Rarely Asked Questions

The two practices of Buddhism: Meditation and Chanting Buddhist practice aims at revealing the highest state of life, the Buddhanature. There are two …

Chanting is using one’s voice in self-empowerment to experience the highest state of mind. It is a practice that harmonises the physical and mental …

After Shakyamuni Buddha passed away, his followers aspired to follow the example of his life - the life of a role model of wisdom and compassion. …

According to Buddhism, the individual is a oneness of body and mind. According to Hinduism , the individual is a oneness of body and soul. The view of …

What happens at the moment of death? In a rapid recollection at the moment of our death - what some who have had near-death experiences have referred …

While living, one’s life is expressed by the working of Body and Mind. The Mind of the individual has various levels of depth. The Buddhist view of …

Karma is the essence of one’s “history of actions”. We make our “record of actions” through our behaviour, speech and thoughts. The motivations, which …

The Lotus Sutra teaches the concept of “Time without beginning or end”. Shakyamuni Buddha of the Lotus Sutra revealed his “lifespan”- or the time …

Enlightenment - is always to something. In science, for example, a scientist becomes enlightened to a law of nature, such was the case with Newton, …

Fundamental Darkness means: Destructive Forces acting within people’s psychology. The easiest way to observe the working of Destructive Forces in …

Values give direction to our inclinations and behaviour. The basic question about ‘good’ and ‘evil’ paved the way for a wider investigation about …

Science, psychology and philosophy – share a basic question about the relationship between: the “Objective reality” of the world, and, its “Subjective …

There is no equivalent word in English language for the Sanskrit word “Sunyata” - a concept about: a field of information, which is perceivable by the …

“Worthy persons deserve to be called so because they are not carried away by the eight winds: prosperity, decline, disgrace, honor, praise, censure, …

The word ”Buddha” is used in two ways: to refer to a person (who attained enlightenment), to refer to a state of life : the “Buddha State” (of …

What is my identity ? - is the most important question for any individual to ask. Identity is always based on a reference of belonging. A realistic …

The word “Buddha” is used in two contexts: - Buddha as a person, and - Buddha as a state of life. The Buddha’s “state of life” is the “world of …

The Buddha-nature is the highest state of human nature. The human-nature expresses a spectrum of various states, some are filled with suffering (of …

The basic contributions Nichiren offered to Mahayana Buddhism can be summarised as: establishing the practice for attaining enlightenment in this …

Having a reliable source of information is a necessity for the life, growth and survival of any individual. During childhood, the source of elementary …

Why do I need a Mentor for practicing Buddhism? In order to just know about Buddhism, one does not need a mentor. Seeking information about a …

Traditional schools of Buddhism hold - as their fundamental belief - Shakyamuni’s first sermon: the teaching of the Four Noble Truths, being: 1- the …

Most Mahayana schools hold the belief that Buddhism is currently heading towards decline: a decline which will end in disintegration of its teachings …

How could Shakyamuni Buddha reveal his enlightenment? All schools of Buddhism agree in describing Shakyamuni’s enlightenment as the result of his …

Among many teachings of Mahayana Buddhism, the Lotus Sutra is regarded as the highest and most revolutionary in its concepts leading to Buddhism’s …

The word ‘divine’ is understood to refer to: ‘that which is sacred’, i.e. to the “most valuable and most respect-worthy” quality or phenomenon. In …

Q: To whom do I pray when I chant NamMyohoRengeKyo to the Gohonzon? A: A prayer is a desire for accomplishing a certain goal. - In Christianity, for …

Chanting the Daimoku and the concept of Chakra Chakras are usually referred to as energy circles - located in the physical body: “The Sanskrit word …

Nichiren Buddhism distinguishes between 2 kinds of truths: Relative and Absolute: Relative truth is that which is valid according to changing …

Despite the huge diversity among individuals, and differences in their life conditions, intellect, etc… all people share certain essential features. …

The TrueSelf is the perception of one’s existence based on the truth. The basic truth in life is that one’s existence in inseparable from others …

How to respond to hurt? We may experience painful events in our life. Conventional thinking in society points to either ‘revenge’ or ‘forgiveness‘ for …

While human society is bitterly divided into different “religions”, ironically, the word “religion” means just the opposite of division! Originally, …

SGI flag was suggested by president Daisaku Ikeda at the First Women’s Division Meeting in 1988 commemorating the Invocation Day (28 April). It …

One of the basic questions in science and philosophy is: How do we identify different objects? In order to distinguish between objects, we employ our …

Encountering “benefit” in life is nothing extraordinary: Suppose you are driving from location A to B, but the road is dangerous, bumpy, or long. …

If you observe your life since childhood, you find that it was shaped by the influence of family and the environment. This influence was basically …

Se osservi la tua vita fin dall’infanzia, scopri che è stata modellata dall’influenza della famiglia e dell’ambiente. Questa …

Traditional views in various societies tend to merge the image of “Buddhist” as being “Vegetarian”. Where did this idea come from? Tracing back the …

Soka Gakkai Joju Gohonzon A “specially dedicated” Object of Devotion was bestowed on the Soka Gakkai by the 64 High Priest Nissho Shonin, …

Traditional Buddhism, based on teachings preceding the Lotus Sutra, regards birth of a female child as unfortunate. Although the Buddha accepted women …

The Life of Nichiren Nichiren was born in 1222 Japan, a country that was rife with conflicts and calamaties that took a heavy toll on the ordinary …

The principle of Ichinen Sanzen teaches that:“one’s life at each moment” (Ichinen) - “contains many potentials” (Sanzen). In other words: “At each …

Thoughts on Friendship Friendship is the most beautiful, most powerful, and most valuable treasure in life. It is your true wealth. No matter how …