Daily Life
The Power of Friendship
Stories from literature on why good friends are life’s greatest treasure.
Using The New Human Revolution
as a compass for victory
Stories of friendship, community and successors amid the Los Angeles fires
On the Power to Persevere When Our Dreams Feel Out of Reach
When it comes to our most intractable relationships, the key to change is courage.
“Gongyo, which forms a fundamental basis of our Buddhist practice, could be described as a ceremony in which we bring the primordial sun of Buddhahood to rise brightly in the vast skies of our lives each day.”(Ikeda Sensei, pp. 18–19 of this issue) The first time a person hears about Nichiren Buddhism, odds are it’s
In this essay, Ikeda Sensei writes of the power source of victory—gongyo. This essay was translated from the February 10, 2006, issue of the Soka Gakkai’s daily newspaper, Seikyo Shimbun. Some members from Chiba sent me a photo of this year’s [2006] first sunrise over the Pacific Ocean. My wife, Kaneko, and I often admire
In volume 28 of The New Human Revolution, which chronicles the Soka Gakkai’s history, Ikeda Sensei writes of a fire that struck Izu Oshima Island, Japan, and the members’ efforts to rebuild their lives and spread hope in their communities. Sensei appears in the novel as Shin’ichi Yamamoto. On Jan. 11, 1965, a major fire
Ikeda Sensei: The heart of the practice of Nichiren Buddhism is our practice for self and others—that is, reciting gongyo and chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo ourselves and sharing Buddhism with others. Amid the realities of society, we chant and spread the Mystic Law and engage in dialogues that respect the dignity of each person’s life and impart
In a discussion with young people, Ikeda Sensei underscores the importance of polishing our character through the mutual support and inspiration that come from engaging with many people. Though you may dislike organizations, is remaining alone really freedom? Can you guarantee that you won’t lose sight of yourself if you’re on your own? That’s hard
Can religion become a force for peace? This question guided students in a Soka University of America Learning Cluster taught by university professor Testushi Ogata. The students traveled to Boston to visit 10 different places of worship and met with scholars, religious representatives and peers at other universities. By studying real cases and engaging in
From January to February, all seven other planets in our solar system are lining up across the night sky before dawn or after sunset. They include Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn—as bright points of light, all visible to the naked eye—with Uranus and Neptune visible only with a telescope. With the next visible planet
OSLO, Norway—The 2024 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Nihon Hidankyo—a grassroots movement of hibakusha, or atomic bomb survivors, from Hiroshima and Nagasaki—for its efforts “to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again.” In its Oct. 11, 2024, announcement, the Norwegian
Shortly after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists created the Doomsday Clock—a symbolic piece that conveys the time that remains before the extinction of the human race. This year, the hands of the Doomsday Clock moved to 90 seconds to midnight, largely because of the war