From SGI USA, I'm Cassidy Bradford and this is Budability.

The weekly series where I talk with Buddhists from all walks of life about the power we each have to change our lives and the world around us.

If you're anything like me, it's been hard to avoid the news lately.

Whether I'm reading articles or scrolling TikTok, there's always something stressful happening somewhere.

Even when I'm away from screens, it's hard not to pop in my earbuds and listen to a podcast

that will likely stress me out more. Climate change, political friction, war, the threat of nuclear

weapons, it's a lot, all while we're budgeting for groceries, dealing with family stuff, or struggling at work.

When we look back at human history, there have been so many moments of uncertainty and unrest.

So why is it that even though new generations and structures come along, we still face these issues.

Buddhism teaches that the human heart is at the center of it all.

So to understand how we can handle the stress,

let's first start with a closer look

at the Buddhist perspective on solving societal problems.

The 13th century Buddhist reformer, Nytran Dishonan, lived at a time of tremendous upheaval. The government was a feudal system with a military dictator.

There was little care for ordinary people.

It was a period of great suffering and loss of life.

Nitrin Daishonin dove into Buddhist teachings to find a solution for the ills of society

and found the empowering teaching of the Lotus Sutra.

He's also the one who discovered the daily practice of chanting the sutra's title, Namyo Hōrenge

Kyo.

Nietrin's life was incredibly difficult. He was persecuted by the government many times for trying

to spread the philosophy of the Lotus Sutra, whose teaching is ultimately the respect

...