Becoming Fearless
What is fear? It is an illusion created by one’s own mind. Cowards tremble with fear at shadows of their own making. “Do not fear!” Shakyamuni Buddha taught long ago. In our own age, Gandhi also called on the people…
Stones Into Jewels
Just as poison can be changed into medicine, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo can change evil into good. The Spring of Jewels is so called because, in this spring, stones are changed into jewels. The Daishonin likens the power of the…
The Strategy of the Lotus Sutra
Employ the strategy of the Lotus Sutra before any other. “All others who bear you enmity or malice will likewise be wiped out.”4 Looking at the world today, it is easy to feel despair. A kind of powerlessness seems to be the prevailing mood in the world…
The Berlin Wall
Awakening People’s Buddha Nature Monthly Message ~ Encouragement from Ikeda Sensei Nov 2021 Living Buddhism p. 1 SGI-USA In October 1961, when I saw with my own eyes the Berlin Wall that had been built just two months earlier, I…
The Great Ship of the Lotus Sutra
…all the Buddhist sutras are like gold, but some are finer and more profound than others. The Supremacy of the Law WND-1 p. 612 The Supremacy of the Law As more Buddhist sutras were brought to China, it became apparent…
Human Rights in the 21st Century
July 1, 2021 Living Buddhism AUSTREGÉSILO DE ATHAYDE AND DAISAKU IKEDA When we live in harmony with others, accept coexistence with even those in opposition and understand each other, we can realize the great community indicated by the Universal Declaration.…
Making Our Dreams A Reality In Uncertain Times
World Tribune June 2021 Tariq Hasan was a Ph.D. student and chapter young men’s leader when he faced dissertation writer’s block in the midst of living hand to mouth with his wife and two small children. He was about to quit…
Reply to Kyo’o
Just when I was longing to hear from you once again, the messenger whom you took the trouble to send arrived. In my present circumstances, your gift of money is far more valuable than any treasure to be found on land or…
Chanting Makes Us Unbeatable
Chanting Makes Us Unbeatable When we chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo to the Gohonzon, the sound of the Mystic Law reaches the realm of Buddhahood in the universe as well as the Buddha nature within us, unlocking its innate compassion,…
True Freedom
To be sure, true freedom in Buddhism means having a free and unrestrained state of life that no obstacle can destroy. Nichiren Daishonin spread his teaching of universal enlightenment amid relentless persecutions by the ruling authorities of feudal Japan. Yet he…