Dear all, here's something that I would like to share from NHR vol 11, Dynamic Advancement Chapter, which is in line with the study that we had on Monday:
"Human beings tend to allow themselves to be defeated by suffering and as a result lose their joy and shining smiles, their lives becoming dark and spiritless, filled with sorrow and regret. Buddhism, however, teaches the path to overcoming those sufferings and bringing one's life to shine with brillant splendour.
So how do we do this? The first step is to establish a fundamental purpose in life. The Daishonin teaches that this is accomplished not by wishing solely for our own happiness and seeking such things as wealth, status, honour, fame, authority or power, but by dedicating our lives to kosen-rufu.
Where do we see the brillance of humanity in people? Isn't it found in those who have broken through the shell of their ego and who dedicate themselves to helping their suffering friends, to their fellow human beings and to society at large, even though at times they must make sacrifices to do so? This is what it means to dedicate one's life to kosen-rufu.
Furthermore, nothing is wasted on the path of kosen-rufu. Every hardship we encounter becomes a source of great good fortune and benefit.
Life's true brillance is born from awakening to our personal mission and initiating courageous action to advance kosen-rufu. Faith is not a duty. It is a right. But if we become passive and just do as others tell us, our faith will come to feel like a duty and we will experience no real joy.
On the other hand, if we stand up on our own and take bold action, we will savour the greatest joy that life has to offer. It is also important to strive to improve ourselves day after day. This means perservering in faith. To persevere doesn't mean simply doing today what we did yesterday. It is to challenge oursleves anew and to make a fresh resolve each day. Faith is a constant struggle against devilish functions, and a Buddha is one who never ceases in that struggle.
I want you all to know that it is by engaging in such struggle that we bring our lives to shine; it is here that a golden life is realized." ~ Shinichi Yamamoto
Friday, October 26, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
gratitude
Hi all Npsdian,
firstly will like to thank teck kun for such a wonderful article. He have already taken the first step to post something nice for us. Actually, the setup of this blog is really for u all, yes the ppl u are reading, to encourage u and to let u all have space to say somethings and i will very much like to see more such initative going on..
Will also like to take this opporunity to report to all of you tt today, i haf met up with boon keng and zhong hao. I am determined to struggle for npsd this round and i recall one of the words song heng told me and i have write it down in my notebook, : "In order for NPSD to soar to greater heights, the central figure have to work doublely hard than any other person. " In the recent guidance of Ikeda sensei, sensei also call on all leaders to take on the most ardous task yourself.
For the sake of my mentor and my seniors who i owe so much, i will do it! Come what may that will stop npsd from growing, i urge all of the ymd to steadfast and challenge each obstacles head on , juz like our mentor and our seniors.
With that i have composed a poem for the seniors who i owed so much : "
Gratitude
Having encounter such compassionate senior,
like a north star,
guiding me to my mentor
What can one ask for.
I pledge,
with your upmost protection for me,
resolutely live out my mentor's calling.
From this moment,
as proud disciples of Ikeda Sensei,
together we win!
(dedicated to my seniors in faith
by your humble junior, wL)
firstly will like to thank teck kun for such a wonderful article. He have already taken the first step to post something nice for us. Actually, the setup of this blog is really for u all, yes the ppl u are reading, to encourage u and to let u all have space to say somethings and i will very much like to see more such initative going on..
Will also like to take this opporunity to report to all of you tt today, i haf met up with boon keng and zhong hao. I am determined to struggle for npsd this round and i recall one of the words song heng told me and i have write it down in my notebook, : "In order for NPSD to soar to greater heights, the central figure have to work doublely hard than any other person. " In the recent guidance of Ikeda sensei, sensei also call on all leaders to take on the most ardous task yourself.
For the sake of my mentor and my seniors who i owe so much, i will do it! Come what may that will stop npsd from growing, i urge all of the ymd to steadfast and challenge each obstacles head on , juz like our mentor and our seniors.
With that i have composed a poem for the seniors who i owed so much : "
Gratitude
Having encounter such compassionate senior,
like a north star,
guiding me to my mentor
What can one ask for.
I pledge,
with your upmost protection for me,
resolutely live out my mentor's calling.
From this moment,
as proud disciples of Ikeda Sensei,
together we win!
(dedicated to my seniors in faith
by your humble junior, wL)
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Hi NPSDianZ, this is Teck Koon.
Would like to share something i've read from http://www.ikedaquotes.org
It's quite lengthy,
so please read it with your whole heart.
Title "What is Happiness?"
Exact link is over here: http://www.ikedaquotes.org/contents/short_essays/happiness.html
What is the purpose of life? It is to become happy. Whatever country or society people live in, they all have the same deep desire: to become happy.
Yet, there are few ideals as difficult to grasp as that of happiness. In our daily life we constantly experience happiness and unhappiness, but we are still quite ignorant as to what happiness really is.
A young friend of mine once spent a long time trying to work out what happiness was, particularly happiness for women. When she first thought about happiness she saw it as a matter of becoming financially secure or getting married. (The view in Japanese society then was that happiness for a woman was only to be found in marriage.) But looking at friends who were married, she realized that marriage didn't necessarily guarantee happiness.
She saw couples who had been passionately in love suffering from discord soon after their wedding. She saw women who had married men with money or status but who fought constantly with their husbands.
Gradually, she realized that the secret of happiness lay in building a strong inner self that no trial or hardship could ruin. She saw that happiness for anyone — man or woman — does not come simply from having a formal education, from wealth or from marriage. It begins with having the strength to confront and conquer one's own weaknesses. Only then does it become possible to lead a truly happy life and enjoy a successful marriage.
She finally told me, "Now I can say with confidence that happiness doesn't exist in the past or in the future. It only exists within our state of life right now, here in the present, as we face the challenges of daily life."
I agree entirely. You yourself know best whether you are feeling joy or struggling with suffering. These things are not known to other people. Even a man who has great wealth, social recognition and many awards may still be shadowed by indescribable suffering deep in his heart. On the other hand, an elderly woman who is not fortunate financially, leading a simple life alone, may feel the sun of joy and happiness rising in her heart each day.
Happiness is not a life without problems, but rather the strength to overcome the problems that come our way. There is no such thing as a problem-free life; difficulties are unavoidable. But how we experience and react to our problems depends on us. Buddhism teaches that we are each responsible for our own happiness or unhappiness. Our vitality — the amount of energy or "life-force" we have — is in fact the single most important factor in determining whether or not we are happy.
True happiness is to be found within, in the state of our hearts. It does not exist on the far side of some distant mountains. It is within you, yourself. However much you try, you can never run away from yourself. And if you are weak, suffering will follow you wherever you go. You will never find happiness if you don't challenge your weaknesses and change yourself from within.
Happiness is to be found in the dynamism and energy of your own life as you struggle to overcome one obstacle after another. This is why I believe that a person who is active and free from fear is truly happy.
The challenges we face in life can be compared to a tall mountain, rising before a mountain climber. For someone who has not trained properly, whose muscles and reflexes are weak and slow, every inch of the climb will be filled with terror and pain. The exact same climb, however, will be a thrilling journey for someone who is prepared, whose legs and arms have been strengthened by constant training. With each step forward and up, beautiful new views will come into sight.
My teacher used to talk about two kinds of happiness — "relative" and "absolute" happiness. Relative happiness is happiness that depends on things outside ourselves: friends and family, surroundings, the size of our home or family income.
This is what we feel when a desire is fulfilled, or something we have longed for is obtained. While the happiness such things bring us is certainly real, the fact is that none of this lasts forever. Things change. People change. This kind of happiness shatters easily when external conditions alter.
Relative happiness is also based on comparison with others. We may feel this kind of happiness at having a newer or bigger home than the neighbors. But that feeling turns to misery the moment they start making new additions to theirs!
Absolute happiness, on the other hand, is something we must find within. It means establishing a state of life in which we are never defeated by trials and where just being alive is a source of great joy. This persists no matter what we might be lacking, or what might happen around us. A deep sense of joy is something which can only exist in the innermost reaches of our life, and which cannot be destroyed by any external forces. It is eternal and inexhaustible.
This kind of satisfaction is to be found in consistent and repeated effort, so that we can say, "Today, again, I did my very best. Today, again, I have no regrets. Today, again, I won." The accumulated result of such efforts is a life of great victory.
What we should compare is not ourselves against others. We should compare who we are today against who we were yesterday, who we are today against who we will be tomorrow. While this may seem simple and obvious, true happiness is found in a life of constant advancement. And the same worries that could have made us miserable can actually be a source of growth when we approach them with courage and wisdom.
One friend whose dramatic life proved this was Natalia Satz, who founded the first children's theater in Moscow. In the 1930s, she and her husband were marked by Soviet Union's secret police. Even though they were guilty of no crime, her husband was arrested and executed and she was sent to a prison camp in the frozen depths of Siberia.
After she recovered from the initial shock, she started looking at her situation, not with despair, but for opportunity. She realized that many of her fellow prisoners had special skills and talents. She began organizing a "university," encouraging the prisoners to share their knowledge. "You. You are a scientist. Teach us about science. You are an artist. Talk to us about art."
In this way, the boredom and terror of the prison camp were transformed into the joy of learning and teaching. Eventually, Mrs. Satz even made use of her own unique talents to organize a theater group. She survived the five-year prison sentence, and dedicated the rest of her long life to creating children's theater. When we met for the first time in Moscow in 1981, she was already in her 80s. She was as radiant and buoyant as a young girl. Her smile was the smile of someone who has triumphed over the hardships of life. Hers is the kind of spirit I had in mind when I wrote the following poem on "Happiness":
A person with a vast heart is happy.
Such a person lives each day with a broad and embracing spirit.
A person with a strong will is happy.
Such a person can confidently enjoy life, never defeated by suffering.
A person with a profound spirit is happy.
Such a person can savor life's depths
while creating meaning and value that will last for eternity.
A person with a pure mind is happy.
Such a person is always surrounded by refreshing breezes of joy.
Ciaozz,
be TRUE happy :)
smile~~
Would like to share something i've read from http://www.ikedaquotes.org
It's quite lengthy,
so please read it with your whole heart.
Title "What is Happiness?"
Exact link is over here: http://www.ikedaquotes.org/contents/short_essays/happiness.html
What is the purpose of life? It is to become happy. Whatever country or society people live in, they all have the same deep desire: to become happy.
Yet, there are few ideals as difficult to grasp as that of happiness. In our daily life we constantly experience happiness and unhappiness, but we are still quite ignorant as to what happiness really is.
A young friend of mine once spent a long time trying to work out what happiness was, particularly happiness for women. When she first thought about happiness she saw it as a matter of becoming financially secure or getting married. (The view in Japanese society then was that happiness for a woman was only to be found in marriage.) But looking at friends who were married, she realized that marriage didn't necessarily guarantee happiness.
She saw couples who had been passionately in love suffering from discord soon after their wedding. She saw women who had married men with money or status but who fought constantly with their husbands.
Gradually, she realized that the secret of happiness lay in building a strong inner self that no trial or hardship could ruin. She saw that happiness for anyone — man or woman — does not come simply from having a formal education, from wealth or from marriage. It begins with having the strength to confront and conquer one's own weaknesses. Only then does it become possible to lead a truly happy life and enjoy a successful marriage.
She finally told me, "Now I can say with confidence that happiness doesn't exist in the past or in the future. It only exists within our state of life right now, here in the present, as we face the challenges of daily life."
I agree entirely. You yourself know best whether you are feeling joy or struggling with suffering. These things are not known to other people. Even a man who has great wealth, social recognition and many awards may still be shadowed by indescribable suffering deep in his heart. On the other hand, an elderly woman who is not fortunate financially, leading a simple life alone, may feel the sun of joy and happiness rising in her heart each day.
Happiness is not a life without problems, but rather the strength to overcome the problems that come our way. There is no such thing as a problem-free life; difficulties are unavoidable. But how we experience and react to our problems depends on us. Buddhism teaches that we are each responsible for our own happiness or unhappiness. Our vitality — the amount of energy or "life-force" we have — is in fact the single most important factor in determining whether or not we are happy.
True happiness is to be found within, in the state of our hearts. It does not exist on the far side of some distant mountains. It is within you, yourself. However much you try, you can never run away from yourself. And if you are weak, suffering will follow you wherever you go. You will never find happiness if you don't challenge your weaknesses and change yourself from within.
Happiness is to be found in the dynamism and energy of your own life as you struggle to overcome one obstacle after another. This is why I believe that a person who is active and free from fear is truly happy.
The challenges we face in life can be compared to a tall mountain, rising before a mountain climber. For someone who has not trained properly, whose muscles and reflexes are weak and slow, every inch of the climb will be filled with terror and pain. The exact same climb, however, will be a thrilling journey for someone who is prepared, whose legs and arms have been strengthened by constant training. With each step forward and up, beautiful new views will come into sight.
My teacher used to talk about two kinds of happiness — "relative" and "absolute" happiness. Relative happiness is happiness that depends on things outside ourselves: friends and family, surroundings, the size of our home or family income.
This is what we feel when a desire is fulfilled, or something we have longed for is obtained. While the happiness such things bring us is certainly real, the fact is that none of this lasts forever. Things change. People change. This kind of happiness shatters easily when external conditions alter.
Relative happiness is also based on comparison with others. We may feel this kind of happiness at having a newer or bigger home than the neighbors. But that feeling turns to misery the moment they start making new additions to theirs!
Absolute happiness, on the other hand, is something we must find within. It means establishing a state of life in which we are never defeated by trials and where just being alive is a source of great joy. This persists no matter what we might be lacking, or what might happen around us. A deep sense of joy is something which can only exist in the innermost reaches of our life, and which cannot be destroyed by any external forces. It is eternal and inexhaustible.
This kind of satisfaction is to be found in consistent and repeated effort, so that we can say, "Today, again, I did my very best. Today, again, I have no regrets. Today, again, I won." The accumulated result of such efforts is a life of great victory.
What we should compare is not ourselves against others. We should compare who we are today against who we were yesterday, who we are today against who we will be tomorrow. While this may seem simple and obvious, true happiness is found in a life of constant advancement. And the same worries that could have made us miserable can actually be a source of growth when we approach them with courage and wisdom.
One friend whose dramatic life proved this was Natalia Satz, who founded the first children's theater in Moscow. In the 1930s, she and her husband were marked by Soviet Union's secret police. Even though they were guilty of no crime, her husband was arrested and executed and she was sent to a prison camp in the frozen depths of Siberia.
After she recovered from the initial shock, she started looking at her situation, not with despair, but for opportunity. She realized that many of her fellow prisoners had special skills and talents. She began organizing a "university," encouraging the prisoners to share their knowledge. "You. You are a scientist. Teach us about science. You are an artist. Talk to us about art."
In this way, the boredom and terror of the prison camp were transformed into the joy of learning and teaching. Eventually, Mrs. Satz even made use of her own unique talents to organize a theater group. She survived the five-year prison sentence, and dedicated the rest of her long life to creating children's theater. When we met for the first time in Moscow in 1981, she was already in her 80s. She was as radiant and buoyant as a young girl. Her smile was the smile of someone who has triumphed over the hardships of life. Hers is the kind of spirit I had in mind when I wrote the following poem on "Happiness":
A person with a vast heart is happy.
Such a person lives each day with a broad and embracing spirit.
A person with a strong will is happy.
Such a person can confidently enjoy life, never defeated by suffering.
A person with a profound spirit is happy.
Such a person can savor life's depths
while creating meaning and value that will last for eternity.
A person with a pure mind is happy.
Such a person is always surrounded by refreshing breezes of joy.
Ciaozz,
be TRUE happy :)
smile~~
--Start--
Hi everyone, hope each and everyone of you usher in the start of your new study term with high spirits and vigor. Each new semseter brings about fresh determinations and hopes. However, it is only with unyielding determination in chanting, having faith and taking initative in all your endeavors that will ensure success. Allow me to use this post to also apologise to all of you as recently due to unforseen challenges in my NS duties( i never use the word problems as i believe that all the challenges i am facing are chances for us to grow and i am also convinced that i be able to overcome them ) but nevertheless, all the other iic have already planned out fresh activities for npsd. In fact, all of them, drag their body out from bed on a sunday morning, reach TBSC at 8am sharply, to chant and plan for the growth of NPSD. Mind you that all of them live quite far from tbsc but they make it in time.
I remember reading this in one of the sensei guidance, it was somewhat like this, Soka is another word for winning. Being in the soka families means that to be a winner. As buddhism ulitmately is either win or lose, all the more, we must win. Perhaps you must be choking now as the words winning keeps appearing in your mind right now but the winning we are concerned is not like we buy 4D then we win. The winning that what i am looking for is to win against yourself. To dare yourself to do something you never imagine you will. As lao tzu says, " He who gains victory over other men is strong; but he who gains victory overhimself is all powerful." By winning over our weakness, we will definately become capable people that will produce mega-watts smile.
I do not wish to bore you with another lenghty post as i know that already not a lot of people is reading this blog but it is okay for me as i vow to keep this blog alive and this blog is also a chance for me to win over my laziness. I really hope that in this fresh new start of your new journey in your studies, you can adhere to these words by sensei
"Fight to the very end. You must beat the forlorn and irresolute side of you that says," I cannot go on anymore,"That is enough." You must emerge victorious in the battle against yourself, and tell yourself " i must not lose heart," I must not give in." Ikeda Sensei
In closing, let us all, to keep it simple, as i cite Mr Toda's words," Now, all i can do is ADVANCE, STRUGGLE and WIN. Now, i move FORWARD , ever FORWARD!!." The essential phase for npsd and your lives have arrived. Live out your live to the fullest now. NPSD , lets really, ADVANCE, STRUGGLE , WIN!!!
2gether we win!!
wL
I remember reading this in one of the sensei guidance, it was somewhat like this, Soka is another word for winning. Being in the soka families means that to be a winner. As buddhism ulitmately is either win or lose, all the more, we must win. Perhaps you must be choking now as the words winning keeps appearing in your mind right now but the winning we are concerned is not like we buy 4D then we win. The winning that what i am looking for is to win against yourself. To dare yourself to do something you never imagine you will. As lao tzu says, " He who gains victory over other men is strong; but he who gains victory overhimself is all powerful." By winning over our weakness, we will definately become capable people that will produce mega-watts smile.
I do not wish to bore you with another lenghty post as i know that already not a lot of people is reading this blog but it is okay for me as i vow to keep this blog alive and this blog is also a chance for me to win over my laziness. I really hope that in this fresh new start of your new journey in your studies, you can adhere to these words by sensei
"Fight to the very end. You must beat the forlorn and irresolute side of you that says," I cannot go on anymore,"That is enough." You must emerge victorious in the battle against yourself, and tell yourself " i must not lose heart," I must not give in." Ikeda Sensei
In closing, let us all, to keep it simple, as i cite Mr Toda's words," Now, all i can do is ADVANCE, STRUGGLE and WIN. Now, i move FORWARD , ever FORWARD!!." The essential phase for npsd and your lives have arrived. Live out your live to the fullest now. NPSD , lets really, ADVANCE, STRUGGLE , WIN!!!
2gether we win!!
wL
Friday, October 12, 2007
Dear NPSD bros & sis,
Just to share with you all: Above is the poem that our SD chiefs have written to Sensei on behalf of all of you in response to Sensei's high hopes for SD. It was presented to Sensei as part of the gift Jinhao & Mabel brought to Japan for Kenshu in September. The gift photo is also shown above. It's very cute, isn't it?
Thank you so much for all of your efforts! Very encouraged that you all have taken the initative in arranging homevisits and dialogues with your members. Due to everyone's efforts, we have achieved another victory for SD in this HEARTS campaign. SD have achieved 5200 homevists from March till 6 October 07! Through this HEARTS campaign, we realised that it is only through dialogue and homevisit that our beloved members start to open up and join us for activities. Hence, for NPSD, let's continue with HEARTS campaign and continue to reach out to our members through dialogue and homevisit. Let's continue to advance valiantly! NP must grow even more! Every NPSDian must become happy!
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
While chanting
Hi everyone, after chanting and was flipping through sensei daily guidance, i came across this,
: " There may be times, certainly, when being a member of an organization seems bothersome and we just want to be alone. But how sad it is if we are left alone without any support and then lose our faith. True growth comes from striving together with our fellow members in the living realm of human beings, ourselves experiencing the rich gamut of human emotions. (Daily encoragement 15th feburary volume 4) "
No matter what happens, faith is our's. The faith that you should have is not for others to see but for yourselves to become happy!
2gether we win!
: " There may be times, certainly, when being a member of an organization seems bothersome and we just want to be alone. But how sad it is if we are left alone without any support and then lose our faith. True growth comes from striving together with our fellow members in the living realm of human beings, ourselves experiencing the rich gamut of human emotions. (Daily encoragement 15th feburary volume 4) "
No matter what happens, faith is our's. The faith that you should have is not for others to see but for yourselves to become happy!
2gether we win!
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Battlles
" Having battles to fight
makes life exciting.
Encountering great difficulties
provide us opportunites
to develop our Buddhahood.
By confronting every obstacles,
we enable our Buddhahood
to shine brilliantly within our lives."
Ikeda sensei
makes life exciting.
Encountering great difficulties
provide us opportunites
to develop our Buddhahood.
By confronting every obstacles,
we enable our Buddhahood
to shine brilliantly within our lives."
Ikeda sensei