CategoryLife Stories

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.

SGI-USA future division member Darren Yapi is a forward for the Major League Soccer club Colorado Rapids—at 16 years old, making him the youngest signee in the club’s history. The World Tribune spoke with him about his career and how he uses his Buddhist practice in his daily life. World Tribune: Thank you for speaking

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

SGI-USA member Michele LaMontagne is the second woman to reach the rank of brigadier general in the New Mexico National Guard and its first female commander. The World Tribune spoke with her about her career and how she uses her Buddhist practice in her daily life. World Tribune: Thank you for speaking with us about

How I shed generations of fear and revealed a life of courage.

How I came to walk the talk and appreciate my husband.

Though others tried to dissuade me, my mentor’s encouragement gave me the confidence to pursue my dream of becoming a surgeon.

by Mitzi Gunter Orlando, Fla. Really, I knew nothing about America. I had seen the Hollywood movie Giant with James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor. But, for me, 18 in boring, postwar Nagasaki, Japan, that was enough. When I got word, in 1958, that I could chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo for anything, I chanted for America. Within two

How I got off drugs and embraced a winning life with a devoted practice.