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In the Buddhist sutras, there is a story of a wealthy man. Envious on seeing the beautiful, towering three-story home of another, he hires a carpenter to build him a mansion of equal grandeur.
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The carpenter agrees and naturally begins building from the foundation up …
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but the foolish rich man is impatient and says: “I don’t want a foundation. And I don’t want a first or second floor. I just want a mansion that is three stories high. Hurry up and build the third floor!”
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A solid foundation is essential in all things. No building or house can stand without a foundation. The same is true in life. And the time to construct that foundation is now, during your youth.
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Ikeda Sensei teaches us, “Setting goals is the starting point from which our lives’ construction begins. Youth is a struggle to develop and shape oneself—an ongoing challenge to train oneself spiritually, intellectually and physically.”
Illustration by Leo Matsuda
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