Fwd: President Ikeda's Daily Encouragement October 17, 2011

I hope that each of you will study broadly and develop your understanding of life, society and the universe, based on your faith in Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism. This type of learning enables you to cultivate a rich state of life, or inner world, drawing forth profound wisdom and limitless leadership ability from the depths of your life.

As long as we remain preoccupied with our own troubles, as long as we allow ourselves to blindly follow the impulsive dictates of our mind, our sufferings will continue. What we must do is to become the masters of our mind, not let it be our master, and consciously redirect our mind and its thoughts in a positive and pleasant direction and help others around us do the same.

GOSHO PASSAGE

In the eighth volume of Great Concentration and Insight and in the eighth volume of The Annotations on "Great Concentration and Insight" it says, "The stronger one's faith, the greater the protection of the gods." This means that the protection of the gods depends on the strength of one's faith. The Lotus Sutra is a fine sword, but its might depends upon the one who wields it.

(WND 953) General Stone Tiger
Written to Shijo Kingo on October 22, 1278

BUDDHISM DAY BY DAY - WISDOM FOR MODERN LIFE

One's actions in previous existences are all engraved in and contained in this lifetime. The causes for our present suffering or joy, happiness or misery, all lie in our own past actions. But Nichiren Buddhism enables us to fundamentally reform our destiny. When we truly base ourselves on Buddhism's view of life's eternity, we realize the first thing to change is how we live in the present. In Nichiren Buddhism, change arises from the depths of our being. Strong, pure vitality abundantly wells forth. The iron chains of destiny are cut, and our original identity, the fresh and robust world of Buddhahood, appears.

A YOUTHFUL DIARY - Friday, January 29 (1960) Fair

   In the morning, had a discussion with Sensei's family.
   In the evening, attended an informal directors meeting.
   Felt sick with a cold.
   The meeting ended a little after 9:00.
   The top Gakkai leaders should understand the times and respond to them.
   Will protect the Gakkai leaders and my juniors for the rest of my life. Concerned about the health of young directors.
   Read Song of Han Shan:

       A poor man loves to gather riches
           as an owl cares for its young.
       Many a child eats away his mother
           as wealth ruins its owner.
       Fortune shall rise when riches are scattered;
           misfortune shall befall when riches are gathered.
      Without wealth, one is free from misfortune
           as he flies on beating wings aloft in blue skies...
      Though my years have yet to count one hundred
           I constantly worry about the next one thousand years.
      My illness is beginning to lessen...

   Heard that The Collected Songs of the Three Hermits is the compilation of poems by Han Shan, Feng Gan and Shi Dei. Prefer Tu Fu's poetry much better.