GRATITUDE & APPRECIATION INCREASES OUR GOOD FORTUNE

GRATITUDE & APPRECIATION INCREASES OUR GOOD FORTUNE

Ikeda: You can’t expect to get paid a salary unless you work. Similarly, in Buddhism, our prayers are answered only to the extent that we exert ourselves to realize the Buddha’s wish for the happiness of all humanity. The Gohonzon (Mystic Law) has no obligation to answer our prayers. It hasn’t asked us to chant to it. We request the privilege of being allowed to pray to the Gohonzon. If we have such a sense of gratitude and appreciation, our prayers will be answered more quickly.

Ueda: A member has asked a question that seems related to that point : `Why are some prayers unfulfilled ? Do those unrealized prayers also contribute to our personal growth ?’

Ikeda: There are times when our prayers seem to take an age to be fulfilled, or when they remained unrealized despite our most impassioned daimoku. But the important thing to remember is to keep chanting until they are answered. Our continued daimoku gives us a chance to take a good hard look at ourselves, while also leading to positive changes in our daily lives. It’s like work – you get a job and go to work the first day, but you don’t get paid right away. Or it’s like gardening – you plant a sapling and water it every day, but it still takes a long time for it to grow into a tall tree.

Kimura: There’s an old Japanese saying about time and patience : `Peaches and chestnuts take three years to bear fruit, and persimmons take eight.’

CONSPICUOUS AND INCONSPICUOUS BENEFIT

Ikeda: The benefit we receive as a result of chanting to the Gohonzon is comprised of both conspicuous and inconspicuous benefit. Conspicuous benefit refers to such instances of benefit where we are clearly protected in times of trouble and able to find a speedy solution to a problem we’re facing. Inconspicuous benefits, meanwhile, are like the sapling growing into a mighty tree. We accumulate good fortune little by little and this manifests itself gradually over time. In life, it is the inconspicuous benefits that matter most. Conspicuous benefits may help in a pinch, but what really counts in life is coming out on top in the long run.

Ueda: So it can take an age for inconspicuous benefit to manifest in a visible, concrete form, can’t it?

Ikeda: Yes. With regular watering each day, a sapling steadily grows into a solid and sturdy tree. With diligent application every day, you can progress gradually in your studies. All good things are the result of, incremental efforts.

Kimura: Buddhism is the law of life, so all of its teachings accord with reason and the principles of the universe, don’t they ?

Ikeda: Yes. Just because we’ve prayed for something doesn’t mean that we’ll automatically get it. But even if our prayers are not immediately answered, if we keep chanting every day, we are creating the causes for a momentous positive change in the future. Without exception, you will look back and say to yourself that things worked out for the best.

Kimura: That’s why it is so important to keep chanting every day, isn’t it ?

Ikeda: Many factors are at work when it comes to our prayers being realized. But by chanting sincerely with those prayers in our heart, we can correct our life’s orbit and move in a more positive direction. Our prayers have a far-reaching impact on our lives. Though you may chant to do well in your studies, for example, the effect of your prayers will extend much further, rippling across the whole spectrum of your life. When all is said and done, to have the desire to sit in front of the Gohonzon and chant daimoku is very important. It is an -- expression of one’s determination to improve oneself. That spirit is important. That spirit is the proof of our humanity, an -- expression of the noble spirit to accomplish something with our lives.

Source: Discussions on youth, between SGI President Ikeda and Soka Gakkai high school division chiefs Hidenobu Kimura (young men’s chief) and Yoshiko Ueda (young women’s chief), representing the members of the high school division.