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There is no one in this world who can sail through life without any hardships. Unless we take action happiness will not simply come to us. Reality is tough. That’s why, instead of allowing ourselves to be tossed around by our circumstances, we must choose to face reality squarely, using such struggles to strengthen our lives.

What is true victory in life? What is the meaning of true happiness? Who is truly great? The answer to such questions is determined not by superficial criteria such as fame, status and wealth, but by the inner reality of one’s heart.
It is vital to have a resilient spirit so that without complaints or feelings of disaffection, one is able to always look on the bright side of a situation and find in it a source of hope and happiness. Such wisdom makes it possible to lead a thoroughly fulfilled life.
Just as a tree that lived a thousand years lasts another thousand years after it has been cut, happiness will continue and endure to the extent that we have suffered to attain it.
Though it might be difficult to appreciate at first, the “mud” of our suffering provides the building material from which we can erect a solid bulwark for the palace of happiness within. The deeper the mire of suffering, the more indomitable a palace we can establish.
Worth is not found in joy alone. Nor is success the only valuable outcome. Suffering is the mother of realization; worries and failures, so long as we are not defeated by them, become the raw material with which to construct lasting happiness.
Buddhism teaches that whatever our individual circumstances, we can always discover the capacity to help others; it also assures us that those who have suffered the most have the right to the greatest happiness.
By helping other people become happy, we too become happy. How can those suffering in the depths of hell, who have lost the will to live, get back on their feet? Merely thinking about our own problems often causes us to fall even deeper into despair. But, by offering a hand to someone who is also suffering, we ourselves regain the will to live. More

Stories of Hope

What is Happiness?

Happiness remains the most cherished yet elusive of all human desires. Ikeda asserts that life can be complete with or without the usual requisites of happiness—family, wealth and recognition. The key, he says, lies within. Read here ...

Stories of Hope

A Piece of Mirror: Wartime Memories

Ikeda’s personal account of the suffering and sorrows of war experienced by his family that fueled his lifelong opposition to war and commitment to dialogue as a path to peace. Read here ...

Stories of Hope

The Teachers of My Childhood

Even as the storms of war darkened his childhood, Ikeda recalls those who helped brighten his life by planting the seeds of hope and courage.