In addition to being good practitioners of Nichiren Buddhism, I hope you will also be good neighbors, good citizens, and good members of your local community and society. May you win the praise, respect, and trust of others through such behavior. Spreading circles of bright, deep, ever-widening trust and understanding is the key to expanding … …
When we strive with the same spirit as our mentor, we will never be deadlocked. Asking ourselves what our mentor would do, mustering all our wisdom and strength to respond to our mentor’s hopes—that spirit awakens the state of a lion king within us. It gives rise to the courage to triumph over every difficulty … …
On Nov. 18, 1930, our first and second presidents Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and Josei Toda, mentor and disciple, established the Soka Gakkai in Tokyo. Our founding month is a month of creating new history. It is also a month in which courageous, self-reliant champions of justice rise purposefully into action. Our founding month is not simply … …
However hard we may have exerted ourselves in the past, the important thing is how we challenge ourselves from now on. We need to rouse even stronger faith than we have before. The heavenly deities, or benevolent functions of the universe, will protect us if we do. The appearance of the “three powerful enemies” and … …
Heart-to-heart discussion is always more effective than ordering people around. And because dialogue takes place between individuals, it requires that we respect and value the other person. This sets the stage for lively and enriching discussion meetings. From The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 3, revised edition, p. 127
There is nothing more beautiful, more inspiring, than this spiritual relay, the passing of the baton to those who will carry on the struggle. Without the mentor-disciple relationship, anything we undertake just ends with our own lifetime. It becomes nothing more than a small drama and a pursuit for our own self-satisfaction. In contrast, the … …
Abstract principles and theories are not enough; we have to build a solid and enduring organization dedicated to justice and good so that people will actually unite together as a force for good—it was with this conviction that Mr. Makiguchi and Mr. Toda established our organization. When my mentor, Mr. Toda, was released from prison … …
Offering heartfelt encouragement is what defines a genuine practitioner of Buddhism. Losing no time in encouraging those who are struggling or suffering; helping people transform their sadness into courage and suffering into hope—this is the spirit of the Daishonin. From The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 3, revised edition, p. 86
What is the way to expand your state of life as leaders? Simply put, in addition, of course, to deepening your own faith in the Mystic Law, it lies in taking personal initiative to serve your fellow members who are striving earnestly for kosen-rufu. It is respecting and supporting them with a genuinely sincere and … …
“So you see, the deeper and greater the suffering, the more magnificently one can show proof of the powerful benefit of Buddhism. You could say that karma is another name for mission. “I myself am the son of a poor seaweed farmer. I worked by Mr. Toda’s side throughout the bitter trials of his company’s … …