Parables:
  The Spider Thread
  Mr. Makiguchi and Fudo Myo-o
  Taishaku and the Fine Feathered Bird
  A Little Priest Fable
  Shakyamuni and the Lovers
  SuShi and the Buddhist Monk
  Wo and Jah
  Stonecutter (Tao of Pooh)
  The Dancing Monk and the Self-Denying Monk
  24 Hours To Die

Essays:
  The Jewel and the Genome
  Mantras of Kitties
  The Mantras of Other Beings
  The Wave Theory of Karma
  Water Karma
  Gandhi on Anger
  Buddhas' Footprints
  Connections
  The Great Wish, the DaiGohonzon, and the SGI
  The Gakkai Spirit

Humor:
  The Daimoku Parrot
  The Excommunicated Newlyweds
 
 

The Parable of the Zither 

"Sona, you cannot produce a good sound on the zither if you tighten the strings too much, can you?" 

"That is correct, man of great virtue." 

"And at the other extreme, you cannot produce a good sound either if you loosen the strings too much, can you?" 

"What you said is precisely right, man of great virtue." 

"Then what would you do?" 

"Man of great virtue, it is vital to tune the strings properly and neither tighten nor loosen them too much." 

"Sona, you should realize that the practice of the Way, which I preach, is exactly the same. If you are too assiduous in your practice, you will strain your mind and become too tense. However if you relax your mind too much, then you will be overwhelmed by laziness. You must strike a balance in your practice of the Way as well." 
(From Treasures of the Heart, by Daisaku Ikeda) 

I met a woman at a slow gongyo session recently who has been practicing for two months.  When I asked her about her practice, she told me: 

"When I do gongyo in the morning the gongyo calibrates my life, so I can be the person that I need to be that day. The words I stumble over are like reminders of the challenges that I will face in the course of the day. When I say a part without stumbling it is like my life is singing to the universe."