Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
There may be times when life seems gloomy and dull. When we feel stuck in some situation or other, when we are negative toward everything, when we feel lost and bewildered, not sure which way to turn - at such times we must transform our passive mind-set and determine, "I will proceed along this path," "I will pursue my mission today." When we do so a genuine springtime arrives in our hearts and flowers start to blossom.
From The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
It is impossible to fathom one's karma. Iron, when heated in the flames and pounded, becomes a fine sword. Worthies and sages are tested by abuse. My present exile is not because of any secular crime. It is solely so that I may expiate in this lifetime my past grave offenses and be freed in the next from the three evil paths.
Letter from Sado
Written to Toki Jonin on March 20, 1272
Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Buddhism aims to make people free in the most profound sense, its purpose is not to restrict or constrain. Buddhist prayer is a right, not an obligation. Because Buddhism entails practice, tenacious efforts are required, but these are all for your own sake. If you want to have great benefits or to develop a profound state of life, you should exert yourself accordingly.
Daisaku Ikeda - A Youthful Diary (1954) p.190
Good and evil, right and wrong, theory and practice, reason and emotion, material and spiritual, present and future; power, position, authority; the people. Many ideas come and go. From day to day, I sometimes feel I am being drawn into a muddy swamp. Other times, I feel I am soaring in the sky. The human mind is a mysterious thing, never stopping, even for a moment. I wonder what dire circumstances my life would be in by now if I did not have faith or a mentor in life. A frightening prospect.
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