The story of my path to Buddhahood through the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin
13 Dec 2012 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Challenges, Daisaku Ikeda, Determination, Effort, Self Improvement, Strength
There is no self-improvement without effort.
Without taking action, happiness will never come, no matter how long you wait. A life without peaks and valleys is a fairy tale. Reality is strict, because it is a win or lose struggle.
This is the way it is for human beings. Therefore, you should not allow yourselves to be battered about by reality but rather willingly rise to its challenges and use them as opportunities to train and strengthen yourselves.
~ Daisaku Ikeda
06 Dec 2012 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Abuse, Children, Daisaku Ikeda, Honesty, Paedophilia
Yesterday it was Stuart Hall, today it’s Max Clifford, taken into his local police station for questioning over allegations of sexual abuse. Who’s going to be next? Those of us who are normal, listen to these stories and wonder what on earth is wrong with these people.
Whether it’s a power trip, a deviancy or some form of mental illness, the real point is that children, some as young as eight, have potentially had their lives ruined by people who are, but arguably should no longer be, in positions of power and trust.
Daisaku Ikeda summed up the way children should be regarded and treated in order to blossom to their full potential, not to be stunted or damaged.
Every child is precious. The Lotus Sutra tells the parable of the three kinds of medicinal herbs and two kinds of trees. There are many different kinds of plants; their shape, size and nature come in myriad varieties.
Some plants grow fast while others take time to mature. In this parable, however, the heavens rain upon all the plants equally, nurturing their growth. And the plants blossom and bear fruits according to their own unique character.
This parable symbolizes the Buddha’s vast compassion to nurture all living beings despite their differences. All children are different; each possesses his or her wonderful unique quality. We must pour upon all children our great love and compassion so that each child can blossom, true to his or her unique quality.
04 Dec 2012 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Buddhahood, Daisaku Ikeda, Faith, Happiness, Life-State, Nichiren Buddhism
There is an expansive life-state of profound, secure happiness, that transcends any material or social advantage.
It is called faith; it is called the life-state of Buddhahood.
As Nichiren reminds us:
“It is the heart that is important.”
It is in the heart of faith that Buddhahood resides and boundless and immeasurable happiness shines forth. Happiness is not something located far away.
We must realise that it exists within our own lives. Nichiren Buddhism teaches this and shows us how to attain indestructible happiness.
~ Daisaku Ikeda
24 Nov 2012 2 Comments
in Buddhism Tags: Compassion, Creativity, Daisaku Ikeda, Joy, Universal Energy
There is no one lonelier or more unhappy than a person who does not know the pure joy of creating a life for himself or herself. To be human is not merely to stand erect and manifest intelligence or knowledge. To be human in the full sense of the word is to lead a creative life.
The struggle to create new life from within is a truly wonderful thing. There is found the brilliant wisdom that guides and directs the workings of reason; the light of insight that penetrates the farthest reaches of the universe; the undaunted will to see justice done that meets and challenges all the assaults of evil; the spirit of unbounded care that embraces all who suffer.
When these are fused with that energy of compassion that pours forth from the deepest sources of cosmic life, an ecstatic rhythm arises to colour the lives of all people.
~ Daisaku Ikeda
20 Nov 2012 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Daisaku Ikeda, Happiness, Practice, Sadness, Suffering
Many things happen in life. There are joyous days and times of suffering. Sometimes unpleasant things occur. But that’s what makes life so interesting. The dramas we encounter that are part and parcel of being human.
If we experienced no change or drama in our lives, if nothing unexpected ever happened, we would merely be like automatons, our lives unbearably monotonous and dull.
Therefore, it is important to develop a strong self so that you can enact the drama of your life with confidence and poise in the face of whatever challenges you may encounter.
~ Daisaku Ikeda
14 Nov 2012 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Daisaku Ikeda, Determination, Ichinen Sanzen, Lotus Sutra, Sensei, Wisdom Courage and Compassion
Following on from my rant about the inequalities and lack of fairness in the way modern governments and those in power treat us mere morals, I found this piece by Sensei rather encouraging …
What can the individual accomplish in the face of the huge institutions that run our world? This feeling of powerlessness fuels a vicious cycle that only worsens the situation and increases people’s sense of futility.
At the opposite extreme of this sense of powerlessness lie the Lotus Sutra’s philosophy of three thousand realms in a single moment of life and the application of this teaching to our daily lives.
This principle teaches us that the inner determination of an individual can transform everything; it gives ultimate expression to the infinite potential and dignity inherent in each human life.
~ Daisaku Ikeda
11 Nov 2012 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Daisaku Ikeda, Ecology, Economy, Global Warming, Nature
A sense of being part of the great all-inclusive life prompts us to reflect on our own place and on how we ought to live. Guarding others’ lives, the ecology and the earth is the same as protecting one’s own life.
By like token, wounding them is the same thing as wounding oneself. Consequently, it is the duty of each of us to participate as members of the life community in the evolution of the universe. We can do this by guarding earth’s ecological system.
~ Daisaku Ikeda
31 Oct 2012 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Daisaku Ikeda, Happiness, Helping Others, Josei Toda, Wisdom Courage and Compassion
Happiness, as my brother and I discussed today, is connected to everything, and connected with nothing. It cannot be bought or sold and it cannot be measured against any physical scale. It is determined by a combination of our circumstances and the way in which we are controlled by, or are dealing with, those circumstances.
To be concerned only with one’s own happiness is egoism. To claim you care only about the happiness of others is hypocrisy. Genuine happiness is becoming happy together with others. Josei Toda said: “Just becoming happy oneself – there’s nothing difficult to that. It’s easy. Helping others become happy is the foundation of our faith.”
29 Oct 2012 Leave a comment
in Buddhism Tags: Buddhist Practice, Creativity, Daisaku Ikeda, Human Revolution, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
As you meet various trials and difficulties, thus polishing all the many facets of the jewel which is life, you will learn to walk that supreme pathway of humanity.
Of this, I am confident, and I am confident too that those who embrace life’s native creativity now stand and will continue to stand in the vanguard of history.
Bringing the creativity of life to its fullest flowering is the work of human revolution. Carrying out this kind of human revolution is your mission now as it will be throughout your lives.
~ Daisaku Ikeda
24 Oct 2012 2 Comments
in Buddhism Tags: Children, Daisaku Ikeda, Family, Illness, Lotus Sutra, Love, Pain, Sadness, Self Improvement, Wisdom Courage and Compassion
With my thoughts being dominated by Charlotte, and her slow and painful recovery from the latest surgery, whilst remembering that she is but one of my three children, I was reminded of this explanation, by Daisaku Ikeda, of a relevant parable from the Lotus Sutra.
Every child is precious. The Lotus Sutra tells the parable of the three kinds of medicinal herbs and two kinds of trees. There are many different kinds of plants; their shape, size and nature come in myriad varieties. Some plants grow fast while others take time to mature. In this parable, however, the heavens rain upon all the plants equally, nurturing their growth. And the plants blossom and bear fruits according to their own unique character.
This parable symbolizes the Buddha’s vast compassion to nurture all living beings despite their differences. All children are different; each possesses his or her wonderful unique quality. We must pour upon all children our great love and compassion so that each child can blossom, true to his or her unique quality.
~ Daisaku Ikeda
The Search For Enlightenment 
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