Patience & Determination

Nothing is so full of victory as patience.

Madagascan Proverb

Nichiren’s belief was that one’s ichinen (一念), often translated as “a single moment of life” or “single-minded determination,” possessed the key to revealing the boundless Buddha nature within life. When your determination changes, everything else will begin to move in the direction you desire. The moment you resolve to be victorious, every nerve and fiber in your being will immediately orient itself toward your success. On the other hand, if you think, “This is never going to work out,” then, at that instant, every cell in your being will be deflated and give up the fight, and everything then really will move in the direction of failure.

How you orient your mind, the kind of attitude you take, greatly influences both yourself and your environment . . . Through the power of strong inner resolve, we can transform ourselves, those around us and the land in which we live. Each of you is in possession of this “tool,” this “secret weapon.” There is no greater treasure.

“What is the Nichiren Buddhist View of Mindfulness” Oct 1 2019 Living Buddhism SGI-USA