Salute To Poets (Excerpt)

"The deepest evil,
the ultimate source
of all conflict and tragedy
is the dividing heart.
Preoccupied with
difference,
it drives people
to reject and exclude
others."

-Daisaku Ikeda-

Life

--TO MY FRIENDS--
Life is a "win or lose" battle.
It is a succession of struggles.
Let's advance ever more,
always aiming for the summit.
This is the wisdom for achieving victory.

-Daisaku Ikeda-

Toward Our Dreams

"A victor is one whose life shines with faith. Emerson, one of the favorite writers of my youth, once said, "That which befits us...is cheerfulness and courage, and the endeavor to realize our aspirations." To advance toward our dreams cheerfully, to courageously work toward achieving them-this is what gives sublime meaning and value to our lives."

-Daisaku Ikeda-

Viewpoint

"If you always have a shallow perspective and pay attention only to trivial things, you are sure to get bogged down in all kinds of petty worries and concerns, and not be able to move forward. Even relatively minor hurdles or problems will seem insurmountable. But if you look at life from a broad viewpoint, you naturally spot the way to solve any problem you may confront. This is true when we consider our own personal problems as well as those of society and even the future of the entire world."

-Daisaku Ikeda-

--TO MY FRIENDS--
Guidance and advice should be clear
and practical.
Your personal experience surpasses
100 points of logic.
Let's be credible and convincing and inspire our
fellow members with courage.

-Daisaku Ikeda-

Call Forth

--TO MY FRIENDS--
Call forth your wisdom to
ensure that everyone is
happy and content.
If you have compassion, boundless
wisdom will arise.

-Daisaku Ikeda-

Buddhism Elucidates

--TO MY FRIENDS--
Buddhism elucidates the principle of
"three thousand realms in a
single moment of life."
A firm resolve to consistently
believe in the Mystic Law
will enable you to transform yourself
as well as the world around you.

-Daisaku Ikeda-

Treasures

Had a second reunion with my birth mom last week. Met my aunt and uncle and some wonderful cousins. Had my husband and my dog with me.

My cousin, Sharon, took this shot of me and my mom. Came home to receive a message from my mentor.
Because of this - I am able to accumulate unlimited 'treasures of the heart'.

Thank you, Sensei!

Drawing Forth

"I hope that each of you will study broadly and develop your understanding of life, society and the universe, based on your faith in Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism. This type of learning enables you to cultivate a rich state of life, or inner world, drawing forth profound wisdom and limitless leadership ability from the depths of your life."

-Daisaku Ikeda-

Embark

--TO MY FRIENDS--
"Having good friends is
the entirety of our Buddhist practice."
Let's foster a great solidarity of
friendship and cheerfully and joyfully
embark on a journey of kosen-rufu.

-Daisaku Ikeda-

Key

--TO MY FRIENDS--
Encounters are human dramas.
Every discussion, every exchange
is an earnest "win or lose" battle.
Therefore, sincerity is key!
Communicate with your entire life and being
and capture the hearts and minds of others
with heartfelt dialogue.
-Daisaku Ikeda-

New Era

--TO MY FRIENDS--
With gathering momentum, let's
create the first wave of the new era
and expand it to ten thousand.
One person's courage
becomes the prodigious strength
to transform history.
Youth arise.


-Daisaku Ikeda-

Our Own Earth

"We each move forward secure on our own earth, not the earth of others. Happiness is something we must create for ourselves. No one else can give it to us."

-Daisaku Ikeda-

To Paint

"What kind of future do I envision for myself? What kind of self am I trying to develop? What do I want to accomplish in my life?" The thing is to paint this vision of your life in your heart as specifically as possible. That "painting" itself becomes the design of your future. The power of the heart enables us to actually create with our lives a wonderful masterpiece in accordance with that design.

-Daisaku Ikeda-

Transformative

"True love should be transformative, a process that amplifies our capacity to cherish not just one person but all people. It can make us stronger, lift us higher and deepen us as individuals. Only to the extent that one polishes oneself now can one hope to develop wonderful bonds of the heart in the future."

-Daisaku Ikeda-

Friendship

--TO MY FRIENDS--
Let's treasure our neighbors.
Friendship begins with
cheerful, refreshing greetings.
The truth of Buddhism is revealed
in our "behavior as human beings."

-Daisaku Ikeda-

Achieving it

"Everything depends on what is in our hearts. If we decide to ourselves that something is impossible, then, consistent with our minds in thinking so, even something that is possible for us will become impossible. On the other hand, if we have the confidence that we can definitely do something, then we are already one step closer to achieving it in reality."

-Daisaku Ikeda-

--TO MY FRIENDS--

Thinking "Things will work out"
is irresponsible.
Thinking "Someone else will do it"
is arrogance.
The person who earnestly
determines "I myself will struggle"
is the one who will become the pillar
of the great citadel of "many in body, one in mind."


-Daisaku Ikeda-

Most Natural

"It doesn't matter in what area, just keep working on your personal revolution to transform and improve yourself in the way most natural for you. The important thing is that you change in some positive way. There is surely no more exhilarating a life than one in which we write our own unique history of human revolution each day. And the growth and transformation we achieve in this way can convince people of the greatness of the Daishonin's Buddhism more eloquently than anything else."

-Daisaku Ikeda-

Rich

"There may be times, certainly, when being a member of an organization seems bothersome and we just want to be alone. But how sad it is if we are left alone without any support and then lose our faith. True growth comes from striving together with our fellow members in the living realm of human beings, experiencing the rich gamut of human emotions."

-Daisaku Ikeda-

The Power to Open

--WORDS OF THE WEEK--
The character "myo" contains
the power to open.
Let's open new avenues through
deep prayer and tenacious efforts,
beginning with our local group
of members.




--TO MY FRIENDS--
Let's energize our meetings
with fresh anecdotes.
Let's lead meetings that hearten
fellow members and leave them feeling
glad they came and
inspired to work together.

-Daisaku Ikeda-

Shushmita

Shushmita just arrived
In the 'hood from Bangladesh.
She doesn't speak much English -
But her shoes say the rest!

Words of Encouragement

Like the sun
always bright in heart,
like the sea
with a heart vast and wide,
like the sky
with a heart unendingly tall,
like the flowers
with a heart forever beautiful,
with a heart set on happiness,
like the wind
be free!


-Daisaku Ikeda-

Jubilant

--TO MY FRIENDS--
Leaders themselves should advance victoriously
with a joyful and courageous spirit.
Let's encourage and inspirit our fellow members
with a powerful and jubilant life force.

-Daisaku Ikeda-

Mother of Art, Sun of Blessings (excerpt)

Art is a living power
like the drums of spring that bring rejuvenation to nature
an irrepressible gushing forth of life
that pierces through all anguish
and opens the way for joy

Art is the power of love
that discovers the shining gems
hidden in the hearts of all persons
It is the symphony of human love

Art is the power of mutual trust
knowing no differences of nation or individual
built on the foundation stone
of what we humans have in common
a rainbow bridge linking together all humankind

Ah, art is the breath of life
the proof of what it means to be alive


-Daisaku Ikeda-

The Important Thing

"What will the future be like? No one knows the answer to that question. All we know is that the effects that will appear in the future are all contained in the causes that are made in the present. The important thing, therefore, is that we stand up and take action to achieve great objectives without allowing ourselves to be distracted or discouraged by immediate difficulties."


-Daisaku Ikeda-

Great Hopes (excerpt)

Great hopes --
the shining light of peace

Already the time has come
when human beings travel to other celestial bodies --
what use now to squabble over this little earth of ours?
All human beings now must be friends
must be siblings to one another

The earth
the sea
all shall be filled with life
all things shall be nourished there
and love and compassion overflow
Then what borders
what boundaries will we need?
This globe we live on
will belong to all
All then must pool their efforts to cultivate it
to make it flower as never before
The bad dreams of the past we will wipe out
and with open hearts
welcome in the light of shining peace


-Daisaku Ikeda-

Who Answers Our Prayers?

Thank you, Joe - for suggesting I get Herbie's new CD and this wonderful book.

"Who answers our prayers? We do - through faith and effort. No one does it for us."

-Daisaku Ikeda-

The Wonders

All words have power. Words can make people happy or sad, angry or loving, and so on. Language has a more profound effect on our lives than we realize. Nichiren Daishonin says: "They say that.... if you so much as hear the words 'pickled plum', your mouth will begin to water. Even in everyday life there are such wonders, so how much greater are the wonders of the Lotus Sutra." (Major Writings, vol.3, pp.34).

Historically, Myoho-renge-kyo is the title and essence of the Lotus Sutra, the highest of Shakyamuni's teachings, as translated from Sanskrit into ancient Chinese characters. Nichiren Daishonin placed "nam," a Sanskrit word meaning 'devotion', in front of these characters; so that in simple terms Nam-myoho-renge-kyo means devotion to the ultimate Law of the universe. Each of the characters themselves contain extremely profound principles of life, however, and together they express how everything in the cosmos works in one harmonious relationship.


". . . when we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, even if we don't understand its profound meaning, we can tap the condition of Buddhahood. Our voice chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo permeates the cosmos and reaches the life condition of Buddhahood and all the Buddhas in the universe." (Daisaku Ikeda)

Excerpted from the sgi-usa website - New Members section - www.sgi-usa.org

Paths

October 2, 2007

--TO MY FRIENDS--
Open paths of friendship and
build bridges of trust
toward an era of harmonious coexistence.
World peace begins with
one-on-one dialogues.

-Daisaku Ikeda-