Buddhism enables us to tap from within the depths of our beings the greatest courage and strongest life force there is.

Buddhism Day by Day

Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
Tuesday, December 31, 2013:

 

Buddhism enables us to tap from within the depths of our beings the greatest courage and strongest life force there is. Buddhas are not destined for unhappiness or defeat. Those who practice Buddhism can definitely transform all adversity into something positive, irrespective of the troubled time in which they live, their personal circumstances or the hardships that befall them.

To lead a life in which we are inspired and can inspire others, our hearts have to be alive; they have to be filled with passion and enthusiasm.

For Today and Tomorrow

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
Tuesday, December 31, 2013:

 

To lead a life in which we are inspired and can inspire others, our hearts have to be alive; they have to be filled with passion and enthusiasm. To achieve that, as President Toda also said, we need the courage to "live true to ourselves." And to live true to ourselves, we need the strength of mind not to be swayed by our environment or be obsessed with vanity and superficial appearances. Rather than borrowing from or imitating others, we need the conviction to be able to think for ourselves and to take action from our own sense of responsibility.

Defeat for a Buddhist lies not in encountering difficulties but rather in not challenging them.

Buddhism Day by Day

Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
Monday, December 30, 2013:

 

Defeat for a Buddhist lies not in encountering difficulties but rather in not challenging them. Difficulties only truly become our destiny if we run away from them. We must fight as long as we live.

Taking good care of our health is most important.

For Today and Tomorrow

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
Monday, December 30, 2013:

 

Taking good care of our health is most important. In particular, it is vital for those who are advanced in years to get sufficient rest to avoid becoming fatigued. Sleep is the best medicine. I also hope you will put your wisdom to work and find various ways to improve and maintain your health.

Strive to advance still more brightly and cheerfully

Buddhism Day by Day

Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
Sunday, December 29, 2013:

 

Ralph Waldo Emerson writes: "And so of cheerfulness, or a good temper, the more it is spent, the more of it remains." Cheerfulness is not the same as frivolousness. Cheerfulness is born of a fighting spirit. Frivolousness is the reverse side of cowardly escape. Emerson also said that "power dwells with cheerfulness; hope puts us in a working mood." Without cheerfulness there is no strength. Strive to advance still more brightly and cheerfully.

Who is truly great?

For Today and Tomorrow

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
Sunday, December 29, 2013:

 

Who is truly great? I hope you can develop the ability to discern true human greatness. A great person is someone who forges unity among human beings through sincere dialogue, armed with a solid philosophy, feet firmly planted on the ground. A great person is one who lives among the people and earns their unshakable trust. Fickle popularity and temporary fads are nothing but illusions.

Remaining aloof from others cultivates selfishness, which accomplishes nothing.

Buddhism Day by Day

Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
Thursday, December 19, 2013:

 

Relationship problems are opportunities to grow and mature. Such problems can be character building if you don't let them defeat you. That's why it's important not to isolate yourself. No one can exist apart from others. Remaining aloof from others cultivates selfishness, which accomplishes nothing.

Sincere words of encouragement have the power to give people hope and courage to go on living.

For Today and Tomorrow

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
Thursday, December 19, 2013:

 

Encouragement—offering encouraging words—is important. Nichiren Daishonin states, "The voice does the Buddha's work" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 708). Sincere words of encouragement have the power to give people hope and courage to go on living.

Live with a dancing spirit.

Buddhism Day by Day

Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
Wednesday, December 18, 2013:

 

Live with a dancing spirit. The stars in the heavens are dancing through space, the Earth never ceases to spin. All life is dancing: the trees with the wind, the waves on the sea, the birds, the fish, all are performing their own dance of life. Every living thing is dancing, and you must keep dancing too, for the rest of your life!

For Today and Tomorrow

For Today and Tomorrow

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
Wednesday, December 18, 2013:

 

 

We SGI members devote ourselves to serving the Law, serving humanity. Ours is not an egocentric life. That is why we are busier than others and perhaps don't have as much opportunity for relaxation with our families. Nevertheless, we continue to devote ourselves to others. Ours is the most noble way of life. We must make sure our children can understand and respect our beliefs, our way of life and our dedication. We must make conscious efforts to verbalize and communicate our thoughts and feelings to them. Finding the wisdom for this task is an expression of our faith.

Without taking action, happiness will never come, no matter how long you wait.

Buddhism Day by Day

Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
Tuesday, December 17, 2013:

 

 

There is no self-improvement without effort. Without taking action, happiness will never come, no matter how long you wait. A life without peaks and valleys is a fairy tale. Reality is strict, because it is a win-or-lose struggle. This is the way it is for human beings. Therefore, you should not allow yourselves to be battered about by reality but rather willingly rise to its challenges and use them as opportunities to train and strengthen yourselves.

"Faith alone is what really matters."

For Today and Tomorrow

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
Tuesday, December 17, 2013:

 

 

We are all human beings; in that regard, we are all the same. The only real difference lies in people's life-conditions. Our life-condition continues beyond death, into eternity. Therefore, as the Daishonin says, "Faith alone is what really matters."

Buddhism teaches, through the example of Bodhisattva Never Disparaging, to never look down on anyone.

For Today and Tomorrow

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
Tuesday, September 17, 2013:

 

Buddhism teaches, through the example of Bodhisattva Never Disparaging, to never look down on anyone. This is the essence of Buddhism. Nichiren Daishonin states that the "ultimate transmission" of Buddhism is to accord friends and fellow believers who are striving for kosen-rufu the same respect and reverence one would a Buddha.

How can we create the greatest value in the short span of a lifetime?

For Today and Tomorrow

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
Wednesday, September 18, 2013:

 

How can we create the greatest value in the short span of a lifetime? Those of us who embrace the Mystic Law know the answer. Our faith in and practice of the Daishonin's Buddhism enables us in this lifetime to solidify the world of Buddhahood in our lives and establish a state of eternal happiness. That is the purpose of faith in the Mystic Law, the purpose of our Buddhist practice.

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
Wednesday, September 18, 2013:

 

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

We practice faith to live happily and also to die happily. One who has faith in the Mystic Law will not die an unhappy death.

For Today and Tomorrow

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
Monday, September 16, 2013:

 

A nurse who cared for many terminal patients has observed, "Ultimately, people only die as they have lived." To die happily is therefore extremely difficult. And since death is the final settlement of accounts for one's life, it is when our true self comes to the fore. We practice faith to live happily and also to die happily. One who has faith in the Mystic Law will not die an unhappy death.

Life can unfold unlimitedly as long as we have a heart of appreciation and an undefeated mind.

Buddhism Day by Day

Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
Tuesday, September 17, 2013:

 

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.

That is a fact.

Buddhism Day by Day

Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
Monday, September 16, 2013:

 

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.

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
Sunday, September 15, 2013:

 

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

No one is more pathetic than someone who is constantly complaining

For Today and Tomorrow

Daily Encouragement by Daisaku Ikeda
Sunday, September 15, 2013:

 

I hope that each of you will realize success in your respective fields, fully recognizing that success means not giving up halfway but resolutely pursuing the path you have chosen. To this end, it is also important that you realize that the place where you work is a place for forging your character and growing as a human being. By extension, therefore, it is a place for your Buddhist practice, a place for practicing and deepening your faith. When you view things from this angle, all your complaints will disappear. No one is more pathetic than someone who is constantly complaining.