Now Is the Time to Study the Supreme Philosophy of Life (Part 1)

The Soka Gakkai’s study movement is in exact accord with these instructions. Study is a crucial element of our Buddhist practice, aimed at enabling each person to attain absolute happiness. It also serves as the driving force of our spiritual struggle to firmly establish in society the principles for bringing goodness and peace to the world.

Those who take Buddhist study seriously develop a broad and expansive state of mind and brim with infinite hope for the future. Those who spurn Buddhist study, on the other hand, consign themselves to a benighted state of egoism and arrogance, turning away from a life of joy and true inner happiness. This is what I have seen happen.

The spiritual giant Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910) wrote in his diary in his later years: “An effort at thought is like a seed out of which a huge tree will grow; it is invisible. But out of it will grow visible changes in the lives of [human beings].”^[2] Those taking study exams may sometimes have time to go over the Daishonin’s writings only in moments snatched from their busy schedules of work, school or family commitments, often while fighting off tiredness and exhaustion. Such modest, continued exertions, however, contain an enormous “effort at thought” that will give rise to a “huge tree” of human revolution beyond anything we could imagine. 

The warm support and encouragement of seniors in faith who are assisting those sitting for study exams are also truly noble and admirable. As Nichiren Daishonin writes: “All the various teachings of the Buddha are spread by persons. … If the Law that one embraces is supreme, then the person who embraces it must accordingly be foremost among all others” (“Embracing the Lotus Sutra,” WND-1, 61). Those who study and propagate the greatest philosophy in the world are the foremost treasures contributing to the happiness of humanity.

Next year (2008) has been designated the Year of Capable People and Development in the Soka Gakkai, and study exams are the training ground where such capable people are fostered and the foundations for development are solidified. As the French thinker Joseph Joubert (1754–1824) observed: “To teach is to learn twice.”^[3]One of Nichiren Daishonin’s writings in the study materials for the upcoming exam, “Letter from Sado,” closes with the postscript: “I want people with seeking minds to meet and read this letter together for encouragement” (“Letter from Sado,” WND-1, 306). Here, the Daishonin clearly states his wish that his disciples will gather together and read his writings. When both new and long-standing members, reading and studying the Gosho together, create a groundswell leading to a growth in capable people and the development of our movement, they are carrying out noble actions in accord with the Daishonin’s intent. 

The Austrian writer Stefan Zweig (1881–1942) wrote: “It is in action that a thought becomes genuinely alive. A faith proves itself real in the form of a public [declaration].”^[4] Action is also the heart of Buddhist study in the Soka Gakkai. 

The young men’s division was established on July 11, 1951. Four days later, at the directive of my mentor, second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda, I traveled to the Tohoku Region^[5] to participate in Sendai Chapter discussion meetings and other gatherings. Through lectures on “Letter from Sado,” “Reply to the Lay Nun Nichigon” and other writings, we studied and discussed the truths of Buddhism together. One of my most gratifying “memories of my present life in this human world” (see “Embracing the Lotus Sutra,” WND-1, 64) is that many of the guests who attended the meetings at that time decided to begin practicing Nichiren Buddhism and joined the Soka Gakkai. 

I was 23 and just an ordinary young men’s division group leader. Interacting with the other young people there, I told them: “Just the other day, the young men’s division was established in Tokyo. The time has come for young people to arise and take action!” 

In September 1951, just two months later, I was put in charge of giving Gosho lectures in Kawagoe District—part of Shiki Chapter in Saitama Prefecture—in my capacity as a study department lecturer. At the time of the summer campaign in Sapporo (in 1955) and the Osaka Campaign (in 1956), my early morning Gosho lectures to the members also created a powerful rhythm of steady and solid progress that led to victory after victory. All of the triumphs that I shared with my mentor Josei Toda during the first act of kosen-rufu were achieved through basing ourselves on the Gosho. Let us make the second act of kosen-rufu, too, a time when all members lead ever-victorious lives inspired by the joy of studying the Gosho.

To strive with the spirit 
of not begrudging one’s life 
as the Daishonin teaches
is the way for all to attain Buddhahood
without exception.

Living without philosophy is just having the eyes closed without trying to open them.”^[6] These are the words of the great French philosopher René Descartes (1596–1650). 

I studied the Gosho on a daily basis under Mr. Toda’s thoroughgoing instruction. Indelibly engraved in my life are his profound comments on the passage “now is the last moment of one’s life” (WND-1, 216) from the Daishonin’s writing “The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life.” What this passage teaches us above all, he said, is that we should strive in faith in such a way that we can feel confident of attaining Buddhahood, whenever our death might come. He further explained: “The purpose of our Buddhist practice is to attain Buddhahood in this lifetime. Whether we succeed in doing so or not depends upon the total accumulation of our thoughts, positive and negative, and our actions, taken and not taken, in each passing moment of life. Faith is not a matter of observing specific formalities. It is living each moment to the fullest.”

Mr. Toda also said: 

“Now is the last moment of one’s life” (WND-1, 216) can also be read to mean “now is the last moment of the Buddha’s life.” The Buddha is not necessarily always alive. That’s why it’s important to earnestly seek the way now, so that you have no regrets when you can no longer directly encounter the Buddha. You need to imbue your practice with the solemn awareness that “now is the last moment.” 

He further sternly stated: “If you think you’ll always have the opportunity to hear your mentor’s teachings, you’re very much mistaken!”

I listened to these words of his with a surge of the most powerful emotion. I felt simultaneously a great honor and a tremendous responsibility to support Mr. Toda with utter commitment and dedication. And to this day, carrying on a conversation with him at the deepest level of my being, I continue to exert myself in the two ways of practice and study for the sake of kosen-rufu.

Mr. Toda often declared to us with deep conviction: “Strangely enough, if you master the Gosho, you’ll find it easier to read everything else. You’ll also be able to make clear decisions about your life. Therefore, you’ll never be stuck or deadlocked.” This is very true. 

Buddhism teaches us the principles for achieving absolute victory in life. It is a teaching that enables us to change our karma and change poison into medicine. It is a philosophy of hope based on the concept of human revolution. This is my conclusion as Mr. Toda’s direct disciple who, through the course of six decades of practice, has emerged victorious from countless momentous trials and tribulations.

The Swiss philosopher Carl Hilty (1833–1909) wrote, “All genuinely fruitful philosophies that belong to the enduring spiritual legacy of humankind are born from adversity.”^[7]

April 11, 2025 World Tribune, pp. 2–3