April 2019 Living Buddhism

Brian Nakamura Woodbridge, New Jersey Living Buddhism: Thank you, Brian, for sharing your experience with us. How did you start your Buddhist practice? Brian Nakamura: I grew up attending SGI activities with my parents, but when I became a teenager, I felt the practice was not for me. In 1999, my mother signed me up for

[39] Building Humanity’s Future—The Noble Endeavor of Fostering the Next Generation LECTURE “Determined to carry on the baton, I proudly await the time . . .” These are lines from “Torchbearers of Justice,” a song that I presented to my young successors, whom I entrust with carrying on the baton of kosen-rufu. I composed the

PART 3: KOSEN-RUFU AND WORLD PEACE OVERVIEW OF THIS SERIES “The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace” is a three-part series that features key selections from SGI President Ikeda’s collected works, which thus far have been compiled into 150 volumes in Japanese. These selections introduce core concepts expressing the wisdom and universal message of Nichiren

This guidance is from section 25.2 of “The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace” series, published in the October 2017 Living Buddhism, p. 63. We need to be aware of the importance of the mentor-disciple relationship in terms of awakening to and carrying out our personal mission in life, as well as promoting the betterment

The Ikeda Wisdom Academy is an SGI-USA youth division movement to engage youth leaders in advanced study. In March, a new cycle of the academy began, focusing on the study of On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime: SGI President Ikeda’s Lecture Series. This month, academy members will study chapters 3 and 4 of this lecture

This month marks the beginning of our May Commemorative Contribution activity. Living Buddhism spoke with SGI-USA youth across the country about the spirit of making offerings and their role in moving the kosen-rufu movement forward as successors. Photos by Tomoko Gelbaum, Marc Giannavola, Debra Willaims, Jonathan Wilson Living Buddhism: : How did you first learn

Message From SGI-USA General Director Adin Strauss Thank you for your phenomenal efforts and sincere financial offerings to advance kosen-rufu. We have worked side by side with SGI President Ikeda to create historic milestones for advancing kosen-rufu in America. Now we are building on these efforts to further expand and strengthen our movement for the

The following article is the fourth in a five-part series describing the events leading up to April 24, 1979, when Daisaku Ikeda stepped down as third Soka Gakkai president to protect the members from the perverse machinations of the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood, which sought to wrest control of the lay organization. This incident came to

A: We begin to transform our karma when we earnestly chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, squarely face our problems and do our utmost to take courageous action for kosen-rufu. This requires overcoming, at each turn, our self-doubt, fear, anger and the many negative tendencies that keep us from moving forward in our lives. And we can win over

Nichiren Daishonin persevered in his efforts to spread the Mystic Law, overcoming a succession of persecutions in order to establish a teaching that could lead all people to absolute happiness. There are numerous examples of the drama of the oneness of mentor and disciple that unfolded between Nichiren and his disciples. This series shows how

“To melt the Cold War’s wall of ice, I’ve decided to pursue a course of dialogue. I feel it’s important to engage leaders from both sides, East and West, in earnest discussion, as ordinary fellow human beings. Even someone wielding the greatest power and authority is still just a human being.” —SGI President Ikeda In

by SGI Vice President Hiromasa Ikeda

Chapter Summary Starting April 3, the day after the memorial service honoring the third anniversary of President Toda’s death, Shin’ichi Yamamoto set out on a series of trips to attend chapter inaugural meetings in Gunma, Niigata, Aichi, Saitama and Shimane prefectures, as well as in the cities of Tokyo and Hiroshima. Whether before or after

Chapter Summary After attending the May 3 Headquarters General Meeting, Shin’ichi Yamamoto had an informal discussion with top youth leaders. He proposed that, starting on May 3, the organization designate 1961 as the Year of Youth. In the second year of his presidency, he would focus on creating a fresh tide of kosen-rufu, centering on

Chapter Summary On July 4, 1961, Shin’ichi Yamamoto stood before the grave of his mentor, Josei Toda, and chanted Nam-myoho-renge-kyo three times infused with deep prayer. The previous day, July 3, was when his mentor was released from prison 16 years earlier. That same day four years prior, Shin’ichi had been arrested on unwarranted charges.

Chapter Summary On his first visit to Europe, Shin’ichi Yamamoto arrived on October 5 to his first destination, Copenhagen, Denmark. While on a bus bound for the city center, he thought of N.F.S. Grundtvig, the “father of the Danish renaissance,” and his young successor, Kristen Kold, who both worked to make higher education accessible to

This installment, published in the January 23, 2019, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, focuses on passages from Nichiren Daishonin’s writings that SGI President Ikeda discussed in volume 4 of The New Human Revolution. Passage 1 “Surely you are sowing good seeds in a field of fortune. My tears never cease to flow when I think

This monthly encouragement by SGI President Daisaku Ikeda was originally published in the March 2019 issue of the Daibyakurenge, the Soka Gakkai’s monthly study journal. During my unforgettable studies at “Toda University,” my mentor, second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda, once remarked with a smile, “Nichiren Buddhism is truly generous and all-encompassing!” We had just