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Many Things Happen In Life. There Are Joyous Days And Times Of Suffering. Sometimes Unpleasant Things Occur. But That's What Makes Life So Interesting. The Dramas We Encounter Are Part And Parcel Of Being Human. If We Experienced No Change Or Drama In Our Lives, If Nothing Unexpected Ever Happened, We Would Merely Be Like Automatons, Our Lives Unbearably Monotonous And Dull. Therefore, Please Develop A Strong Self So That You Can Enact The Drama Of Your Life With Confidence And Poise In The Face Of Whatever Vicissitudes You May Encounter.

-Daisaku Ikeda

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Many Things Happen In

Daisaku Ikeda

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Many Things Happen In Life. There Are Joyous Days And Times Of Suffering. Sometimes Unpleasant Things Occur. But That's What Makes Life So Interesting. The Dramas We Encounter Are Part And Parcel Of Being Human. If We Experienced No Change Or Drama In Our Lives, If Nothing Unexpected Ever Happened, We Would Merely Be Like Automatons, Our Lives Unbearably Monotonous And Dull. Therefore, Please Develop A Strong Self So That You Can Enact The Drama Of Your Life With Confidence And Poise In The Face Of Whatever Vicissitudes You May Encounter.

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Our Voice Resonates With Life. Because This Is So, It Can Touch The Lives Of Others. The Caring And Compassion Imbued In Your Voice Finds Passage To The Listener's Soul, Striking His Or Her Heart And Causing It To Sing Out; The Human Voice Summons Something Profound From Deep Within, And Can Even Compel A Person Into Action.

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The Determination To Win Is The Better Part Of Winning.

Strength Is Happiness.

Salute To The Smiling Faces Of The 21st Century.

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Genuine Sincerity Opens People's Hearts, While Manipulation Causes Them To Close.

We Have Both A Weak Self And A Strong Self; The Two Are Completely Different. If We Allow Our Weak Side To Dominate, We Will Be Defeated. The Thought ,"i Am Still Young And Have A Lot Of Time, So I Can Relax And Take Life Easy" Is A Function Of Our Own Weakness.

Faith And Daily Life, Faith And Work-these Are Not Separate Things. They Are One And The Same. To Think Of Them As Separate-that Faith Is Faith, And Work Is Work-is Theoretical Faith. Based On The Recognition That Work And Faith Are One And The Same, We Should Put One Hundred Percent Of Our Energy Into Our Jobs And One Hundred Percent Into Our Faith, Too. When We Resolve To Do This, We Enter The Path Of Victory In Life. Faith Means To Show Irrefutable Proof Of Victory Amid The Realities Of Society And In Our Own Daily Lives.

With Love And Patience, Nothing Is Impossible.

Hopes, Dreams, Faith And A Sense Of Mission Enable Us To Open Up Our Lives.

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There’s No Need For Us To Be Held Back By The Past Or How Things Have Been So Far. The Important Thing Is What Seeds We Are Sowing Now For The Future.

Let Us Join Our Efforts Toward Building The Unshakable Foundations For A Culture Of Peace.

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Keep Moving Forward, Even One Or Two Steps, In Your Own Way. Those Who Live Out Their Lives To The Fullest, Unperturbed By The Noisy Clamor Around Them, Are The True Winners.

When You Devote Yourself To Achieving Your Goal, You Will Not Be Bothered By Shallow Criticism. Nothing Important Can Be Accomplished If You Allow Yourself To Be Swayed By Some Trifling Matter, Always Looking Over Your Shoulder And Wondering What Others Are Saying Or Thinking. The Key To Achievement Is To Move Forward Along Your Chosen Path With Firm Determination.

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When One Takes Action For Others, One's Own Suffering Is Transformed Into The Energy That Can Keep One Moving Forward; A Light Of Hope Illuminating A New Tomorrow For Oneself And Others Is Kindled.

Strength Is Happiness. Strength Is Itself Victory. In Weakness And Cowardice There Is No Happiness. When You Wage A Struggle, You Might Win Or You Might Lose. But Regardless Of The Short-term Outcome, The Very Fact Of Your Continuing To Struggle Is Proof Of Your Victory As A Human Being.

Why Is It That Sometimes Our Prayers Seem Not To Be Answered? This Is A Manifestation Of The Buddha's Wisdom, So That We Can Deepen Our Prayers, Become Stronger People, Live More Profound Lives And Secure Deeper, More Lasting Good Fortune. If Our Slightest Prayer Was Answered Immediately, We Would Become Lazy And Degenerate. And We Could Not Hope To Build A Life Of Great Dignity And Substance.

You Must Not For One Instant Give Up The Effort To Build New Lives For Yourselves. Creativity Means To Push Open The Heavy, Groaning Doorway To Life.

Whatever The Outcome May Be, The Important Thing Is To Step Forward On The Path That You Believe Is Right.

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Hiroshima And Nagasaki

One Thing Is Certain: That Is That The Power Of Belief, The Power Of Thought, Will Move Reality In The Direction Of What We Believe And Conceive Of It. If You Really Believe You Can Do Something, You Can. That Is A Fact.

History Is Filled With Tragic Examples Of Wars That Result From Diplomatic Impasse. Whether In Our Local Communities Or In International Relations, The Skillful Use Of Our Communicative Capacities To Negotiate And Resolve Differences Is The First Evidence Of Human Wisdom.

Likewise, Education Can Direct People Toward Good Or Evil Ends. When Education Is Based On A Fundamentally Distorted Worldview, The Results Are Horrific.

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World Peace Is Not Something That Can Be Realized Simply By Politicians Signing Treaties, Or By Business Leaders Creating Economic Cooperation. True And Lasting Peace Will Be Realized Only By Forging Bonds Of Trust Between People At The Deepest Level, In The Depths Of Their Very Lives.

Leadership That Exploits And Sacrifices Young People On The Altar Of Its Goals Is Nothing More Than Raw, Demonic Power. Genuine Leadership Is Found In Ceaseless Efforts To Foster Young People, To Pave The Way Forward For Them.

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What Matters Is The Value We’ve Created In Our Lives, The People We’ve Made Happy And How Much We’ve Grown As People.

There Is No True Joy In A Life Lived Closed Up In The Little Shell Of The Self. When You Take One Step To Reach Out To People, When You Meet With Others And Share Their Thoughts And Sufferings, Infinite Compassion And Wisdom Well Up Within Your Heart. Your Life Is Transformed.

In Life When We Feel We Have Reached A Limit, That Is When The True Battle Begins. Just When You Despair And Think It Is Impossible To Go Any Further, Will You Become Apathetic, Or Will You Say It's Not Over And Stand Up With An Unyielding Spirit? The Battle Is Decided By This Single Determination.

No Matter How Healthy, Intelligent Or Affluent We May Be, If Our Minds Are Weak, Then Our Happiness Will Also Be Frail And Brittle. Our Minds Of Faith, Moreover, Enable Us To Bring Out The Full Potential In All Things And Situations, So It Is Crucial That We Strive To Forge Our Minds Of Faith.

Bravely Overcoming One Small Fear Gives You The Courage To Take On The Next.

Humanity Has Experienced Many Revolutionary Changes Over The Course Of History: Revolutions In Agriculture, In Science, Industrial Production, As Well As Numerous Political Revolutions. But These Have All Been Limited To The External Aspects Of Our Individual And Collective Lives.

Political Revolution

Hope Transforms Pessimism Into Optimism. Hope Is Invincible.

A Truley Heroic Way Of Life Lies In Squarely Confronting And Courageously Overcoming The Pounding Vicissitudes That Life Always Throws In Our Paths

To Possess Both Wisdom And Compassion Is The Heart Of Our Human Revolution. If You Have Wisdom Alone And Lack Compassion, It Will Be A Cold, Perverse Wisdom. If You Have Compassion Alone And Lack Wisdom, You Cannot Give Happiness To Others. You Are Even Likely To Lead Them In The Wrong Direction, And You Won't Be Able To Achieve Your Own Happiness.

A Great Revolution In Just One Single Individual Will Help Achieve A Change In The Destiny Of A Society And, Further, Will Enable A Change In The Destiny Of Humankind.

Genuine Happiness Can Only Be Achieved When We Transform Our Way Of Life From The Unthinking Pursuit Of Pleasure To One Committed To Enriching Our Inner Lives, When We Focus On 'being More' Rather Than Simply Having More.

What Our World Most Requires Now Is The Kind Of Education That Foster Love For Humankind, That Develops Character-that Provides An Intellectual Basis For Realization Of Peace And Empowers Learners To Contribute To And Improve Society.

If We Look At The World With A Love Of Life, The World Will Reveal Its Beauty To Us.

So Long As Human History Continues, We Will Face The Perennial Challenge Of Realizing, Maintaining And Strengthening Peace Through Dialogue, Of Making Dialogue The Sure And Certain Path To Peace. We Must Uphold And Proclaim This Conviction Without Cease, Whatever Coldly Knowing Smiles Or Cynical Critiques May Greet Us.

How Aware Are We Of Our Own Inner Life, Our Spirituality-something So Intangible Yet So Priceless? How Much Effort Do We Make To Perceive That Which Is Not Obvious, Which Can Neither Be Seen Nor Heard? I Believe The Exploration And Enrichment Of The Human Spirit Is What Determines Our Very Humanity. Such Enrichment Provides An Inner Compass That Can Lead Civilizations To Greatness.

Extreme Poverty Threatens People's Right To Life Itself And Makes Impossible The Enjoyment Of The Rights And Freedoms Essential To A Humane Way Of Life.

Ultimately, All Human Activities Have As Their Goal The Realization Of Happiness. Why, Then, Have We Ended Up Producing The Opposite Result? Could The Underlying Cause Be Our Failure To Correctly Understand The True Nature Of Happiness?

An Attitude Of Compassion Does Not Mean Looking Down On Someone, Pitying Them In Their Misery. Compassion Is Based On Respect. We Discuss Life As Equals, Learn From Each Other And Strive Together To Improve Our Lives.

I Firmly Believe That The Mission Of Religion In The 21st Century Must Be To Contribute Concretely To The Peaceful Coexistence Of Humankind.

The Course Of Our Lives Is Determined By How We React--what We Decide And What We Do--at The Darkest Of Times. The Nature Of That Response Determines A Person's True Worth And Greatness.

There Are Some Among The So-called Elite Who Are Overbearing And Arrogant. I Want To Foster Leaders, Not Elitists.

Before Comparing Yourself With Others, Win The Battle With Yourself. Strive To Be Better Today Than Yesterday, And Better Tomorrow Than Today.

Dialogue Starts From The Courageous Willingness To Know And Be Known By Others. It Is The Painstaking And Persistent Effort To Remove All Obstacles That Obscure Our Common Humanity.

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We Should All Develop The Mind To Rejoice In, Praise And Share In The Gift Of Those Who Have Artistic Talents And A Richness Of Heart, Whether They Achieve Wide Recognition Or Not. Cultivating Such A Beautiful Mind Is A Very Worthy Effort. Culture And Art Are Not Just Decorations. They Are Not Just Accessories. What Matters Is Whether Culture Enriches The Essential Substance Of Our Lives.

Strength Is Happiness. Strength Is Itself Victory. In Weakness And Cowardice There Is No Happiness

A Sense Of Being Part Of The Great All-inclusive Life Prompts Us To Reflect On Our Own Place And On How We Ought To Live. Guarding Others' Lives, The Ecology And The Earth Is The Same As Protecting One's Own Life. By Like Token, Wounding Them Is The Same Thing As Wounding Oneself. Consequently, It Is The Duty Of Each Of Us To Participate As Members Of The Life Community In The Evolution Of The Universe. We Can Do This By Guarding Earth's Ecological System.

Only When We Connect To Nature, Engaged With Nature, Are We Truly Alive And Vigorous. To Really Be Alive, One Must Be Under The Sun, The Moon, The Shining Stars And Surrounded By The Beautiful Greenery And Pure Waters Of The Natural World.

Human Beings Are Inherently Endowed With The Power To Bring Out The Best Possible Results From The Worst Possible Circumstances.

You Will Pass Through Storms And Heavy Rains, And At Times You Will Suffer Defeat. The Essence Of The Creative Life, However, Is Not To Give Up In The Face Of Defeat But To Follow The Rainbow That Exists Within Your Heart.

Poems And Songs Penned As An Unstoppable Outpouring Of The Heart Take On A Life Of Their Own. They Transcend The Limits Of Nationality And Time As They Pass From Person To Person, From One Heart To Another.

Let Us Give Something To Each Person We Meet: Joy, Courage, Hope, Assurance, Or Philosophy, Wisdom, A Vision For The Future. Let Us Always Give Something.

Every War, When Viewed From The Undistorted Perspective Of Life’s Sanctity, Is A “civil War” Waged By Humanity Against Itself.

The Important Thing Is To Firmly Fix Our Gaze On Our Own Weaknesses, Not Run Away From Them, But To Battle Them Head-on And Establish A Solid Self That Nothing Can Sway. Hardships Forge And Polish Our Lives, So That Eventually They Shine With Brilliant Fortune And Benefit. If Left In Its Raw, Unpolished Form, Even The Most Magnificent Gem Will Not Sparkle. The Same Applies To Our Lives.

The Challenge Of Preventing Any Further Proliferation Of Nuclear Weapons Is Just Such A Trial In The Quest For World Peace, One That Cannot Be Achieved If We Are Defeated By A Sense Of Helplessness. The Crucial Element Is To Ensure That Any Struggle Against Evil Is Rooted Firmly In A Consciousness Of The Unity Of The Human Family, Something Only Gained Through The Mastery Of Our Own Inner Contradictions.

The Place Where You Are Now Is Vital. The Path Toward Victory Opens From Where You Stand.

Women Are, In My View, Natural Peacemakers. As Givers And Nurturers Of Life, Through Their Focus On Human Relationships And Their Engagement With The Demanding Work Of Raising Children And Protecting Family Life, They Develop A Deep Sense Of Empathy That Cuts Through To Underlying Human Realities.

While It Is Important To Win, It’s Even More Important To Remain Undefeated No Matter What Happens.

One's True Worth As A Human Being Is Not A Matter Of Outward Appearance Or Title, But Derives Rather From The Breadth Of One's Spirit. Everything Comes Down To Faith And Conviction. It Is What Is In One's Heart, And The Substance Of One's Actions That Count.

We Can Bring Brilliant Flowers Of Victory To Bloom In Our Lives When We Weather The Hardships Of Winter And Emerge Triumphant Based On Our Practice Of The Mystic Law. The Key To Victories Lies In How Hard We Struggle When We Are In Winter, How Wisely We Use This Time And How Meaningful We Live Each Day Confident That Spring Will Definitely Come.

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.

Envying Another's Beauty Will Diminish Your Own. But When You Praise Beauty In Others Your Own Beauty Deepens.

What Is Defeat In Life? It Is Not Merely Making A Mistake; Defeat Means Giving Up On Yourself In The Midst Of Difficulty. What Is True Success In Life? True Success Means Winning In Your Battle With Yourself. Those Who Persist In The Pursuit Of Their Dreams, No Matter What The Hurdles, Are Winners In Life, For They Have Won Over Their Weaknesses.

Creating Harmony Amidst Diversity Is A Fundamental Issue Of The Twenty-first Century. While Celebrating The Unique Characteristics Of Different Peoples And Cultures, We Have To Create Solidarity On The Level Of Our Common Humanity, Our Common Life. Without Such Solidarity, There Will Be No Future For The Human Race. Diversity Should Not Beget Conflict In The World, But Richness.

It Is By Fighting And Triumphing Over The Enemies Of The Buddha That We Ourselves Become Buddhas.

Where There Is An Absence Of International Political Leadership, Civil Society Should Step In To Fill The Gap, Providing The Energy And Vision Needed To Move The World In A New And Better Direction.

Faced With Stress, Too Many People Feel They Have Nowhere To Turn To, That They Don't Have Access To The Kind Of Friendships Or Communities Where They Can Easily And Openly Share Their Problems And Worries.

The Moment You Resolve To Be Victorious, Every Nerve And Fiber In Your Being Will Immediately Orient Itself Toward Your Success.

Ideal Love Is Fostered Only Between Two Sincere, Mature And Independent People. Real Love Is Not Two People Clinging To Each Other; It Can Only Be Fostered Between Two Strong People Secure In Their Individuality.

But I Believe We Must Not Allow Feelings Of Defeat To Take Root In Our Hearts.

Faith Is To Fear Nothing, To Stand Unswayed, The Power To Surmount Any Obstacle.

A Person's True Nature Is Revealed At Times Of The Greatest Adversity.

There Are No Greater Treasures Than The Highest Human Qualities Such As Compassion, Courage And Hope. Not Even Tragic Accident Or Disaster Can Destroy Such Treasures Of The Heart.

As Long As We Are Human, We Are Destined To Make Mistakes. We All Fall Prey To Flawed Beliefs And Views. What Separates A Forward-looking Person From An Intransigent One, A Virtuous Person From A Malevolent One, However, Is Whether One Can Candidly Admit To Ones Mistakes And Take Bold Steps To Redress Them.

Rise To The Challenges That Life Presents You. You Can't Develop Genuine Character And Ability By Sidestepping Adversity And Struggle.

Hope Is Life's Greatest Treasure. If You Have No Hope, Create Some!

Greatest Treasure

There Is No One As Strong As A Person Whose Heart Is Always Filled With Gratitude.

Since Ancient Times, People From Throughout Asia Have Brought To Japan Their Talents, Knowledge And Energy, Helping To Lay The Basis For Japan's Existence As A Country.

It Is Natural For Us, As Human Beings, To Look Forward. Our Eyes Naturally Look Ahead. In This Sense, We Are Made For Moving Toward A Goal.

True Happiness Means Forging A Strong Spirit That Is Undefeated, No Matter How Trying Our Circumstances.

Human Rights Will Be A Powerful Force For The Transformation Of Reality When They Are Not Simply Understood As Externally Defined Norms Of Behavior But Are Lived As The Spontaneous Manifestation Of Internalized Values.

We Are Not Merely Passive Pawns Of Historical Forces; Nor Are We Victims Of The Past. We Can Shape And Direct History.

Life Is Painful. It Has Thorns, Like The Stem Of A Rose. Culture And Art Are The Roses That Bloom On The Stem. The Flower Is Yourself, Your Humanity. Art Is The Liberation Of The Humanity Inside Yourself.

Reality Is Harsh. It Can Be Cruel And Ugly. Yet No Matter How Much We Grieve Over Our Environment And Circumstances Nothing Will Change. What Is Important Is Not To Be Defeated, To Forge Ahead Bravely. If We Do This, A Path Will Open Before Us.

The Wisdom And Experience Of Older People Is A Resource Of Inestimable Worth. Recognizing And Treasuring The Contributions Of Older People Is Essential To The Long-term Flourishing Of Any Society.

Do Something! Start Something! As You Make Consistent Efforts, You Will Begin To See Your Goals Come Into Focus. You Will Discover Your Mission--the One Only You Can Fulfill.

Hope Changes Everything. It Changes Winter Into Summer, Darkness Into Dawn, Descent Into Ascent, Barrenness Into Creativity, Agony Into Joy.

Those Who Always Have A Sense Of Appreciation And Gratitude Never Reach An Impasse In Life.

Gratitude And Appreciation

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