The first thing is to pray. From the moment we begin to pray, things start moving. The darker the night, the closer the dawn. From the moment we chant [Nam-myoho-renge-kyo] with a deep and powerful resolve, the sun begins to rise in our hearts.
Hope—prayer is the sun of hope. To chant each time we face a problem, overcoming it and elevating our life condition as a result—this is the path of “earthly desires are enlightenment” taught in Nichiren Buddhism. (My Dear Friends in America, third edition, pp. 463–64)
Pray that instead of devils or negative, destructive forces infiltrating your being, that Brahma, Shakra, and the gods of the Sun and the Moon—the positive, protective forces of the universe—will enter your life! Pray that they will enter the lives of … the entire membership of the SGI, as well. If you do this, your strength will multiply a hundredfold, a thousandfold. With such prayer, you will realize a fundamental transformation in the very depths of your life. This is the secret to achieving your human revolution. (Sept. 8, 2000, World Tribune, p. 5)
An arrow will not hit the target unless we take proper aim. The same is true of chanting. Our prayers come to fruition when we set clear goals and strive earnestly and persistently to realize them.
Faith in the realm of Nichiren Buddhism is not a matter of simply chanting to the Gohonzon and expecting things to automatically go well. We need to chant and make efforts, make efforts and chant; by doing so, we can activate the positive functions of the universe to work on our behalf. (June 29, 2012, World Tribune, p. 3)
[Second Soka Gakkai President Josei] Toda said: “Firmly believing that there is no distinction between the Gohonzon, [Nichiren] Daishonin and ourselves, we should chant with deep appreciation and gratitude for this in our hearts. When we do so, the rhythm of our lives aligns itself with the rhythm of the universe, and our lives connect with the great life of the universe, thereby enabling us to bring forth incredible life force.”
Accordingly, there are no hardships or sufferings in life that we cannot overcome, and there is no way that we will fail to become happy. (Aug. 21, 2009, World Tribune, p. 5)
Practicing this Buddhism doesn’t mean that our lives will always be smooth. Life is a series of ups and downs, challenges and adversity. We should expect to encounter suffering, hardship and sadness. At such times, we should chant with all our might. If we do so, in light of the teachings of Buddhism, we are certain to break through those difficulties. As we repeat this process throughout our lives, and continue to strive for kosen-rufu, we’ll achieve our human revolution and build a life state of absolute happiness. That’s the path of faith. So no matter what happens, never stray from faith. (The New Human Revolution, vol. 22, pp. 124–25)
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