CategoryTo My Friends

Discussion meetings are the heart of the Soka Gakkai. Mr. Toda often told us: “Mr. Makiguchi always made sure he got to the meeting place before anyone else. When thefirst person arrived, he would engage them in an earnest discussion. When a second and third person arrived, he included them in the conversation, sharing Buddhism

How can human beings themselves change, and how can we gain an understanding of the real nature of life? These are the most fundamental challenges facing humanity. In this respect, the religious revolution we of the Soka Gakkai are carrying out based on the principles of Nichiren Buddhism is key. You are all noble trailblazers

Setting to work at the most difficult times and in the most difficult places is the way to achieve great things, to open a new page of history. We should deeply take to heart this Soka Gakkai spirit. From The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 3, revised edition, p. 259

A capable person is a person of character. Consideration for others, tolerance, self-discipline, and a commitment to truth and justice are just some of the qualities that mark an excellent character, the most priceless possession of a human being. Developing character requires spiritual struggle. It means forging your spirit by challenging your weaknesses and overcoming

I also was alone in supporting Mr. Toda. As his disciple, I did everything I possibly could to assist him. The Soka Gakkai tradition of making February a month of renewed efforts to share Nichiren Buddhism all began from my determination to respond to my mentor. From The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part

Nichiren Buddhism. Faith enables us to manifest the Gohonzon that exists within us; it allows us to bring forth the diamond-like state of the Buddha and make it shine brightly. Within the depths of our lives, we each inherently possess boundless life force and a wellspring of infinite wisdom. Faith allows us to freely tap

Shin’ichi worked, strove, and fought with the unwavering wish to triumph in every endeavor so that he might bring joy to his mentor, Josei Toda. His mentor was always in his heart. Each day, each moment, was an ongoing dialogue with him. Shin’ichi was also convinced that Toda was aware of all his efforts and

In times of great challenges, we should chant powerful daimoku. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is like the roar of a lion king. In times of shared adversity, we should use our voices unsparingly to support and encourage our fellow members. From The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 3, revised edition, p. 174

Why is the Soka Gakkai so strongly united? Because its members tirelessly engage in dialogue. They never let up. Whether it comes to organizational unity or harmonyamong all people, the basic principle is the same. It’s important to keep making efforts again and again to reach out and talk with others, creating heart-to-heart bonds basednot

Mr. Toda said to youth division members: “Think about how to change society and what you need to do to build an ideal society! I want you to base all your actions on that larger perspective.” I’d like you, the youth, to lead the way in building an ideal society. I hope you will actively

It was in the midst of such exhaustive efforts to promote dialogue that the SGI was founded thirty years ago on this day, January 26, 1975. The inaugural meeting was held on the island of Guam, site of fierce fighting in World War II, and was attended by the representatives of fifty-one countries and territories.

We of the Soka Gakkai have widely spread under standing of Nichiren Buddhism while polishing our own humanity so that it shines brightly. We have made efforts to be the “friends in the orchid room” to people in society. It is by developing our humanity through our Buddhist practice—cultivating unshakable conviction, hope for the future,

Our focus must be to develop the inner potential of life that is greater than the power of nuclear weapons, to create a growing solidarity of the people that is more powerful than the impulse for nuclear proliferation. This is an important challenge for education and other awareness-raising activities to empower people. For my part,

In this Latter Day of the Law teeming with perverse individuals, you are exerting yourselves energetically, often amid many hardships and obstacles, chanting daimokufor others’ happiness, traveling long distances to talk with friends and show them warm concern and understanding. You are truly bodhisattvas. There is no nobler life, no life based on a loftier

When we try to help people gain an understanding of the greatness of Nichiren Buddhism, the first thing they look at is our daily behavior. How do we live our lives? Are we people of character and integrity? People observe us very closely. If we are careless about money matters or lack good judgment, if

When we try to help people gain an understanding of the greatness of Nichiren Buddhism, the first thing they look at is our daily behavior. How do we live our lives? Are we people of character and integrity? People observe us very closely. If we are careless about money matters or lack good judgment, if

By sharing this great life philosophy with others through one-to-one dialogue, haven’t we been constructing strong and unassailable defenses of peace in the heart of one individual after another? The road to our goal of kosen-rufu may seem incredibly long, but it is the most direct path to building lasting world peace. From The Wisdom

The formula for the eternal expansion of kosen-rufu is found in ceaseless, steady efforts to benefit others and engage in dialogue, efforts that spread from one person to another. From The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 3, revised edition, p. 96

Martin Luther King Jr., the champion of the American Civil Rights Movement who inherited Gandhi’s legacy of nonviolence, often said that any religion that overlooks the real-life sufferings of the people is a “spiritually moribund religion.” These convictions of Gandhi and King resonate deeply with us. No matter how lofty the ideals it espouses, a

A young man once told Mr. Makiguchi that he thought it would be better to hold large-scale lectures rather than discussion meetings. “No, it wouldn’t,” Mr. Makiguchireplied without hesitation. “Dialogue is the only way to communicate with another about life’s problems. At a lecture, listeners inevitably feel uninvolved. Even the Daishonin’s treatise ‘On Establishing the