[SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo] 14th July 2012 To My Friends and Daily Gosho + 15th July 2012 Daily Enc.

* Hope there is a chance to share this somewhere this weekend! Remember also that we can always add people directly to the mailing list if you just let us know their addresses - after asking them, of course! Hope you have a great weekend!...

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

Saturday, July 14th, 2012
-- TO MY FRIENDS --
It is because there are members who are selflessly,
behind the scenes,
making dedicated efforts to support our activities,
that the momentum of our kosen-rufu movement advances.
To all of our leaders,
please do your utmost to discover these precious and most valuable members
and make sure that their hard work and efforts
are truly recognised and appreciated!

Saturday, July 14th, 2012
--- DAILY GOSHO ---
"And yet, though one might point at the earth and miss it, though one might bind up the sky, though the tides might cease to ebb and flow and the sun rise in the west, it could never come about that the prayers of the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra would go unanswered."

(On Prayer - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 345)
Selection source: Kyo no Hosshin, Seikyo Shimbun, July 14th, 2012

Sunday, July 15th, 2012
---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----
"Learning from the Daishonin's spirit, we of the SGI have set forth to accomplish kosen-rufu throughout Japan and the world. That is why it is so important for the SGI— and, in particular, the youth division—to advance with the firm conviction that we are the pillars of Japan and the world.

"When the pillars are solid and sturdy, the structure will be sound. When young people have profound and powerful conviction, humanity's hopes for the future will be bright.

"I have mentioned this many times in the past, but I will never forget what Mr. Toda said when I asked him why it was important for us to strive in our Buddhist practice without begrudging our lives. He replied:

"'On our planet, people kill each other in wars; our economies are based on the survival of the fittest, and do not necessarily lead to human happiness; and many of society's leaders, who by rights ought to help others, instead often look down on and exploit people. And the same kind of thing is found in such spheres as politics, science, education, and religion. Call it humanity's karma, but society is complex and full of contradictions. Nowhere can we find a fundamental path to happiness for all people. Only Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism sets forth the means for fundamentally transforming our karma. It teaches the path of eternity, happiness, true self, and purity[1]—of eternal fulfillment and satisfaction. There is no higher path in life than this. That is why, if you devote yourself wholeheartedly to your Buddhist practice, you will never have regrets.'

"A life dedicated to the Mystic Law is truly noble and sublime. By taking the lead in the struggle against the devilish nature of authority, the Daishonin taught us the essence of leading a life without regrets.

"The members of the SGI are the heirs to this legacy—especially you, my beloved young successors."

SGI Newsletter No. 8557, Learning from the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin: The Teachings for Victory, [39] "The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra"—Part 1 [of 3], from the April 2012 issue of the Daibyakurenge, the Soka Gakkai monthly study journal, translated 6th July 2012.

[1] Eternity, happiness, true self, and purity are known as the four virtues. Describing the noble qualities of the Buddha's life, the four are explained as follows: "eternity" means unchanging and eternal; "happiness" means tranquillity that transcends all suffering; "true self" means true and intrinsic nature; and "purity" means free of illusion or mistaken conduct.

* 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 ---
MIENAI TOKORO DE
FUNTO SURU TOMO ARITE
KOFU NO HATTEN ARI!
"Leader" WA KOKORO O TSUKUSHI
SAIDAINI HIKARI O ATEYO!

-- KYO NO GOSHO --
"DAICHI WA SASABA HAZURURU TOMO OZORA O TSUNAGU MONO WA ARITOMO SHIO NO MICHIHINU KOTO WA ARITOMO HI WA NISHI YORI IZURU TOMO HOKEKYO NO GYOJA NO INORI NO KANAWANU KOTO WA ARU BEKARAZU"
(Gosho Zenshu, page 1351)



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

If you have a friend(s) who would like to get To My Friends directly get them to send an E-mail to the following address and just simply write - "subscribe"
: SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo-subscribe@yahoogroups.co.uk

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/

To unsubscribe from this group, but PLEASE let us know if there is anything we can do to improve, send an email to:
SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo-unsubscribe@egroups.com

To modify your subscription from receiving daily to picking up as you wish go to http://www.egroups.com/mygroups

Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo/

<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo/join
(Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo-digest@yahoogroups.co.uk
SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.co.uk

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.co.uk

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/info/terms.html