CategoryIkeda Sensei

The sea shimmered and smiled in the sunlight. I had just flown from and returned to Hong Kong after a trip from there to Nepal and Singapore. It was January 1995. “The Pearl of the Orient” greeted me with her exquisite smile. … Hong Kong is not a place for sentimentality—there is no time for

The following is Ikeda Sensei’s editorial titled “Faith for a Harmonious Family,” published in Japanese in the Daibyakurenge, April 1968. It can be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 2, revised edition, chapter 13, installment 1, pp. 63–65. Ikeda Sensei has set forth five eternal guidelines for the Soka Gakkai: 1)

This excerpted guidance from Ikeda Sensei is from the essay series “Life Is Wonderful,” published in Japanese in the Seikyo Shimbun, May 29, 2004. It can be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 2, revised edition, chapter 13, installment 2, pp. 66–68. Being able to have deep appreciation for everyone around

The following is an excerpt from Youth and the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, published in Japanese in September 2012. It can be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 2, revised edition, chapter 12, installment 2, pp. 34–37. Speaking to youth division members, Ikeda Sensei says that awakening to our mission as

Ikeda Sensei gave the following speech at a Yamanashi Prefecture executive conference, Yamanashi, Japan, Sept. 3, 2006. It can be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 2, revised edition, chapter 12, installment 1, pp. 31–33. Ikeda Sensei constantly urges us to lead lives of vigorous human revolution, transforming karma into mission.

The following is an excerpt from Discussions on Youth, published in Japanese in March 1999. It can also be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 2, revised edition, chapter 11, installment 3, pp. 4–9. Responding to a question from a high school student, Ikeda Sensei explains human revolution in an easy-to-understand

The following is an excerpt from The New Human Revolution, volume 14, “Wisdom and Courage” chapter. It can also be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 2, revised edition, chapter 11, installment 2, pp. 3–4. Ikeda Sensei clarifies why inner transformation is important, how we can achieve it and the ultimate

Ikeda Sensei gave the following guidance at the Nagano Prefecture general meeting, Nagano, Japan, Aug. 6, 1994. It can be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 2, revised edition, chapter 11, installment 1, pp. 1–2. Human revolution—this seemingly simple phrase encapsulates the thought and philosophy of Ikeda Sensei. Today, Aug. 6,

This section features Ikeda Sensei’s seminal guidance to the members of the United States. The following is an excerpt of his speech given at the Joint Conference for Leaders of the SGI Organizations in the U.S. and Canada at Soka University Los Angeles, Calabasas, California, September 30, 1991. The full speech can be found in

I had only a few seconds to get the shot. The day was November 3, 1995. … These sublime, noble peaks were just as I had imagined them. As my heart filled with awe and appreciation, I raised my camera and snapped the shutter six, maybe seven, times. These mountains seem alive—breathing. Behind these mountains

Ikeda Sensei gave the following guidance at the New York Culture Center, New York, June 15, 1996. It can also be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, chapter 10, installment 1, pp. 315–19. In his 1993 lecture at Harvard University, “Mahayana Buddhism and Twenty-First-Century Civilization,” Ikeda Sensei, based

Ikeda Sensei gave the following guidance in Daisan no jinsei o kataru (A discussion on the third stage of life—Aging in contemporary society), published in Japanese in October 1998. It can also be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, chapter 9, installment 1, pp. 283–90. None of us

Ikeda Sensei gave the following guidance in “To My Young Friends—Leaders of a New Age,” published in Japanese from July 25–27, 2012. It can also be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, chapter 8, installment 2, pp. 250–54. Ikeda Sensei encourages members to resolve never to be defeated

Ikeda Sensei gave the following guidance in Kenko no chie (The Art of Health), published in Japanese in February 1997. It can also be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, chapter 8, installment 1, pp. 247–49. Birth, aging, sickness and death are challenges everyone must face. We are

Ikeda Sensei gave the following speech at a European representatives’ conference, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, on June 11, 1992. It can also be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, pp. 231–34. The aim of Buddhism is the pursuit of happiness, a life of mutual elevation in which we

Ikeda Sensei gave the following guidance in The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, vol. 4, published in Japanese in December 1998. It can also be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, pp. 229–30. The bodhisattva way teaches that our happiness is inextricably linked with serving others. There are

Ikeda Sensei gave the following guidance in The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, vol. 5, published in Japanese in September 1999. It can also be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, pp. 227–29. Buddhism teaches that we should strive for the mutual happiness of ourselves and others, without

This section features Ikeda Sensei’s seminal guidance to the members of the United States. The following is an excerpt of his speech given at the World Peace Ikeda Auditorium, in Santa Monica, California, September 29, 1991. The full speech can be found in My Dear Friends in America, fourth edition, pp. 152–65. Winter Never Fails

Looking up I see sunlight glimmering through the leaves. The trees of Oirase stand like venerable, wise persons. Gazing upward from the streambed where I stand, I see deep-green leaves of August, filled with life, extending from treetops and branches toward small patches of blue sky. Nothing is more deserving of praise than a tree

The following is an excerpt from The New Human Revolution, vol. 16, “Heart and Soul” chapter. It can also be be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, chapter 6, installment 2, pp. 200–02. In The New Human Revolution, the novel’s protagonist Shin’ichi Yamamoto (whose character represents Ikeda Sensei), after attending