words of wisdom

short esay from daisaka ikeda

A dear friend who faced every challenge in her life was Mrs. Fang Zhaoling, a painter and calligrapher based in Hong Kong who passed away in 2006 at the age of 92. She grew up during great disorder in China and her father was gunned down before her when she was eleven years old. But her mother was determined not to let this tragedy stand in the way of her daughter's education, and Mrs. Fang studied hard, also learning to paint.

She married young and bore eight children. Then tragedy struck again when she was 36. Her husband died, leaving her to bring up the children-aged between three and eleven-alone. Mrs. Fang then ran a small trading company and somehow managed to support and raise her children and provide each of them with a good education. She said, "Experiencing the hardship of being widowed at a young age is perhaps what gave me the strength to go on to study and develop my skill as an artist."

Her life was evidence that overcoming challenges, triumphing over adversity is what life is all about. Her paintings often show steep cliffs and forbidding crags, but often one can make out a path or road through the rocks. Even in her eighties, Mrs. Fang was always active, always moving forwards. Her life shone like a jewel, forged and polished by hardship. A diamond, the king of jewels, is the hardest and brightest of minerals. Just as diamonds crystallize when carbon buried deep underground is subjected to extremely high pressure and temperatures, so, when we forge our lives under the intense pressure of difficulties and in the severe heat of hardship, we can develop a beautiful and strong sense of self.



It is human nature to desire recognition and to want to look better than what we are. When that desire seizes control of us, it is easy to lose sight of who we are and what our real purpose is. Spiritual corruption begins from there. The best thing is to be true to one’s heart.

  
"Dig beneath your feet, there you will find a spring." The place where you are now is crucial. Never try to avoid that which you must do.

  
When your determination changes, everything will begin to move in the direction you desire. The moment you resolve to be victorious, every nerve and fiber in your being will immediately orient itself toward your success. On the other hand, if you think, “This is never going to work out,” then at that instant every cell in your being will be deflated and give up the fight. Then everything really will move in the direction of failure.

  
The ungrateful feel that it is below them to show any kind of appreciation. They are under the delusion that showing gratitude to others diminishes their own worth. But it is this sense of appreciation that elevates, enriches and expands the human spirit. A lack of gratitude is actually a sign of arrogance.

  
Those who are always complaining about their circumstances find that success continually eludes them. As do those who speak ill of others or who make excuses for their failures.

  
It is senseless to blame others or your environment for your miseries. Change begins from the moment you muster the courage to act. When you change, the environment will change. The power to change the world is found nowhere but within our own life.

  
Life is best lived by being bold and daring. People tend to grow fearful when they taste failure, face a daunting challenge or fall ill. Yet that is precisely the time to become even bolder. Those who are victors at heart are the greatest of all champions.

  
One of my favorite poets, the Argentine educator Almafuerte (1854–1917) wrote: “To the weak, difficulty is a closed door. To the strong, however, it is a door waiting to be opened.” Difficulties impede the progress of those who are weak. For the strong, however, they are an opportunity to open wide the doors to a bright future. Everything is determined by our attitude, by our resolve. Our heart is what matters most.

  
We have both a weak self and a strong self; the two are completely different. If we allow our weak side to dominate, we will surely be defeated.

  
If you always have a shallow perspective and pay attention only to trivial things, you are sure to get bogged down in all kinds of petty worries and concerns, and not be able to move forward. Even relatively minor hurdles or problems will seem insurmountable. But if you look at life from a broad viewpoint, you naturally spot the way to solve any problem you may confront. This is true when we consider our own personal problems as well as those of society and even the future of the entire world.

  
Ultimately, our battle is with ourselves. Whether in our activities in society, or whether in historical, political or economic developments, everything essentially boils down to a struggle between positive and negative forces.

  
Real optimism should not be confused with a carefree outlook on life, one in which we forfeit responsibility for our lives. The person undefeated by misfortune, poverty, insult and vilification. The person who can bounce back from every adversity and say, “What? That was nothing!” The person who marches on toward hope through sheer force of will. That person is a true optimist.

  
Some people are overly critical of themselves and become listless and unassertive as a result. ... Rather than engaging in pointless self-flagellation, young people would do best just being what young people are: bold, audacious and gutsy—and throwing themselves entirely into whatever the task at hand.

  
Trust is difficult to earn and it is easily lost—the trust built over a decade can be shattered in an instant by one offhanded remark or deed. A person who is not swayed from their chosen path, even during the most trying times, will ultimately find that he or she is trusted by all.

  
As long as we are human, we are bound to make mistakes. We all fall prey to flawed beliefs and views. What distinguishes a forward-looking person from an intransigent one, a virtuous person from a dishonest one, however, is whether one can candidly admit to one’s mistakes and take bold steps to redress them.

  
It’s foolish to be obsessed with past failures. And it’s just as foolish to be self-satisfied with one’s small achievements. The present and the future are what are important, not the past. ... Those who neglect this spirit of continual striving will start to veer off in a ruinous direction.

  
Cheerfulness is not the same as frivolity. Cheerfulness is born of a fighting spirit. Frivolity is one manifestation of cowardly escape.

  




The important thing is to take that first step. Bravely overcoming one small fear gives you the courage to take on the next.

  
It takes courage to become happy -- courage to remain true to one's convictions, courage not to be defeated by one's weaknesses and negativity, courage to take swift action to help those who are suffering.

  
No matter how wonderful our dreams, how noble our ideals, or how high our hopes, ultimately we need courage to make them a reality. Without action, it's as if they never existed.

  
Those who lack courage run away from hardship, seeking only to live a life of ease and comfort. Thus one who lacks courage cannot help others.

  
If you summon your courage to challenge something, you'll never be left with regret. How sad it is to spend your life wishing, "If only I'd had a little more courage." Whatever the outcome may be, the important thing is to step forward on the path that you believe is right.






Life without hardships may seem more attractive, but it is a shallow, lackluster thing.

  
Even places that have been shrouded in darkness for billions of years can be illuminated. Even a stone from the bottom of a river can be used to produce fire. Our present sufferings, no matter how dark, have certainly not continued for billions of years-nor will they linger forever. The sun will definitely rise. In fact, its ascent has already begun.

  
Anyone can hit a wall. The anguish felt then is proof of one's desire to move forward. But all is for naught if you falter at that moment. Action-that is the key to breaking through an impasse.

  
A person's true nature is revealed at times of the greatest adversity.

  
Why doesn't constant trampling defeat the dandelion? The key to its strength is its long and sturdy root, which extends deep into the earth. The same principle applies to people. The true victors in life are those whose who, enduring repeated challenges and setbacks, have sent the roots of their being to such a depth that nothing can shake them.

  
No one can better bask in summer's balm than those who have endured winter's bite. Similarly, it is those who have suffered through life's darkest hours who are able to truly savor the bright dawn of happiness. The person who has transformed the worst of fate into the best of fortune is life's champion.

  
There is a saying that the earth upon which we fall is the same ground which enables us to push ourselves up again. There's another which maintains that barley grows better after it has been trampled on. Human relationships are sometimes painful, but there is no such pain from which we cannot recover. It is up to us to decide to live a life free from self-doubt and despair in spite of our failures. Indeed, it is during our most humbling moments that we should show greatest poise and grace. Then the dignity of our lives will truly shine.




True happiness means forging a strong spirit that is undefeated, no matter how trying our circumstances.

  
Freedom doesn't mean the absence of all restrictions. It means possessing unshakable conviction in the face of any obstacle. This is true freedom.

  
Genuine happiness is found in courage. Courage is the gateway to happiness.

  
Happiness doesn't exist on the far side of distant mountains. It is within you, yourself. Not you, however, sitting in idle passivity. It is to be found in the vibrant dynamism of your own life as you struggle to challenge and overcome one obstacle after another, as you clamber up a perilous ridge in pursuit of that which lies beyond.

  
Poverty is nothing to be ashamed of. What's disgraceful is to have an impoverished heart or to live dishonestly. Being born in a stately mansion is no guarantee of happiness, any more than being born in a shack dooms one to misery.

  
When seen from the perspective of life's true value, whether a person is rich or poor is a marginal issue at best. The truly impoverished are those who are wealthier than others who take themselves too seriously and look down upon the less affluent. Happiness will never be a handout; it's something we create with our own hands.

  
If you want to build a happy life, you have to give careful thought to the foundations. Happiness certainly cannot be secured on appearances or affectation. Happiness comes down to the inner state of our life at a given moment.

  
When we draw strength from within, our outlook undergoes a dramatic transformation; everything around us looks completely different. To be strong—that is the key to happiness.

  
Where can we find happiness? Happiness is not found in a tranquil life free of storms and tempests. Real happiness is found in the struggles we undergo to realize our goals, in our efforts to move forward.

  
As long as we are alive we will experience sufferings. But that does not mean we have to be unhappy. Unhappiness comes from allowing ourselves to be controlled by life's ups and downs—from feeling defeated, from losing hope, losing courage, losing the will to advance.

  
We each move forward secure on our own earth, not the earth of others. Happiness is something we must create for ourselves. No one else can give it to us.

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.

  
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.

  
In Japan, the 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 shining clean and ready for cooking. Similarly, the only way for us to hone and polish our character is through our interactions with others.

  
Genuine sincerity opens people's hearts, while manipulation causes them to close.

  
A Buddhist scripture states that "the voice does the Buddha's work." The voice has the power to convey one's compassion for another. No matter how much you care, the sentiment alone will not communicate itself. When your feelings are conveyed in words, your voice will have the immense power to move another person's heart.

  
The heart of one person 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 him or her into allies, bathing them in the sunlight of spring,  will be treasured by all.

  
It is much more valuable to look for the strengths in others—you gain nothing by criticizing people's imperfections.

  
To commiserate with, to feel pity for, another falls short of genuine compassion. Understanding is key. People manage to draw the strength to carry on simply knowing that there is someone out there that understands them unconditionally.

  
You cannot judge the quality of another's friendship by superficial appearances, especially when things are going smoothly. 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. Only a man of principle, a woman of resolve—a person who stays true to their chosen path—can be a trusted and true friend, and have real friends in turn.

  
People who come to your aid in a time of personal crisis are people of genuine compassion and courage. More often than not, people will try to act as though nothing is wrong. Others are either afraid or refuse to get involved, and quietly drift away.

  
Our voice resonates with life. Because this is so, it can touch the lives of others. The caring and compassion imbued in your voice finds passage to the listener's soul, striking his or her heart and causing it to sing out; the human voice summons something profound from deep within, and can even compel a person into action.

Illness is not something to feel ashamed of. It is not a sign of misfortune or defeat. Suffering is the fuel of wisdom, and it opens the way to happiness. Through illness, human beings can gain insight into the meaning of life, understand its value and dignity, and strive to lead more fulfilling lives.

  
One should take advantage of the power of medical science to regain one's health. But it is the inherent power of life within us that will ultimately bring out the benefit of the treatment.

  
Human life is indeed wondrous. You may be ill physically, but as long as your mental state is strong, it most certainly will exert a positive influence on your body. There may be no better remedy than hope.



The human spirit is the strongest force there is. As long as our spirit remains unbroken, there is no defeat. In life, spiritual defeat always precedes actual defeat. Guard against laziness, cowardice, carelessness, impatience, resignation and despair which corrode the human spirit and sow the seeds of defeat.

  
Gold is gold, no matter how muddied it becomes. The truth always wins out in the end.

  
Whether we regard difficulties in life as misfortunes or whether we view them as good fortune depends entirely on how much we have forged our inner determination. It all depends on our attitude or inner state of life. With a dauntless spirit, we can lead a cheerful and thoroughly enjoyable life. We can develop a "self" of such fortitude that we are able to look forward to life's trials and tribulations with a sense of joy.

  
The fortitude to fight on through to the very end—this strength is not only the basis of happiness, it is also the force by which social wrongs can be righted. It makes no difference how humble or virtuous a person may be if they cave in at a time of crisis. Such a person may even end up betraying others. That is why we must become stronger. Victory can only be wrested by those who are strong.



This lifetime will never come again; it is precious and irreplaceable. To live without regret, we must have a concrete purpose, continually setting goals and challenges for ourselves. And we need to keep moving toward those specific targets steadily and tenaciously, one step at a time.

  
What is success in life? Who are the truly successful? There are famous and powerful people who become pitiful figures in their old age. There are people who die alone, feeling empty and desolate inside. Just what is success? The English thinker Walter Pater (1839–94) wrote: "To burn always with this hard, gemlike flame, to maintain this ecstasy, is success in life." The person who lives life fully, glowing with life's energy, is the person who lives a successful life.

  
When you devote yourself to achieving your goal, you will not be bothered by shallow criticism. Nothing important can be accomplished if you allow yourself to be swayed by some trifling matter, always looking over your shoulder and wondering what others are saying or thinking. The key to achievement is to move forward along your chosen path with firm determination.

  
Human society is made up of people who have met success and those who have not. No one knows for sure whether their life will be blessed by fortune or burdened by fate. The elation of triumph is short-lived, but those who understand that every setback, too, is only temporary and who continue to make steady efforts with confidence and conviction, can achieve truly great things. Ultimately, victory comes from never giving in to defeat.

  
Failure is an instrumental part of every success. Whether our life has been a triumph or tragedy can only be judged at its very end.