Q: I’m not sure about my goals for this year, and I’ve yet to achieve some goals from last year. Where should I start?
A: 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.
Paraphrasing Nichiren Daishonin, my mentor, second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda, said, “If you can’t cross a moat ten feet wide, how can you possibly hope to cross a moat twenty or thirty feet wide?” (see “The Letter of Petition from Yorimoto,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 808). You have to work steadily and patiently at accomplishing each goal you have set.”
When we lose sight of our goals, we start going round in circles and getting nowhere.
Chant specifically about your goals for the coming day, and then do your best to act on those goals, striving wholeheartedly in a way that befits youth. (Stand Up for Hope and Respect, pp. 7–8)
Q: How can I encourage myself to keep going when I haven’t seen any results yet?
A: Regarding prayer based on the Mystic Law, Nichiren writes that there is “conspicuous prayer and conspicuous response,” “conspicuous prayer and inconspicuous response,” “inconspicuous prayer and inconspicuous response” and “inconspicuous prayer and conspicuous response” (“Letter to the Lay Priest Domyo,” WND-1, 750). Sometimes our prayers may be answered immediately, while at other times we can see no clear response. But whatever the case, the important thing is to keep chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with unwavering faith in the Gohonzon. We need to keep chanting earnestly, and keep chanting right through to the very end.
Even if it seems our prayers haven’t been answered, everything will ultimately move in the best possible direction for our lives. We will be able to build a life of incredible joy that makes all our struggles worthwhile. Such is the great power of the Mystic Law. (Stand Up for Hope and Respect, p. 7)
Q: What is key to having many victories this year?
A: It is important that we put [chanting daimoku] first. We must start by earnestly chanting [Nam-myoho-renge-kyo]. Why do we chant? To strengthen our lives and bring out our potential to the fullest extent.
Nichiren writes: “The mighty sword of the Lotus Sutra [Nam-myoho-renge-kyo] must be wielded by one courageous in faith. Then one will be as strong as a demon armed with an iron staff” (“Reply to Kyo’o,” WND-1, 412).
We need to break through the limitations of our lesser self and devote ourselves wholeheartedly to spreading the Mystic Law—discarding the negligent tendency to cut corners and do the least amount of work possible and the arrogance to think that our own shallow strategies will somehow carry us through. Nothing is more powerful than chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo based on the vow to win for the sake of kosen-rufu.
Youth who chant never regress. When we chant, we embark on a path to victory. Those who take action based on prayer win in the end. (Stand Up for Hope and Respect, p. 6)
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