This study series covers Soka Spirit topics to be presented by a youth or student division member at Soka 2030 meetings on the last Sunday of each month. Have you ever seen someone being treated unfairly and wondered what to do? Maybe a friend was mocked online or someone was deliberately left out of an
This study series covers Soka Spirit topics to be presented by a youth or student division member at Soka 2030 meetings on the last Sunday of each month. As ordinary people living in a world of complex challenges, what can we do to create positive change and a peaceful world? Nichiren Buddhism teaches that one
This study series covers Soka Spirit topics to be presented by a youth or student division member at Soka 2030 meetings on the last Sunday of each month. Today, many people put time and effort into trying to appear admirable or refined. In Buddhism, however, what matters most is what’s in our hearts and how
This series, prepared by the SGI-USA Study Department, aims to answer questions about the basics of Nichiren Buddhism. We all crave comfort—and so do our brains! Studies show that we prefer familiar thoughts and feelings, often resisting advice. Yet research also reveals that staying open to input accelerates our growth. Such tendencies signal how seeking
This series, prepared by the SGI-USA Study Department, aims to answer questions about the basics of Nichiren Buddhism. It’s easy to understand the benefits of a consistent Buddhist practice—but putting it into action can sometimes be a challenge. Drawing inspiration from the writings of Nichiren Daishonin and the guidance of Ikeda Sensei, let’s explore how
This series, prepared by the SGI-USA Study Department, aims to answer questions about the basics of Nichiren Buddhism. Have you ever gotten lost trying to get to a new location? Having a map—or nowadays, a map app—makes a big difference in getting where you want to go. Life, and Buddhist practice, is often likened to
This series, prepared by the SGI-USA Study Department, features timeless stories in Nichiren Daishonin’s writings (also called the Gosho) that continue to offer practical wisdom for us today. In the Lotus Sutra’s fifth chapter, Shakyamuni Buddha presents a parable that tells of a great cloud covering the entire world that sends life-giving rain equally upon
A waterfall called the Dragon Gate exists in China. Its waters plunge a hundred feet, swifter than an arrow shot by a strong warrior. It is said that a great many carp gather in the basin below, hoping to climb the falls, and that any that succeeds will turn into a dragon. Not a single
This series, prepared by the SGI-USA Study Department, features timeless stories from Nichiren Daishonin’s writings (also called the Gosho) that continue to offer practical wisdom for us today. Long ago, there lived a great ruler named King Rinda. The sound of white horses neighing infused him with energy and strength. As long as he was
This series highlights how Buddhism can enhance daily living. As Nichiren Daishonin says: “When the skies are clear, the ground is illuminated. Similarly, when one knows the Lotus Sutra, one understands the meaning of all worldly affairs.” In Homer’s epic The Odyssey, the Greek hero Odysseus embarks on a long, perilous voyage home after the
This series highlights how Buddhism can enhance daily living. As Nichiren Daishonin says: “When the skies are clear, the ground is illuminated. Similarly, when one knows the Lotus Sutra, one understands the meaning of all worldly affairs.” It’s November, and the year is almost over! Spring is often a time for picnics, summer for barbecues,
This series highlights how Buddhism can enhance daily living. As Nichiren Daishonin says: “When the skies are clear, the ground is illuminated. Similarly, when one knows the Lotus Sutra, one understands the meaning of all worldly affairs.” In a 1999 experiment, participants viewed a video where two small teams, one dressed in white and the
In the eighth volume of [the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai’s] Great Concentration and Insight and in the eighth volume of [the Great Teacher Miao-lo’s] The Annotations on “Great Concentration and Insight” it says, “The stronger one’s faith, the greater the protection of the gods.” This means that the protection of the gods depends on the strength
In the Latter Day of the Law, the votary of the Lotus Sutra will appear without fail. The greater the hardships befalling him, the greater the delight he feels, because of his strong faith. Doesn’t a fire burn more briskly when logs are added? All rivers flow into the sea, but does the sea turn
Thus we know that Shakyamuni, Many Treasures, and the countless Buddhas of the ten directions; Superior Practices and the other bodhisattvas who emerged from the earth; Universal Worthy, Manjushri, and the other bodhisattvas of the theoretical teaching; Shariputra and the other great voice-hearer disciples; the great heavenly king Brahma, the gods of the sun and
Never seek this Gohonzon outside yourself. The Gohonzon exists only within the mortal flesh of us ordinary people who embrace the Lotus Sutra and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. The body is the palace of the ninth consciousness, the unchanging reality that reigns over all of life’s functions. … Mandala is a Sanskrit word that is translated as
Find your monthly district material here.
