Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism

Never let life's hardships disturb you. No one can avoid problems, not even saints or sages. Nichiren

🩵

🙏🙏

‘No matter what our personal circumstances may be, if we ourselves become a source of light, then there will be no darkness in the world.’ - [Ikeda Daisaku Zenshu (The Complete Works of Daisaku Ikeda)

“Summoning up the courage to take action is always the same regardless of how seemingly big or small the challenge. ...” This Nichiren quote struck a chord 😳

Hey, I was wondering what Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism says about other Buddhist practices?

🧘‍♀️🙏

“Rather than seeking after your own praise or glory, I hope that you will dedicate your noble lives to sowing the seeds of peace of the Mystic Law throughout the entire world.” - Ikeda Sensei (Jan 26, 1975)

So in Nichiren Buddhism, there’s a very strong concept on Kosen Rufu, or world peace through individual happiness. We are encouraged to always work towards Kosen Rufu in our environments, and connect our material desires to Kosen rufu, as a way of accelerating their manifestation. At the same time, there is a phrase in the practice that goes “material desires lead to enlightenment”. My concern is- those who work so passionately towards kosen rufu (think: teachers, medical workers, therapists) are typically not the highest earners in a society, don’t always thrive financially, thereby being unable to embrace the material desires that the practice encourages us to cultivate. In such a case, the desire for material wealth is oftentimes in contradiction with the practical reality of working towards Kosen rufu. When I shared this with the local leader, she disagreed. She emphasized on her strong belief that working towards kosen rufu actually enables & leads to more material growth, and that fortune is always accessible to the votaries of the lotus sutra, regardless of their profession. And that working towards Kosen rufu can happen in any profession. What are your thoughts?

Daily Guidance Jan 22 Ultimately, happiness rests on how you establish a solid sense of self or being. Happiness does not lie in outward appearances nor in vanity. It is a matter of what you feel inside; it is a deep resonance in your life. To be filled each day with a rewarding sense of exhilaration and purpose, a sense of tasks accomplished and deep fulfillment--people who feel this way are happy. Those who have this sense of satisfaction even if they are extremely busy are much happier than those who have time on their hands but feel empty inside.