SGI Members Testmonial - “The greater the hardships befalling him, the greater the delight he feels because of his strong faith” by Miss Rupali Gupta I wish a very good evening to all. I am Rupali Gupta and have been practicing Nichiren Daishonin’s philosophy for around 4 years now. Life has been more joyful and amazing, with all its novel struggles, after getting introduced to the practice of the world’s foremost philosophy. This practice and the present experience have taught me and my family to stand as pillars of great strength in times of distress. Nichiren Daishonin told us “not to expect good times, but take the bad times for granted” (On Persecutions Befalling the Sage, WND-1, p998). Moreover he said, “As practice progresses and understanding grows, the three obstacles and four devils emerge in confusing form, vying with one another to interfere” (The actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra’ WND-1,p770). The present experience is one in which my family and I could see the obstacle of ‘illness’ turning into an opportunity of Human Revolution. After the struggle, we have come out brighter, sunnier and more courageous than ever. My father had been diagnosed with a hernia some 5 years back. However, since it did not cause any trouble to his health, we were told that he did not require any treatment for all this time. However, last Sunday after attending the NHR meeting, he started having sudden pain and some uneasiness in his abdomen. Next morning, his health started deteriorating suddenly and we started consulting our family doctors for advice. Since the condition did not show any signs of improvement, we had to get him admitted in the emergency for diagnosis and immediate treatment. The doctors in the hospital advised immediate surgery for the removal of the hernia. However, since Dad is around 70, has hypertension and diabetes, it was not an easy call. The doctors in our family and the surgeon were in a state of uncertainty about all the aspects of the surgery. Meanwhile, my brother and I, who were with Dad all this time and were having conversations with all the people, kept on chanting with lot of confidence for everyone’s Buddhahood and the best decision to be taken. It seemed that our regular Gongyo and Daimoku, home visits to members and leaders and the fact that we attended all the meetings had brought our life condition to such a high, that we were absolutely unperturbed by the situation. We were very sure that this emergency has come up for a great protection, which was actually true, because a little delay would have cause development of gangrene in his body, which could have resulted in a disaster. Finally, the consensus came for the operation. However, it was suggested that laparoscopy would be a better option than normal surgery because it did not require many cuts and the healing could be fast. But the surgeon in the hospital told us that the laparoscopic equipment was not free at the moment. Still, my brother and I were convinced that whatever would happen, it will be for best. The surgeon’s sincerity in handling my dad’s case and the support of the doctors in the family made us feel we are surrounded by shoten zenjins. We kept on chanting abundant daimoku the whole night through the surgery. Not for a single moment did we feel any reason to worry. After the surgery, the doctor came out to inform us that it was all done very nicely, without any complications and “he added later he did it through laparoscopy!!! My brother and I were just looking at each other’s bright faces with a huge smile!!! The coming days in the hospital seemed to be an opportunity to chant a lot, read through Value Creations and even do shakabuku over the phone. Daishonin said, “A sword is useless in the hands of a coward. The mighty sword of the Lotus Sutra must be wielded by one courageous in faith. Then one will be as strong as demon armed with an iron staff.” (WND-1, p412). This helped us realize that we had developed a lot of courage through the ordeal. Most of the times in the hospital, Dad, Bhaiya and I were chanting Daimoku. At home, Mom kept the struggle on. Leaders and members kept us encouraged and charged too. Dad recovered at a lightening speed. The doctors said the recovery could not have been any faster as it was just 3.5 days in all! Let me add here, that we had chanted for choosing the right hospital before getting Dad there. The prayer was answered in every sense. Dad got the best possible treatment. Moreover, since the hospital is located near my brother’s office, he did not miss his office for a single day. He managed his work as well as taking care of Dad amazingly. Next, we chanted for the expenses of the treatment to be covered in the amount of the insurance. We got most of it recovered despite the fact that the hospital had inflated the bills almost three times. Moreover, we were told that the discharge process will take a long time in the hospital. However, we could make it to home in much lesser time. As Daishonin said in his Gosho, “A ship to cross the sea of suffering” on votary of Lotus Sutra that “the greater the hardships befalling him, the greater the delight he feels because of his strong faith”. When we were driving back home, it seemed we are back from a short pleasure trip. Dad was healthy and we were very cheerful. On this great day, I take the opportunity to thank Sensei for guiding us always. I thank the leaders and all the fellow members for nurturing us and providing great support in faith. I sincerely am determined to protect my faith for the rest of my life. As a true disciple of Sensei, I will live up to his expectations and strive to spread the law far and wide.
Posted on: Sat, 22 Mar 2014 16:24:38 +0000
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