Sensei's Daily Encouragement - 06 October 2012 - The Year of Developing a Youthful SGI

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda Saturday, October 6, 2012   Mr. Toda once told me: "You can make a defeat the cause for future victory. You can also make victory the cause for future defeat." The Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin is the Buddhism of the True Cause, the Buddhism of the present and future. We don't dwell on the past. We are always challenging ourselves from the present toward the future. "The whole future lies ahead of us! We have only just begun!" -- because we advance with this spirit, we will never be deadlocked.     From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Saturday, October 6, 2012   The Nirvana Sutra teaches the principle of lessening one's karmic retribution. If one's heavy karma from the past is not expiated within this lifetime, one must undergo the sufferings of hell in the future, but if one experiences extreme hardship in this life [because of the Lotus Sutra], the sufferings of hell will vanish instantly. And when one dies, one will obtain the blessings of the human and heavenly worlds, as well as those of the three vehicles and the one vehicle.   The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 199 Lessening One's Karmic Retribution Written to Ota Saemon-no-jo, the lay priest Soya and the Dharma Bridge Kimbara on October 5, 1271     Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda Saturday, October 6, 2012   If you summon your courage to challenge something, you'll never regret it. How sad it would be to spend your life wishing, "If only I had a little more courage." Whatever the outcome, the important thing is to take a step forward on the path that you believe is right. There's no need to worry about what others may think. It's your life, after all. Be true to yourself.     Daisaku Ikeda - A Youthful Diary (1958) p.378   Visited Sensei at home in Meguro. Talked intimately for about an hour and a half.  Could only express my appreciation for his deep compassion and concern for the future and beyond.  Received guidance on the upcoming general pilgrimage and the Gakkai's cultural movement, including my own personal affairs.  Must become more deeply and powerfully conscious of Sensei's instructions; must put them into practice and prove their validity.