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The Experience Of Losing A Loved One Impels Us Toward A Deeper Understanding Of Life. Everyone Fears And Is Saddened By Death. That Is Natural. But By Struggling To Overcome The Pain And Sadness That Accompanies Death, We Become Sharply Aware Of The Dignity And Preciousness Of Life And Develop The Compassion To Share The Sufferings Of Others As Our Own.

-Daisaku Ikeda

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The Experience Of Losing

Daisaku Ikeda

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The Experience Of Losing A Loved One Impels Us Toward A Deeper Understanding Of Life. Everyone Fears And Is Saddened By Death. That Is Natural. But By Struggling To Overcome The Pain And Sadness That Accompanies Death, We Become Sharply Aware Of The Dignity And Preciousness Of Life And Develop The Compassion To Share The Sufferings Of Others As Our Own.

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I Can Do More. I Can Grow. I Can Become A Bigger And Better Human Being.

Bigger And Better

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Embrace Your Dreams And Advance As Far As They Can Take You.

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A Person Fully Awakened To The Jewel-like Dignity Of Their Own Life Is Capable Of Truly Respecting That Same Treasure In Others.

A Genuinely Happy Person Is One Who Has Rendered Others Happy.

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

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

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Dialogue And Education For Peace Can Help Free Our Hearts From The Impulse Toward Intolerance And The Rejection Of Others.

I Cannot Say This Too Strongly: Do Not Compare Yourselves To Others. Be True To Who You Are, And Continue To Learn With All Your Might.

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If You Summon Your Courage To Challenge Something, You’ll Never Be Left With Regret. How Sad It Is To Spend Your Life Wishing, “if Only I’d Had A Little More Courage.” Whatever The Outcome May Be, The Important Thing Is To Step Forward On The Path That You Believe Is Right.

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Effort And Hard Work Construct The Bridge That Connects Your Dreams To Reality.

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

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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.

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.

Have The Depth Of Faith To Regard Everything As A Source For Creating Happiness And Value.

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

The Power Of Art Can Break The Shackles That Bind And Divide Human Beings.

Speak Out Tirelessly With Conviction.

With Love And Patience, Nothing Is Impossible.

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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.

Sometimes We Complain Without Thinking Much Of It, But The Frightening Thing About Complaining Is That Every Time We Do, A Cloud Descends Over Our Heart, And Our Hope, Appreciation And Joy Gradually Wane.

Men And Women Who Know The Brutal Reality Of War, Who Know That War Strips People Of Their Very Humanity, Must Unite In A New Global Partnership For Peace.

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

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.

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

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.

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

You Must Not For One Moment Give Up The Effort To Build Up New Lives For Yourself.

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

‎"those Who Give Up Dreams, Do Injury To Their Own Hearts And Cannot Possibly Enjoy A Profound Sense Of Fulfillment In The End.

Like The Ocean That Remains Calm In Its Depths Even When Waves Rage Over Its Surface, And Like The Sun That Continues Shining On High Even During Storms, We Can At Each Moment Create Value And Develop Our State Of Life, Enjoying Our Existence To The Fullest In Times Of Both Suffering And Joy.

Great Art Is Created Only Through Diligent And Painstaking Effort To Perfect And Polish Oneself.

It's Important To Resolve To Yourself, 'i Will Absolutely Win!' Then This Firm Commitment Will Serve As The Wellspring Of Great Wisdom And Courage That Surges Forth From Within.

Strength Is Happiness.

The Role Of Humankind Is To Use The Cultural And Social Environment It Has Created To Devise New Global Values.... Human Relations With Nature Are Intimately Bound Up In Interpersonal Relations And With The Relation Of The Self And Its Inner Life.

Rather Than Becoming Discouraged, Know That Encountering A Wall Is Proof Of The Progress That You Have Made So Far.

The Power Of Growth, Of Improvement, The Power To Overcome All Stagnation And Break Through Every Obstacle And Transform A Barren Wasteland Into A Verdant Field - That Unstoppable Power Of Hope Resides Right Within Your Own Heart. It Wells Up From The Rich Earth Of Your Innermost Being When You Face The Future Without Doubt Or Fear: "i Can Do More. I Can Grow. I Can Become A Bigger And Better Human Being."

Anyone Who Has Ever Made A Resolution Discovers That The Strength Of Their Determination Fades With Time. The Important Thing Is Not That Your Resolve Never Wavers, But That You Don't Get Down On Yourself When It Does And Throw In The Towel.

When We Change, The World Changes. The Key To All Change Is In Our Inner Transformation- A Change Of Our Hearts And Minds. This Is Human Revolution. We All Have The Power To Change. When We Realize This Truth, We Can Bring Forth That Power Anywhere, Anytime, And In Any Situation.

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

Life Is Filled With Potential That Is Truly Unfathomable. At Last We Are Coming To See The Enormous Power It Possesses. That Is Why We Must Never Write Anyone Off. In Particular, We Mustn’t Put Boundaries On Our Own Potential. In Most Cases, Our So-called Limitations Are Nothing More Than Our Own Decision To Limit Ourselves.

So Long As Nuclear Weapons Continue To Exist, So Will The Temptation To Threaten Others With Overwhelming Military Force.

The Experience Of Losing A Loved One Impels Us Toward A Deeper Understanding Of Life. Everyone Fears And Is Saddened By Death. That Is Natural. But By Struggling To Overcome The Pain And Sadness That Accompanies Death, We Become Sharply Aware Of The Dignity And Preciousness Of Life And Develop The Compassion To Share The Sufferings Of Others As Our Own.

The Earth Never Ceases To Spin. All Life Is Dancing : The Trees, The Wind, The Sea. Keep Dancing For The Rest Of Your Life.

The Determination To Win Is The Better Part Of Winning.

The Idea Of Interdependence Is Central To Buddhism, Which Holds That All Things Come Into Being Through The Mutual Interactions Of Various Causes And Conditions.

Creativity Means To Push Open The Heavy, Groaning Doorway To Life.

Freedom Doesn't Mean The Absence Of All Restrictions. It Means Possessing Unshakable Conviction In The Face Of Any Obstacle.

Even If Things Don't Unfold The Way You Expected, Don't Be Disheartened Or Give Up. One Who Continues To Advance Will Win In The End.

If You Lose Today, Win Tomorrow. In This Never-ending Spirit Of Challenge Is Found The Heart Of A Victor.

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.

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

Increase Your Joy By Doing The Good You Wish To Have Done To You.

Buhhdism Is Wisdom. As Long As We Have Wisdom, We Can Put All Things To The Best Use, We Can Turn Everything In The Direction Of Happiness.

It Is Important That We Have The Inner Richness To Be Able To Look Up At The Stars Or The Moon And Compose A Poem Once In A While. When We Open Wide Our Minds And Fix Our Gaze On The Universe, We Fix Our Gaze On Our Own Life.

Peace Will Be Realized Only By Forging Bonds Of Trust Between People At The Deepest Level, In The Depths Of Their Very Lives.

Hardships Make Us Strong. Problems Give Birth To Wisdom. Sorrows Cultivate Compassion. Those Who Have Suffered The Most Will Become The Happiest.

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.

Take Heart, And Do Not Let Disappointment Or Shame Stop You From Moving Forward. The True Outcome Of Life Is Only Apparent At The Very End.

Anyone Who Has Ever Made A Resolution Discovers That The Strength Of That Determination Fades In Time. The Moment You Feel That Is When You Should Make A Fresh Determination. Tell Yourself, “ok! I Will Start Again From Now!” If You Fall Down Seven Times, Get Up An Eighth. Don’t Give Up When You Feel Discouraged-jus T Pick Yourself Up And Renew Your Determination Each Time.

Humanity's Collective Mission In The Cosmos Lies In The Practice Of Compassion.

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.

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

If We Are To Put The Era Of Nuclear Terror Behind Us, We Must Struggle Against The Real 'enemy.' That Enemy Is Not Nuclear Weapons Per Se, Nor Is It The States That Possess Or Develop Them. The Real Enemy That We Must Confront Is The Ways Of Thinking That Justify Nuclear Weapons; The Readiness To Annihilate Others When They Are Seen As A Threat Or As A Hindrance To The Realization Of Our Objectives.

Patience Is, In And Of Itself, A Great Challenge And It Often Holds The Key To Breaking Through A Seeming Impasse.

Ultimately, The Only Way To Make Good Friends Is To Become A Good Friend Yourself. Good People Gather Around Other Good People.

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

To Communicate The Truths Of History Is An Act Of Hope For The Future.

Hope For The Future

No Matter What Kind Of Difficult Situation One May Find Oneself In, Some Opening, Some Opportunity To Fight One's Way Out, Can Always Be Found. What's Most Important Is To Hold Fast To Hope, To Face The Future With Courage.

Difficult Situations

Why Doesn't Constant Trampling Defeat The Dandelion? The Key To Its Strength Is Its Long And Sturdy Root, Which Extends Deep Into The Earth. The Same Priciple Applies To People. The True Victors In Life Are Those Who, Enduring Repeated Challenges And Setbacks, Have Sent The Roots Of Their Being To Such A Depth That Nothing Can Shake Them.

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.

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.

Prayer Is The Way To Destroy All Fear. It Is The Way To Banish Sorrow, The Way To Light A Torch Of Hope. It Is The Revolution That Rewrites The Scenario Of Our Destiny.

Whatever Your Circumstances, Whatever Your Past, The Forces That Determine Your Future Are Nowhere But Within Your Own Heart And Mind. It Is Here That The Star Of Your Destiny Shines.

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

Salute To The Smiling Faces Of The 21st Century.

A Person, Who No Matter How Desperate The Situation, Gives Others Hope, Is A True Leader.

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.

The Differences Between People Need Not Act As Barriers That Wound, Harm And Drive Us Apart. Rather, These Very Differences Among Cultures And Civilizations Should Be Valued As Manifestations Of The Richness Of Our Shared Creativity.

Living Here On Earth, We Breathe The Rhythms Of A Universe That Extends Infinitely Above Us. When Resonant Harmonies Arise Between This Vast Outer Cosmos And The Inner Human Cosmos, Poetry Is Born.

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.

The Eyes Of A Poet Discover In Each Person A Unique And Irreplaceable Humanity. While Arrogant Intellect Seeks To Control And Manipulate The World, The Poetic Spirit Bows With Reverence Before Its Mysteries.

Nothing Is More Precious Than Peace. Peace Is The Most Basic Starting Point For The Advancement Of Humankind.

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

It Is Precisely When We Have Suffered Defeat That We Can Determine To Win And Open The Path To Future Victory.

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

Health Is Not Simply The Absence Of Illness. Real Health Is The Will To Overcome Every Form Of Adversity And Use Even The Worst Of Circumstances As A Springboard For New Growth And Development. Simply Put, The Essence Of Health Is The Constant Renewal And Rejuvenation Of Life.

The Misfortune Of Others Is Our Misfortune. Our Happiness Is The Happiness Of Others. To See Ourselves In Others And Feel An Inner Oneness And Sense Of Unity With Them Represents A Fundamental Revolution In The Way We View And Live Our Lives. Therefore, Discriminating Against Another Person Is The Same As Discriminating Against Oneself. When We Hurt Another, We Are Hurting Ourselves. And When We Respect Others, We Respect And Elevate Our Own Lives As Well.

It Is Impossible To Build One's Own Happiness On The Unhappiness Of Others. This Perspective Is At The Heart Of Buddhist Teachings.

Being Sincere, Dedicated And Honest Is The Key. People Of Integrity Triumph In The End.

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.

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

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.

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

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?

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