CategoryLessons

On Dec. 14, 1911, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen (1872–1928) led the first successful expedition to the South Pole. Amundsen had originally hoped to become the first to reach the North Pole, but amid his preparations, he received the news that an American explorer had beat him to it. As his dream evaporated before his eyes, Amundsen

Aesop’s fable “The Sun and the Wind” concerns a competition between the North Wind and the Sun to decide which of the two was stronger. The challenge was to make a passing traveler remove his cloak. However hard the North Wind blew, the traveler only wrapped his cloak tighter, but when the Sun shone, the traveler

Shijo Kingo was a skilled samurai and physician, and Nichiren Daishonin’s close disciple. Although a sincere practitioner, Kingo was known for his hot temper. But by following the guidance of his mentor, Nichiren, with dedication and discipline, he transformed his negative tendencies and overcame all adversity. Ikeda Sensei writes: “Just as Shijo Kingo was encouraged to

The following text was adapted from the book Kaneko’s Story: A Conversation With Kaneko Ikeda. “My wife is my life companion, and, at times, my nurse, my secretary, my mother, daughter or younger sister. But most of all, she is my comrade-in-arms. “If I were to give my wife a certificate of appreciation, it would have to

The following was adapted from “Humanity Is the Essence of Buddhism,” a speech that Ikeda Sensei delivered in Los Angeles on Feb. 22, 1990. The full text can be found in My Dear Friends in America, third edition, pp. 60–66. 1. All endeavors start from one person, from a single pioneer. The individual who set the wheels

Emily Perl Kingsley was a writer for “Sesame Street” when her son, Jason Kingsley, was born with Down syndrome in 1974. Kingsley’s personal experiences inspired her to include people with disabilities in the “Sesame Street” cast, including an actor in a wheelchair and even her own son. After his debut on the show at 15