Encouragement

February 5th, 2009; 8:47AM
Life for everyone is a struggle against the sufferings of birth, old age, sickness and death. Happiness is not the absence of problems or worries; it is to be undefeated no matter what problems or worries we may face. And this happiness is not solely focused on oneself. Truly happy are those who can help others become happy. 

~Daisaku Ikeda

June 23, 2009 Daisaku Ikeda

June 23, 2009; 7:55 AM

Wisdom for Modern Life by Daisaku Ikeda
Tuesday, June 23, 2009

If a person is hungry, we should give them bread. When there is no bread, we can at least give words that nourish. To a person who looks ill or is physically frail, we can turn the conversation to some subject that will lift their spirits and fill them with the hope and determi-nation to get better. Let us give something to each person we meet: joy, courage, hope, assurance, philosophy, wisdom, a vision for the future. Let us always give something. 

Encouragement

February 5th, 2009; 8:47AM
Life for everyone is a struggle against the sufferings of birth, old age, sickness and death. Happiness is not the absence of problems or worries; it is to be undefeated no matter what problems or worries we may face. And this happiness is not solely focused on oneself. Truly happy are those who can help others become happy. 

~Daisaku Ikeda

Dig It!

December 31st, 2008; 4:40 PM

Current mood:blissful

To lead a life in which we are inspired and can inspire others, our hearts have to be alive; they have to be filled with passion and enthusiasm. To achieve that, as President Toda also said, we need the courage to "live true to ourselves." And to live true to ourselves, we need the strength of mind not to be swayed by our environment or be obsessed with vanity and superficial appearances. Rather than borrowing from or imitating others, we need the conviction to be able to think for ourselves and to take action from our own sense of responsibility.

~Daisaku Ikeda

The Fiercer The Tempest Rages...

November 10th, 2008; 12:19 AM

Current mood:jedi

Life is like a sea voyage.

We each need to open up our own course

in life with the strength of our convictions,

unperturbed by the crashing breakers of life's

stormy seas. The fiercer the tempest rages,

the more we need to rouse our own

fighting spirit and man the tiller with

all our strength and skill,

crying, "Bring it on!"


~Daisaku Ikeda

Transforming Poison Into Medicine

February 16th, 2008; 11:54 PM

Current mood:determined

"Life contains the capacity, like flames that reach toward heaven, to transform suffering and pain into the energy needed for value-creation, into light that illuminates darkness. Like the wind traversing vast spaces unhindered, life has the power to uproot and overturn all obstacles and difficulties. Like clear flowing water, it can wash away all stains and impurities. And finally life, like the great earth that sustains plants and vegetation, impartially protects all people with its compassionate, nurturing force."

~Daisaku Ikeda

Struggle

October 29th, 2007; 11:44 PM

Current mood:good

In the spirit of honoring my struggles for all that they are worth...here are a few quotes about struggle:

     "Sometimes, struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If we were to go through our life without any obstacles, we would be crippled. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. Give every opportunity a chance, leave no room for regrets."

      "Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength."
 Arnold Schwarzenegger (Austrian born American Actor and Governor, b.1947)
 

      "A Native American elder once described his own inner struggles in this manner: Inside of me there are two dogs. One of the dogs is mean and evil. The other dog is good. The mean dog fights the good dog all the time. When asked which dog wins, he reflected for a moment and replied, The one I feed the most. On Other Peoples Expectations: The only man who behaved sensibly was my tailor; he took my measurement anew every time he saw me, while all the rest went on with their old measurements and expected them to fit me."
 George Bernard Shaw (Irish literary Critic, Playwright and Essayist. 1925 Nobel Prize for Literature, 1856-1950)

      "Obstacles are necessary for success because in selling, as in all careers of importance, victory comes only after many struggles and countless defeats."
 Og Mandino (American Essayist and Psychologist, 1923-1996)

       "Without opposition there is no growth. It is hard to argue with that logic. A state in which we are free from problems or constraints is not happiness. Happiness is transcending all opposition and obstacles and continuing to grow."  ~Daisaku Ikeda

Dauntless

• Oct. 28th, 2007 at 10:23 PM

SGI President Ikeda's Daily Encouragement for October 27

Whether we regard difficulties in life as misfortunes or whether we view them as good fortune depends entirely on how much we have forged our inner determination. It all depends on our attitude or inner state of life. With a dauntless spirit, we can lead a cheerful and thoroughly enjoyable life. We can develop a "self" of such fortitude that we can look forward to life's trials and tribulations with a sense of profound elation and joy: "Come on obstacles! I've been expecting you! This is the chance that I've been waiting for!"

Hahaha...yeah. Sure why not? That's exactly how I feel when I get a good dirt sandwich. "Dude I've been expecting this...this is the chance I've been eagerly awaiting!" Yeah...I complain a lot. I know. I don't want to but I do. And I do want to have this kind of inner fortitude. I want to manifest a calm, and unwavering spirit. -Dauntless. That's the word I want to describe my character one day.

...I'm working on it.

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• Mood:  exhausted

Aug. 15th, 2007

• 2:38 PM

So...yeah...this is about him again. I really must find other things to write about..it's not like I don't actually *do* other things in my life or have other things that occupy my time and thoughts...I do. I just write about love. I don't know where the future will take me. I do think we will be friends. I have been focusing on being really honest with him. So far everything is rebuilding -which is good. Last night we had a short but fun conversation that felt reminiscent of our previous ones. -So that was really reassuring. :-)
Today I was perusing a book by Daisaku Ikeda...on love...and he said: "Ideal love is fostered only between two sincere, mature and independent people. It is essential therefore, that you make polishing yourself a priority and do not get carried away by romance."
I will focus on that. It seems quite true and sensible to me. So...I'm off to polish myself...I think I l'll start by getting new tires. :-)

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Comments

( 4 comments — Leave a comment )

kitty8fish wrote:

Aug. 15th, 2007 05:20 pm (local)

I am so stealing that quotation.

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vanmedi wrote:

Aug. 15th, 2007 10:36 pm (local)

I'm glad you like it! How are you btw? How was Yosemite?

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kitty8fish wrote:

Aug. 16th, 2007 10:54 am (local)

very fun! want to try to hang out sometime this weekend? i've got to go up to srjc to get my supplies for this semester, so i'll be in your area at some point!

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vanmedi wrote:

Aug. 16th, 2007 12:08 pm (local)

Ooooh yeah! I'm going to Rock the Bells on Saturday...but maybe some time on Sunday or Friday? Or Today? Who knows? Give me a call! :-)

Attitude

May 12th, 2007; 5:51 PM

Current mood:content

I want you to understand the subtle workings of the mind. How you orient your mind, the kind of attitude you take, greatly influences both you yourself and your environment. The Buddhist principle of a single life-moment encompassing 3,000 realms completely elucidates the true aspect of life's inner workings. Through the power of strong inner resolve, we can transform ourselves, those around us and the land in which we live.

Protagonist

May 4th, 2007; 10:51 AM

Current mood:pleased

"Even in times of hardship, the important thing is for each of us to determine that we are the star, protagonist and hero of our lives and keep moving forward."

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I just had to save this quote...It's by my sensei, Daisaku Ikeda. It really resonates with me because...this is something that I have actually thought long before  I ever read this quote. I have thought about narrative story telling (from film school), and how there are plot points and twists and how every good story has something that the hero has to overcome...otherwise frankly...it's boring. Who wants to see a movie or read a story about about a happy person that nothing ever happen to? (Bo-ring.) ...I've thought this many a time..in the midst of my darkest moments...I've thought what if...this is just the begining of a heros tale? The begining of a heros tale is always dark or sad...there is always some loss...or tragedy...or a quest. Something is always an obstacle...until the end of the story..where it is overcome...despite the odds. It is such a funny thought...that we are all heros in our own lives..we are all the protagonist...we are all shining stars.

Teacher's Prayer

April 30th, 2007; 7:20 AM

Current mood:calm

I just thought this was beautiful and I had to pass it on.

Nobel laureate Gabriela Mistral (1889-1957) of Chile, was well respected as a humanistic educator. Indicative of the great spirit of compassion and caring with which she interacted with her students is her "Teacher's Prayer": "Let me be more mother than the mother herself in my love and defense of the child who is not flesh of my flesh. Help me to make one of my children my most perfect poem and leave within him or her my most melodious melody from that day when my own lips no longer sing." With this same spirit, let us care for and nurture young people. ~Daisaku Ikeda