Monday, December 5, 2011

Human Revolution is what that brings about reformation in our families, local regions and societies

Where can we find the royal road to reformation and change? Emerson
declared: "Not he is great who can alter matter, but he who can alter my
state of mind." He strongly urged us to undergo an inner reformation. I
want you to be assured that the challenge to which we set ourselves day
after day—that of our human revolution—is the royal road to bringing about
a reformation in our families, local regions and societies. An inner
revolution is the most fundamental and at the same time the ultimate
revolution for engendering change in all things.

The human heart is unfathomable. It is fickle and constantly changing. From
moment to moment, our inner state of mind changes; we experience various
emotions - joy, sorrow, anger, pain. Life, too, is full of changes. That is
why, for countless centuries and millennia, humanity has pondered the
fundamental question of what constitutes the best and surest was to lasting
happiness.

-- SGI President Daisku Ikeda

Only those who have forged a spirit as strong as steel that are victorious or successful

Life is a battle. Unless one has an unbreakable steel-like spirit, one cannot accomplish momentous undertakings. When we look at historical figures, and in modern society as well, it is only those who have forged a spirit as strong as steel that are victorious or successful. There is no one who has achieved success by taking it easy. There is no ultimate victory to be found in such an approach.
-- SGI President Ikeda

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Fwd: "Cultivating the Greater Self," and other news


From: "Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning & Dialogue" <info@ikedacenter.org>
Date: 29 November, 2011 21:16:37 GMT+08:00
To: changchengliang@gmail.com
Subject: "Cultivating the Greater Self," and other news
Reply-To: info@ikedacenter.org

Ikeda Center Banner
In This Issue
8th Ikeda Forum
Soft Power Seminar
Core Convictions

November 2011
 E-Newsletter

The Ikeda Center e-newsletter is designed to keep you up to date with our activities in support of peace, learning, and dialogue.  

Quick Links
 

"Cultivating the Greater Self" 

A report from the 8th Annual Ikeda Forum for Intercultural Dialogue         

 

Ikeda Forum questionerHow can we best understand the Buddhist concept of the "greater self" in our culturally-diverse world? How can we encourage its emergence in situations large and small?

On October 22, 2011, four speakers and nearly 100 attendees gathered at the Ikeda Center in Cambridge to discuss these and other questions during the 8th Annual Ikeda Forum for Intercultural Dialogue.
 
During the morning session, Virginia Benson of the Ikeda Center considered the importance of dialogue with others and Ann Diller of the University of New Hampshire outlined the challenge of dialogue within oneself. In the afternoon, Bernice Lerner of Hebrew College looked at how our attitudes affect the emergence of the greater self and Lou Marinoff of The City College of New York expounded on why an accurate view of life is essential to this emergence.
 


Soft Power & Globalization      

Seminar brings Langley and Yalman into discussion with Boston-area university students   

 

Seminar 9-29 

 

On September 26, 1991, Daisaku Ikeda delivered an address called "The Age of Soft Power" at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. Nearly twenty years to the day later (September 29), Nur Yalman (left) of Harvard University and Winston Langley (right) of UMass Boston came to the Center to discuss with fourteen Boston-area university students the relevance of Ikeda's vision in the rapidly globalizing world of 2011.  

 

The professors emphasized that Ikeda's vision of soft power is primarily educational and spiritual in nature, seeking to spark the inner transformation of individuals. In their view, when we activate what Ikeda calls our "inner resources of energy and wisdom" we are better able to steer economic and technological globalization in positive directions. 

 

>> Read about the seminar here!         

 

Our 7 Core Convictions      

New feature helps define the Ikeda Center's work         

 

Over the summer Ikeda Center staff engaged in a process of identifying the core convictions that inform our work. In our view, these are the convictions that, if widely accepted and acted on, will lead to a significantly more peaceful, harmonious, and flourishing world in the decades to come.   

 

Seven in all, the convictions cover themes relating to dialogue, humanistic education, human potential, human dignity and the sanctity of life, inner and outer transformation, poetry and imagination, and interdependence.  If you go to our website you can read brief essays about each conviction as well as supporting quotes from the writings of Daisaku Ikeda.

   

>> Learn more about the Ikeda Center's core convictions!  

      

 

 

 

 


Contact Information
Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue
 396 Harvard Street * Cambridge, MA 02138

phone 617-491-1090 * www.ikedacenter.org

This email was sent to changchengliang@gmail.com by info@ikedacenter.org |  
Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue | 396 Harvard Street | Cambridge | MA | 02138

Develop yourself for the happiness of yourself and your loved ones

Forge a solid self and develop within you the power to attract happiness to your life.  Then you yourself will be happy and fulfilled, and you will be able to lead your family, your relatives and your friends to happiness, too.
[GT6-Nov-26]

Integrity, Perseverance and Hope -- make one invincible

The real world is harsh.  The number of envious, prejudiced, cold-hearted and selfish people will no doubt increase.  In society, you may encounter people you do not like and you may well have to work under bosses you find hard to get along with.  That is why the three qualities of integrity, perseverance and hope are so important.  No one is a match for the person who possesses these qualities.
[GT6-Nov-29]

Friday, November 18, 2011

Overcoming hardships make life interesting

Climbing over mountains and making our way through valleys is what makes hiking interesting.  The walking may be challenging, but it allows us to experience wonderful vistas and arrive, in the end, at our destination.  Simply flying to the spot in a plane would be boring.  The same is true of life.
[GT6-Nov-17]

Human revolution means transforming our lives from unhappiness to happiness

Where can we find the key for turning our lives in a positive direction?  Absolutely vital in this question is the philosophy of human revolution.  Human revolution offers the only certain path to happiness and victory in life.  Human revolution means transforming our lives from unhappiness to happiness.
[GT6-Nov-18]

怎样才能够改变人生呢?要改变人生就必须要有人间革命的哲学。这是唯一正确的人生幸福胜利大道。把不幸变为幸福的是人间革命。
[今日指导(六),11月18日]


"Human Revolution", a process of inner transformation through Buddhist practice. SGI members believe that it is a process that leads them to develop their character and to act not only for personal fulfillment, but also for the betterment of society. They believe that happiness is being able to experience the profound joy that comes from winning over any problem in life.

Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/soka-gakkai-international#ixzz1e7QXm3Bf

True significance of learning -- to contribute to society and humanity

Please do not spend your youth avoiding hardship and taking the path of least resistance.  Please seek out difficult challenges and work hard.  And if you are going to take on hardships, let it be for the sake of high ideal.  Do not stay closed up in your own tiny shell, pursue your studies with the high ideals of helping your friends and contributing to society and humanity.  This is where the true significance of the pursuit of learning lies.
[GT6-Nov-19]

年青的时候不要逃避辛苦,也不要贪图安逸。你们要主动尝受辛劳。反正是辛劳,那就为了 “伟大的理想” 而辛劳吧。不要躲在自己的小世界里,希望能够持着 “为朋友”、 “为社会” 和 “为人类” 的崇高理想来努力学习。学问的真正意义就在这里。
[今日指导(六),11月19日]

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Overcoming hardships to grow as human beings

If everything is smooth sailing right from the beginning , we cannot become people of substance and character. By surmounting painful setbacks and obstacles, we can create a brilliant history of triumph that will shine forever. That is what makes life so exciting and enjoyable. In any field of endeavour, those who overcome hardships and grow as human beings are advancing towards success and victory in life.

[GT6-Oct-31]

Saturday, October 22, 2011

It is important to live with purpose

Some people spent their days pursuing idle amusements.  Some live aimless lives, succumbing to indolence and apathy.  But neither of these ways of living will ever lead to true fulfillment or happiness.
[GT6-Oct-23]

A true struggle means making strenuous pain-staking efforts behind the scenes... to open a sure path to victory

A true struggle means making strenuous pain-staking efforts behind the scenes, always being the first to take action on all fronts, always thinking ahead and being well prepared in advance, in order to open a sure path to victory.
[GT6-Oct-22]

一面费尽心思、暗地里千辛万苦工作,一面在各方面先行部暑,以打开确实的光荣之道 。真正的奋斗就是这样。
[每日指导六:10月22日]

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Create the maximum value within a finite life

Life passes by in an instant, which is why it is so important for us to keep striving and challenging ourselves.
[GT6-Oct-21]

Even against all odds, ... have the invincible spirit to press forward

To have the courage to always keep pressing forward and be utterly committed to winning.  To persevere right to the end, even in a pinch when the odds are stacked against you.  To have the invincible spirit to press forward further still.  When you give your all, victory is truly exhilarating.
[GT6-Oct-20]

Please become a strong person, a capable person

It is important to win in all endeavours.  Winning is a joy.  It is a source of benefit and happiness.  A person who is easily defeated does not have the strength or capacity to make others happy.  Please strive to become the kind of person who will strive and win amid the harsh realities of society, while always upholding and championing justice and making efforts to develop your character.  Please become a strong person, a capable person.
[GT6-Oct-19]

Make each day one of growth and fresh exciting possibilities

All living things exist in an ever-flowing stream of change.  That is why we must not look back but always face forward, to the future, constantly refreshing our lives with new vitality.  Let us make each day and each year one of growth and fresh, exciting possibilites.
[GT6-Oct-18]

Be the masters of our mind, and help others do the same

As long as we remain preoccupied with our own troubles, as long as we allow ourselves to blindly follow the impulsive dictates of our mind, our sufferings will continue.  What we must do is to become the masters of our mind, not let it be our master, and consciously redirect our mind and its thoughts in a positive and pleasant direction and help others around us do the same.
[GT6-Oct-17]

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Give your all to a struggle... and experience satisfaction and joy.

When you have given your all to a struggle, you are filled with a deep sense of satisfaction and joy.  That is because you have met the challenge, conquered your limitations, and experienced the great drama of life and human revolution.  The face of a person who has strived on without reserve glows.  It is lit by the radiance of a lofty spirit dedicated to working for the welfare of friends, fellow members and all humanity.
[GT6-Oct-16]

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Comments by concerned people helps us focus in a positive direction.

The comments of people close to you can help you focus your individuality in a positive direction.  the education and guidance, advice, warnings and even rebukes that you receive can all be used constructively to steer you along the right path.  On the other hand, refusing to listen to others' advice, doing only what you want to the exclusion of all else, cannot be described as individuality.  That's just being stubborn, and it doesn't benefit anyone.
[BT6-Oct-14]

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Problems are part of the growing process

The hardship you come across now will contribute to your growth.  Problems are part and parcel of the growing process.  Therefore, the important thing is to keep pressing forward, no matter how tough or painful the going may get.
[GT6-Oct-13]

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Youth is the spirit of persistence

Youth is the spirit of persistence -- to keep making an effort to grow and to become more capable despite all obstacles.  Those who keep striving for improvement remain youthful no matter how old they are.  Conversely, those who fail to do so, even if they are young in yours, will be old and weak in spirit.
[GT6-Oct-11]

Exams are a form of training... Life is a process of strengthening your mind and your endurance

Exams are a form of training that allows you to develop your mind and your forbearance.  What matters is that you never give up, but continue making efforts.  It's important that even if you get a bad grade, you have the spirit to try harder next time.  If you didn't do well today, there's always next time.  And if you don't do well next time either, there's always the time after that. It's important to have the tenacity and persistence to keep challenging yourself time after time.  Your entire life is a process of strengthening your mind and your endurance.

[GT6-Oct-12]

Thursday, September 29, 2011

What counts (in life) is ... how much good you have accomplished

It is important to remember that your worth as a person is not based on your profession.  It is not based on wealth, fame or academic credentials.  What counts is how hard you have striven in your chosen path, how much good you have accomplished. how earnestly you have devoted your energies to it.  It is your spirit of devotion, your sincerity, that determines your true worth.  For that reason, individuality constitutes the basis for leading a life of dignity and meaning as a human being. 

[GT6-Sep-30]

Friday, September 16, 2011

The power of belief

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. 

Dying Happily

A nurse who cared for many terminal patients has observed, "Ultimately, people only die as they have lived." To die happily is therefore extremely difficult. And since death is the final settlement of accounts for one's life, it is when our true self comes to the fore. 


We practice faith to live happily and also to die happily. One who has faith in the Mystic Law will not die an unhappy death.


The workings of our mind are truly subtle. Some have noted that despite what is commonly believed, our memory doesn't necessarily deteriorate as we get older. Even supposing a certain degree of decline is inevitable, our acceptance of people's assertions that memory function deteriorates as a fact, usually causes us to become more forgetful. In reality, however, our brain is made so that we can keep learning at any age.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

On youth; Global citizen

Youth means to cherish hope; it is a time of development. Youth means to challenge oneself; it is a time of construction. Youth means to fight for justice; it is a time of action.

Good citizens are those who love both their own country and the world. A strong alliance of global citizens who possess a sound philosophy will transform the world. The development of the people constitutes the foundation and framework for human progress.


Tuesday, September 6, 2011

On Freedom, Good Books, Viewing Death

Freedom doesn't mean an absence of all restrictions. It means possessing unshakable conviction in the face of any obstacle. This is true freedom.


Reading good books cultivates and nourishes one's life. A good classic never grows old, it is always refreshing and now. It's message will be just as valid in the new century. Encountering such a work is truly a lifelong treasure.



BUDDHISM DAY BY DAY - WISDOM FOR MODERN LIFE

How painful and frightening is the prospect of death for human beings! No matter how wealthy or powerful we may be, all is vanity before death. Everything is empty, like a dream or an illusion. But people do not face this fact. Nichiren Buddhism teaches us that we can transform our karma and attain a supremely peaceful death that is the start of a journey to our next lives.


  


 

Sunday, August 21, 2011

become a brilliant beacon, shining with joy and happiness, and live your life with confidence and courage

August 22

It is not a question of your environment or those around you, nor what the organization or leaders may be like. To be swayed by such externals is pointless. It all comes down to one person: you. What matters is that you become a brilliant beacon, shining with joy and happiness, and live your life with confidence and courage. If you shine with a radiant light, there can be no darkness in your life.

Daisaku Ikeda, SGI President


Saturday, August 6, 2011

Determination

August 7

Gandhi stressed the importance of being resolute in one's determinations: "A man who says that he will do something 'as far as possible' betrays either his pride or his weakness, though he himself may attribute it to his humility. There is, in fact, not a trace of humility in such an attitude of mind." In short, he asserts that someone who makes halfhearted pronouncements is either arrogant or cowardly.

Daisaku Ikeda, SGI President

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Geniuses are those who surpass their limits in their current situation


There may be times when others seem enviable.  But others are others and you are you.  Rather than comparing every joy and sorrow to that of others, you should aim to surpass your limits in the situation you currently find yourself in .  Those who can accomplish this throughout life are victors, the true geniuses.

[GT6-May-29]

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Important to decide clearly the arena of your mission in life.

The important thing is to decide clearly the arena of the mission to which you will commit your life.  The life of one who fails to decide this ultimately remains incomplete.
[GT6-Mar-5]

--
Regards,

Mr Chang C.L.

_________________
http://MrChang.com

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Let's walk the path of the four seasons


"If spring is symbolic of vibrant activity, then autumn is the season of the mind; and if summer is the time of impassioned celebration, then winter must be the season of training.  Thus I have chosen to walk a path through the four seasons of life so as to live with infinite value." 
[GT6, 28 Feb]

How wondrous that mother nature is teaching us, in such subtle ways, how to face life!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Regard your study as an enviable opportunity

"Never regard your study as a duty, but as the enviable opportunity to learn to know the liberating influence of beauty in the realm of the spirit for your own personal job and to the profit of the community to which your later work belongs."

--By Einstein, In the Princeton freshman publication The Dink, 1933; quoted in Don Oberdorfer, Princeton: The First 250 Years (Princeton University Press, 1955), p. 127.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

create or contribute something that benefit others -- lead a life of value

January 13

A life lived without purpose or value, the kind in which one doesn't know the reason why one was born, is joyless and lackluster. To just live, eat and die without any real sense of purpose surely represents a life pervaded by the world of Animality. On the other hand, to do, create or contribute something that benefits others, society and ourselves and to dedicate ourselves as long as we live up to that challenge--that is a life of true satisfaction, a life of value. It is a humanistic and lofty way to live.

Daisaku Ikeda, SGI President

-- 
Regards,

Mr Chang C.L.

_________________
http://MrChang.com

Sent from CCL's iPhone4