East like, Yoga, Zen, Taoism, Buddhism and many of Eastern practices are
still being practice in Eastern countries today.

Many would never have an idea that many of African decent introduced these religions to
the East thousands of years ago. Dr. Ivan Van Sertima explains, "Africa as it is seen today
is shattered". A high civilization that once was is no more, it is like a bomb blast and you
pick up pieces and piece together like an FBI agent solving a mystery. Karma however is
not just an African concept but Karma is a universal law that explains Cause & Effect. You
may ask the question what does Karma have to do with the Oprah Winfrey show and how
did the Pyramids, Hermitic sciences and Buddhism connect. I am sure many Nichiren
Shoshu Buddhists will take a step back at our explanation of Karma.

Please note that this Website is an African-centered Website. Culturally we have engrafted
Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism in our hearts and spirit and we put that "Soul Spin" on Nichiren
Shoshu Buddhism. One example would be if a Nichiren Shoshu Priest was explaining this
same concept his Japanese nature would have his go straight to the point not deviating to
the left or right and he would get right to traditional Nichiren Shoshu teachings. The brother
on the other hand with that "Soul Spirit" will take you to an Afro-Centric high in a language
that you can understand. Also we take the liberty to infuse discarded and removed African
teachings into our lecture.

Let Us Bring Karma Home To A Language That
A Brother & Sister Might Understand

There are many sisters out there that seem to attract the kind of man that will "Go upside
their head". I am laughing at the Black dialect because many White people or those of
other cultures may not understand what I mean when I say "Upside their Head". In
Standard English I am simply saying that there are women who attract abusive spouses or
mates. Most Black people understand Ebonics or Black dialect and I really like to keep
the spirit of this lecture in rhythm as a Black lecture so those of your of other cultures and
backgrounds stick on board as we tell more about Karma. I have seen some of what
appears some of the most beautiful, intelligent enchanting women attract some of the worst
men you can ever imagine. I have seen these women get pretty boys who for lack of a
better expression "tear their ass up". I mean these dudes cold-bloodedly just dog a sister
out. The sister be crying why me? Just today I talked to a woman who is Hallie Berry
pretty who does not have a man and the man that she married was an abusive partner. I
believe the divorce rate in America is 60% and out of the 40% that are married a great
percentage are unhappy. The question that we ask is what is going on here? Why is drugs
and alcohol and psychological problems so pervasive in our society? You can have the
right job, the right home, the right car and even the right spouse and karma can hit you and
turn your world upside down.

This universe that we live in has an order and it is just and fair. One writer wrote "Things
don't just happen life is just". There is a cause and an effect or for every action there is an
opposite and equal reaction. If you get you head whipped up on at some point of space in
time you did the same thing to someone else. Karma sometimes is a hard and bitter pill to
swallow.

Have you ever thought why some of us are born strong and some of us are born weak. Or
why some of us are born rich and some of us are born poor. Or why some of us are born
Black and some of us are born White or some other culture. The reason for differences is
Karma.

If you really want to get scientific and research the depths of life you will see the law of
cause & effect at work in all phenomenon. I challenge you to research any phenomenon
and you will find the law of cause and effect at work. Many of the religious teachings in our
society attempt to circumvent the law of cause and effect and explain phenomenon based on
an unexplained entity which man has given human qualities like a God. This God that we
describe is like a father or mother and this God gets, angry, jealous and has many of our
human qualities.

When I was first introduced to Buddhism I had so many questions about life and of God.
The thing that troubles me most was why was I born Black. After reading about the horrors
of slavery and all of the Black struggles I demanded a religion that could answer my
questions. It was Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism that answered my questions as to why I was
born Black. The concept of Karma made sense to me and as difficult as it is for us to
understand Karma I came to realize that somewhere and space and time my life manifested
itself. Just exactly who I was I cannot say but I know that somewhere along the way I was.

Let us take Karma for a modern Western concept. We often hear about the great
psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud and his concept of the subconscious mind. Later I remember
reading about I believe a Carl Jung and his collective unconscious mind that says
everything that we do or say is recorded in a deep level of our repository mind and this
repository mind manifest itself based on time and conditions. As far as Western Thought
goes Buddhism and ancient Hermetic teachings goes deeper into explaining life. I am not
going to bore you with some long scientific explanation that I cannot really explain but let
me refer to a Western book of Buddhist teachings called "As A Man Thinketh" by James
Allen. James Allen writes on "Thought and Circumstances"; "Man is buffeted by
circumstances so long as he believes himself to be the creature of outside conditions, but
when he realizes that he is a creative power, and that he man command the hidden soil and
seeds of his being out of which circumstances grow, he then becomes the rightful master of
himself.

That circumstances grow out of thought every man knows who has for any length of time
practiced self-control and self purification, for he will have noticed that the alteration in his
circumstances has been in exact ratio with his alter mental condition. So true is this that
when a man earnestly applies himself to remedy the defects in his character, and makes
swift and marked progress, he passes rapidly through as succession of vicissitudes.

The soul attracts that which it secretly harbors; that which it loves, and also that which if
fears; it reaches the height of its cherished aspirations; it falls to the level of it unchastened
desires; and circumstances are the means by which the soul receives its own." In other
words our words, thoughts actions and deeds as Buddhism teaches is our Karma and we
caused it we are the captain of our ship, we are the architect, we are the director of our
movie, whatever script you write you must act out.

The best of us sometimes cannot understand ourselves and the reason that we cannot
understand ourselves at times is because we cannot always understand our Karma. Does it
make sense to you that someone takes crack, or shoots a needled or someone is a
perpetual whore or thief? Just yesterday I was checking my email and I get this sex link
called "Sex for you at Yahoo. I said to myself what is this link about and I clicked on it.
Doing my investigation I noticed a Black porn link and I clicked on it and I noticed some
beautiful sisters pretty enough to take home to meet mama. These porn queens have a
Karma whether your destiny is to be in porn or priestly is simply a matter of your Karma.
Somewhere in space and time you made the cause to be who you are whether good or bad
and that is Karma.

Just think about Monica Lewenski and the leader of the most powerful nation on earth at
this time. The Republicans was on Bill Clinton case tough and the Christians was
frowning and crying shame! Shame! Shame! Bill Clinton and Monica Lewenski is no
accident it is Karma. Just think about the odds of that relationship to occupy the same
time and space with the President of the United States and in that time in space make a
physical connection. The Gosho or writing of the "True Buddha" Nichiren Daishonin
reads; "Only Buddhas know the true entity of all phenomenon". In other words the
Buddhist ten factors of life ; 1.Appearance 2. Nature 3. Entity 4. Power 5. Influence 6.
Internal Cause 7. Relation 8. Latent effect 9. Manifest Effect 10. Consistency from
beginning to end. What I have just quoted is the Buddhist ten factors from the "Lotus
Sutra". To really explain phenomenon we really need to explain the Buddhist concept
of "Ichinen Sanzen or an explanation of life which explains 3000 worlds or life
conditions that we experience from moment to moment. "Ichinen Sanzen" is a lecture
in itself and you can review the concept of Ichinen Sanzen on our web site.

I do not wish to take you too fast into complicated Buddhist theory and I will try to keep it
as simple as possible, so let us get back to President Bill Clinton and Monica Lewenski.
First there was an 1.Appearance in "Nyoseso the phenomena and material aspect 2. There
was a Nature (Nyozesho) this is an inherent disposition or quality that cannot be perceived
directly from the outside. 3. Then came (Nyozetai) or entity and this permeates and
integrates appearance and nature. 4. Next came power (Nyozeriki) Life inherent strength or
energy to achieve something. 5.Then can Influence (Nyozesa) this is the movement or
action produced when latent energy is activated. 6. Then came the Internal Cause
(Nyozein) the cause latent in life which produces an effect of the same nature as itself, good
or evil. Also this internal cause simultaneously contains a latent effect. In other words
things we do or seeds we planted years ago manifest themselves at a later time. Remember
when the first Miss Black America Vanessa Williams took those nude pictures "Internal
Cause" those picture always had some latent effects and the minute she became Miss
America the latent cause eventually produced a manifest effect. Let us get back to
President Bill Clinton we were at number 7. Relation (Nyozeen) which it translated as an
external cause. The external cause is not the environment itself but the function relating
life to its surroundings. When a relation (Monica Lewenski) and President Bill Clinton
(external influence an internal cause undergoes a change and simultaneously produces a net
latent effect. It is through the function of relation that latent effects become manifest. Let
us move to number 8. Latent effect (Nyozeka) This is an effect produced depths of life
(karma) when an internal cause is activated by "Relation". Since both the internal cause
and latent effect are dormant within life, they exist simultaneously without the time gap that
many times occurs between and action an its manifest effect. Let us move on to number 9.
This is Manifest effect (Nyozeho). This is the concrete, perceivable result that happens as
an internal cause and latent effect come together. Please pardon my expression but the
manifest effect is when the shit happens. You look around one day and find yourself in a
circumstance that you cannot explain. It is so interesting that most people who for some
great turn of events becomes rich will shout out "God is Good and God is blessing". Many
explain their source of good fortune as an external God. We in Buddhism explain it in terms
of Karma.

Let me explain Karma from a scientific approach. Recently science has advanced and leaps
and bounds in biogenetic engineering and often we hear of scientific breakthroughs of
understanding this gene or that gene. A gene is comparable to a computer program. If you
program a computer to do something it was manifest its Nature (nyosesho). A computer
does not have feelings or is able to manifest judgment it does exactly what it was
programmed to do. We as humans have some stuff in our genetic make-up that we have
programmed via cause and effect relationships throughout time and space. Our genetic
make-up is also our Karma. Scientist have found that certain genes (Karma) manifest
certain qualities. Genes are like computers they do not care that you are not ready to be
gray, wrinkle, fat or slowed down. Some genes even manifest disease or cancer or even in
some Black people you have a cell that sickle that once protected us is now our enemy call
Sickle Cell anemia.

I realize that this lecture is getting long and it impossible in just one lesson to give you a
complete understanding of Karma. At this point I have just touched upon the surface and I
have not even got into what Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism and what Nichiren Shoshu teaches
us about Karma. Let me stop for now and perhaps I will do that at a different lecture. Let
me tell you this; Nichiren Shoshu have some awesome teachings and excellent Buddhist
explanations and there is some much I would love to share however at this time I have to
get to work those of you who perhaps enjoyed this lecture email me and tell me what you
think I will continue this lecture. I hope that you have enjoyed your first course in
Buddhism 101…To be continued......Amp.