1. Volume One
2. Volume Two
3. Volume Three
4. The Truth Within
5. On Securing Peace
6. New Year's
7. For Women
8. Quantum Life Practitioners
9. Letter to Mom
10. On sharing epiphany
11. For relationships
12. On persecutions and commitment
13. On Revelations of The Path
14. The Key to Joy
15. The Buddha Mind
16. The Universal Truth is the timeless Entity of Life
17. The World shakes in all ten directions
18. Exigency in Dedication to the Truth

Guidance for Women

February 2nd, 2006

Hi James

Just a note. If it is relevant, please make use of it, if not, perhaps store for future use? :-)

I have had a great deal of email and conversation with women in the past year whose fundamental malaise revolves around some manifestation of feelings of ridicule or valuelessness. I get requests for guidance in forms from direct to convoluted, but they all seem to rest on this fear of being less than or judged less than or simply believing that they cannot surmount the weight of their own mediocrity or worse.

I cautioned you before on advice to women. We need to raise strong women as disciples to help us educate and raise other women. Women are by far much more effective at guiding other women, as Men can be easily deceived and manipulated by women.

In any case, if you should feel the necessity to help particular females who seem to come to you less as a man, but more as advisor, please make use of the following guidance I have offered several women in the past month.

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What I encourage you to meditate on are the following.
1. The idea that the opinions of others are your justification for the feelings you hold true about yourself is a dirty trick you are playing on yourself. These "opinions" and smirks, and laughs from others are the very beliefs you hold about your self.
2. Where or when did you decide to put these judgments and destructive beliefs on you?
3. Who do you blame for these beliefs?
4. If you answered someone other than you, I advise you to meditate on the pains and sufferings of there existence and to wish them a happier life.
5. If you answered you, then you need to forgive yourself for being so cruel and mean to yourself and realize your own beauty and cherish the mind, life, and body you have.
6. You must meditate to realize that you created everything in this universe, along with the trees, squirrels, sky, stars, and oceans. You yourself decided that all this should exist for one purpose only. That purpose is to perceive that wonder that is you. All other thoughts are veils of illusion prohibiting you from seeing the truth, that you are the essence and meaning of all life. This is the true beauty which is you. You are God, Allah, Brahma, Buddha, and all great deities from Manu to Pharaoh.

The explanation to all this is in "The Path".
Please meditate on these things and be loving to your true self. You are worth the risk. What can you possibly loose?
All my love and respect....
Sylvain Chamberland
Sifu, Nichiren Buddhist Monk
Threefold Lotus Kwoon
http://threefoldlotus.com

BACKGROUND

Many of the Reverend's friends and followers over the years have been women. With unfailing commonality, these women would often communicate their goals, fears, and self-doubts in deprecating language.

After many letters of simple contradiction in an effort to be supportive, Reverend Sylvain meditated for a deeper solution. A solution that would address the deeper currents of these doubts and a teaching that would be universal and timeless as well as compassionate.

Though Sylvain has written other teachings on the danger of the "ego", there is a special attention here to the "vanity" aspect of the ego. Vanity is an often cleverly disguised subterfuge of the ego creating false fears and false interpretations.