"Don't be afraid of hardship or suffering.... confront them head-on"

From SGI President Daisaku Ikeda

Monday, June 23rd, 2008
---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----

"The great French author Victor Hugo (1802-85) noted that faith is forged
amid the pains of hardship and suffering. Don't be afraid of hardship or
suffering, instead of running away from them, confront them head-on. Always
resolve to take full responsibility yourself."


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Which is GREAT... But...almost impossible to do. Certainly I haven't taught myself to do it yet.

I do not know what Victor Hugo meant by "faith". Or by the French word that he used, and its translation into Ikeda's native Japanese, and that word's translation into the English word. "Faith" as it is commonly used and understood in American culture is SO different than what Nichiren meant by the word translated as "faith". I am sure.

Sometimes it feels like my adult lifetime of my Buddhist practice has little room to spare from just the process of unlearning these words as I was raised to understand them -- "faith", "prayer", "benefit". Or maybe I am just thinking too NLP-ish....