Perseverance ~ Some Quotes from Daisaku Ikeda

The sun WILL rise!

Perseverance 

by Daisaku Ikeda:

"No matter what the circumstances, 
you should never concede defeat. 
Never conclude that you've reached a dead-end, 
that everything is finished. 

You possess a glorious future.

Precisely because of that, 
you must persevere and study. 

Life is eternal. 
We need to focus 
on the two existences of the present and the future 
and not get caught up in worry about the past. 
We must always have the spirit to begin anew 
"from this moment," 
to initiate a new struggle each day."  

From Faith in Action page 146. 

"We must put down strong roots, 
we must be strong. 
Inner strength is a prerequisite for happiness, 
a prerequisite for upholding justice and one's beliefs. 
One of the Buddha's titles is "He Who Can Forebear."
To courageously endure, 
persevere and overcome all difficulties 
~ the Buddha, 
is the ultimate embodiment of the virtue of forbearance. The power of faith gives us the strength 
to weather and survive any storm. 
Perseverance is the essence of a Buddha."

Faith in Action, by Daisaku Ikeda, page 147. 

Here in Chicago we are expecting another winter storm. And many of us are weathering storms of our own all over the world. I know this from your emails. As Daisaku Ikeda says, it is important to persevere and never give up. No matter what.  We are not here to master suffering. We have the opportunity to challenge our fate every morning during Gongyo and head out cheerfully to face whatever the day may bring. I hope that no matter what we are facing, that we can bring a smile to all we meet. Such is the way of the Buddha. 

Today I leave you with my favorite quote 
from Daisaku Ikeda:

"When one sun rises, 
everything is illuminated."