I think there are a few men who have positively impacted my life. One of them is my dad because he is really nice and cool. He really encourages me to believe in myself, and I always appreciate everything he does. Another is a friend of mine from college. He and I have known each other for a while, and he is a really cool person and I really enjoy talking with him. I really appreciate getting to know him over the years. And another is the Buddhist teacher and writer Daisaku Ikeda, who passed away last month. I really appreciate that he wrote so many books on Buddhism and also he published several dialogues with people such as the English historian and philosopher Arnold Toynbee and jazz musicians Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter. I always really love reading his book Discussions on Youth because he encourages me to take on challenges in my youth and to always continue growing and improving myself each day, and he encourages me to always do my best no matter what. Every time I felt stuck or fell in love and was experiencing heartbreak, or when I had a hard time at work, or when I was figuring out deeper issues such as life and death, I would read Discussions on Youth and Mr. Ikeda always gives such good encouragement about those topics. I had really started studying Ikeda’s writings on life and death from a Buddhist perspective a lot more these past few years, because I was grappling with the deaths of some of my loved ones as well as the deaths of so many people around the world during the pandemic. I think reading Daisaku Ikeda’s book Unlocking the Mysteries of Birth and Death was also really helpful in developing a deeper understanding of birth and death, which are one of the four sufferings in Buddhism. Studying about life and death has helped me appreciate my life on a deeper level because before I was really suffering and just thought I wasn’t going to want to live, but after deepening my Buddhist study I have a deeper appreciation for my life. Daisaku Ikeda taught me what it means to live a fulfilling life and how to overcome challenges through my Buddhist practice.
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