...our inner state of life lies at the core of our mental and physical well-being. Buddhist practice is the only means by which we can strengthen, purify and develop our inner life. We have to exercise our minds through study. We have to exercise our bodies through physical activity and sports. We also have to exercise our internal life condition through daimoku. When our inner condition of life changes, our minds and bodies also change. They will be refreshed and revitalized.
Daimoku charges our batteries. If we take care to regularly charge our batteries, then we'll always be full of energy and vitality. If we fail to keep our batteries charged, we won't have energy when we need it most and as a result may be defeated by our environment.
Those who saturate their lives with daimoku and learn to keep their batteries charged while they're young are building a foundation for lifelong happiness.
Since our Buddhist practice takes place in the midst of our daily lives, it is all too easy for us to grow lazy and neglect it. So in that respect, there is perhaps no more difficult practice when it comes to continuing. Nonetheless, if we challenge ourselves to keep up a little bit each day, before we realize it we will have built a path to happiness in the depths of our own lives.
--SGI President Daisaku Ikeda
Excerpted from Discussions on Youth(SGI-USA, 1998)
http://www.sgi.org/about-us/president-ikedas-writings/on-practice.html
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