CategoryApplying the Philosophy

On July 16, 1945, the atomic age came into being when scientists detonated the first atomic bomb in the New Mexico desert. J. Robert Oppenheimer, the director of the Manhattan Project, would later recall in a magazine profile the reactions of those present: some laughed, some cried, most were silent. In his own mind ran

The World Tribune sat down with Dr. Ira Helfand at the Florida Nature Culture Center in Weston, Florida, where he lectured in late July on nuclear abolition at the SGI-USA Student Division Conference. Dr. Helfand is a member of the International Steering Group of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) and is a

Living Buddhism met with Tina Cordova of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, which advocates for medical care and compensation for people and their families affected by nuclear bomb testing in New Mexico. The “downwinders,” who lived downwind of the testing sites, together with their families and successive generations, have experienced high rates of cancer due

Living Buddhism interviewed John Wester, archbishop of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons and the role religious communities can play in bringing about their end. Living Buddhism: Last October marked the 60th anniversary of the Cuban missile crisis, the closest the Cold War came to a full-scale nuclear war.

Living Buddhism spoke with Karen Ross, associate professor in the Department of Conflict Resolution, Human Security and Global Governance at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Dr. Ross’s research has focused on peace building, social activism and education. For the last 15 years, she has worked on issues related to the Israeli- Palestinian conflict, peace education,

Living Buddhism interviewed Virginia Benson, first director of the Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue, about attending Ikeda Sensei’s second Harvard University lecture, “Mahayana Buddhism and Twenty-First Civilization,” in September 1993, and why his message is even more applicable today. Living Buddhism: Thank you for speaking with us about Ikeda Sensei’s second visit to

Two-and-a-half millennia ago, the Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote that human beings by nature are social animals: “Anyone who either cannot lead the common life or is so self-sufficient as not to need to, and therefore does not partake of society, is either a beast or a god.” And yet here we are, in an age

Tina Turner, known around the world as the Queen of Rock, began her practice of Nichiren Buddhism in Los Angeles in 1973. This year marks Tina’s 60th year in the music industry and her 45th year of Buddhist practice.  During the course of her career, Tina has sold more than 200 million albums and singles

Every time I look at my phone, it’s as if my worth is being calculated,” says Mili, a high school student in New York. “How many likes did my post get? How many views? Why so many views but so few likes?” A growing body of research finds that the more time a person spends

Messages, testimonials and more on the Soka Gakkai’s enduring efforts for nuclear abolition.

Distilled from Ikeda Sensei’s encouragement, here are five reasons to practice gratitude.

We sometimes find ourselves in difficult situations that seem beyond our control. Instead of viewing difficult events as our unchangeable destiny, we take them on as our mission to revolutionize our state of life and create value. And by not being defeated by such challenges, we lessen their negative impact on us. In fact, we

On January 31, Asle Toje, deputy leader of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, gave a talk titled “The Nobel Peace Prize: Can It Influence World Peace?” at Soka University of America in Aliso Viejo, California. Living Buddhism sat down afterward with Mr. Toje to discuss the SGI’s role in contributing to world peace. Living Buddhism: Hello

The term human revolution was used by second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda to describe the process by which we elevate our state of life and become unshakably happy—the ultimate goal of our Buddhist practice.  In Japan, the attainment of Buddhahood had long been viewed as something to be realized only after death, but Mr.

The Soka Gakkai recently launched “Transforming Human History,” a campaign to encourage engagement and inspire confidence that change is possible. It covers three areas that will determine the future for life on our planet: nuclear weapons abolition, education for all and climate action. These issues are the focus of Ikeda Sensei’s 2022 peace proposal.  The

In the mid-15th century, Cape Bojador remained the southernmost point that Portuguese explorers were willing to voyage. What lay beyond the cape was the province of superstition: boiling waters, sea monsters, the end of the earth. Such were the tales that seafarers coined the waters the Sea of Darkness, the point of no return. Prince

The Soka Gakkai recently launched “Transforming Human History,” a campaign to encourage engagement and inspire confidence that change is possible. It covers three areas that will determine the future for life on our planet: nuclear weapons abolition, education for all and climate action. These issues are the focus of Ikeda Sensei’s 2022 peace proposal. The

Eat a balanced diet. Get ample sleep. Foster healthy social relationships. These are well-known pillars for leading a healthy life. Despite our best efforts, though, we can still experience illness, even the life-threatening variety, which begs the question: What is true health, and how do we achieve it? From a Buddhist perspective, health goes beyond

After World War II, the United Nations was established in 1946 to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.” Unfortunately, since then, some 250 armed conflicts have broken out around the world, claiming hundreds of millions of lives. Conflict resolution, which aims to resolve tense situations between opposing parties peacefully, became a significant field

Here are three lessons that any of us can apply today.