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Faith
Each religion can be made a force for good or for evil by the people who practice it. A Buddha is not one who sits quietly in a remote world of enlightenment. A Buddha is one who never ceases to take on challenges, who goes among those who are suffering…
A Single Moment of Life
“Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is just such a ‘diligent’ practice.” This is a very profound statement. “Diligent” (or shojin in Japanese) here is composed of two Chinese characters. The Chinese character for sho means “pure” and refers to pure faith, while the character for jin means “ceaseless” and…
The Real Aspect of the Gohonzon
A woman who makes offerings to such a Gohonzon invites happiness in this life, and in the next, the Gohonzon will be with her and protect her always. Like a lantern in the dark, like a strong guide and porter on a treacherous mountain path, the Gohonzon will guard and protect you,…
Two But Not Two
Oneness” and “connectedness” are themes that define Buddhism and Eastern thought for many Westerners.
A Lantern In A Cave
“Prayer to the Gohonzon, chanting Nam-myoho-rengekyo, is not abstract or theoretical,” SGI President Ikeda says. “It is a burning inner flame to be victorious. If that flame of resolve blazes in our heart, the instant we chant, we have already…
Kill The Will To Kill
The following is an excerpt from “The Age of Soft Power,” SGI President Ikeda’s address on Sept. 26, 1991, at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. The full text appears in My Dear Friends in America, second edition, pp. 122−31. One…
From This Moment On
I created this website / blog in August, 2011, albeit with a slightly different look. The most recent title of this blog was “Buddhism and Women’s Empowerment.” I started writing blog posts once a day, M-F until the website was…
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Blue Butterflies
Karmic Retribution
Lessening one’s karmic retribution. This term, which literally means, “transforming the heavy and receiving it lightly,” appears in the Nirvana Sutra. As a benefit of protecting the correct teaching of Buddhism, we can experience relatively light karmic retribution in this…
Enlightenment
Buddhism regards all colors, all fragrances, all inanimate and living things—birds, beasts, humans, and flowers, every blade of grass and tree—all the varied and beautiful phenomena in the universe without exception, as manifestations of the Buddha nature. Words of Wisdom:…
