Bringing Out the Best in One's Personality

"In the multitude of personalities, we see the Buddhist principle of cherry, plum, peach and apricot blossoms at work. Just as each blossom is beautiful in its own way, each person is also endowed with their own special qualities. Being introverted doesn't make someone incapable, just being quick-tempered doesn't make a person useless. We should live in a way that is true to ourselves. The fundamental aim of Buddhism is to enable us to do that."

President Ikeda said:

Personality is something that greatly affects our lives. Someone once said it is determined by fate, and there's nothing we can do about it. The fact is, almost, everyone agonises over some aspect of their personality. Agonising actually leads to growth. But, you also have to realise that just worrying about your problems won't change anything. Although the human race has made incredible advances in science, in reality we still understand very little about ourselves, and the workings of the human kind.

People's personalities are truly diverse, In Buddhism, the word society (Jpn seken) also has the meaning of 'difference' or 'distinction'. In other words, society constitutes a gathering of people, each possessing unique and distinct personalities.

Once, when encouraging a member who had begun practising Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism to change his angry nature, Soka Gakkai 2nd Josei Toda said, "You don't have to worry about changing your personality; all you have to do is chant daimoku and live your life the best you can. Then, very naturally, you will see the negative aspects of your personality disappear, leaving you with the positive ones. you must have a clear purpose and work for the betterment of society."

Source: Youth - A Time For Construction [Discussion Series] by Daisaku Ikeda (2001), Soka Gakkai Malaysia.