Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
Saturday, February 20, 2016
In his later years, President Toda often told his disciples: "Be courageous in faith! No matter what other people may say, advance boldly! Lead confident lives! Make courage the Gakkai's eternal emblem!" This was the spirit with which he charged us before he died. Faith is the source of true strength and courage. Without courage and confidence we cannot be said to have genuine faith.
From The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Even an ignorant person can obtain blessings by serving someone who expounds the Lotus Sutra. No matter if he is a demon or an animal, if someone proclaims even a single verse or phrase of the Lotus Sutra, you must respect him as you would the Buddha. This is what the sutra means when it says, "You should rise and greet him from afar, showing him the same respect you would a Buddha." You should respect one another as Shakyamuni and Many Treasures did at the ceremony in the " Treasure Tower " chapter.
The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 757
The Fourteen Slanders
Written to the lay priest Matsuno Rokuro Saemon on December 9, 1276
Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
Saturday, February 20, 2016
When we plant the seeds of self-doubt, only noxious weeds sprout. When we limit ourselves with low expectations, the growth of the tree of happiness immediately ceases. The power of growth, of improvement, the power to overcome all stagnation and break through every obstacle and transform a barren wasteland into a verdant field -- that unstoppable power of hope resides right there in your own heart. It will well up from the rich earth of your innermost being when you face the future without doubt or fear: "I can do more. I can grow. I can become a bigger and better human being" --- life and faith are a never-ending struggle to grow.
Daisaku Ikeda – A Youthful Diary (13 April 1951) p. 105
A balmy day. The cherry blossoms have already fallen. Will I have regrets about my youth? Clearly engraved in my memory is a portion of a song we sang during the war when I was working at N. Iron Works: "Falling cherry blossoms. The remaining blossoms shall also fall." The verse expresses a youthful, Japanese spirit, and a gallant way of life. In Buddhism, life is ultimately considered most precious. Once again considered how to live, reevaluating my view of life and death.
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