Sensei's Daily Encouragement -May 28 2026- Year of Vibrant Growth for a Youthful Soka Gakkai Worldwide

    

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
May 28, 2026
 
What is true joy in life? This is a difficult question and one which has occupied a great many thinkers and philosophers. Joy can quickly give way to suffering. Joy is short and suffering long. Also what passes for joy in society is superficial. It cannot compare with the joy deriving from the Mystic Law. The key then lies in cultivating a state of mind where we can declare without reservation that life itself is a joy. This is the purpose of our Buddhist practice.
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From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
May 28, 2026
 
"Single-mindedly desiring to see the Buddha" may be read as follows: single-mindedly observing the Buddha, concentrating one's mind on seeing the Buddha, and when looking at one's own mind, perceiving that it is the Buddha.
 
The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 389
Letter to Gijo-bo
Written to Gijo-bo on May 28, 1273
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Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
May 28, 2026
 
The belief taught in the Lotus Sutra provides no easy answers, no escape route from the difficulties of human life. In fact, it rejects such easy answers; instead it implores us to take up the two tools for exploring life, belief and understanding, and use them to continually challenge and work to perfect ourselves. And it also provides us the energy to do just that.
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Excerpt from Daisaku Ikeda - A Youthful Diary (10 February 1954) p.156
 
Saw President Toda in his office at 1:30. Reported on various matters. Greatly appreciate Sensei's passion to instruct me in many areas, as ignorant as I am.
Gave a lecture in Ikebukuro this evening. Visited President Toda again afterwards, bringing him two boxes of strawberries. He was extremely happy. Received guidance for an hour together with H. Truly amazed at his life force and boundless wisdom.
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Sensei's Daily Encouragement -May 27 2026- Year of Vibrant Growth for a Youthful Soka Gakkai Worldwide

    

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
May 27, 2026
 
Forward! Always forward! This is a basic spirit of Buddhism. Nichiren Daishonin's teaching is the Buddhism of true cause. We live with our gaze fixed on the future, not hung up on the past. To advance eternally - this is the essence of life and the essence of what it means to be a practitioner of the Daishonin's Buddhism.
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From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
May 27, 2026
 
To accept, uphold, read, recite, take delight in, and protect all the eight volumes and twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra is called the comprehensive practice. To accept, uphold, and protect the "Expedient Means" chapter and the "Life Span" chapter is called the abbreviated practice. And simply to chant one four-phrase verse or the daimoku, and to protect those who do so, is called the essential practice. Hence, among these three kinds of practice, comprehensive, abbreviated, and essential, the daimoku is defined as the essential practice.
 
The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 143
The Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra
Recipient unknown; written on January 6, 1266
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Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
May 27, 2026
 
Similar to the unifying and integrating self that Carl Jung perceived in the depths of the ego, the term greater self in Buddhism expresses the openness and expansiveness of character by which we can embrace all people's sufferings as our own. The greater self always seeks to alleviate pain and to augment the happiness of others here amid the realities of everyday life. Furthermore, the dynamic, vital awakening of the greater self enables each individual to experience both life and death with equal delight.
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Excerpt from Daisaku Ikeda - A Youthful Diary (09 February 1954) p.156
 
Yesterday evening, President Toda had a bout of ill health. Heard that his condition is extremely poor. There is no excuse for my absence at such a crucial time. When I heard that he called out my name two or three times my heart ached. I wonder what he was thinking. He seems a little better today. My only hope is that he lives long. I am not the only one repeatedly amazed by his tremendous life force, which resurges like a great immortal Phoenix...
Met with Sensei in the president's office at 10:30. He is completely unshaken by yesterday's episode. My noble mentor! "Study! Study!" he told me.
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Sensei's Daily Encouragement -May 26 2026- Year of Vibrant Growth for a Youthful Soka Gakkai Worldwide

    

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
May 26, 2026
 
In Buddhism, we either win or lose - there is no middle ground. Now and in the future, let us advance, determined to win in every sphere of our lives. By winning in our lives, we are advancing kosen-rufu; and by advancing kosen-rufu, we win in our lives.
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From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
May 26, 2026
 
Because Buddhism has gradually been turned upside down, the secular world also has been plunged into corruption and chaos. Buddhism is like the body, and society like the shadow. When the body bends, so does the shadow. How fortunate that all of my disciples who follow the Buddha's true intention will naturally flow into the ocean of comprehensive wisdom!
 
The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 1039
A Comparison of the Lotus and Other Sutras
Written to Toki Jonin on May 26, 1280
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Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
May 26, 2026
 
There is a saying that "Speech is silver, silence is golden." But when you are engaged in a struggle, the opposite is true. Then, speaking out is golden and silence is defeat.
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Excerpt from Daisaku Ikeda - A Youthful Diary (14 January 1954) p.154
 
Covered a fair amount of ground in the morning Japanese history lecture. My heart feels as vast as the boundless blue sky. Continuing to proofread the Gosho a little each day.
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Sensei's Daily Encouragement -May 25 2026- Year of Vibrant Growth for a Youthful Soka Gakkai Worldwide

    

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
 May 25, 2026
 
The heart is most important of all. In his classic The Little Prince, the French author Antoine de Saint-Exupery writes: "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye." It is just as he says. We cannot always tell whether something is genuine just with our eyes. Only by looking with the heart can we discern the true essence.
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From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
May 25, 2026
 
If a spark as small as a bean is set to a single blade of grass in a spring field of a thousand square ri thick with grass, it becomes in an instant an immeasurable, boundless blaze. Such is also the case with this robe [you have offered]. Though only one robe, it has been offered to the Buddhas of all the characters of the Lotus Sutra. Be firmly convinced that the benefits from this will extend to your parents, your grandparents, nay, even to countless living beings, not to mention your own husband, whom you hold most dear.
 
The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 533
The Offering of an Unlined Robe
Written to the lady of Sajiki on May 25, 1275
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Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
May 25, 2026
 
The Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore compares the function of evil to the banks of a river. The riverbanks are obstructions, but they are necessary for keeping the river on track and flowing steadily forward. Without banks, the river would overflow, causing destruction instead of creating value.
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Excerpt from Daisaku Ikeda - A Youthful Diary (12 January 1954) p.154
 
Held a group chiefs meeting at our chapter chief's house at 6:00. I scolded the leaders. Feeling sorry for them, I apologized in my heart. Sometimes, however, this cannot be helped if everyone is to advance.
After the group chiefs meeting, we held a senior leaders meeting until 11:00. The men's division leaders looked tired. On the way home, I thought to myself that more consideration should be given to the participants' age when planning late meetings.
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Sensei's Daily Encouragement -May 24 2026- Year of Vibrant Growth for a Youthful Soka Gakkai Worldwide

    

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
May 24, 2026
 
President Toda said: "Those who do not value the organization are practicing self-centered faith. With such faith you cannot expect to receive the truly profound benefits of this practice." Working hard within the organization for people's happiness and welfare is itself truly noble Buddhist practice.
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From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
May 24, 2026
 
Though I have long since ceased to think about my home, seeing this laver brings back many familiar memories, and I am saddened and find it hard to bear. It is the same kind of laver I saw long ago on the shore at Kataumi, Ichikawa, and Kominato. I feel an unwarranted resentment that, while the color, shape, and taste of this laver have remained unchanged, my parents have passed away, and I cannot restrain my tears.
 
The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 466
Reply to Niiama
Written to the younger non Niiama on February 16, 1275
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Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
May 24, 2026
 
The ultimate and most glorious of human relationships is the relationship of spiritual successors. Even animals have relationships of parent and child. There are animals that share partnerships similar to marriage, and even those that enjoy friendships. However, the relationship of mentor and disciple, of spiritual successors, exists only among human beings.
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Excerpt from Daisaku Ikeda - A Youthful Diary (11 January 1954) p.154
 
President Toda stated: “I am striving resolutely ahead to carry out a revolution. My revolution, however, is a bloodless revolution, based on compassion and reason.” His words resound in my mind.
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Sensei's Daily Encouragement -May 23 2026- Year of Vibrant Growth for a Youthful Soka Gakkai Worldwide

    

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
May 23, 2026
 
We need to cultivate the spirit to live with self-assurance, to make our way joyously through life. We practice this faith precisely to forge such a strong and vibrant inner resolve.
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From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
May 23, 2026
 
Ch'ung-hua and Y were the children of commoners, but both were extremely filial. Hearing of this, King Yao and King Shun summoned Ch'ung-hua and Y, and abdicated their thrones to them. Commoners became royalty in a day. Just as a commoner can become a king in this present life, so can an ordinary person become a Buddha instantly. This is the heart of the doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life.

The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin,page 323
Letter to the Sage Nichimyo
Written to Nichimyo on May 25, 1272
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Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
May 23, 2026
 
I believe that whether we can live a truly satisfying life to the end depends to a considerable extent on how we view death. Sadly, many older people are anxious and fearful about death. But, as a Buddhist, I find it helpful to compare the cycles of life and death to the daily rhythms of waking and sleeping. Just as we look forward to the rest sleep brings after the efforts and exertions of the day, death can be seen as a welcome period of rest and re-energizing in preparation for a new round of active life. And just as we enjoy the best sleep after a day in which we have done our very best, a calm and easy death can only follow a life lived to the fullest without any regrets.
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Excerpt from Daisaku Ikeda - A Youthful Diary (9 January 1954) p.153/54
 
Must deepen my study of Buddhism... The reason is that study is unquestionably the Gakkai’s cornerstone. It is therefore a leader’s most essential qualification. Enthusiasm and practice are also vital. In this connection, study becomes all the more important.
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Sensei's Daily Encouragement -May 22 2026- Year of Vibrant Growth for a Youthful Soka Gakkai Worldwide

    

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
May 22, 2026
 
We need to cultivate a state of life where we can thoroughly enjoy ourselves at all times. We should have such joy that even at the time of death we can declare with a happy smile: "That was wonderful! Where shall I go next?" This is the state of mind of a person with strong faith. Such individuals will be reborn without delay and in a form and in a place exactly according with their desires. Faith enables us to attain the kind of generous and all-embracing state of mind where we can enjoy everything in our lives.
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From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
May 22, 2026
 
When one has had the rare good fortune to be born a human being, and the further good fortune to encounter the teachings of Buddhism, how can one waste this opportunity? If one is going to take faith at all, then among all the various teachings of the Mahayana and the Hinayana, provisional and true doctrines, one should believe in the one vehicle, the true purpose for which the Buddhas come into this world and the direct path to attaining enlightenment for all living beings.
 
The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 60
Questions and Answers about Embracing the Lotus Sutra
Recipient unknown; written in March 1263
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Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
May 22, 2026
 
Only within the open space created by dialogue, whether conducted with our neighbours, with history, with nature or the cosmos, can human wholeness be sustained. We are not born human in any but a biological sense; we can only learn to know ourselves and others and thus be trained in the ways of being human. We do this by immersion in the ocean of language and dialogue fed by the springs of cultural tradition.
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Excerpt from Daisaku Ikeda - A Youthful Diary (9 January 1954) p.153
 
Worked on the second Gosho proofreading in Hatake, under the direction of Nichijun*, the retired high priest. A noble task. A sublime and important undertaking.
Must deepen my study of Buddhism. Must likewise strengthen my understanding of philosophy.
 
(*ref: p136-138 The Untold History of the Fuji School)
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