This Week and This Month's Event Calendars: August 2008

Sunday, August 31, 2008

[SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo] To My Friends & Daily Gosho Aug 31st + Daily Enc. Sep 1st

A translation of President Ikeda's "To My Friends" published in the Seikyo
Shimbun and more.

Sunday, August 31st, 2008
-- TO MY FRIENDS --
It's right in our local community that we can
make a contribution to making the world a better place.
Try to make contact with someone living close by
and, at the same time, help them to understand what our movement is about.
Let's gain people's trust, step by step, and cheerfully create
good human relations in the local community!

Sunday, August 31st, 2008
--- DAILY GOSHO ---
"Nevertheless, even though you chant and believe in
Myoho-renge-kyo, if you think the Law is outside yourself,
you are embracing not the Mystic Law but an inferior teaching."

(On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime - The Writings
of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 3) Selection source:
SGI-Dominican Republic member's experience, Seikyo
Shimbun, August 31st, 2008

Monday, September 1st, 2008
---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----
"Nichiren Daishonin writes: '[Chanting] Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with the spirit
of many in body but one in mind...is the basis for the universal
transmission of the ultimate Law of life and death' (WND-1, 217). The true
heritage of Buddhism pulses in united efforts to advance kosen-rufu."

SGI Newsletter No. 7608, YOUTH DIVISION REPRESENTATIVES CONFERENCE--PART 3
[OF 4], August 1st, 2008, Entrusting the Future to the Youth, translated
Aug. 22nd, 2008

* The Japanese kanji for To My Friends is available by clicking on Seikyo
Shimbun's web-site address at
http://www.sokanet.jp/sg/sn/member_support_top.html

---WAGATOMO NI OKURU ---
"CHIIKI' KOSO
"SEKAI" O KAERU GENBA.
MIJIKANA HITORI O MIKATA NI!
HOGARAKA NI SHINRAI O HIROGEYO!

-- KYO NO GOSHO --
"TADASHI MYOHORENGEKYO TO TONAE TAMOTSU TO IUTOMO MOSHI
KOSHIN NO HOKANI HO ARI TO OMOWABA MATTAKU MYOHO NI ARAZU
SOHO NARI"

(Gosho Zenshu, page 383)

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from there on it is all automatic!

ALSO if you want to introduce a friend to the SGI but just don't know where to start, share with them the following address and they can read and watch some very well put together explanations about the SGI. Check it out yourself!

http://www.sgi.org/

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Saturday, August 30, 2008

[SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo] To My Friends & Daily Gosho Aug. 30th + Daily Enc. Aug 31st

A translation of President Ikeda's "To My Friends" published in the Seikyo
Shimbun and more.

Saturday, August 30th, 2008
-- TO MY FRIENDS --
I would like to encourage all of our leaders to speedily visit
members who are facing challenging situations.
It is most important,
especially when people are struggling to overcome difficulties,
to encourage them on a personal basis
based on our serious and sincere concern for their well-being.

Saturday, August 30th, 2008
--- DAILY GOSHO ---
"If you care anything about your personal security, you
should first of all pray for order and tranquillity
throughout the four quarters of the land, should you not?"

(On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the
Land - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 24)
Selection source: Gosho for September Young Men's Division
study meetings, Seikyo Shimbun, August 30th, 2008

Sunday, August 31st, 2008
---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----
"A dialogue cannot continue if there's no follow-up, which is essential."

SGI Newsletter No. 7611, The New Human Revolution--Vol. 21: Chap. 4,
Jewelled Crown 3, translated Aug. 25th, 2008

* The Japanese kanji for To My Friends is available by
clicking on Seikyo Shimbun's web-site address at
http://www.sokanet.jp/sg/sn/member_support_top.html

---WAGATOMO NI OKURU ---
"Leader" WA
TAIHEN NA TOKORO E!
TAIHEN NA TOKI KOSO
HITORI NO TAMENI
MAGOKORO NO HAGEMASHI O!

-- KYO NO GOSHO --
"NANJI SUBEKARAKU ISSHIN NO ANDO O OMOWABA MAZU SHIHYO NO
SEIHITSU O INORAN MONO KA"

(Gosho Zenshu, page 31)

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Friday, August 29, 2008

[SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo] To My Friends & Daily Gosho Aug 29th + Daily Enc. Aug 30th

* Back up to speed from today! Thank you so much Mitsuko, Ritu and Jim for
holding the fort. Apologies to anyone who has missed it due to certain types
of firewalls and virus checks that only recognise certain names or
spellings. Anyhow off we go!

A translation of President Ikeda's "To My Friends" published in the Seikyo
Shimbun and more.

Friday, August 29th, 2008
-- TO MY FRIENDS --
We now stand at the beginning of a new era.
With unity, good health and victory
as our top priorities,
let's enter into this new era positively
and in the very best of good spirits.

Friday, August 29th, 2008
--- DAILY GOSHO ---
"When you shake your head, your hair sways; when your mind begins to work,
your body moves. When a strong wind
blows, the grass and trees can no longer remain still; when the earth
shakes, the seas are atremble. Thus if one
can move Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, can the grass and trees
fail to respond, can the waters remain
calm?"

(Concerning the Statue of Shakyamuni Buddha Fashioned by
Nichigen-nyo - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin,
Vol.2, page 811) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin",
Seikyo Shimbun, August 29th, 2008

Saturday, August 30th, 2008
---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----
"The failure to understand the cultures of others often leads to friction.
There are many stories about such misunderstandings. An apocryphal tale in
Japan tells about a Japanese boy living overseas, where his father had been
sent on business. One day, he invited a fellow student from his school, a
Hindu boy, to his home. The Japanese boy's mother, wishing to prepare a
special meal for her son's friend, served beef. The next day, the Hindu
boy's parents called on the mother to demand why she had treated their son
so disrespectfully. Next, the Japanese boy invited a Muslim boy over for a
meal. This time, his mother served pork. When the Muslim boy's parents found
out, they were outraged and told her that they wished to have no further
relations with her family. The Japanese mother in this story didn't know
that Hindus regard cows as sacred and don't eat beef, and followers of Islam
don't eat pork. Such stories illustrate that understanding another's culture
and customs is fundamental if we are to enjoy fulfilling relations."

SGI Newsletter No. 7613, The New Human Revolution--Vol. 21: Chap. 4,
Jewelled Crown 7, translated Aug, 28th, 2008

* The Japanese kanji for To My Friends and Daily Gosho is available by
clicking on Seikyo Shimbun's web-site address at
http://www.sokanet.jp/sg/sn/member_support_top.html

---WAGATOMO NI OKURU ---
SHIN JIDAI WO HIRAKU IMA.
DANKETSU DAIICHI DE!
KENKO DAIICHI DE!
SHORI DAIICHI DE!
YUKI RINRIN TO SHUPPATSU DA!

-- KYO NO GOSHO --
"KOBE O FUREBA KAMI YURUGU KOKORO HATARAKEBA MI UGOKU
OKAZE FUKEBA SOMOKU SHIZUKA NARAZU DAICHI UGOKEBA TAIKAI
SAWAGASHI KYOSHU SHAKUSON O UGOKASHI TATEMATSUREBA
YURUGANU SOMOKU YA ARUBEKI"

(Gosho Zenshu, page 1187)

------------------------------------

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Thursday, August 28, 2008

[SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo] To My Friends & Daily Gosho August 28th + Daily Encouragement August 29th

A translation of President Ikeda's "To My Friends"
published in the Seikyo Shimbun and more.

Thursday, August 28th, 2008
-- TO MY FRIENDS --
Fostering capable people is the soul of kosen-rufu.
It is the very basis for everlasting victory.
Let's make every possible effort so that the justice of
the Soka movement will be passed on to the future and
widespread throughout the world!

Thursday, August 28th, 2008
--- DAILY GOSHO ---
"Becoming a Buddha is nothing extraordinary. If you chant
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with your whole heart, you will
naturally become endowed with the Buddha's thirty-two
features and eighty characteristics."

(Letter to Niike - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin,
Vol.1, page 1030) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin",
Seikyo Shimbun, August 28th, 2008

Friday, August 29th, 2008
---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----
Roosevelt also affirmed: "Spiritual values count in the
long run more than material values." It was his assertion
that through the power of the kind of firm faith that
underlies spiritual values, people can triumph over
society's problems and challenges.

Our Soka movement, which aims to revitalize the importance
of spiritual values, is gaining international support and
admiration. As one indication of this, I have to date been
awarded 242 academic honors from universities and other
institutions of higher learning around the world. Such
institutions do not confer honorary doctorates and
honorary professorships lightly; these accolades are a
concrete manifestation of the awarding institution's
prestige and authority. The ceremonies in which these
honors are conferred are solemn and grand, and each such
award is very significant and meaningful.

These honors also represent praise for the noble SGI
members who are active in the respective countries and
regions in which these accolades have been bestowed.

Please be assured that all these tributes will endow your
descendants for generations to come with brilliant glory
and benefit.

SGI Newsletter No. 7606, SGI President Ikeda's Speech
at the Soka Gakkai Youth Division Representatives
Conference, held on August 1, 2008. Translated on August
21, 2008

* The Japanese kanji for To My Friends is available by
clicking on Seikyo Shimbun's web-site address at
http://www.sokanet.jp/sg/sn/member_support_top.html

---WAGATOMO NI OKURU ---
JINZAI IKUSEI KOSO
KOSENRUFU NO TAMASHII!
BANDAI NO SHORI NO ISHIZUE!
SOKA NO SEIGI O
MIRAI E! SEKAI E!

-- KYO NO GOSHO --
"HOTOKE NI NARI SORO KOTOWA BETSU NO YOWA SORAWAZU
NANMYOHORENGEKYO TO TAJI NAKU TONAE MOSHITE SORAEBA
TENNENTO SANJUNISO HACHIJUSHUKO O SONAURUNARI"

(Gosho Zenshu, page 1443)

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from there on it is all automatic!

ALSO if you want to introduce a friend to the SGI but just don't know where to start, share with them the following address and they can read and watch some very well put together explanations about the SGI. Check it out yourself!

http://www.sgi.org/

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Wednesday, August 27, 2008

[SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo] To My Friends & Daily Gosho August 27th + Daily Encouragement August 28th

A translation of President Ikeda's "To My Friends"
published in the Seikyo Shimbun and more.

Wednesday, August 27th, 2008
-- TO MY FRIENDS --
Buddhism is all about our behavior as a human being.*
Not only for our fellow members but also for their family
members,
let's express our sincere and heartfelt appreciation by
offering our warm, thoughtful words.
Let's make every effort to develop friendly relations with
others and spread happiness to as many people as we
possibly can!

*"The purpose of the appearance in this world of
Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, lies in his
behavior as a human being." - "The Three Kinds of
Treasure", WND-I, page 852

Wednesday, August 27th, 2008
--- DAILY GOSHO ---
"Single-mindedly chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and urge others
to do the same; that will remain as the only memory of
your present life in this human world."

(Questions and Answers about Embracing the Lotus Sutra -
The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 64)
Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, August 27th, 2008

Thursday, August 28th, 2008
---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----
Courage is vital in life. People who lack courage cannot
bring forth true compassion, nor can they savor true joy.
They are cowardly and servile. Courage is also the essence
of practitioners of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism.

SGI Newsletter No. 7606, SGI President Ikeda's Speech
at the Soka Gakkai Youth Division Representatives
Conference, held on August 1, 2008. Translated on August
21, 2008

* The Japanese kanji for To My Friends is available by
clicking on Seikyo Shimbun's web-site address at
http://www.sokanet.jp/sg/sn/member_support_top.html

---WAGATOMO NI OKURU ---
BUPPO WA "HITO NO FURUMAI"
DOSHI DAKE DENAKU
GOKAZOKU NIMO KANSHA O!
ATATAKAI KOE O!
YUJO TO YOROKOBI O HIROGEYO!

-- KYO NO GOSHO --
"SUBEKARAKU KOKORO O ITSU NI SHITE NANMYOHORENGEKYO TO
WARE MO TONAE TA OMO SUSUMEN NOMIKOSO KONJO NINKAI NO
OMOIDE NARUBEKI"

(Gosho Zenshu, page 467)

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Tuesday, August 26, 2008

[SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo] To My Friends & Daily Gosho August 26th + Daily Encouragement August 27th

A translation of President Ikeda's "To My Friends"
published in the Seikyo Shimbun and more.

Tuesday, August 26th, 2008
-- TO MY FRIENDS --
All problems or challenges that we may be facing right now
are the very missions for us to fulfill.
Let's earnestly try to overcome each one of them.
Let's cheerfully challenge ourselves to elevate our life
condition and victoriously achieve a great human
revolution!

Tuesday, August 26th, 2008
--- DAILY GOSHO ---
"It is rare to be born a human being. The number of those
endowed with human life is as small as the amount of earth
one can place on a fingernail. Life as a human being is
hard to sustain--as hard as it is for the dew to remain on
the grass."

(The Three Kinds of Treasure - The Writings of Nichiren
Daishonin, Vol.1, page 851) Selection source: "Kyo no
Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, August 26th, 2008

Wednesday, August 27th, 2008
---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----
Mr. Toda stressed: "No matter what situation you find
yourself in, when you base yourself on deep and powerful
faith, you'll be able to overcome everything. When you
yourself change, grow, and take responsibility, you can
win in all things. It all comes down to you. Be
responsible for your own life."

Everything depends on us ourselves. Everything rests upon
whether we have the strong determination in faith to fight
and win. Do our lives brim with fighting spirit? Do we
shine with an undefeatable spirit? This is what decides
victory in any endeavor.

SGI Newsletter No. 7601, SGI President Ikeda's Speech at
the Nationwide Executive Conference in Japan, on July 29,
2008. Translated on August 15, 2008

* The Japanese kanji for To My Friends is available by
clicking on Seikyo Shimbun's web-site address at
http://www.sokanet.jp/sg/sn/member_support_top.html

---WAGATOMO NI OKURU ---
MENOMAE NO KADAI WA
SUBETE WAGA SHIMEI!
HITOTSU HITOTSU O
NORIKOEYO!
HOGARAKANI KYOGAI KAKUMEI O!

-- KYO NO GOSHO --
"JINSHIN WA UKEGATASHI TSUME NO UE NO TSUCHI JINSHIN WA
TAMOCHIGATASHI KUSA NO UE NO TSUYU"

(Gosho Zenshu, page 1173)

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Monday, August 25, 2008

[SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo] To My Friends & Daily Gosho August 25th + Words of the Week August 25th-31st

Translations of President Ikeda's "To My Friends" and
"Words of the Week" published in the Seikyo Shimbun and
more.

Monday, August 25th, 2008
-- TO MY FRIENDS --
The important points for the unity of 'Many in Body, One
in Mind' are our great vow for achieving kosen-rufu, our
sincere respect for our fellow members, and our resolute
spirit of 'Oneness of Mentor and Disciple'.
Let's all be victorious together with the strategy of the
Lotus Sutra!

* Unity in Buddhism, 'Many in Body - One in Mind' and the
'Oneness of Mentor and Disciple' -
http://www.sgi-uk.org/index.php/buddhism/mentordisciple

Monday, August 25th, 2008
--- 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)
Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, August
25th, 2008

August 25th-31st, 2008
-- WORDS OF THE WEEK --
The Daishonin states,
"Regard your service to your lord as the practice of the
Lotus Sutra."*
Buddhism manifests itself in society.
Let's make every possible effort each day so that we can
be successful in every challenge at work,
and let's all raise the victorious banners in our lives!

*"Reply to a Believer" - WND-I, page 905

* The Japanese kanji for To My Friends is available by
clicking on Seikyo Shimbun's web-site address at
http://www.sokanet.jp/sg/sn/member_support_top.html

---WAGATOMO NI OKURU ---
ITAI DOSHIN NO YOTEI WA
KOSENRUFU NO DAIGAN
DOSHI ENO SONKEI
SHITEI FUNI DA!
HOKEKYO NO HEIHO DE KATE!

-- KYO NO GOSHO --
"IKANARU YO NO MIDARE NIMO ONOONO OBA HOKEKYO JURASETSU
TASUKE TAMAE TO SHIMERERU KI YORI HI O IDASHI KAWAKERU
TSUCHI YORI MIZU O MOKEN GA GOTOKU GOJO NI MOSUNARI"

(Gosho Zenshu, page 1132)

-- KONSHU NO KOTOBA --
"ONMIYAZUKAI O
HOKEKYO TO OBOSHIMESE"
"BUPPO" SOKU "SHAKAI" DA.
HIBI NO SHIGOTO DE KATE!
JINSEI NO SHORI NO HATA O!

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Sunday, August 24, 2008

[SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo] To My Friends & Daily Gosho August 24th + Daily Encouragement August 25th

A translation of President Ikeda's "To My Friends"
published in the Seikyo Shimbun and more.

Sunday, August 24th, 2008
-- TO MY FRIENDS --
The path that we made a vow to take is the path for
justice, the path of courage, and the path towards
absolute victory.
Let's all advance along this great path cheefully and in
high spirits!

Sunday, August 24th, 2008
--- DAILY GOSHO ---
"I know your faith has always been admirable, but now you
must strengthen it more than ever. Only then will the ten
demon daughters lend you even greater protection. You
need not seek far for an example. Everyone in Japan, from
the sovereign on down to the common people, without
exception has tried to do me harm, but I have survived
until this day. You should realize that this is because,
although I am alone, I have firm faith."

(The Supremacy of the Law - The Writings of Nichiren
Daishonin, Vol.1, page 614) Selection source: SGI
President Ikeda's essay, Seikyo Shimbun, August 24th, 2008

Monday, August 25th, 2008
---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----
Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, the founder of our Soka movement,
said: "When we encounter a challenge or trial, we should
be even more determined to press forward tenaciously and
lead undefeated lives."

SGI Newsletter No. 7601, SGI President Ikeda's Speech at
the Nationwide Executive Conference in Japan, on July 29,
2008. Translated on August 15, 2008

* The Japanese kanji for To My Friends is available by
clicking on Seikyo Shimbun's web-site address at
http://www.sokanet.jp/sg/sn/member_support_top.html

---WAGATOMO NI OKURU ---
WAGA CHIKAI NO MICHI WA
SEIGI NO MICHI!
YUKI NO MICHI!
ZETTAI SHORI NO MICHI!
HOGARAKA NI SUSUMINUKE!

-- KYO NO GOSHO --
"INISHIE NO ONKOKOROZASHI MOSUBAKARI NASHI SOREYORIMO IMA
ICHIJU GOJO NI ONKOKOROZASHI ARUBESHI SONO TOKI WA IYOIYO
JURASETSUNYO NO ONMAMORI MO TSUYOKARU BESHI TO OBOSUBESHI
TAMESHI NIWA TA O HIKU BEKARAZU NICHIREN OBA NIHONKOKU NO
KAMI ICHININ YORI SHIMO BANMIN NI ITARU MADE HITORI MO
NAKU AYAMATAN TO SESHIKADOMO IMAMADE KOTE SORO KOTO WA
HITORI NAREDOMO KOKORO NO TSUYOKI YUE NARUBESHI TO
OBOSUBESHI"

(Gosho Zenshu, page 1220)

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Saturday, August 23, 2008

[SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo] To My Friends & Daily Gosho August 23rd + Daily Encouragement August 24th

A translation of President Ikeda's "To My Friends"
published in the Seikyo Shimbun and more.

Saturday, August 23rd, 2008
-- TO MY FRIENDS --
The Daishonin states,
"Even more valuable than reason and documentary proof is
the proof of actual fact."*
The experience of our benefit brings people joy and
happiness and spreads great hope to everyone around us.
Let's joyfully hold dialogue with other people,
sharing the good fortune and great benefit through our
faith and practice.

*"Three Tripitaka Masters Pray for Rain" - WND-I, page 599

Saturday, August 23rd, 2008
--- DAILY GOSHO ---
"Carry through with your faith in the Lotus Sutra. You
cannot strike fire from flint if you stop halfway."

(Earthly Desires Are Enlightenment - The Writings of
Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 319) Selection source:
"Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, August 23rd, 2008

Sunday, August 24th, 2008
---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----
As Nichikan Shonin (1665-1726), a great restorer of
Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism, famously wrote: "No prayer will go
unanswered." And Josei Toda declared: "Without a doubt,
pure faith is rewarded with benefits."

SGI Newsletter No. 7596, The New Human Revolution--Volume
21: Chapter 3, "Resonance" 36. Translated on August 7,
2008

* The Japanese kanji for To My Friends is available by
clicking on Seikyo Shimbun's web-site address at
http://www.sokanet.jp/sg/sn/member_support_top.html

---WAGATOMO NI OKURU ---
"DORI SHOMON YORIMO
GENSHO NIWA SUGIZU"
KUDOKU WA KANKI O YOBI
MINA NI KIBO O HIROGERU.
KUDOKU MANKAI NO KATARAI O!

-- KYO NO GOSHO --
"HOKEKYO NO SHINJIN O TOSHITAMAE HI O KIRUNI YASUMINUREBA
HI O EZU"

(Gosho Zenshu, page 1117)

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Friday, August 22, 2008

[SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo] To My Friends & Daily Gosho August 22nd + Daily Encouragement August 23rd

A translation of President Ikeda's "To My Friends"
published in the Seikyo Shimbun and more.

Friday, August 22nd, 2008
-- TO MY FRIENDS --
To all of those members who so kindly offer their homes
for our meetings and activities all the time,
please let us thank you in advance for your great support
for the last half of this year as well.
Those houses are great castles where we practice together
and foster many capable individuals.
Let's all sincerely appreciate their kindness and do our
utmost to protect their places.

Friday, August 22nd, 2008
--- DAILY GOSHO ---
"But my life from the beginning has been based upon firm
conviction. I have no intention now of reversing my
course, nor will I ever reproach [those who persecuted
me]."

(Why No Protection from the Heavenly Gods? - The Writings
of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.2, page 432) Selection source:
"Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, August 22nd, 2008

Saturday, August 23rd, 2008
---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----
The doctrine of lessening one's karmic retribution in the
Daishonin's Buddhism is none other than the principle for
redirecting our lives toward happiness right at this very
moment--here, now, just as we are. Similarly, transforming
our karma is none other than changing those inner
life-tendencies that keep us trapped in negativity and
unhappiness and solidly putting ourselves on a positive
path.

Therefore, the present moment in which we wage this
struggle is vitally important. In "The Opening of the
Eyes," the Daishonin cites the passage from the
Contemplation on the Mind-Ground Sutra, which states: "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" (WND-1, 279). Our present is the result or
effect of our past causes. At the same time, the present
itself becomes the cause that will shape our future. The
three existences--past, present, and future--are all
contained in the present, in this instant. The important
thing is how we change our attitude or inner resolve at
this moment. This is because we can freely create our
future through our determination and action right at this
very instant.

SGI Newsletter No. 7595, SGI President Ikeda's Study
Lecture Series, LEARNING FROM THE GOSHO: THE HOPE-FILLED
WRITINGS OF NICHIREN DAISHONIN, [9] "Lessening One's
Karmic Retribution". Translated on August 7th, 2008.

* The Japanese kanji for To My Friends is available by
clicking on Seikyo Shimbun's web-site address at
http://www.sokanet.jp/sg/sn/member_support_top.html

---WAGATOMO NI OKURU ---
KAIJO TEIKYOSHA NO MINASAMA
SHIMOHANKI MO
OSEWA NI NARIMASU.
JINZAI IKUSEI NO DAIJO DA.
MINADE KANSHA SHI MAMORIYUKE!

-- KYO NO GOSHO --
"TADA SHOGAI MOTOYORI OMOIKIRITE SORO IMANI HIRUGAERU KOTO
NAKU SONOUE MATA IKON NASHI"

(Gosho Zenshu, page 962)

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[SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo] To My Friends & Daily Gosho August 21st + Daily Encouragement August 22nd

*We apologize for the delay. There was a technical
problem.

A translation of President Ikeda's "To My Friends"
published in the Seikyo Shimbun and more.

Thursday, August 21st, 2008
-- TO MY FRIENDS --
Let's have new voices!
Let's infuse new breath!
With everyone's voice of singing victory,
let's hold cheerful discussion meetings!

Thursday, August 21st, 2008
--- DAILY GOSHO ---
"Bring forth the great power of faith, and be spoken of by
all the people of Kamakura, both high and low, or by all
the people of Japan, as 'Shijo Kingo, Shijo Kingo of the
Lotus school!'"

(Earthly Desires Are Enlightenment - The Writings of
Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 319) Selection source:
"Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, August 21st, 2008

Friday, August 22nd, 2008
---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----
Lessening one's karmic retribution is not a simple
settling of our karmic accounts; it implies a fundamental
transformation of our lives, whereby we put a stop to the
negative cycle of suffering and delusion and enter a new
positive trajectory of happiness. When we do so, we can
savor in lifetime after lifetime the blessings of the
worlds of Humanity, Heaven, Learning, Realization,
Bodhisattva, and Buddhahood.

In other words, lessening karmic retribution leads
directly to the great path of attaining Buddhahood. In
that sense, when we lessen our karmic retribution, it
doesn't mean merely zeroing out a minus balance, but
rather that we effect a momentous change in the direction
of our very lives, shifting from a downward descent toward
an infinite upward ascent, from a negative path to a
positive one of genuine good. This is the power of the
Mystic Law, which has the ability to transform the
negative into something beneficial--in other words, to
turn poison into medicine.

SGI Newsletter No. 7595, SGI President Ikeda's Study
Lecture Series, LEARNING FROM THE GOSHO: THE HOPE-FILLED
WRITINGS OF NICHIREN DAISHONIN, [9] "Lessening One's
Karmic Retribution". Translated on August 7th, 2008.

* The Japanese kanji for To My Friends is available by
clicking on Seikyo Shimbun's web-site address at
http://www.sokanet.jp/sg/sn/member_support_top.html

---WAGATOMO NI OKURU ---
ATARASHII KOE O!
ATARASHII IBUKI O!
SHORI NO UTAGOE DE
ZADANKAI O HOGARAKA NI!

-- KYO NO GOSHO --
"GOJO NO DAISHINRIKI O IDASHITE HOKKESHU NO SHIJO KINGO
SHIJO KINGO TO KAMAKURAJU NO JOGE BANNIN NAISHI NIHONKOKU
NO ISSAI SHUJO NO KUCHI NI UTAWARE TAMAE"

(Gosho Zenshu, page 1118)

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Tuesday, August 19, 2008

[SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo] To My Friends & Daily Gosho August 19th + Daily Encouragement August 20th

A translation of President Ikeda's "To My Friends"
published in the Seikyo Shimbun and more.

Tuesday, August 19th, 2008
-- TO MY FRIENDS --
The curtain has risen for our main performance.
Brimming with life force,
let's challenge ourselves to achieve our goals and targets
enthusiastically and courageously.
Let's make every possible effort to decisively establish a
new record in our own achievement.

Tuesday, August 19th, 2008
--- 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)
Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, August
19th, 2008

Wednesday, August 20th, 2008
---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----
Beethoven declared: "My art shall be exhibited only in the
service of the poor." To struggle with one's own destiny
while at the same time striving to impart courage to
others so that they can challenge and triumph over their
own destinies-this calls to mind the bodhisattva way of
life. A bodhisattva firmly believes that there is no
hardship or suffering that cannot be surmounted.

The doctrine of changing karma taught in Nichiren
Daishonin's Buddhism is an unrivaled principle of victory
in life, bringing hope, courage, and confidence to all
people. It embodies a philosophy of supreme humanism
showing that each individual inherently possesses the
power to weather any destiny. It also constitutes a tenet
of unsurpassed respect for the sanctity of life, revealing
the fundamental causality of life by which we can actually
tap and manifest this power. In short, it represents a
hope-filled teaching for all humanity, illuminating as it
does the latent power innate in each person's life.

SGI Newsletter No. 7595, SGI President Ikeda's Study
Lecture Series, LEARNING FROM THE GOSHO: THE HOPE-FILLED
WRITINGS OF NICHIREN DAISHONIN, [9] "Lessening One's
Karmic Retribution". Translated on August 7th, 2008.

* The Japanese kanji for To My Friends is available by
clicking on Seikyo Shimbun's web-site address at
http://www.sokanet.jp/sg/sn/member_support_top.html

---WAGATOMO NI OKURU ---
HONBUTAI GA KAIMAKU!
DAISEIMEIRYOKU DE
YOROKOBI ISANDE TATAKAE!
JISHIN NO SHINKIROKU O
DANJITE UCHITATERO!

-- KYO NO GOSHO --
"SOYO KIBI NI FUSHITE BANRI O WATARI HEKIRA SHOTO NI
KAKARITE SENJIN O NOBU"

(Gosho Zenshu, page 26)

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This Week and This Month's Event Calendars

Upcoming Events

Month At A Glance

Sunday, August 31, 2008

[SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo] To My Friends & Daily Gosho Aug 31st + Daily Enc. Sep 1st

Saturday, August 30, 2008

[SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo] To My Friends & Daily Gosho Aug. 30th + Daily Enc. Aug 31st

Friday, August 29, 2008

[SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo] To My Friends & Daily Gosho Aug 29th + Daily Enc. Aug 30th

Thursday, August 28, 2008

[SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo] To My Friends & Daily Gosho August 28th + Daily Encouragement August 29th

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

[SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo] To My Friends & Daily Gosho August 27th + Daily Encouragement August 28th

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

[SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo] To My Friends & Daily Gosho August 26th + Daily Encouragement August 27th

Monday, August 25, 2008

[SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo] To My Friends & Daily Gosho August 25th + Words of the Week August 25th-31st

Sunday, August 24, 2008

[SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo] To My Friends & Daily Gosho August 24th + Daily Encouragement August 25th

Saturday, August 23, 2008

[SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo] To My Friends & Daily Gosho August 23rd + Daily Encouragement August 24th

Friday, August 22, 2008

[SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo] To My Friends & Daily Gosho August 22nd + Daily Encouragement August 23rd

[SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo] To My Friends & Daily Gosho August 21st + Daily Encouragement August 22nd

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

[SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo] To My Friends & Daily Gosho August 19th + Daily Encouragement August 20th

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