Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
Thursday, May 23, 2013
We need to cultivate the spirit to live with self-assurance, to make our way joyously through life. We practice this faith precisely to forge such a strong and vibrant inner resolve.
From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Ch'ung-hua and Y were the children of commoners, but both were extremely filial. Hearing of this, King Yao and King Shun summoned Ch'ung-hua and Y, and abdicated their thrones to them. Commoners became royalty in a day. Just as a commoner can become a king in this present life, so can an ordinary person become a Buddha instantly. This is the heart of the doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life.
Letter to the Sage Nichimyo
Written to Nichimyo on May 25, 1272
Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
Thursday, May 23, 2013
I believe that whether we can live a truly satisfying life to the end depends to a considerable extent on how we view death. Sadly, many older people are anxious and fearful about death. But, as a Buddhist, I find it helpful to compare the cycles of life and death to the daily rhythms of waking and sleeping. Just as we look forward to the rest sleep brings after the efforts and exertions of the day, death can be seen as a welcome period of rest and re-energizing in preparation for a new round of active life. And just as we enjoy the best sleep after a day in which we have done our very best, a calm and easy death can only follow a life lived to the fullest without any regrets.
Excerpt from Daisaku Ikeda - A Youthful Diary (04 September 1949) p.10
What is tomorrow's problem? Is tomorrow a moment-by-moment extension of today? No matter how hard today may be, when we dream of tomorrow, hope returns.
When we do our best today, the future sparkles, and flames of joy leap high. Reality consist of our actual feeling at this moment, and this moment continues eternally. There is no choice but to pursue the human revolution.
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