CategoryLessons

Ikeda Sensei: The heart of the practice of Nichiren Buddhism is our practice for self and others—that is, reciting gongyo and chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo ourselves and sharing Buddhism with others. Amid the realities of society, we chant and spread the Mystic Law and engage in dialogues that respect the dignity of each person’s life and impart

In a discussion with young people, Ikeda Sensei underscores the importance of polishing our character through the mutual support and inspiration that come from engaging with many people.  Though you may dislike organizations, is remaining alone really freedom? Can you guarantee that you won’t lose sight of yourself if you’re on your own? That’s hard

Making Offerings Sows Seeds in a Field of Fortune  The following excerpts are from Ikeda Sensei’s novel  The New Human Revolution, vol. 4, pp. 116–118. Sensei appears in the novel as Shin’ichi Yamamoto.   In a letter addressed to Lord Matsuno, Nichiren Daishonin describes how a child named Virtue Victorious was reborn as King Ashoka

In August 1957, Ikeda Sensei initiated a propagation campaign in Tokyo’s Arakawa Ward, where more than 200 new members joined the Soka Gakkai in one week. During this time, Sensei had been worried about his mentor, second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda, who was battling serious health challenges. With Mr. Toda’s lifetime goal of 750,000

In the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni tells this story: There was once a very poor man who had to search for food every day to survive. One day, his friend invited him to dinner, where he ate his fill. After staying up talking, laughing and drinking with his friend, he fell asleep.  The friend had to

Long ago, a great monarch named King Rinda ruled over an ancient kingdom. He loved white horses and kept a number in his care. Upon hearing their neighing, King Rinda would become invigorated. He would feel rested and nourished, his mind sharp and his body healthy and strong. The white horses would neigh only when

Long ago in China, there lived a skilled calligrapher named Wu-lung, who refused to transcribe any Buddhist scriptures. On his deathbed, he expressed his final wish to his son, I-lung: “You have inherited talent in the art of calligraphy. But you must never transcribe the Buddhist sutras. In particular, do not transcribe the Lotus Sutra!” 

A Buddhist parable describes a one-eyed turtle who lives at the bottom of the sea. He has neither limbs nor flippers, his belly is as hot as heated iron, and his back is as cold as the Snow Mountains. He yearns day and night to cool his belly and warm his back. The sacred red

At the bottom of the ocean lived the Dragon King Sagara and his 8-year-old daughter. One day, the Buddha’s disciple Manjushri went to the Dragon King’s palace to expound the Lotus Sutra. Upon hearing the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law, the dragon girl quickly attained enlightenment. Back at the assembly on Eagle Peak, Bodhisattva

There was once a king who received a gift, an elephant, from a friend in a faraway land. The king’s people had never encountered such a beast. He instructed six wise men, all blind, to inspect the elephant and describe it to him. The first of the wise men touched the elephant’s trunk, describing it

In the following episode from volume 18 of The New Human Revolution, Ikeda Sensei interacts with a staff member of the the Soka Gakkai’s daily newspaper, Seikyo Shimbun, at the beginning of the work day. He appears in the novel as Shin’ichi Yamamoto. The Seikyo Shimbun staff were surprised to see Shin’ichi Yamamoto sitting by

When the conditions are right, a seed manifests its inner nature. Even the tallest tree stretching into the sky starts out as a tiny seed—a seed with enormous potential. The seed of Buddhahood, in particular, unfailingly leads to the blossoming of Buddha nature. The seed of Buddhahood, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, grows into the great flower of the

The following article was adapted from an installment of the “Myoji no Gen” series in the Jan. 1, 2022, issue of the Soka Gakkai’s daily newspaper, Seikyo Shimbun. A new member shared at a recent discussion meeting, “Until now, I haven’t had people I could call real friends.” Though this young man had relationships where

When it comes to gift giving, many of us are familiar with the phrase “It’s the thought that counts.” And in Buddhism, too, it’s our sincerity to advance kosen-rufu that counts. Ikeda Sensei writes: “Sincerity is not something special. It is a treasure of the heart that we all possess. … This invisible treasure of

Many of us know the feeling—putting something off until the following day only to find that it becomes a greater burden when we don’t follow through. In a letter to a disciple, Nichiren Daishonin tells the story of the “cold-suffering bird” that lives in the Snow Mountains.  Tortured by the cold, the bird determines to

The essential practice of the Lotus Sutra is to achieve happiness for both ourselves and others. In his 2022 peace proposal, Ikeda Sensei underscores this point through the story of Vimalakirti, one of Shakyamuni’s disciples: On one occasion, Vimalakirti … [who was] deeply respected for the way he interacted with people in various conditions of

Raising children to become people of character is the enduring task of parenthood. And yet, a parent’s efforts may be rebuffed by the children themselves. When this happens, the best of us may feel inclined to scold our kids or to throw up our hands, at a loss as to what went wrong. Ikeda Sensei

It’s not news that different generations struggle to see eye-to-eye. Young people are known for seeking to pave new paths in society that reflect the youthful ideals of justice, freedom and equality, while older generations, though sympathetic to those ideals, often prefer to protect established traditions for the security they promise. This age-old, perhaps natural,

How we use our time plays a significant role in how our lives unfold. Finding time amid a hectic schedule is undoubtedly a struggle. When we talk about mastering time from the Buddhist perspective, it’s not about time management in the traditional sense, where we calculate how much time we allot to each activity. Rather,

There is a famous parable in the Buddhist sutras that stresses the importance of empathizing with the suffering of others to transform our own heavy hearts: One day, Shakyamuni was approached by a woman [racked] by grief at the loss of her child. She begged him to bring her baby back to life. Shakyamuni comforted