CategoryIkeda Sensei

This section features Ikeda Sensei’s seminal guidance to the members of the United States. The following is an excerpt of his speech given at the Joint Conference for Leaders of the SGI Organizations in the U.S. and Canada at Soka University Los Angeles, Calabasas, California, September 30, 1991. The full speech can be found in

I had only a few seconds to get the shot. The day was November 3, 1995. … These sublime, noble peaks were just as I had imagined them. As my heart filled with awe and appreciation, I raised my camera and snapped the shutter six, maybe seven, times. These mountains seem alive—breathing. Behind these mountains

Ikeda Sensei gave the following guidance at the New York Culture Center, New York, June 15, 1996. It can also be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, chapter 10, installment 1, pp. 315–19. In his 1993 lecture at Harvard University, “Mahayana Buddhism and Twenty-First-Century Civilization,” Ikeda Sensei, based

Ikeda Sensei gave the following guidance in Daisan no jinsei o kataru (A discussion on the third stage of life—Aging in contemporary society), published in Japanese in October 1998. It can also be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, chapter 9, installment 1, pp. 283–90. None of us

Ikeda Sensei gave the following guidance in “To My Young Friends—Leaders of a New Age,” published in Japanese from July 25–27, 2012. It can also be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, chapter 8, installment 2, pp. 250–54. Ikeda Sensei encourages members to resolve never to be defeated

Ikeda Sensei gave the following guidance in Kenko no chie (The Art of Health), published in Japanese in February 1997. It can also be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, chapter 8, installment 1, pp. 247–49. Birth, aging, sickness and death are challenges everyone must face. We are

Ikeda Sensei gave the following speech at a European representatives’ conference, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, on June 11, 1992. It can also be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, pp. 231–34. The aim of Buddhism is the pursuit of happiness, a life of mutual elevation in which we

Ikeda Sensei gave the following guidance in The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, vol. 4, published in Japanese in December 1998. It can also be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, pp. 229–30. The bodhisattva way teaches that our happiness is inextricably linked with serving others. There are

Ikeda Sensei gave the following guidance in The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, vol. 5, published in Japanese in September 1999. It can also be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, pp. 227–29. Buddhism teaches that we should strive for the mutual happiness of ourselves and others, without

This section features Ikeda Sensei’s seminal guidance to the members of the United States. The following is an excerpt of his speech given at the World Peace Ikeda Auditorium, in Santa Monica, California, September 29, 1991. The full speech can be found in My Dear Friends in America, fourth edition, pp. 152–65. Winter Never Fails

Looking up I see sunlight glimmering through the leaves. The trees of Oirase stand like venerable, wise persons. Gazing upward from the streambed where I stand, I see deep-green leaves of August, filled with life, extending from treetops and branches toward small patches of blue sky. Nothing is more deserving of praise than a tree

The following is an excerpt from The New Human Revolution, vol. 16, “Heart and Soul” chapter. It can also be be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, chapter 6, installment 2, pp. 200–02. In The New Human Revolution, the novel’s protagonist Shin’ichi Yamamoto (whose character represents Ikeda Sensei), after attending

Ikeda Sensei gave the following speech at a Yamagata Prefecture general meeting, Yamagata, Japan, April 18, 1983. It can also be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, chapter 6, installment 1, pp. 197–99. Buddhism teaches the principle of cherry, plum, peach and damson—that every being is beautiful and

Ikeda Sensei gave the following speech on March 9, 1993, at an SGI-USA representatives conference in Miami. It can be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, pp. 165–69.

The following is an excerpt from The Human Revolution, “Determination” chapter.

This section features Ikeda Sensei’s seminal guidance to the members of the United States. The following is an excerpt of his speech given at the Boston Community Center, in Boston, Massachusetts, September 27, 1991. The full speech can be found in My Dear Friends in America, fourth edition, pp. 137–51. You Can See Eagle Peak

In June 1989, I flew from England to Sweden. The capital, Stockholm, is often called the “Venice of the North.” It is also known as the “City That Floats on the Water” and has a harbor that extends into its center. This city is built upon 14 islands linked by bridges and is crisscrossed by

Ikeda Sensei gave the following speech on Feb. 25, 1988, at a divisional representatives conference in Tokyo. It can be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, pp. 135–37. Our inner transformation through revealing our inherent Buddhahood will transform not only our own lives but also our environment and

Ikeda Sensei gave the following speech at a conference in Okinawa, Japan, March 3, 1998. It can be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, pp. 138–39. Rejecting negativity and practicing faith based on appreciation and joy is the way to elevate our life state. It is the heart

Ikeda Sensei gave the following speech on Feb. 20, 1990, at an SGI-USA youth training meeting in Malibu, California. It can be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition,  pp. 53–57. Nichiren Buddhism teaches the importance of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with faith in the Gohonzon in order to transform our