CategoryLife Stories

SGI-USA member Kryssi Staikidis is a painter, professor and head of Art and Design Education at the Northern Illinois University School of Art and Design. In 2021, she was conferred the National Art Education Association’s June King McFee Award for her research and art, teaching practices that focus on community, inclusivity and social justice. World

Inspired by my best friend’s brilliant life, I battle alongside my mentor and summon the courage to open my heart.

My Buddhist wisdom has driven me to connect with my students, my music and my mission for kosen-rufu. I’m Suzanne Pittson from Dobbs Ferry, New York.

Practicing for myself and others, I kindle a fierce flame to light the path to victory.

The World Tribune spoke with Andrea Bartoli, Ph.D., an international conflict resolution expert, about his thoughts on the war between Russia and Ukraine, the use of violence in conflicts and his belief that peace is possible. He currently teaches at Seton Hall University, is a visiting fellow at the Columbia University’s Advanced Consortium on Cooperation,

Embracing Buddhism at 73, I move beyond mere obligation, drawing on a deeper reason to serve—for the sake of joy of self and others.

How I transformed my outrage at my mother’s death to become the person she believed I could be.

Centering my life on Buddhist practice, I transformed generations of fear into faith in my own power to heal.

Speaking openly of Buddhism in the wake of my mother’s death, I move beyond my grief to connect with her anew.

Sharing Buddhism while traveling cross-country, I primed my heart for a significant encounter with my father.

In the wake of my brother’s death, I discovered my mission as an educator to foster the future. I’m Nichi Aviña from Palm Desert, California.

Fighting to keep up with the Coast Guard’s best and brightest, my Buddhist practice proves vital to breaking through fatigue and self-doubt.

Summoning my Buddhahood in a time of crisis, I discover the deeper significance of my work as a nurse.

Seeking the meaning of a recurring injury, I find cause for joy and leap forward.

Wayne Shorter, legendary American jazz saxophonist and composer, has earned worldwide recognition for his mastery of the saxophone, including six honorary doctorates and 11 Grammy Awards. The New York Times named him the foremost living composer in jazz. At age 88, together with four-time Grammy award winner Esperanza Spalding, he has completed his first opera,

Through a series of monumental challenges, I realized that I’m worthy of unshakable happiness. I’m Ann Biddle from Williamsburg, Massachusetts.

With a fighting spirit, I greeted my retirement as the dawn of a new day.

Exhausting every strategy save one, my wife and I employ the strategy of the Lotus Sutra to fulfill our dream of starting a family.

How my daughter’s battle for her life awakened me to the purpose of my own. I’m Phillip Murray from Fort Myers, Florida.

How I transformed a life devoted to work into a life devoted to the happiness of myself and others.