[SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo] 13th April 2012 To My Friends and Daily Gosho + 14th April 2012 Daily Enc.

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

Friday, April 13th, 2012
-- TO MY FRIENDS --
To the world's foremost sisters* of the Kayo Group
who spend their youth fulfilling the vow
they made during the springtime of their youth -
thank you all so much for your constant efforts!
It is indeed the bright cheerful air of our young women
that creates hope in our local communities.

* Young Women's Division members

Friday, April 13th, 2012
--- DAILY GOSHO ---
"It also states that, if the minds of living beings are impure, their land is also impure, but if their minds are pure, so is their land. There are not two lands, pure or impure in themselves. The difference lies solely in the good or evil of our minds."
(On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 4)
Selection source: Teachings of Buddhism, Seikyo Shimbun, April 12th, 2012

Saturday, April 14th, 2012
---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----
"Every day, come rain or shine, I carry on an inner dialogue with my late mentor, second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda.

"His eyes shining intensely, Mr. Toda once said: 'We would be betraying Nichiren Daishonin's spirit to "secure the peace of the land through establishing the correct teaching," if we ignored the suffering in society and closed ourselves off in the world of religion, content just to sit in peace and quiet and chant daimoku. The practice of Buddhism lies in the struggle to eliminate misery and suffering from the world, to defend human rights and human dignity, and to build a peaceful society.'

"There is no such thing as happiness for oneself alone.

"What our society today needs more than anything is the spirit of empathy—the ability to put ourselves in the shoes of those who are facing hardship and suffering, and to truly understand and share what they are going through.

"In The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, the Daishonin states: 'The varied sufferings that all living beings undergo—all these are Nichiren's own sufferings' (OTT, 138). Buddhist compassion shines in these words.

"When the spirit of compassion becomes the bedrock of society and is embodied by society's leaders, the future will be bright with hope."

SGI Newsletter No. 8490, On Our Shared Journey for Kosen-rufu, (7) Enabling Others to Form a Connection with Nichiren Buddhism, from the March 25, 2012, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, translated April 12th, 2012

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

--- WAGATOMO NI OKURU ---
CHIKAI NO SEISHUN O AYUMU
SEKAI ICHI NO KAYO SHIMAI YO.
ITUMO ARIGATO!
JOSHIBU NO EGAO WA
WAGA CHIIKI NO KIBO NARI!

-- KYO NO GOSHO --
"MATA SHUJO NO KOKORO KEGARUREBA DO MO KEGARE KOKORO KIYOKEREBA DO MO KIYOSHI TOTE JODO TO II EDO TO IUMO DO NI FUTATSU NO HEDATE NASHI TADA WARERA GA KOKORO NO ZENAKU NI YORUTO MIETARI"
(Gosho Zenshu, page 384)

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