Daily Life
Correctly Perceiving the Essence of Life
When a broad network of youth study Nichiren Daishonin’s writings together, they form a powerful unifying force.
Daily Life
Fostering Young Phoenixes
Learn from the inspiring history of the junior high and high school divisions with monthly features excerpted from The New Human Revolution. In this installment, Ikeda Sensei, appearing as Shin’ichi Yamamoto, discusses founding new divisions for junior high and high school students. The following excerpt can be found in The New Human Revolution, vol. 9,
4 Keys to Ascending Our ‘Mount Everest’
The first successful ascent of Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, took place on May 29, 1953, by a British expedition including New Zealand mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary (1919–2008) and the Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norgay (1914–86). Ikeda Sensei draws key lessons for victory from this momentous achievement. These four points are from Sensei’s speech published
Breaking Through Our Limits With Prayer and Action
At the Seikyo Shimbun Building, Ikeda Sensei (appearing as Shin’ichi Yamamoto in the novel The New Human Revolution) offers guidance about how elevating our life condition through Buddhist practice enables us to respond positively to life’s constantly changing realities. This excerpt can be found in The New Human Revolution, vol. 18, pp. 64–65. Shin’ichi [Yamamoto]
5 Keys to Raising Young People
In The New Human Revolution, vol. 12, pp. 30–32, responding to a question from a leader, Ikeda Sensei elucidates essential points for fostering youth. He addresses the topic from various angles and ultimately concludes: “What matters is that we look after the youth as if they were our younger siblings. Young people will not develop
One Is the Mother of Ten Thousand
Recalling how their seniors in faith helped them overcome it all, women’s division members discuss how they are paying it forward to a new generation.
‘I am Myoho-renge-kyo!’
Every year on February 27, the women of America celebrate SGI-USA Women’s Day and the birthday of SGI Honorary Women’s Leader Kaneko Ikeda. Together, they renew their vow to “become the happiest people in the world” (My Dear Friends in America, fourth edition, p. 95). This month, Living Buddhism carries the following excerpts from SGI
Lessons
We Grow Amid Human Relationships
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
Virtue Victorious and the Mud Pie
Making Offerings Sows Seeds in a Field of Fortune The following excerpts are from Ikeda Sensei’s novel The New Human Revolution, vol. 4, pp. 116–118. Sensei appears in the novel as Shin’ichi Yamamoto. In a letter addressed to Lord Matsuno, Nichiren Daishonin describes how a child named Virtue Victorious was reborn as King Ashoka
The Heart of Propagating Buddhism
In August 1957, Ikeda Sensei initiated a propagation campaign in Tokyo’s Arakawa Ward, where more than 200 new members joined the Soka Gakkai in one week. During this time, Sensei had been worried about his mentor, second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda, who was battling serious health challenges. With Mr. Toda’s lifetime goal of 750,000
Q&A
Q: I often hear people talking about “kosen-rufu.” But what does it mean?
Q: When I try introducing my friends to Buddhism, they usually say that organized religion isn’t for them. Why do we practice in an organization?
Q: It’s hard to say if my life is changing for the better. How can I tell?
Q: What is the Buddhist approach to asking people to chant for me?
Q: I’ve been feeling discouraged. How can I make a fresh start?
Q: What is the Sangha?
Q: Why do we chant to the Gohonzon?
Q: How to Enshrine the Gohonzon and Care for Your Buddhist Altar
In Society
It Is 90 seconds to Midnight
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
A Buddhist Take on History
A middle-school U.S. history textbook from one of the top three educational publishers in the country features a quote from Daisaku Ikeda in its 2023 edition. McGraw Hill Education describes the primer United States History: Voices and Perspectives as designed to “empower students to make connections between the past and present as they experience history
Home run!
On Aug. 28, Hawaii’s Honolulu Little League won the Little League World Series championship with a 13-3 win against Curaçao. This was the the fourth time in 17 years a team from Hawaii has won the youth baseball tournament and the second championship for Honolulu, who won the title in 2018. Gerald Oda, head coach
Baggio Takes Flight
Italy’s national airline, ITA Airways, dedicates a plane to Roberto Baggio, Italian soccer legend and longtime SGI member. The only Italian to score in three World Cups, Baggio is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. His journey is chronicled in the Netflix documentary Baggio: The Divine Ponytail. As an homage
