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each of us has a powerful song of
courage
wisdom and compassion to awaken to this
reality of our lives is the essence of
buddhism
and this brilliance lies within all of
us
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[Applause]
[Music]
let's do this
hello an hour
what was i thinking tacos for breakfast
right right right okay i got you i got
you
oh really ow i don't want to go to
school i don't want to go to school
you're going to school i made your
favorite lunch
[Music]
okay buddy time to take the mask off
look you're just as powerful without it
thanks dad
hey dad hey my college girl is
back oh hey
smells great yeah okay
loneliness conflict and illness these
are not unique to our present times
but are as old as life itself
you know what that almost tasted like
mom's spaghetti
yeah how have you been doing dad
oh me what are you worried about your
old man come on
i've been fine i need you to finish that
presentation i don't care how long you
have to stay to get it done
understood yes yes sir of course all
right
thank you very much i will talk to you
soon okay
[Music]
hello hi is this isabel yes
hi how are you just wanted to let you
know we appreciate you coming down
but we went with another cellist okay
i understand thank you
[Music]
too often we struggle to truly believe
in ourselves
these feelings of fear and anxiety stem
from our belief that we are not good
enough
not strong enough to overcome life's
storms
i miss her me too
buddhism began as a quest to overcome
these essential problems of life
shakyamuni or siddhartha gutama as he is
also known
was a prince in a small province in
northern india
he lived in comfort and luxury
but one day he ventured outside of his
palace gates
he saw hunger sickness and poverty
witnessing this made him feel ashamed of
his life of excess and luxury
he determined to find a path that would
allow people to overcome these essential
sufferings of life
he tried many different spiritual paths
meditation
fasting living in isolation even
extreme practices such as sleeping on a
bed of thorns
and on bones in a cemetery
but shakyamuni realized that these kinds
of practices
did not bring him what he was looking
for
then came upon a tree he sat underneath
this large bodhi tree and meditated
determined to find an answer strong
winds blew
he felt as if demons were attacking him
he worried this too was another futile
path
but refused to give up as the storm
raged on
and at last he saw these demons for what
they were
his own negativity and fear
finally he was able to attain
enlightenment and perceive the law
or principle that all living beings are
endowed with
courage wisdom and compassion
he then began sharing this knowledge
with others disciples emerged
and sought to understand and follow this
revolutionary new way of life
shakyamuni poured the essence of all his
teachings into the lotus sutra
which radically declared that all people
are equal
and the purpose of life is happiness
after his death the true teaching became
diluted
and fractured into many different sects
shakyamuni even came to be revered as a
god
and not a human being
[Music]
was born in japan to a family of modest
fishermen
as he grew up he saw his country ripped
apart by natural disasters
epidemics and conflict he asked himself
why is this happening to put an end to
this suffering
nichiren vowed to become the wisest
person of japan
he diligently studied all schools of
buddhism
after many years he came to realize the
lotus sutra is the highest teaching of
buddhism
because it taught women men and all
living beings are equal and endowed with
buddhahood
this is the law of nam-myoho-renge-kyo
he discovered by
chanting and awakening to it anyone can
call forth their greatest self
and win over life suffering nitron stood
up alone and went on his own
epic quest to spread this law of nam
yokoren
but as nietzsche and buddhism grew the
political and religious establishments
saw his teachings of empowerment and
equality as a threat
they persecuted him and exiled him to a
small snowy island in the japan sea
however with the strength he found from
chanting namya
he felt the persecution signaled his
mission to empower
all people with the teachings of
buddhism stating
all obstacles are no more than dust
before the wind
nitrogen inscribed the gohansen which is
the scroll we chant to
because it depicts the buddhahood within
all living beings
one by one he helped people use buddhism
to awaken to their great strength and
courage
his disciples overcame illness poverty
and family strife to lead lives of
victory
and in current times it is the soka
gakkai that emerged as a movement of
ordinary people who have used nitron's
teachings to conquer life's challenges
they are the organization to spread the
lotus sutra and nichiren's buddhism
correctly based on the equality and
great potential
of all people today
due to the lion-hearted efforts of the
three founding presidents and eternal
mentors
sunessa borough makaguchi jose toda and
daisako akeda
to spread this buddhism people all
around the world chant the law of
nam-myoho-renge-kyo as taught by nature
to awaken to the same indomitable life
state of buddhahood
to see the dignity of their lives and
others
to overcome all difficulties and
problems with a sense of mission
to
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international shares chanting
nam-myoho-renge-kyo
is a struggle to return to our true
original selves
and tap the innate life force that we
have possessed from time
without beginning
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there are times in our life where each
of us has brought forth the courage to
stand up for ourselves
or to have compassion for someone who is
suffering
buddhists call the great potential for
these qualities within life
buddhahood bringing this out every day
though
is very difficult just as math and
chemistry equations such as
e equals m c squared or h2o describe
laws of nature nam yoho renge kyo
expresses the universal law that the
condition of buddhahood
exists within all living beings and in
our environment
the perseverance of a flower to bloom
amid cold winds
an ecosystem maintains a delicate
balance
so it may sustain the life within it
this innate compassionate
courageous energy of the universe to
advance and protect
life is the law of nam
to chant nami is to harness this great
energy
and to use it to overcome adversity and
create a better world
it is not however a magic formula
instead when we chant we enact a
revolution
in our lives we fight against our
deep-seated negativity
our fundamental disbelief in ourselves
and open our eyes to the reserves of
courage wisdom and compassion within
us sgi buddhists call this process
human revolution in other words we chant
and become the solution to our problems
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finding the courage to open a new
chapter in life thanks for babysitting
dad oh
no problem hey look
take your time i can hang here with my
little man all day
[Music]
summoning the spirit to never be
defeated
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developing a heart of appreciation even
after a really tough day
[Music]
look what our little guy made for you
[Music]
my superhero hubby
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buddhism is also about digging into the
earth of our daily life
and our communities
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an expression of this is sgi's
neighborhood discussion box
here people from every background
dialogue with one another
and share their real life experiences
with buddhism
based on the belief in the equality of
all people
sgi also does not have priests or clergy
rather sgi buddhists support each other
as equals
encouraging one another to achieve their
dreams and bring peace to their
communities
the key to all change is in our inner
transformation
a change of our hearts and minds this
is human revolution we all have the
power to change
when we realize this truth we can bring
forth that power
anywhere anytime and in any situation
because when we change
the world changes
[Music]
you