It is easy to be attracted to abstract ideals but difficult to challenge the realities of daily life. I hope that while upholding the magnificent ideal of kosen-rufu, you will spend your days in the actual practice of encouraging and motivating one person and then another and another to contribute to kosen-rufu. This is the … …
To use the struggle against illness to develop an even greater sense of fulfillment and inner richness is to lead a life of value creation. That is why it is so important to have the “heart of a lion king” with which to fight through to the end against all obstacles. We must possess an … …
To personally undergo difficulties in order to prevent practitioners in future ages from giving up is an expression of the Buddha’s compassion. In one respect, all the challenges and hardships we of the Soka Gakkai experience today are for the sake of the eternal future of kosen-rufu. They will serve as a reference point for … …
The key is to become happy right here and now, in your present situation and circumstances, just as you are. My young friends, be pioneers of life! Be great victors of happiness! Don’t lose yourself in idle, empty, mundane pleasures and amusements! Take your place at the head of the march to fundamental happiness! From … …
Wherever practitioners of the Lotus Sutra chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, just as an echo answers a sound and a shadow follows a form, their prayers will unfailingly produce positive results there. The Daishonin teaches that our lives are transformed—both spiritually and physically—by prayer, which in turn exerts a positive influence on our environment. From The Wisdom for … …
A single flower can completely transform a bleak atmosphere. The important thing, therefore, is to have the spirit, the determination, to improve your environment, to change it for the better, if even just a little. Especially as practitioners of Nichiren Buddhism striving earnestly in faith, we cannot fail to vibrantly transform our lives. We will … …
In the course of this long journey, it is only natural that we should meet with obstacles and difficulties from time to time. If we have hardships to overcome, we can grow and savor exhilarating joy once we surmount them. And when we strive with courageous, pure-hearted faith, all difficulties are transformed into a source … …
But so much misery and suffering still remain on our planet. The world is growing more chaotic and confused. The endless journey of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth continues— for the sake of peace and happiness for humanity. Therefore, please lead long, healthy, vigorous lives. The world is awaiting your smiling faces. From The Wisdom … …
Everywhere I went during that first trip to the United States, I urged members to transform where they were into a Land of Eternally Tranquil Light, and I assured them that as long as they upheld faith in the Mystic Law, which enables us to change poison into medicine, they were certain to become happy. … …
Mr. Toda would often say to me: “An impasse is a critical turning point. Do you give up and throw in the towel? Or do you stand up with indomitable resolve, determined to go on fighting? That difference in attitude is what determines victory or defeat.” Mr. Toda deeply and firmly impressed this lesson on … …