Sensei's Daily Encouragement - 24 February 2021 - Year of Hope and Victory



    

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda

February 24, 2021 

Buddhism is not about leading a self-centered existence. If we do not base our lives on the Law, we are not practicing Buddhism. The German writer Friedrich von Schiller writes, "The brave man thinks upon himself the last." This is analogous to the spirit of not begrudging one's life taught in the Lotus Sutra. This means treasuring the Law more highly than one's life. The Law and kosen-rufu are central.

 

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From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin

February 24, 2021 

No matter how humble a person may be, if his wisdom is the least bit greater than yours, you should ask him about the meaning of the sutra. But the people in this evil age are so arrogant, prejudiced, and attached to fame and profit that they are afraid that, should they become the disciple of a humble person or try to learn something from him, they will be looked down upon by others. They never rid themselves of this wrong attitude, so they seem to be destined for the evil paths. 

The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 757

The Fourteen Slanders

Written to the lay priest Matsuno Rokuro Saemon on December 9, 1276

 

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Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda

February 24, 2021 

According to Buddhism, health is not a condition in which we merely escape negative influences. It is a highly positive, active state in which we hold ourselves responsible for such influences, in which we face and try to solve various problems - not just our own but others problems, too. The word disease implies a lack of ease, which conversely implies that health is a state of comfort. In the Buddhist sense, however, being "at ease" does not mean freedom from difficulties, it means having the strength to meet and overcome any problem.

 

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 Excerpt from Daisaku Ikeda - A Youthful Diary (30 January 1958) p.381 

After the conference, returned to the headquarters to write an article. Completely forgot I had called my wife and promised to meet her at Kamata Station at 10:00 p.m. Made my pregnant wife wait for more than one hour in the cold. Terribly sorry for her. On the way home, the two of us stopped at a street vendor and ate grilled tripe to warm our chilled bodies.