Sensei's Daily Encouragement - 22 November 2020 - Year of Advancement and Capable People



    

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda

 November 22, 2020 

There is a Russian proverb that says: "It is no use to blame the looking glass if your face is awry." Likewise, one's happiness or unhappiness is entirely the reflection of the balance of good and bad causes accumulated in one's life. No one can blame others for his misfortunes. In the world of faith, it is necessary to realize this all the more clearly.

 

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From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin

 November 22, 2020

But now you, born a woman in the evil world of the latter age, while being reviled, struck and persecuted by the barbaric inhabitants of this island country who are unaware of these things, have endured and are propagating the Lotus Sutra. The Buddha at Eagle Peak surely perceives that you surpass the nun [Mahaprajapate] as greatly as clouds do mud. The name of that nun, the Buddha Gladly Seen by All Living Beings, is no unrelated matter; it is now the name of the lay nun Myoho. 

The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 1106

Reply to the Lay Nun Myoho

Written to the lay nun Myoho in 1281

 

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Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda

 November 22, 2020 

Wisdom, not might, is the most important thing. Wisdom and compassion are deeply connected. Giving earnest thought to others' welfare, asking ourselves what can we do to help -- using our minds in this way is a sign of compassion.

 

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 Excerpt from Daisaku Ikeda - A Youthful Diary (11 December 1956) p.310

Slept at my parents' house for the first time in ten years. A dozen or so people – my brothers and their families – stayed over as well. Keenly sense that I must now stop by the house from time to time. The past cannot be helped. But from now on, I must.

In the morning, chanted daimoku for three hours to the small portable Gohonzon before my father's body. In this way I believe, I could fulfill my ultimate filial duty.