CategoryIkeda Sensei

This section features Ikeda Sensei’s seminal guidance to the members of the SGI-USA. The following is an excerpt of his speech given at an SGI-USA Executive Conference in San Francisco, March 13, 1993. The full speech can be found in My Dear Friends in America, fourth edition, pp. 278–83. The Birthplace of the United Nations

At the Grand Bazaar, row after row of shops form an endless virtual maze for shopping tourists. Istanbul itself has come through a maze of several thousand years of history. Once part of the Greek world, then a center of Christendom, today it is a hub of Islam. This history has created a mesmerizing multi-layered

The following is from The World of Nichiren Daishonin’s Writings, vol. 3, published in Japanese in March 2005. It can be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, chapter 8, installment 5, pp. 260–61. Illness is not a sign of defeat or misfortune. For those dedicated to the Mystic

The following is from On Health and Long Life. It can be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, chapter 9, installment 2, pp. 291–93. Exploring the profound Buddhist teaching of perpetual youth and eternal life, Ikeda Sensei speaks of the golden value of old age. The struggle against

The following is from The World of Nichiren Daishonin’s Writings, vol. 3, published in Japanese in March 2005. It can be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, chapter 8, installment 5, pp. 258–60. Illness is not a sign of defeat or misfortune. For those dedicated to the Mystic

The following is from a speech at a general meeting in Wakayama, Japan, on March 24, 1988. It can be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, chapter 8, installment 4, pp. 256–58. Referring to Nichiren Daishonin’s writings, Ikeda Sensei affirms that Buddhism enables us to change illness into

The following is from a speech at a leaders training course in Nagano, Japan, on Aug. 15, 2005. It can be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, chapter 8, installment 3, pp. 254–55. Daimoku is the wellspring that enables us to face illness and transform it into an

The following is Ikeda Sensei’s speech given in Los Angeles on June 5, 1996. It can be found in My Dear Friends in America, pp. 430–36. We are all a family, a fine family of the people, bound together by deep karmic ties through past, present and future. Let us all live wonderful lives together! Please allow

The following is from A Dialogue on Human Rights in the Twenty-First Century, published in Japanese in February 1995. It can be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace,part 1, revised edition, chapter 7, installment 6, pp. 239–41. In his dialogue with Brazilian Academy of Letters president and renowned journalist Austregesilo de Athayde,

The following was published in Japanese in September 2000. It can be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, chapter 7, installment 5, pp. 237–38. Buddhism is the way to happiness for both self and others, and to victory for all. Serving others as we pursue that aim enriches

The following is from a speech at a general meeting in Hong Kong, on May 16, 1993. It can be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, chapter 7, installment 4, pp. 234–36. Ikeda Sensei introduces a story by the great Russian writer Leo Tolstoy to address three crucial

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 an SGI-USA representatives training session in Miami, March 11, 1993. The full speech can be found in My Dear Friends in America, fourth edition, pp. 272–77. A Satisfying and Invigorating Gongyo

It was my second trip to South Korea, in May 1998, after a period of eight years. White ridges topped the graceful blue-tiled roof—a portrait of gently arching lines. Here in South Korea, amid a beautiful natural setting, I felt I had encountered an indescribable gentleness. This building, visible from my hotel room window, is

The following is from a Q&A session with SGI-USA Culture Department representatives in Nagano, Japan, on Aug. 7, 1992. It can be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, chapter 6, installment 4, pp. 206–08. Ikeda Sensei encourages an SGI-USA member who asked how to deal with his lack

In a speech delivered in Tokyo on April 3, 1993, at a representative gathering commemorating the April 2 anniversary of second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda’s passing, Ikeda Sensei shares President Toda’s guidance, emphasizing the importance of living true to oneself. It can be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1,

The following is from a speech at a nationwide youth division leaders meeting in Tokyo, Japan, April 29, 1988. It can be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, chapter 5, installment 4, pp. 173–76. Buddhism teaches the principle of cause and effect in our lives—that our present situation

The following is from a speech at a chapter leader’s meeting in Tokyo, Japan, July 27, 1989. It can be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, chapter 5, installment 3, pp. 172–73. According to the Buddhist principle of changing poison into medicine, with strong faith, we can transform

The following is from Discussions on Youth. It can also be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, chapter 5, installment 2, pp. 170–71. As the principle that earthly desires lead to enlightenment indicates, Buddhism enables us to transform all our problems and difficulties into the energy to advance.

The following is from a speech at a representatives conference in Bangkok, Thailand, on Feb. 2, 1992. It can be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, chapter 4, installment 4, pp. 142–43. Our hearts will not shine unless we polish them. When we exert ourselves in faith and

The following is from Dialogue on Mothers and Children in the 21st Century, vol. 3, published in Japanese in June 2000. It can be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, chapter 4, installment 3, pp. 140–41. Ikeda Sensei urges us to regard difficulties as opportunities for attaining happiness