Cancer Update, and the Otsukimi or Harvest Moon Festival tonight.

My cancer saga continues. As soon as I had ended my last post and pushed "Publish," I got the call to schedule my biopsy procedure; of which, I know little today, but will be sure to give you the poop on when it arrives -- yes, I've been in Texas too long.

So today I consulted with AI, I asked AI, "Can they remove another lung lobe after I've already had one removed?" And AI said they could, so, maybe it's that again. Who knows? I wouldn't even attempt to ask AI about other cancer treatments, because I know there are way too many.

The funny thing about cancer, is it was one of two things I worried about as a youth after seeing my grandmother die of lung cancer. The other was nuclear war. And I'll be goddamned -- to quote from my grandfathers favorite curse lexicon -- if both aren't a threat to me at this moment -- sorry conservative brothers and sisters, but you've unleashed a Donald Trump Frankenstein monster we can only watch now as he grunts his way through the village.

Cancer is not my focus today, my focus today is on tonight's August New Moon, which begins at 12:36pm here in Dallas. And this is not any-old new moon, this is the August New Moon, more precisely, what we Japanese -- wait, I'm not Japanese, I'm Nichiren Buddhist, same thing -- call the Otsukimi or Harvest New Moon.

Japan is rich with legends surrounding the moon. The most famous of these is the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (竹取物語), one of Japan’s oldest folktales. In this story, a radiant princess named Kaguya-Hime is discovered in a bamboo stalk and eventually returns to her home on the moon. This tale speaks to the mysterious allure of the moon and has inspired countless adaptations in literature, art, and film.

The harvest moon in most cultures is an important moon, and many festivals such as the Japanese Otsukimi. (or Tsukimi), will be happening tonight. In some areas there will be Pagans dancing, calling forth the moons energy to dance in unison, others will be casting spells -- most benevalent, I hope. Me, I'll show gratitude for the harvest I have, such as my three regular viewers, where would I be without you.  Also, I'll chant for the happiness and protection of everyone under the moonlight, for years to come. And finally, I'll hedge my bets on this cancer, why not. 

Pagan Moon Fun

Seriously, and most importantly, in Nichiren Buddhism, the moon is a frequent metaphor for truth, enlightenment, and the reflection of the Buddha's compassionate life in the human heart.  This will be my main focus tonight.  See you there. Let's dance. 

~~ Eso Terry 

My Cancer Diary: Waiting on Pet Scan thanking Nam-myoho-renge-kyo

Hi, thanks for checking in.   I got my pet scan yesterday, and am now waiting on the results.  I've been through this cancer stuff before, five years ago, now I'm a little bit wiser and less scared.  I live my life for today, and accept what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy.  You've heard me talk about "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" before, and it is the "myo" part that means we are all mystic.  Mystic not in a guru-magic sense, but in the interconnection with all things, all matter, all vibration, all love, hate, heaven, hell....

Two things are about to happen in my life, 

1. I get the call telling me that the cancer scares was nothing but an accident, a thing we can't explain, a miracle, it's gone.  Today, as I write, I expect this, for I have a mission in life, and have prayed for all the cancer cells in my body to go away, if it is within the divine law. 

2. I get the call telling me that they need to do a biopsy, the threat is real.

Either way, I'm set to go, rather excited to be honest. For how can we have growth without suffering?  Because, in the end, it is all Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, trust me on this one. 

~~ Eso Terry

Eso Terry talks about the bad Omen of the Nazca Plane Crash Leaving 13 dead.

 

Eso Terry Talks About Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo

Kishimojin

Sometimes it happens quickly, but usually it takes over thirty minutes; most always before an hour. I'm talking about that moment after chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo for a time, and you know the universe is listening. It's that "being in the zone" moment to quote a sports analogy. It's that moment, for me, when I feel the walls around me as nothing more than thin air. The molecules in the furniture around me as floating dust.  Sometimes there is a trumpet, violin, or another instrument accompanying my vibrating body. Sometimes it is an undescribtive sound, the sound or sense of feeling of vibrating in key to the universe. 

Not all Nichiren Buddhist take Nichiren's "Heavenly Deities" serious, but I do. There is Brahma, Shakra, the four heavenly kings, and the gods of the sun and the moon. My favorite are the Ten Demon Daughters led by Kishimojin. This is probably because I was raised by a single mother and grandmother.  They were barely surviving on waitress wages, but protected me from a decaying city on the brink of ruins.  

Who are these protectors of believer in the Lotus Sutra?  Here are some basic definitions.

-The Four Heavenly Kings (Shitenno): Deities who protect the four cardinal directions. They include Vaishravana (North), Dhritarashtra (East), Virudhaka (South), and Virupaksha (West), along with their numerous retainers.

-The Gods of the Sun and Moon (Nitten and Gatten): The physical celestial bodies viewed as deities who provide light and sustain life on earth, actively safeguarding practitioners through the hours of day and night.

-The Ten Demon Daughters (Jurosetsuzen): Led by Mother of Demon Children (Kishimojin), these figures from the "Dharani" chapter of the Lotus Sutra transformed from harmful spirits into fierce guardians who vowed to punish anyone who troubles a practitioner of the Sutra.

It's a wonderful thing to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.  It's a wonderful thing to be heard by the universe, or as we call it, the Mystic Law. 

~~ Eso Terry 

Eso Terry Cancer Update - Love is so short, forgetting is so long.

Friday, July 3rd.  I had my lung-doc exam at the VA.  I spent a whole ten minutes with her.  She showed me the exam and said it looked "suspect" for cancer.  She then used her mouse to enlarge the tumor and it seemed to envelope the whole room. Note to you doctors and nurses out there, no enlarge the tumor in front of the patient, until now I thought it was itty-bitty not room size.

Still, I'm positive my faith will get me through this. Nichiren Daishonin wrote on this day in 1278: "Since the Lotus Sutra defines our body as the Dharma body of a Thus Come One, our mind as the reward body of a Thus Come One, and our actions as the manifested body of a Thus Come ONe, all who uphold and believe in even a single phrase or verse of this sutra will be endowed with the benefits of these three bodies," 

For me, this passage is a reminder that this is a Buddha body, a body I need to continue my mission of sharing my faith with others in hopes that they will find the happiness in life that I have, also, I want to support my family, friends, etc., no time to check out now. As the poet Neruda said, 'Love is so short, forgetting is so long."

~~ Eso Terry 

Phase Two of my Cancer Story

 It's June 30th, 2026. Today I go see the lung doctor about this spot they found on my lung.  I've been here before, a little over five years ago. When they found a spot back then I cried. I cried for myself mostly, but now, after solidifying my Buddhist faith in the Mystic Law ad the Lotus Sutra, I will only cry for those I would be leaving behind. I no longer fear death for I know this is all part of the universal plan in which I am a spec of dust that has flown in and out, and this happens over and over again.

Having said this, I haven't giving up, I'm just beginning.  I've chanted and prayed that the spot will be gone or at the very least, benign, for I have a mission, a mission to show proof of my faith in the Lotus Sutra, in chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo.  I need my lungs for these words.  And if this is cancer, I've chanted for the best doctors and medicine to cure this body I need for my mission. 

The buddhist organization I belong to will turn 100 in 2030. I plan on being here for that. 

Stay tuned boys and girls.  This is phase two of my cancer story which you can find on Kosen-Rufu.com.

Eso Terry

The Opening Thoughts of Eso Terry For His New Blog

Good morning beautiful world, these are the opening thoughts of Eso Terry, liberated from giving a shit about what people say or think.  First, I am a humanist, which makes me liberal because I believe people are more important than oligarchs.  Yes, greed.  However, I am not perfect, I am an United States male born in 1959 who grew up wanting things.  Yes, materialist.  That word that use to be bad to Madame Blavatsky and the spiritual enlightenment of the early 20th century.  In some ways, I see that time of seances and gurus as the turning point, the point where we had achieved a spiritual awakening that could have made us a great society, a society where we controlled population to allow for endless happiness using the resources we have here on this planet. But the capitalist pigs told us our resources were endless, and so we built, bought, borrowed, and slaved to make the world we have today. There is no going back.  Since we failed to do it ourselves, the universe will make this happen.  We will see a lot of unnecessary death in the 21st century.  We are seeing it now in wars that aren't really wars, unless you are a Palestinian trying to get a cup of safe driniing water, or a Ukrainian trying to walk your kid to school. Thousands are dying, from bombs, starvation, malnutrition, etc., and yet, we buy things. I'm not innocent, I haven't done my share, and this is where my blog begins.  

~~ Eso Terry