CategoryBuddhist Study

“We know that the prayers offered by a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra will be answered just as an echo answers a sound, as a shadow follows a form, as the reflection of the moon appears in clear water, as a mirror collects dewdrops, as a magnet attracts iron, as amber attracts particles of dust,

Time and time again, the mentors and disciples of Soka have exemplified the Buddhist ideal of transforming poison into medicine, of using adversity as a catalyst for creating the greatest value. SGI President Ikeda writes: “No matter how seemingly desperate the situation, we can absolutely find a way through it with courageous efforts in faith

Research shows that expressing gratitude enriches your life both mentally and physically. A study by professors Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough revealed the positive impact of gratitude based on observations of three groups that kept weekly journals. The first group focused on recording things they were grateful for, the second noted events (good or bad)

The following excerpt is from The New Human Revolution, volume 26, “Banner of the Law” chapter, pp. 138–41. SGI President Ikeda appears in the novel as Shin’ichi Yamamoto. Josei Toda’s profound spiritual awakening in prison to the fact that he was a Bodhisattva of the Earth was a pivotal moment in the Soka Gakkai’s history.

This guidance is from section 25.7 of “The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace” series, published in the November 2017 Living Buddhism, pp. 61–62. At the leaders meeting, the young men’s division leader asked Shin’ichi Yamamoto:“With the beginning of the second chapter of kosen-rufu, the Soka Gakkai will initiate a multifaceted movement that reaches out

Nichiren Buddhism encourages a dynamic balance of faith, practice and study. Nichiren Daishonin writes: “Exert yourself in the two ways of practice and study. Without practice and study, there can be no Buddhism. You must not only persevere yourself; you must also teach others. Both practice and study arise from faith” (“The True Aspect of

I am praying that, no matter how troubled the times may become, the Lotus Sutra and the ten demon daughters will protect all of you, praying as earnestly as though to produce fire from damp wood, or to obtain water from parched ground. (“On Rebuking Slander of the Law,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol.

The aim of Nichiren Buddhism is for each of us to establish lives of absolute, enduring happiness and to help those around us do the same. In fact, from the perspective of Buddhism, each of us has the great mission of building185 fulfilling lives, and contributing to others and to society. SGI President Ikeda explains

Founding Soka Gakkai President Tsunesaburo Makiguchi once said: “Do we make our lives dwellings of the Buddha, which lead us to happiness, or do we instead make them abodes of devilish functions, which lead us to unhappiness? We have to choose either one or the other. Actively driving devilish functions out and defeating them will

This guidance is from section 25.2 of “The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace” series, published in the October 2017 Living Buddhism, p. 63. We need to be aware of the importance of the mentor-disciple relationship in terms of awakening to and carrying out our personal mission in life, as well as promoting the betterment

“Having good friends and advancing together with them is not half the Buddha way but all the Buddha way.”—Shakyamuni Buddhism is referred to as the “inner way,” finding both the causes and solutions to human problems within the hearts and minds of human beings themselves. However, it also acknowledges the power of external influences in

Those who believe in the Lotus Sutra are as if in winter, but winter always turns to spring. Never, from ancient times on, has anyone seen or heard of winter turning back to autumn. Nor have we ever heard of a believer in the Lotus Sutra who turned into an ordinary person. The sutra reads,

“Although Nichiren and his followers are few, because they are different in body, but united in mind, they will definitely accomplish their great mission of widely propagating the Lotus Sutra [Nam-myoho-renge-kyo]. Though evils may be numerous, they cannot prevail over a single great truth [or good].” (“Many in Body, One in Mind,” The Writings of

This guidance is from section 24.9 of “The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace” series, published in the September 2017 Living Buddhism, pp. 59–60. In August 53 years ago (in 1947), I became a disciple of second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda. Soon after joining the Soka Gakkai, I read Nichiren Daishonin’s writing “On Practicing

Gratitude means feeling thankful or returning the kindness or generosity received from others. As we practice Nichiren Buddhism, we come to understand the principle that all life and phenomena in the universe are eternal and interconnected. Nichiren Daishonin teaches that throughout our many past existences, we have formed connections with, and thus owe gratitude to,

Nichiren Buddhism teaches that Buddhahood—a truly free, unfettered state of life overflowing with boundless joy and compassion for all people—is gained by deepening our commitment to the happiness of self and others. The SGI is an organization made up of individuals striving to establish this state of life and united in creating a harmonious community

This guidance is from section 24.2 of “The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace” series, published in the August 2017 Living Buddhism, pp. 60-61. Bighearted people are happy. Our Buddhist practice enables us to become such individuals. I hope all of you will become people who are generous and broad-minded. The vast ocean has boundless

In SGI President Ikeda’s message to the Nov. 16, 2018, ceremony commemorating the 88th anniversary of the Soka Gakkai’s founding on Nov. 18, he cited three passages from Nichiren Daishonin’s writings (see Dec. 14, 2018, World Tribune, pp. 2–3). Last month, we studied the first passage from “The Dragon Gate,” which was written during the

Today, more than ever, people are seeking a way to become genuinely happy, to live with boundless courage, hope and confidence, and to be unswayed by external circumstances. Nichiren Daishonin established a Buddhist practice rooted in daily life that enables us to build a solid self and attain Buddhahood in this lifetime. But based on

The sincerity of making offerings to the Lotus Sutra at the beginning of the New Year is like cherry blossoms blooming from trees, a lotus unfolding in a pond, sandalwood leaves unfurling on the Snow Mountains, or the moon beginning to rise. Now Japan, in becoming an enemy of the Lotus Sutra, has invited misfortune