This monthly encouragement by SGI President Daisaku Ikeda was originally published in the March 2020 issue of the Daibyakurenge, the Soka Gakkai’s monthly study journal.
There is a passage from Nichiren Daishonin’s writings that I think of when chanting for the health, long life, safety and security of all our precious members. It is from “Reply to Kyo’o,” a letter of encouragement Nichiren wrote during his exile on Sado Island to Shijo Kingo and his wife, Nichigen-nyo—disciples in Kamakura who were struggling with the illness of their young daughter Kyo’o:
Since I heard from you about Kyo’o, I have been praying to the gods of the sun and moon for her every moment of the day . . . Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is like the roar of a lion. What sickness can therefore be an obstacle? . . . Misfortune will change into fortune. (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 412)
How profound, warm and powerful Nichiren’s encouragement is!
Our Soka Gakkai districts are gatherings of members who advance together toward kosen-rufu with strong conviction in faith and prayers based on deep empathy for others, just like Nichiren Daishonin.
Soka Gakkai districts can be called oases of revitalization. Supported by the lion’s roar of daimoku of their fellow members, those facing even the harshest difficulty can bring forth vigorous life force to courageously transform their circumstances.
Today, the sound of our Soka family chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo envelops the entire world without cease. Situated close to the International Date Line and therefore among the first places to greet the new day is Wellington, New Zealand, where members are holding vibrant morning chanting sessions at their local community center.
Soka Gakkai districts where Bodhisattvas of the Earth eagerly gather are gardens of peace abloom with the beautiful diversity of “cherry, plum, peach, and damson” (see The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, p. 200). In cosmopolitan cities throughout Europe, exuberant discussion meetings of global citizens are taking place, bringing people of many nationalities and backgrounds together.
The Lotus Sutra states:
If in the place where the Law is expounded one encourages someone to sit and hear the sutra, the blessings oe acquires will enable one to gain the seat of Shakra, Brahma, and the wheel-turner. (The Lotus Sutra and Its Opening and Closing Sutras, p. 291)
When we invite our friends to discussion meetings and share Nichiren Buddhism with them, we are creating causes for becoming great leaders such as Shakra, Brahma and wheel-turners, or wheel-turning sage kings.[1]
I’m filled with excitement when I picture the members of the future division, who bring delight to everyone at our discussion meetings, developing into immensely capable individuals.
Fellow members who have vowed to spread the Mystic Law from the distant past have gathered together here and now. That is the meaning of the words in The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings “the assembly on Holy Eagle Peak which continues in solemn state and has not yet disbanded”[2] (OTT, 135). The assembly on Eagle Peak is none other than our districts. That is why we move forward together, sharing both our joys and sorrows.
“Muster your faith, and pray to this Gohonzon. Then what is there that cannot be achieved?” (WND-1, 412), Nichiren writes. In this spirit, let’s make the flowers of happiness and victory blossom magnificently in our lives and our beloved communities!
As comrades
of the wondrous
assembly on Eagle Peak,
let us make our districts
beacons of hope for the world
References
- Wheel-turning sage king: An ideal ruler in ancient Indian mythology who governs with justice rather than force and brings tranquility and comfort to the people. ↩︎
- This passage from the writings of the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai, quoted by Nichiren Daishonin in The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, asserts that the assembly on Eagle Peak where Shakyamuni preaches the Lotus Sutra is eternal and never ending. ↩︎
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