CategoryOn the Cover

Among Europe’s fortified sites, Luxembourg served as one of its greatest for centuries. Founded as a small fort in the middle of the 10th century, the City of Luxembourg expanded in the 12th century with settlements and stone fortifications, which then grew in the 14th and 15th centuries. From the Holy Roman Empire to the

Located in northeastern Vietnam’s Gulf of Tonkin, Ha Long Bay and Cat Ba Archipelago comprise roughly 160,000 acres of lush emerald waters with over 1,600 islands and islets. The name Ha Long, meaning “descending dragon” in Vietnamese, derives from the legend that a family of dragons descended from heaven, spraying jewels to defend the people

Ikeda Sensei: All our future division members are Bodhisattvas of the Earth with “great good fortune from past existences” (The Lotus Sutra and Its Opening and Closing Sutras, p. 356). They have the power to help others awaken to their Buddhahood. “Former Affairs of King Wonderful Adornment,” the 27th chapter of the Lotus Sutra, relates

The Upper Middle Rhine Valley, popularly referred to as the Rhine Gorge, is a 40-mile stretch of land along one of Europe’s major rivers, the Rhine. The river and its gorge have functioned as an important trade route through central Europe since prehistoric times. As wealth flowed in with the river, merchant settlements and castles

The Namib Sand Sea is a desert of vast sand dunes spread across the western coast of Angola, Namibia and South Africa. It is described as the world’s oldest desert, and its sand dunes—some of which stand 980 feet and span 20 miles—are among the largest on the planet. Due to scorching days, freezing nights

Paphos, an archaeological property in western Cyprus’s District of Paphos, dates back to the Neolithic period (the New Stone Age). Legends cite it as the birthplace of Aphrodite, a Greek goddess seen as the ideal of beauty and love, and widely known through the influence of Homeric poetry. For centuries, Paphos served as the center

Ikeda Sensei: Each person’s life is precious and irreplaceable. All human beings experience the sufferings of birth, aging, sickness and death. We are all fellow inhabitants of planet Earth at this particular moment in time. In the dimension of life, everyone is equal; there are no economic or social distinctions.   When we view everything

The Caribbean Island of Saint Lucia is known for its two cone-shaped mountains—the Pitons—towering out of its southwest coast. The two volcanic spires, Gros Piton and Petit Piton, standing 2,619 feet and 2,438 feet high, respectively, are managed in an 11.5 square mile reserve, which also protects the neighboring forest, 7 miles of coastline and

The Historic Center of Prague was an important city in medieval central Europe. With a history reaching back thousands of years, Prague has played key roles in the Bohemian and Protestant Reformations and the Thirty Years’ War, and served as the historic capital of both the Kingdom of Bohemia and the former Czechoslovakia. The city

Chapada dos Veadeiros is one of two Brazilian national parks in the protected areas of Cerrado, the most biodiverse savanna in the world. Within the park’s 929 square miles reside jaguar, capybara and endangered species including the giant armadillo. The park is noted for its more than 300 waterfalls and rock formations, which are some

Ikeda Sensei: Offering personal guidance is of course easier said than done. The Soka Gakkai is made up of all kinds of people. Some may refuse to meet or speak with other members, while others perhaps joined as children along with their parents but do not consider themselves believers. We may even come across members

The biodiversity and natural beauty of Kinabalu Park garnered it official recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000. The park traverses four separate climactic zones. In a single day, visitors can explore lowland rainforests, subalpine meadows and ascend the park’s namesake, Mount Kinabalu. The mountain stands at 13,435 feet, as the highest peak

In central Mexico’s Guanajuato, a kaleidoscope of Neoclassical and Baroque buildings stacked atop one another comprises the city’s historic core. The disorderly townscape, uncharacteristic of organized Spanish colonial settlements, was brought about by the rapid influx of people that started after the 1548 discovery of silver deposits in nearby mountains. By the 18th century, Guanajuato

Ikeda Sensei: The Soka Gakkai has always been committed to encouraging the honest, hardworking ordinary people of the world. That’s the very heart of our discussion meetings. In the eyes of society, our discussion meetings may seem very simple, modest gatherings, involving a small number of individuals and not particularly noteworthy. But these meetings are

Trogir is a fortified island town in Croatia, founded by Greek settlers over 2,000 years ago. Its cultural heritage has been well preserved, largely due to its surrounding walls and manmade water channel separating it from the mainland. Trogir’s layout dates back to prehistoric times. At the center of the main town square stands the

The Rocky Mountains are the largest mountain system in North America and, in the parts north of the U.S. border, home to several Canadian national parks: Banff, Jasper, Kootenay and Yoho. The vast Canadian Rockies are studded with mountain peaks, glaciers, lakes, waterfalls, canyons and limestone caves, forming striking mountain landscapes. It is also the

Located in Australia’s southeast Queensland and Northeast New South Wales, the Gondwana Rainforests are like a time capsule of Earth’s evolutionary history, packed with biological diversity. Within the forests are plant and animal species still closely related to their ancient ancestors. The world’s oldest-known species of conifer tree, which thrived during the Jurassic period, still

Discussion meetings are the heart of the SGI’s kosen-rufu movement. At these gatherings, we study Buddhist philosophy and share our struggles and victories. We inspire fellow members and guests by showing that we can overcome obstacles through faith. Whether the number of people who attend a meeting is large or small, the important thing is

Known as “the land of fire and ice,” the Vatnajökull National Park is a vast volcanic region spread across nearly 3.5 million acres, covering 14% of Iceland’s territory. The park is located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which separates the North American and Eurasion tectonic plates. This creates the conditions for its 10 central volcanoes, two

The walled city of Jaipur is the capital of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Founded in 1727, it is one of the first planned cities of modern India, based on the Vastu shastra, a Hindu “science of architecture” inspired by ancient texts. Markets, shops, residences and temples line the streets, which intersect in large public