Religion & Faith
A Buddha is not the one who sits quietly in a remote world of enlightenment. A Buddha is one who never ceases to take on challenges, who goes among those who are suffering and sweats and toils for their happiness.
[Editorial, Feb. 2011 issue of Daibyakurenge]
All people, even those who say they have no religion, hold deeply cherished wishes and aspirations. We all pray for something in the depths of our hearts. Prayer in Buddhism is a means, based on the Law of the universe, for closing the gap between those wishes and reality.
[Discussions on Youth]
Buddhism concerns itself with the human being. With its focus on the importance of the heart and the preciousness of life, . . . Buddhism exists to enable all people to cultivate and manifest their innate Buddha nature.
[The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra]
Buddhism lies close at hand, in the here and now. It is found in daily life, is innate in human existence and in society. To present Buddhism as belonging to some far-off realm, removed from life and reality is deceptive.
[The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra]
By nature, people are strong, wise, cheerful and warm. Religious faith is the power that develops these qualities. . . . The purpose of faith is to make people wise.
[The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra]
Depending on the use to which it is put, religion can be a demonic force. Religion should bring us together, but it is exploited by some to create greater schisms among us. Nothing could be more unfortunate. Religion must always be for the people. People do not exist for the sake of religion. This must be the fundamental guideline of religion in the twenty-first century.
[The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra]
Does religion make people stronger, or does it weaken them? Does it encourage what is good or what is evil in them? Are they made better and more wise―or less―by religion? These, I believe, are the criteria we must keep firmly in view.
[Lecture at Harvard University, Cambridge, USA, Sep. 24, 1993]
Each religion can be made a force for good or for evil by the people who practice it.
[The World Is Yours to Change]
Faith in Buddhism is not blind faith that rejects the criteria of reason. It is in fact a rational function, a process of cultivating wisdom that begins with a spirit of reverent searching.
[The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra]
In the realm of religion, with its tragic legacy of fanaticism and intolerance, nothing is more vital than dialogue that transcends dogmatism and is predicated on the exercise of reason and self-mastery. For any religion to relinquish dialogue is to relinquish its reason for being. . . . We must never allow the banner of dialogue, the sine qua non of humanism, to fall―no matter how threatening the rejectionist forces of fanaticism, mistrust or dogmatism may loom.
[2008 Peace Proposal]
It goes without saying that any religion that justifies terrorism or war has undermined the spiritual basis for its own existence. I firmly believe that the mission of religion in the twenty-first century must be to contribute concretely to the peaceful coexistence of humankind. Religious faith can help foster a truly global consciousness and restore the bonds between human hearts.
[Essay, “The challenge of building peace,” in Embracing the Future]
Our Buddhist faith and practice give us the power to win out over despair and resignation, and to keep moving ever forward. Through our efforts to press on, we can polish ourselves and expand our state of life.
[The New Human Revolution, Vol. 30, “Bells of Dawn” chapter]
Philosophy should inspire people with a sense of purpose and instill in them the power to lead life to the fullest.
[Tetsugaku runesansu no taiwa, (tentative translation—Dialogues on the Renaissance of Philosophy, with Lou Marinoff)]
Religion in the twenty-first century must provide people with the wisdom to be independent, to think and decide wisely for themselves how to live their lives.
[The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra]
The essence of the teachings of Buddhism is simple: treasure each person.
[Ikeda Daisaku Zenshu (The Complete Works of Daisaku Ikeda), Vol. 104]
The Lotus Sutra’s spirit is to resist the dehumanization of religion and religion's tendency to become divorced from reality but instead to steadfastly redirect religion to focus on the human being. . . . The tendency of religion is to depart from the human being. And when that happens, religion becomes little more than a means for controlling people.
[The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra]
The struggle to surmount such inner deadlock is what faith is all about. . . . Only through arousing a strong and powerful spirit and resolutely waging a battle against laziness, stagnation, apathy, negligence and all forms of complacence and weak-spiritedness can we achieve a life of victory.
[Speech at SGI Executive Conference, Tokyo, Nov. 15, 2002]
The true value of a philosophy or religion is conveyed by people’s actions, by how they live their lives. Buddhism comes alive in the joyous and dedicated efforts of its practitioners for the welfare of others and society.
[The New Human Revolution, Vol. 30, “Bells of Dawn” chapter]
The value of religion is measured by what it brings people. A religion truly concerned with people’s happiness brings them courage, hope and wisdom, fortifies their spirits, and enables them to free themselves from the chains of suffering.
[The New Human Revolution, Vol. 30, “Launching Out” chapter]
What is called for now is a new union of faith and reason encompassing all aspects of the human being and society, including the perspective achieved by modern science. This is the great challenge that modern civilization faces, to restore the wholeness of human society, which has been rent asunder by reason without belief and irrational fanaticism.
[The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra]
Wisdom is the enlightened insight that enables us to improve our own lives as well as the lives of others. Knowledge that causes suffering for others could never be considered wisdom. The distortions of society today derive from a confusion of wisdom, which is holistic, and knowledge, which is fragmentary; and an inability to distinguish genuine faith from blind credulity.
[The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra]
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