Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
What is the treasure of youth? It is struggle; it is hard work. Unless you struggle, you cannot become truly strong. Those who fight hard during their youth will have nothing to fear when the time comes to put the finishing touches on their lives. They will possess a great state of life that towers strong and unshakable. In Buddhism, we call this the state of Buddhahood, which nothing can undermine or destroy. It is a state of mind enjoyed by invincible champions of life.
From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
I, Nichiren, am hated by the people of Japan . This is entirely due to the fact that the lord of Sagami regards me with animosity. I grant that the government has acted quite without reason, but even before I encountered my difficulties, I foresaw that troubles of this kind would occur, and I resolved that, whatever might happen to me in the future, I must not bear any hatred toward others. This determination has perhaps acted as a prayer, for I have been able to come safely through any number of trials.
On Consecrating an Image of Shakyamuni Buddha Made by Shijo Kingo
Written to Shijo Kingo on July 15, 1276
Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Daily life can seem all too drab and unexciting. Living itself can sometimes seem a strain, and few of us realistically expect what joy we feel to last forever. But when we fall in love, life seems filled with drama and excitement. We feel like the leading character in a novel. But, if you get lost in love just because you are bored, and consequently veer from the path you should be following, then love is nothing more than escapism.
Daisaku Ikeda - A Youthful Diary (preface p.viii)
A Youthful Diary was begun in May 1949, the year I started working for Mr. Toda, and continued over the ensuing eleven years, ending shortly after May 3, 1960 when, after Mr. Toda's death, I took office as the Soka Gakkai's third president. It is an unadorned record of my life from age twenty-two to age thirty-two.
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I was pondering how best I could assist my mentor in the task of propagating the Buddhist Law, while at the same time I had my own youthful worries, my vows for the morrow.
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Those youthful years, when I was striving day by day to advance in my undertakings, seem no further away than yesterday. I served my teacher for some ten years - in one sense a long time, in another sense a mere instant - and those ten years contained my entire future.
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