Sensei's Daily Encouragement - 17 July 2021 - Year of Hope and Victory



                    

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
July 17, 2021

 Life isn't always smooth. If it were, we would never grow and develop as human beings. If we succeed, we are envied if we fail, we are ridiculed and attacked. Sadly, this is how people are. Unexpected grief and suffering may lie ahead of you. But it is precisely when you encounter such trying times that you must not be defeated. Never give up. Never retreat.
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 From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
July 17, 2021

 Those who chant Myoho-renge-kyo [the title of the Lotus Sutra] even without understanding its meaning realize not only the heart of the Lotus Sutra, but also the "main cord," or essential principle of the Buddha's lifetime teachings. 

 The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 860
"This is What I Heard"
Written to the lay priest Soya Jiro on November 28, 1277
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 Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
July 17, 2021

 Human beings inherently possess the strength to overcome any hardship. Religions have traditionally taught the importance of such spiritual strength. This is Buddhism's point of origin. Shakyamuni Buddha taught us to strive to win happiness and peace, not outside but within ourselves.
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Daisaku Ikeda - A Youthful Diary (29 June 1954) p.184 

6:00, at the headquarters – the oral exams were held. I was responsible for the examinees from Suginami and Osaka chapters, who numbered twenty-six in all. At the last professors meeting, I was scolded severely by President Toda with regards to my grading of Assistant Professor S.'s test. I had tried to be fair and accurate, but Sensei told me that to become a great leader, I must become more generous in my grading. Am I too strict? Had taken my way of grading for granted. Returned home, feeling lonesome. It was after 11:00
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