Ikeda Sensei: All our future division members are Bodhisattvas of the Earth with “great good fortune from past existences” (The Lotus Sutra and Its Opening and Closing Sutras, p. 356). They have the power to help others awaken to their Buddhahood.
“Former Affairs of King Wonderful Adornment,” the 27th chapter of the Lotus Sutra, relates the story of two brothers joining with their mother to help their father, who at first opposed their Buddhist practice, embrace faith in the Mystic Law. The father later praises his sons, calling them “my good friends”[1] who were “born into my household” (see LSOC, 358).
Let us also warmly encourage our precious future division members, showing them our utmost respect and gratitude for being born into our families, our communities and our countries. …
Soka Gakkai leaders everywhere have taken my spirit to heart and devoted themselves to fostering our young members whose lives are so precious.
I would especially like to express my unending gratitude to the future division leaders, as well as the members of the men’s and women’s divisions, the Soka Gakkai Education Department and the student division, all of whom support the future division in so many ways.
Every child is an irreplaceable treasure; we must help them shine their brightest as people of great mission—this is the spirit of Soka education that we have inherited from our founding presidents Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and Josei Toda.
Society is rife with negative influences that can harm our young people. That’s why we must take every opportunity to speak with them and listen patiently to what they say. We need to trust them, pray for them and warmly watch over them. This power of humanistic education found in the Soka Gakkai is a truly invaluable source of hope for the community.
Let’s continue to take pride in encouraging and fostering the future division members, true champions of our movement, who have made their timely appearance in the new era of worldwide kosen-rufu! (September 2017 Living Buddhism, pp. 4–5)
From the June 2024 Living Buddhism
References
- In Buddhism, the term “good friends” means positive influences that direct people toward goodness and Buddhist practice. ↩︎
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