TagEssays by Ikeda Sensei

The mighty cryof Okinawan championsreverberates through the heavens.The Buddhas and heavenly deitiesrejoice and protect them. The following essay by Ikeda Sensei was published in the June 28, 2009, issue of the Soka Gakkai’s daily newspaper, Seikyo Shimbun. The first part of this essay was published in the March 1, 2024, World Tribune. The mighty cryof

The following essay by Ikeda Sensei was originally published in the June 28, 2009, issue of the Soka Gakkai’s daily newspaper, Seikyo Shimbun. Joyfully communicatingwith many people,take actionas wonderfulchampions of youth. Michel de Montaigne (1533–92), whose work I took great pleasure in reading in my youth, emphasized the importance of conversing with others. He said:

The following speech by Ikeda Sensei was given at a representative conference in Tokyo, on May 3, 2009. It can be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, revised edition, part 3, pp. 288–92. On becoming second Soka Gakkai president, Josei Toda declared: “I will through my own efforts reach the membership goal

The following essay by Ikeda Sensei was originally published in the June 8, 2015, issue of the Soka Gakkai’s daily newspaper, Seikyo Shimbun. The sunis synonymouswith the women of Soka.May you shine ever more brightlywith happiness and peace. What distinguishes someone as a truly cultured person, a person of outstanding character? The Swiss philosopher Carl

The following address by Ikeda Sensei was delivered at an executive leaders conference commemorating Soka Gakkai Founding Day, held at the Shinano Culture Center in Tokyo, on November 18, 2006, and was originally published in the November 24, 2006, issue of the Soka Gakkai’s daily newspaper, Seikyo Shimbun. What’s the greatest threat facing humanity? “Both

The following excerpts are from Ikeda Sensei’s speech at a ceremony where representatives of Paraguay’s National University of Itapúa presented him with an honorary doctorate. It was held in conjunction with the Student Division and Future Division Joint General Meeting at the Soka International Friendship Hall in Tokyo, on April 29, 2005. Video footage of

Ikeda Sensei gave the following address on February 27, 1990, at the First SGI-USA Women’s Division Meeting, held at the former Soka University Los Angeles campus in Calabasas, California. In the speech, Sensei presented timeless principles for upholding correct faith in Nichiren Buddhism, becoming absolutely happy and developing a healthy and happy SGI community. This

The following text is Ikeda Sensei’s Foreword to The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, the first volume of the Soka Gakkai’s official English translation of Nichiren’s collected works. The publication in a single volume of the translations of 172 writings of Nichiren Daishonin, including his five major works, is indeed wonderful news, not only

On the 50th anniversary of second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda’s Declaration for the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons, SGI members cosponsored the Civil Society Peace Forum at The Cooper Union in New York, on September 8, 2007. The following is Ikeda Sensei’s message to this event, where he emphasizes key points in the campaign to

The Song of Human Victory

Ikeda Sensei joined the Soka Gakkai on Aug. 24, 1947, 75 years ago this month. In the following essay excerpt, Ikeda Sensei describes his first Soka Gakkai meeting and how encountering his mentor, Josei Toda, became the starting point for his lifelong struggle for peace. This essay originally appeared in the Aug. 24, 2011, Seikyo

The Song of Human Victory

In the summer of 1957, the 29-year-old Ikeda Sensei stood up to the Yubari Coal Miners’ Association and the Osaka City Prosecutors Office. These entities felt their authority threatened by the people’s movement of the Soka Gakkai and took steps to make members abandon their faith and dismantle the organization. Recalling these events, Sensei wrote:

65 Years of the Student Division

We of the Soka Gakkai will forever walk the great path of basing ourselves on the Gosho, the writings of Nichiren Daishonin. Nichiren Daishonin, the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law, left these timeless, precious texts for humanity. Reading them, we will faithfully uphold and work to fulfill “the great vow for kosen-rufu

The Light of the Century of Humanity

This installment of the series “Unforgettable Journeys” features excerpts from Ikeda Sensei’s essay on Hawaii, published in the Oct. 1, 2021, issue of the Soka Gakkai’s daily newspaper, Seikyo Shimbun. The full essay was originally published in the Soka Gakkai–affiliated monthly magazine Pumpkin. May new horizons shine before you on your journey. There is a

30 Years of Our Spiritual Independence

This is an essay by Ikeda Sensei originally published in the May 29, 2000, issue of the Soka Gakkai’s daily newspaper, Seikyo Shimbun. In 1937, I was 9 years old. My father was finally beginning to recover from a long, severe bout of rheumatism. It was at just that time that my eldest brother was

This installment of the series “Unforgettable Journeys” features excerpts from Ikeda Sensei’s essay on Nepal originally published in the Soka Gakkai-affiliated monthly magazine Pumpkin and later in book form in Japanese. This was translated from the Nov. 20, 2020, issue of the Soka Gakkai’s daily newspaper, Seikyo Shimbun. Mountains elevate us to greater heights, and