The following essay by Ikeda Sensei was translated from the Sept. 23, 1998, issue of the Soka Gakkai’s daily newspaper, Seikyo Shimbun.
A mighty tree is held upright by its roots. Those roots stretch into the earth, spreading out in a network, each single root searching deep and wide for water and nutrients to supply to the rest of the tree. If the roots are strong and continue growing, the tree will grow, too, and produce a flourishing canopy of green leaves. But if the roots rot and die, even the greatest tree will fall.
The great tree is the Soka Gakkai. The individual roots are each of you protecting our frontline organization. You cannot see the roots buried deep in the earth. In the same way, your daily Soka Gakkai activities may seem modest or inconspicuous. But it is precisely those practical, down-to-earth efforts that constitute the lifeline sustaining kosen-rufu and become the driving force for your personal growth and development.
Second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda placed the greatest importance on the frontline youth division leaders and devoted much energy to their education and development. His famous essay “Precepts for Youth,” which opens with the words “A new era is created by the passion and power of youth,” was originally dedicated to youth division group leaders—those who were fighting hardest on the front lines of the kosen-rufu movement. I was a group leader myself at the time, and I rose up with the rest in response to his stirring call: “Youth, rise with courage! Youth, join me in the struggle!”
As Mr. Toda’s disciple, I made a vow to challenge myself wholeheartedly and become a model for all group leaders and all youth for every generation and for eternity.
A month after “Precepts for Youth” first appeared in the Seikyo Shimbun, I delivered a determination as a representative of the young men’s division at the Sixth Soka Gakkai General Meeting in November 1951. Under the title “The Conviction of Youth” and expressing our resolve to respond to Mr. Toda’s call, I declared: “We are well aware that religious revolution is by far the most difficult to attain. … And we are equally aware that achieving this revolution—or indeed, any revolution—means a life-and-death struggle.” I also voiced our pledge to make President Toda’s heart our own and work to create a new age. After the meeting, President Toda praised my declaration and composed a poem for me:
A true gem may be fired but is impervious to heat,
A jeweled sword may bend but it does not break.
At that time, Mr. Toda’s business was just recovering, and I was very busy working behind the scenes managing all of his affairs. There was so much to do that most nights I didn’t get home until after midnight. I was also suffering from pain in my chest and a chronic low-grade fever. Yet I fought on. I did everything I could to arrange my schedule so that I also had time for Soka Gakkai activities, and I gave my utmost to discussion meetings, propagation activities and personal guidance to members.
When the young men’s division was founded in July 1951, my group had only 10 members. By the end of the year, it had grown to 31. Under the leadership of Mr. Toda, who had become Soka Gakkai president that May, I scored my first major victory for kosen-rufu. Showing actual proof through success in one’s endeavors is the mark of a true disciple. It is not determined by one’s position or standing in the organization. Empty determinations are meaningless. It is how much you have actually done that advances the cause of kosen-rufu and adorns your own life with benefit.
The hard-fought struggles of my time as a group leader have become one of the greatest treasures of my life.
The front line of our organization is the true battleground for kosen-rufu. It is the true place of Buddhist practice. The brilliant future of the Soka Gakkai lies in the victories we win there.
To you young leaders, I entrust the 21st century; I entrust the Soka Gakkai; and I entrust my beloved youth division members. I am earnestly praying for and anticipating your magnificent development.
July 19, 2024, World Tribune, pp. 2–3
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