June is the month in which first Soka Gakkai president Tsunesaburo Makiguchi was born. Mr Makiguchi loved young people and himself lived with a youthful spirit throughout his life. In 1942, the year before he was imprisoned by Japan’s militarist government, he said that kosen-rufu must be advanced through the leadership of the youth. 

This year [2018], on 6 June, the anniversary of Mr Makiguchi’s birthday, reflecting on the indomitable spirit of this great mentor, my wife, Kaneko, and I visited Edogawa Ward, where I had worked actively in my youth to develop our movement for kosen-rufu.

There, we made our first visit to the Soka Gakkai Tokyo International Auditorium (opened in July 2012), a building that shines as a beautiful expression of our members’ sincerity. We were delighted to see an exhibition on the history of kosen-rufu in Edogawa, which brimmed with the members’ pride in being champions of faith.

Our Soka family in Edogawa is a model of both expanding Seikyo Shimbun readership and promoting the Soka Gakkai Study Department Introductory Exam.

At the auditorium, I did gongyo and chanted daimoku for my unforgettable friends of Tokyo’s Edogawa, Sumida, and Koto wards, especially those who created history together with me sixty-five years ago (in 1953), when we were in the young men’s division First Corps.

At that time, many of the young men worked late into the night in small local factories. Some were unable to receive a full education. All of them fought their hardest for kosen-rufu while grappling with various personal problems and difficulties. 

I was 25 years old then. Though I was constantly struggling with ill health, my spirits remained positive. I knew that we youth would lead the way for people everywhere, and that now was the time for us to study and spread the life-affirming philosophy of Nichiren Buddhism that contained the guiding principles for our activities. 

Whenever we gathered, I would begin by reading or having the members read from the Daishonin’s writings. I encouraged them to continue striving steadily and never give up. 

Studying the basics of Nichiren Buddhism develops our spiritual awareness as global citizenship...

As we persevered in our study of Nichiren Buddhism, we awakened to our noble mission and stood up proudly. Bringing forth our newly discovered potential, we went out and engaged others in dialogue with confidence and conviction. Through our efforts in the ‘two ways of practice and study’, (WND-1, p. 386) we developed our abilities as capable, first-rate youth leaders. 

Within a year, we easily surpassed our goal of achieving a First Corps membership of 1,000, which started out at 337, thus building a solid network of courageous Bodhisattvas of the Earth. We became a powerful driving force for the youthful Soka Gakkai.

On our way back to Shinanomachi on 6 June, our car drove over the Old Edo River in the rain and headed towards the Soka Gakkai Urayasu Peace Centre in neighbouring Chiba Prefecture. I thought about Mr Makiguchi’s pioneering efforts to spread the Daishonin’s teachings in Chiba, including a discussion meeting he attended in Ichikawa and a lecture he gave in Kamagaya. 

Learning that Gohonzon-conferral ceremonies were being held at the centre for two people who had been introduced by women’s division members, my wife and I sent daimoku from the car for them to lead lives of ever-increasing happiness.

My wife, who had travelled to Chiba numerous times as a young woman, said with a smile: ‘Today is Kanto Region Women’s Division Day, isn’t it?’ 

I wish to express my congratulations to all of you on the wonderful success of the Kanto Region General Meeting (held on 2 June) and praise the great fighting spirit of the members in Saitama, Chiba, Ibaraki, Gunma and Tochigi prefectures that has led to those areas’ tremendous development. 

The ‘Expedient Means’ (second) chapter of the Lotus Sutra, which we recite in our morning and evening gongyo, contains the lines: ‘The wisdom of the Buddhas is infinitely profound and immeasurable. The door to this wisdom is difficult to understand and difficult to enter.’ (LSOC2, p. 56) [In gongyo, the passage reads: ‘Sho-but chi-e. Jinjin muryo. Go chi-e mon. Nange nannyu.’]

This profound and difficult-to-grasp wisdom of the Buddha is contained in the single Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Nichiren Daishonin revealed this great teaching for the sake of all people in the Latter Day of the Law. 

Members filled with seeking spirit around the world are eagerly studying Nichiren Buddhism. Currently in Japan, many people, including new members and non-member friends, are studying hard for the introductory study exam, which will be held on 17 June. What a noble undertaking this is!

I would like to express my deep appreciation to all those who will sit for the exam, as well as everyone studying with them and supporting their efforts. 

The ‘Benefits of Responding with Joy’ (eighteenth) chapter of the Lotus Sutra describes the boundless benefits savoured by one who rejoices on hearing the Lotus Sutra preached. This is described through the concept of the ‘benefit of the fiftieth hearer’. (cf. LSOC18, pp. 286–91) When an individual stands up with joyous faith, they share their joy with another, who in turn shares their joy with yet another, and this process is repeated until that joy reaches the fiftieth person. The Lotus Sutra states that even the fiftieth person in that chain of propagation will receive great benefit.

The benefits of both sharing and hearing the Mystic Law are truly wonderful. In that sense, the benefits of those who share and teach Nichiren Buddhism, as well as those who hear and learn about it in preparation for the study exam are boundless beyond measure. 

I am aware that everyone is making time in their busy work and family schedules to study together. It is my sincerest wish that every minute and second of your time spent in this way will be filled with joy and bring you immense good fortune.

Today, our network championing a philosophy of peace and humanism is spreading hope throughout global society.

On 5 June [2018], the day before Mr Makiguchi’s birthday, the Argentine human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Adolfo Pérez Esquivel and I issued a joint appeal to the youth of the world. This took place in the eternal city of Rome. I was deeply moved to hear about the dynamic youth convention embodying the spirit of our appeal that was held there the following day. 

Incidentally, the illustration that accompanied The New Human Revolution instalment published in the Seikyo Shimbun this 6 June – which is also SGI-Europe Day [now called Day of Mentor and Disciple for Europe] – was a scene of Rome. 

Photo by Arthur Tsang

Just as we highlighted in our joint appeal, the fundamental goal in encouraging the global community to implement the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is to leave no one behind. What is needed now is a philosophical framework that strongly supports action in that direction. 

In this context, the role of faith-based organisations is noteworthy, because leaving no one behind is a daily commitment of religious practitioners. 

Nichiren Daishonin writes: ‘This Lotus Sutra…declares that all living beings can attain the Buddha way’ (WND-2, p. 27) – a passage that Mr Makiguchi underlined in his personal copy of the Daishonin’s writings.

Shakyamuni’s ultimate aim in preaching the Lotus Sutra was to enable all people to attain enlightenment. He taught that each of us possesses infinitely precious potential within us and that we can reveal and fully manifest it.

For the upcoming introductory study exam, members are studying the Daishonin’s writing ‘Winter Always Turns to Spring’. It contains the passage from the Expedient Means (second) chapter of the Lotus Sutra: ‘If there are those who hear the Law, then not a one will fail to attain Buddhahood.’ [LSOC2, p. 75] (WND-1, p. 536)

These words express the spirit to help every single person become happy. Here we find the teaching of hope that the world so earnestly yearns for and that enables all people to reveal their inherent dignity and potential. 

Studying the basics of Nichiren Buddhism develops our spiritual awareness as global citizenship and contributes to expanding the resilience of all humankind. 

The benefits of both sharing and hearing the Mystic Law are truly wonderful

In Mr Makiguchi’s copy of the Daishonin’s writings, he penned the question: ‘What is the mark of a genuine practitioner?’ 

One conclusion he came to after deeply pondering this was: ‘There is no such thing as a self-centred Buddha who only accumulates personal benefit and does not work for the well-being of others. Unless we carry out bodhisattva practice, we cannot attain Buddhahood.’ 

The words ‘votary (literally, “practitioner”) of the Lotus Sutra’ appear more than 300 times in the Daishonin’s writings, indicating the importance the Daishonin gave to practice and action.

Our young women’s division members, who celebrated the Day of the SGI Ikeda Kayo-kai on 4 June, are studying a special selection of thirty of the Daishonin’s writings as they joyfully build trust and friendship through dialogue with their friends. The members of the high school division, which marked the anniversary of its establishment on 7 June, the day after Mr Makiguchi’s birthday, are also studying Nichiren Buddhism with all their might and displaying remarkable growth. And our bright student division members, who will celebrate their group’s anniversary on 30 June, are also studying the Daishonin’s writings in earnest while doing their utmost to foster capable people and share Buddhism with their friends. 

Striving wholeheartedly in the two ways of practice and study is a Soka Gakkai tradition.●

(Translated from the 10 June 2018, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, the Soka Gakkai daily newspaper. SGI Newsletter No. 9985, 7 August 2018.)