CategoryTo My Friends

What is a Buddha’s way of life? Nichiren Daishonin indicates that a Buddha is one who battles and vanquishes the three obstacles and four devils while taking on the challenges of the real world. It is a life dedicated to kosen-rufu for the sake of the Mystic Law and the happiness of all people. From

Karma and mission are two sides of the same coin, and our karma directly becomes our unique and noble mission. That is why, when we dedicate our lives to kosen-rufu, there is no destiny that we cannot change. From The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 2, revised edition, pp. 61

I am who I am today because of my mentor, second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda, who practiced in accord with the Buddha’s teachings and dedicated his life to widely propagating Nichiren Buddhism in the modern age. Mr. Toda is always with me as my spiritual mentor. I still carry on a dialogue with my

There is no need to fall into meaningless and unproductive pessimism. All these problems are caused by human beings, which means that they must have a human solution. However long the effort takes, if we do not abandon the work of unknotting the tangled threads of these interrelated issues, we can be certain of finding

True health is found in a positive attitude toward life that refuses to be defeated by anything. From The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, p. 250

The path from conflict to cooperation lies in dialogue. Dialogue is the way to build a bridge leading to peace. I am determined to devote each day of my life to dialogue, confident that future generations will follow in my footsteps along this great path. From The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 3,

You are all dealing with personal challenges, I am sure. But you have voluntarily chosen to be born into these circumstances. You are all courageous Bodhisattvas of the Earth, who in accord with your own vow and mission have risen to action to create peace and happiness wherever you live. Never forget your noble role

Nothing is more important than our everyday efforts and conduct. This is where our true humanity shines. From The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 2, revised edition, pp. 106

Without hardships, there is no true Buddhist practice. Without struggle, there is no genuine happiness. And that would not be real life. There would be no attainment of Buddhahood either. When we practice Nichiren Buddhism with this understanding, we will never reach an impasse. From The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised

As long as suffering and misery exist anywhere on our planet, we must continue to weave with rich color and bold creativity the magnificent tapestry of human victory that is kosen-rufu. That is why our mentor-disciple journey to realize the great vow for kosen-rufu will continue forever. From The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace,

A powerful determination and our actions in the present moment determine the future. March 16 is the eternal starting point of true cause, when all disciples stand up to be counted. For me, each day is a day of fresh commitment; each day is March 16. March 2018 Living Buddhism, p. 27

The more challenging the obstacles we overcome, the more dramatically we can transform our karma and the bigger, better people we can become. From The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 2, revised edition, pp. 32

The true great benefit of faith is this fundamental inner transformation and human revolution. According to the principle of the oneness of life and its environment, when our life state changes, we are able to change our environment as well and thereby resolve all of our problems. From The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace,

A “person of faith” is synonymous with “a person of victory.” Therefore, I hope all of you will be victorious in your lives. Live your lives so that you can declare: “I have no regrets. I enjoyed my life. I encouraged many others and gave them hope. It was a good life.” From The Wisdom

Accordingly, defeat for a practitioner of Nichiren Buddhism lies not in encountering difficulties but rather in not challenging them. Difficulties truly become our destiny only if we run away from them. We must fight as long as we live. We must live and struggle tenaciously to the end. From The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and

Those who strive to talk with even one more person are victors. Our victory is determined by how much energy we put into caring for and supporting others. Only by working together harmoniously with all kinds of people and inspiring them to move with us toward kosen-rufu, or world peace, can we ourselves be victorious.

We mustn’t avoid difficulties. We must win out over our problems and sufferings. It is up to us to create our own treasures through our own efforts. “I am happy. I have won!”—those who can create value in life so that they can say this with confidence are people who shine with true brilliance and

Changing the world starts by changing our fundamental state of mind. This is a key Buddhist principle. A powerful determination to transform even negative karma into mission can dramatically transform the real world. From The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 2, revised edition, pp. 43-44

The Soka Gakkai organization is a crystallization of genuine democracy, handmade by the people, for the people. It is the only body carrying out the widespread propagation of Nichiren Buddhism, which places the highest value on the dignity of the human being. It is the sun of hope for all humanity. That is why President

Our health, courage, wisdom, joy, desire to improve, self-discipline, and so on, could all be said to depend on our life force. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo enables us to bring forth limitless life force. Those who base themselves on chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo are therefore never deadlocked. From The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition,