A philosopher once said that a person who would conquer the world must first conquer his own personal sorrows. I am fond of saying this. It is very important for you to establish a solid understanding of the world and of history. Without this, you cannot succeed on the world stage.
JOY can quickly give way to suffering. Joy is short and suffering long. Also, what passes for joy in society is superficial. It cannot be compared with the joy deriving from the Mystic Law, which, as Nichiren Daishonin said, is the “greatest of all joys” (Gosho Zenshu, p788). The key, then, lies in cultivating a state of mind where we can declare without reservation that life itself is a joy. This is the purpose of our Buddhist practice.
THE concept of perceiving oneself as a Buddha does not mean that one can attain Buddhahood by merely thinking about it. We must bring forth the power, vitality, wisdom, benefits and blessings that spring from our inherent Buddhahood and actually see and feel them at work in our lives. The power of our faith and practice holds the key to achieving this.
WITHOUT personal growth, a leader loses his appeal. Not only are the juniors of such a person affected, but he will himself arrive at an impasse. People will not follow him, and as a result, he will try to control them by weight of authority. Such arrogance, however, can only drive people even father away. It is a vicious cycle.
LET us become cheerful and warm-hearted leaders who can develop the members’ faith on a fundamental level. We should not be concerned with winning popularity or allow ourselves to lapse into formalism and authoritarianism.
NOTE: Visit http://nichirendaishoningosho.blogspot.com/ for Nichiren Daishonin's gosho, A Gift of Rice.
JOY can quickly give way to suffering. Joy is short and suffering long. Also, what passes for joy in society is superficial. It cannot be compared with the joy deriving from the Mystic Law, which, as Nichiren Daishonin said, is the “greatest of all joys” (Gosho Zenshu, p788). The key, then, lies in cultivating a state of mind where we can declare without reservation that life itself is a joy. This is the purpose of our Buddhist practice.
THE concept of perceiving oneself as a Buddha does not mean that one can attain Buddhahood by merely thinking about it. We must bring forth the power, vitality, wisdom, benefits and blessings that spring from our inherent Buddhahood and actually see and feel them at work in our lives. The power of our faith and practice holds the key to achieving this.
WITHOUT personal growth, a leader loses his appeal. Not only are the juniors of such a person affected, but he will himself arrive at an impasse. People will not follow him, and as a result, he will try to control them by weight of authority. Such arrogance, however, can only drive people even father away. It is a vicious cycle.
LET us become cheerful and warm-hearted leaders who can develop the members’ faith on a fundamental level. We should not be concerned with winning popularity or allow ourselves to lapse into formalism and authoritarianism.
NOTE: Visit http://nichirendaishoningosho.blogspot.com/ for Nichiren Daishonin's gosho, A Gift of Rice.
