Great bodhisattvas and noble Buddhas

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

What is the essence of a Buddha and a bodhisattva?

Without practice or actual efforts, there is no bodhisattva. Action is the essence of a Buddha. A self-centered life lived solely in pursuit of one's own benefit and fortune is empty and base. A Bodhisattva of the Earth, in contrast, respects others and works for their happiness.

For Today and Tomorrow
Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda 22/7

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