CategoryLife Stories

Fighting for my friends, I learn that a lion’s prayers are always answered.

Reminded of my mission, I overcome grief and loss by deciding to win for myself and others.

Leading with a prayer for a youthful Maine, I double my business and my passion to match.

Bearing the courage of a friend in mind, I bring a zeal for kosen-rufu to Alabama.

Centering my prayer on my children, I open my life to the future of my dreams.

Overcoming profound self-doubt and the loss of my mother prepares me for a journey of 10,000 miles. I’m Yoko Ambulo from Chicago.

Encountering Buddhism, I recall the dreams that once made life worth living and realize them all.

Ingraining Sensei’s “Clear Mirror” guidance, I see in my husband’s illness an opportunity for reflection.

Basing my life on winning daimoku, I give my all to motherhood, leadership and a long-held dream.

by Bhavini Gupta Duvall, Wash. Born and raised in a large family in Delhi, I’d not taken so much as a meal alone until I moved to America, where suddenly, most all my meals were had alone. I spoke to my husband for the first time in April 2019 over the phone, and that winter,

Returning to New York in my youth, I find there, in the SGI, the means to reveal my mission. I’m Blane Charles from New York.

Discovering a friend in a childhood rival, I grasp in the depths of my soul that people can change for the better.

Living based on a vow, we transform the karma of our families and lay the foundations of a happy home.

Through film and Buddhism, I build a bridge to my true self and cross it with my family.

Handed the key to happiness, I was able to open educational and athletic opportunities for myself and hundreds of young athletes. I’m Karen Dennis from Columbus, Ohio.

Practicing for self and others, I transform my family from the inside out.

An encounter with my mentor awakens me to my mission to teach in New York.

Over my 56 years of Buddhist practice, I’ve overcome family discord, troubles at work and illness, based on my vow to strive for kosen-rufu in America with my mentor, Ikeda Sensei. I’m Rod Burke from San Luis Obispo, California.

I arrived in New York with a dream. The city forged my faith and showed me what I’m made of.

Basing ourselves on a vow for the happiness of the people, my wife and I forge a bond transcending time and space, and even death.