Sensei's Daily Encouragement -June 9 2026- Year of Vibrant Growth for a Youthful Soka Gakkai Worldwide

    

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
June 9, 2026
 
 We have to make ourselves heard. We have to speak out for what we believe in. When we, the people, boldly state our true convictions - never losing our optimism or sense of humour - the times will change. When it comes to speaking out for justice, there isn't any need for restraint. On the contrary, to be reserved or hesitant under such circumstances is wrong.
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 From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
June 9, 2026
 
 I am praying that, no matter how troubled the times may become, the Lotus Sutra and the ten demon daughters will protect all of you, praying as earnestly as though to produce fire from damp wood, or to obtain water from parched ground.
 
 The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 444
On Rebuking Slander of the Law and Eradicating Sins
Written to Shijo Kingo in 1273
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 Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
June 9, 2026
 
 In any field of endeavour, making a vow is the foundation for achieving something great. If for whatever reason a person gives up halfway or backslides, his or her commitment hasn't been based on a vow. Half-hearted desire doesn't amount to a vow.
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Excerpt from Daisaku Ikeda - A Youthful Diary (02 March 1954) p.161
 
Read an essay on Goto Shinpei (1857-1929), a powerful statesman with a progressive spirit, a man of foresight and practice and a leader of great capability. Nevertheless, he had many points that deserve criticism. I, however, love to see such excellent achievement by a youth. There is no need to elaborate on his ideas or his actions.
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Sensei's Daily Encouragement -June 8 2026- Year of Vibrant Growth for a Youthful Soka Gakkai Worldwide

    

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
Wednesday, June 8, 2026
 
 President Toda often said that the final four or five years of one's life are decisive. No matter how good the preceding years may have been, one's life ends in defeat and sadness if the final few years are miserable. On the other hand, someone whose last four or five years are happy and filled with joy can be described a winner in life. No matter what happens, even if we should fall sick, we must never grow discouraged or allow ourselves to be defeated. This is vital. As long as our spirits are undefeated, we are victors.
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 From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
Wednesday, June 8, 2026
 
 Be resolved to summon forth the great power of faith, and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with the prayer that your faith will be steadfast and correct at the moment of death. Never seek any other way to inherit the ultimate Law of life and death, and manifest it in your life.
 
 The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 218
The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life
Written to Sairen-bo Nichijo on February 11, 1272
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Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
Wednesday, June 8, 2026
 
 Every child is precious. The Lotus Sutra tells the parable of the three kinds of medicinal herbs and two kinds of trees. There are many different kinds of plants, their shape, size and nature come in myriad varieties. Some plants grow fast while others take time to mature. In this parable, however, the heavens rain upon all the plants equally, nurturing their growth. And the plants blossom and bear fruits according to their own unique character. This parable symbolizes the Buddha's vast compassion to nurture all living beings despite their differences. All children are different, each possesses his or her wonderful unique quality. We must pour upon all children our great love and compassion so that each child can blossom, true to his or her unique quality.
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Excerpt from Daisaku Ikeda - A Youthful Diary (01 March 1954) p.160
 
At 6:00, a lecture for the Study Department's fifth level on Nichikan's "Commentary on 'The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind.'" We studied the commentary on the passage, "Shakyamuni's however, is the Buddhism of the harvest, and this is the Buddhism of sowing" (WND, 370).
Beginning at 7:30, President Toda lectured for one hour to all Study Department members on methods of teaching. A truly interesting and profound discussion, one that should be digested thoroughly.
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Sensei's Daily Encouragement -June 7 2026- Year of Vibrant Growth for a Youthful Soka Gakkai Worldwide

    

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
June 7, 2026
 
 Faith and daily life, faith and work - these are not separate things. They are one and the same. To think of them as separate - that faith is faith, and work is work, is theoretical faith. Based on the recognition that work and faith are one and the same, we should put one hundred percent of our energy into our jobs and one hundred percent into our faith, too. When we resolve to do this, we enter the path of victory in life. Faith means to show irrefutable proof of victory amid the realities of society and in our own daily lives.
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 From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
 June 7, 2026
 
 Thus, as we have seen, even those who lack understanding, so long as they chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, can avoid the evil paths. This is like lotus flowers, which turn as the sun does, though the lotus has no mind to direct it, or like the plantain that grows with the rumbling of thunder, though this plant has no ears to hear it. Now we are like the lotus or the plantain, and the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra is like the sun or the thunder.
 
 The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 142
The Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra
Recipient unknown; written on January 6, 1266
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 Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
 June 7, 2026
 
 Nam-myoho-renge-kyo enables us to make any hardship or setback the source of our new advancement and our treasure for the future. Therefore, you don't have to be afraid of making a mistake or encountering an obstacle. In short, as long as you are devoted to staying in the correct orbit of faith, you won't ever cease to advance toward your victory, even if you may go through some twists and turns in life.
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Excerpt from Daisaku Ikeda - A Youthful Diary (26 February 1954) p.160
 
Stopped by K.’s home during business hours. His faith seems to have gotten stronger. Glad my work is going smoothly. The ultimate objective in life, the culmination of our hopes and dreams, can be found in the life-condition we attain through faith.
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Sensei's Daily Encouragement -June 6 2026- Year of Vibrant Growth for a Youthful Soka Gakkai Worldwide

    

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
June 6, 2026
 
 Science is based on tested proof or empirical evidence. You conduct a test or experiment and then observe the results. Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism, similarly, teaches that nothing beats actual proof. In this regard, it stands alone among the religions of the world. I hope that each year you will strive to show clear proof of victory in Buddhism and your studies. Please always remember that showing such proof is the mark of a true successor.
 
 Events
1871 Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, the Soka Gakkai’s first president, is born.
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 From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
June 6, 2026
 
 The Great Teacher Dengyo says: "Neither teachers nor disciples need undergo countless kalpas of austere practice in order to attain Buddhahood. Through the power of the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law they can do so in their present form." This means that both the teacher who expounds the principles of the Lotus Sutra and the disciple who receives his teachings will, in no long time, together become Buddhas through the power of the Lotus Sutra.
 
 The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 133
Conversation between a Sage and an Unenlightened Man
Recipient unknown; written in 1265
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 Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
June 6, 2026
 
 I have profound reverence for you, I would never dare treat you with disparagement or arrogance. Why? Because you are all practicing the bodhisattva way and are certain to attain Buddhahood - The Lotus Sutra
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Excerpt from Daisaku Ikeda - A Youthful Diary (23 February 1954) p.160
 
A Suiko Group meeting at 6:00. Sensei seemed extremely tired. He ended the meeting at 7:00. Deeply ashamed that I couldn't answer when he asked me a question. My own growth is the growth of the youth division. Self-awakening and growth are my absolute duty! Youth of Japan! Youth of the Gakkai! Try your best!
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Sensei's Daily Encouragement -June 5 2026- Year of Vibrant Growth for a Youthful Soka Gakkai Worldwide

    

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
June 5, 2026
 
Cowardice is harmful for it delights the enemies of Buddhism and obstructs the advance of kosen-rufu. The fainthearted cannot savour the true benefit of faith; their ability to tap the power of the Buddha and the power of the Law [of the Gohonzon] in their lives is enfeebled.
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 From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
June 5, 2026
 
 A person can know another's mind by listening to the voice. This is because the physical aspect reveals the spiritual aspect. The physical and spiritual, which are one in essence, manifest themselves as two distinct aspects; thus the Buddha's mind found expression as the written words of the Lotus Sutra. These written words are the Buddha's mind in a different form. Therefore, those who read the Lotus Sutra must not regard it as consisting of mere written words, for those words are in themselves the Buddha's mind.
 
 The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 86
Opening of the Eyes of Wooden and Painted Images
Recipient unknown; written in 1264
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 Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
June 5, 2026
 
Everything starts with you. You must forge yourself through your own efforts. I urge each of you to create something, start something and make a success of something. That is the essence of human existence, the challenge of youth. Herein lies a wonderful way of life always aiming for the future.
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Excerpt from Daisaku Ikeda - A Youthful Diary (18 February 1954) p.159
 
Gentle rain. Finished reading The Count of Monte Cristo at the office. Reading develops wisdom and allows us to accumulate knowledge. It also enhances our ability to read and understand the Gosho. Someone once said: “Read throughout your life, even if only thirty minutes each day. In the course of a lifetime, this will add up to a tremendous amount of reading.”
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Sensei's Daily Encouragement -June 4 2026- Year of Vibrant Growth for a Youthful Soka Gakkai Worldwide

    

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
June 4, 2026
 
 Death will come to each of us some day. We can die having fought hard for our beliefs and convictions, or we can die having failed to do so. Since the reality of death is the same in either case, isn't it far better that we set out on our journey toward the next existence in high spirits and with a bright smile on our faces, knowing that in everything we did, we did the very best we could, thrilling with the sense "That was truly an interesting life?"
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 From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
June 4, 2026
 
 However great the good causes one may make, or even if one reads and copies the entirety of the Lotus Sutra a thousand or ten thousand times, or attains the way of perceiving three thousand realms in a single moment of life, if one fails to denounce the enemies of the Lotus Sutra, it will be impossible to attain the way.
 
 The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 78
Encouragement to a Sick Person
Written to Nanjo Hyoe Shichiro on December 13, 1264
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 Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
June 4, 2026
 
 It's so important to keep the promises made to friends. This is the true meaning of friendship. To become people who can do so, however, we must first learn to keep our resolutions - the promises we have made to ourselves.
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Excerpt from Daisaku Ikeda - A Youthful Diary (16 February 1954) p.158
 
Sensei struggles relentlessly against the devil of sickness.
I, too, continuously battle the same devil.
Where there is passionate faith, there must be victory. I am young; my life begins from now. If only I can be the engine that turns President Toda’s plans and ideas into reality…
Life is nothing but struggle and advancement. Such is my destiny.
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Sensei's Daily Encouragement -June 3 2026- Year of Vibrant Growth for a Youthful Soka Gakkai Worldwide

    

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
June 3, 2026
 
 I would like each of you to rise to the challenge of revolutionizing the area where you live into an ideal community and to do so with the determination to start from where you are right now. This means building a good SGI organization in your local area and building it yourself with loving, painstaking care, the way an artist pours his or her heart and soul into creating a work of art. It also means fostering capable people. Buddhism, after all, can only flourish if there are people who uphold and practice its teachings.
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 From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
June 3, 2026
 
 As I said before, though no chapter of the Lotus Sutra is negligible, among the entire twenty-eight chapters, the "Expedient Means" chapter and the "Life Span" chapter are particularly outstanding. The remaining chapters are all in a sense the branches and leaves of these two chapters. Therefore, for your regular recitation, I recommend that you practice reading the prose sections of the "Expedient Means" and "Life Span" chapters.
 
 The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 71
The Recitation of the "Expedient Means" and "Life Span" Chapters
Written to Hiki Daigaku Saburo Yoshimoto's wife on April 17, 1264
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 Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
June 3, 2026
 
 When we plant the seed of happiness that is faith and carefully tend its growth, it will produce fruit without fail. We have to bear in mind, however, that we cannot plant a seed today and expect it to bear fruit tomorrow. That's not reasonable and Buddhism is reason. If we persevere, bearing in mind the principle faith equals daily life in accord with reason, then our prayers will definitely be answered. This is Nichiren's promise to us. And his words are true beyond any doubt.
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Excerpt from Daisaku Ikeda - A Youthful Diary (15 February 1954) p.158
 
Reported to Sensei about our activities in Niigata. All he said was, "Thank you."
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