Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
To lead a life in which we are inspired and can inspire others, our hearts have to be alive; they have to be filled with passion and enthusiasm. To achieve that, as President Toda also said, we need the courage to "live true to ourselves." And to live true to ourselves, we need the strength of mind not to be swayed by our environment or be obsessed with vanity and superficial appearances. Rather than borrowing from or imitating others, we need the conviction to be able to think for ourselves and to take action from our own sense of responsibility.
From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
I, Nichiren, am the richest man in all of present-day Japan . I have dedicated my life to the Lotus Sutra, and my name will be handed down in ages to come.
The Opening of the Eyes
This treatise is one of Nichiren Daishonin's five most important writings, in which he reveals his identity as the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law who possesses the three virtues of sovereign, teacher, and parent.In the year 1272, still in exile under harsh conditions on Sado Island, the Daishonin completed this work in two volumes and addressed it to Shijo Kingo, one of his leading disciples in Kamakura
Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Buddhism enables us to tap from within the depths of our beings the greatest courage and strongest life force there is. Buddhas are not destined for unhappiness or defeat. Those who practice Buddhism can definitely transform all adversity into something positive, irrespective of the troubled time in which they live, their personal circumstances or the hardships that befall them.
Daisaku Ikeda – A Youthful Diary (9 June 1951) p. 115/116
It is now mid-1951. How quickly the time has gone! How will I, the company and society change in the next ten years? No one can know.
Those who can continue to advance boldly, according to their own convictions, without being swayed by others, are great. Without being stubborn or narrow-minded, they must have firm conviction in the fundamental truth.
Many appear to be great individuals. But looking more closely, they lack compassion. For myself, all that remains is to follow Mr. Toda.
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