How to promote world peace?

We are all human beings, whatever our positions. If we open our hearts and speak with sincerity, we can communicate and touch others on the deepest level. World peace starts with trust between one individual and another.

Buddhism Day by Day
Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda 24/9

What will arrogance, prejudice and anger will do to you?

Now, if you wish to attain Buddhahood, you have only to lower the banner of your arrogance, cast aside the staff of your anger, and devote yourself exclusively to the one vehicle of the Lotus Sutra. Worldly fame and profit are mere baubles of your present existence, and arrogance and prejudice are ties that will fetter you in a next one. -Nichiren

Buddhism Day by Day
Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda 23/9

GOLD FINGER - a Zen Buddhism Koan

One day, one of the eight immortals (Note 1), Lu Dongbin, came down to the Saha World (Note 2) to help people out who were in great difficulties. While he was on the way, he met a youth sitting by the road side crying heavily. He approached the youth and asked him, "Mister, why are you crying? Do you have any difficulties?"

"My mother is very sick and my father had passed away. I do not have any money to hire a doctor to see her. I want to go to work but nobody will take care of my mother while I am away?"

The immortal was very touched by the fidelity of this youth and therefore he decided to help him out by performing a miracle. He pointed his finger at a piece of stone by the road side and turned it into gold immediately. Then he gave the piece of gold to the youth. To his surprise the youth refused to accept it.

The immortal was even touched, because the youth must be a devout Buddhist, renouncing wealth. "Why don't you accept the piece of gold. It should keep your family going for a long time."

The youth replied, "If I accept it, sooner or later I will spend it all. Therefore, I do not want the piece of gold. I want your finger, because I can use it to turn everything into gold and I will be the richest man on earth."

Upon hearing this, the immortal gave a sigh at the greediness of human beings, restored the piece of gold back to stone, and returned to heaven.

Note 1: Eight immortals: In Chinese folk religion, the eight immortals are human beings who became deities or fairies through the rites of Taoism. An immortal is different from a god in that the immortal seldom got involved in earthly matters. A god (such as the Thunderer) is responsible for certain aspects of life on earth.

Note 2: Saha world: Literally, a world with desires. That is, the world in which good and evil exist. Or, the real world in which we human beings live in.

BUDDHA AND COW DUNG - a Zen Buddhism Koan

The famous Chinese poet Su Tung-po (1036-1100) in the Song Dynasty wrote very simple Chinese Poems based on Buddhist Philosophy, he himself being a very religious person. He was appointed to the position of the Director of Literature for the Imperial Court.

One day he visited a Buddhist Temple and meditated with the Monk Buddhastamp. After a little while, Su asked the Monk: "Look at me. I am sitting here meditating. What do I look like?"

Buddhastamp examined Su closely for a while and said, "Officer, you are very solemn, healthy and gentle. You look like a Buddha Stature." Su was very pleased with the answer.

After a while, Buddhastamp asked Su this time, "Officer, I am sitting here meditating also. What do I look like?"

Mr. Su thought, this Monk always got the upperhand whenever we debated on any subject matters. Now, I got the opportunity to win this time. So, he said, "You look like a pile of cow dung." This time, the Monk just smiled and did not argue with him at all.

Thinking that he had won the debate, Mr. Su went about telling everybody in town how he did it, until his younger sister heard of his story. "My dear brother," said Miss Su, "you had lost the debate completely."

"What!? I am sure the Monk was dumbfound. How come I lost the debate?"

"Dear brother," said Miss Su, "the Monk's heart was filled with Buddha nature, therefore he saw you as a Buddha. But your heart was filled with cow dung, and therefore you saw him as a pile of cow dung."

How Buddhism views illness?

Buddhism views illness as an opportunity to attain a higher, nobler state of life. It teaches that, instead of agonizing over a serious disease, or despairing of ever overcoming it, we should use illness as a means to build a strong, compassionate self, which in turn will make it possible for us to be truly victorious.

Buddhism Day by Day
Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda 22/9

How to create a new era of human civilization?

Efforts to reach out and engage others in dialogue with the aim of fostering mutual understanding and bringing people closer together may seem ordinary and unexciting, but they in fact constitute a bold and daring challenge to create a new era of human civilization.

Buddhism Day by Day
Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda 21/9

Deer Couple - from Jakata Stories

This is what I (note 1) had heard:

Once upon a time, there was a herd of deers glazing by the riverside, lead by a Deer King.

One day, a hunter set up a trap to hunt animals, but unfortunately, as the herd of deers was glazing by the riverside, the Deer King was caught by the trap. He struggled and struggled against the trap, while the other deers were so scared that they all ran away.

But, a female deer did not escape. She stayed with the Deer King and said to him, "Before the hunter comes along, you better try all your strength to loosen the trap. May be you still have a chance to get away with it."

But, no matter how the Deer King tried, it was no use. Finally he said, "I am becoming weak now. There is no hope of escaping. You better go and take care of yourself."

At this time, they saw the hunter was coming. . "You see, " said the Deer King, "that black faced man must be the hunter. He is wearing a deer-skin robe and he will kill me for my skin and for my meat."

On hearing this, the female deer approached the hunter and confronted him, "Mr. hunter, you may kill me first, before you kill the Deer King."

The hunter was surprised by the courage of the female deer and asked, "What is the relationship between two of you?"

"He is my husband," replied the female deer. "I love him so much that I am willing to die for him. We cannot be separated from each other. Now, if you want to kill him, you should kill me first!"

The hunter was startled by what he had just heard, "she is a very loving wife! I never seen any thing like this before." He was so moved that he told the female deer, "I have never came across such a loving wife before. How can I be so cruel to separate both of you. OK, I will release your husband and let both of you go. I will pray for your love with each other."

Having said that, the hunter cut loose the Deer King and let them go. The female deer was so happy and said, "Thank you very much. I, my husband and my herd are so grateful to your compassion."

Having finished the above story, the Buddha told his disciples, "In our former lives, I was the Deer King and Yasodhara (Note 2) was the female deer. She had always been by my side, supporting me and suffering because of my deeds. Other couples may be separated or even divorced, but not us."

Note 1: the "I" refers to Ananda, who wrote most of the Buddhist Sutra.

Note 2: Yasodhara was Prince Siddhartha's wife. Later she became his disciple.

What is the essence of Buddhism?

There has never been, nor will there ever be, a Buddha who does not encounter hardships. Only by struggling against difficulties can we attain the life-state of Buddhahood. Herein lies the essence of Buddhism.

Buddhism Day by Day
Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda 20/9

What is the highest offering to the Buddha?

The highest offering to the Buddha is not to worship something reminiscent of the Buddha. Rather, it is to inherit the Buddha's spirit. In other words, the highest offering lies in struggling to manifest, as one's own way of life, even a part of the spirit of the Buddha, who upheld the philosophy that everyone is a Buddha and tirelessly strove to save all from suffering.

Buddhism Day by Day
Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda 19/9

The Story of the Six-Tusked White Elephant

One of the merchants at the kingdom of Sravasti has a beautiful daughter. The strange thing about her was that, as soon as she learnt to speak, the very first words she said were, "I had done something wrong, I had been unfair to others, I had done evil things, I am ashamed of myself." Then came a long silence, and nobody knew what she meant.

As she grew up, she was really a very nice girl, so her parent named her Chula-subhudha, meaning "nice".

Another strange thing about her was that as she grew up, she preferred nun's robes rather than fashionable dresses, and, without any teachers, she began to practice the Dharma, chanting, meditating and following the precepts. One day, she traveled to Deer Park by herself to see the Buddha and apologized to him.

As soon as the Buddha saw her, he said, "You had apologized to me before."

Buddha's disciples scratched their heads and asked, "this girl had never met you before. Why did she apologize to you?"

Then the Buddha told them a story:

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Once upon a time, there lived a six-tusked white elephant with two female matriarch elephants, Chula-subhudha (literally, nice) and Maha-subhudha (literally, very nice). One day, while they were walking by the pond, the six-tusked white elephant saw a beautiful lotus flower. He picked it up and gave it to Chula-subhudha, but before she accepted it, the other female elephant took the flower from his trunk.

Chula-subhudha became jealous. She thought, "he loves Maha-subhudha more than me! If I am reborn as a human being in my next life, I will pay it back!" Having said that, she jumped down a cliff and killed herself.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Chula-subhudha was reborn as a very beautiful girl and became the Queen of Varanasi, with the enjoyment of all the luxuries of the Royal Palace. But she still remembered what had happened in the lotus flower incident and vowed to take revenge. She pretended to be ill and told her husband, "You must make a bed from ivory for me to sleep on, preferably with the tusks of a white elephant. Otherwise I will become so sick that I will die."

The King of Varanasi granted her the wish, and announced that anyone who would brought them ivories from a six-tusked white elephant would be rewarded 100 ounces of gold.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

A hunter named Sonuttar who lived in the forest heard of the Royal Announcement and declared, "I will become a millionaire this time." Being very familiar with the habitants of the six-tusked white elephant, he prepared himself for the hunt. He disguised himself as a monk, and took a bow and some poisonous arrow with him.

As he advanced towards the elephant, Maha-subhudha spotted him from a far away distance. She immediately reported it to her husband.

"What do you see, my dear?" asked the white elephant.

"I see a hunter dressed in a monk's robe coming toward us with a bow and arrow, " said Maha-Subhudha.

"Don't worry," said the white elephant. "Monks are vegetarians. They do not kill."

But, as soon as he finished his words, quite unexpectedly, an arrow was fired at them, narrowly missed the target.

The matriarch elephant became furious, "See. Monks are good people!? They are shooting at us. How do you explain that?"

"This is because he has some troublesome thoughts in his heart. It has nothing to do with his robe." said the six-tusked elephant.

But the matriarch elephant was so angry that she lead 500 other elephants in the herd to attack the hunter, trying to trample him to death. But, the six-tusked white elephant disagreed and ordered the attack to stop. He came over to the hunter and asked," What do you want. Why do you want to kill me?"

Surrounded by 500 angry elephants from the herd, this time, the hunter became scared. He said in a shaking voice, "I really have no intention to kill you. But there is an order from the King to get some ivory from you."

"Is that all?" asked the six-tusked white elephant. "No big deal. You can have my tusks." Then, using his own trunk, he pulled out his own teeth and gave them to the hunter.

Back at the Palace, as King Varanasi handed over the ivory to the Queen, suddenly, she began to feel sorry for what she had done. "What an evil thing that I have done? Do I really need to sleep in a bed made with ivory?" From then on, she began to study the Dharma and became an arhat.

* * * * * * * * * *

The Buddha smiled, "In one of our previous lives, I was that six-tusked white elephant. That hunter was Devadatta (note 1). That nun who had just came to see me was Chula-subhudha. Nun Yasodhara (note 2) was Maha-Subhudha the matriarch elephant."

"Oh! Now we understand" said his disciples

note 1: Devadatta always wanted to betray the Buddha

note 2: Buddha's wife..

How to gain good fortune that is immeasurable and boundless?

You have been able to accept, uphold, read, recite and ponder this sutra and to preach it for others. The good fortune you gain thereby is immeasurable and boundless. It cannot be burned by fire or washed away by water. Your benefits are such that a thousand Buddhas speaking all together could never finish describing them. Now you have been able to destroy all devils and thieves, to annihilate the army of birth and death, and all others who bore you enmity or malice have likewise been wiped out.

Good man, a hundred, a thousand Buddhas will employ their transcendental powers to join in guarding and protecting you. Among the heavenly and human beings of all the worlds, there will be no one like you. -The Lotus Sutra

Buddhism Day by Day
Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda 18/9

How to overcome any difficulty with joy?

Life can unfold unlimitedly as long as we have a heart of appreciation and an undefeated mind. Based on the Buddhist perspective of the eternity of life, we volunteered to be born in our current life-condition and chose to encounter the problems we have. If you can take this perspective, you should be able to overcome any difficulty with joy.

Buddhism Day by Day
Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda 17/9

The Story of the Nine Coloured Deer.

Once upon a time, there was a magnificent gorgeous deer whose fur had nine colours and whose angler was as white as the snow. He lived by the Ganges river with a friendly bird.

One day, there was a very heavy rainfall and the water level of the Ganges River was rising high. Suddenly, the Nine-Coloured Deer saw a man flowing down the river, struggling for help. He was holding onto a floating piece of tree and yelling out loud, "Help! Help! Please! God of the Mountain! Dragon King of the River! Save my life!"

Without much thought, the Nine-Coloured Deer jumped into the Ganges River and swam toward the man. He cried out loudly, "Hold on to my angler. I will take you back to the shore."

The victim held onto the angler of the Nine-Coloured Deer, and, after much struggling against the water flow, the two finally swam ashore. The Deer was so tired afterwards that he lied down on the beach for a rest.

The rescued man was so grateful that he kneeled down and declared, "You had saved my life, and therefore I am willing to be your servant, looking after you whenever you want!"

The Deer replied, "I do not need you to look after me. All I want is that you keep this place as a secret. People who know where I live will hunt me down and kill me for my fur."

The rescued man assured him with an oath, "You have saved my life and given me a second chance to live. I swear that I will keep this location a top secret."

*******************************************************************

That very night, at the Royal Palace, the Queen had a dream: she saw a very magnificent gorgeous deer with nine-coloured fur and a white angler. Next morning, when she woke up, the deer was firmly in her mind and she began to long for a very beautiful fur coat. She pretended that she was sick.

The King was curious. He asked her, "what is wrong with you?"

The Queen replied, "Last night, in my dream I saw a very gorgeous deer with beautiful nine coloured fur. I want you to hunt that deer so that I can have a beautiful fur coat."

The King said, "I am the King. I will get what I want."

So he decreed that anybody who could provide information leading to hunting down the nine-coloured deer will be rewarded with half of his kingdom and a huge amount of gold and silver.

That news caught the attention of the rescued flood victim. He thought, "that deer is just an animal. Does it matter if he got hunted down and killed? If I tell the King, I will be the richest man in this country." So, he went to see the officer in charge of hunting the deer, who immediately brought him to the Palace to see the King.

The King was so happy on hearing the information that he reassured him of the promise of a huge reward: half of the kingdom and large amount of gold and silver.

The flood victim told the King, "just follow me and I will lead you the way." But, as soon as he finished talking, ulcers began to appear on his face

"That deer has some mystic power," he continued. " You may have to send in a large army to hunt him down."

The King than organized a huge army, marching toward the riverside of the Ganges.

*************************************************

The Nine-Coloured Deer was sleeping inside the wood, with the friendly bird keep watching out for any dangers that may be approaching. Suddenly, the bird saw a group of soldiers ridding toward the wood. He was alarmed and shouted, "wake up, friend! Someone is coming to hunt you down." But the Nine-Colour Deer was so tired that he did not hear a thing.

The bird became really agonized. He flew down from the tree top right up to the Nine-Colour Deer and picked him with his beak. This woke up the Deer, but unfortunately, it was too late to escape - he was totally surrounded by the King's soldiers.

The Deer yelled out, "wait a minute, I have something to say before you kill me."

"What do you have to say?" asked the King.

"You should be graceful to me. Why do you kill me?" said the deer.

"Why should I be graceful to you?" asked the King.

"This is because I had rescued one of your citizens from natural disaster." Replied the Deer, "I rescued him off the Ganges from the great floor a few days ago. By the way, your Majesty, who gave you the information that I live here?"

At this time, the flood victim was walking toward the Deer. The King immediately pointed at him, "this guy told me where you live."

The Nine-Colour Deer looked at the man, and bursted into tears, "Your Majesty. It was this guy who fell into the Ganges River a few days ago during the heavy rain storm. He was crying for help when I jumped into the swirling water to rescue him. Yesterday, he was still swearing an oath to be my servant, but today he brings a whole army to kill me. What can I say?"

On listening to this, the King became upset and reprimanded the victim. He also decreed that the Deer would be under his protection, and anyone who hurt the deer will be imprisoned.

From then on, the deers lived happily and peacefully by the side of the Ganges River under the protection of the Royal Kingdom, whose citizens were free from natural disasters for a long time.

What will move reality in the direction of what we believe and conceive of it?

One thing is certain: That is that the power of belief, the power of thought, will move reality in the direction of what we believe and conceive of it. If you really believe you can do something, you can. That is a fact.

Buddhism Day by Day
Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda 16/9

What is deluded and what is enlightened?

When one is deluded, it is as if one were dreaming. And when one is enlightened, it is as if one had awakened. -Nichiren

Buddhism Day by Day
Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda 15/9

A FEMALE MONSTER THAT ATE CHILDREN

- A Story from the Buddhist Sutra

In many Buddhist countries, Hariti is a guardian goddess of small children and is usually presented in Buddhist artifacts as a Mother Goddess wearing a green robe. "Hariti" is Sanskrit, which literally means "Mother of Little Ghosts" in English. The Buddhist Sutra said that she had 1,000 children who were all Demon Leaders (some translated as "Ghost Kings"), 500 of them lived in various Heavens and the rest lived on Earth. They frequently directed groups of demons to attack gods and human kings, creating all kinds of evils and disasters.

One day, as Ananda, (Buddha's senior student) was making a routine round in the City of Rajagraha collecting alms, he learned that people in the city were troubled by numerous missing children. Every day, some small kids mysteriously disappeared. Parents who had lost their children had no idea how their kids disappeared, where they went and whether they were alive or dead.

As Ananda brought the news back to the Monastery, the Buddha immediately knew who did it. He told Ananda, "The fellow who kidnaps small children is no ordinary human criminal - she is Hariti, the Mother of Little Ghosts. One of her favourite food was live human babies and small kids. Every day, she goes to the City of Rajagraha to 'hunt' for small children, took them home, slaughtered them, cooked them and served as food."

"No wonder the King of Rajagraha could not solve the problem," said Ananda, "Hariti was not a human - she was an evil ghost! Is there anyway we can do to help the citizens to solve this problem?"

"Yes, I have a plan," said the Buddha. "Here is it."

And off Ananda went to carry out Buddha's instruction.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Ananda assembled a group of monks and went to the place where Hariti lived. There they hided outside until she went out on her daily "hunting" round looking for human babies to eat. Once she had gone, the monks use their mystic power and brought all her ghost children back to the monastery. There, they hided the ghost children in a secret place.

When the evil ghost returned to her home, she found that all her children had disappeared and nowhere to be found. She was so terrified that she dared not kill any of her "prey", thinking that the King of Gods, Sakra, or the Lord of Hell, King Yama, must be going after her. Immediately, she left her captives at home and went outside to look for her own children. Days were passed, but her own kids could not be found. Finally, she sat on the street of the City and started to cry aloud.

As Ananda was making his usual round collecting alms, he approached Hariti and asked her, "What are you crying for? How come you are so sad?"

"Because I had lost my children," replied Hariti, still crying. "I do not know where they had gone"

"Go to see the Buddha," suggested Ananda. "The Enlightened One knows everything in the past, present and future. He can probably help you out."

Hariti was glad to follow Ananda to the monastery to see the Buddha. After she had given a salutation to him, the Buddha asked, "why are you crying publicly in the City?"

"Because I had lost my children," replied Hariti. "They disappeared while I went outside."

"Why didn't you take care of your own children?" the Buddha began to question her. "Why did you go out and what were you doing on that day?"

Hariti dared not answer. The Buddha continued to question her. Finally, she confessed, "I am stupid. I went out to hunt children."

"What?" asked the Buddha. "Preying on small children? Tell me, do you love your own children?"

"Sure I do. I love my own children very much."

At this moment, the Buddha raised up and told Hariti sternly, "If you love your own children, why are you hunting other peoples' children as food? Do you know that their parents are just as sad? Do you know that you are creating a bad karma for yourself. Do you know that for your sin you will be reborn in Hell to face judgement by King Yama for what you did?"

On hearing this, Hariti was really terrified. "What can I do to get my children back? Is there any way to avoid punishment in Hell?"

"If you can make a confession of your sin and promise to render good deeds in the future by following my teachings, your children will return to you safely and you will not have to be reborn in Hell to face King Yama," reply the Buddha. Then he gave a detail lecture of his teachings on the four noble truths and the eightfold paths. He also told her to follow the five precepts (of not killing, not stealing, no sexual misconducts, no damaging bad words towards other people and no alcoholic drinks).

After the lecture was finished, Hariti kneeled down, clapped her hands and said, "Now I understand what I did was wrong. I wish to take refuge in you, the Dharma and the Sangha, and I vow that from now onward, I will act as guardian of all small children in the saha-world."

The Buddha told her that there is no need to hunt small children for food anymore. She might share with the Sangha any offerings made by lay followers. From then onwards, she attained arhatship and became the Guardian Goddess of Small Children.

What is Buddha and true humanism?

The Buddha does not look down on living beings from on high. He lifts them up to the same level as himself. He teaches them that they are all equally treasure towers worthy of supreme respect. This is the philosophy of the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren's spirit. It is true humanism.

Buddhism Day by Day
Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda 14/9

Why we need a spiritual workout and how to do it?

Exerting yourself by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo each day amounts to what might be called a spiritual workout. It purifies and cleanses your life, gets your motors running and puts you on the right course for the day. It gets your body and mind working smoothly and puts you in rhythm, in sync, with the universe.

Buddhism Day by Day
Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda 13/9

Why should we live each day to the fullest?

If you think about it, although we may not be destined to die five minutes from now, we are all, without exception, going to die at some point. We can count on it 100 percent. There is nothing surer than this. Victor Hugo says, "We are all under sentence of death, but with a sort of indefinite reprieve." Ideally, we should live every minute of our lives valuably, as if it were the last moment of our lives. Those who live aimlessly are left with a sense of emptiness at the end of their lives, but those who live all-out, striving right to the end, will die peacefully. Leonardo da Vinci says, "As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so life well used brings happy death." One aware that death could come at any time will live each day to the fullest.

Buddhism Day by Day
Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda 13/9

Why must we not fight and respect each other?

Buddhism teaches that all people are inherently Buddhas. I believe that this Buddhist view of humanity embodies a fundamental principle for world peace. You are a Buddha and I am a Buddha. That's why we must not fight each other. That's why we must respect each other.

Buddhism Day by Day
Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda 12/9

How can the human survive in future?

If we are to survive, a stronghold of peace must be fashioned within the mind of every single man, woman and child on the earth. This stronghold must resolutely hold out against the invasion of any idea to make war.

Buddhism Day by Day
Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda 11/9

NANDA TOURED HEAVEN AND HELL

- A Story from the Buddhist Sutra

Prince Siddhartha had a step brother named Nanda (not to be confused with Ananda who wrote most of the Buddhist Scriptures), whose mother was Mahaprajapati. May be I should clarify the family tree a little bit here:

King Suddhodhana and Queen Maya gave birth to Prince Siddhartha, but she past away shortly after Gautama's birth. Therefore, King Suddhodhana's second wife, Mahaprajapati, got the responsibility for upbringing the young Prince, who was the first in line to the throne.

Prince Siddhartha married his cousin Princess Yasodhara, who gave birth to Rahula, who was the second in line to the throne.

King Suddodhana and Mahaprajapati gave birth to Nanda, who was the third in line to the throne.

1. A Womanizing Brother
Years later, Prince Siddhartha had renounced the heritage to the throne to became the Buddha, and his son, Rahula, had followed him to become a young monk. Therefore, Nanda became the first in line to the throne - but that was not what the Buddha wanted to see, because all Nanda was interested in were women, and had shown little capability to manage a Kingdom.

One day, as the Buddha came to Nanda's palace to collect the alms, he asked Nanda what he had been doing recently. Nanda replied, "I have just fallen in love with Janapada Kalyani, the most beautiful woman in Kapilavastu. I regret that I do not have time to visit you because I have to take care of Kalyani, to make her look pretty and charming. I do not want to do anything else but to be with her all the time. Therefore, please tell me right away what offerings will you accept so that I can return to my lovely Kalyani as soon as possible."

The Buddha thought sadly, "What kind of Leader will the people get?" Without saying a word, he put down his begging bowl and returned to his monastery.

"Just a minute," cried Nanda. "I will give you an offering of food." And, as he said this, he followed the Buddha into the monastery.

"Dear Brother," said the Buddha when he met Nanda at the monastery, "Since I have to take care of all sentient beings, I have to take care of you also. For your future, why don't you stay with me and join the Sangha?"

Nanda thought it was a joke. So he murmured, "I am willing....."

But, the Buddha took it seriously. He summoned Sariputra to shave Nanda's hair.

Nanda was shocked. But, as the elder brother looked at him solemnly, he dared not to say no. But, after he had joined the Sangha, he always thought of Kalyani and simply could not renounce his worldly desire and concentrate on studying the Dharma. So one day, the Buddha brought him to a forest where a group of monkeys was playing.

2. A Tour of Heaven
"How did Kalyani compare with the monkeys?" the Buddha asked.

"You are joking." replied Nanda. "Kalyani is the most beautiful lady in our Kingdom. She is as pretty as a fairy nymph. How can a monkey be compared with her?"

"Well, you say that your Kalyani is as pretty as a heavenly nymph." said the Buddha. "I say she has no comparison with such a beautiful nymph living in Heaven. If you wish to see how a nymph looks like, no problem. I will bring you up there to meet one."

So, the Buddha used his mystic power to perform a miracle and took his brother up to Heaven for a visit. What Nanda saw was a place lined with marvelous palaces built in jade and precious stones, what he heard was melodic heavenly music and what he smelt was floral fragrance. Moreover, what he met were fairy nymphs whose prettiness was beyond verbal description.

A group of fairy nymphs came forward and surrounded Nanda. Nanda felt dizzy with their beauty.

"We heard that in Kapilavastu on earth there is a Buddha whose brother is called Nanda," said one of the nymphs. "Because Nanda had joined the Sangha to cultivate his behavior, his karma will cause him to be reborn as a heavenly being after his death. Then, we will be his concubines, making love with him all day all night. Living here in heaven is nothing but joyfulness and happiness. We can get whatever we want and there is no need to worry about work and food. Life in here is much more enjoyable than life on earth."

"Oh, but you look like an ordinary human being," continued the fairy nymph. "You have not yet cultivated enough good karma to come to Heaven yet. You must finish your work in the Sangha before you are qualified to come here."

"How do you compare those nymphs with Kalyani?" the Buddha asked his brother.

"I am stupid," replied Nanda. "Kalyani looks like a monkey when compared with those nymphs. In the past, I do not know that good karma will bring me here. I will do more good deeds and avoid evil deeds so that I can go to Heaven in my afterlife. Then, I will be able to make love to those beautiful fairy nymphs for the next several thousand years!"

The Buddha remained silent. He thought, "All Nanda want is to go to Heaven to enjoy his afterlife with those beautiful fairies. I will show him something about Hell as well." Again, he used his mystic power, performed a miracle, and took his brother down to Hell for a tour.

3. A Tour of Hell
As soon as they entered the Great Iron Circle Wall that surrounded Hell, Nanda immediately felt the horrible atmosphere. Observing that Nanda hesitated to go forward, the Buddha said, "Brother, don't get scared. We come here just for a tour. Everything that happened here has nothing to do with us. If you have any question, just ask any Hell Officer and he can give you a correct answer."

As Nanda toured around Hell, what he saw was absolutely terrifying: Hell Officers punishing sinners by burning them in hot fires, putting sharp knives through their bodies, throwing them into boiling oil and water, etc. etc. Here, people are punished according to what they have done in their past lives, i.e., their karma.

As Nanda walked passed a huge empty oil pan, he asked a Hell Officer standing next to it, "What is the empty oil pan for?"

"In the Kingdom of Kapilavastu on earth, there is a Buddha whose brother is called Nanda." replied the Hell Officer. "He will be reborn to Heaven because he is trying to cultivate his karma. However, after he finishes his enjoyment in Heaven, he will come down to Hell to face judgement by our boss, King Yama. If he had done bad deeds in the past, we will immerse him into boiling oil in this pan as punishment. We are waiting for him!"

Upon hearing this, Nanda was so terrified that he could not stand it anymore. He just rushed out of Hell to see his brother Gautama Siddhartha. Now, he found that all worldly enjoyments such as wealth, sex, love and power were just illusions, and to get out of all sufferings and away from the pain of samara (cycle of rebirth), he must follow the teachings of the Buddha wholeheartedly.

Where is Buddha?

Neither the pure land nor hell exists outside oneself; both lie only within one's own heart. Awakened to this, one is called a Buddha; deluded about it, one is called an ordinary person. The Lotus Sutra reveals this truth, and one who embraces the Lotus Sutra will realize that hell is itself the Land of Tranquil Light. -Nichiren

Buddhism Day by Day
Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda 10/9

What is final victory in life?

What matters is winning in the end; the wins and losses along the way are of secondary significance. It's final victory in life that counts and that is the reason for our Buddhist practice. No matter how powerful or famous or privileged a person might be, Nichiren says, from a Buddhist point of view it is all nothing more than a dream, an illusory pleasure; true happiness can only be attained by revealing the state of Buddhahood within your own life.

Buddhism Day by Day
Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda 9/9

TWO DUCKS AND A TURTLE - a Story from Buddhist Scriptures

The Story is from the Sutra of Parables, told by the Buddha in a sermon:

Once upon a time, there was a turtle living in a pond. Because of the very dry weather, the pond was drying up and the turtle got out of the pond to ask for help. He saw two ducks passing by and shouted out, "Help! Would you please bring me to a pond full of water?"

"How can we help you out?" asked the ducks. "We are flying in the air and you are swimming in water."

"I propose that both of you carry each ends of a piece of stick with you by your mouths, " replied the turtle. "Then I hold on to it at the middle with my mouth. You can then carry me to a pond full of water."

"That is a good idea," said the two ducks. "We will help you out. But you must remember not to open your month."

So, the duck carried the turtle across the country side toward the lake. As they passed over a village, a group of children looked at them and bursted into laughter, "Look! What a funny sight! Two ducks carrying a stick with a turtle holding onto it with his month!"

The turtle was angry at the remark and reply, "you guys are stupid. What do you understand?" But, once he opened his month, he fell from sky and crashed to death.

Moral of the story: It pays to shut your mouth some time.

A KING WHO DEPORTED OLD AGED CITIZENS

- A Story From the Buddhist Scriptures

This is what I (i.e., Ananda) had heard from the teaching of the Lord Buddha during a sermon at Sravasti:

Once upon a time, there was a King who did not like his old citizens. He thought that people who became old had no more use for his kingdom and therefore one day he decreed that anyone over 60 years old were to be deported. Anyone who disobeyed him would face severe punishments and no one dared to keep their old parents at home.

One of his senior officers, however, secretly kept his father in an underground chamber. Every day, he brought him food to eat, water to drink and Buddhist Scriptures to study so that he could spend his last days of his life peacefully.

When Emperor Sakra (the King of Heaven in Buddhism) learned of this policy, he became very unhappy with it and sent one of his gods to see the King. The god brought with him a message from Heaven to the King saying, "I am giving you a list of problems to solve. You have to give me the correct answers within one month. By the end of this period, if you cannot solve these problems, Emperor Sakra will destroy and level out your Kingdom!" (NOTE: Sounds like the Christian bible in which God would destroy two evil cities if He could not found any good man inside!!).

These problems were:

a) First, the messenger from Heaven put a pair of snakes in front of the Palace and asked the King to distinguish the male snake from the female snake.

b) Next, he gave the King an elephant and asked the King to weigh it.

c) He than put a bowl of clean water in front of the Palace and asked the King to find another bowl of water more valuable than it.

d) He also put a piece of sandalwood in front of the Imperial Court and asked the King, "where is the head and where is the end of the piece of wood?"

e) Finally, the messenger from Heaven brought with him a pair of white horses which looked exactly the same in all respects. The King was asked to find the mother horse.

None of his officers were able to solve these problems. The King started to get concerned and put notices all over his Kingdom saying that anybody who could come up with answers would be awarded 20,000 pieces of gold. Time was passing quickly and the end of the month was fast approaching. Still, nobody had a clue what to do.

Then on the last day of the month, Emperor Sakra appeared before the King and asked, "have you solved the problems yet?" The King, now terrified, failed to give Emperor Sakra any answers.

By this time, one of the Imperial Court's Officers stepped forward with his old father and said, "My father had the solutions."

"All right," replied Emperor Sakra. "Show me how to solve these problems."

To distinguish the male snake from the female snake, the old father put both of them on a piece of soft cloth. One of the snakes started to get uneasy and tried to escape. "That snake must be a male snake. The quiet snake must be a female snake." said the old father. Problem number one solved.

Next, the father took the elephant onto a boat which was floating in a nearby river. Immediately, the boat sank a little bit and than stabilized afterward. Then he made a mark at the level of water at the side of the boat and let the elephant out. Next, he put pieces of stone back onto the boat until the watermark was at the same level. After the stones were weighed on a scale, the elephant's weight could be determined. The problem was also solved.

"To solve the problem of the bowl of water is easy", the old father told Emperor Sakra. "All I have to do is to take any other bowl of water and give it to someone else, such as a traveler in a desert, to drink. A bowl of water used to save life is more valuable than the bowl of water just sitting there in front of the Palace doing nothing." The problem was again solved.

To solve the problem of the piece of sandalwood, the old father put it in water. The head, which is denser, submerged underneath in water. The end, which is lighter, floated upward. Problem solved once more.

To solve the last problem, the old father found some good fine hay and put it between the pair of white horses. They noticed that one of the horses kicked the hay to the other one and let her eat first. She must be the mother horse!

Emperor Sakra was very pleased with the answers. He announced that he would excuse the Kingdom from being destroyed. The human King suddenly became enlightened and kneeled before the King of Gods, "I now see what you mean. It is my mistake to mistreat my old aged citizens. I am asking you to forgive my sin and I will return my old aged citizens to their homes."

Emperor Sakra was very pleased and returned to Heaven.

What transcend out of opposition and obstacles?

Without opposition there is no growth. It is hard to argue with that logic. A state in which we are free from problems or constraints is not happiness. Happiness is transcending all opposition and obstacles and continuing to grow.

For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 8/9

What is true freedom?

Freedom doesn't mean an absence of all restrictions. It means possessing unshakable conviction in the face of any obstacle. This is true freedom.

For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 7/9

THE MASSACRE OF THE BUDDHA'S HOMETOWN

- A story from the Buddhist Scriptures

ACT I Planting the seed of war

Ancient India was a country of many Kingdoms, and wars frequently broke out among them. But, according to the teachings of the Buddha, the Law of Karma is always applicable to individuals as well as to whole nations. One should therefore treat the citizens of other nations with all the due respects they deserved.

According to historical records, the Buddha's home country, Kapilavastu, had a very strong neighbour known as the Kingdom of Kosala, whose King was named Prasenajit (in Pali, Pasenadi). These two countries had numerous conflicts for many generations.

Before the Buddha was enlightened, King Prasenajit sent an embassador to the Sakya people (the citizens of Kapilavastu) to court one of their Royal Princesses. But, the Sakya was a proud people. They considered the Kosalans to be barbarians and refused to send in a Princess as a bride. But, King Prasenzjit was a military strong man, and so, to avoid a bloodshed, the Sakya General Mahanama, told the Buddha's father, King Suddhodana:

"I had an idea. Kosala is a very strong country militarily and politically. If we had a conflict with them, we may not be a match. I have a beautiful and attractive slave. Let us lie to them that she was my daughter and send her out as a Royal bride."

However, during those days, marriages between two different classes (such as between a Princess and a worker) were unheard of. This is of course cheating and therefore the Buddha disagreed, saying that it was not a proper manner to treat another nation with lies. But, no one listened and so a slave girl from Kapilavastu was sent to King Prasenajit to become a Royal Queen.



ACT II An insult became an international affair

The King and Queen of Kosala soon gave birth to Prince Virudhaka (literally, precious stones). The Royal couple later became followers of the Buddha. When Prince Virudhaka was about eight years old, he was sent to Kapilavastu to learn weaponry, specializing in arrows.

That was just the time when the Buddha was returning to his hometown to see his family ten years after his great renunciation. The Sakyas was of course very excited. They built a huge, magnificent and gorgeous platform to welcome the Buddha back home, decorated with beautiful carvings and with incense sticks. The workers than put up a holy altar to prepare for Buddha's sermon.

Prince Virudhara was just a small kid. He played in the streets of the city with his school friends and soon wondered into the huge platform. When the Sakya soldiers saw him playing in what was considered to be a holy altar, their Commander got furious - the descendant of a slave should not be seen inside a Royal building and mixed with high class Brahmins. He ordered the soldiers to kick out the young Prince Virudhaka and the workers to resurface and repaint any areas touched by a lowly human being. Such areas were considered to be dirty and had to be covered with fresh soil or paint.

Prince Virudhara was angry of this whole affair and vowed that, "When I become King of Kosala, I will take revenge against the Sakyas."

When the Buddha learned of the incident, he knew that the fate of his own country was dated, because everything that the Sakya people did was against international protocol.



ACT III Buddha's effort to stop the war

After King Suddhodana (the Buddha's father) had passed away, General Mahanama became the King of Kapilavastu. Many years had passed and there had been peace between the two countries because both the King and Queen of Kosala (together with Crown Prince Jeta) were the Buddha's followers. But the world is such an impermanent place to live that one day, peace came to an end when King and Queen Prasenajit went outside his palace to inspect his own subjects. Prince Virudhara had staged a military coup, sizing power from the King and killing his step brother the Crown Prince Jeta.

In the confusion, King Prasenajit and his "slave" Queen fled to Kapilavastu to seek political asylum. Soon King Prasenajit, now about 80 years old, died of sickness and was buried with much pomp and circumstances.

Meanwhile, Prince Virudhara, having seized power, announced that he was now King of Kosala and declared war on Kapilavastu.

When the Buddha learned of the impending conflict, he tried to stop the advancing Kosalan army by meditating under a dead tree on the face of the advancing King Virudhara.

The King did not like the Buddha at all, but he stopped his chariot and asked him, "You should be meditating under a Bodhi tree, not under a dead tree."

"You are right, " replied the Buddha, "but what is the use of a Bodhi tree without love and peace?"

It was customary those days in India that an army had to retreat if they came across a holy religious man on the way, and what they met was the Buddha. Therefore, following international protocol of those days, King Virudhara ordered his army to return home.

But soon King Virudhara mounted a second assault and a third assault, but each time he met the Buddha seating underneath a dead tree facing the advancing army. So according to ancient Indian international protocol, the Kasolan Army returned home.

The fourth time, however, the Buddha was not there, and King Virudhara's army marched straight towards Kapilavastu.



ACT IV Maha-Maudgalyana mystic power failure

"My Lord Buddha, " said Ananda, one day at the monastery, "why are you so sad?"

"The Sakya people will be massacred in a week," replied the Buddha sadly. "They had broken international protocol and insulted a Royal Prince from their neighbourhood Kingdom. They never felt sorry of what they did nor gave an apology. No matter what his ancestors was, a human being should be treated with respect. Therefore, the karma of the Sakya people had ripened and there is little I can do to help."

"But, that is my country," protested Maha-Maudgalyayana, one of Buddha's Senior student. "I will do whatever I can to help Kapilavastu out!"

"It is their sin and no one will escape the law of karma." said the Buddha. "If they do not confess that they are wrong, no one can save them!"

The Kingdom of Kapilavastu was now surrounded by the Kasolan troops. Maha-Maudgalyayana, an expert in performing mystic powers, flew into the city and put 500 Sakyas into his begging bowl. Then, he took the bowl with him and flew out to safety. But, when he open his begging bowl and looked inside, there weren't any people. All he had was a bowl of bloody water! Now, he understood that the Law of karma is the supreme law of the Universe and no one is above it!



ACT V The Massacre

After many days of war, General Mahanama gave in and surrendered. During ancient times, "surrender" also meant death and King Virudhaka immediately ordered a massacre of all 30,000 Sakyas.

"No matter what, " said General Mahanama to King Virudhaka, "you are still my adopted grandson. I have a last request."

"What is it?"

"It is not easy to kill that many people. I beg you to let some people out. I am now going to submerge into the river while my people are fleeing. Once I come out of the water, you can start the killing." said General Mahanama.

"Good," King Virudhaka bursted into laughter. "I want to see how long can you stay under water."

So the Sakyas started to flee, and King Virudhaka laughed loudly at the embarrassment of his enemies, thinking that it was funny to see them getting out in a mess. But when most of the Sakyas had fled, King Virudhaka, became curious, "how come General Mahanama stays under water for so long?" He sent his soldiers to check it out.

"Your Majesty, " replied his soldier after the investigation, "General Mahanama is dead. He gave up his life to save his own people." bursting into tears as he made his report.



ACT VI A tragic ending

Thus, King Virudhaka, the son of the Buddha's devoted follower, killed his own family and massacred another nation. But shortly after his victory, a fire occurred in his Palace. Was it an "accident" or was it an act of his enemies, or was it a fire from Heaven, no one knew. But no one seemed to care and he and his Queen were killed in that fire.

Finally, another Buddha's follower, King Ajatasatru, consolidated both Kingdoms to form the Empire of Rajagrha.

How to bring forth all ability and capability within us?

We often hear people say they aren't capable. But this is a defeatist attitude. If you feel you aren't capable, then tap into the great reservoir of potential that lies inside you. Since we embrace the Daishonin's Buddhism, we have recourse to daimoku. If we chant daimoku to the Gohonzon, we can bring forth all the ability and strength we will ever need.

For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 6/9

What is the first priority of young people?

Young people in school should make study their first priority. It goes without saying that faith is important, but faith is something we practice throughout our entire lives. There is a certain period and age when we should study. If we don't work hard during that period, we may fail to acquire important knowledge and skills, and we may come to regret it deeply later. Faith manifests itself in daily life. For young people in school, faith manifests itself in their studies. During this period, to devote themselves to study represents an important part of their practice of faith.

For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 5/9

500 HAPPY BISCUITS - A Story from Buddhist Sutra, (of the Hundred Parables)

The following interesting story was told by the Buddha in a sermon. It was recorded in the Sutra of the Hundred Parables, Chapter 65, by his senior student Ananda.

Once upon a time, a wife was unfaithful to her husband and for a long time, she had been waiting for an opportunity to get rid of him. One day, the husband got a job assignment at the neigherhood Kingdom (ancient India was a country with many Kingdoms) and had to leave home for a long business trip. The woman now got an opportunity: she mixed some poisons with flour, and together with other tasty ingredients such as honey, ginger, pepper, grapes, nuts, etc., made five hundred "happy biscuits."

"Now you are going away for a long trip," said the wife, "I had prepared five hundred 'happy biscuits' for you on the way. Once you are outside our city in a foreign land, you can eat the biscuits if you are hungry."

The husband took the biscuits with many thanks, not knowing that the food was poisonous, prepared by his wife to kill him. Soon he was out of his hometown traveling along a long country road through a huge forest. It was getting dark and there was no house anywhere to be seen. So, he decided to stay outside in the wild for the night. To avoid attacks from wild animals, he climbed up a huge tree to get some sleep. He had forgotten all about the five hundred happy biscuits and left them together with his other belongings on the foot of the tree.

In the middle of the night, a gang of rebels had attacked the Treasury of the neighbourhood Kingdom and took most of the precious stones from the Palace, together with a herd of horses. As they passed through the forest, they took a rest right under the huge tree where the merchant had stayed. Because they had been running away from the King's pursuing army, they were very tired and hungry. Thus, when they found the poisonous biscuits under the tree, they just helped themselves with the food.

By next morning, all the rebels were found dead. The merchant came down the tree, made sure everyone was really dead by putting a sword and arrow through each body. Then he took the precious stones, put them on the horses and rode toward the Capital City.

"I am from so and so Kingdom," he reported to the King. "Last night, when I was traveling on the roadway, I met a gang of rebels from your Kingdom. I fought a battle with them all by myself and killed them all. Here are all your horses and precious stones from your Treasury."

After the King sent an investigation team to verify what he said, he was so happy that he gave this foreign merchant a medal, a big prize, and a piece of land and a high office in his Government. The other officers were unhappy. "Why the King gave such a huge prize to a foreigner who may or may not be trustworthy?"

"OK" replied the merchant, "if you guys are unhappy, I am challenging you to compete with me in a contest. Who want to come forward?"

Nobody dared to accept the challenge. After all, who wanted to fight with someone who killed a whole group of rebellious gangsters just by himself alone?

********************************************

One day a fierce lion was found roaming the villages of the Kingdom, killing a lot of people and animals. Nobody dared to venture outside in the rural area. The officers suggested to the King, "This foreigner describes himself as a fearless warrior. Now, you should assign him to kill the lion because nobody else has the ability to do it."

On hearing their suggestion, the King summoned the foreigner to the Imperial Court and said to him, "I assign you to a mission to get rid of the lion for my Kingdom. You can take any weapon with you from our weaponry to do the job. I am sure you can do it."

Upon hearing this, the foreigner was scared to death in his heart. However, he had no choice but to accept the assignment. He took a sword and went outside the city to look for the lion.

As the two met each other, the lion roared loudly and dashed toward the foreigner. He was so frightened that he turned around and climbed up a big tree. The lion circled around the tree underneath, looked up towards him and gave a big roar. The terrified man started to panic and dropped his sword from his hand. But as fate would have it, the sword dropped down right into the mouth of the lion, instantly killing the beast.

As news was spread around in the Kingdom, the foreigner was regarded as a big hero by everybody and was awarded even a bigger prize and a higher position in the Imperial Court.

What are the reponsiblities of SGI leaders?

Leaders who are responsible for organizing and holding discussion meetings in the SGI must study. If they do not, they cannot hope to satisfy the participants and inspire them with fresh energy and enthusiasm.

For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 4/9

What is the importance of mentor-disciple relationship?

True character is only forged through hardship and suffering. Moreover, it is the mentor-disciple relationship, not organizational structures, that builds character. Many great scholars, pioneers and leaders of the world have come to note how crucial the mentor-disciple relationship is.

For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 3/9

What should be the spirit if youth today?

The stronger the oppression from without, the stronger one's determination to summon forth one's inner resources to fight against it—this is the spirit of youth.

For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 2/9

What is the influence on the children if a mother has strong faith?

A mother's beliefs have a powerful influence on her children. In the realm of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism, too, the children of families where the mother's faith is strong invariably develop into admirable adults.

For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 1/9

EATING THE SAME PIECE OF CAKE - A Story from Buddhist Sutra (of the Hundred Parables)

Once upon a time, there was a married couple who received three pieces of cake from their neighbour for their anniversary. As they sat down and helped themselves to the cake, there was one piece left behind. Who was going to eat it?

The husband said, "Let us have a contest between us. Whoever wins will have that piece of cake."

The wife replied, "OK. Then, whoever started to say anything will be lost."

Then, the couple sat down, each did not say a word, because whoever talked first would lost this contest. All they did was staring at that piece of cake waiting for the other spouse to start talking. Of course, it was a fun game, until.....

It soon became dark and a burglar went passing by. He noticed that the windows and door are unlocked and there were two persons sitting still inside the house, not saying a word to each other. He went in, but the two persons were still sitting quiet, not moving at all. He went inside and starting taking things out of the house, but the couple still keep their eyes on that piece of cake, ignoring him.

The burglar turned around and looked at the woman. He said, "Oh, what an attractive woman." And started touching her.

The wife could not stand this any more and roared, "You are a stupid fool. Do you see your wife is being sexually assaulted by a stranger!?"

Upon hearing what his wife said, the husband picked up the piece of cake right away and said, "Hurrah, I have won the contest!"

What chant for the future?

As long as we pray earnestly and sincerely with all our being, if we have strong and genuine faith, even though results may not be immediately visible, they will definitely manifest without fail in generations of our children and our children's children. I would like all of you to have absolute confidence in this.

For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 31/8

What is the correct way to chant daimoku?

The Daishonin states, "The voice does the Buddha's work" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 708). To chant the Mystic Law is to praise the Gohonzon. Hearing the sound of our daimoku, the heavenly deities will be set into motion and work to protect us. A weak and unclear voice will not move the heavenly deities. That is why it is important for us to chant daimoku with voices that are clear, strong and brimming with joy.

For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 30/8

A CREATION STORY - Story from the Sutra of Hundred Parables

The Buddha actually poked fun at the idea of a Creator God, according to the Sutra of Hundred Parables (¦Ê ³ë ¸g). In this Sutra, he told approximately one hundred humorous stories to his disciples during a sermon. One of the stories told by the Lord Buddha is as follows (Chapter 61):

Other religions said, "The Brahma ('God' in Saskrit) is the father of all sentient beings. He created everything in the Universe and therefore He is the Lord of everything." Thus, one of His disciples went to see God and said, "I can also create things in the Universe because I am your student".

God replied, "This is stupid. Don't even think of it! You cannot create anything at all!"

God's disciple did not listen and went ahead to create something. When God saw what his disciple had created, He bursted into laughter, "HA! HA! See what you had created? The head is too big! The neck is too small! The hand is too big and the arm too short! And look at the feet: a big feet with a very short leg! What you had created is a terrible monster."

NOTE: you are free to interprete this story told by Buddha in anyway you want.

What in life, once attained can never be destroyed, not for all eternity?

Worldly success and good circumstances based on luck can easily crumble. They are as transient as an illusion. But the state of Buddhahood, once attained, can never be destroyed, not for all eternity. We will enjoy an existence overflowing with good fortune and immense joy in lifetime after lifetime.

For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 29/8

What is success in Buddhism?

Success is not a matter of accumulating more of this or that; it is not measured in quantity. It means changing the quality of your life. Wealth, power, fame and knowledge alone cannot make you happy, no matter how much of these you acquire. Nor can you take them with you when you die. But by improving the quality of your life you will at last approach true happiness.

For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 28/7

BUILDING A HOUSE IN MID-AIR - A Story from the Buddhist Sutra

The Buddha loved to tell stories when he was giving a sermon. Here is one from the Sutra of Hundred Parables.

Once upon a time there were two very rich merchants living in the same town, both loved to show off their wealth. Let us call them A and B.

One day merchant A went to visit merchant B, he observed that B had a big house three storeys high. (NOTE: 2,500 year ago, a three storeys high house was a very impressive project!!) He also noticed that everyone in town was very impressed with B's house and said how great it was!

On returning home, merchant A was not happy that B got all the attention. So he also hired the same architect to build another house three storeys high. The architect accepted the job and started the project.

A few days later, merchant A went to visit the construction site. When he saw workers digging the land to prepare for the foundation, he went to see the architect and asked what was happening.

"I am constructing a three storeys high house as per our contract." replied the architect. "But first, I have to prepare a solid foundation, then build the first floor, second floor and finally third floor."

"I do not want anything else, I just want the third floor right away, as high as B's house." demand merchant A. "Never mind the foundation or the other floors."

"That cannot be done." replied the architect.

"OK, then I hire some else to do it."

Nobody in town was able to build a house with no foundation, and so the project was never done.

Why we must not stop halfway in our faith?

The important thing is to keep working for kosen-rufu to the very end. On any journey, we cannot hope to reach our destination if we stop halfway. Likewise, if despite our good fortune in meeting and embarking on the unsurpassed way of Buddhism, we stop halfway, all the efforts we have made thus far will have been in vain; we will not be able to attain Buddhahood.

For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 27/8

How can we accumulate great fortune?

We accumulate great good fortune through our earnest prayers, devotion and efforts for the sake of Buddhism, kosen-rufu and humankind. Prayer without action is not the way of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism.

For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 26/8

The Sandalwood Tree - A Story from Buddhist Sutra

This is what I (ie, Ananda, Buddha's Senior Student) have heard from the teaching of the Lord Buddha:

Once upon a time, there were 500 merchants returning from a successful business trip overseas, bringing back with them lots of precious stones. On their way home they were crossing a mountainous huge forest. It was getting dark and the merchants put up their camps for the night.

Next morning, everybody waked up and continued with their journey. But one of them slept in and was left behind. As a result he was wondering around by himself in the huge forest and got lost. Suddenly, a black cloud covered the sky and the weather turned cold. To make the matter worse, it started snowing and soon the snow covered the road completely. Facing such difficulties, the lost merchant bursted into tears and kneeled down to pray for help.

"What happened?" suddenly a voice came from above. It was the God of Forest that was sent down by Emperor Sakra. (NOTE: Emperor Sakra is the King of Gods in Buddhism).

"I got lost. How can I survive this winter in a strange huge forest?"

"Don't worry. I am the God of Forest. The Heavenly Emperor told me to help you out to survive this winter here. Come with me. See the big tree there? Use it as a shelter and it will give you warmth. In the mean time, I will bring you some food." Then, for the whole winter, the lost merchant stayed under the big tree using it as shelter.

Spring arrived and gradually the snow thawed away. It was time to say good bye. As the merchant departed, the God of Forest gave him a gold coin and said, "You follow this road, and there is a small town about ten miles away. With this coin you should have enough money for your expenses on your way back home"

"Thank you for your help," he said to the God of Forest. "Without your help and the help of this big tree, I would not have survived. By the way, this vigorous tree gives out a very good aromatic smell all year round. It is very rare. What is its name?"

"Never mind its name." replied the God of Forest.

"But, it helped me survive the winter, and I do not even know its name. How can I return some day to repay what I own him?"

"OK. Its name is called Santalum Album." replied the God of Forest. "It is a very rare tree. Its root can cure many kinds of deceases and it gives out an aromatic smell many miles away. But you must keep the location of the tree as a secret, otherwise you may invite very bad luck and get struck by axes or by saw."

The merchant promised to keep the tree location as a top secret. Then, he said a final farewell and on his way home. Finally, after a few weeks' journey, he returned to his hometown, to the delight of his family.

**************************************************************


One day, the King suffered from a strange migraine, and the Royal Doctor prescribed the root of Santalum Album as medicine. Nothing else seemed to work. The King gave an order to look for Santalum Album but nowhere could the species be found within the Kingdom.

The migraine became so bad that the King announced that anybody who was able to find Santalum Album would be knighted with a large piece of land, a high office in Government and in addition, he would be married to one of the Royal Princesses. The merchant was so tempted by the huge prize that he could not resist telling the King, "I know a place where Santalum Album is grown." The King was so glad that he sent his soldiers to go with the merchant to the forest where the rare tree species was found.

When the soldiers arrived and saw the tree, it was growing very vigorously, with lots of beautiful branches and leaves that gave out a very nice fragrant smell covering the whole forest. They had never seen such a rare beautiful tree before. The General who headed the mission thought, "If my soldiers cut the tree, it will be gone forever. I do not know if there is any other Santalum Album in this world. But if I leave the tree alone, I will be accused of disobeying an order. What should I do now?"

As he was walking back and forth in front of the tree trying to make a difficult decision, the God of Forest appeared above him and said, "If you need to cure the King's sickness, go ahead and cut the tree. But plant back some portion of its root using human blood as fertilizer and human flesh as dressing to the wound. The tree will grow back to its original vigor."

On hearing this, the General ordered his soldiers to cut the tree down. As the tree fell to one side, the trunk struck the merchant accidentally, killing him instantaneously. The General was terrified to see the accident, but as fate would have it, human blood was now available as fertilizer and human flesh could now be used as dressing. So he ordered the soldiers to replant the Santalum Album as directed by the God of Forest.

Almost instantaneously, new sprouts started to shoot out of the wounded roots, indicating that the planting was successful. The soldiers immediately shipped the trunk back to the Palace. After using the root as medicine, the King recovered miraculously. In addition, material from the trunk was made into medicine, available to any citizens who needed it. The King and his people were very healthy afterwards.

What did the Buddha try to teach with this story? Give some thought to it.

How we live a life of complete fulfillment?

Life flashes by in an instant. By devoting our lives to Buddhism, we will live a life of complete fulfillment. We are selling ourselves short if we fail to attain such a wonderful state of life.

For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 25/8

How to be fearless and advance like a lion?

Advancement—Nichiren Daishonin teaches the spirit that "not to advance is to retreat." The point is to continue forging ahead despite any storms or hardships that may arise, to be fearless and advance like a lion.

For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 24/8

THE UNFAITHFUL WIFE - a Story from the Buddhist Sutra

Once upon a time, a beautiful woman was unfaithful to her husband and had an affair with another man. During those days, it is not possible to divorce one's husband by simply declaring "I don't love him any more" and remarried to someone else. So she devised a scheme to separate from her husband legally.

She had a friend who worked at the village funeral home. One day, while her husband had gone for a trip elsewhere, she created an "accident" at home and asked her friend to arrange a dead body of another woman to put in her home. Somehow the body was destroyed beyond recognition.

When the husband returned home, he was shocked to find that his house had an accident so severe that the body of his "wife" was destroyed beyond recognition. He was so mournful that, after he had cremated her body, he carried the ashes with him all the time.

The trick worked well and the unfaithful wife ran away with her lover to live together. But as time went on, problems and conflicts developed between the two. It did not have a fairy tale ending at all.

Gradually, the unfaithful wife learnt of what her husband did to "her ashes" and was moved by the love that he had for her. So one day, she decided to end the relationship with her lover and return to her husband. She found her husband on the street of the city and called out his name, thinking that he must be very glad to find that she was still alive after all.

"Who are you?" said the husband, when he saw her. "I have never met you before."

She was stung by the answer. "I am your wife." She tried to explain she was still alive.

"My wife is dead. Here are her ashes. I had been carrying it around with me after her death." replied the husband.

The beautiful woman was devastated. How came a husband who loved her so much that he carried her "ashes" around with him failed to recognize her? But no matter what she said, the husband refused to accept the fact that his wife was still alive.

To him, his wife had died. His love for her had also died when she lied to him.

THE PRODIGAL SON - a Story from "the Lotus Sutra"

This parable was told by one of Buddha's senior disciple Maha-Kasyapa:

Once upon a time, there was a man who had a son. As a teenage, the son took his father's money and ran away from home to lead an extravagant life. After he had spent all his money, he became very poor, and had to wonder from town to town, begging for a living.

Many years had passed and the father had been looking for him but failed to find him. As time went by, the father became very rich, having a big house with numerous treasures, gold and silver, a large herd of cattle and goat, a group of servants and employees, and a large fleet of elephant and horse drawn wagons.

One day, the son was wondering into his hometown and begging for a living as usual. He came across a fleet of luxurious wagons, accompanied by a group of servants. When he saw the procession, he thought, "he must be a king or some noble knight. Well, I should not have come here. It is difficult to approach someone very high in society to ask for help."

As he was turning around and going away, the father recognized him and ordered his security officers to get him. As the son was approached by the security officers, he cried out in despair, "I had not committed any crime. Why do you want to arrest me?" The security officers became suspicious. They tied him up and brought him to see the father.

The father looked at him carefully to make sure that he indeed was his son. He knew that his son had a very strong will and it would not work if he tried to lure him back with money or riches alone. So, without saying a word, he ordered his release and let him go. The son was glad that he was free, but he returned to the ghetto and continued to beg for a living.

The next day, the father sent two of his senior employees to the ghetto to look for his son. The two employees found him and said, "our boss is operating a big business and he is looking for someone who is trustworthy to work as a janitor. We will offer you a good salary and benefits. Are you interested in taking the job?" Having been wandering from town to town looking for work, the son was happy that someone offered him a job. He accepted it immediately.

As the son took on a low ranking job as a janitor, the father did not say anything about their relationship to any other employees, customers, suppliers, friends or relatives. However, the son proved himself to be a good worker and soon earned the respect of his fellow employees. As time went by he was promoted to a senior position.

One day, his father got sick, and, knowing that his days were soon over, his gathered every employee, friends and relatives to announce his will. He disclosed the father-and-son relationship to everybody and announced that his son would inherit his business. The son, by this time, a fairly senior employee, had proven his ability to take over his father's business operation.

Maha-Kasyapa (Buddha's senior disciple) concluded that the father represented the Lord Buddha and the son represented the followers.


NOTE: Although a similar story appears in the Christian Bible (Luke Chapter 15, 12 to 32), there is a very significant philosophical difference between Buddhism and Christianity. In the Christian Bible, the father forgave the son immediately and gave him all his heritage as soon as the son admitted his sin - that means: you have sinned, therefore, success is a grace from God. Here in the Lotus Sutra, after the reunion, the son proved his ability to take over his father's heritage - that is, success is largely a result of your own effort. However, the reader is free to interpret the story in anyway he wants.

How to score victory at your place of work?

Shijo Kingo, a person of strong faith, was at one point envied and slandered by others, earning the disfavor of his lord. But later he received a new estate from him. In modern terms, we might say that Shijo Kingo scored this victory by showing wonderful actual proof of faith at his place of work. The test of faith is winning in daily life and society, since that is where Buddhism finds expression

For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 23/8

How to remove the darkness in your life?

It is not a question of your environment or those around you, nor what the organization or leaders may be like. To be swayed by such externals is pointless. It all comes down to one person: you. What matters is that you become a brilliant beacon, shining with joy and happiness and live your life with confidence and courage. If you shine with a radiant light, there can be no darkness in your life.

For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 22/8

What is the force that leads to victory?

Those who say "I'll do it," who are willing to take on a challenge even if they are alone, are true winners. The determination, the commitment to take action yourself, is the force that leads to victory. As Buddhism teaches in the principle of a life-moment possesses 3,000 realms, our mind or attitude can change everything.

For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 21/8

What is the root of true happiness?

To be fearless no matter what happens—that is the root of true happiness. To move forward resolutely regardless of what lies in store—that is the spirit, the resolve, that leads to human victory. But if we allow ourselves to be disturbed by petty criticism and slander, if we fear pressure and persecution, we will never advance nor create anything of lasting value.

For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 20/8

THE STORY OF TWO LOVERS - a story from the Buddhist Sutra.

This is a dramatic love story from the Buddhist Sutra. It is fairly lengthy and therefore sub-divided into several ACTS.

ACT I - Magic Pearl from the Dragon King of Ocean
Once upon a time, an Indian King had two sons. One of them was very kind and compassionate, and the other was very mean and evil. For simplicity, we will call them the Good Heart Prince and the Evil Heart Prince respectively.

One day, the King summoned them to the Imperial Court and said, "The welfare of my subjects is very important, and my government had been helping the poor people of this country. But now my treasury is almost empty and so I want you to go to see the Dragon King (God of the Ocean) and ask for help. Once you went to the ocean shore, you recite a mantra given to me by a Hermit yesterday. Then the Dragon King will come out to greet you and give you a precious pearl. Bring it home and put it in my treasury because it will bring prosperity to my kingdom and my people."

The two brothers accepted the mission and off they went to the shore of the Indian Ocean. They did exactly what was told and, after reciting the mantra, the Dragon King came out of the Indian Ocean and asked what they want.

After listening to their request, the God of Indian Ocean said, "since your Royal Father had such a noble cause, I will help you out. Take this magic pearl back to your palace. It will ensure your Kingdom's prosperity as long as you take good care of your subjects." Happily the two brothers accepted the gift and left for home.

ACT II - The Fight between the Two Princes
As the two brothers traveled along a road on the way home, a greedy thought suddenly came to the mind of the Evil Heart Prince. "Why not get the magic precious pearl all for myself? After my father's death, I will be the King of the richest kingdom on earth!" So, he drew his sword and tried to kill his brother.

But, of course, the Good Heart Prince refused to give it up without resistance, and soon it developed into a big fight. Unfortunately, after a whole day's fight, the Good Heart Prince suffered serious injuries and collapsed by the road side. The Evil Heart Prince took the pearl, returned to the Palace, and reported to his father that they had encountered some rebellious gangs on the way. He told his father that his brother was killed in a battle. The King was of course very mournful upon hearing the death of his son.

ACT III - Escaped to the Neighborhood Kingdom
Back to the crime scene, some Buddhist Monks was walking by when they spotted the badly wounded Good Heart Prince laying by the road side. They took him back to their temple and tended his wounds. Several months had passed, the Good Heart Prince was getting better, except for his eye sight - his eyes were injured so badly that he was now blind.

By now, the Monks learned of his identity and decided that it was not safe for the Prince to stay here, because the Evil Heart Prince always wanted to kill him. So they took him to a Monastery in the neighbourhood Kingdom to continued to take care of him.

Several years had passed and the Prince was fully recovered, except for his eyesight. However, during the time he stayed in the Monastery, he learned how to play various musical instruments and was able to play very good sensational songs. During all these year, he had hided his identity for fear of being assassinated by his brother.

One day, the King of the neighbourhood kingdom was looking for a gardener-musician for the garden inside the Royal Palace. The Monk-in-Charge thought, "this is a good place for Good Heart Prince to be in. He will be very safe inside the Royal Palace." So, he recommended the Prince to the King for the job. After an audition, the King immediately offered him the job, without knowing that he was in fact the Prince was his Neighbour

Act IV - Prince and Princess Fallen in Love
The Good Heart Prince, now just an ordinary gardener, did a very good job at the Royal Palace. He tended the plants of the Royal Palace really well and he played good music for the Royal family. But still, he hided his identity and everyone in the Palace thought that he was just an orphan grown up in a Buddhist Monastery.

One beautiful evening, the King's Daughter took a walk in the garden and heard a very beautiful song played by somebody in the garden. The Princess was so attracted to the music that she went to find out who the musician was. As soon as the two young people met, they seemed to know each other from previous lives and they immediately fell in love with each other. The Princess went to the Royal Garden every day to talk to the blind gardener and listen to his music. After a while, they fell in love so madly with each other that the young Princess went to see her father to ask permission to get married.

"What!?" the King was shook at the proposal and opposed to the marriage. "You are a Royal Princess and he is just an ordinary blind gardener from a lower class!" During ancient India, marriage across classes was unknown.

"But I love him. If you do not allow me to marry him, I will die of heartbreaking," said the Princess, crying.

"No way." replied the stubborn King. "When you were young, I had promised to marry you to the Good Heart Prince of our Neighbourhood Kingdom. You should be married to another Royal Family, not to an ordinary worker. Your proposal cannot be accepted!"

"How can I get married to Good Heart Prince?" protested the Princess. "The Prince had not been found for many years. I love him, even though he is just an ordinary blind-gardener musician. Please, father, give us permission to get married!"

Act V - A Miracle Performed by the King of Gods
By this time, the blind gardener stepped forward to reveal his identity and told them he was the Good Heart Prince and that he was escaping from his brother, the Evil Heart Prince. The Princess jumped for joy on hearing that her fiancé was right there in front of her. The King, however, was skeptical, "How can you prove that you are in fact Good Heart Prince?"

"I will swear to the King of Heaven and Gods that if I am telling the truth, my eyesight will be restored. If not, then I will be blind forever." said the gardener.

Emperor Sakra, the King of Gods, listening to the conservation, was so moved by the gardener that he appeared before the young couple. He told everybody, "You are right, young Prince. You are indeed the Good Heart Prince and you two have the same karma in your previous lives so that you are destined to be happily married couple." Then the King of Heaven performed a miracle and restored the eyesight of the young prince completely.

Act VI - A Happy Ending
The wedding ceremony was of course magnificent. The embassador from the Neighourhood Kingdom was invited. And the whole nation had a good time.

After the wedding, the couple returned to their home country with a fleet of servants and guards carried by a herd of elephants. The Evil Heart Prince - I do not know what happened to him - Some said that he was punished and served a jail sentence. Others said that after the Good Heart Prince pardoned his crime, he was so moved that he became a devout follower of the Lord Buddha.

BATTLE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL II - a Story from Buddhist Sutra

One day, Sakra, the King of Gods, and Mara, the King of Asura, were fighting a heated battle. By the end of the day, Asura's army of Evil Generals and Soldiers were, however, in a upper hand and Sakra's army, leaded by the four Celestial Generals, had to retreat in defect.

As Sakra's army were retreating along a narrow road under Mount Meru, suddenly, it came to a halt.

"What happens? Can we kept going," asked the Heavenly Emperor.

"Your Majesty," replied one of the Celestial Generals, "there is a group of baby garudas (literally: Golden Feather Birds) nesting right in the middle of the road and they are on our way. I cannot pass through. Should we run them over with our chariots?"

"No," replied the Emperor. "I rather die in a battle for just course than killing a group of innocent beings who are neutral in this war. Let us return to the battlefield." So he ordered the whole army to turn around and charge back towards Mara's forces.

Meanwhile, King Asura, thinking that Sakra's army had retreated in defect, was hosting a big victory celebration. He was caught totally in surprise when Sakra's army charged back towards his camp. His unprepared army was in complete disarray and suffered a disastrous defect.

What is wisdom in Buddhism?

Buddhism is wisdom. As long as we have wisdom, we can put all things to the best use; we can turn everything in the direction of happiness.

For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 19/8

How to truly gain the great benefit of the Mystic Law?

Buddhism is action. One meaning of kyo of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is action. Without action, we cannot say that we are practicing Nam-myoho-renge-kyo; it would merely remain a concept. Only through action are we able to truly gain the great benefit of the Mystic Law.

For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 18/8

BATTLE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL I - a story from Buddhist Sutra

Sakra, the King of Gods, and Mara, the King of Evils, were enemies and many battles were waged between the two. Each of them lead an full army. One evening, after a full day of battle in which neither side could declare a victory, both of them retreated from the battlefield back into their respective military camps.

On the way back to the military camp, King Mara dropped by a Buddhist Temple for a rest. He took off his uniform, including his military decorations, hamlets and weapons, went inside the Temple, and without greeting to anyone, helped himself to food and tea. Of course he did not bother to make any offering to the Temple. After a "coffee break", King Mara put back his uniform and left for his camp.

"Who the heck is he?" ask one of the Monks. "He seemed to look like an uneducated jerk from the lowest class of people. Even a rogue has better manners."

"He is Mara, the King of Evils" replied the Monk in charge of the Temple.

"Oh well, that's why"

After a little while, Emperor Sakra also stopped by to visit the Buddhist Temple. He also took off his military uniform and went inside. But, once inside, he greeted everybody, saying hello and politely asked for some tea. He also made an offering to the Temple. Then he left for his camp after a "coffee break".

"Who is he?" ask the same Monk. "He is very nice and well mannered. He seemed to be a knight that comes from a noble class."

"He is Emperor Sakra, the King of Gods" replied the Monk in charge.

"That's why. Then I am sure he is on the way to victory. Of course, he will win the battle against King Mara, who is a jerk."

Even though Mara was resting in his camp, he still was able to hear what the Monk said. In fury, he dashed back to the Temple and shouted to the Monks, "How dare you support Sakra and betray me? I am going to give you horror!!"

"I already has courage and therefore I do not need horror. I will return the horror to you!", said the Monk in Charge. And he started chanting some secret mantras.

After some argument, Mara was tired and returned to his camp. But that night, he got bad dreams. Whenever he fell to sleep, he dreamed of some monster shouting to him, "You will lost the battle against Sakra! You will lost the battle against Sakra!! You will ........." repeatly. Since he could not get a good rest during the night, he was so tired the next morning that he decided to return to his palace without any fighting.

Sakra was so happy about his victory that he returned to the Temple to make a big offering. He expressed his wish to meditate with the Monks for the day. To his surprise the Monks refused.

"Why?" he asked.

"Your Majesty, we are just very humble poor monks and so we cannot afford to buy expensive soaps or perfumes. Also, our robes are very old. And therefore we are very smelly."

Upon hearing this, the Heavenly Emperor bursted into laughters, "It does not bother me at all. Good smells come from your heart, not from your body."

What is the benefit of teaching others about Buddhism?

There is nothing more noble than inviting our friends to discussion meetings, gathering together to enable them to establish a connection with Buddhism, to talk about Buddhist teachings, and to deepen our faith. As the Lotus Sutra clearly indicates, through such steady, dedicated efforts to teach others about Buddhism, you are accumulating the good fortune and benefit to be reborn as great leaders and savor a state of unsurpassed freedom in lifetime after lifetime.

For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 17/8

When to discipline yourself and head in the direction of growth and self-improvement?

Certainly there will be times when you wish you had more spending money, more time to sleep and more time for fun and recreation. You may feel restricted now, but you should consider your current situation as the perfect set of circumstances for your growth. Within the restrictions that define your present existence, the only thing to do is to discipline yourself and head in the direction of growth and self-improvement. In the process of exerting yourself in such endeavors, you will without a doubt build and strengthen your character.

For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 16/8