Essays
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Esperia Buddhism, the First Millennium
This book examines the development of Buddhism following the death of its founder, Shakyamuni. It begins with the First Council, organized by Shakyamuni’s direct disciples, which brought order to the Buddha’s complex system of teachings, and continues through to the emergence of the Mahayana movement, whose origins remain unclear. Daisaku Ikeda examines the scarce historical records that have come down to us and interprets them with his characteristic originality and insight. He sets forth the essential principles of the Lotus Sutra, the fundamental scripture of the Mahayana, and traces the lives of some key figures in the history of Buddhism: King Ashoka and the philosophers Nagarjuna and Vasubandhu, who contributed to its establishment as one of the world’s major religions.
€11,00
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Esperia The Life of the Buddha
An interpretive biography of the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni. Daisaku Ikeda, a contemporary Buddhist leader and thinker, attempts to trace—using the scant biographical information available on Gautama Siddhartha, known as Shakyamuni or the Buddha—the motivations that drove a man who had every earthly wealth and privilege at his disposal to abandon his palaces, princely title, wife, and son. He likely did so in response to the realization of life’s fundamental sufferings, which spare no one, not even those who enjoy a privileged existence. Ikeda retraces the young man’s steps in his quest for enlightenment—which can liberate human beings from all bonds of suffering—drawing upon scarce historical sources and his own experience as a Buddhist practitioner. What drove Gautama Siddhartha nearly three thousand years ago to undertake an arduous struggle to overcome the impermanence of life and find the supreme happiness represented by “awakening,” or Buddhahood, can it still be relevant today? Can his message, which has changed the lives of millions of people over the centuries throughout the East, also inspire the West? The author, and we along with him, believes so, and he helps us understand the essence of the “Awakened One’s” enlightenment. The original title of the work, My Vision of Shakyamuni, suggests the spirit with which the author approached the historical Buddha, who lived in India some twenty-five centuries ago. In fact, there is very little information about his life, and the only sources are texts that have been passed down for centuries solely in oral form. Reconstructing the life of the “Sage of the Shakya” therefore means attempting to go far beyond what the hagiographic accounts and stories have handed down to us, and making a considerable effort to interpret the many important choices that Shakyamuni made throughout his life. Ikeda undertakes this journey based on his own experience as a contemporary religious leader, and it is precisely through this role that he guides us in understanding the deepest meaning of the “Awakened One’s” enlightenment.
€11,00
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Esperia Religion and Human Values
A Japanese Buddhist leader, Daisaku Ikeda, and a British sociologist, Brian Wilson, discuss the role of religion and its connections to the major ethical and social issues of our time. Their dialogue highlights the role and importance of religion and religious sentiment for both the individual and society as a whole. The positive potential of religious doctrines for the inner development of human beings and the proper functioning of society emerges. The authors, however, do not fail to emphasize the risks associated with the institutionalization of religious movements and the use of religion as an instrument of control and power.
€15,90
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Esperia Let’s Run Together Toward Kosen Rufu
Daisaku Ikeda’s Guidance for Young People in the Student Division. This book contains messages, editorials, excerpts, and dialogues by Daisaku Ikeda dedicated to the members of the beloved Student Division.
€6,00
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Esperia Daisaku Ikeda in Europe
A collection of excerpts from *The New Human Revolution* on President Ikeda’s travels in Europe and Italy.
€5,00
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Esperia The Eternal Citadel of Soka
“The dawn has broken”: these were the words that the young Daisaku Ikeda spoke to a woman who asked him for a message for the members as he was heading to Kansai to confront the authorities in what later became known as the “Osaka Incident.” It was July 3, 1957. The victim of false accusations, Ikeda was imprisoned for about two weeks. When he was finally released, he reunited with his fellow believers in Osaka, declaring with conviction that victory inevitably awaits those who carry forward the correct Buddhist teaching, in the spirit of the non-duality of teacher and disciple. This, ultimately, is the theme of the essays included in this volume, written between 2016 and 2017, in which Daisaku Ikeda points the way forward for disciples to build together a great Soka citadel—impregnable and even more solid—and to expand an ever-diversifying network of solidarity among capable people, the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, who courageously face great struggles, based on the principle that “Buddhism is inseparable from society.” Some essays are specifically addressed to the Men’s, Women’s, and Youth Divisions, consistently emphasizing the strength that springs from the Soka family when it advances in unity and the importance of nurturing the members of the Future Division, the torchbearers of justice.
€10,00
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Esperia Soka Education
Peace, culture, and education are the three cornerstones of the activities promoted by Soka Gakkai International around the world. In this book, Daisaku Ikeda examines the strengths of the educational philosophy of Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, a pioneer of creative education, and explores the theme of fostering a global consciousness in young people.Dialogue and exchange represent valuable opportunities for personal enrichment, but they must be earned through a commitment to spiritual growth. In this sense, creative education and global citizenship serve as solid cornerstones for the harmonious development of each individual’s personality.
€11,00
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Esperia Architects of the Human Revolution
Distinguished women in the modern world. Rosa Parks, Rosa Luxemburg, Karen Olsen de Figueres, Maria Teresa Roxas, Alexandra Tolstoy, and Lyudmila Zhivkova: women from different eras, continents, and social backgrounds, united by an indomitable commitment to justice, a refusal to bow to oppression, and the courage to show compassion. Daisaku Ikeda, who is particularly attuned to the importance of women and attributes to them a pivotal role in our era and the one to come, speaks of them in this collection of speeches. He repeatedly asserts that to build an era of peace and prosperity, it is essential for women to step out of the shadows to which they have been relegated for centuries and awaken to their unique and special mission.
€6,50
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Esperia Buddhism for the People
This book stems from a desire to explore the historical events that led the Soka Gakkai to break away from the Nichiren Shoshu clergy, and to examine its mission as a lay religious association that actively promotes peace, culture, and education throughout the world. The first part of the volume offers an overview of the history of Buddhism, Nichiren Shoshu, and its patriarchs up to the present day, with particular emphasis on the events that led to the recent separation. The second part, on the other hand, addresses doctrinal aspects, specifically: the Gohonzon as an object of worship for the happiness of all humanity; the Gongyo ceremony and the significance of daily practice; the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, their composition, and translations. The topics covered, developed in part based on sources outside the Soka Gakkai, aim to make this text a handy reference tool not only for those seeking a comprehensive overview of events involving Nichiren Shoshu, but also for those needing to find information of a philosophical and religious nature.
€5,00
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