IKEDA SENSEIS GUIDANCE FOR OCTOBER 2014 Engaging in Joyful Dialogues with Bright Hope and Confidence “Let’s live our youth, our lives, undefeated by anything! ”—this is the shared spirit of our young women’s and women’s division members. This spirit reflects a profound philosophy and proud conviction. In The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Nichiren Daishonin states: “One becomes aware of the Buddha vehicle [the Mystic Law] within oneself and enters the palace of oneself [one’s Buddhahood]. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is what is meant by entering the palace of oneself” (OTT, 209). The palace of happiness is not found in some distant place; it resides within our own life. Our life itself is that palace. No matter how painful or difficult our circumstances, when we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, our lives fuse with the Mystic Law, and the strength to move forward and the courage to keep on living surge forth powerfully within us. The Lotus Sutra teaches: There is no safety in the threefold world; it is like a burning house, replete with a multitude of sufferings, truly to be feared. (LSOC3, 105) In the Latter Day of the Law, in particular, when the world is afflicted by all sorts of disasters, natural and man-made, “even the large-hearted become narrow, and even those who seek the way adopt erroneous views” (WND-1, 845), as the Daishonin writes. In such an age, the grassroots effort for dialogue that we are carrying out as SGI members is opening indestructible palaces of hope in the hearts of countless individuals. The power for that effort comes from words of encouragement arising from our prayers and sincere wishes for each person’s happiness. In today’s society, awash with cruel words that hurt and deceive, alienate and divide, we are engaged in a challenge to bring people together with warmth, genuineness, and overflowing goodwill. Nichiren Daishonin states: “‘Joy’ means that oneself and others together experience joy. . . . Both oneself and others together will take joy in their possession of wisdom and compassion” (OTT, 146). In accord with these words, our dedicated members in Japan and around the globe are engaging in joyful dialogues with bright hope and confidence as they expand our network of wisdom and compassion. Shakyamuni Buddha states that the Lotus Sutra “will face much hostility in the world and be difficult to believe” (LSOC14, 246). True to those words, there are many cases in which, in our attempts to share with complete sincerity the correct teaching of Buddhism, we encounter closed minds and hardened hearts. But second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda, the great leader of propagation, said: “How to spread the Mystic Law, how to enable people to become happy, how to advance our movement for kosen-rufu—there are no more wonderful problems to concern ourselves with than these concerns of the Buddha.” All our efforts in such areas will, based on the principle that “earthy desires lead to enlightenment,” deepen the life state of Buddhahood within us and enable us to accumulate boundless good fortune. In the pioneering days of our movement, a women’s division member in Yamagata Prefecture [in Japan’s Tohoku region] struggled to overcome economic hardship, laboring late into the night on piecework to supplement the family income. She worked tirelessly for kosen-rufu with her husband, traveling far and wide throughout a large geographical area. She overcame the sadness of losing two children, steadfastly encouraged friends and fellow members amid an onslaught of natural disasters, and today, at 90 years old, is still going strong in her efforts for kosen-rufu. She declares: “By introducing others to Nichiren Buddhism, we give them the key to eternal happiness. This is something that the rich and powerful out in society cannot do. When people are suffering, I want them to know that they have me as a friend and that the members of the Soka Gakkai are there for them. When I remind myself that everyone in the depths of their lives is seeking the Mystic Law, the ability to encourage them arises naturally from within me.” The great French author Victor Hugo (1802–85) wrote: “The joy we inspire has this wonderful feature, which is that, far from dimming like any reflection, it comes back to us more radiant.” While working together to make the great joy that fills our lives shine ever brighter, let us build an invincible palace of capable individuals! Whatever the times, let’s cheerfully open the path to victory, encouraging and supporting one another. (Translated from the October 2014 issue of the Daibyakurenge, the Soka Gakkai monthly study journal)
Posted on: Wed, 01 Oct 2014 09:20:28 +0000
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