CategoryIkeda Sensei

The following excerpts are from Ikeda Sensei’s speech at the 33rd Soka Gakkai Headquarters Leaders Meeting held at the Tokyo Makiguchi Memorial Hall in Hachioji, Tokyo, on May 1, 1999. Video footage of the speech was broadcast during the 13th Soka Gakkai Headquarters Leaders Meeting Toward Our Centennial held on May 3, 2023. The excerpts

Ikeda Sensei sent the following message to SGI-USA student division members, which was read at a meeting held in Laguna Hills, Calif., on May 24, 2023.  Nichiren Daishonin states, “These great bodhisattvas [who emerged from the earth] are particularly suited to bring benefit to people in the Latter Day of the Law, like fish who

The following essay from Ikeda Sensei was translated from the April 14, 2023, issue of the Soka Gakkai’s daily newspaper, Seikyo Shimbun.  My treasures are my inspiring fellow members who devote themselves with unwavering faith to realizing kosen-rufu and the ideal of “establishing the correct teaching for the peace of the land.” Nichiren Daishonin, the

Originally published in the May 2023 Daibyakurenge, the Soka Gakkai’s monthly study journal. All of you, my treasured fellow members, engage in dialogue throughout the four seasons to realize Nichiren Daishonin’s ideal of “establishing the correct teaching for the peace of the land.” You embody the principle that “where there is unseen virtue, there will

Ikeda Sensei sent the following message to the 13th Soka Gakkai Headquarters Leaders Meeting Toward Our Centennial held on May 3, 2023, at the Toda Memorial Auditorium in Sugamo, Tokyo. The meeting commemorated May 3, Soka Gakkai Day and the 35th anniversary of  Soka Gakkai Mothers Day. This message was originally published in the May

This essay by Ikeda Sensei was published in the March 27, 2023, issue of the Soka Gakkai’s daily newspaper, Seikyo Shimbun. Part one is published in the May 3, 2023, World Tribune.  This March marks the 12th anniversary of the devastating March 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. I wish to offer my sincerest prayers once

This essay by Ikeda Sensei was published in the March 27, 2023, issue of the Soka Gakkai’s daily newspaper, Seikyo Shimbun.  The power to create history is born of deep life-to-life connections. In particular, the courageous efforts of successors who respond to the trust placed in them by their predecessors open a new age.  In

Originally published in the April 2023 Daibyakurenge, the Soka Gakkai’s monthly study journal. The spiritual bond of mentor and disciple is profound and unfettered. The final encounter between Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and Josei Toda was a brief moment following their arrest for their religious beliefs. Passing each other in the corridor of the police headquarters as

The following essay was written by Ikeda Sensei as part of the series “The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin and the Mentor-Disciple Relationship.” It was originally published in the Nov. 13, 2009, World Tribune.  “Nichiren declares that the [shared] sufferings that all living beings undergo … all these are Nichiren’s own sufferings.” (“On Reprimanding Hachiman,” The

The following was written by Ikeda Sensei as part of the series “The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin and the Mentor-Disciple Relationship.” It was originally published in the Oct. 16, 2009, World Tribune. Part one, “Soka: Never Being Defeated,” appears on pp. 2–3 of the April 7, 2023, World Tribune.  “Employ the strategy of the Lotus

The following was written by Ikeda Sensei as part of the series “The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin and the Mentor-Disciple Relationship.” It was originally published in the Sept. 4, 2009, World Tribune.  “Employ the strategy of the Lotus Sutra before any other. ‘All others who bear you enmity or malice will … be wiped out.’ These

Originally published in the March 2023 Daibyakurenge, the Soka Gakkai’s monthly study journal. What good fortune we have to journey throughout the three existences—past, present and future—with Nichiren Daishonin, the Mystic Law and our fellow members, forever walking the path of eternity, happiness, true self and purity. In a letter to Soya Doso, who exerted

The following are excerpts from Ikeda Sensei’s speech at a Soka Gakkai headquarters leaders meeting, held at the Tokyo Makiguchi Memorial Hall in Hachioji, Tokyo, on Jan. 8, 2002. The speech was originally published in the Feb. 8, 2002, World Tribune, pp. 6–7.  Today, January 8, is a solemn day of mentor and disciple. It

The following essay excerpts were published in the Dec. 28, 2022, issue of the Soka Gakkai’s daily newspaper, Seikyo Shimbun. At the November headquarters leaders meeting commemorating the Soka Gakkai’s founding [held on Nov. 12, 2022], the Soka Gloria Wind Orchestra and Kansai Wind Orchestra gave a stirring performance of the fourth movement of Beethoven’s

To deplore our circumstances reflects a mind that is controlled by its environment.

The following are excerpts from Ikeda Sensei’s speech at the Fifth Soka Gakkai Headquarters Leaders Meeting held at the Tokyo Makiguchi Memorial Hall in Tokyo in March 2007. Video footage of the speech was broadcast during the 12th Soka Gakkai Headquarters Leaders Meeting Toward Our Centennial held on on Jan. 7, 2023. The excerpts were

Originally published in the February 2023 Daibyakurenge, the Soka Gakkai’s monthly study journal. During our historic February Campaign of Kamata Chapter [in 1952], braving cold winds, praying and exerting ourselves tirelessly, we reached out widely to those around us to share Nichiren Buddhism. A passage from Nichiren Daishonin’s treatise “The Selection of the Time” that

The following is Ikeda Sensei’s message to “EMERGE,” the Southern California youth meeting commemorating 30 years since Sensei dedicated the poem “The Sun of Jiyu Over a New Land” to the members of  Los Angeles, held on Jan. 29, 2023, at the SGI-USA World Culture Center in Santa Monica, California.  To my most cherished members

Message de Mme Kaneko Ikeda pour les départements des femmes et des jeunes femmes Janvier 2023

1990年2月27日於創大洛杉礦分校 今天，各位代表從全美各地前來相聚，路途迢遙，我由衷說聲:真是辛苦大家! 我對各位婦人部員的心願抵有一個，就是「希望妳們比任何人更享幸福」! 人生的目的為何?那就是幸福。幸福有種種層次，決非一成不變的。而相對的幸福更有千百種。佛法的目的，在於成佛。以現代的說法而言，就是建立絕對的幸福–無論發生任何事都不會毀壞、不屈服、不崩塌，真實的幸福境界。 日蓮大聖人曾斷言: 「一切眾生唯唱南無妙法蓮華經，別無遊樂也。」(御書全集1143頁)—世人唯有唱誦「南無妙法蓮華經」，沒有其他的遊樂、幸福。 不論發生何事，是苦、是喜，都要徹底向御本尊唱題。抵要貫徹這種強盛的信心，以煩惱即菩提的法理，必可步上「所願滿足」的至高人生軌道。唯有確立這種可將一切不斷轉化為喜悅與滿足的大境界，才有真實的幸福，充滿無窮快樂的遊樂人生。 廣布的組織也是為了使各位、每一個人都能掌握絕對的幸福。是以各位的幸福 為目的，其他不外是一種方法而已。 社會或生活的大地，又是正法與信仰的大地。唯有以信心為根本，自始至終重視社會、重視生活、重視自己的家，才有廣宣流布的穩健進展.，「信心即生活」就是我們的永遠指標。 入生的目的在 求真實幸福 為了祝福今天的婦人部講習會，又滿懷感謝各位從全美各站專程趕來的心意，會後敬請各位一一瀏覽瀏覽創價大學典藏的一些至寶。 首先是美國歷任總統的書集，其中包括喬治．華盛頓（George Washington）及歷來總統的親筆函，連同他們的肖像一併陳列。 其次是拿破崙臨死前遺留的書簡集，還有訴求義大利信教自由的其他書信。 第三類是雨果（Victor Hugo）的《懲罰詩集》（Les Châtiments）初版本與書信，詩集裡有雨果親筆的題詞、簽名。 接下來，是湯因比博士（Arnold J. Toynbee）寫給前國務卿杜勒斯（John Foster Dulles）訴求巴基斯坦和平的信函、德國大音樂家華格納（Richard Wagner ） 描述《漂泊的荷蘭人》（Tannhäuser）那場演奏的書簡、美國獨立英雄約翰．漢考克（John Hancock）簽署的公文，以及著名人物巴托米奧．班塞廸（Bartolomeo Vanzetti）的書信。 尤其班塞廸的書信，是他遭不實之罪處死前，向法院要求重審而寫下的信長達十二頁，信中寫有「假如我被判死刑，法院無疑是犯下殺人罪。」等，充滿著訴求自由與釋放的「靈魂吶喊」。 這些至寶，說起來是貴重的「歷史遺產」。此外，又以SGI 推進和平、文化、教育運動的一環，將在法國創設雨果紀念館等，在各種層面致力於保存、介紹堪稱人類之寶的種種物品。特此報告這些活動將帶給未來一個深遠的意義。 我希望各位都要成為有教養、有品格的女性。具備知性與溫柔的女性才美麗，周圍的人也會寄予信賴、感到安心。而愈加深信心，愈將擴展知性世界臻於豐饒的，就是佛法。 領導人更是如此，若缺乏賢明與聰穎，勢必無法讓多數人信服，不能達成導入幸福的使命。因此，今天或許也有稍許艱深的話題，想透過「鏡子」談談的「信心」重要態度。 日本自古就認為「鏡子是女人的靈魂」，至今仍常說：「女人離不開鏡子，就像武士離不開刀一樣。」這點在任何國家都是大致雷同，顯然須臾片刻都是鏡不離手的女性也不乏其人。 「鏡子」在佛法上的確有許多意義，也用於許多譬喻。 大聖人也曾教示：「總之，於鏡有重重相傳。」(御書全集724頁)—總之，鏡子方面有重重的相傳。 在此針對我們的信心，作一簡潔概述。 佛法是映出生命的明鏡 御書裡這樣教示：「銅鏡雖能浮顯人形，猶不得浮顯心。法華經非惟浮現人形，亦浮顯心也。非惟浮顯心，更可照鑑先業、未來，無所遍形。」(御書全集1512頁) —銅鏡雖能照出人的模樣，卻照不出人心。法華經不僅可將人的姿態(色法)，連人心(心法)也照出來。不只是人心，連過去的業困、未來都一清二楚地照出來。 鏡子映出肉眼可見的容貌或姿態，佛法的鏡子卻連看不見的生命也映現出來。 鏡子是人應用反射法則等的「光」原理，設法使之能夠映出姿態的一項「智慧」成果。 御本尊則是佛根據「宇宙」與「生命」的法則，使人凝視「汝自身」的實相，而得以成佛的「智慧」究極。 正如要整肅儀容不可缺少鏡子般，要審視自己、審視人生，以使生活更幸福、美好，勢必需要「映出生命的鏡子」。 話說前述御文所提到的「銅鏡」之類，古代的鏡子是將青銅、白鋼、鐵等金屬磨製而成，大概還攙入錫之類製成。最古老的這種金屬鏡產在中國、埃及等，最古老的則為研磨石頭表面而成的石鏡，以及水鏡等等。總之，鏡子的歷史與人的歷史同樣古老。說是想瞧瞧自己的長相，或許就是人的本能吧! 這種古代鏡子與現在玻璃製的鏡子不同，只能照出模糊的影像。所以，初次看見玻璃鏡，人人莫不大驚失色。 日本首次接觸到玻璃鏡，是在1551 年，一般認為是方濟各． 沙勿略（ Francis Xavier）到日本傳教時帶來的。但是，直到十八世紀，才為日本一般民眾所知。大概因為照得太清晰，使人怔怔地望著這面鏡子的緣故，所以當時的人們把玻璃鏡叫做「自我陶醉鏡」。 日本的「浮世繪」也有描繪女性攬鏡自照的神情。直到十九世紀後半葉，玻璃鏡才告普及。 這裡是美國，尚請包涵，為了日本讀者而介紹一段在日本的歷史。至於美國，不用說，早在拓荒時期就有玻璃鏡了。 磨鏡的傳統