Daily Life
Family Matters
When it comes to our most intractable relationships, the key to change is courage.
Daily Life
Never Give In to Defeat!
On the Power to Persevere When Our Dreams Feel Out of Reach
Gongyo: Awakening the Sun of Buddhahood in Our Hearts Each Day
“Gongyo, which forms a fundamental basis of our Buddhist practice, could be described as a ceremony in which we bring the primordial sun of Buddhahood to rise brightly in the vast skies of our lives each day.”(Ikeda Sensei, pp. 18–19 of this issue) The first time a person hears about Nichiren Buddhism, odds are it’s
Gongyo—The Wellspring of Victory
In this essay, Ikeda Sensei writes of the power source of victory—gongyo. This essay was translated from the February 10, 2006, issue of the Soka Gakkai’s daily newspaper, Seikyo Shimbun. Some members from Chiba sent me a photo of this year’s [2006] first sunrise over the Pacific Ocean. My wife, Kaneko, and I often admire
Crashing Through Our Self-Imposed Limitations
In our founding month, lessons from Ikeda Sensei on creating something from nothing with stand-alone faith.
Grow With Each Mountain Climbed
Q: I know that when I have problems, I should chant to the Gohonzon about them. Still, I struggle to keep a consistent rhythm of chanting and doing gongyo regularly. Ikeda Sensei: The spirit to seat oneself before the Gohonzon is in itself very important. Those who have the spirit to continue to challenge themselves in
Illuminating an Age of Misinformation
A conversation with youth leading our peace movement on what Buddhism has to say about misinformation, and how to identify and combat it with faith.
Lessons
Believing in the Inherent Goodness of Human Beings
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
We Grow Amid Human Relationships
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
Virtue Victorious and the Mud Pie
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
Q&A
2025 Resolutions
Obstacles Are No Match for the Many Treasures Group
Q: I often hear people talking about “kosen-rufu.” But what does it mean?
Q: When I try introducing my friends to Buddhism, they usually say that organized religion isn’t for them. Why do we practice in an organization?
Q: It’s hard to say if my life is changing for the better. How can I tell?
Q: What is the Buddhist approach to asking people to chant for me?
Q: I’ve been feeling discouraged. How can I make a fresh start?
Q: What is the Sangha?
In Society
Nobel Peace Prize Goes to Atomic Bomb Survivors Movement
OSLO, Norway—The 2024 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Nihon Hidankyo—a grassroots movement of hibakusha, or atomic bomb survivors, from Hiroshima and Nagasaki—for its efforts “to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again.” In its Oct. 11, 2024, announcement, the Norwegian
It Is 90 seconds to Midnight
Shortly after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists created the Doomsday Clock—a symbolic piece that conveys the time that remains before the extinction of the human race. This year, the hands of the Doomsday Clock moved to 90 seconds to midnight, largely because of the war
A Buddhist Take on History
A middle-school U.S. history textbook from one of the top three educational publishers in the country features a quote from Daisaku Ikeda in its 2023 edition. McGraw Hill Education describes the primer United States History: Voices and Perspectives as designed to “empower students to make connections between the past and present as they experience history
Home run!
On Aug. 28, Hawaii’s Honolulu Little League won the Little League World Series championship with a 13-3 win against Curaçao. This was the the fourth time in 17 years a team from Hawaii has won the youth baseball tournament and the second championship for Honolulu, who won the title in 2018. Gerald Oda, head coach
