Age is not an excuse for giving up. If you allow yourself to grow passive and draw back, it's a sign of personal defeat. There may be a retirement age at work, but there is no retirement age in life. How then could there be any "going into retirement" in the world of faith? The Buddhist Law is eternal, extending across the three existences of past, present and future, and one of the benefits of faith is perennial youth and eternal life.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 27/4
Monday, February 28, 2011
Miraculous Power
In Buddhism, it is recognized that supernatural or miraculous power is possible and can be attained through training. However, Buddha Sakyamuni discouraged all display of miraculous power as the proof of of spiritual attainment. The following story illustrates the Buddha's attitude towards miraculous powers.
One day the Buddha was waiting by the river bank for a boat to ferry him across the river. An ascetic passed by and proudly showed off his miraculous power, crossing the river back and forth by treading over the water.
The Buddha smiled and asked him, "How long did you train to attain such power?"
"It took me thirty years!", said the ascetic.
The Buddha replied, "Thirty years? Well, I can cross the river using the boat for only one penny!"
If a wicked man can become a pure religious man, this according to Buddhism, is a practical miracle.
One day the Buddha was waiting by the river bank for a boat to ferry him across the river. An ascetic passed by and proudly showed off his miraculous power, crossing the river back and forth by treading over the water.
The Buddha smiled and asked him, "How long did you train to attain such power?"
"It took me thirty years!", said the ascetic.
The Buddha replied, "Thirty years? Well, I can cross the river using the boat for only one penny!"
If a wicked man can become a pure religious man, this according to Buddhism, is a practical miracle.
Esay come easy go
Adversity gives birth to greatness. The greater the challenges and difficulties we face, the greater opportunity we have to grow and develop as people. A life without adversity, a life of ease and comfort, produces nothing and leaves us with nothing. This is one of the indisputable facts of life.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 25/4
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 25/4
The potential of youth is nurture well
When youth are awakened to a sense of mission, their power is limitless. Ultimately, we have to entrust our hopes and visions for the future to the youth. This is a golden rule. Youth is pure. Youth will rise up to fulfill their ideals without calculation or self-interest. The fundamental spirit of a leader must be to reach out to such young people, work with them and bring out their capabilities and direct their youthful energies in a positive direction.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 24/4
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 24/4
The deep bonds of SGI members
Our fellow members are all family with whom we are linked by deep bonds. If we support and protect this family, they will act as protective forces in our environment, supporting and keeping us from harm in lifetime after lifetime. This is a profound principle of Buddhism.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 23/4
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 23/4
Sunday, February 27, 2011
What is the kind of spirit we want to cherish?
I hope you will always have the spirit to learn with a lively curiosity and interest. When leaders are enthusiastic to keep on learning and growing, they inspire others. New ideas emerge and spread. Fresh energy to advance surges forth. Instead of pretending to know all the answers, assuming an air of wisdom, let us always strive for greater understanding and insight into all manner of things, so that we can continue learning together and spur one another to grow. This is the kind of spirit I want to cherish.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 22/4
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 22/4
What is SGI's fundamental creed?
Buddhism is reason. It doesn't exist apart from society, apart from reality. That is why it is important for each of us to cultivate good judgment and common sense. We must respect and harmonize with society's ways. Respecting the life of each individual, we work among the people. This is the SGI's fundamental creed.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 21/4
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 21/4
What is compassion and what is wisdom?
To possess both wisdom and compassion is the heart of our human revolution. If you have wisdom alone and lack compassion, it will be a cold, perverse wisdom. If you have compassion alone and lack wisdom, you cannot give happiness to others. You are even likely to lead them in the wrong direction, and you won't be able to achieve your own happiness.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 20/4
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 20/4
The strength and courage of ordinary people
At a crucial moment it is the strength and courage of ordinary people who have no name or position in society that save the day. The famous, the well-connected, almost always have too much to lose, and they abandon the cause in order to protect themselves.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 19/4
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 19/4
I Am Awakened
When the Buddha start to wander around India shortly after his enlightenment, he encountered several men who recognized him to be a very extraordinary being.
They asked him, "Are you a god?"
"No," he replied.
"Are you a reincarnation of god?"
"No," he replied.
"Are you a wizard, then?"
"No."
"Well, are you a man?"
"No."
"So what are you?" they asked, being very perplexed.
"I am awakened."
Buddha means "The Awakened One". How to awaken is all he taught.
They asked him, "Are you a god?"
"No," he replied.
"Are you a reincarnation of god?"
"No," he replied.
"Are you a wizard, then?"
"No."
"Well, are you a man?"
"No."
"So what are you?" they asked, being very perplexed.
"I am awakened."
Buddha means "The Awakened One". How to awaken is all he taught.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
The Tamarind Tree
One bright and cool summer day the Buddha took a walk along the forest path, simply enjoying the beauty of the earth. At a cross road, he saw a man in grief praying earnestly.
The man recognized the Buddha and fell on his knees. He cried, "Lord Buddha, life is indeed bitter and painful! I was once a man with great wealth, living a life of ease and happiness. By trikery and deceit, those I trusted and loved took everything from me. I am now a wretched man with noone to turn to. How many more times must I be reborn into this world of suffering before I can be librated?"
Pointing to the mango tree by the road, the Buddha said, "Do you see that mango tree? You must be reborn as many times as the number of mangoes on that tree before you know the bliss of liberation from the sufferings of this fleeting world."
Seeing that there are at least dozens of mangoes hanging on the tree, the man gasped, "But Lord! I have lived a righteous life in accord with the precepts! Why am I condemned to suffer so much longer?"
The Buddha sighed. "That is the way it must be." And he continued his walk.
He came across another man praying by the road and this man too, fell on his knees and cried, "Lord Buddha, life is indeed bitter and painful. I have lost all those I loved to the king of death. I am now forlorn and lonely. Life is full of anguish. How many more times must I be reborn into this world of suffering before I know the bliss of liberation?"
The Buddha pointed to the field of wild flowers along the road and said, "Before you know the bliss of liberation from the sufferings of this fleeting world, you must be reborn as many times as the number of flowers in that field."
Seeing so many hundreds of flowers in the field, the man cried, "But Lord! I have done many good deeds and have followed you teachings by heart. Why must I endure so much more suffering?"
The Buddha sighed, "That is how it must be." And he continued on his way.
When he came across a tamarind tree, another man fell down on his knees and cried before him, "Oh Lord! Life is full of suffering! During the days I toiled like a slave under the scathing sun; at night I have nothing to sleep on except a pile of grass on the cold, damped earth. Life is nothing but hunger, thirst and loneliness! How many more times must I be reborn into this world of suffering before I know the bliss of liberation?"
The Buddha looked up to the tamarind tree--each branch of it bearing many stems and each stem has dozens of leaves. The Buddha said, "Look at that tamarind tree. Before you know the bliss of liberation from the sufferings of this fleeting world, you must be reborn as many times as the number of leaves on that tamarind tree."
As the man looked up at the tamarind tree and its thousands of leaves, his eyes filled with tears of gratitude and joy. "How merciful!" he said as he prostrated to the ground at the Buddha's feet.
To this day the tamarind's seeds are the symbol of faithfulness and forbearance.
The man recognized the Buddha and fell on his knees. He cried, "Lord Buddha, life is indeed bitter and painful! I was once a man with great wealth, living a life of ease and happiness. By trikery and deceit, those I trusted and loved took everything from me. I am now a wretched man with noone to turn to. How many more times must I be reborn into this world of suffering before I can be librated?"
Pointing to the mango tree by the road, the Buddha said, "Do you see that mango tree? You must be reborn as many times as the number of mangoes on that tree before you know the bliss of liberation from the sufferings of this fleeting world."
Seeing that there are at least dozens of mangoes hanging on the tree, the man gasped, "But Lord! I have lived a righteous life in accord with the precepts! Why am I condemned to suffer so much longer?"
The Buddha sighed. "That is the way it must be." And he continued his walk.
He came across another man praying by the road and this man too, fell on his knees and cried, "Lord Buddha, life is indeed bitter and painful. I have lost all those I loved to the king of death. I am now forlorn and lonely. Life is full of anguish. How many more times must I be reborn into this world of suffering before I know the bliss of liberation?"
The Buddha pointed to the field of wild flowers along the road and said, "Before you know the bliss of liberation from the sufferings of this fleeting world, you must be reborn as many times as the number of flowers in that field."
Seeing so many hundreds of flowers in the field, the man cried, "But Lord! I have done many good deeds and have followed you teachings by heart. Why must I endure so much more suffering?"
The Buddha sighed, "That is how it must be." And he continued on his way.
When he came across a tamarind tree, another man fell down on his knees and cried before him, "Oh Lord! Life is full of suffering! During the days I toiled like a slave under the scathing sun; at night I have nothing to sleep on except a pile of grass on the cold, damped earth. Life is nothing but hunger, thirst and loneliness! How many more times must I be reborn into this world of suffering before I know the bliss of liberation?"
The Buddha looked up to the tamarind tree--each branch of it bearing many stems and each stem has dozens of leaves. The Buddha said, "Look at that tamarind tree. Before you know the bliss of liberation from the sufferings of this fleeting world, you must be reborn as many times as the number of leaves on that tamarind tree."
As the man looked up at the tamarind tree and its thousands of leaves, his eyes filled with tears of gratitude and joy. "How merciful!" he said as he prostrated to the ground at the Buddha's feet.
To this day the tamarind's seeds are the symbol of faithfulness and forbearance.
How can we achieve the correct mind of faith that matches the time?
Those who advance together with this organization that is dedicated to kosen-rufu and pervaded by benefit will evolve the correct mind of faith that matches the time. With this mind of faith you can fill the canvas of your lives with portraits of happiness in which all your wishes are fulfilled.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 18/4
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 18/4
Who are the bodhisattvas and Buddhas?
Nothing can equal the splendor of youth. To be young is to possess a treasure of infinite worth, far greater than any person of power. This is all the more true of you who possess the eternal treasure of the Mystic Law. Those who live based on this supreme Law are bodhisattvas and Buddhas.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 17/4
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 17/4
How to bring true and lasting joy to our life?
Spending our time doing what we please may bring momentary pleasure, but it will not bring us true and lasting joy. We cannot become great artists or great actors of life-we cannot become great human beings. Literature, music and drama are all to be found in our activities for faith-in our prayers, our challenges to develop ourselves through SGI activities and our efforts to educate others. All value is encompassed in these activities. This is the profound realm of Buddhism.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 16/4
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 16/4
What is a true millionaire?
Material possessions cannot be enjoyed after death. But millionaires rich in life force are able to freely make use of the treasures of the universe in lifetime after lifetime and enjoy a journey of eternal happiness. That is what constitutes proof of true victory in life.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 15/4
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 15/4
It is now or never
Thoreau, a renowned American Renaissance thinker, wrote in his journal: "Nothing must be postponed. Take time by the forelock. Now or never! You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment." We shouldn't put anything off but seize the moment, living with all our being in the present. If we do that, he says, each moment will become eternity.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 14/4
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 14/4
Friday, February 25, 2011
How to savor ultimate victory?
As long as our mind of faith is connected to the Gohonzon, our benefits will never disappear. That's why it is vital for us to persevere in our Buddhist practice throughout our lives no matter what, even if on some days our physical condition or other circumstances prevent us from doing gongyo and chanting daimoku to our full satisfaction. Those who continue to challenge themselves to the end savor ultimate victory.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 11/4
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 11/4
The words of Daishonin
The Daishonin's words are guiding principles that have universal, eternal relevance. It is important to study his writings. And it is especially crucial that the members of the youth division gain a solid grounding in Buddhist study. The two ways of practice and study are important. A halfhearted attitude will not allow you to complete these two paths. That would be a truly sad thing.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 10/4
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 10/4
A Lesson from Ryokan
There was a Japanese Zen Master called Ryokan. One day, Ryokan heard his family complain that his nephew was wasting money on prostitutes. Ryokan went to visit his nephew, whom he had not seen for many years.
His nephew invited him to stay one night. All night long ryokan sat in meditation. As he was preparing to leave the next morning, he asked his nephew, "I must be getting old, my hand shakes so. Will you help me tie the string of my straw sandal?"
The nephew helped him.
Ryokan replied, "Thank you. a man gets older and feebler day by day. Take good care of yourself."
Then Ryokan left, without mentioning a word about prostitutes or the complaints of the family. But from that day on, his nephew truly reformed, and stopped spending money on prostitutes and stopped dissipating his life.
His nephew invited him to stay one night. All night long ryokan sat in meditation. As he was preparing to leave the next morning, he asked his nephew, "I must be getting old, my hand shakes so. Will you help me tie the string of my straw sandal?"
The nephew helped him.
Ryokan replied, "Thank you. a man gets older and feebler day by day. Take good care of yourself."
Then Ryokan left, without mentioning a word about prostitutes or the complaints of the family. But from that day on, his nephew truly reformed, and stopped spending money on prostitutes and stopped dissipating his life.
A test of faith (part 3)
Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism was introduced to me by my mother in law some twenty years ago. I was a part time Buddhist then. By part time I meant chant when had mood. On and off, I will chant when I encountered any problems.
My first test of the faith was when my wife conceived my second son. When hearing the news that my wife was pregnant with my second son, I was very happy.
The gynecologist who looked after my wife when conceived my first son was Dr McCoy. The doctor was about sixty years then. My wife and I had decided to change doctor as we felt that he was old and might not be good and so we changed to a younger doctor(about 40 years old).
We asked friends and colleagues and was recommended Dr. X, the younger doctor. So we went to see Dr. X for consultation for about two months. On the second month the doctor did a scan on the womb and there was no sign of heart beat on the foetus. He did a pregnancy test again but confirmed that my wife was indeed pregnant. The doctor asked us to see him again in a week's time. One week later we went to see the doctor again and the doctor said that there is no new development and suggested to do a D & C on my wife and there was still no heart beat.
We were lost and panic and did not know what to do. We consulted my mother in law and she just say go and chant. As we were sad and do not have any other choice. My wife and me decided to chant. What have we got to lose? Just try and it is free and instead of spending out time worrying might as well spend our time chanting.
So this how we began chanting. We spent hours and hours chanting Nam myoho renge kyo. After chanting we decided to seek a second opinion and went back to Dr McCoy. The doctor did a scan and pregnancy test and confirmed that my wife was pregnant but there was no sign of heart beat of the foetus. He said that since my wife was pregnant for more than two months, there was no hurry to do anything and suggested she just wait for another month or so. After hearing his remark we felt relieve and went home and chant.
We chanted daimoku everyday and on the visit to Dr McCoy on the third month the scan showed sign of heart beat. We were very happy.
From the third month to the seventh month my wife bleed for a number of times. Every time when my wife go to work after a few days in office, she bled and went to see the doctor and the doctor will give her two weeks sick leave. This happened until the seven months. The numbers of sick leave taken was about more than 120 days.
We were persistent and continued to chant daimoku. Miracle happened on the eight month and my wife seemed okay. She can go to work everyday until the day my second son was born.
The doctor looked surprise and was very happy with the progress of my wife.
Through chant we had the good fortune of meeting a good doctor. Had we listen to the first doctor we would not have our second son. My son is now in form five. He is always in the top ten position in the class and had straight As in two public examinations.
My first test of the faith was when my wife conceived my second son. When hearing the news that my wife was pregnant with my second son, I was very happy.
The gynecologist who looked after my wife when conceived my first son was Dr McCoy. The doctor was about sixty years then. My wife and I had decided to change doctor as we felt that he was old and might not be good and so we changed to a younger doctor(about 40 years old).
We asked friends and colleagues and was recommended Dr. X, the younger doctor. So we went to see Dr. X for consultation for about two months. On the second month the doctor did a scan on the womb and there was no sign of heart beat on the foetus. He did a pregnancy test again but confirmed that my wife was indeed pregnant. The doctor asked us to see him again in a week's time. One week later we went to see the doctor again and the doctor said that there is no new development and suggested to do a D & C on my wife and there was still no heart beat.
We were lost and panic and did not know what to do. We consulted my mother in law and she just say go and chant. As we were sad and do not have any other choice. My wife and me decided to chant. What have we got to lose? Just try and it is free and instead of spending out time worrying might as well spend our time chanting.
So this how we began chanting. We spent hours and hours chanting Nam myoho renge kyo. After chanting we decided to seek a second opinion and went back to Dr McCoy. The doctor did a scan and pregnancy test and confirmed that my wife was pregnant but there was no sign of heart beat of the foetus. He said that since my wife was pregnant for more than two months, there was no hurry to do anything and suggested she just wait for another month or so. After hearing his remark we felt relieve and went home and chant.
We chanted daimoku everyday and on the visit to Dr McCoy on the third month the scan showed sign of heart beat. We were very happy.
From the third month to the seventh month my wife bleed for a number of times. Every time when my wife go to work after a few days in office, she bled and went to see the doctor and the doctor will give her two weeks sick leave. This happened until the seven months. The numbers of sick leave taken was about more than 120 days.
We were persistent and continued to chant daimoku. Miracle happened on the eight month and my wife seemed okay. She can go to work everyday until the day my second son was born.
The doctor looked surprise and was very happy with the progress of my wife.
Through chant we had the good fortune of meeting a good doctor. Had we listen to the first doctor we would not have our second son. My son is now in form five. He is always in the top ten position in the class and had straight As in two public examinations.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
How to accumulate inconspicuous benefit?
Nothing is wasted in faith. One never loses out. Please be confident that all your efforts to help others and promote Buddhism are accumulating immense treasures of good fortune in your life. This is what is meant by inconspicuous benefit.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 9/4
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 9/4
Worse than a clown
There was a young monk in China who was a very serious practitioner of the Dharma.
Once, this monk came across something he did not understand, so he went to ask the master. When the master heard the question, he started laughing loudly. The master then stood up and walked away, still laughing.
The young monk was very disturbed by the master's reaction. For the next 3 days, he could not eat, sleep nor think properly. At the end of 3 days, he went back to the master and told the master how disturbed he had felt.
When the master heard this, he said, "Monk, do you know what your problem is? Your problem is that YOU ARE WORSE THAN A CLOWN!"
The monk was shocked to hear that, "Venerable Sir, how can you say such a thing?! How can I be worse than a clown?"
The master explained, "A clown enjoys seeing people laugh at him. You? You feel disturbed because another person laughed at you. Tell me, are you not worse than a clown?"
When the monk heard this, he began to laugh. He was enlightened.
Once, this monk came across something he did not understand, so he went to ask the master. When the master heard the question, he started laughing loudly. The master then stood up and walked away, still laughing.
The young monk was very disturbed by the master's reaction. For the next 3 days, he could not eat, sleep nor think properly. At the end of 3 days, he went back to the master and told the master how disturbed he had felt.
When the master heard this, he said, "Monk, do you know what your problem is? Your problem is that YOU ARE WORSE THAN A CLOWN!"
The monk was shocked to hear that, "Venerable Sir, how can you say such a thing?! How can I be worse than a clown?"
The master explained, "A clown enjoys seeing people laugh at him. You? You feel disturbed because another person laughed at you. Tell me, are you not worse than a clown?"
When the monk heard this, he began to laugh. He was enlightened.
What are good individuals?
Great individuals fight abuses of authority. The truly strong do not lord it over the weak. People of genuine strength and courage battle against the powerful, the arrogant, the authoritarian, the evil and corrupt-all who look down on the people with contempt.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 8/4
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 8/4
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
What is the Soka Gakkai spirit?
Strength is the source of happiness. We mustn't shy away from life's challenges. We mustn't be defeated. Refusing to be defeated equals victory. A person who perseveres to the end is a winner. In the course of promoting our movement, the Soka Gakkai has never pulled back in the face of any hindrance. We have kept moving forward. And that is the key to our success. Never to retreat a single step, no matter what-that is the Soka Gakkai spirit. Those who embrace this spirit can achieve unlimited victory.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 7/4
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 7/4
Faith is a continous and never ending journey
There is no retirement age in faith. Sincere faith never ages. Those who exert themselves for the sake of the Law are ever young. Our heart is what matters most. Let us strive to the end of our days for kosen-rufu.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 6/4
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 6/4
Nobody Told Me Anything
(as told by Master Sheng-Yen)
A disciple asked his Dharma Master: "How can I calm my mind?"
The master said, "I am too busy to talk to you right now. Why not consult your First Dharma Brother?"
He did as he was told and asked the same question.
The First Dharma Brother said, "I have a headache. I can't talk now. Why not talk to Second Dharma Brother?"
But the Second Dharma Brother said, "I have a stomach ache, why don't you just go and talk to our Dharma Master?"
So he went back to his master and complained, "Nobody told me anything. Nobody gave me any answers."
But the master said to him reprovingly, "You really are a stupid fool. Everybody has been giving you the answer."
Because of this, the disciple reached enlightenment.
A disciple asked his Dharma Master: "How can I calm my mind?"
The master said, "I am too busy to talk to you right now. Why not consult your First Dharma Brother?"
He did as he was told and asked the same question.
The First Dharma Brother said, "I have a headache. I can't talk now. Why not talk to Second Dharma Brother?"
But the Second Dharma Brother said, "I have a stomach ache, why don't you just go and talk to our Dharma Master?"
So he went back to his master and complained, "Nobody told me anything. Nobody gave me any answers."
But the master said to him reprovingly, "You really are a stupid fool. Everybody has been giving you the answer."
Because of this, the disciple reached enlightenment.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
The melody of gongyo and daimoku
From one perspective, gongyo and daimoku are lyrics and songs. They are an ode to life. I hope, therefore, that your gongyo and daimoku will be such that even people who are not practicing will be favorably impressed by the sonorous and invigorating sound of your voices. That too will contribute to the spread of kosen-rufu.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 3/4
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 3/4
In all things patience is the key to victory. Those who cannot endure cannot hope to win. Ultimate triumph belongs to those who can forbear.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 5/4
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 5/4
A Pile of Dry Shit
One day a famous government officer met a highly respected edlerly master. Being conceited, he wanted to prove that he was the superior person.
As their conversation drew on, he asked the master, "Old monk, do you know what I think of you and the things you said?"
The master replied, "I don't care what you think of me. You are entitled to have your own opinion."
The officer snorted, "Well, I will tell you what I think anyway. In my eyes, you are just like a pile of dry shit!"
The master simply smiled and stayed quiet.
Seeing that his insult had fallen into deaf ears, he asked curiously, "And what do you think of me?"
The master said, "In my eyes, you are just like the Buddha."
Hearing this remark, the officer left happily and bragged to his wife about the incident.
His wife said to him, "You conceited fool! When a person has a heart like a pile of dry shit, he sees everyone in that light. The elderly master has a heart like that of the Buddha, and that is why in his eyes, everyone, including you, is like the Buddha!"
As their conversation drew on, he asked the master, "Old monk, do you know what I think of you and the things you said?"
The master replied, "I don't care what you think of me. You are entitled to have your own opinion."
The officer snorted, "Well, I will tell you what I think anyway. In my eyes, you are just like a pile of dry shit!"
The master simply smiled and stayed quiet.
Seeing that his insult had fallen into deaf ears, he asked curiously, "And what do you think of me?"
The master said, "In my eyes, you are just like the Buddha."
Hearing this remark, the officer left happily and bragged to his wife about the incident.
His wife said to him, "You conceited fool! When a person has a heart like a pile of dry shit, he sees everyone in that light. The elderly master has a heart like that of the Buddha, and that is why in his eyes, everyone, including you, is like the Buddha!"
Difference between cheerfulness and frivolous
Emerson writes: "And so of cheerfulness, or a good temper, the more it is spent, the more of it remains." Cheerfulness is not the same as frivolousness. Cheerfulness is born of a fighting spirit. Frivolousness is the reverse side of cowardly escape. Emerson also said that "power dwells with cheerfulness; hope puts us in a working mood." Without cheerfulness there is no strength. Let us strive to advance still more brightly and cheerfully.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 1/4
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 1/4
What is relevant in life?
Position and appearances are irrelevant. The important thing is to carry out our personal duty, our commitment, no matter what anyone else may say. This is a life of true victory, a life of unsurpassed nobility and fulfillment.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 31/3
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 31/3
How should we pray and for how long?
There are many elements involved in a prayer being answered, but the important thing is to keep praying until it is. By continuing to pray, you can reflect on yourself with unflinching honesty and begin to move your life in a positive direction on the path of earnest, steady effort. Even if your prayer doesn't produce concrete results immediately, your continual prayer will at some time manifest itself in a form greater than you had ever hoped.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 30/3
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 30/3
Monday, February 21, 2011
The spirit of encouragement and never admit defeat
Molly Brown was on board the Titanic when it tragically sunk in 1912. Although she knew the ship was taking on water, she shouted to a panic-stricken fellow passenger: "There's no danger. It simply can't go down, because I'm on it and I'm unsinkable." Her bantering words, which rang out with the determination never to be defeated and never to give in to despair are said to have given courage to her fellow passengers. Those who stand up at a crucial moment demonstrate genuine greatness.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 29/3
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 29/3
What should be the spirit of youth?
Youth must have the spirit to attack injustice, the spirit to refute that which is wrong, the spirit to spread the Daishonin's teaching. Just giving an appearance of promoting kosen-rufu and going with the flow, afraid of making waves, are the actions of self-serving youth, who are spiritually old and decrepit.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 28/3
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 28/3
Understanding the subtle workings of one's mind
While controlling your mind, which is at once both extremely subtle and solemnly profound, you should strive to elevate your faith with freshness and vigor. When you do so, both your life and your surroundings will open wide before you and every action you take will become a source of benefit. Understanding the subtle workings of one's mind is the key to faith and attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 27/3
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 27/3
Fate Is in Your Own Hands
Once upon a time, there was a general who was leading his army into battle against an enemy ten times the size of his own.
Along the way to the battle field, the troops stopped by a small temple to pray for victory.
The general held up a coin and told his troops, "I am going to implore the gods to help us crush our enemy. If this coin lands with the heads on top, we'll win. If it's tails, we'll lose. Our fate is in the hands of the gods. Let's pray wholeheartedly."
After a short prayer, the general tossed the coin. It landed with the heads on top. The troops were overjoyed and went into the battle with high siprit.
Just as predicted, the smaller army won the battle.
The soldiers were exalted, "It's good to have the gods on our side! No one can change what they have determined."
"Really?" The general show them the coin--both sides of it were heads.
Along the way to the battle field, the troops stopped by a small temple to pray for victory.
The general held up a coin and told his troops, "I am going to implore the gods to help us crush our enemy. If this coin lands with the heads on top, we'll win. If it's tails, we'll lose. Our fate is in the hands of the gods. Let's pray wholeheartedly."
After a short prayer, the general tossed the coin. It landed with the heads on top. The troops were overjoyed and went into the battle with high siprit.
Just as predicted, the smaller army won the battle.
The soldiers were exalted, "It's good to have the gods on our side! No one can change what they have determined."
"Really?" The general show them the coin--both sides of it were heads.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Because I'm Here
An old monk was sweeping the yard in a monastery under the scorching sun.
Another monk passed by and asked him, "How old are you?"
The old monk replied, "I'm seventy-seven."
"You are so old! Why are you still working so hard here?"
"Well, because I'm here."
"But why are you working under the scorching sun?"
"Because the sun is there."
[Act without worrying about the results, and strive for excellence without dwelling on it. If we put all of our hearts into what we do without complaining, we can become one with the "Way."]
Another monk passed by and asked him, "How old are you?"
The old monk replied, "I'm seventy-seven."
"You are so old! Why are you still working so hard here?"
"Well, because I'm here."
"But why are you working under the scorching sun?"
"Because the sun is there."
[Act without worrying about the results, and strive for excellence without dwelling on it. If we put all of our hearts into what we do without complaining, we can become one with the "Way."]
Who are those who are vile and contemptible?
Of foremost importance are the people—not celebrities, the powerful, the rich, scholars or others whom society deems great or praiseworthy. The purpose of all things must be the happiness of the people. Everything else should be but a means to that end. Those who fail to recognize this fundamental point and look down on the people and exploit them are thoroughly vile and contemptible; they are a hindrance to people's happiness.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 26/3
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 26/3
The effects of doing gongyo and chant daimoku.
When we practice gongyo and chant daimoku before the Gohonzon, the good and evil capacities of our lives begin to function as the exalted form of fundamental existence. Lives that are full of the pain of Hell, lives that are in the state of Hunger, lives warped by the state of Anger—such lives too begin to move in the direction of creating their own personal happiness and value. Lives being pulled toward misfortune and unhappiness are redirected and pulled in the opposite direction, toward good, when they make the Mystic Law their base.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 24/3
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 24/3
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Success is 90% hard work and 10% intelligence
I call to each of you: Strive for prosperity! Strive for development! Strive for victory! Life is about striving all out to achieve our aims; it is about hard work and effort. Regardless of how smart you may be, intelligence alone cannot guarantee your future.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 22/3
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 22/3
Manifestation of the Buddha's wisdom
Why is it that sometimes our prayers seem to not be answered? This is a manifestation of the Buddha's wisdom—so that we can deepen our prayers, become stronger people, live more profound lives and secure deeper, more lasting good fortune. If our slightest prayer were answered immediately, we'd become lazy and degenerate. And we couldn't hope to build a life of great dignity and substance.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 21/3
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 21/3
What should we do when we are gloomy, dull, frustrated or lost?
There may be times when life seems gloomy and dull. When we feel stuck in some situation or other, when we are negative toward everything, when we feel lost and bewildered, not sure which way to turn—at such times we must transform our passive mind-set and determine, "I will proceed along this path," "I will pursue my mission today." When we do so a genuine springtime arrives in our hearts; and flowers start to blossom.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 20/3
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 20/3
Angulimala: A Story of the Power of Compassion
(As told by Ven. Walpola Piyananda Thera in Love in Buddhism)
There was once the son of a Brahmin (the highest "priestly" caste in India) in the court of King Pasenadi of Kosala, whose name was Ahimsaka. He was sent to Taxila for his studies. Ahimsaka was intelligent and obedient to this teacher; therefore he was liked by both the teacher and his wife. This made the other pupils jealous of him. So they went to the teacher and falsely accused Ahimsaka of having an immoral relationship with the teacher’s wife. At first, he did not believe them, but after hearing it a number of times, he thought it was true and vowed to have revenge on Ahimsaka. He thought that to kill him would reflect badly on him. His rage prompted him to suggest the unthinkable to the young and innocent Ahimsaka. He told his pupil to kill a thousand human beings and to bring the right thumb of each as payment for teaching him. Of course the youngster would not even think of such a thing, so he was banished from the teacher’s house and returned to his parents.
When his father learned why Ahimsaka had been expelled, he became furious with his son, and would hear no reason. On that very day, with the rain pouring down, he ordered Ahimsaka to leave the house. Ahimsaka went to his mother and asked her advice, but she could not go against the will of her husband. Next Ahimsaka went to the house of his betrothed (in accord with the ancient custom in India calling for betrothal of children long before their actual marriage), but when the family learned why Ahimsaka had been turned out of school, they drove him off. The shame, anger, fear, and despair of Ahimsaka drove him out of his mind. His suffering mind could only recollect the teacher’s order: to collect 1,000 human thumbs. And so he started killing, and as he killed, the thumbs he collected were hung on a tree, but as they were destroyed by crows and vultures, he later wore a garland of the fingers to keep track of the number.
Because of this he came to be known as Angulimala (finger garland) and became the terror of the countryside. The king himself heard about the exploits of Angulimala, and he decided to capture him. When Mantani, Ahimsaka’s mother, heard about the king’s intention, she went to the forest in a desperate bid to save her son. By this time, the chain around the neck of Angulimala had 999 fingers in it, just one finger short of 1,000.
The Buddha; learned of the mother’s attempt to dissuade her son from, and reflected that if he did not intervene, Angulimala, who was on the lookout for the last person to make up the 1,000, would see his mother and might kill her. In that case, he would have to suffer an even longer period for his evil kamma. Out of compassion, the Buddha left for the forest.
Angulimala, after many sleepless days and nights, was very tired and near exhaustion. At the same time, he was very anxious to kill the last person to make up his full quota of 1,000 and so complete his task. He made up his mind to kill the first person he met. As he looked down from his mountain perch, he saw a woman on the road below. He wanted to fulfil his vow to complete the 1,000 thumbs, but as he approached, he saw it was his mother. At the same time, the Buddha was approaching, and Angulimala had just enough presence of mind to decide to kill the wandering monk instead of his mother. He set out after the Blessed One with his knife raised. But the Buddha kept moving ahead of him. Angulimala just could not catch up with him. Finally, he cried out, "O Bhikkhu, stop, stop!" And the Enlightened One replied, "I have stopped. It is you who have not stopped." Angulimala did not catch the significance of these words, so he asked, "O bhikkhu! Why do you say that you have stopped while I have not?"
The Buddha replied, "I say that I have stopped because I have given up killing all beings. I have given up ill-treating all beings, and have established myself in universal love, patience, and knowledge through reflection. But you have not given up killing or ill treating others and you are not yet established in universal love and patience. Hence, you are the one who has not stopped." On hearing these words Angulimala was recalled to reality, and thought, these are the words of a wise man. This monk is so very wise and so very brave that he must be the leader of the monks. Indeed, he must be the Enlightened One himself! He must have come here specially to make me see the light. So thinking, he threw away his weapons and asked the Blessed One to admit to the Order of the bhikkhus, which the Buddha did.
When the king and his men came to capture Angulimala, they found him at the monastery of the Buddha. Finding that Angulimala had given up his evil ways and become a bhikkhu, the king and his men agreed to leave him alone. During his stay at the monastery, Angulimala ardently practiced meditation.
Angulimala had no peace of mind because even in his solitary meditation he used to recall memories of his past and the pathetic cries of his unfortunate victims. As a result of his evil kamma, while seeking alms in the streets he would become a target of stray stones and sticks and he would return to the Jetavana monastery with broken head and blood flowing, cut and bruised, to be reminded by the Buddha: "My son Angulimala. You have done away with evil. Have patience. This is the effect of the evil deeds you have committed in the existence. Your evil kamma would have made you suffer through innumerable existences had I not met you."
One morning while going on an almsround in Savatthi, Angulimala heard someone crying out in pain. When he came to know that a pregnant lady was having labor pains and facing difficulty to deliver the child, he reflected, all worldly beings are subject to suffering. Moved by compassion, he reported the suffering of this poor woman to the Buddha who advised him to recite the following words of truth, which later came to be known as Angulimala Paritta. Going to the presence of the suffering woman, he sat on a seat separated from her by a screen, and uttered these words:
Sister, since the day I became an arahat
I have not consciously destroyed
The life of any living beings.
By this truth, may you be well
And may your unborn child be well.
Instantly the woman delivered her child with ease. Both the mother and chid were well and healthy. Even today many resort to this paritta.
Angulimala liked living in solitude and in seclusion. Later he passed away peacefully. As an arahant, he attained parinibbana.
Other bhikkhus asked the Buddha where Angulimala was reborn, and when the Blessed One replied, my son Angulimala has attained parinibbana, they could hardly believe it. So they asked whether it was possible that such a man who had in fact killed so many people could have attained parinibbana. To this question, the Buddha replied, "Bhikkhus, Angulimala had done much evil because he did not have good friends. But later, he hound good friends and with their help and good advice he became steadfast and mindful in practicing the dhamma and meditation. Thus, his evil deeds have been overwhelmed by good kamma and his mind has been completely rid of all defilements."
The Buddha said of Angulimala
"Whose evil deed is obscured by good,
he illumines this world like the
moon freed from a cloud."
The power of love and compassion are stronger than any evil, and are absolute conditions for awakening.
There was once the son of a Brahmin (the highest "priestly" caste in India) in the court of King Pasenadi of Kosala, whose name was Ahimsaka. He was sent to Taxila for his studies. Ahimsaka was intelligent and obedient to this teacher; therefore he was liked by both the teacher and his wife. This made the other pupils jealous of him. So they went to the teacher and falsely accused Ahimsaka of having an immoral relationship with the teacher’s wife. At first, he did not believe them, but after hearing it a number of times, he thought it was true and vowed to have revenge on Ahimsaka. He thought that to kill him would reflect badly on him. His rage prompted him to suggest the unthinkable to the young and innocent Ahimsaka. He told his pupil to kill a thousand human beings and to bring the right thumb of each as payment for teaching him. Of course the youngster would not even think of such a thing, so he was banished from the teacher’s house and returned to his parents.
When his father learned why Ahimsaka had been expelled, he became furious with his son, and would hear no reason. On that very day, with the rain pouring down, he ordered Ahimsaka to leave the house. Ahimsaka went to his mother and asked her advice, but she could not go against the will of her husband. Next Ahimsaka went to the house of his betrothed (in accord with the ancient custom in India calling for betrothal of children long before their actual marriage), but when the family learned why Ahimsaka had been turned out of school, they drove him off. The shame, anger, fear, and despair of Ahimsaka drove him out of his mind. His suffering mind could only recollect the teacher’s order: to collect 1,000 human thumbs. And so he started killing, and as he killed, the thumbs he collected were hung on a tree, but as they were destroyed by crows and vultures, he later wore a garland of the fingers to keep track of the number.
Because of this he came to be known as Angulimala (finger garland) and became the terror of the countryside. The king himself heard about the exploits of Angulimala, and he decided to capture him. When Mantani, Ahimsaka’s mother, heard about the king’s intention, she went to the forest in a desperate bid to save her son. By this time, the chain around the neck of Angulimala had 999 fingers in it, just one finger short of 1,000.
The Buddha; learned of the mother’s attempt to dissuade her son from, and reflected that if he did not intervene, Angulimala, who was on the lookout for the last person to make up the 1,000, would see his mother and might kill her. In that case, he would have to suffer an even longer period for his evil kamma. Out of compassion, the Buddha left for the forest.
Angulimala, after many sleepless days and nights, was very tired and near exhaustion. At the same time, he was very anxious to kill the last person to make up his full quota of 1,000 and so complete his task. He made up his mind to kill the first person he met. As he looked down from his mountain perch, he saw a woman on the road below. He wanted to fulfil his vow to complete the 1,000 thumbs, but as he approached, he saw it was his mother. At the same time, the Buddha was approaching, and Angulimala had just enough presence of mind to decide to kill the wandering monk instead of his mother. He set out after the Blessed One with his knife raised. But the Buddha kept moving ahead of him. Angulimala just could not catch up with him. Finally, he cried out, "O Bhikkhu, stop, stop!" And the Enlightened One replied, "I have stopped. It is you who have not stopped." Angulimala did not catch the significance of these words, so he asked, "O bhikkhu! Why do you say that you have stopped while I have not?"
The Buddha replied, "I say that I have stopped because I have given up killing all beings. I have given up ill-treating all beings, and have established myself in universal love, patience, and knowledge through reflection. But you have not given up killing or ill treating others and you are not yet established in universal love and patience. Hence, you are the one who has not stopped." On hearing these words Angulimala was recalled to reality, and thought, these are the words of a wise man. This monk is so very wise and so very brave that he must be the leader of the monks. Indeed, he must be the Enlightened One himself! He must have come here specially to make me see the light. So thinking, he threw away his weapons and asked the Blessed One to admit to the Order of the bhikkhus, which the Buddha did.
When the king and his men came to capture Angulimala, they found him at the monastery of the Buddha. Finding that Angulimala had given up his evil ways and become a bhikkhu, the king and his men agreed to leave him alone. During his stay at the monastery, Angulimala ardently practiced meditation.
Angulimala had no peace of mind because even in his solitary meditation he used to recall memories of his past and the pathetic cries of his unfortunate victims. As a result of his evil kamma, while seeking alms in the streets he would become a target of stray stones and sticks and he would return to the Jetavana monastery with broken head and blood flowing, cut and bruised, to be reminded by the Buddha: "My son Angulimala. You have done away with evil. Have patience. This is the effect of the evil deeds you have committed in the existence. Your evil kamma would have made you suffer through innumerable existences had I not met you."
One morning while going on an almsround in Savatthi, Angulimala heard someone crying out in pain. When he came to know that a pregnant lady was having labor pains and facing difficulty to deliver the child, he reflected, all worldly beings are subject to suffering. Moved by compassion, he reported the suffering of this poor woman to the Buddha who advised him to recite the following words of truth, which later came to be known as Angulimala Paritta. Going to the presence of the suffering woman, he sat on a seat separated from her by a screen, and uttered these words:
Sister, since the day I became an arahat
I have not consciously destroyed
The life of any living beings.
By this truth, may you be well
And may your unborn child be well.
Instantly the woman delivered her child with ease. Both the mother and chid were well and healthy. Even today many resort to this paritta.
Angulimala liked living in solitude and in seclusion. Later he passed away peacefully. As an arahant, he attained parinibbana.
Other bhikkhus asked the Buddha where Angulimala was reborn, and when the Blessed One replied, my son Angulimala has attained parinibbana, they could hardly believe it. So they asked whether it was possible that such a man who had in fact killed so many people could have attained parinibbana. To this question, the Buddha replied, "Bhikkhus, Angulimala had done much evil because he did not have good friends. But later, he hound good friends and with their help and good advice he became steadfast and mindful in practicing the dhamma and meditation. Thus, his evil deeds have been overwhelmed by good kamma and his mind has been completely rid of all defilements."
The Buddha said of Angulimala
"Whose evil deed is obscured by good,
he illumines this world like the
moon freed from a cloud."
The power of love and compassion are stronger than any evil, and are absolute conditions for awakening.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Picnic/Meditation
In answer to the observation that some people say they do not meditate because they are too busy, the Dalai Lama told the following story:
A monk keeps promising his student that he will take him on a picnic but is always too busy to do so. One day they see a procession carrying a corpse.
"Where is he going?" the monk asks his student.
"On a picnic."
A monk keeps promising his student that he will take him on a picnic but is always too busy to do so. One day they see a procession carrying a corpse.
"Where is he going?" the monk asks his student.
"On a picnic."
Lao Tzu
Go to the people. Learn from them. Live with them. Start with what they know. Build with what they have. The best of leaders when the job is done, when the task is accomplished, the people will say we have done it ourselves.
Lao Tzu
Lao Tzu
How to stay young and rejuvenate?
You mustn't allow yourselves to grow old before your time. Please live with a youthful spirit. That is what Buddhism teaches us to do and it is how life ought to be lived. If you make a commitment to work for the sake of others, you will be rejuvenated. If you devote your life to helping others, you'll stay young. The power of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo guarantees that.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 17/8
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 17/8
What is the significance of Kosen-rufu Day?
March 16, Kosen-rufu Day. The spirit of this day lies not in magnificent ceremonies or high-sounding words. It lies in being victorious. That is the most crucial thing in all endeavors. In life and in kosen-rufu, we either win or lose. I would like you to be absolute victors in both. No matter what excuses we try to make, giving in to defeat brings misery and loses us the respect of others. I hope each of you without exception will adorn your life with indestructible triumph.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 16/3
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 16/3
Thursday, February 17, 2011
The Baby's Flesh
(as told by Master Thich Nhat Hanh)
A young couple and their two-year-old child were trying to cross the desert, and they ran out of food. After deep relection, they realized that in order to survive they had to kill their son and eat his flesh. They calculated that if they ate such and such a proportion of their baby's flesh and carried the rest on their shoulder to dry, it would last the rest of their journey. But with every morsel of their baby's flesh they ate, the young couple cried and cried. After he told this story, the Buddha asked, "Dear friends, do you think the young couple enjoyed eating their son's flesh?" "No, Lord, it would not be possible for them to enjoy eating their son's flesh." The Buddha said, "Yet many people eat the flesh of their parents, their children, and their grandchildren and do not know it."
A young couple and their two-year-old child were trying to cross the desert, and they ran out of food. After deep relection, they realized that in order to survive they had to kill their son and eat his flesh. They calculated that if they ate such and such a proportion of their baby's flesh and carried the rest on their shoulder to dry, it would last the rest of their journey. But with every morsel of their baby's flesh they ate, the young couple cried and cried. After he told this story, the Buddha asked, "Dear friends, do you think the young couple enjoyed eating their son's flesh?" "No, Lord, it would not be possible for them to enjoy eating their son's flesh." The Buddha said, "Yet many people eat the flesh of their parents, their children, and their grandchildren and do not know it."
A general is just as good or just as bad as the troops under his command make him.
General Douglas MacArthur
Why must we take the enemies of the Buddha to task?
We must take the enemies of the Buddha to task. We absolutely cannot remain silent when we see people distorting and corrupting the Daishonin's teaching. To speak out resolutely and clarify what is correct and what is erroneous is the Soka Gakkai spirit. If we simply try to be amiable and avoid making waves, then we will play right into the hands of people with malicious intent.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 15/3
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 15/3
How to be a good leader?
As SGI leaders, how we interpret the words of members and what we say in response is important. A genuine leader is someone who gives measured thought to such matters. When talking with individuals, ask yourselves: "What are they worried about?" "What are they trying to say?" "What are they thinking? "What is it they seek?" Try to discern these things in others. Try to know. Try to understand. This is the challenge of leadership. From such compassion arises wisdom.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 14/3
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 14/3
How to attain perfect unity with the universe and the Law?
If we don't practice gongyo, the rhythm of our lives will be thrown off kilter, just as a machine that isn't oiled will rust. Gongyo and chanting daimoku are like starting an automobile's engine every day and driving in the direction of happiness and truth. By doing so day after day, you will gradually attain perfect unity with the universe and the Law. That state is the state of the Buddha.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 13/3
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 13/3
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Beginner's Mind
Once, a professor went to a Zen Master. He asked him to explain the meaning of Zen. The Master quietly poured a cup of tea. The cup was full but he continued to pour.
The professor could not stand this any longer, so he questioned the Master impatiently, "Why do you keep pouring when the cup is full?"
"I want to point out to you," the Master said, "that you are similarly attempting to understand Zen while your mind is full. First, empty your mind of preconceptions before you attempt to understand Zen."
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"If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything. In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few."--Suzuki Roshi
The professor could not stand this any longer, so he questioned the Master impatiently, "Why do you keep pouring when the cup is full?"
"I want to point out to you," the Master said, "that you are similarly attempting to understand Zen while your mind is full. First, empty your mind of preconceptions before you attempt to understand Zen."
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"If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything. In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few."--Suzuki Roshi
What is the mission of SGI members?
As SGI members our work, our mission, is clear. We have the unparalleled task of working for the happiness of all humanity in an endeavor we call kosen-rufu. To participate in SGI activities and challenge ourselves earnestly on the path of our mission are the greatest happiness. It all comes down to whether we can appreciate this point.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 12/3
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 12/3
Are you afraid of hard work?
All right, let's get to work again!"—This is the spirit of people of genuine substance. Those who avoid hard work or neglect the things they have to do, who just while away their time, eating, sleeping, playing, watching television—such individuals will never experience true happiness, satisfaction or joy.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 11/3
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 11/3
How to be truly happy in work?
Where is happiness to be found? The famous Roman philosopher-emperor Marcus Aurelius (121-180) said, "A man's true delight is to do the things he was made for." Human happiness, he maintains, lies in doing those things only humans can: seeking the truth and acting to help those who are suffering. Goethe also asserted that those who work cheerfully and take joy in the fruits of their labor are truly happy. These are the words of great thinkers and as you can see they are in complete accord with the teachings of Buddhism.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 10/3
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 10/3
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Searching for Answers in the Holy Book
told by Ven. K. Sri Dhammananda in How to Live without Fear & Worry
Do not become slaves to any holy book. There was once a man who formed a religious cult and people regarded him as a very learned person. He had a few followers who recorded his instructions in a book. Over the years the book became voluminous with all sorts of instructions recorded therein. The followers were advised not to do anything without first consulting the holy book. Whenever the followers went and whatever they did, they would consult the book which served as the manual in guiding their lives. One day when the leader was crossing a timber bridge, he fell into the river. The followers were with him but none of them knew what to do under the circumstances. So they consulted the holy book.
"Help! Help!" the Master shouted, "I can't swim."
"Please wait a while Master. Please don't get drowned," they pleaded. "We are still seaching in our holy book. There must be an instruction on what to do if you fell off from a wooden bridge into a river."
While they were thus turning over the pages of the holy book in order to find out the appropriate instruction, the teacher disappeared in the water and drowned.
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The important message of the story is that we should take the enligtened approach and not slavishly follow outdated conservative ideas, nor resort to any holy book without using our common sense. On the face of changing circumstances, new discoveries and knowledge, we must learn to adapt ourselves accordingly, and respond to them by using them for the benefit of everybody.
Do not become slaves to any holy book. There was once a man who formed a religious cult and people regarded him as a very learned person. He had a few followers who recorded his instructions in a book. Over the years the book became voluminous with all sorts of instructions recorded therein. The followers were advised not to do anything without first consulting the holy book. Whenever the followers went and whatever they did, they would consult the book which served as the manual in guiding their lives. One day when the leader was crossing a timber bridge, he fell into the river. The followers were with him but none of them knew what to do under the circumstances. So they consulted the holy book.
"Help! Help!" the Master shouted, "I can't swim."
"Please wait a while Master. Please don't get drowned," they pleaded. "We are still seaching in our holy book. There must be an instruction on what to do if you fell off from a wooden bridge into a river."
While they were thus turning over the pages of the holy book in order to find out the appropriate instruction, the teacher disappeared in the water and drowned.
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The important message of the story is that we should take the enligtened approach and not slavishly follow outdated conservative ideas, nor resort to any holy book without using our common sense. On the face of changing circumstances, new discoveries and knowledge, we must learn to adapt ourselves accordingly, and respond to them by using them for the benefit of everybody.
Who are the truly great people?
The fundamental spirit of Buddhism is that all people are equal. A person is not great simply because of his or her social standing, fame, academic background or position in the organization. In the world of faith, the truly great are those who spread the Mystic Law and strive for kosen-rufu, who actively work for the sake of Buddhism and the happiness of others. Supremely respectworthy are those who champion the cause of kosen-rufu.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 9/3
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 9/3
How to become genuine disciples of the Daishonin?
Calling forth the three powerful enemies and defeating them makes one a votary of the Lotus Sutra. It is only natural, then, when we advance upon the correct path of mentor and disciple originating with the Daishonin, we will encounter obstacles. By battling the three powerful enemies, we become genuine disciples of the Daishonin. In that respect, the authenticity of the path of mentor and disciple followed by the first three presidents of the Soka Gakkai has been proven beyond doubt.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 7/3
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 7/3
Of things that easily obtained and its value
There is no need for you to be impatient. If you can achieve something very easily right from the start, you will find no sense of fulfillment or joy. It is in making tenacious, all-out efforts for construction that profound happiness lies.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 6/3
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 6/3
Monday, February 14, 2011
Youth are the leaders of tomorrow
There is a saying, "To start an undertaking is easy; to maintain it is difficult." Though creating something new may seem daunting, it is in fact easy when compared to the far more challenging task of carrying on an existing enterprise, to keep it going, to develop it further. Everything depends on people, on capable successors. And our movement for kosen-rufu depends on young people. For that reason I am determined to do all that I can right now to raise genuine successors in the youth division.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 2/3
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 2/3
Why we need to go out and mix with people?
We need to go out and mix with people every day. Making our local community the base for our activities, we need to forge ties of friendship with others and work with them to create peace. Staying connected in this way to our town, city, state and country is a practical manifestation of our lives permeating all things. We embody the doctrine of a life-moment possessing 3,000 realms when we do kosen-rufu activities.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 1/3
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 1/3
How to forge the path to a fulfilling and enjoyable life?
You can forge the path to a fulfilling and enjoyable life if you have the depth of faith to regard everything as a source for creating happiness and value. Conversely, if you see everything only in a negative or pessimistic light, your life will gradually but inevitably be plunged into darkness. Buddhism teaches the subtle principle of ichinen, and moreover, the power of faith.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 28/2
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 28/2
Karma (The Four Wives)
"In one of the Agama Sutras, the Buddha's early sermons, there is a very interesting story:
Once there was a man who had four wives. According to the social system and circumstances of ancient India, it was possible for a man to have several wives. Also, during the Heian period in Japan, about a thousand years ago, it was not unusual for a woman to have several husbands. The Indian had become ill and was about to die. At the end of his life, he felt very lonely and so asked the first wife to accompany him to the other world.
'My dear wife,' he said, 'I loved you day and night, I took care of you throughout my whole life. Now I am about to die, will you please go with me wherever I go after my death?'
He expected her to answer yes. But she answered, 'My dear husband, I know you always loved me. And you are going to die. Now it is time to separate from you. Goodbye, my dear.'
He called his second wife to his sickbed and begged her to follow him in death. He said, 'My dear second wife, you know how I loved you. Sometimes I was afraid you might leave me, but I held on to you strongly. My dear, please come with me.'
The second wife expressed herself rather coldly. 'Dear husband, your first wife refused to accompany you after your death. How can I follow you? You loved me only for your own selfish sake.'
Lying in his deathbed, he called his third wife, and asked her to follow him. The third wife replied, with tears in her eyes, 'My dear, I pity you and I feel sad for myself. Therefore I shall accompany you to the graveyard. This is my last duty to you.' The third wife thus also refused to follow him to death.
Three wives had refused to follow him after his death. Now he recalled that there was another wife, his fourth wife, for whom he didn't care very much. He had treated her like a slave and had always showed much displeasure with her. He now thought that if he asked her to follow him to death, she certainly would say no.
But his loneliness and fear were so severe that he made the effort to ask her to accompany him to the other world. The fourth wife gladly accepted her husband's request.
'My dear husband,' she said, 'I will go with you. Whatever happens, I am determined to be with you forever. I cannot be separated from you."
This is the story of 'A Man and His Four Wives.'
Gautama Buddha concluded the story as follows:
'Every man and woman has four wives or husbands. What do these wives signify?'
THE FIRST WIFE
The first 'wife' is our body. We love our body day and night. In the morning, we wash our face, put on clothing and shoes. We give food to our body. We take care of our body like the first wife in this story. But unfortunately, at the end of our life, the body, the first 'wife' cannot follow us to the next world. As it is stated in a commentary, 'When the last breath leaves our body, the healthy color of the face is transformed, and we lose the appearance of radiant life. Our loved ones may gather around and lament, but to no avail. When such an event occurs, the body is sent into an open field and cremated, leaving only the white ashes.' This is the destination of our body.
THE SECOND WIFE
What is the meaning of the second wife? The second 'wife' stands for our fortune, our material things, money, property, fame, position, and job that we worked hard to attain. We are attached to these material possessions. We are afraid to lose these material things and wish to possess much more. There is no limit. At the end of our life these things cannot follow us to death. Whatever fortune we have piled up, we must leave it. We came into this world with empty hands. During our life in this world, we have the illusion that we obtained a fortune. At death, our hands are empty. We can't hold our fortune after our death, just as the second wife told her husband: 'You hold me with your ego-centered selfishness. Now it is time to say goodbye.'
THE THIRD WIFE
What is meant by the third wife? Everyone has a third 'wife'. This is the relationship of our parents, sister and brother, all relatives, friends, and society. They will go as far as the graveyard, with tears in their eyes. They are sympathetic and saddened...
Thus, we cannot depend on our physical body, our fortune, and our society. We are born alone and we die alone. No one will accompany us after our death.
THE FOURTH WIFE
Sakyamuni Buddha mentioned the fourth wife, who would accompany her husband after his death. What does that mean? The fourth 'wife' is our mind [or Alaya consciousness]. When we deeply observe and recognize that our minds are filled with anger, greed, and dissatisfaction, we are having a good look at our lives. The anger, greed, and dissatisfaction are karma, the law of causation. We cannot be separated from our own karma. As the fourth wife told her dying husband, 'I will follow you wherever you go.'"
Once there was a man who had four wives. According to the social system and circumstances of ancient India, it was possible for a man to have several wives. Also, during the Heian period in Japan, about a thousand years ago, it was not unusual for a woman to have several husbands. The Indian had become ill and was about to die. At the end of his life, he felt very lonely and so asked the first wife to accompany him to the other world.
'My dear wife,' he said, 'I loved you day and night, I took care of you throughout my whole life. Now I am about to die, will you please go with me wherever I go after my death?'
He expected her to answer yes. But she answered, 'My dear husband, I know you always loved me. And you are going to die. Now it is time to separate from you. Goodbye, my dear.'
He called his second wife to his sickbed and begged her to follow him in death. He said, 'My dear second wife, you know how I loved you. Sometimes I was afraid you might leave me, but I held on to you strongly. My dear, please come with me.'
The second wife expressed herself rather coldly. 'Dear husband, your first wife refused to accompany you after your death. How can I follow you? You loved me only for your own selfish sake.'
Lying in his deathbed, he called his third wife, and asked her to follow him. The third wife replied, with tears in her eyes, 'My dear, I pity you and I feel sad for myself. Therefore I shall accompany you to the graveyard. This is my last duty to you.' The third wife thus also refused to follow him to death.
Three wives had refused to follow him after his death. Now he recalled that there was another wife, his fourth wife, for whom he didn't care very much. He had treated her like a slave and had always showed much displeasure with her. He now thought that if he asked her to follow him to death, she certainly would say no.
But his loneliness and fear were so severe that he made the effort to ask her to accompany him to the other world. The fourth wife gladly accepted her husband's request.
'My dear husband,' she said, 'I will go with you. Whatever happens, I am determined to be with you forever. I cannot be separated from you."
This is the story of 'A Man and His Four Wives.'
Gautama Buddha concluded the story as follows:
'Every man and woman has four wives or husbands. What do these wives signify?'
THE FIRST WIFE
The first 'wife' is our body. We love our body day and night. In the morning, we wash our face, put on clothing and shoes. We give food to our body. We take care of our body like the first wife in this story. But unfortunately, at the end of our life, the body, the first 'wife' cannot follow us to the next world. As it is stated in a commentary, 'When the last breath leaves our body, the healthy color of the face is transformed, and we lose the appearance of radiant life. Our loved ones may gather around and lament, but to no avail. When such an event occurs, the body is sent into an open field and cremated, leaving only the white ashes.' This is the destination of our body.
THE SECOND WIFE
What is the meaning of the second wife? The second 'wife' stands for our fortune, our material things, money, property, fame, position, and job that we worked hard to attain. We are attached to these material possessions. We are afraid to lose these material things and wish to possess much more. There is no limit. At the end of our life these things cannot follow us to death. Whatever fortune we have piled up, we must leave it. We came into this world with empty hands. During our life in this world, we have the illusion that we obtained a fortune. At death, our hands are empty. We can't hold our fortune after our death, just as the second wife told her husband: 'You hold me with your ego-centered selfishness. Now it is time to say goodbye.'
THE THIRD WIFE
What is meant by the third wife? Everyone has a third 'wife'. This is the relationship of our parents, sister and brother, all relatives, friends, and society. They will go as far as the graveyard, with tears in their eyes. They are sympathetic and saddened...
Thus, we cannot depend on our physical body, our fortune, and our society. We are born alone and we die alone. No one will accompany us after our death.
THE FOURTH WIFE
Sakyamuni Buddha mentioned the fourth wife, who would accompany her husband after his death. What does that mean? The fourth 'wife' is our mind [or Alaya consciousness]. When we deeply observe and recognize that our minds are filled with anger, greed, and dissatisfaction, we are having a good look at our lives. The anger, greed, and dissatisfaction are karma, the law of causation. We cannot be separated from our own karma. As the fourth wife told her dying husband, 'I will follow you wherever you go.'"
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Hell
(Told by Master Thich Nhat Hanh)
The Buddha, in one of his former lives, was in Hell. Before he became a Buddha he had suffered a lot in many lives. He made a lot of mistakes, like all of us. He made himself suffer, and he made people around him suffer. Sometimes he made very big mistakes, and that is why in one of his previous lives he was in Hell. There is a collection of stories about the lives of the Buddha, and there are many hundreds of stories like that. These stories are collected under the title Jataka Tales. Among these hundreds of stories, I remember one very vividly. I was seven years old, very young, and I read that story about the Buddha, and I was very shocked. But I did not fully understand that story.
The Buddha was in Hell because he had done something wrong, extremely wrong, that caused a lot of suffering to himself and to others. That is why he found himself in Hell. In that life of his, he hit the bottom of suffering, because that Hell was the worst of all Hells. With him there was another man, and together they had to work very hard, under the direction of a soldier who was in charge of Hell. It was dark, it was cold, and at the same time it was very hot. The guard did not seem to have a heart. It did not seem that he knew anything about suffering. He did not know anything about the feelings of other people, so he just beat up the two men in Hell. He was in charge of the two men, and his task was to make them suffer as much as possible.
I think that guard also suffered a lot. It looked like he didn't have any compassion within him. It looked like he didn't have any love in his heart. It looked like he did not have a heart. He behaved like a robber. When looking at him, when listening to him, it did not seem that one could contact a human being, because he was so brutal. He was not sensitive to people's suffering and pain. That is why he was beating the two men in Hell, and making them suffer a lot. And the Buddha was one of these two men in one of his previous lives.
The guard had an instrument with three iron points, and every time he wanted the two men to go ahead, he used this to push them on the back, and of course blood came out of their backs. He did not allow them to relax; he was always pushing and pushing and pushing. He himself also looked like he was being pushed by something behind him. Have you ever felt that kind of pushing behind your back? Even if there was no one behind you, you have felt that you were being pushed and pushed to do things you don't like to do, and to say the things you don't like to say, and in doing that you created a lot of suffering for yourself and the people around you. Maybe there is something behind us that is pushing and pushing. Sometimes we say horrible things, and do horrible things, that we did not want to say or do, yet we were pushed by something from behind. So we said it, and we did it, even if we didn't want to do it. That was what happened to the guard in Hell: he tried to push, because he was being pushed. He caused a lot of damage to the two men. The two men were very cold, very hungry, and he was always pushing and beating them and causing them a lot of problems.
One afternoon, the man who was the Buddha in a former life saw the guard treating his companion so brutally that something in him rose up. He wanted to protest. He knew that if he intervened, if he said anything, if he tried to prevent the guard beating the other person, that he would be beaten himself. But that something was pushing up in him, so that he wanted to intervene, and he wanted to say: "Don't beat him so much. Why don't you allow him to relax? Why do you have to stab him and to beat him and to push him so much?" Deep within the Buddha was a pressure coming up, and he wanted to intervene, even knowing perfectly well that if he did, he would be beaten by the guard. That impulse was very strong in him, and he could not stand it anymore. He turned around, and he faced the guard without any heart, and said, "Why don't you leave him alone for a moment? Why do you keep beating him and pushing him like that? Don't you have a heart?"
That was what he said, this man who was to be the Buddha. When the guard saw him protesting like that, and heard him, he was very angry, and he used his fork, and he planted it right in the chest of the Buddha. As a result, the Buddha died right away, and he was reborn the very same minute into the body of a human being. He escaped Hell, and became a human being living on earth, just because compassion was born in him, strong enough for him to have the courage to intervene to help his fellow man in Hell.
When I read this story, I was astonished, and I came to the conclusion that even in Hell there was compassion. That was a very relieving truth: even in Hell there is compassion. Can you imagine? And wherever compassion is, it's not too bad.
Do you know something? The other fellow saw the Buddha die. He was angry, and for the first time he was touched by compassion: the other person must have had some love, some compassion to have the courage to intervene for his sake.
That gave rise to some compassion in him also.That is why he looked at the guard, and he said, "My friend was right, you don't have a heart. You can only create suffering for yourself and for other people. I don't think that you are a happy person. You have killed him." And after he said that, the guard was also very angry at him, and he used his fork, and planted the fork in the stomach of the second man, who also died right away, and was reborn as a human being on earth.
Both of them escaped Hell, and had a chance to begin anew on earth, as full human beings.
What happened to the guard, the one who had no heart? He felt very lonely, because in that Hell there were only three people and now the other two were dead. He began to see that these two were not very kind, or very nice, but to have people living with us is a wonderful thing. Now the two other people were dead, and he was alone, utterly alone there.
He could not bear that kind of loneliness, and Hell became very difficult for him. Out of that suffering he learned something: he learned that you cannot live alone. Man is not our enemy. You cannot hate man, you cannot kill man, you cannot reduce man to nothingness, because if you kill man, with whom will you live? He made a vow that if he had to take care of other people in Hell, he would learn how to deal with them in a nicer way, and a transformation took place in his heart. In fact, he did have a heart. To believe that he did not have a heart is wrong -- everyone has a heart. We need something or someone to touch that heart, to transform it into a human heart. So this time the feeling of loneliness, the desire to be with other humans, was born in him. That is why he decided that if he had to guard other people in Hell, he would know how to deal with them with more compassion. At that time, the door of Hell opened, and a bodhisattva appeared, with all the radiance of a bodhisattva. The bodhisattva said, " Goodness has been born in you, so you don't have to endure Hell very long. You will die quickly and be reborn as a human very soon."
The Buddha, in one of his former lives, was in Hell. Before he became a Buddha he had suffered a lot in many lives. He made a lot of mistakes, like all of us. He made himself suffer, and he made people around him suffer. Sometimes he made very big mistakes, and that is why in one of his previous lives he was in Hell. There is a collection of stories about the lives of the Buddha, and there are many hundreds of stories like that. These stories are collected under the title Jataka Tales. Among these hundreds of stories, I remember one very vividly. I was seven years old, very young, and I read that story about the Buddha, and I was very shocked. But I did not fully understand that story.
The Buddha was in Hell because he had done something wrong, extremely wrong, that caused a lot of suffering to himself and to others. That is why he found himself in Hell. In that life of his, he hit the bottom of suffering, because that Hell was the worst of all Hells. With him there was another man, and together they had to work very hard, under the direction of a soldier who was in charge of Hell. It was dark, it was cold, and at the same time it was very hot. The guard did not seem to have a heart. It did not seem that he knew anything about suffering. He did not know anything about the feelings of other people, so he just beat up the two men in Hell. He was in charge of the two men, and his task was to make them suffer as much as possible.
I think that guard also suffered a lot. It looked like he didn't have any compassion within him. It looked like he didn't have any love in his heart. It looked like he did not have a heart. He behaved like a robber. When looking at him, when listening to him, it did not seem that one could contact a human being, because he was so brutal. He was not sensitive to people's suffering and pain. That is why he was beating the two men in Hell, and making them suffer a lot. And the Buddha was one of these two men in one of his previous lives.
The guard had an instrument with three iron points, and every time he wanted the two men to go ahead, he used this to push them on the back, and of course blood came out of their backs. He did not allow them to relax; he was always pushing and pushing and pushing. He himself also looked like he was being pushed by something behind him. Have you ever felt that kind of pushing behind your back? Even if there was no one behind you, you have felt that you were being pushed and pushed to do things you don't like to do, and to say the things you don't like to say, and in doing that you created a lot of suffering for yourself and the people around you. Maybe there is something behind us that is pushing and pushing. Sometimes we say horrible things, and do horrible things, that we did not want to say or do, yet we were pushed by something from behind. So we said it, and we did it, even if we didn't want to do it. That was what happened to the guard in Hell: he tried to push, because he was being pushed. He caused a lot of damage to the two men. The two men were very cold, very hungry, and he was always pushing and beating them and causing them a lot of problems.
One afternoon, the man who was the Buddha in a former life saw the guard treating his companion so brutally that something in him rose up. He wanted to protest. He knew that if he intervened, if he said anything, if he tried to prevent the guard beating the other person, that he would be beaten himself. But that something was pushing up in him, so that he wanted to intervene, and he wanted to say: "Don't beat him so much. Why don't you allow him to relax? Why do you have to stab him and to beat him and to push him so much?" Deep within the Buddha was a pressure coming up, and he wanted to intervene, even knowing perfectly well that if he did, he would be beaten by the guard. That impulse was very strong in him, and he could not stand it anymore. He turned around, and he faced the guard without any heart, and said, "Why don't you leave him alone for a moment? Why do you keep beating him and pushing him like that? Don't you have a heart?"
That was what he said, this man who was to be the Buddha. When the guard saw him protesting like that, and heard him, he was very angry, and he used his fork, and he planted it right in the chest of the Buddha. As a result, the Buddha died right away, and he was reborn the very same minute into the body of a human being. He escaped Hell, and became a human being living on earth, just because compassion was born in him, strong enough for him to have the courage to intervene to help his fellow man in Hell.
When I read this story, I was astonished, and I came to the conclusion that even in Hell there was compassion. That was a very relieving truth: even in Hell there is compassion. Can you imagine? And wherever compassion is, it's not too bad.
Do you know something? The other fellow saw the Buddha die. He was angry, and for the first time he was touched by compassion: the other person must have had some love, some compassion to have the courage to intervene for his sake.
That gave rise to some compassion in him also.That is why he looked at the guard, and he said, "My friend was right, you don't have a heart. You can only create suffering for yourself and for other people. I don't think that you are a happy person. You have killed him." And after he said that, the guard was also very angry at him, and he used his fork, and planted the fork in the stomach of the second man, who also died right away, and was reborn as a human being on earth.
Both of them escaped Hell, and had a chance to begin anew on earth, as full human beings.
What happened to the guard, the one who had no heart? He felt very lonely, because in that Hell there were only three people and now the other two were dead. He began to see that these two were not very kind, or very nice, but to have people living with us is a wonderful thing. Now the two other people were dead, and he was alone, utterly alone there.
He could not bear that kind of loneliness, and Hell became very difficult for him. Out of that suffering he learned something: he learned that you cannot live alone. Man is not our enemy. You cannot hate man, you cannot kill man, you cannot reduce man to nothingness, because if you kill man, with whom will you live? He made a vow that if he had to take care of other people in Hell, he would learn how to deal with them in a nicer way, and a transformation took place in his heart. In fact, he did have a heart. To believe that he did not have a heart is wrong -- everyone has a heart. We need something or someone to touch that heart, to transform it into a human heart. So this time the feeling of loneliness, the desire to be with other humans, was born in him. That is why he decided that if he had to guard other people in Hell, he would know how to deal with them with more compassion. At that time, the door of Hell opened, and a bodhisattva appeared, with all the radiance of a bodhisattva. The bodhisattva said, " Goodness has been born in you, so you don't have to endure Hell very long. You will die quickly and be reborn as a human very soon."
What is the difference between a polished and tarnishd mirror?
Originally, every person's life is a brilliantly shining mirror. Differences arise depending on whether one polishes this mirror: A polished mirror is the Buddha's life, whereas a tarnished mirror is that of a common mortal. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is what polishes our lives.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 27/2
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 27/2
What is the purpose of religion?
Religious strife must be avoided at all cost; under no circumstance should it be allowed. People may hold different religious beliefs, but the bottom line is that we are all human beings. We all seek happiness and desire peace. Religion should bring people together. It should unite the potential for good in people's hearts toward benefiting society and humanity and creating a better future.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 18/2
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 18/2
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Not giving up—that's the only way
What was the secret to Edison's success? He explained that it was to never give up before he succeeded in what he was trying to do. Not giving up—that's the only way. Once you give up you are defeated. This is equally true in the realm of faith. Quitting is not faith. We have to keep chanting until our prayers are answered. That is the correct way of prayer.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 22/
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 22/
What is tha capacity of life?
Life contains the capacity, like flames that reach toward heaven, to transform suffering and pain into the energy needed for value-creation, into light that illuminates darkness. Like the wind traversing vast spaces unhindered, life has the power to uproot and overturn all obstacles and difficulties. Like clear flowing water, it can wash away all stains and impurities. And finally life, like the great earth that sustains plants and vegetation, impartially protects all people with its compassionate, nurturing force.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 16/2
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 16/2
Asanga
Asanga was one of the most famous Indian Buddhist saints, and lived in the fourth century. He went to the mountains to do a solitary retreat, concentrating all his meditation practice on the Buddha Maitreya, in the fervent hope that he would be blessed with a vision of this Buddha and receive teachings from him.
For six years Asanga meditated in extreme hardship, but did not even have one auspicious dream. He was disheartened and thought he would never succeed with his aspiration to meet the Buddha Maitreya, and so he abandoned his retreat and left his hermitage. He had not gone far down the road when he saw a man rubbing an enormous iron bar with a strip of silk. Asanga went up to him and asked him what he was doing. "I haven't got a needle," the man replied, "so I'm going to make one out of this iron bar. "Asanga stared at him, astounded; even if the man were able to manage it in a hun-dred years, he thought, what would be the point? He said to himself: "Look at the trouble people give themselves over things that are totally absurd. You are doing something really valuable, spiritual practice, and you're not nearly so dedi-cated." He turned around and went back to his retreat.
Another three years went by, still without the slightest sign from the Buddha Maitreya. "Now I know for certain," he thought "I'm never going to succeed." So he left again, and soon came to a bend in the road where there was a huge rock, so tall it seemed to touch the sky. At the foot of the rock was a man busily rubbing it with a feather soaked in water. "What are you doing?" Asanga asked. "This rock is so big it's stopping the sun from shining on my house, so I'm trying to get rid of it." Asanga was amazed at the man's indefatigable energy, and ashamed at his own lack of dedication. He returned to his retreat.
Three more years passed, and still he had not even had a single good dream. He decided, once and for all, that it was hopeless, and he left his retreat for good. The day wore on, and in the afternoon he came across a dog lying by the side of the road. It had only its front legs, and the whole of the lower part of its body was rotting and covered with maggots. Despite its pitiful condition, the dog was snapping at passers-by and pathetically trying to bite them by dragging itself along the ground with its two good legs.
Asanga was overwhelmed with a vivid and unbearable feeling of compassion. He cut a piece of flesh off his own body and gave it to the dog to eat. Then he bent down to take off the maggots that were consuming the dog's body. But he suddenly thought he might hurt them if he tried to pull them out with his fingers, and realized that the only way to remove them would be on his tongue. Asanga knelt on the ground, and looking at the horrible festering, writhing mass, closed his eyes. He leant closer and put out his tongue. The next thing he knew, his tongue was touching the ground. He opened his eyes and looked up. The dog was gone; there in its place was the Buddha Maitreya, ringed by a shimmering aura of light.
"At last," said Asanga, "why did you never appear to me before?"
Maitreya spoke softly: "it is not true that I have never appeared to you before. I was with you all the time, but your negative karma and obscurations prevented you from seeing me. Your twelve years of practice dissolved them slightly so that you were at last able to see the dog. Then, thanks to your genuine and heartfelt compassion, all those obscurations were completely swept away and you can see me before you with your very own eyes. If you don't believe that this is what happened, put me on your shoulder and try and see if anyone else can see me." Asanga put Maitreya on his right shoulder and went to the marketplace, where he began to ask everyone: "What have I got on my shoulder?" "Nothing," most people said, and hurried on. Only one old woman, whose karma had been slightly purified, answered: "You've got the rotting corpse of an old dog on your shoulder, that's all. "Asanga at last understood the boundless power of compassion that had purified and transformed his karma, and so made him a vessel fit to receive the vision and instruction of Maitreya. Then the Bud-dha Maitreya, whose name means "loving kindness," took Asanga to a heavenly realm, and there gave him many sublime teachings that are among the most important in the whole of Buddhism.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(As told by Sogyal Rinpoche in The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. Copyright@1992 by Sogyal Rinpoche)
For six years Asanga meditated in extreme hardship, but did not even have one auspicious dream. He was disheartened and thought he would never succeed with his aspiration to meet the Buddha Maitreya, and so he abandoned his retreat and left his hermitage. He had not gone far down the road when he saw a man rubbing an enormous iron bar with a strip of silk. Asanga went up to him and asked him what he was doing. "I haven't got a needle," the man replied, "so I'm going to make one out of this iron bar. "Asanga stared at him, astounded; even if the man were able to manage it in a hun-dred years, he thought, what would be the point? He said to himself: "Look at the trouble people give themselves over things that are totally absurd. You are doing something really valuable, spiritual practice, and you're not nearly so dedi-cated." He turned around and went back to his retreat.
Another three years went by, still without the slightest sign from the Buddha Maitreya. "Now I know for certain," he thought "I'm never going to succeed." So he left again, and soon came to a bend in the road where there was a huge rock, so tall it seemed to touch the sky. At the foot of the rock was a man busily rubbing it with a feather soaked in water. "What are you doing?" Asanga asked. "This rock is so big it's stopping the sun from shining on my house, so I'm trying to get rid of it." Asanga was amazed at the man's indefatigable energy, and ashamed at his own lack of dedication. He returned to his retreat.
Three more years passed, and still he had not even had a single good dream. He decided, once and for all, that it was hopeless, and he left his retreat for good. The day wore on, and in the afternoon he came across a dog lying by the side of the road. It had only its front legs, and the whole of the lower part of its body was rotting and covered with maggots. Despite its pitiful condition, the dog was snapping at passers-by and pathetically trying to bite them by dragging itself along the ground with its two good legs.
Asanga was overwhelmed with a vivid and unbearable feeling of compassion. He cut a piece of flesh off his own body and gave it to the dog to eat. Then he bent down to take off the maggots that were consuming the dog's body. But he suddenly thought he might hurt them if he tried to pull them out with his fingers, and realized that the only way to remove them would be on his tongue. Asanga knelt on the ground, and looking at the horrible festering, writhing mass, closed his eyes. He leant closer and put out his tongue. The next thing he knew, his tongue was touching the ground. He opened his eyes and looked up. The dog was gone; there in its place was the Buddha Maitreya, ringed by a shimmering aura of light.
"At last," said Asanga, "why did you never appear to me before?"
Maitreya spoke softly: "it is not true that I have never appeared to you before. I was with you all the time, but your negative karma and obscurations prevented you from seeing me. Your twelve years of practice dissolved them slightly so that you were at last able to see the dog. Then, thanks to your genuine and heartfelt compassion, all those obscurations were completely swept away and you can see me before you with your very own eyes. If you don't believe that this is what happened, put me on your shoulder and try and see if anyone else can see me." Asanga put Maitreya on his right shoulder and went to the marketplace, where he began to ask everyone: "What have I got on my shoulder?" "Nothing," most people said, and hurried on. Only one old woman, whose karma had been slightly purified, answered: "You've got the rotting corpse of an old dog on your shoulder, that's all. "Asanga at last understood the boundless power of compassion that had purified and transformed his karma, and so made him a vessel fit to receive the vision and instruction of Maitreya. Then the Bud-dha Maitreya, whose name means "loving kindness," took Asanga to a heavenly realm, and there gave him many sublime teachings that are among the most important in the whole of Buddhism.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(As told by Sogyal Rinpoche in The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. Copyright@1992 by Sogyal Rinpoche)
Sufferings and problems mould a person
Life is full of unexpected suffering. Even so, as Eleanor Roosevelt says: "If you can live through that [a difficult situation] you can live through anything. You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.'" That's exactly right. Struggling against great difficulty enables us to develop ourselves tremendously. We can call forth and manifest those abilities lying dormant within us. Difficulty can be a source of dynamic new growth and positive progress.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 15/2
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 15/2
Friday, February 11, 2011
Releasing the Cows
(Told by Master Thich Nhat Hanh)
One day the Buddha was sitting in the wood with thirty or forty monks. They had an excellent lunch and they were enjoying the company of each other. There was a farmer passing by and the farmer was very unhappy. He asked the Buddha and the monks whether they had seen his cows passing by. The Buddha said they had not seen any cows passing by.
The farmer said, "Monks, I'm so unhappy. I have twelve cows and I don't know why they all ran away. I have also a few acres of a sesame seed plantation and the insects have eaten up everything. I suffer so much I think I am going to kill myself.
The Buddha said, "My friend, we have not seen any cows passing by here. You might like to look for them in the other direction."
So the farmer thanked him and ran away, and the Buddha turned to his monks and said, "My dear friends, you are the happiest people in the world. You don't have any cows to lose. If you have too many cows to take care of, you will be very busy.
"That is why, in order to be happy, you have to learn the art of cow releasing (laughter). You release the cows one by one. In the beginning you thought that those cows were essential to your happiness, and you tried to get more and more cows. But now you realize that cows are not really conditions for your happiness; they constitute an obstacle for your happiness. That is why you are determined to release your cows."
One day the Buddha was sitting in the wood with thirty or forty monks. They had an excellent lunch and they were enjoying the company of each other. There was a farmer passing by and the farmer was very unhappy. He asked the Buddha and the monks whether they had seen his cows passing by. The Buddha said they had not seen any cows passing by.
The farmer said, "Monks, I'm so unhappy. I have twelve cows and I don't know why they all ran away. I have also a few acres of a sesame seed plantation and the insects have eaten up everything. I suffer so much I think I am going to kill myself.
The Buddha said, "My friend, we have not seen any cows passing by here. You might like to look for them in the other direction."
So the farmer thanked him and ran away, and the Buddha turned to his monks and said, "My dear friends, you are the happiest people in the world. You don't have any cows to lose. If you have too many cows to take care of, you will be very busy.
"That is why, in order to be happy, you have to learn the art of cow releasing (laughter). You release the cows one by one. In the beginning you thought that those cows were essential to your happiness, and you tried to get more and more cows. But now you realize that cows are not really conditions for your happiness; they constitute an obstacle for your happiness. That is why you are determined to release your cows."
Kosen-rufu is the hope for the peace and happiness of humankind.
Kosen-rufu is a supreme, golden path extending throughout the Latter Day of the Law into the eternal future. Let us continue to advance boldly and intrepidly along this path as Nichiren Daishonin teaches. This is the way world peace will be accomplished. If we do not widely spread the principles and ideals of the Daishonin's Buddhism, there will be no hope for the peace and happiness of humankind.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 10/2
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 10/2
Everything start with ourself
Your environment does not matter. 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.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 7/2
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 7/2
Start now, now and now
Unless we live fully right now, not sometime in the future, true fulfillment in life will forever elude us. Rather than putting things off till the future, we should find meaning in life, thinking and doing what is most important right now, right where we are—setting our hearts aflame and igniting our lives. Otherwise, we cannot lead an inspired existence.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 6/2
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 6/2
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Relying on Joy
At the time of Buddha, there lived an old beggar woman called "Relying on Joy". She used to watch the kings, princes, and people making offerings to Buddha and his disciples, and there was nothing she would have liked more than to be able to do the same. So she went out begging, but at the end of a whole day all she had was one small coin. She took it to the oil-merchant to try to buy some oil. He told her that she could not possibly buy anything with so little. But when he heard that she wanted it to make an offering to Buddha, he took pity on her and gave her the oil she wanted. She took it to the monastery, where she lit a lamp. She placed it before Buddha, and made this wish:"I have nothing to offer but this tiny lamp. But through this offering, in the future may I be blessed with the lamp of wisdom. May I free all beings from their darkness. May I purify all their obstructions, and lead them to enlightenment."
That night the oil in all the other lamps went out. But the beggar woman's lamp was still burning at dawn, when Buddha's disciple Maudgalyayana came to collect all the lamps. When he saw that one was still alight, full of oil and with a new wick, he thought,"There's no reason why this lamp should still be burning in the day time," and he tried to blow it out. But it kept on burning. He tried to snuff it out with his fingers, but it stayed alight. He tried to smother it with his robe, but still it burned on. The Buddha had been watching all along, and said,"Maudgalyayana, do you want to put out that lamp? You cannot. You cannot even move it, let alone put it out. If you were to pour the water from all ocean over this lamp, it still wouldn't go out. The water in all the rivers and the lakes of the world could not extinguish it. Why not? Because this lamp was offered with devotion and with purity of heart and mind. And that motivation has made it of tremendous benefit." When Buddha had said this, the beggar woman approached him, and he made a prophesy that in the future she would become a perfect buddha, call "Light of the Lamp."
So it is our motivation, good or bad, that determines the fruit of our actions.
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(As told by Sogyal Rinpoche in The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. Copyright@1992 by Sogyal Rinpoche)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That night the oil in all the other lamps went out. But the beggar woman's lamp was still burning at dawn, when Buddha's disciple Maudgalyayana came to collect all the lamps. When he saw that one was still alight, full of oil and with a new wick, he thought,"There's no reason why this lamp should still be burning in the day time," and he tried to blow it out. But it kept on burning. He tried to snuff it out with his fingers, but it stayed alight. He tried to smother it with his robe, but still it burned on. The Buddha had been watching all along, and said,"Maudgalyayana, do you want to put out that lamp? You cannot. You cannot even move it, let alone put it out. If you were to pour the water from all ocean over this lamp, it still wouldn't go out. The water in all the rivers and the lakes of the world could not extinguish it. Why not? Because this lamp was offered with devotion and with purity of heart and mind. And that motivation has made it of tremendous benefit." When Buddha had said this, the beggar woman approached him, and he made a prophesy that in the future she would become a perfect buddha, call "Light of the Lamp."
So it is our motivation, good or bad, that determines the fruit of our actions.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(As told by Sogyal Rinpoche in The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. Copyright@1992 by Sogyal Rinpoche)
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How do youth be transformed into valuable assets?
Youth should not seek an easy comfortable path. No one develops in a pampered environment. Youth should instead actively seek out challenges and hardships, transforming them all into valuable assets as they strive to become individuals of outstanding character and ability.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 31/1
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 31/1
How do we manifest the brain's full creative powers?
Buddhism teaches that "all phenomena in the universe are manifestations of the Law" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 564). I hope you will, with this understanding, engage yourselves in broad-ranging studies with vigor and determination. Your brains have a potential as vast and boundless as the universe. How then do we manifest the brain's full creative powers? There is only one way to bring out our full intellectual capacity: by constantly putting our minds to work.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 30/1
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 30/1
How to be victorious and successful?
Practicing Buddhism means being victorious. In advancing one step at a time amid the realities of our daily lives, in showing concrete actual proof, in becoming victors and successes, we are demonstrating with our very beings the validity of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism and serving as a source of hope and inspiration for those who will follow us on the path of faith.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 29/1
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 29/1
What are the actions of great bodhisattvas?
All of you are chanting for the happiness of many members—children of the Buddha—in your respective communities; you support and encourage them and work tirelessly on their behalf as if they were your own children. Your actions are truly those of great bodhisattvas; your state of life that of noble Buddhas.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 28/1
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 28/1
What is the difference between positive attitude and gullible?
Viewing events and situations in a positive light is important. The strength, wisdom and cheerfulness that accompany such an attitude lead to happiness. To regard everything in a positive light or with a spirit of goodwill, however, does not mean being foolishly gullible and allowing people to take advantage of our good nature. It means having the wisdom and perception to actually move things in a positive direction by seeing things in their best light, while all the time keeping our eyes firmly focused on reality.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 28/1
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 28/1
Why we do gongyo?
As practitioners of the Daishonin's Buddhism we get up in the morning and do gongyo. Some perhaps may do so rather reluctantly! Nevertheless, doing gongyo is itself a truly great and noble thing. Gongyo is a solemn ceremony in which we are looking out and over the universe. It is a dialogue with the universe.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 23/1
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 23/1
What is happiness? Where is happiness?
Ultimately, happiness rests on how you establish a solid sense of self or being. Happiness does not lie in outward appearances nor in vanity. It is a matter of what you feel inside; it is a deep resonance in your life. To be filled each day with a rewarding sense of exhilaration and purpose, a sense of tasks accomplished and deep fulfillment—people who feel this way are happy. Those who have this sense of satisfaction even if they are extremely busy are much happier than those who have time on their hands but feel empty inside.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 22/1
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 22/1
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Moment to Moment Victory
by Chee Yee Ling
Malaysia
Every year since 1982 I have had to perform yearly medical check-ups on my kidneys as I have acute glomerular nephritis, a kidney disease. When I was first diagnosed I was a student at the National University of Singapore and I felt as if I had been sentenced to an early death. I remember crying for a whole week alone in my hostel.
Fortunately I was very active in the Singapore Soka Association at that time and I was encouraged to chant a lot and study hard. I made a resolution to spend the rest of my life, no matter how long, encouraging others and reminding them that no obstacle should ever stop them from living a creative and meaningful life. This was exactly how I planned to live my life as well, based on the strategy of the Lotus Sutra and backed by the warm support of the SGI members around me. I believe that it is only our reactions to those obstacles and not the obstacle itself that can make us suffer.
I have been practicing Buddhism now for over 30 years, and I am still alive and kicking, and married with two healthy daughters. I am now head of the science department in a private college in Malaysia.
When I started my career as a teacher in a secondary school in Singapore, I was assigned to teach Normal classes in chemistry. In Singapore, "Normal" means slower than average. My colleagues told me the students were really slow so I was not to expect too much from them in order not to be disappointed.
I had read the works of Soka Gakkai first president and educator Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and he stated that there is no such thing as "stupid" students--it is up to the teacher to educate them. I always related what I was about to teach to applications in daily life in order to capture the students' attention. In fact I was so enthusiastic that the boys in class would ask why I made such an effort to teach them when they were already destined for blue-collar jobs.
Wanting very much to put into practice what I believe in--that everyone has the wisdom of the Buddha that only needs to be awakened by a good teacher, I continued to impress upon the kids the significance of understanding science. I strongly feel that, whether slow or fast, all students need to understand a little about science to make wise decisions in the future. So, I embarked on a journey to make Chemistry come to life for them. All I wanted and cared about was to help them pass the "N" level examination so that they could still have the option of going to university if they chose to. I wanted them to have hopes for the future and not surrender their destiny into the hands of others to decide. That year was the first time my school's N level result emerged as one of the best in Singapore and that motivated me further.
I then joined a private college here in Malaysia. Using examples in Chemistry I always try to show my students that all laws come from one law--the Law of the universe. I strive to make them see that whatever happens in the microcosm also happens in the macrocosm. Everything is interrelated. I also want them to know that just when one thinks that all is in chaos, there is order. I often tell them that they have responsibilities to fulfill for the sake of future humanity and that the world is waiting for them. My students seem to appreciate my effort and they say they find my lessons captivating and interesting.
I cherish every single moment of my life. Even though doctors say my illness may deteriorate further, I am determined to continue living meaningfully and victoriously right to the very end.
[Adapted from Winning in Life--Experiences of Malayasian Women Practicing Nichiren Buddhism, October 2004, Soka Gakkai Malaysia. Since this experience was written, Chee Yee Ling has moved to Australia with her family, where she teaches Chemistry in a University of Sydney Foundation Program at Taylors College, Sydney.]
Malaysia
Every year since 1982 I have had to perform yearly medical check-ups on my kidneys as I have acute glomerular nephritis, a kidney disease. When I was first diagnosed I was a student at the National University of Singapore and I felt as if I had been sentenced to an early death. I remember crying for a whole week alone in my hostel.
Fortunately I was very active in the Singapore Soka Association at that time and I was encouraged to chant a lot and study hard. I made a resolution to spend the rest of my life, no matter how long, encouraging others and reminding them that no obstacle should ever stop them from living a creative and meaningful life. This was exactly how I planned to live my life as well, based on the strategy of the Lotus Sutra and backed by the warm support of the SGI members around me. I believe that it is only our reactions to those obstacles and not the obstacle itself that can make us suffer.
I have been practicing Buddhism now for over 30 years, and I am still alive and kicking, and married with two healthy daughters. I am now head of the science department in a private college in Malaysia.
When I started my career as a teacher in a secondary school in Singapore, I was assigned to teach Normal classes in chemistry. In Singapore, "Normal" means slower than average. My colleagues told me the students were really slow so I was not to expect too much from them in order not to be disappointed.
I had read the works of Soka Gakkai first president and educator Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and he stated that there is no such thing as "stupid" students--it is up to the teacher to educate them. I always related what I was about to teach to applications in daily life in order to capture the students' attention. In fact I was so enthusiastic that the boys in class would ask why I made such an effort to teach them when they were already destined for blue-collar jobs.
Wanting very much to put into practice what I believe in--that everyone has the wisdom of the Buddha that only needs to be awakened by a good teacher, I continued to impress upon the kids the significance of understanding science. I strongly feel that, whether slow or fast, all students need to understand a little about science to make wise decisions in the future. So, I embarked on a journey to make Chemistry come to life for them. All I wanted and cared about was to help them pass the "N" level examination so that they could still have the option of going to university if they chose to. I wanted them to have hopes for the future and not surrender their destiny into the hands of others to decide. That year was the first time my school's N level result emerged as one of the best in Singapore and that motivated me further.
I then joined a private college here in Malaysia. Using examples in Chemistry I always try to show my students that all laws come from one law--the Law of the universe. I strive to make them see that whatever happens in the microcosm also happens in the macrocosm. Everything is interrelated. I also want them to know that just when one thinks that all is in chaos, there is order. I often tell them that they have responsibilities to fulfill for the sake of future humanity and that the world is waiting for them. My students seem to appreciate my effort and they say they find my lessons captivating and interesting.
I cherish every single moment of my life. Even though doctors say my illness may deteriorate further, I am determined to continue living meaningfully and victoriously right to the very end.
[Adapted from Winning in Life--Experiences of Malayasian Women Practicing Nichiren Buddhism, October 2004, Soka Gakkai Malaysia. Since this experience was written, Chee Yee Ling has moved to Australia with her family, where she teaches Chemistry in a University of Sydney Foundation Program at Taylors College, Sydney.]
How to demonstrate the power of faith in the Mystic Law to others?
In this lifetime, to demonstrate the power of faith in the Mystic Law to others some of you may have been born into poverty so that you could show actual proof by gaining secure and comfortable lives. Some of you may have been born with ill health so that you could show proof by growing strong and healthy. Irrespective of your situations, however, the light of faith in the depths of your beings will continue to shine on eternally with diamond-like brilliance.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 20/1
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 20/1
What is the behavior of a bodhisattva?
Suffering and undergoing hardships for the sake of friends and for spreading the Law shows the sense of responsibility of a genuine leader and is the behavior of a bodhisattva. There is no suffering or hardship that a Bodhisattva of the Earth cannot surmount. So no matter what happens, I would like you to steadily advance one step at a time, always chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with a vibrant voice.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 19/1
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 19/1
What are you doing for others?
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was a tireless crusader for human rights said: "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, What are you doing for others?" Do not say you will do it "someday"; now is the time. Do not say "someone" will do it; you are the one. Now is the time for youth to take full responsibility and courageously pave the way for the people's triumph.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 18/1
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 18/1
The Thief and the Master
One evening, Zen master Shichiri Kojun was reciting sutras when a thief entered his house with a sharp sword, demanding "money or life".
Without any fear, Shichiri said, "Don't disturb me! Help yourself with the money, it's in that drawer". And he resumed his recitation. The thief was startled by this unexpected reaction, but he proceeded with his business anyway. While he was helping himself with the money, the master stopped and called, "Don't take all of it. Leave some for me to pay my taxes tomorrow".
The thief left some money behind and prepared to leave. Just before he left, the master suddenly shouted at him, "You took my money and you didn't even thank me?! That's not polite!". This time, the thief was really shocked at such fearlessness. He thanked the master and ran away. The thief later told his friends that he had never been so frightened in his life.
A few days later, the thief was caught and confessed, among many others, his theft at Shichiri's house. When the master was called as a witness, he said, "No, this man did not steal anything from me. I gave him the money. He even thanked me for it." The thief was so touched that he decided to repent. Upon his release from prison, he became a disciple of the master and many years later, he attained Enlightenment.
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From: Zen Flesh, Zen Bones; Paul Reps; 1961 Doubleday Anchor Books, New York
Without any fear, Shichiri said, "Don't disturb me! Help yourself with the money, it's in that drawer". And he resumed his recitation. The thief was startled by this unexpected reaction, but he proceeded with his business anyway. While he was helping himself with the money, the master stopped and called, "Don't take all of it. Leave some for me to pay my taxes tomorrow".
The thief left some money behind and prepared to leave. Just before he left, the master suddenly shouted at him, "You took my money and you didn't even thank me?! That's not polite!". This time, the thief was really shocked at such fearlessness. He thanked the master and ran away. The thief later told his friends that he had never been so frightened in his life.
A few days later, the thief was caught and confessed, among many others, his theft at Shichiri's house. When the master was called as a witness, he said, "No, this man did not steal anything from me. I gave him the money. He even thanked me for it." The thief was so touched that he decided to repent. Upon his release from prison, he became a disciple of the master and many years later, he attained Enlightenment.
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From: Zen Flesh, Zen Bones; Paul Reps; 1961 Doubleday Anchor Books, New York
Please remember that patience is in and of itself a great challenge and that it often holds the key to breaking through a seeming impasse.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 17/1
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 17/1
Achievements through hardwork and effort
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.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 16/1
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 16/1
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Taking challenges in life
Doing gongyo every day is a challenge. Introducing others to the practice is a challenge. Getting people to subscribe to our publications is a challenge. Attending meetings is a challenge. Sometimes it can all become too much and leave one feeling negative and wanting to take a break! Since we are human beings, it's only natural that we might feel this way on occasion. The important thing, however, is not to spin out of the orbit of faith. I hope you will continue to pursue the path of Buddhahood steadily and patiently, encouraging one another on your journey.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 15/1
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 15/1
How to overcome illiness?
Everyone at some time suffers from illness in one form or another. The power of the Mystic Law enables us to bring forth strength to overcome the pain and suffering of sickness with courage and determination. The Daishonin writes: "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is like the roar of a lion. What sickness can therefore be an obstacle?" (The Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 119)
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 14/1
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 14/1
What is the purpose in life?
A life lived without purpose or value, the kind in which one doesn't know the reason why one was born, is joyless and lackluster. To just live, eat and die without any real sense of purpose surely represents a life pervaded by the world of Animality. On the other hand, to do, create or contribute something that benefits others, society and ourselves and to dedicate ourselves as long as we live to that challenge—that is a life of true satisfaction, a life of value. It is a humanistic and lofty way to live.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 13/1
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 13/1
A New Business Plan
by Chai Koh Pong
Malaysia
I worked as a civil engineer and corporate manager before I started my own business as a property developer in 1985. It was my dream to make it really big and rich in business, like some corporate players whom I took as my role models.
Every minute of my life was spent in getting more business and trying to maximize profits. It was a pressurized, selfish and greedy world of trying to win at all times. Exploiting others to the full was common practice--an apparent necessity. That was my idea of securing happiness in life.
Then, when the economy crashed, some of my role models got into serious financial trouble and some even landed in jail. This shattered my sense of security and gave me a feeling of emptiness. I felt a need to ponder on the direction of my life, the values I had adopted.
I started reading up on philosophy when an old classmate introduced me to Nichiren Buddhism in 1986. Nichiren's teachings seemed to coincide with what I learned from motivational books and courses. I began to practice, chanting "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo."
Changes began to happen gradually, starting with my idea of happiness. Instead of finding joy in materialistic gains or one-sided victories, I came to believe in and experience a deeper sense of happiness coming from within me--a happiness fueled by altruism, a solid state of mind that revels in simply being alive.
I have seen that Nichiren Buddhism goes much deeper than the self-motivational work I have done. One can learn or improve many skills, such as public speaking, but the practice of a correct religious philosophy creates a positive transformation at the core of one's life, releasing unimagined potential. True communication skills, for example, are more than just respecting the speaker and listening sincerely. They rest on a spirit of compassion and an ability to open one's heart.
Change of Heart
These changes made me a more humble and approachable person. I began treating my associates and staff with greater respect, gratitude and sincere concern. Before practicing Buddhism, I used to evaluate a person's "importance" purely on the basis of what "profits" they could bring me, but through my involvement in Soka Gakkai Malaysia's activities, I can now appreciate each individual's respective role in contributing to the success of an enterprise.
Instead of squeezing every ounce of profit from others, I now prefer fairer deals. My judgments and decisions now include concern for others' satisfaction, thus winning the trust of my associates and partners. My staff is willing to put in hard work and extra time for me. The contractors that work with my company strive to raise the standard of their work, and buyers show their contentment by repeated purchases.
Improvement in my relationships with my staff, associates and contractors means less time wasted on conflict management. The result is greater productivity and faster completion of projects, which translates into less wastage and improved profitability.
Knowing for sure that more money does not always equal more happiness, I have become less calculating. I do not mind earning less money or spending extra time and putting more resources into building better houses.
The wisdom I gained from my Buddhist practice has also changed the way I handle funds. I see good cash flow as the key to maintaining the strength of the business. I have become more selective and cautious in the acquisition of projects. Less greedy, I do not bid for huge projects which require me to borrow heavily and thus put my company at unnecessarily high risk. Hence my company is able to proceed quite smoothly despite economic recessions or turmoil.
I believe that when more business owners subscribe to a positive philosophy and have the correct values, the business world will become a fairer place for all, with the distribution of wealth being more balanced. With less wastage of time and resources and greater productivity, the cost of goods can be lowered, enabling many more people to enjoy a better life.
[Courtesy, October 2006 SGI Quarterly]
Malaysia
I worked as a civil engineer and corporate manager before I started my own business as a property developer in 1985. It was my dream to make it really big and rich in business, like some corporate players whom I took as my role models.
Every minute of my life was spent in getting more business and trying to maximize profits. It was a pressurized, selfish and greedy world of trying to win at all times. Exploiting others to the full was common practice--an apparent necessity. That was my idea of securing happiness in life.
Then, when the economy crashed, some of my role models got into serious financial trouble and some even landed in jail. This shattered my sense of security and gave me a feeling of emptiness. I felt a need to ponder on the direction of my life, the values I had adopted.
I started reading up on philosophy when an old classmate introduced me to Nichiren Buddhism in 1986. Nichiren's teachings seemed to coincide with what I learned from motivational books and courses. I began to practice, chanting "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo."
Changes began to happen gradually, starting with my idea of happiness. Instead of finding joy in materialistic gains or one-sided victories, I came to believe in and experience a deeper sense of happiness coming from within me--a happiness fueled by altruism, a solid state of mind that revels in simply being alive.
I have seen that Nichiren Buddhism goes much deeper than the self-motivational work I have done. One can learn or improve many skills, such as public speaking, but the practice of a correct religious philosophy creates a positive transformation at the core of one's life, releasing unimagined potential. True communication skills, for example, are more than just respecting the speaker and listening sincerely. They rest on a spirit of compassion and an ability to open one's heart.
Change of Heart
These changes made me a more humble and approachable person. I began treating my associates and staff with greater respect, gratitude and sincere concern. Before practicing Buddhism, I used to evaluate a person's "importance" purely on the basis of what "profits" they could bring me, but through my involvement in Soka Gakkai Malaysia's activities, I can now appreciate each individual's respective role in contributing to the success of an enterprise.
Instead of squeezing every ounce of profit from others, I now prefer fairer deals. My judgments and decisions now include concern for others' satisfaction, thus winning the trust of my associates and partners. My staff is willing to put in hard work and extra time for me. The contractors that work with my company strive to raise the standard of their work, and buyers show their contentment by repeated purchases.
Improvement in my relationships with my staff, associates and contractors means less time wasted on conflict management. The result is greater productivity and faster completion of projects, which translates into less wastage and improved profitability.
Knowing for sure that more money does not always equal more happiness, I have become less calculating. I do not mind earning less money or spending extra time and putting more resources into building better houses.
The wisdom I gained from my Buddhist practice has also changed the way I handle funds. I see good cash flow as the key to maintaining the strength of the business. I have become more selective and cautious in the acquisition of projects. Less greedy, I do not bid for huge projects which require me to borrow heavily and thus put my company at unnecessarily high risk. Hence my company is able to proceed quite smoothly despite economic recessions or turmoil.
I believe that when more business owners subscribe to a positive philosophy and have the correct values, the business world will become a fairer place for all, with the distribution of wealth being more balanced. With less wastage of time and resources and greater productivity, the cost of goods can be lowered, enabling many more people to enjoy a better life.
[Courtesy, October 2006 SGI Quarterly]
The Blind Men and the Elephant
A number of disciples went to the Buddha and said, "Sir, there are living here in Savatthi many wandering hermits and scholars who indulge in constant dispute, some saying that the world is infinite and eternal and others that it is finite and not eternal, some saying that the soul dies with the body and others that it lives on forever, and so forth. What, Sir, would you say concerning them?"
The Buddha answered, "Once upon a time there was a certain raja who called to his servant and said, 'Come, good fellow, go and gather together in one place all the men of Savatthi who were born blind... and show them an elephant.' 'Very good, sire,' replied the servant, and he did as he was told. He said to the blind men assembled there, 'Here is an elephant,' and to one man he presented the head of the elephant, to another its ears, to another a tusk, to another the trunk, the foot, back, tail, and tuft of the tail, saying to each one that that was the elephant.
"When the blind men had felt the elephant, the raja went to each of them and said to each, 'Well, blind man, have you seen the elephant? Tell me, what sort of thing is an elephant?'
"Thereupon the men who were presented with the head answered, 'Sire, an elephant is like a pot.' And the men who had observed the ear replied, 'An elephant is like a winnowing basket.' Those who had been presented with a tusk said it was a ploughshare. Those who knew only the trunk said it was a plough; others said the body was a grainery; the foot, a pillar; the back, a mortar; the tail, a pestle, the tuft of the tail, a brush.
"Then they began to quarrel, shouting, 'Yes it is!' 'No, it is not!' 'An elephant is not that!' 'Yes, it's like that!' and so on, till they came to blows over the matter.
"Brethren, the raja was delighted with the scene.
"Just so are these preachers and scholars holding various views blind and unseeing.... In their ignorance they are by nature quarrelsome, wrangling, and disputatious, each maintaining reality is thus and thus."
Then the Exalted One rendered this meaning by uttering this verse of uplift,
O how they cling and wrangle, some who claim
For preacher and monk the honored name!
For, quarreling, each to his view they cling.
Such folk see only one side of a thing.
The Buddha answered, "Once upon a time there was a certain raja who called to his servant and said, 'Come, good fellow, go and gather together in one place all the men of Savatthi who were born blind... and show them an elephant.' 'Very good, sire,' replied the servant, and he did as he was told. He said to the blind men assembled there, 'Here is an elephant,' and to one man he presented the head of the elephant, to another its ears, to another a tusk, to another the trunk, the foot, back, tail, and tuft of the tail, saying to each one that that was the elephant.
"When the blind men had felt the elephant, the raja went to each of them and said to each, 'Well, blind man, have you seen the elephant? Tell me, what sort of thing is an elephant?'
"Thereupon the men who were presented with the head answered, 'Sire, an elephant is like a pot.' And the men who had observed the ear replied, 'An elephant is like a winnowing basket.' Those who had been presented with a tusk said it was a ploughshare. Those who knew only the trunk said it was a plough; others said the body was a grainery; the foot, a pillar; the back, a mortar; the tail, a pestle, the tuft of the tail, a brush.
"Then they began to quarrel, shouting, 'Yes it is!' 'No, it is not!' 'An elephant is not that!' 'Yes, it's like that!' and so on, till they came to blows over the matter.
"Brethren, the raja was delighted with the scene.
"Just so are these preachers and scholars holding various views blind and unseeing.... In their ignorance they are by nature quarrelsome, wrangling, and disputatious, each maintaining reality is thus and thus."
Then the Exalted One rendered this meaning by uttering this verse of uplift,
O how they cling and wrangle, some who claim
For preacher and monk the honored name!
For, quarreling, each to his view they cling.
Such folk see only one side of a thing.
How to be a good leader?
The role of leaders is important. Everything is determined by the leaders behavior. There is a passage in The Romance of the Three Kingdoms that says only those who possess genuine wisdom and virtue win the highest regard from people. It all comes down to you. You have to polish and develop yourselves. Should there be a leader or leaders in faith whom you do not like, all you have to do is determine not to become like them. All you have to do is decide that you will become leaders who will make everyone feel comfortable and at ease.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 11/1
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 11/1
How to gain trust and respect?
Buddhism is reason. It is vital therefore, that our lives and our activities in society also accord with reason. Please manifest the principle of "faith equals daily life," so that you will be trusted, respected and emulated by others. Bringing fragrant flowers of trust and humanism to bloom throughout society is one of the goals of Buddhism. To do things that others find strange and unnatural, that run counter to common sense—such actions go against the basic tenets of Buddhism and amount to slander of the Law.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 10/1
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 10/1
Inconspicous benefit
The real benefit of the Mystic Law is inconspicuous. Just as trees grow taller and stronger year after year, adding growth rings that are imperceptible to the human eye, we too will grow toward a victorious existence. For this reason it is important that we lead tenacious and balanced lives based on faith.
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 9/1
For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 9/1
Monday, February 7, 2011
Making a Difference
by Lulu McLennan
UK
I am 28 years old and have the good fortune to have been born into a family that practices Nichiren Buddhism. However, I have had an ongoing struggle with actually practicing this Buddhism, in other words I had an abundance of doubt, asked a lot of questions and had a lot of encouragement from other people. For most of my life, I have had a practice "like fire," which means that when I felt inspired or had a big problem, I would chant. The rest of the time a couple of minutes' chanting a day was more than enough. I really believed Nichiren Buddhism worked for other people--just not for me.
In 2006, I decided to join the group of young women who support the smooth running of activities from behind the scenes at the SGI-UK national center, Taplow Court. I really enjoy this activity and I think it was a last-ditch attempt to develop a solid Buddhist practice. Everyone told me it would change my life but I didn't want my life to change. I already had a great job, a great family and a great boyfriend!
As part of our activity we were encouraged to study the first two volumes of The New Human Revolution, written by SGI President Daisaku Ikeda. This is an account of how Nichiren Buddhism spread across the world. I found the books very inspiring but I was initially uncomfortable with so much of the books being about Mr. Ikeda's activities.
I work as a pediatric nurse in the children's emergency department at a South London Hospital, which is on the border of Lambeth and Southwark, two of the more deprived London boroughs. There are many children whose lives are affected by violence and other problems associated with such deprivation. We often deal with unpleasant situations, which I found I started getting used to. I seldom felt sad about the things I saw. My colleagues also seemed to be unaffected too. And they felt bored and unappreciated. On the whole we were quite an unhappy bunch.
At the beginning of this year my mum was part of a group who went to Japan for a Buddhist study course. I was surprised by how her trip affected me--I found that I wanted to chant more. I also felt that I really should begin to understand the mentor-disciple relationship, an important concept in Buddhism.
It became clear to me that I had very little faith in my ability to make a difference. And I began to see why President Ikeda writes so confidently. He has done amazing things, met great people and works hard to create a peaceful world. He has done all of this because he had a great mentor in Josei Toda. Why wouldn't somebody write proudly of those experiences? Also, he achieved these things as an ordinary human being, with lots of problems and struggles along the way. So he is in a sense saying, "If I can do these things, so could any of us!"
Soon after this realization, I very quickly had an overwhelming sense that something needed to change at work. How could I make a difference? I found myself writing a proposal, which I called "A Vision of Peace," for the children's area in the emergency department.
This proposal came directly from my chanting and from my heart. It began with a quotation from President Ikeda: "If we seem to be weathering an endless winter, we must not abandon hope, as long as we have hope, spring will come without fail."
One of my ideas was to create a "dream tree" where all the children, parents and staff could write a hope or dream on a leaf and put it on the tree. I decided to give the proposal to the Accident and Emergency consultant, the matron, the nursing manager and all the people I work with.
I chanted, then went to work the next day, armed with my vision of peace and a trembling hand. I walked in to find that there had been a terrible death overnight. So I had a moment of doubt, which I overcame and then began giving out my vision.
Later in the day the matron came down to tell me how inspiring he found my ideas and asked when I could get started. The consultant was pleased that somebody was thinking outside of the box.
A young woman in my local SGI-UK district painted a beautiful tree, which I attached to the wall in the middle of the night in February, along with the quote from President Ikeda that had originally inspired me. The staff on the night shift were so excited and they wrote amazing dreams for the future.
The tree is now literally full of children's, parents' and staff's dreams and we are planning to paint a dream sea.
I want to make even more of a difference with my life from this moment onwards. I will not accept that children are born wanting to kill as some seem to think--it must be learned behavior. I'm determined to use my life to ensure that somehow the children of Southwark and Lambeth learn a different way, as after all prevention is better than cure. If we are able to change just one person's day or give one child the ability to believe in their dreams, then we have been able to do so much more than just treat an illness or fix a wound. At the end of the day, health is much more than just the absence of illness.
Now I can see that even the small amount of chanting I did, along with the continuous support of my family and many SGI members has not been wasted. With a growing appreciation for the mentor-disciple relationship, I now have the kind of commitment to my Buddhist practice that I have always wanted and this is my greatest benefit. I can't wait to see what happens next!
[Adapted from an article in the January 2008 issue of the Art of Living, SGI-UK]
UK
I am 28 years old and have the good fortune to have been born into a family that practices Nichiren Buddhism. However, I have had an ongoing struggle with actually practicing this Buddhism, in other words I had an abundance of doubt, asked a lot of questions and had a lot of encouragement from other people. For most of my life, I have had a practice "like fire," which means that when I felt inspired or had a big problem, I would chant. The rest of the time a couple of minutes' chanting a day was more than enough. I really believed Nichiren Buddhism worked for other people--just not for me.
In 2006, I decided to join the group of young women who support the smooth running of activities from behind the scenes at the SGI-UK national center, Taplow Court. I really enjoy this activity and I think it was a last-ditch attempt to develop a solid Buddhist practice. Everyone told me it would change my life but I didn't want my life to change. I already had a great job, a great family and a great boyfriend!
As part of our activity we were encouraged to study the first two volumes of The New Human Revolution, written by SGI President Daisaku Ikeda. This is an account of how Nichiren Buddhism spread across the world. I found the books very inspiring but I was initially uncomfortable with so much of the books being about Mr. Ikeda's activities.
I work as a pediatric nurse in the children's emergency department at a South London Hospital, which is on the border of Lambeth and Southwark, two of the more deprived London boroughs. There are many children whose lives are affected by violence and other problems associated with such deprivation. We often deal with unpleasant situations, which I found I started getting used to. I seldom felt sad about the things I saw. My colleagues also seemed to be unaffected too. And they felt bored and unappreciated. On the whole we were quite an unhappy bunch.
At the beginning of this year my mum was part of a group who went to Japan for a Buddhist study course. I was surprised by how her trip affected me--I found that I wanted to chant more. I also felt that I really should begin to understand the mentor-disciple relationship, an important concept in Buddhism.
It became clear to me that I had very little faith in my ability to make a difference. And I began to see why President Ikeda writes so confidently. He has done amazing things, met great people and works hard to create a peaceful world. He has done all of this because he had a great mentor in Josei Toda. Why wouldn't somebody write proudly of those experiences? Also, he achieved these things as an ordinary human being, with lots of problems and struggles along the way. So he is in a sense saying, "If I can do these things, so could any of us!"
Soon after this realization, I very quickly had an overwhelming sense that something needed to change at work. How could I make a difference? I found myself writing a proposal, which I called "A Vision of Peace," for the children's area in the emergency department.
This proposal came directly from my chanting and from my heart. It began with a quotation from President Ikeda: "If we seem to be weathering an endless winter, we must not abandon hope, as long as we have hope, spring will come without fail."
One of my ideas was to create a "dream tree" where all the children, parents and staff could write a hope or dream on a leaf and put it on the tree. I decided to give the proposal to the Accident and Emergency consultant, the matron, the nursing manager and all the people I work with.
I chanted, then went to work the next day, armed with my vision of peace and a trembling hand. I walked in to find that there had been a terrible death overnight. So I had a moment of doubt, which I overcame and then began giving out my vision.
Later in the day the matron came down to tell me how inspiring he found my ideas and asked when I could get started. The consultant was pleased that somebody was thinking outside of the box.
A young woman in my local SGI-UK district painted a beautiful tree, which I attached to the wall in the middle of the night in February, along with the quote from President Ikeda that had originally inspired me. The staff on the night shift were so excited and they wrote amazing dreams for the future.
The tree is now literally full of children's, parents' and staff's dreams and we are planning to paint a dream sea.
I want to make even more of a difference with my life from this moment onwards. I will not accept that children are born wanting to kill as some seem to think--it must be learned behavior. I'm determined to use my life to ensure that somehow the children of Southwark and Lambeth learn a different way, as after all prevention is better than cure. If we are able to change just one person's day or give one child the ability to believe in their dreams, then we have been able to do so much more than just treat an illness or fix a wound. At the end of the day, health is much more than just the absence of illness.
Now I can see that even the small amount of chanting I did, along with the continuous support of my family and many SGI members has not been wasted. With a growing appreciation for the mentor-disciple relationship, I now have the kind of commitment to my Buddhist practice that I have always wanted and this is my greatest benefit. I can't wait to see what happens next!
[Adapted from an article in the January 2008 issue of the Art of Living, SGI-UK]
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