The Poor Woman’s Lamp
The Buddha, being truly worthy of respect, never judges by the size of one’s offerings. In the past, the boy Virtue Victorious offered a mud pie to the Buddha, and was reborn as King Ashoka and ruled over all of Jambudvīpa. A poor woman cut off her…
The Qualities of A Global Citizen
Global citizenship starts with our inner transformation. Global citizenship is a movement dedicated to encouraging people to become aware of their own boundless inner power and to take responsibility for the welfare of humankind. Daisaku Ikeda outlines the essential qualities…
Challenging “Unbalanced Religious Archetypes”
Transforming Tendencies That Block Our Happiness World Tribune Sept 18, 2020 p. 11 Seeking salvation through an external, absolute being. Leaves people feeling powerless and condemned to suffer in their present life, giving rise to growing pessimism in society. The…
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…
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…
