Life
Being halfhearted is such a waste. If we go around as if we’re half-asleep all the time, we can’t hope to savor a life that is free of regret. Forging ahead with enthusiasm and vigor is vital.
[Speech at Headquarters Leaders Meeting, Tokyo, Sep. 30, 2008]
Everything passes. Both the soaring joys and crushing sorrows fade away and seem but like a dream. However, the memory of having lived one’s life to the fullest never disappears.
[The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, Part 1, Chapter 7.7]
Human society can be full of contradictions. It can be unfair and unforgiving. But we must not take it lightly or allow ourselves to fall behind. Once that happens, no amount of excuse can change the fact that a loss is still a loss. When faced with the choice to sink or swim, we must keep swimming—keeping our head above water—no matter how fiercely the waters may rage around us.
[Discussions on Youth]
In life, we should not be totally absorbed with only immediate realities. We must have ideals and strive to achieve them, transcending present realities. On the other hand we should not allow ourselves to become alienated from reality. We can change nothing unless our feet are planted firmly on the ground.
[The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra]
Keep moving forward, even one or two steps, in your own way. Those who live out their lives to the fullest, unperturbed by the noisy clamor around them, are the true winners.
[Discussions on Youth]
Life is a multi-event competition. Even if you lose in one event, you can still win in another. What matters is finding where you can succeed. The key is to never give up. The more you struggle, the more your unique character will shine.
[Ikeda Daisaku Zenshu (The Complete Works of Daisaku Ikeda), Vol. 64]
Life is a struggle, and ultimate victory is only decided in its final chapter. That is why it is important not to become intoxicated by one’s success or become disheartened in defeat.
[The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin and the Mentor-Disciple Relationship]
Life is about scaling one mountain, then facing the next one, and the one after that. Those who persevere finally succeed in conquering the highest of mountains. On the other hand, those who avoid such challenges by taking the easy route will only descend into the valleys.
[Discussions on Youth]
Life is an ongoing succession of births and deaths. . . . From this perspective, we must seek our goal and mission in something that transcends birth and death, something that we can give our whole life to. Only then can we tap the inexhaustible potential of life. In other words, we must advance beyond the mere struggle to stay alive and be prepared to ask ourselves for what purpose we live our lives.
[Ikeda Daisaku Zenshu (The Complete Works of Daisaku Ikeda), Vol. 19]
Life is the blossoming of flowers in the spring, the ripening of fruit in the fall, the rhythm of the earth and of nature. Life is the cry of cicadas signaling the end of summer, migratory birds winging south in a transparent autumn sky, fish frolicking in a stream. Life is the joy beautiful music instills in us, the thrilling sight of a mountain peak reddened by the rising sun, the myriad combinations and permutations of visible and invisible phenomena. Life is all things.
[Ikeda Daisaku Zenshu (The Complete Works of Daisaku Ikeda), Vol. 9]
Of course, we all wish to live as long as possible, but even more significant is what we accomplish in our lifetime—what kind of value we create, the number of people we have made happy, and how much we have been able to grow and expand as a person.
[Conversation series, “Discussions on Life and Death,” Seikyo Shimbun, Feb. 25, 2006]
The course of our lives is determined by how we react― what we decide and what we do―at the darkest of times. The nature of that response determines a person’s true worth and greatness.
[Speech at Meeting Celebrating Soka Gakkai Day, Tokyo, May 3, 1996]
The fact that we have been born into this world means that we each have a unique mission to fulfill. If we didn’t, we would never have been born. The universe does nothing in vain. Everything has meaning. Even plants that we spurn as “weeds” have a role and function to fulfill.
[Discussions on Youth]
The struggle between happiness and unhappiness is the story of human existence. The struggle between peace and war is the history of the human race. The power that leads us to eternal victory amid these struggles is the power of good within us.
[Long Poem, “Peace—The Foundation for Lasting Human Happiness,” Seikyo Shimbun, Apr. 30, 2007]
The sweetness of a life well lived can only be savored when our life has a great purpose. That purpose, that goal, is our own. There is no need to compare ourselves to others. We should choose our own goal and move forward toward achieving it in our own distinct way.
[Ikeda Daisaku Zenshu (The Complete Works of Daisaku Ikeda), Vol. 61]
The voice is a mirror of our being, of our state of life. We can choose our words cleverly to try to deceive, but our voice forthrightly reveals our true character, our cultivation as a human being. Our voices are ourselves.
[Essay series, “Life Is Wonderful,” Seikyo Shimbun, Apr. 11, 2004]
The years pass. The times change. The only thing that survives and transcends this inevitable process, that shines brighter with each new era, is the record of a great human spirit that has endured struggle and remained true to its deepest convictions to the very end.
[Essay series, “Travels Around the Globe: My Home is the World,” Seikyo Shimbun, Mar. 26, 2003]
What Buddhism teaches us is that only you can write the script of your life. The scenario of your life is not written by some external power; it is not a result of coincidence nor predetermined by destiny. You write the story of your own life, and you are its star player.
[Speech at SGI-USA Representatives Conference, Miami, Mar. 9, 1993]
When people remain ignorant of the fact that their life is infinitely precious and at one with the eternal universe, they become indifferent to the dignity of others. This becomes a cause of conflict and harm.
[The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra]
When we are aware that each moment of each day, each gesture and step we take, is truly mystical and full of wonder, we will live our lives with greater thought and care. We will also have greater respect and appreciation for the lives of others.
[Ikeda Daisaku Zenshu (The Complete Works of Daisaku Ikeda), Vol. 122]
When we have a clear purpose in life we can overcome anything. Without a sense of purpose, even though we may possess everything else, our lives begin a slow decline.
[Discussions on Youth]
Whether in life or in a specific undertaking, there will undoubtedly be times when you achieve genuine progress, only to come up against a wall or feel yourself regressing. There will be times when you just need to stop and rest. Such are the vicissitudes inherent to any struggle. And in the process of achieving your goals, it’s perfectly natural to go through many changes.
[Discussions on Youth]
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