CategoryTo My Friends

No matter how the other person reacts, by praising and sharing the Mystic Law with them we attain benefit beyond measure. Realizing this is a source of great joy. From The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 2, revised edition, p. 249

Simple expressions of thoughtfulness and concern—“Thank you,” “Please take care,” “Don’t catch cold”—warm people’s hearts and spread a lovely, refreshing spirit of humanity throughout our organization. The Soka Gakkai is a realm of beautiful human ties. From The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 3, revised edition, pp. 160-161

In any time and place, efforts for kosen-rufu always begin with a stand-alone spirit. With this spirit, we can limitlessly activate the power of the Mystic Law. From The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 3, revised edition, pp. 57

In short, there is no greater joy than a life dedicated to kosen-rufu, to propagating Buddhism. There is no greater joy than seeing others become happy through our efforts in dialogue to share the Mystic Law. And when we rejoice at others’ happiness, our own lives become increasingly pure. From The Wisdom for Creating Happiness

The vow for kosen-rufu brims with the powerful life force of the Buddha, which can vanquish all negative influences. Shin’ichi wanted every single member to enjoy great benefit. He wanted them to overcome illness, financial hardship, and every other kind of adversity and become truly happy. Their prayers to triumph over such obstacles needed to

When we strive with the same spirit as our mentor, we will never be deadlocked. Asking ourselves what our mentor would do, mustering all our wisdom and strength to respond to our mentor’s hopes—that spirit awakens the state of a lion king within us. From The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 2, revised

There is nothing more reassuring, refreshing, or beautiful than young people striving hard toward a goal. Nothing in all the world is more beautiful than the earnest struggles of youth. From The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 2, revised edition, p. 365

We are a family linked by the Mystic Law. Our organization for kosen-rufu is a home that brings peace and contentment. I hope we will always be a gathering, illuminated by the Gohonzon, where everyone can feel secure, relaxed, happy, and energized. From The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 3, revised edition, p.

Those who keep on striving, never doubting the power of faith even when difficulties arise, are certain to attain Buddhahood, the Daishonin assures us. From The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 2, revised edition, p. 144

Nothing is more barbarous than war. Nothing more cruel. That’s why I hate war and am forever opposed to the devilish nature of authority that causes it. My absolute commitment to pacifism, to fight for peace throughout my life, was engraved in my being when I was a youth. From The Wisdom for Creating Happiness

Because of the oneness of life and death, our happiness imparts joy to our deceased loved ones and, at the same time, serves as proof that they dwell in a life state of Buddhahood. From The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 2, revised edition, p. 164

Reading the Daishonin’s writings means connecting with the lofty, noble spirit of the Daishonin himself, who gave his life to protecting and propagating the correct teaching of Buddhism in order to relieve people from suffering. We can see the brilliant light of this spirit throughout his writings. From The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace,

What we need to do instead is dedicate ourselves with a spirit of humility to enabling young people, our successors, to surpass us and achieve more than we could. We need to affirm their strengths and their mission. Repeating this process is how humankind grows and develops. From The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace,

A long life is not necessarily a good life. What matters is what we leave behind, what kind of value we create, and how many people we help become happy.Ultimately, therefore, dedicating ourselves to kosen-rufu is the supreme way to live. It is the greatest possible contribution we can make to society. From The Wisdom

It goes without saying that we must properly instruct members in the fundamental principles that are the basics of Nichiren Buddhism, but it is unwise to make unnecessary comments on or criticize their personal lives. We each have our own personality and lifestyle. Our circumstances also differ. The key is to respect one another and

It is easy to be attracted to abstract ideals but difficult to challenge the realities of daily life. I hope that while upholding the magnificent ideal of kosen-rufu, you will spend your days in the actual practice of encouraging and motivating one person and then another and another to contribute to kosen-rufu. From The Wisdom

Observing many leaders, I have come to the conclusion that those who have dedicated themselves to offering personal guidance to members never give up their practice. I think this is because giving guidance—though hard, unglamorous, and inconspicuous work that requires a great deal of patience—truly deepens one’s faith. From The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and

Heart-to-heart discussion is always more effective than ordering people around. And because dialogue takes place between individuals, it requires that we respect and value the other person. This sets the stage for lively and enriching discussion meetings. From The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 3, revised edition, p. 127

Whether you are chanting to the Gohonzon, engaged in Buddhist study, or writing words of encouragement to your friends and fellow members—the crucial thing is to devote yourself to that activity fully and wholly each moment. From The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 2, revised edition, p. 218

The logs of unhappiness fuel the flames of happiness. Because we experience hardships, we can know joy. From The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 2, revised edition, p. 138