CategoryDaily Life

A Conversation With Kaneko Ikeda

A parenting meme had this recipe for iced coffee: have kids, make coffee, forget you made coffee, drink it cold. Parenting is hard enough. Add to that the COVID-19 pandemic, which has essentially turned our home into our office (or unemployment office), classroom, restaurant and gym, and even Maria von Trapp would be nonplussed. Kidding

What's holding you back? Buddhism's take on establishing absolute freedom.

J.R. Ewing. C. Montgomery Burns. Lucious Lyon. Pick your favorite ultrawealthy avatar. Society’s modern fascination with money has spawned TV shows, movies and lyrics that are embedded in our collective consciousness. (Is it really all about the Benjamins?) Perhaps we’ve even daydreamed a time or two about what we’d do if we received an unexpected

As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on in the United States and around the world, SGI-USA members are “planting seeds of Buddhahood” by helping those around them form a connection to Nichiren Buddhism, a philosophy and practice of hope and self-empowerment. Ikeda Sensei says: Nichiren Daishonin writes, “Even one seed, when planted, multiplies” (“Cloth for a

The following points were adapted from Ikeda’s Sensei’s essay “Be Healthy in Body and Mind,” originally published in the Oct. 12, 2012, World Tribune, pp. 5 and 8. 1) Do An Invigorating Gongyo Morning and evening gongyo create the victorious rhythm for living each day in harmony with the fundamental Law of the universe. 2)

The American author Pearl S. Buck said that finding joy in work “is to discover the fountain of youth.” To be sure, we spend the majority of our waking day—and waking life—at work. According to one study, that adds up to an average of 90,000 hours, or a third of our lives, at work. Even

Masks. Quarantine. Social distancing. These words were not in our collective conscience before 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic altered our awareness in surprising and unforeseen ways. Shakyamuni Buddha realized that all people, no matter their circumstances, at some time in their lives face the suffering of illness, as well as the other universal sufferings of

In the Soka Gakkai, February is traditionally regarded as the month of sharing Buddhism. Let’s learn from Ikeda Sensei about the significance of this most important endeavor: sharing Buddhism with others. Benefitting Others: Inseparable Lives When we look after and care for others—that is, help others draw forth the strength to live—our own strength to

Need inspiration? Here are some excerpts from Ikeda Sensei’s guidance that can inspire us to develop ourselves and transform difficult relationships. Prayer It is … important to chant for those you don’t like, find hard to get along with or feel resentful toward. It may be difficult and perhaps even impossible for you to do

“We of the Soka Gakkai … are able to exert ourselves fully today, confident that our movement for kosen-rufu will show wonderful development 30 or 50 years from now. Why? Because we have successors, our future division members. Because we have you, my young friends, who will carry on the momentous task of building a

Human relationships. They can be the source of our greatest joys and, at times, our ultimate suffering. Add to that the unique circumstances of the past year, when the world found itself sheltering in place, sparking dramatic shifts in the way we interact with others and perhaps even spotlighting the difficult relationships in our lives.

“To have faith in the promise of dialogue is to believe in the promise of humanity.”

A: Dear Bodhisattva Seeking, What an important question. I’m sure many others share the same concern. We no doubt face unprecedented times, and as we reflect on the past year and approach a new one, we may wonder how to be hopeful in spite of it all. Recently, the SGI announced its 2021 theme as

Part 3: Kosen-rufu and World Peace—The Future Division: The Key to the Ongoing Development of Kosen-rufu

The members of the SGI-USA have cultivated the qualities of wisdom, courage and compassion as global citizens dedicated to transforming the world around them through their practice of Nichiren Buddhism. We share examples of individuals who are embodying the practice of global citizenship in their lives. Learning How to Live Fully Danielle Foster-SmithDes Moines, Iowa I

While I am alive I can lay the foundation for the movement in Japan. But it is up to you to bring Buddhist ideals to the world at large. —Second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda In June 1996, Daisaku Ikeda visited the U.S. for the 27th time, giving, at Columbia University’s College in New York, a

This new series answers popular questions asked by SGI members on the fundamentals of Buddhist practice.

Buddhism is a religion of dialogue. Buddhism teaches that peace can be found not in lofty ideals, but in developing understanding and empathy between ordinary people. This understanding is generated through dialogue, which Ikeda Sensei defines as the “most potent weapon in the arsenal of the gradualist.” Although technology and modes of communication have advanced

Part 3: Kosen-rufu and World Peace—The Future Division: The Key to the Ongoing Development of Kosen-rufu