Sensei's Daily Encouragement - January 16 2022 - The year of Youth and Dynamic Progress



                    
     
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
January 16, 2022

It is important to take a long-range view. No great achievement is accomplished overnight or without difficulty. Should benefit be obtained easily without our making any efforts in Buddhist practice, we'd probably just as easily abandon our faith and end up miserable as a consequence. Because it isn't easy to get into a highly-ranked school, students study with all their might, gaining an abundance of knowledge and ability. Faith follows basically the same formula: Practice is essential to attaining Buddhahood.
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 From The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
January 16, 2022

 It is the way of ordinary people that, even though they spur themselves on to arouse the aspiration for enlightenment and wish for happiness in the next life, they exert themselves no more than one or two out of all the hours of the day, and this only after reminding themselves to do so. As for myself, I read the Lotus Sutra without having to remember to, and practice it even when I do not read its words aloud.

 The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 43
The Four Debts of Gratitude
Written to Kudo Sakon-no-jo Yoshitaka on January 16, 1262
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 Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
January 16, 2022

 The Sanskrit word buddha means "One who is awakened [to the truth]." While the term was widely employed by various schools of the time, it eventually came to be used exclusively in reference to Shakyamuni. At the same time, the word buddha implies "to bloom." A person who causes flowers of lofty character to brilliantly bloom and who bears the fruits of good fortune and benefit in abundance is a Buddha. Such a person manifests the benefit of the Law and shines with character overflowing with blessings.
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Excerpt from Daisaku Ikeda - A Youthful Diary (17 November 1957) p.355

 Felt chest pains this morning. Woke up early. At 5:00, my wife said. Went back to sleep. Worked on my article without eating. Felt nauseated, perhaps from smoking too much.

 Lately, have been thinking about how I will live the next fifty or so years of my life. The difficulty of living vibrantly and energetically, day after day and month after month.

 Worked on the continuation of my article until after 2:00. My wife said she doesn't feel well. Worried.
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