Alexander's choice
333 BC. Alexander the Great, aiming to conquer the East, contracts a serious illness. None among the wise men in his retinue can find a cure that can snatch him from death. But in the nocturnal quiet of the camp, as the disease slowly consumes his body, a tormenting doubt tears at his soul. Is the potion prepared for him by Philip, the faithful childhood friend and personal physician, a medicine or a poison? Quick as the wind, sent by one of his generals, a messenger on horseback arrives to hand him the letter on which the answer is inscribed: Philip is a traitor. The young and invincible king will then find himself wondering whether to heed the messenger and disown his lifelong friend, or to bring the cup to his lips and risk his life. The classical world meets Buddhist teaching and offers Master Ikeda an opportunity to celebrate, in a compelling and valuable book, the value of loyalty and friendship.
True friendship is not based on calculation. Gold and wealth cannot buy it. It makes us better: it brings out our qualities, helps us make each other happy and, as we strive to do so, gives us joy. Therefore, the friend is like a second self; in friendship two people become one, and such a bond we can call it life.
Daisaku Ikeda