Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Buddhism is not about leading a self-centered existence. If we do not base our lives on the Law, we are not practicing Buddhism. The German writer Friedrich von Schiller writes, "The brave man thinks upon himself the last." This is analogous to the spirit of not begrudging one's life taught in the Lotus Sutra. This means treasuring the Law more highly than one's life. The Law and kosen-rufu are central.
From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
Sunday, February 24, 2013
No matter how humble a person may be, if his wisdom is the least bit greater than yours, you should ask him about the meaning of the sutra. But the people in this evil age are so arrogant, prejudiced, and attached to fame and profit that they are afraid that, should they become the disciple of a humble person or try to learn something from him, they will be looked down upon by others. They never rid themselves of this wrong attitude, so they seem to be destined for the evil paths.
The Fourteen Slanders
Written to the lay priest Matsuno Rokuro Saemon on December 9, 1276
Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
Sunday, February 24, 2013
According to Buddhism, health is not a condition in which we merely escape negative influences. It is a highly positive, active state in which we hold ourselves responsible for such influences, in which we face and try to solve various problems - not just our own but others problems, too. The word disease implies a lack of ease, which conversely implies that health is a state of comfort. In the Buddhist sense, however, being "at ease" does not mean freedom from difficulties, it means having the strength to meet and overcome any problem.
Daisaku Ikeda - A Youthful Diary (1960) p.473
People's faces, their clothing, their minds and dispositions - are all different. People are mysterious; no animal are as complex as humans.
Lectured on the latter half of "The Fourteen Slanders" from 6:30. Self-reflected in the light of this strict writing of Nichiren Daishonin. We should take this writing as the backbone of the Gakkai spirit.
Want some time to think.
Must genuinely cherish those spreading the Daishonin's Buddhism. For only in them lies the foundation of Kosen-rufu.
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