Sunday, November 20, 2016
What is the purpose of life? It is happiness. But here are two kinds of happiness: relative and absolute. Relative happiness comes in a wide variety of forms. The purpose of Buddhism is to attain Buddhahood. In modern terms, this could be explained as realizing absolute happiness - a state of happiness that can never be destroyed or defeated.
From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
Sunday, November 20, 2016
You should not have the slightest fear in your heart. It is lack of courage that prevents one from attaining Buddhahood, although one may have professed faith in the Lotus Sutra many times since innumerable kalpas ago.
The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 637
The Three Obstacles and Four Devils
Written to Ikegami Hyoe no Sakan Munenga on November 20, 1277
Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
Sunday, November 20, 2016
Many things happen in life. There are joyous days and times of suffering. Sometimes unpleasant things occur. But that's what makes life so interesting. The dramas we encounter are part and parcel of being human. If we experienced no change or drama in our lives, if nothing unexpected ever happened, we would merely be like automatons, our lives unbearably monotonous and dull. Therefore, please develop a strong self so that you can enact the drama of your life with confidence and poise in the face of whatever vicissitudes you may encounter.
Excerpt from Daisaku Ikeda - A Youthful Diary (09 December 1956) p.309
Got up a little before 6:00 – pilgrimage. Mentally and physically exhausted; woke up just in time. Arrived at the head temple just after 11:00…
The light rain gave way to weather that was almost too good to be true. Chanted before the Dai-Gohonzon at 2:00. Gongyo was excruciatingly difficult, but afterwards it was as if a dark cloud in my heart had lifted to reveal a clear state of life.
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