Creating a Century of Humanism

By Daisaku Ikeda

For these troubled and confusing times, Buddhist philosopher Daisaku Ikeda offers advice on how to bring harmony, hope, and assurance to all people. These five brief lectures on Nichiren' s writings delve into key concepts such as respecting all people, showing through our own lives the power of Buddhist practice, and what it means to champion human dignity.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Independent Publishers Group
• Release date: Jan 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9781946635846

Book preview

Front Cover of Creating a Century of HumanismHalf Title of Creating a Century of HumanismBook Title of Creating a Century of Humanism

Published by World Tribune Press

A division of the SGI-USA

606 Wilshire Blvd.

Santa Monica, CA 90401

© 2023 Soka Gakkai

All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America.

Cover illustration by Rosanna Tasker.

Back cover illustrations by Katsumi Murouchi and Keiko Takamatsu / Getty Images.

Cover and interior design by Jocelyn Hsu.

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ISBN: 978-1-944604-76-9

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022946521

Contents

Editor’s Note

Chapter 1 Carrying Out the Practice of Bodhisattva Never Disparaging on a Global Scale

Chapter 2 Sharing Nichiren Buddhism—The Compassionate Practice for Realizing Happiness for Ourselves and Others

Chapter 3 Putting Faith Into Practice and Showing Actual Proof of Happiness

Chapter 4 Youth Are the Hope of Society! Become Indispensable in Your Workplace!

Chapter 5 Fulfilling the Great Vow for Kosen-rufu Is the Essential Spirit of Soka Mentors and Disciples

Glossary

Notes

EDITOR’S NOTE

Creating a Century of Humanism is a collection of essays by SGI President Ikeda in his series titled The Buddhism of the Sun—Illuminating the World. These essays were published in Living Buddhism from October 2020 to February 2021.

The citations most commonly used in this book have been abbreviated as follows:

LSOC, page number(s) refers to The Lotus Sutra and Its Opening and Closing Sutras, translated by Burton Watson (Tokyo: Soka Gakkai, 2009).

OTT, page number(s) refers to The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, translated by Burton Watson (Tokyo: Soka Gakkai, 2004).

WND, page number(s) refers to The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1 (WND-1) (Tokyo: Soka Gakkai, 1999) and vol. 2 (WND-2) (Tokyo: Soka Gakkai, 2006).

Chapter

1

Carrying Out the Practice of Bodhisattva Never Disparaging on a Global Scale

The journey to propagate

the Mystic Law

is long;

let us encourage each other

and advance together.

I have very fond memories of this poem that my mentor, second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda, composed at the start of the new year in 1955 for his disciples striving alongside him. It is engraved on a monument in the northern courtyard of the Hall of the Great Vow for Kosen-rufu [in Shinanomachi, Tokyo].

The journey of kosen-rufu is a journey to spread the Mystic Law. It accords with the westward transmission of Buddhism, the return of the essence of Buddhism from Japan back to India, the land of its origin, and on to the entire world. Whenever I recite Mr. Toda’s poem to myself, I renew my determination to press ahead on the long journey of worldwide kosen-rufu, forever united with my mentor and my fellow members.

In the course of our vast, unending journey of kosen-rufu, we have withstood countless storms of adversity and surmounted one towering peak of difficulty after another. That journey continues unflaggingly all around the world, and the glorious summit of the centennial of the Soka Gakkai’s founding [in 2030] is now clearly in view.

Encouragement Is an Expression of Respect and Trust

"L et us encourage each other / and advance together"—these words in Mr. Toda’s New Year’s poem are the very essence of the practice of the humanistic teachings of Nichiren Buddhism.

Encouragement is by no means a oneway street. It is mutual; we encourage and are encouraged, striving and advancing together, as Mr. Toda says.

Genuine encouragement is born from a wholehearted belief in people’s inherent dignity and innate capacity for good.

And the foundation for encouragement is trust and respect for the other person. Genuine encouragement is born from a wholehearted belief in people’s inherent dignity and innate capacity for good.

It was based on this powerful conviction that President Toda tirelessly encouraged those overwhelmed by life’s sorrows or weighed down by karmic suffering. Regarding each person as a noble and precious individual possessing the Buddha nature, he continued to impart to them the light of hope. As Mr. Toda’s devoted disciple, I have also dedicated myself fully to encouraging others.

The actions of Bodhisattva Never Disparaging, who appears in the Lotus Sutra, stand as a model of this kind of encouragement.

Never disparaging signifies respecting others. Because we respect the lives of all people we encounter, we can help them rouse courage deep from inside and powerfully bring forth their inherent life force. In addition, when we encourage others, we ourselves are also encouraged. Showing respect to others strengthens and endlessly enriches our own lives as well.

Nichiren Daishonin writes: The heart of the Buddha’s lifetime of teachings is the Lotus Sutra, and the heart of the practice of the Lotus Sutra is found in the ‘Never Disparaging’ chapter. What does Bodhisattva Never Disparaging’s profound respect for people signify? The purpose of the appearance in this world of Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, lies in his behavior as a human being (WND-1, 851–52).

What this underscores for me is that we are not only carrying on the mission of kosen-rufu as Bodhisattvas of the Earth, but we are also joyfully spreading Bodhisattva Never Disparaging’s practice of respecting all people in this troubled saha world in the evil age after the Buddha’s passing. This sort of behavior as a human being is embodied in the action of encouraging the person right in front of us, and it is at the core of our dialogue movement based on respect for the dignity of life and for all people.

In the following passage that we will study from On the Buddha’s Prophecy, Nichiren Daishonin draws parallels between himself, as the votary of the Lotus Sutra of the Latter Day of the Law, and Bodhisattva Never Disparaging.

Becoming Happy Just as We Are

Under their protection [the protection of the heavenly gods and benevolent deities, as well as the bodhisattvas numerous as the dust particles of a thousand worlds who emerged from beneath the ground], he [the votary of the Lotus Sutra] will [establish and] spread abroad widely throughout Jambudvipa [the entire world] the object of devotion of the essential teaching, or the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo. It was the same with Bodhisattva Never Disparaging, who lived in the Middle Day of the Law of the Buddha Awesome Sound King. He propagated widely throughout his land the teaching of twenty-four characters that begins,