On Sept. 5, 1956, I was conferring with second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda about the future of kosen-rufu. The focus of our discussion was Yamaguchi Prefecture in the Chugoku region of Japan. At the time, we had only a little more than 400 households practicing Buddhism there. Yamaguchi was the starting point of events that led to the Meiji Restoration [1868] and Japan’s subsequent modernization and had produced many of the nation’s leaders. Without a doubt, it would remain an important region in Japan.
Mr. Toda said to me: “Our organization in Chugoku is lagging furthest behind. Daisaku, I want you to go there and take the lead in giving guidance in faith and creating a groundswell of propagation.” I immediately replied: “Yes, I will do my best!” This was the start of the historic Yamaguchi Campaign. I was 28 years old at the time.
That day, I wrote in my diary: “He [Mr. Toda] indicated that next month, there will be a full-scale propagation campaign in Yamaguchi Prefecture. I will take full responsibility. … I will fight like Yoshitsune or Shinsaku.[1]
It will be a battle for the Law that shall go down in history.”[2]
The Yamaguchi Campaign took place in three stages, in October, November and then January of the following year. Members from all over Japan who had some kind of connection with Yamaguchi courageously volunteered to take part.
Nichiren Daishonin writes: “[Chanting] Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with the spirit of many in body but one in mind … is the basis for the universal transmission of the ultimate Law of life and death” (“The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 217). The true heritage of Buddhism pulses in united efforts to advance kosen-rufu. During the Yamaguchi Campaign, I encouraged our members with this passage. Over the course of a total of 22 days, we expanded our membership in Yamaguchi to more than 4,000 households—an almost tenfold increase.
I wrote in my diary (on Jan. 28, 1957): “Will pour all my ability and effort into struggling to transform my destiny and lay the strategic groundwork for kosen-rufu.”[3] And as that entry indicates, I gave my all to ensure the success of the Yamaguchi Campaign. I never just made a show of taking action.
The Yamaguchi Campaign was an earnest struggle to transform the resolve of our members in Yamaguchi and achieve a fresh breakthrough for kosen-rufu. At the same time, it had a more profound and broad-ranging purpose—to secure the future of the Soka Gakkai as a whole, as well as the future of Japan.
Mr. Toda was very happy at our triumph in Yamaguchi.
Calling Forth Genuine Disciples
I was the only disciple in whom Mr. Toda had absolute faith and to whom he was prepared to entrust everything. We were completely united as mentor and disciple. Our relationship was closer than that of parent and child. I served Mr. Toda with full and utter dedication. I gave my entire life over to propagating Buddhism. Because I knew that this was the true path of a disciple. And that’s why the Soka Gakkai has grown to the extent it has today.
Mr. Toda once said, “Now that I have fostered Daisaku, my mind is at ease.” The question is, are there any disciples with the same dedication today? We have wonderful facilities and many members. The Soka Gakkai has developed into the world’s leading network of ordinary citizens. If, in the future, however, people who have never really worked hard for kosen-rufu or encountered slander or obstacles in their efforts to spread Nichiren Buddhism were to become the Soka Gakkai’s leaders, it would be tragic for our organization. That’s why I want you, the members of the youth division, to make serious efforts for kosen-rufu, to seek out the most challenging situations and leap into the fray. Don’t become calculating, self-centered people who avoid hard work and try to make things easy for themselves. Please develop into magnificent leaders, surpassing those who have gone before you.
Carrying On an Inner Dialogue
In December 1957, we attained Mr. Toda’s lifetime goal of achieving a membership of 750,000 households. And on April 2, 1958, He passed away peacefully. At the Soka Gakkai headquarters leaders meeting held the following day (April 3), I declared, as a representative of the youth division, that there was only one way for us to demonstrate our gratitude to our mentor—namely, to devote ourselves to kosen-rufu, the cause to which Mr. Toda had given his very life. Then, at the headquarters general meeting a month later (on May 3), I announced the vision of the Seven Bells.[4] I wanted to instill our precious members with hope for the future and energy for fresh initiatives in our movement.
I have realized all of Mr. Toda’s goals and dreams, including his vision of achieving a membership of 3 million households (a goal reached in 1962), which he had articulated just prior to his death. Carrying on an inner dialogue with my mentor, I’ve moved ahead with him at all times. This year [2008] is the 50th anniversary of Mr. Toda’s passing. I am proud to say that, as his true and faithful disciple, I have triumphed in every challenge I have undertaken.
The Lesson of the Five Senior Priests
After Nichiren Daishonin’s death, five of his six senior disciples—all but Nikko Shonin—turned their backs on his teachings. Among them was Niko, whose actions ultimately caused Nikko Shonin, the Daishonin’s designated successor, to leave Minobu. Concerning this aberrant disciple, Nikko Shonin writes:
Mimbu Ajari Niko is a priest with deep-seated worldly desires and a tendency to ingratiate himself to those who are more powerful. Being a priest who distorts the truth, he is not concerned with establishing the Daishonin’s teachings; rather, he is someone who is doing much to destroy them.[5]
The five senior priests distorted the Daishonin’s teachings because they craved worldly praise and recognition and sought personal gain. This has also been the case with many of those who have turned on the Soka Gakkai over the years.
Nikko Shonin also sternly admonishes the five senior priests: “Although our school upholds the principle that one must not abandon one’s teacher, they are the first to abandon the founding teacher of our school [Nichiren Daishonin]. Even if the public were to criticize them, they would have no way to justify their actions.”[6]
The path of mentor and disciple in Buddhism is strict, but a life dedicated to it is happy indeed. I hope that all of you will unswervingly walk the Soka path of mentor and disciple throughout your lives.
In Nikko Shonin’s “Guidelines for Believers of the Fuji School,” it states: “Following the example of Nichiren Daishonin, Nikko selected six main disciples[7] … It was decided through discussion that these six should unite together and that there should be no disagreements among them” (Gosho zenshu, p. 1603).
The future rests entirely upon whether disciples remain unified for the sake of kosen-rufu and live their lives in accord with their mentor’s teachings.
The youthful poet Cao Zhi (192–232) appears in the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms and was the son of the powerful warlord Cao Cao of the northern state of Wei. He wrote: “I cannot fail to remain loyal to you, Excellency, even if you do not bestow favor upon me, just as the fragrant autumn orchid continues to pervade the air with its perfume even if there is no one to enjoy it, or just as the katsura tree blooms even in the fierce cold of winter.”[8] These are deeply moving words.
It all comes down to us, not others. It is important to stay true to our convictions. To continue dedicating ourselves to our noble cause of kosen-rufu, to the Mystic Law and to the welfare of the people, no matter what others may say—this is the Soka Gakkai spirit and genuine commitment to faith.
Live Like Lion Kings
I hope that all of you, my young friends, will live like lion kings, positive and self-confident.
There are lives ruled by envy and jealousy, and lives filled with gloom and ceaseless worry. There are lives consumed with maligning others, lives of ill will bent on bringing others down. There are lives mired in a morass of self-inflicted suffering. Then again, there are lives filled with appreciation and praise for others, lives dedicated to bringing people together. There are honorable lives overflowing with sincere respect for others and committed to helping others become happy. There are lives abounding with victory after victory. We can see all kinds of lives in the human world. Buddhism reveals the best and the most correct way to live. Through Buddhist practice, we can lead lives of supreme value. That is the proof of Buddhism’s greatness.
Mr. Toda once declared: “It is now time for you of the youth division to show the entire world the true power of faith.” And in accord with these words, I spread Nichiren Buddhism throughout the world and proclaimed the greatness of the Soka path of mentor and disciple far and wide.
Now it is your turn. Members of the youth division, I entrust the future to you!
To be continued in an upcoming issue.
March 21, 2025 World Tribune, pp. 2–3
References
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Yoshitsune and Shinsaku: Yoshitsune refers to Minamoto no Yoshitsune (1159–89), a young warrior immortalized in legend and history, who played a principal role in the war between the Minamoto (Genji) and Taira (Heike) clans, the two leading samurai families of the day. Shinsaku refers to Takasugi Shinsaku (1839–67), a young samurai warrior of the Choshu Domain (present-day Yamaguchi Prefecture), who contributed to the overthrow of the Tokugawa shogunate and the achievement of the Meiji Restoration. ↩︎
- A Youthful Diary, p. 302. ↩︎
- Ibid., p. 326. ↩︎
- Seven Bells: The term given to the seven seven-year periods marking the history of the Soka Gakkai’s development from its founding in 1930 through 1979. ↩︎
- Translated from Japanese. Nikko Shonin, “Reply to Hara,” in Hennentai Nichiren Daishonin gosho (Chronological Compilation of Nichiren Daishonin’s Writings), compiled by the Soka Gakkai Study Department (Tokyo: Soka Gakkai, 1991), p. 1732. ↩︎
- Translated from Japanese. Nikko Shonin, “Reply to Mimasakabo,” in Hennentai Nichiren Daishonin gosho (Chronological Compilation of Nichiren Daishonin’s Writings), p. 1729. ↩︎
- In 1298, 16 years after the death of Nichiren Daishonin, Nikko Shonin appointed six main disciples. These are known as the six elder disciples of Nikko. In 1332, a year before his own death, he appointed another six main disciples. These are known as the six new disciples of Nikko. ↩︎
- Translated from Japanese. Cao Zhi, So Shoku (Cao Zhi), translated and annotated by Masafumi Ito (Tokyo: Iwanani Shoten, 1962), p. 105. ↩︎
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