Importance of Soka Gakkai

Importance of Soka Gakkai

Mr Toda used to say that the Soka Gakkai is an organization functioning in accord with the Buddha's intent, and even called it 'Soka Gakkai Buddha'. 

By taking kosen-rufu as our personal mission and uniting with our fellow members, we become a part of 'Soka Gakkai Buddha' and open the way to realizing indestructible happiness. 

"I hope that all of you will remain in this wonderful organization of the Soka Gakkai, and confidently continue to forge ahead on the great path of human revolution". 

The correct practice of Nichiren Buddhism is found only in the Soka Gakkai. Shinichi was firmly convinced that it was by practicing within the Soka Gakkai that one could enjoy the benefits of faith, fundamentally transform one's life state and attain Buddhahood in this lifetime. 

Lastly, he said let's continue to study the Daishonin's writings and base ourselves on the Gosho. When we look at everything from the perspective of faith in the light of the Gosho, there is nothing to fear."

Daisaku Ikeda  - VC Dec 2017

THE GREAT VOW

THE GREAT VOW

This Great Vow is the vow to pledge one’s life for kosen-rufu.

The Daishonin stated that when his disciples make the Great Vow for kosen-rufu, they will without fail be able “to enter an eternal and unsurpassed way of being” (The Hope-filled Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, 148). In other words, they will experience the state of Buddhahood—a state that will be theirs to enjoy and experience for eternity, i.e., one can experience the state of Buddhahood moment after moment.

On the occasion of the opening of the Hall of the Great Vow for Kosen-rufu, which heralded the New Era of Worldwide Kosen-rufu, Ikeda Sensei gave us a clear guideline:

The heart of the great vow for kosen-rufu and the life state of Buddhahood are one and the same. Therefore, when we dedicate our lives to this vow, we can bring forth the supreme nobility, strength and greatness of our lives…. When we wholeheartedly strive to realize this vow, the “poison” of even the most difficult challenge can be transformed into “medicine” and karma transformed into mission. (VC, Jan 2014, 30)

Thus, every time doubt creeps in, uncertainty engulfs, worry overwhelms, we need to go back to this litmus test of whether our vow for kosen-rufu is intact. And every time we re-confirm this vow, we further deepen our roots and establish the world of Buddhahood within us. One will experience a surge of joy that enables one to look at one’s problems “as dust before the wind” and fills one with the determination to prove the greatness of the Mystic Law. These very moments of challenge thus become profound opportunities to establish one’s reputation as the votary of the Lotus Sutra.

Source: Value Creation, Aug 2016

KEY POINTS IN FAITH

KEY POINTS IN FAITH

by Jeanny Chen

I would like to share with you the few key points that I have learned and applied during my years of practice. They have enabled me to achieve great results. It’s not my intention to brag about money or show off in any way. My sole reason is to illustrate concretely the results I have been able to create through my practice to the Gohonzon.

1. FAITH

With that said, let’s begin with the first of the ten key points, Faith. Nichiren Daishonin says in ‘The Strategy of the Lotus Sutra’: “No matter how earnestly Nichiren prays for you, if you lack faith, it will be like trying to set fire to wet tinder” (WND, pp. 1000-001). It’s important that we develop our faith. For some of us, this doesn’t come quickly or easily. There are several things we can do to strengthen our faith.

We can practice vigorously to get results or benefits.

We can attend SGI discussion meetings and listen to other’s experiences.

We can study SGI publications to deepen our understanding of Buddhism.

We can connect with seniors in faith to receive encouragement and advice.

The benefits of the Gohonzon are expansive, infinite and know no bounds

2. Have a purpose in life or MISSION

We sometimes think that suffering must be our mission. But because we suffer, we are willing to put effort into practicing this Buddhism. As long as we practice correctly and earnestly, we will realize benefits and overcome our difficulties. Such experiences strengthen our faith and enable us to show actual proof. As a result, we will have the desire and the credibility to introduce this Buddhism to others. Thus, we fulfill our mission of propagating this Buddhism. In order to spread this Buddhism, we need hundreds of millions of people showing actual proof, each under different circumstances. It’s not only a handful of practitioners who got lucky and enjoy benefits from this practice. Everyone can!

What’s our mission in Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism?

The first mission is to become happy oneself.

The second mission is to help others become happy, which is what we call Kosenrufu or world peace.

It’s very important to support our mentor SGI President Ikeda and the SGI’s mission of peace, culture and education and also to help develop capable ad positive successors for the 21st century.

I would like to share a story with you. After having fulfilled my personal financial goals in my third year of practice, I was able to retire. As a newly immigrated Chinese, my English was very weak, and I thought that would prevent me from doing anything significant. Rather than being frustrated by my poor English language ability, I chanted to be able to do something to create value with my resource as a Chinese speaker. Shortly thereafter, I found myself writing Chinese newsletters for my friends and for a boy-scout troop that consisted of a hundred Chinese boys. I then wrote for a Chinese school with 1,000 students. I decided to help those places that others were not taking a great interest in.

I used the high life condition, wisdom and joy derived from my chanting to write in a humanistic and humorous style. Although I did not mention Buddhism, I was able to bring joy to my readers and generate heart to heart bonds with them. When I finished writing the newsletters, my friends gave me a lamp as a gift. They all signed a thank-you card saying “Jeanny, you are like a lamp. You turn yourself on and shine on others” In the Chinese school, I got the nickname of “super glue” between the school and the parents. That was my way of doing Kosenrufu when I was not yet capable of actually sharing the philosophy of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism with others.

I chanted for the wisdom to find my unique strength or ability – something that I could develop as my own mission in society. I assigned myself a mission when I saw an opportunity. When we have a sense of mission for Kosenrufu from the bottom of our hearts, not just out of formality, our goals will be fulfilled.

One more important aspect about mission is the concept of Soka Spirit. The intent of Soka Spirit is to allow us to attain Buddhahood through overcoming the evil that tries to destroy the Kosenrufu movement and prevent the happiness of each individual. President Ikeda recently said that no one should be a bystander at this critical time. We all need to be part of the battle.

3. Have a GOAL

In Learning from the Gosho: ‘The Eternal Teachings of Nichiren Daishonin, President Ikeda quotes the Chinese Buddhist teacher T’ien T’ai, “’the heart is like a skilled painter.’” President Ikeda writes that, “We should paint this vision of our lives in our hearts as specifically as possible. This ‘painting’ becomes the design for our future.” To set the design for our own future, here, means to set goals – our personal goals, goals for other’s happiness and goals for the SGI peace movement.

We often hear that goals should be specific and detailed. We can set bold, ambitious goals. The more impossible they are, the more rewarding they become when we reach them. We can also set goals that we feel comfortable with. Basically, we set goals to overcome hardship and create value.

Here, I would like to share with you the experience of my Daimoku campaign for my husband’s career. Two years after I retired from work, I had accumulated enough wisdom to realize that I had to do something very seriously about my husband’s career if I wanted enjoy life from then on. I wanted him to become successful and to get rid of financial worries once and for all so that I could fully devote my time to helping others. Next, I wanted to pay him in return for his love. In addition, I wanted to show tremendous actual proof in order to spread this Buddhism more effectively.

In other words, I wanted to be able to stay home and not have to go back to work. I was having a good time staying at home for two years! A lot of women and young women like that idea, too! In last year’s study conference, there was a man who wanted to chant for his wife to become successful, so that he could stay at home. There’s no sex discrimination in Buddhism, so please go for it!

I wanted people to appreciate my husband’s ability so that he could succeed and advance in his career. I set a very high target, which I could never even have imagined if I was not practicing this Buddhism. I went into great detail as to “how”, “what” and “why” he should be incredibly successful. I did not set the “when” because it was my first huge goal. I did not have the guts to set a time limit. Besides, I was ready to chant for as long as it took. I also chanted for our relationship – our love, health, growth and his happiness.

It took me three million Daimoku over eighteen months to reach these goals. The result was my husband’s career went far beyond my wildest dreams. It came true exactly as I prayed, every step, every detail. His ability, experience and capacity in his field are the “internal causes” from the Buddhist concept of “Ten Factors”. But for years, he could not find the right opportunity to use them. My goal, my determination and my prayer became an “external cause” which led him to the right path at the right time. This is how our practice works. More importantly, our relationship, our love was truly able to grow stronger with each day.

You may wonder how a person can love another more and more each day. Of course we can; because the benefits of Gohonzon are expansive, infinite and know no bounds. The fulfillment of these goals proved to me that nothing is impossible with Gohonzon – nothing! Gohonzon is very powerful and creative. Please don’t be afraid to shoot for the moon! Set a goal and go for it!

DETERMINATION

We have to be determined to change, determined to never give up and determined to take the correct action now!

Let’s talk about determining to change. It means to do Human Revolution. It’s important to shift our fundamental life tendency in order to change our destiny and our karma. If we don’t, we’ll just repeat the same life pattern. For instance, when we repeatedly face a similar situation, we will again respond with a similar attitude and a similar action. We literally create the same type of result for ourselves. We need to chant for the wisdom to recognize our shortcomings and weak points and for the strength to take action to change them. We have to painstakingly drag ourselves away from our old pattern and look at things from a different angle. We shouldn’t indulge ourselves.

4. NEVER GIVE UP

Now, let’s talk about never giving up. Once we set our goals there’s no turning back. There’s no “what if”. I don’t want to compromise. I don’t take “no” for an answer. I will be as stubborn as I can to stick to my goals. This is the best opportunity for me to demonstrate how stubborn I am!

But how do we hang in there? It’s so hard! We have to refresh our resolve daily through morning and evening prayers and chanting as much as we can. We have to keep our life-condition high by attending SGI activities regularly.

When I chant, I try not to focus on my suffering. I ignore it and live peacefully with it. I keep in my mind my focused determination and the final goal. No matter what the reality of the situation seems to be, no matter what anyone else thinks or says, I hold in to my goal unwaveringly and pray to Gohonzon for it.

I look at the process of my Daimoku campaign to reach my goal like tough training to forge, distill, develop and transform myself. It’s to prepare myself for the harvest. If we are not ready, we won’t enjoy the ultimate benefit of our goals. We have to be patient as we single-mindedly chant for our goals. No matter how long it takes, no matter how hard it is, we will keep chanting till we get there. And we will get there!

5. DAIMOKU

Key number five is Daimoku: chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo. Besides morning and evening prayers, we have to chant as much as possible.

Abundant prayer is the key. President Ikeda has spoken time and again about the importance of Daimoku. Some of the quotes I remember are: “There’s no greater strategy than the Lotus Sutra.” “Chant so even your face will glow.” “Let’s always advance with Daimoku first. There’s no way that your life cannot change.”

There’s a motto I used during my Daimoku campaign for my husband’s success in his career: “Chant Daimoku that shakes the universe!” What it should really be is chant Daimoku that shakes your own life from its foundation that’s connected to the universe.

When we chant, we chant with a penetrating heart and with very deep resolve, thinking that this is a matter of do or die, life or death. And this is the only chance in our life.

When we chant with others, it helps us develop a strong rhythm. But we should also have a self-motivated practice. We can’t always depend on other members for support. We may want to chant several hours or more for major goals. We can build up to it, bit by bit. But if we don’t even start, we’ll never get to the point where we can chant several hours a day when we have a big emergency. The key point is for Daimoku to be joyful, not obligatory. We need to chant until we feel satisfied. Striving to chant Daimoku is an expression of our strong determination. If I don’t have a job and can chant for many hours a day, it may not necessarily be striving. But if you have a full time job, family, responsibility etc. and you manage to chant as much as possible, that’s striving.

When I was really fighting for something during the crucial campaign in my life, I made chanting my first priority. I put all leisure activities on the back burner and totally devoted myself to my Daimoku campaign. During my campaign for my husband’s career, my friend would call me and invite me to daytime parties or to go shopping. I told them I was busy. They had no idea why I was busy. I did not have a job, but I treaded chanting to reach my goal as my one and only responsibility, besides taking care of my family. Nothing else mattered. Nothing else was important.

We chant, we can see the outcome vividly with all our senses, see it happen before our very eyes. We even feel the joy and excitement of the fulfillment of our goals. It’s important that we constantly reassure ourselves during our Daimoku campaign by reading quotes from Nichiren Daishonin and President Ikeda’s guidance. We can also use the experience of other people to inspire us.

When I was chanting for my husband’s career, I learned the story of Victor Frankle. He was held captive in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II. He wanted to escape from the camp so that he could share his experience with the world. While out in the yard one day, he saw a pile of dead bodies all without clothes. From that moment, he started to plan his escape. The next time he was in the yard was his chance. He waited until dark, took off his clothes and dove into the pile of corpses, disguised as a dead man. Later on, the pile was dumped outside the camp. From there he ran fifty miles to freedom. Imagine his captors when they discovered he had escaped, they must have been hunting for him. He had no clothes on, no water or food. It was a very dangerous and harsh situation. Yet he made it! And now he has shared his experience through his books and his story has moved people all over the world.

Ever since I learned of his story, I compared my daily hours of chanting to his running fifty miles. Here I am chanting in the comfort of my home. It was much more delightful than running fifty miles under his circumstances. “If he could make it, I am going to make it too. And I’m going to tell people my experience!” From then on, I would run fifty miles in my mind every time I chanted. Each Nam Myoho Renge Kyo was like a step closer to my goal.

We need a profound prayer when we chant, but remember, no begging. Always pray to Gohonzon that you have determined to reach your goal, no matter what! Because we have different mission and different karma, we will get different results at different speeds. But one thing we can be sure of is that if we put forth a ten per cent effort, we will realize a ten percent result. When we put forth 100 per cent effort, we certainly will harvest a 100 per cent result.

Why You Don’t Always Get What You Want?

Why You Don’t Always Get What You Want?

Let’s say you’ve set a goal for a new house. You’ve begun to chant about it. Do you find your thinking going like this?

I want a new house.

I doubt I can get it.

I want a new house but I don’t think I can afford it.

I want a new house in this lovely neighborhood.

My significant other says that isn’t realistic in view of my history.

And so it goes….

When you set the goal, you have started the process of attracting it to you. Your goal is the thought that is going to draw and shape that universal life-energy and bring it into your world. If you have thoughts that doubt you can get it, or say you can’t afford it, it’s as though you’ve held up your palm and told the universe to slow down.

President Ikeda says, “When your determination changes, everything will begin to move in the direction you desire. The moment you resolve to be victorious, every nerve and fiber in your being will immediately orient itself towards your success". On the other hand if you think, “This is never going to work out,” then in that instant every cell in your being will be deflated and give up the fight. Then everything really will move in the direction of failure. Faith into action, P. 108-109.

Keep Giving Attention to What You Want

Maybe your goal feels like too big a stretch and you don’t believe you can get there. Don’t give up. Take the first step towards your goal. Look at houses on the internet. As you look at the beautiful homes, let yourself dwell on what you want. Flesh it out in detail. Give attention to what you want. That attention continues to strengthen the desire. Brush away any thoughts to the contrary and turn your attention back to what you want.

Develop the Details

As you dream about your perfect house, add in the special details that would make it your home. Allow yourself to become excited about it. Know there will be the perfect house for you when the time is right.

Don’t keep Looking at the Defects in Your Old House

You’ve been living with what you don’t want. That’s why you decided to set the new goal. Don’t continue to look at the defects in the old house over and over to explain why you want a new one. When you keep giving attention to them, you are creating more of the same. Focus your mind on what you want and brush away what you don’t want. This is not always easy and often requires practice.

What is Being Realistic?

My significant other says I’m not being realistic in view of my history. Being realistic to him/her means looking at conditions as they have been in the past. If you continue to look at what-has -been, that is what you will continue to create. What you give your attention to, grows. Don’t you want to create a new reality, something new? To do that, you must keep your attention on what you want to have happen, the something new.

The Material World is More Changeable than You Think

You often think that the way life looks on the surface it is the reality. When you do this you are forgetting that all of life at the quantum level is vibration and shaped by thought. It only looks immovable. But that’s not the reality. When you persist with your thought and stay focused on what you want the “immovable conditions of life” will give way to the new creation.

You Set the Goal: Let the Gohonzon Handle How to Get There

It’s your job to set the goal. It is the job of the Gohonzon to take care of how you are going to get there. When you decide how it is going to happen, you set road blocks in the way of the universe doing its job. When you open your mind to all the possibilities, you may well be completely surprised by what develops, sometimes things you would never have imagined.

An Experience

My husband and I bought a fixer upper and turned it into our dream home. Next to us was a house owned by an out-0f-state landlord who was letting the house deteriorate. The renters went from a nice family to multiple renters, one couple with substance abuse problems and a nurse in training.

We chanted that the house would be bought by someone who would fix it up and make a nice home of it. For several months, nothing happened. We could have looked at what was and decided that we couldn’t influence it. Instead, we persisted chanting with our vision in mind. I remember saying to my husband that only an explosion would change the situation there. We just couldn’t see how our goal could happen.

One day, there was an explosion. The nurse, collected the rent, and left town to consult with his aunt, a real estate attorney. The landlord arrived two days later in a high temper. It turned out the nurse had put the rent in escrow until the landlord fixed electrical problems, which were in danger of causing a fire. The landlord harassed everyone. When the nurse returned he slapped the landlord with a restraining order which forbade him to come around the house or talk to anyone involved. We had the landlord sitting on the wall in front of our house glaring at the nurse playing his guitar on the front step of his house at 1 A.M. Then we heard rumors of court action. In the space of three days, everyone left the house.

Nothing happened for six months, while we continued to chant, our vision in mind. Then one day, Scott drove in. He was a contractor, and had bought the house with the intention of fixing it up and selling it. He turned that house into a beautiful family home and then sold it to a man who has been an outstanding landlord, who rented it to a nice family. Anything is possible!!!

Summary:

1. Remember your thoughts are the builder. They form that life force/energy into what you envision.

2. Look at what you want, not what you don’t want.

3. Practice getting rid of negative thoughts by returning your attention to what you want.

4. Don’t worry about being realistic. That is only what-has-been and you don’t want to continue to create the same old thing.

5. What appears unchangeable is an illusion. Everything can be changed when we turn our thought energy to it and chant about it.

6. Be open that it can happen in ways you can’t imagine. Don’t tie down the creativity of the universe by structuring ‘how’ it is going to happen.

7. Set a goal and try the experiment.

An article by Margaret Blaine

What is love ? By Daisaku Ikeda

What is love ?

By Daisaku Ikeda

  

The agonies of love are many and varied. Each person has their own character and personality; they have different backgrounds and circumstances. So there is no set rule that applies equally to everyone . . . When a person dates is also a matter of personal choice. No one has any right to meddle in your private affairs.

  

However, I would like to stress at the outset how important it is not to lose sight of pursuing your own personal development.

Love should be a force that helps you expand your life and bring forth your innate potential with fresh and dynamic vitality. That is the ideal but, as the saying "Love is blind" illustrates, people often lose all objectivity when they fall in love.

If the relationship you're in is causing your parents to worry, or making you neglect your studies or engage in destructive behavior, then you and the person you're seeing are only being a negative influence and hindrance to each other. Neither of you will be happy if you both just end up hurting each other.

If you are neglecting the things you should be doing, forgetting your purpose in life because of the relationship you're in, then you're on the wrong path. A healthy relationship is one in which two people encourage each other to reach their respective goals while sharing each other's hopes and dreams. A relationship should be a source of inspiration, invigoration and hope.

Love is a complex matter that is a reflection of each person's attitude and philosophy toward life. That is why I believe people shouldn't get involved in relationships lightly.

The bottom line is that, without respect, no relationship will last for very long, nor will two people be able to bring out the best in each other.

Rather than becoming so love-struck that you create a world where only the two of you exist, it is much healthier to learn from those aspects of your partner that you respect and admire, and continue to make efforts to improve and develop yourself. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the author of The Little Prince, once wrote, "Love is not two people gazing at each other, but two people looking ahead together in the same direction." It follows then that relationships last longer when both partners share similar values and beliefs.

Furthermore, please don't succumb to the view that love is the be-all and end-all, deluding yourself that as long as you are in love, nothing else matters. Nor, I hope, will you buy into the misguided notion that sinking ever deeper into a painful and destructive relationship is somehow cool.

All too often when a relationship ends, the great passion it once inspired seems nothing more than an illusion. The things you learn through studying, on the other hand, are much more permanent. It is important, therefore, that you never extinguish the flame of your intellectual curiosity.

Far too many people nip their own brilliant promise in the bud because of their blind pursuit of love.

Much of daily life tends to be ordinary and unexciting. Making steady efforts day-to-day can be trying. It's not always going to be fun. But, when you fall in love, life seems filled with drama and excitement; you feel like the leading character in a novel.

But if you lose yourself in love just because you're bored, and consequently veer from the path you should be following, then love is nothing more than escapism. What you are doing is retreating into a dream world, believing that what is only an illusion is actually real.

Even if you try to use love as an escape, the fact is that the euphoria is unlikely to last for long. If anything, you may only find yourself with even more problems along with a great deal of pain and sadness. However much you may try, you can never run away from yourself. If you remain weak, suffering will only follow you wherever you go. You will never find happiness if you don't change yourself from within. Happiness is not something that someone else, like a lover, for instance, can give to you. You have to achieve it for yourself. And the only way to do so is by developing your own character and capacity as a human being; by fully maximizing your potential. If you sacrifice your own growth and talent for love, you will absolutely not find happiness. True happiness is obtained through fully realizing your own potential.

  

I would also like to add that to embark on a relationship as an escape from something is extremely disrespectful to both your partner and yourself.

Each of you has a precious mission that only you can fulfill . To neglect one's mission and seek only personal pleasure is a sign of selfishness. It is impossible for an egotistic, self-centered individual to truly love another person.

On the other hand, if you genuinely love someone, then through your relationship with them, you can develop into a person whose love extends to all humanity. Such a relationship serves to strengthen, elevate and enrich the inner realm of your life. Ultimately, the relationships you form are a reflection of your own state of life. The same is true of friendship. Only to the extent that you polish yourself now can you hope to develop wonderful bonds of the heart in the future.

With some people, however, once they have gotten into a relationship, they have a hard time saying "no" to the other person for fear of losing them. In that respect, love is like riding in a car with no brakes. Sometimes, even if you want to get out, you can't; even if you regret having gotten in, the car won't stop. In many cases, people get involved in a relationship thinking they are free and independent, but at some point find they have become captive to the relationship.

Each one of you is infinitely precious. Therefore, I hope you will treat yourself with utmost respect. Please don't follow a path that will cause you suffering, but take the road that is best for your well-being.

The truth is, ideal love is fostered only between two sincere, mature and independent people. It is essential, therefore, that you work on polishing yourself first.

It is demeaning to be constantly seeking your partner's approval. Such a relationship is bereft of real caring, depth or even love. If you find yourself in a relationship where you are not treated the way your heart tells you you should be, I hope you will have the courage and dignity to decide that you are better off risking being scorned by your partner than enduring an unhappy relationship.

Real love is not two people clinging to each other; it can only be fostered between two strong people secure in their individuality. A shallow person will only have shallow relationships. If you want to experience real love, it is important to first sincerely develop a strong self-identity. True love is not about doing whatever the other person wants you to do or pretending you are something you're not. If someone genuinely loves you, they will not force you to do anything against your will nor embroil you in some dangerous activity.

Please have the confidence and fortitude to think to yourself when you face rejection: "It's their loss if they can't appreciate how wonderful I am!" This is the kind of resilient spirit you must strive to cultivate.

Please don't let a broken heart discourage you. Tell yourself that you're not so weak or fragile as to let such a minor thing bring you down. You may think there is no one who could possibly compare to that person, but how will they compare to the next hundred, the next thousand, the next ten thousand people you will meet? You cannot declare with certainty that there will not be others who far surpass them. As you yourself grow, the way you look at people will change as well.

I'm sure quite a few among you have had your hearts broken or been badly hurt, and perhaps feel unable to go on, your self-esteem in tatters. But you must never believe that you are worthless. There is no substitute for you who are more precious than all the treasures in the universe gathered together.

It is important for you to become strong. For if you are strong, even your sadness will become a source of nourishment, and the things that make you suffer will purify your life.

Only when you experience the crushing, painful depths of suffering can you begin to understand the true meaning of life. Precisely because you have experienced great suffering, it is imperative that you go on living. The important thing is to keep moving forward. If you use your sadness as a source of growth, you will become a person of greater depth and breadth--an even more wonderful you.

Excerpted from Discussions on Youth Vol. 1(SGI-USA, 1998)