[SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo] 10th Feb. 2013 To My Friends and Daily Gosho + 11th Feb. 2013 Daily Enc.

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

Sunday, February 10th, 2013
-- TO MY FRIENDS --
Let's give our newly joined members
all the warm heartfelt encouragement we can!
To study and take action together with them
is the very best way to help them develop and grow.
Let's do our utmost to look after each member with sincere care and concern.

Sunday, February 10th, 2013
--- DAILY GOSHO ---
"In the same way, the Buddha dwells within our hearts. For example, flint has the potential to produce fire, and gems have intrinsic value. We ordinary people can see neither our own eyelashes, which are so close, nor the heavens in the distance. Likewise, we do not see that the Buddha exists in our own hearts."

(New Year's Gosho - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 1137)
Selection source: SGI President Ikeda's message, Seikyo Shimbun, February 10th, 2013

Monday, February 11th, 2013
---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----
"What matters from the Buddha's perspective is whether one practises in accord with his teachings. The Daishonin underscores this point when he refers to 'preaching the Lotus Sutra exactly as the Buddha did' (WND-1, 799), and '[acting] in exact accord with what the sutra teaches' (cf. WND-1, 799). He goes on to state that he is 'delighted' to have read the sutra with his life by encountering great difficulties in the course of propagating the Mystic Law.

"The joy of reading the sutra with one's life—of putting its teachings into practice—is the joy of working to actualise the Buddha's wish to lead all people to enlightenment. It is the joy of striving 'exactly as the Buddha did'—of carrying on the same struggle as the Buddha, as his emissary. There is no greater joy in life than practising the supreme teaching of Buddhism and enabling those around us to reveal their Buddha nature.

"For us, as members of the SGI, this is the joy of promoting kosen-rufu. Fulfilling our mission as Bodhisattvas of the Earth by creating happiness for ourselves and others through dialogue is a source of incomparable joy.

"Through the example of his own struggles, the Daishonin taught Tokimitsu the joy of propagating the Mystic Law. In other letters to his young disciple, we see him writing: 'If people try to hinder your faith, I urge you strongly to feel joy' (WND-2, 566), and 'Though others may slander us [Nichiren and his followers], we are teachers of the Law who take no heed of such a thing' (WND-2, 501).

"The important thing is what we do, not what others think. Everything depends on our own actions based on the Daishonin's Buddhism. In our youth, we tend to be overly concerned about what others think about us, but what really matters is how we live our lives. Mr. Toda often said: 'You should seek to win favour with the Daishonin.'"[1]

[1] Translated from Japanese. Josei Toda, "Seinen-kun" (Guidelines for Youth), in Toda Josei Zenshu (Collected Writings of Josei Toda), (Tokyo: Seikyo Shimbunsha, 1981), vol. 1, p. 61.

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

--WAGATOMO NI OKURU--
SHIN NYUKAI NO TOMO NI
MAGOKORO NO HAGEMASHI O!
TOMONI MANABI, UGOKU KOTO GA
SAIKO NO JINZAI IKUSEI.
TESSHITE HITORI O TAISETSU NI!

-- KYO NO GOSHO --
"HOTOKE TO MOSU KOTO MO WARERA NO KOKORO NO UCHI NI OWASHIMASU TATOEBA ISHI NO NAKANI HI ARI TAMA NO NAKA NI TAKARA NO ARU GA GOTOSHI WARERA BOMPU WA MATSUGE NO CHIKAKI TO OZORA NO TOKI TOWA MI SORO KOTO NASHI"
(Gosho Zenshu, page 1491)


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