Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"Our determination is manifested in our actions. In essence, the strength ofour resolve is demonstrated by what we are able to accomplish in a limited amount of time."

--- 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 ----

"When we look at history, we see that ordinary people have always been at the center of significant change. This is also true of the Soka Gakkai. The main reason the Gakkai has developed so much is that it has consistently stood on the side of the people."

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"This life is like a dream. One cannot be sure that one will live until tomorrow. However wretched a beggar you might become, never disgrace the Lotus Sutra."
(A Warning against Begrudhing One's Fief - The Writings ofNichiren Daishonin, page 824)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"A meeting can be held wherever people can come together; formality is not important."

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"Live so that all the people of Kamakura will say in your praise that Nakatsukasa Saburo Saemon-no-jo is diligent in the service of his lord, in the service of Buddhism, and in his concern for other people."
(The Three Kinds of Treasure - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 851)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"Fostering youth invigorates the local community and opens the way to the future. Rosa Parks (1913–2005), the mother of the American civil rights movement, said: "I see the energy of young people as a real force for positive change." Because Buddhism is manifested in society, caring about society and contributing to people's welfare is a vital mission of Buddhist practitioners."

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

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

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"When our lives start to burn with the mission of kosen-rufu, the darkness of suffering disappears. Though our circumstances may not change immediately, a fundamental change in our inner orientation transforms our life-state and, eventually, our reality."

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"Something uncommon also occurs when an ordinary person attains Buddhahood. At such a time, the three obstacles and four devils will invariably appear, and the wise will rejoice while the foolish will retreat."
(The Three Obstacles and Four Devils - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin,page 637)

Daily Guidance

--- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ---

Let's make sure to really show our appreciation to all those people in assistant and/or supportive roles for all their great and noble efforts in helping us. Each step that we individually advance, accelerates the momentum (towards kosen-rufu) by double. Each step helps to totally revitalise and transform the organization!

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"I entrust you with the propagation of Buddhism in your province. It is stated that 'the seeds of Buddhahood sprout as a result of conditions, and for this reason they preach the single vehicle.'"
(The Properties of Rice - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 1117)

Daily Guidance

--- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ---

Let's all make sure to show how much we really appreciate our noble fellow members who are so selflessly and single-mindedly challenging to achieve our goals. With a vibrant and challenging spirit let's all create a great history together!

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"Only by defeating a powerful enemy can one prove one's real strength."
(Letter from Sado - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 302)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"The more effort that is put into fostering others, the more talented and able they will become."

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"Kyo'o's misfortune will change into fortune."
(Reply to Kyo'o - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 412)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"Respect for parents, grandparents, and ancestors is a natural and important human emotion. But ancestors are not themselves a proper object of worship. The only way to attain Buddhahood is to embrace faith in the Mystic Law, the fundamental law of the universe. When people chant for their deceased relatives, their daimoku opens the path to Buddhahood for the latter. That is the ultimate offering one can make to the deceased."

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"Therefore, I want people with seeking minds to meet and read this letter together for encouragement."
(Letter from Sado - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 306)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

Now is the time for us to accomplish monumental achievements that will last forever! Let's all put forth our very best so that we will open up the way to live out ever-victorious lives!

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"... we should recall the debt of gratitude we owe our mother ..."
(Gyobu saemon-no-jo nyobo gohenji - Gosho Zenshu, page 1398)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"In order to protect nature, we need a life philosophy that teaches that life and its environment are inseparable. And in order to attain genuine happiness, we must carry out our human revolution so that we can gain mastery over ourselves and not succumb to crass materialism or be ruled by our desires. Happiness is not a matter of money, fame, or high social status. No matter how exciting and enjoyable such things may seem, the joy and happiness they bring are often only temporary and superficial at best."
Suffering and hardship are an inevitable part of life. True happiness means having a strong spirit that remains undefeated, no matter how trying our circumstances. It means to live each day filled with a rich and generous spirit that brims with joy, deep feeling, and gratitude. That is the purpose of faith, and that is why, for the sake of the happiness and prosperity of your community, it is vital to realize kosen-rufu..."

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is like the roar of a lion. What sickness can thereforebe an obstacle?"
(Reply to Kyo'o - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 412)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"Though blind and deaf, the American author and social activist Helen Keller (1880–1968) made everlasting contributions to society and the welfare of others. Let me share a brief passage from an unforgettable interview with her:

Q: Who are the most unhappy people?
A: People who have nothing to do.
Q: What brings the greatest satisfaction?
A: Work, accomplishment.
Q: What have you enjoyed most in life?
A: Overcoming difficulties.

This is an essential message of life that resonates strongly with the Daishonin's Buddhism. True happiness in life is found in struggling to accomplish something of value. Whatever your work may be, make a greater effort than anyone else and strive to produce remarkable results, demonstrating your victory for all to see. That's the magnificent record you should strive for."

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"People have regarded the two of you as surely having already yielded, but you have acted in an admirable manner. You probably think this is solely due to the power of Shakyamuni Buddha and the Lotus Sutra. I believe this also. No words can express the promise of your next existence. From now on, too, no matter what may happen, you must not slacken in the least. You must raise your voice all the more and admonish [those who slander]."
(Kamatari Suggests the Fashioning of a Buddha Image - Gosho Zenshu, page1089)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"If you fear failure, you cannot move forward. If you avoid criticism, you cant expect to grow."

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"There should be no discrimination among those who propagate the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo in the Latter Day of the Law, be they men or women. Were they not Bodhisattvas of the Earth, they could not chant the daimoku."
(The True Aspect of All Phenomena - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page385)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"I am presently engaged in a dialogue with the esteemed Brazilian astronomer Dr. Ronaldo Rogério de Freitas Mourão on the subject of astronomy and Buddhism."
Dr. Mourão has expressed heartfelt agreement with Mr. Makiguchis conviction that the purpose of education is the happiness of children. Dr. Mourão asserts that happiness is linked to overcoming various obstacles and difficulties. He says we must teach children to realize that the bigger the obstacle, the greater the happiness they will experience in surmounting it.
Likening life to an obstacle course, he states that happiness is found insuccessfully overcoming those obstacles, and that in order to do that, one must struggle head-on against difficulties instead of seeking to escape from them. He calls this the formula for creating happiness."

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"It is extremely rare to meet the lion king."
(Enbudaichu gosho - Gosho Zenshu, page 1589)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"The great Dutch humanist Spinoza (1632–77) declared: “Ingratitude is a disdain for gratitude.” The ungrateful look down on having appreciation. They labour under the delusion that showing gratitude to others somehow diminishes their own value. This is a completely twisted viewpoint. Appreciation actually elevates, enriches, and enlarges the human spirit."

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"And yet, though one might point at the earth and miss it, though one might bind up the sky, though the tides might cease to ebb and flow and the sunrise in the west, it could never come about that the prayers of the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra would go unanswered."
(On Prayer - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 345)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

A truly happy life is attained by fulfilling our missions throughout our lives. Perfectly, in accordance with the eternal Law of life. Let's brightly live out our lives to the very end, brimming with conviction and cheerful optimism!

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"In the final analysis, unless we succeed in demonstrating that this teaching is supreme, these disasters will continue unabated."
(The Treatment of Illness - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 1114)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

The more readers there are of the Seikyo Shimbun (and our SGI weekly / monthly publications), the more we can help people to have hope and become happy. Let's spread the great words of truth and justice, far and wide, among all people in this turbulent "age of quarrels and disputes"* that we are living in!

* age of quarrels and disputes -http://www.sgi-usa.org/buddhism/dictionary/define?tid=2498

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"When one comes to realize and see that each thing -- the cherry, the plum, the peach, the damson -- in its own entity, without undergoing any change, possesses the eternally endowed three bodies, then this is what is meant by the word ryo, 'to include' or all-inclusive."
(Ongi kuden - Gosho Zenshu, page 784, The Record of the Orally TransmittedTeachings, page 200)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"Gold is gold, no matter how muddied it becomes. The truth always wins out in the end."

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"Even if you are not Shariputra, you should leap up and dance. When Bodhisattva Superior Practices emerged from the earth, did he not emerge dancing?"
(Great Evil and Great Good - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 1119)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"As Florence Nightingale (1820–1910) once observed: "Difficulties . . .[are] incident to new improvements.'"

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"The body is the palace of the ninth consciousness, the unchanging reality that reigns over all of life's functions."
* In saying, "The body is the palace of the ninth consciousness " Nichiren Daishonin emphasizes that the potential for Buddhahood exists within us.
He taught that by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, we can gain access to this ninth consciousness, the ultimate depth of life. Activated by our daimoku, its light, so to speak, floods upward to illuminate the workings of the other eight conscious times, so that the entire interlocking network of causes and effects forming our individual existence comes to be based on enlightenment. By tapping the Buddha nature or the ninth consciousness within, we can fundamentally change our karma for the better and establish an unshakable state of life.
(SGI-USA Study Entrance-level Textbook)
(The Real Aspect of the Gohonzon - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page832)

Daily Guidance

---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"True victory as a human being is found in dedicating one's life to working for the welfare of others, no matter how hard the challenge. As Helen Keller said: ; We can convert [our trials] to new forces of good.'"

--- DAILY GOSHO ---

"For this reason, when the bodhisattva Never Disparaging makes his bow of obeisance to the four kinds of believers, the Buddha nature inherent in the our kinds of believers of overbearing arrogance is bowing in obeisance to the bodhisattva Never Disparaging. It is like the situation when one faces a mirror and makes a bow of obeisance: the image in the mirror like wise makes a bow of obeisance to oneself."

(Ongi kuden - Gosho Zenshu, page 769, The Record of the Orally TransmittedTeachings, page 165)