Human Relationships
A person is tested and proven in adversity. Perhaps only those who have suffered truly devastating blows or lived through great tragedy can deeply appreciate the profundity of life and the beauty of genuine friendship.
[Discussions on Youth]
A person who respects others is respected by others in return. Those who treat others with compassion and concern are protected and supported by others. Our environment is essentially a reflection of ourselves.
[Speech at Rocky Mountain Joint Territory Executive Conference, Denver, USA, Jun. 10, 1996]
A sense of sincerity is the one thing that somehow, in a very subtle way, gets across to others. Human beings perhaps possess some deep inner power that allows them to sense sincerity instinctively.The degree to which they can do so is quite astounding.
[Ikeda Daisaku Zenshu (The Complete Works of Daisaku Ikeda), Vol. 18]
Alone, one’s suffering only deepens. . . . Human beings need to be with and among other human beings. Engagement with others forges our character and enriches us.
[Speech at Headquarters Leaders Meeting, Tokyo, Dec. 16, 1996]
Friendly greetings serve as an opening to heart-to-heart exchange from which we can set out onto the ocean of friendship.
[The New Human Revolution, Vol. 2, “Courageous Endeavor” chapter]
Friendship depends on you, not on the other person. What matters is what you put into a friendship, not what you get out of it.
[Discussions on Youth]
Friendship is the most beautiful, most powerful and most valuable treasure in life. It is your true wealth. No matter how much status people may gain or how rich they may become, a life without friends is forlorn and leads to an unbalanced, self-centered existence.
[Discussions on Youth]
Genuine sincerity opens people’s hearts, while manipulation causes them to close.
[Speech at Nationwide Executive Conference, Nagano, Aug. 1, 2006]
I believe friendship . . . is the most genuinely humane relationship of which we are capable. To be understood and appreciated for oneself is a vital experience in life.
[Ikeda Daisaku Zenshu (The Complete Works of Daisaku Ikeda), Vol. 18]
If a person has just one good friend, their happiness is doubled and their life immeasurably enriched. This is genuine wealth.
[Discussions on Youth]
If someone treats others with contempt . . . such actions will eventually lead them to be shunned and disliked by those around them. Anyone who becomes ensnared in selfishness will discover that in the end they are the one who suffer. On the other hand, a person who shows respect for others will not only come to be respected themselves, but will also help spread an attitude of respect for others throughout society.
[Ikeda Daisaku Zenshu (The Complete Works of Daisaku Ikeda), Vol. 20]
If you remain sincere in your interactions with others, you will naturally come to find yourself surrounded by good friends.
[Discussions on Youth]
If you want to change another person, first change your own heart. When you change, others around you will change.
[Interview series, “To My Young Friends—Leaders of a New Age,” Seikyo Shimbun, Feb. 16, 2012]
It is important to keep the promises made to friends. This is the true meaning of friendship. To become people who can do so, however, we must first learn to keep the promises we have made to ourselves.
[Discussions on Youth]
It is much more valuable to look for the strengths in others—you gain nothing by criticizing people’s imperfections.
[Discussions on Youth]
It is only when we have experienced the worst, most crushing of times—when we have plumbed the depths of life—that we can experience the joys of genuine friendship. A person of principle, a person who stays true to themselves can be a trusted and true friend, and have real friends in turn.
[Discussions on Youth]
It is this time and this place that matter―not some other time or place. What matters is here and now―the people here and now.
[Speech at Headquarters Leaders Meeting, Tokyo, Jan. 6, 2007]
It is through our relationships with others that we develop and grow; learn from one another; help and support one another; and cultivate genuine humanity. Therefore, we cannot enjoy happiness for ourselves alone. True happiness is happiness that is shared with others.
[The New Human Revolution, Vol. 30 “Great Mountain” chapter]
It may seem easier to remain closed off in our private world, but we will not grow as a person. Alone and isolated, our true potentiality cannot shine. Interaction with others enriches our lives.
[Interview series, “To My Young Friends—Leaders of a New Age,” Seikyo Shimbun, Mar. 29, 2012]
Japanese mountain potatoes known as taros are rough and dirty when harvested, but when they are placed in a basin of running water together and rolled against each other, the skin peels away, leaving the potatoes clean and ready for cooking. . . . Similarly, the only way for us to hone and polish our character is through our interactions with others.
[Discussions on Youth]
Just as a spring breeze awakens tender new shoots of green, sincere encouragement can thaw a frozen heart and instill courage. It is the most powerful means to rejuvenate the human spirit.
[The New Human Revolution, Vol. 19, “Treasure Tower” chapter]
Kindness and caring are human qualities that develop to the extent that we strive to encourage others. Caring is not just sympathizing with or pitying others, but having empathy―trying to understand what others are going through. Sometimes just having someone who really understands can give us the strength to go on.
[Discussions on Youth]
Make an effort to meet people. Everything begins with those encounters. You learn something, your world expands and each encounter leads to the next new connection. That momentum gives rise to insight and wisdom.
[Speech at Headquarters Leaders Meeting, Tokyo, Mar. 10, 1992]
One person’s heart moves another’s. . . . If one’s own heart is closed, then the doors of other people’s hearts will also shut tight. On the other hand, someone who makes all those around them into allies, bathing them in the sunlight of spring, will be treasured by all.
[Learning from the Gosho: Eternal Teachings of Nichiren Daishonin]
Our human relationships are like a mirror. So if you’re thinking to yourself, “If only so-and-so were a little nicer to me, I could talk to them about anything,” then that person is probably thinking, “If only such-and-such would open up to me, I would be nicer to them.” . . . Therefore, you should make the first move to open the channels of communication.
[Discussions on Youth]
Our voice resonates with life. Because this is so, it can inspire the lives of other people. The caring and compassion imbued in your voice finds passage to the listener’s soul, striking their heart and causing it to sing out; the human voice summons something profound from deep within, and can even compel a person into action.
[Essay series, “Life Is Wonderful,” Seikyo Shimbun, Apr. 11, 2004]
People around us reflect the state of our own lives. The environment that we are in, whether favorable or not, is the product of our own life. When we fail to understand this, we tend to blame others for our troubles.
[Speech at SGI-USA Women's Division Training Session, Los Angeles, Feb. 27, 1990]
Rather than seeking to better themselves, jealous people focus their energies on dragging others down. Actions rooted in jealousy will only cause suffering and will not create any value or benefit for anyone. . . . We are only able to develop our own good qualities to the extent that we can respect what is admirable in others.
[The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra]
“Thank you” is a miraculous expression. We feel good when we say it, and we feel good when we hear it. . . . When we speak or hear the words “thank you," the armor falls from our hearts and we communicate on the deepest level.
[Essay series, “Life Is Wonderful,” Seikyo Shimbun, May 29, 2004]
The relationships we have with people are a direct reflection of our inner state of life. To extend and deepen our human relationships is to expand our state of life.
[Words of Encouragement for Women—365 Days (tentative trans.)]
To commiserate with, or feel pity for, someone falls short of genuine compassion. Understanding is key. People can find the strength to carry on simply knowing that there is someone out there that understands them unconditionally.
[Discussions on Youth]
To give encouragement is to impart assurance, hope and courage. It is a task of spiritual inspiration, of drawing out a person’s passion and indomitable spirit. The basic principle behind encouragement is an earnest wish for the other person’s happiness.
[The New Human Revolution, Vol. 21, “Resonance” chapter]
To the extent that we love others, we will be loved. To the extent that we work for others’ happiness, we will enjoy protection and support. This is the law of cause and effect.
[Conversation series, “Occasional Discourses,” Seikyo Shimbun, Oct. 21, 1994]
To the extent that we reflect on ourselves and elevate our state of life, we can deepen our understanding of others. Someone who does so is capable of treasuring other people’s individuality.
[The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra]
Ultimately, the only way to make good friends is to become a good friend yourself. Good people gather around other good people.
[Discussions on Youth]
Whatever our condition, so long as we are made to feel necessary to others, we will be moved by the desire to respond. This desire awakens the inner capacities of life, keeping alive the flame of human dignity.
[2015 Peace Proposal]
When we can impart to others the sense that they are not alone, they will be able to rise up again to the challenge of living.
[The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra]
When we encourage others, we also gain courage and confidence. Giving encouragement changes ourselves as well as others.
[Speech at Kansai Representatives Meeting, Osaka, Nov. 28, 1993]
When we suffer some misfortune, we tend to imagine that no one could possibly be as unhappy or as unfortunate. It’s easy to drown in self-pity and turn a blind eye to everyone and everything else. But dwelling on our own pain or discontent and hopelessness only causes our life force to wane even further. It is at such times that we need to rekindle our connections with others, to be concerned for their struggles. In doing so we discover a renewed strength and the will to live.
[The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra]
When you are sincere in your consideration for others, in even the most trifling matters, you can bring about a complete change in the world around you.
[Ikeda Daisaku Zenshu (The Complete Works of Daisaku Ikeda), Vol. 20]
When you respect others, others will respect you. When you despise others, others will come to despise you. When you change, the world around you will change.
[The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra]
Words spoken from the heart and filled with a powerful wish for someone’s happiness can deeply touch that person’s life and revive his or her spirit, even becoming a source of lifelong inspiration.
[The New Human Revolution, Vol. 10, “Crown Champions” chapter]
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