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 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

Ikeda Sensei gave the following speech at a meeting in Nagano, Japan, Aug. 6, 2005. It can be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, pp. 31–33. Happiness is a function of our state of mind. This is why the Soka Gakkai movement, which embraces the philosophy that “it

Ikeda Sensei gave the following speech at an SGI-Canada general meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Oct. 1, 1993. It can be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, pp. 29–31. Nichiren Buddhism teaches that inherent in the lives of all people is the life state of Buddhahood, which

The following are excerpts from Ikeda Sensei’s speech at the Soka Gakkai Headquarters Leaders Meeting held at the Soka International Friendship Hall in Tokyo, on July 16, 2003. Video footage of the speech was broadcast during the Soka Gakkai Headquarters Leaders Meeting on April 12, 2025. The excerpts were translated from the April 28, 2025,

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 Harvard University, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, September 26, 1991. The full speech can be found in My Dear Friends in America, fourth edition, pp. 126–36. In the past, the driving force of

There is a pond that each spring turns into a flowered mirror. Cherry blossoms scatter petal by petal, wafting gently onto the water’s surface like delicately scented silk scarves. To the koi carp in the pond, the fluttering petals must look like clouds billowing across the sky. Such musings made me think the pink petals

Ikeda Sensei gave the following speech on Feb. 6, 1994, at a Soka Gakkai Thailand general meeting in Bangkok. It can be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, pp. 1–5. Ikeda Sensei’s conception of happiness is an inspiring teaching for all, imparting courage to those overwhelmed by suffering

The following is an excerpt from a poem Ikeda Sensei composed in 2010 to commemorate Soka Gakkai Day, May 3, which also marked the 50th anniversary of his inauguration as third Soka Gakkai President. The original text appeared in the May 3, 2010, Seikyo Shimbun, the Soka Gakkai’s daily newspaper.  Ah, our May 3!Unforgettable May

The following essay appears in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 3, revised edition, pp. 315–19. It was translated from the May 2, 2004, issue of the Soka Gakkai’s daily newspaper, Seikyo Shimbun. On May 3, 1960, two years after second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda’s death, Daisaku Ikeda became the third Soka

The following essay by Ikeda Sensei was translated from the Oct. 20, 2007, issue of the Soka Gakkai’s daily newspaper, Seikyo Shimbun. It was originally published in the Nov. 30, 2007, World Tribune. Part one was published in the April 11, World Tribune, pp. 2–3.   As the Daishonin teaches,the appearance ofthe three powerful enemies proves

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 a U.S.-Japan Exchange Training Meeting, held at Soka University Los Angeles, Calabasas, California, September 23, 1991. The full speech can be found in My Dear Friends in America, fourth edition, pp.

The day was June 17, 1992, the time, past 3 o’clock in the afternoon. We were 8 miles from Cairo, a city of 10 million. Driving through the city along the west bank of the Nile, one suddenly finds oneself in the desert. Ahead, atop a plateau, stand the three pyramids of Giza. It was

The following essay by Ikeda Sensei was translated from the Oct. 19, 2007, issue of the Soka Gakkai’s daily newspaper, Seikyo Shimbun. It was originally published in the Nov. 30, 2007, World Tribune.  The American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) declared: “Thought’s holy light. / Better it is than gems or gold, / And oh!

Ikeda Sensei gave the following speech on Aug. 1, 2008, at the Soka Gakkai Youth Division Representatives Conference. This guidance first appeared in the Aug. 8, 2008, issue of the Soka Gakkai’s daily newspaper, Seikyo Shimbun. The first three parts appear in the March 7, 14 and 21, World Tribune, pp. 2–3. Dr. Wangari Maathai,

Chip Grossman, of Santa Monica, always thought spirituality and business were opposing goals. It wasn’t until he encountered SGI Nichiren Buddhism that he realized their deep ties. In this episode, Chip shares how chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo helped him develop the courage and strength to go after his goals and build unshakable happiness. Click here to listen.

On Sept. 5, 1956, I was conferring with second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda about the future of kosen-rufu. The focus of our discussion was Yamaguchi Prefecture in the Chugoku region of Japan. At the time, we had only a little more than 400 households practicing Buddhism there. Yamaguchi was the starting point of events