I know who and what I am.... and I know what I believe in.
I am Ahuviya Rotem Harel (and all the problems and challenges wrought with it, Amaterasu Kamiyama included - I am not perfect nor will I ever claim to be that, neither is Ama for the record)
I still identify as Female (That is going to stay that way to the grave, I have a "YOU WILL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE!" commitment to upholding and protecting my gender identity - I will take punches and yes, maybe someday, bullets for it)
I am still a Marxist-Leninist-Maoist (that is not really changing anytime soon. I am very hard-wired to Maoism, and there is good chance I will politically stay that way until I am in the grave)
Yes I am a Nichiren Buddhist and Shintoist - that is staying around for the foreseeable future - I am secular in regards to any religion I practice, I always tend to keep any relationship with any religion at arms length. I was raised secular by my mother, kinda as no-shit-proof why She accepted me TWICE when I came out Queer in 2008 to her and Transgender in 2010 to her.
"Wait, I thought you were a Commie. Atheism's a prerequisite, historically."
No. I do not see Atheism as a prerequisite for me - Any religion(s) I follow, I keep it personal and separate from my politics.
The same cannot be safely said of the majority of people who adhere to Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, and Islam. Not to mention the rampant Transphobia and Homophobia that these four are infamous for (and this is not NOT to say Buddhism and Shintoism might have issues with LGBTQ folks - I simply see them as very less tainted of Transphobia and Homophobia)
I have always been -albeit quietly- fascinated with Buddhism. I have no love for theocrats, do not get me wrong there. I hate that Hitlerjugend Pope Herr Ratzinger with a passion and don't get me started on Tibet and that serf-owning theocrat called the Dalai Lama. Buddhism especially seems to drown quite a bit on capitalism (more than Christianity and its many paradoxes) and it does not endorse personal gain. I'm not saying there's such thing as a 'communist' religion, i'm just saying that it shares some common philosophies, in my opinion, it is the most un-hypocritical of all religions.
Atheism didn't work for me - because I could not completely ever give up the idea of a god or gods/deities/life forces existing - I ended up with the conclusion that more than one god exists.
Now First, I will address Shintoism...
A person doesn't have to profess any belief to take part in any Shinto ceremony or ritual. Anyone who wants to participate can call themselves a Shintoist, or not if they don't want to. There is no punishment for non-belief, and no requirement to praise or worship anything.
Shinto is my personal connection I have with nature and the land I walk upon - Shinto at its essence is nature worship, has no hierarchy, and is completely decentralized and local. Many of my ideas, morals, ethics, ideals of what construct-of-religion align with Shintoism.
Shinto has no moral absolutes and assesses the good or bad of an action or thought in the context in which it occurs: circumstances, intention, purpose, time, location, are all relevant in assessing whether an action is bad. That's how I assess good and bad. The idea of moral absolutes killed the last two religions I was involved in, Christianity and Judaism.
Now on to Buddhism...
Buddhism is the one religion that doesn't subjugate people. There is no finite Heaven or Hell - "Nirvana" is more of a state of being than a place. And there technically is no god in Buddhism. Which is why Buddhism is compatible with atheism. Buddha never claimed to be god, although he is worshiped as such in certain Buddhist communities.
Nichiren Buddhists (the sect of Buddhism I am associated with) believe that all beings are equal, no matter if you are a woman or a man or white or black or queer/trans* or straight or whatever. You will attain enlightenment and it's even possible in this lifetime. Sounds very fucking Communist, doesn't it?
This is how Buddhism interacts with a Revolutionary Praxis, we create our own reality or are stuck in the old reality.
The two theories coincide with two important ideas:
-No rest until Liberation.
-We have to put all our energy towards liberation for all people or beings, we can not allow them to suffer anymore.
Thats all of my beliefs, and I am sticking to it.
MADAME-MISANDRY
Happy 3rd Anniversary of me coming out Transgender and making Cis Scum Die before it was cool.