Buddhism holds that everything is in constant flux. Thus the question is whether we are to accept change passively and be swept away by it or whether we are to take the lead and create positive changes on our own initiative. While conservatism and self-protection might be likened to winter, night, and death, the spirit of pioneering and attempting to realize ideals evokes images of spring, morning, and birth.
Daisaku IkedaJust as cherry, plum, peach and damson blossoms all possess their own unique qualities, each person is unique. We cannot become someone else. The important thing is that we live true to ourselves and cause the great flower of our lives to blossom.
Daisaku IkedaRise to the challenges that life presents you. You can't develop genuine character and ability by sidestepping adversity and struggle.
Daisaku IkedaThere is no true joy in a life lived closed up in the little shell of the self. When you take one step to reach out to people, when you meet with others and share their thoughts and sufferings, infinite compassion and wisdom well up within your heart. Your life is transformed.
Daisaku IkedaThe Earth never ceases to spin. All life is dancing : The trees, the wind, the sea. Keep dancing for the rest of your life.
Daisaku IkedaLikewise, education can direct people toward good or evil ends. When education is based on a fundamentally distorted worldview, the results are horrific.
Daisaku IkedaGenuine happiness can only be achieved when we transform our way of life from the unthinking pursuit of pleasure to one committed to enriching our inner lives, when we focus on 'being more' rather than simply having more.
Daisaku IkedaOne thing is certain: That is that the power of belief, the power of thought, will move reality in the direction of what we believe and conceive of it. If you really believe you can do something, you can. That is a fact.
Daisaku IkedaWithin the heart of every person exists the flame of wisdom that transforms all suffering into kindling for the fire of creative energy.
Daisaku IkedaIt is senseless to blame others or your environment for your miseries. Change begins from the moment you muster the courage to act. When you change, the environment will change. The power to change the world is found nowhere but within our own life.
Daisaku IkedaHave the depth of faith to regard everything as a source for creating happiness and value.
Daisaku IkedaWe have both a weak self and a strong self; the two are completely different. If we allow our weak side to dominate, we will be defeated. The thought ,"I am still young and have a lot of time, so I can relax and take life easy" is a function of our own weakness.
Daisaku IkedaInstead of engaging in cutthroat competition, we should strive to create value. In economic terms, this means a transition from a consumer economy - the mad rush for ownership and consumption - to a constructive economy where all human beings can participate in the act of creating lasting worth.
Daisaku IkedaIt is natural for us, as human beings, to look forward. Our eyes naturally look ahead. In this sense, we are made for moving toward a goal.
Daisaku IkedaNo matter how hopeless or bleak things appear, the moment always comes when suddenly our spirit revives, and hope is reborn. That is why we must never give up.
Daisaku IkedaThere’s no need for us to be held back by the past or how things have been so far. The important thing is what seeds we are sowing now for the future.
Daisaku IkedaSelf-centered anger generates evil, but wrath at social injustice becomes the driving force for reform. Strong language that censures and combats a great evil often awakens adverse reactions from society, but this must not intimidate those who believe they are right. A lion is a lion because he roars.
Daisaku IkedaUltimately, all human activities have as their goal the realization of happiness. Why, then, have we ended up producing the opposite result? Could the underlying cause be our failure to correctly understand the true nature of happiness?
Daisaku IkedaLet us give something to each person we meet: joy, courage, hope, assurance, or philosophy, wisdom, a vision for the future. Let us always give something.
Daisaku IkedaStrength is Happiness. Strength is itself victory. In weakness and cowardice there is no happiness. When you wage a struggle, you might win or you might lose. But regardless of the short-term outcome, the very fact of your continuing to struggle is proof of your victory as a human being.
Daisaku IkedaJapan learned from the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that the tragedy wrought by nuclear weapons must never be repeated and that humanity and nuclear weapons cannot coexist.
Daisaku Ikeda"Those who give up dreams, do injury to their own hearts and cannot possibly enjoy a profound sense of fulfillment in the end.
Daisaku IkedaMen and women who know the brutal reality of war, who know that war strips people of their very humanity, must unite in a new global partnership for peace.
Daisaku IkedaPeople need to be made conscious of a very simple reality: we have no choice but to share this planet, this small blue sphere floating in the vast reaches of space, with all of our fellow 'passengers.'
Daisaku IkedaBut I think we need to remember that democracy everywhere is by its nature incomplete, a work in progress.
Daisaku IkedaA healthy vision of the future is not possible without an accurate knowledge of the past.
Daisaku IkedaThe idea of interdependence is central to Buddhism, which holds that all things come into being through the mutual interactions of various causes and conditions.
Daisaku IkedaRather than becoming discouraged, know that encountering a wall is proof of the progress that you have made so far.
Daisaku IkedaIt is by fighting and triumphing over the enemies of the Buddha that we ourselves become Buddhas.
Daisaku IkedaFreedom doesn't mean the absence of all restrictions. It means possessing unshakable conviction in the face of any obstacle.
Daisaku IkedaIt is crucial that we develop real awareness of ourselves as citizens of Earth, linked by mutual and indissoluble bonds. When we clearly recognize this reality and ground ourselves in it, we are compelled to take a strict accounting of our way of life.
Daisaku IkedaWhile conservatism and self-protection might be likened to winter, night, and death, the spirit of pioneering and attempting to realize ideals evokes images of spring, morning, and birth.
Daisaku IkedaNo matter what our personal circumstances may be, if we ourselves become a source of light, then there will be no darkness in the world.
Daisaku IkedaA person who respects others is respected by others in return. Those who treat others with compassion and concern are protected and supported by others. Our environment is essentially a reflection of ourselves
Daisaku IkedaAll people have a natural desire to be needed, to have their importance to others tangibly confirmed.
Daisaku IkedaDivorced from the cosmos, from nature, from society and from each other, we have become fractured and fragmented.
Daisaku IkedaA person, who no matter how desperate the situation, gives others hope, is a true leader.
Daisaku IkedaThe problems of aging present an opportunity to rethink our social and personal lives in order to ensure the dignity and welfare of each individual.
Daisaku Ikeda