Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"In one of our dialogues, leading Indian Gandhian scholar Dr. N. Radhakrishnan quoted these words of Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948): 'I know this, that when I am gone, Jawaharlal will speak my language.' And true to his prediction, after Gandhi died, his disciple Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964) carried on his work and led newly independent India on the road to prosperity.
"With regard to the mentor-disciple relationship, Dr. Radhakrishnan also said: 'A mentor lives on in the deeds of his disciples,' and 'Mentor and disciple become one when they live in a creative way oriented toward eternity.'
"We of the SGI, linked by the bonds of mentor and disciple, continue to fulfil the Buddha's prophecy, spreading its message throughout the world and transmitting it on to future generations. Together, we represent a great river of outstanding Bodhisattvas of the Earth-- a great river that flows powerfully into the boundless future, like the eternal Ganges."

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"Nichiren's followers are like roaring lions."
(On Persecutions Befalling the Sage - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 997)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"Expressions of thanks and appreciation strengthen ties of trust and friendship. It's no exaggeration to say that a person's character can be measured by how freely they're able to thank and express their gratitude to others."

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"Concerning prayer, there are conspicuous prayer and conspicuous response, conspicuous prayer and inconspicuous response, inconspicuous prayer and inconspicuous response, and inconspicuous prayer and conspicuous response. But the only essential point is that, if you believe in this sutra, all your desires will be fulfilled in both the present and the future."
(Letter to the Lay Priest Domyo - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 750)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"The spirit of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism is to take it upon ourselves to strive earnestly to solve the major issues facing society, based on the perspective of Buddhism. That is why the Daishonin remonstrated with the ruling authorities of the Kamakura government through his treatise 'On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land' and set out to guide the people towards happiness."

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"It is like the situation when one faces a mirror and makes a bow of obeisance: the image in the mirror likewise makes a bow of obeisance to oneself."
(Ongi kuden - Gosho Zenshu, page 769, The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, page 165)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"In the writing ['Letter to Horen'], the Daishonin states: 'It would seem that, when one who is able to show clearly visible proof in the present expounds the Lotus Sutra, there also will be persons who will [come to] believe [in the sutra]' (WND-1, 512). As these words indicate, kosen-rufu greatly advances when there is 'clearly visible proof.'"

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"It means that all beings and environments in the Ten Worlds, from hell, the lowest, to Buddhahood, the highest, are without exception manifestations of Myoho-renge-kyo."
(The True Aspect of All Phenomena - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 383)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"When you truly awaken to the infinitely profound mission you possess, yet unknown reservoirs of strength and potential will well forth from your lives."

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"I am praying that, no matter how troubled the times may become, the Lotus Sutra and the ten demon daughters will protect all of you, praying as earnestly as though to produce fire from damp wood, or to obtain water from parched ground."
(On Rebuking Slander of the Law and Eradicating Sins - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 444)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"All of you, who are striving with pride and commitment for the sake of kosen-rufu together with your fellow members across the globe, are accumulating incredible good fortune and benefit and adorning your lives with lofty splendour. Our prayers as SGI members are not merely for ourselves; they are directly connected to the Buddha's intent and decree to achieve worldwide kosen-rufu. That is why we shine with Buddha wisdom and why our lives brim with the Buddha's vitality and power. It is also why the heavenly deities and the Buddhas and bodhisattvas throughout time and space are certain to protect us."

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"Strengthen your faith day by day and month after month."
(On Persecutions Befalling the Sage - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin,Vol.1, page 997)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"There are many places where members have had a difficult time gaining the understanding of the public and the government.... But Buddhism teaches the principle of changing poison into medicine. When the members in a region or country work together in a spirit of unity, they will definitely be able to make a breakthrough and increase understanding of our movement. This is what will enable kosen-rufu to greatly develop in the 21st century. This is Buddhism."

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"What a joy it is for us to have been born in the Latter Day of the Law and to have shared in the propagation of the Lotus Sutra! How pitiful are those who, though born in this time, cannot believe in this sutra!"
(Letter to Niike - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin,Vol.1, page 1026)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"The important thing is to burn with passion for what is right, to chant wholeheartedly, and to strive our hardest. If we do so, there is no barrier we cannot break through, no struggle we cannot win."

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"If in a single moment of life we exhaust the pains and trials of millions of kalpas, then instant after instant there will arise in us the three Buddha bodies with which we are eternally endowed."
(Ongi kuden - Gosho Zenshu, page 790, The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, page 214)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"Upon reaching a deadlock, it is best to return to the starting point. For Nichiren Buddhists, this means chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Since the Mystic Law is the fundamental Law of the universe, prayers invoking the Mystic Law have the power to make anything happen."

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"Now when Nichiren and his followers chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, they should abide in the mind of faith that 'from thought to thought never entertains doubt'."
(Chapter Twenty-five: The Universal Gateway of the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds -- Five important points - The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, page 181)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"Mr. Toda declared: 'The power of authority is like a tidal wave that swallows everything in its path. A person with shallow or half-hearted conviction can do nothing to stop it. You cannot stand up to and prevailover such power unless you are prepared to risk your life.' This is a crucial spirit. We're living in the Latter Day of the Law, an evil age defiled by the five impurities. Let's strive actively to expand this 'safe haven' of the people that is the Soka Gakkai!"

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"Employ the strategy of the Lotus Sutra before any other."
(The Strategy of the Lotus Sutra - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 1001)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"My mentor Josei Toda, the second president of the Soka Gakkai, declared: 'Our faith in the Daishonin's Buddhism assures us that we can definitely surmount any difficulty we face, any situation we encounter, whatever the times. It's important to have this conviction. This is, in fact, our life's treasure.' Always brimming with great conviction and with fresh and youthful determination, we strive to create an alliance for people's victory and prosperity. This is the essence of our movement of Soka humanism.
"The Swiss philosopher Carl Hilty (1833-1909) wrote: 'Being able to be happy in and through suffering is the highest thing we are capable of.' When an in extinguishable flame of courage and hope is transmitted from one person to another, it can give rise to a brightly burning fire that can illuminate society as a whole. This is what the kosen-rufu movement is all about."

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"If you want to understand the causes that existed in the past, look at the results as they are manifested in the present. 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, Vol.1, page 279)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"If everyone is ruled by self-interest and selfishness, the community and society will fall apart. Soka Gakkai members are dedicated to overcoming the negative forces that seek to divide us from each other and building a beautiful world of mutual encouragement and support. Unity is positive; divisiveness is destructive. The power of people united can dispel the darkness of selfishness that prevails in our world today and bring the light of peace and happiness to our communities, societies, and the world."

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"A blue fly, if it clings to the tail of a thoroughbred horse, can travel ten thousand miles, and the green ivy that twines around the tall pine can grow to a thousand feet."
(On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 17)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"The Daishonin was deeply pained by the sight of the suffering and misery of the people. He writes: 'I have been brooding alone upon this matter, indignant in my heart' (WND-1, 7). Words could not fully express his emotions. His conclusion, arising from his immense compassion for those who were suffering, was that in order to bring happiness to the people and build a peaceful society, it was vital to establish the correct teaching for the peace of the land. At the foundation of this spirit to establish the correct teaching is an absolute reverence for the sanctity of life that affirms the supremely respectworthy Buddha nature in all living beings. And that is precisely why we must intrepidly fight against the devilish nature of authority that disregards or diminishes the value of life....
"The Daishonin's spirit of empathy -- the irrepressible impulse to help those who are suffering--has been inherited by the Soka Gakkai and is vibrantly alive among our members. Through imparting hope and winning trust, we can forge strong and deep bonds with others."

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"If only you chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, then what offence could fail to be eradicated? What blessing could fail to come? This is the truth, and it is of great profundity. You should believe and accept it."
(Conversation between a Sage and an Unenlightened Man -The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 130)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"Shakyamuni Buddha called a person who was able to teach even one phrase of the Lotus Sutra to another an 'envoy of the Thus Come One' who 'was carrying out the Thus Come One's work' (cf. LS10, 162)-- in other words, a person who was enacting the behaviour of a Buddha. This is a perfect description of our activities as members of the SGI.
"A single concrete effort at the grassroots level is far nobler than a thousand grandiose but empty theories. The Russian author Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) cited the words [of the French philosophical writer Félicité Lamennais (1782-1854)]: 'We must look to ordinary people to find truly heroic and selfless acts.'"

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"It is like the case of a person who falls to the ground, but who then pushes himself up from the ground and rises to his feet again."
(The Proof of the Lotus Sutra - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 1108)