Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"Nichiren Daishonin writes: 'Though we may suffer for a while, ultimately delight awaits us' (WND-2, 882). It is by surmounting our difficulties and challenges that we are able to sing a song of triumph."

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"And if you want to understand what results will be manifested in the future, look at the causes that exist in the present."
(The Opening of the Eyes - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 279)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

It is through chanting daimoku with a strong determination that we can nurture our relationships with other people we meet. It is through having courageous conversations with others that we can build better trust between them and ourselves. Now, let's all create great big waves of friendship!

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"Each of you should summon up the courage of a lion king and never succumb to threats from anyone. The lion king fears no other beast, nor do its cubs."
(On Persecutions Befalling the Sage - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin,page 997)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

Mr Toda offered the following words of encouragement... 'Nothing is stronger than trust. To gain people's trust, you need to have strong life-force. Please break through every problem with strong faith and powerful life-force.' A person with strong life-force is happy and can overcome any hardship or difficulty. The key to winning the trust and confidence of your community is, fundamentally, having strong life-force."

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"But although the three inherent causes, or potentials, of the Buddha nature are possessed by all beings, if such beings do not encounter the right conditions by meeting a 'good friend' or teacher, then they will not become awakened, they will not understand, their Buddha nature will not manifest itself."
(The Unanimous Declaration by the Buddhas of the Three Existences regarding the Classification of the Teachings and Which Are to be Abandoned and Which Upheld - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Volume 2, page 861)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"Let me share some of Mr. Toda's guidance with you now. The first is a remark he made at the start of a new year-- in 1957, five decades ago: 'Let us plant our feet firmly on the ground and live with brilliant hope. At the same time, let us strive to help others gain an equally solid footing in life and enjoy lives of bright hope.'
"I always made a point of carefully recording and preserving the guidance of my mentor."
Speaking to women's division members, Mr. Toda said: 'Just keep chanting earnestly and wholeheartedly to the Gohonzon. Most people aren't aware of this simple principle. It may seem like the long way around, but actually it's the shortest and surest way forwards.' These words have the gravity of a final injunction."
Mr. Toda also said that people who have battled serious illness really understand the profundity of life. How true this is. And how much more this applies to us who uphold the Mystic Law. We who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo are profound philosophers and great victors, no matter how challenging the circumstances we face. We can transform our karma without fail. The four sufferings of birth, aging, sickness, and death are an inescapable part of life. The crucial thing is not to be defeated by these."

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"If teacher and disciple are of different minds, they will never accomplish anything."
(Flowering and Bearing Grain - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 909)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"To joyfully give one's own time and resources for the sake of kosen-rufu is the noble behaviour of a bodhisattva. That spirit of faith is certain to manifest itself as infinite good fortune and benefit."

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"In the light of the above points, this shows, my followers, that you had better cut short your sleep by night and curtail your leisure by day, and ponder this! You must not spend your lives in vain and regret it for ten thousand years to come."
(The Problem to be Pondered Night and Day - The Writings of NichirenDaishonin, page 622)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"'It is the heart that is important' (WND-1, 1000), writes the Daishonin. What matters is the spirit or determination we apply to the challenges before us. In the final analysis, it all comes down to the strict question of whether or not we truly have faith."

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"My wish is that my disciples will be cubs of the lion king, never to be laughed at by the pack of foxes. It is hard to encounter a master like Nichiren, who since distant kalpas in the past down to the present day has never begrudged his body or life in order to expose the faults of his powerful enemies!"
(In the Continent of Jambudvipa - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Volume2, page 1062)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"I'm counting on you. The Daishonin states: 'If devils did not arise, there would be no way of knowing that this is the correct teaching' (cf. WND-1,501). There are bound to be daunting challenges along the path of kosen-rufu. But no matter what happens, you need never be afraid. A true victor is someone who struggles to the very end and wins."

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"Arouse deep faith, and diligently polish your mirror day and night. How should you polish it? Only by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo."
(On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime - The Writings of NichirenDaishonin, page 4)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"Premier Zhou Enlai (1898-1976) once said: 'Never fear adversaries. By battling against opposition, one can strengthen and develop oneself.'"

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"There are not two lands, pure or impure in themselves. The difference lies solely in the good or evil of our minds."
(On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime - The Writings of NichirenDaishonin, page 4)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"In one of his plays, the French author Romain Rolland (1866-1944) has one character say to a youth: 'Grapple boldly with life, leap into the fray,' and 'Do not wait.' This is the same as the Gakkai spirit. The approach and attitude of all truly first-rate people resonates with those of the Gakkai."

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"Never seek this Gohonzon outside yourself. The Gohonzon exists only within the mortal flesh of us ordinary people who embrace the Lotus Sutra and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo."
(The Real Aspect of the Gohonzon - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page832)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"No prayer to the Gohonzon goes unanswered. All struggles begin with prayer. There is no greater strategy than the Lotus Sutra. Daimoku is the sharp sword that can defeat all devilish functions. And a consistent practice of gongyo provides the momentum for carrying out the five eternal guidelines of the Soka Gakkai:
(1) Faith for a harmonious family
(2) Faith for each person to become happy
(3) Faith for overcoming obstacles
(4) Faith for health and long life
(5) Faith for absolute victory"

I will never forget my mentor Josei Toda's impassioned cry: 'Pray to be able to win for the sake of kosen-rufu. Chant resounding daimoku. Now, let's do gongyo together!' Gongyo is a lion's roar that signifies the voices of mentor and disciple chanting in unison. As such, when I am doing gongyo, my two great predecessors in kosen-rufu, President Makiguchi and PresidentToda, are right there with me. Every day, I invoke the resonant sound of daimoku, embracing each of my fellow members in my heart."
Let's embark joyously on the Year of Advancement and Victory, making a fresh start with a renewed attitude towards gongyo."

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"If lay believers and their teacher pray with differing minds, their prayers will be as futile as trying to kindle a fire on water."
(The Eight Winds - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 795)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"In the Lotus Sutra, the bodhisattvas who are disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha pledge before him in a mighty lion’s roar to courageously 'travel here and there, back and forth through the worlds in the ten directions' (LS13, 193) in order to spread the Law in the evil age after his passing. Those who walk the correct path of mentor and disciple throughout their lives will know no impasse or stagnation. This is the essence of genuine victors in life -- people of profound spiritual depth, strength, and nobility."

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"It has been twenty or more years now since I found myself in that situation and began the great battle. Not once have I thought of retreat."
(The Great Battle - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Volume 2, page 465)