Our young women's division members, whose lives sparkle with dazzling brilliance,
are the diamonds of Soka Gakkai. The realm of the Soka Gakkai and Nichiren
Daisonin's Buddhism is one where women are respected and valued to the
most.
(Photo & words by Daisaku Ikeda)
File 012: July 2007
Rio Grace M. Otara
(A member of the Human Light Group)
This month we interviewed Miss Rio Grace M. Otara, a member of the Human Light Group of SGI Philippines.
Her parents encountered this Buddhism when Miss Rio was two years old;
at that time, both of her parents were out of work and having a genuinely
distressed life in Mindanao. Miss Rio chanted daimoku together with her
parents and came to experience the gradual improvement in their lives.
When she was four years old, however, her family faced its greatest hardship
– the loss of her father. Despite their relatives’ great blame brought
upon her family for being Buddhists, they persevered this trying time through
their strong faith toward the Gohonzon and the protection and support from
all the SGI members.
Miss Rio has consistently showed her excellence in academics since elementary
school and is currently a student at the University of the Philippines
where she remarkably excels in academics and active as the representative
of her college as well as in other activities.
with Soka students
Q & A Interview
Q1. Please tell us about any SGI activity into which you have put most of your effort.
It is the Shakubuku meeting I used to attend when I was in Mindanao. Whenever a Shakubuku meeting was held, my mother would take me with her. At that time, there was no bus or any other transportation in our rural place, so we used to trace mountain paths to visit people.
In this meeting I would discuss articles from Pag-asa, the monthly magazine of SGI Philippines, and had dialogue with non-SGI members. Inviting guests and doing follow-up for their attendance was the most challenging part because people are oftentimes close-minded. They were either afraid to be punished by God or ridiculed by others if they started to believe in Buddhism. Through such struggles, I learned to have courage in explaining this Buddhism with candor, just as Sensei Ikeda encourages us to have courage in holding dialogue with people.
I also learned the importance to show the actual proof of my faith, or
stand out in my environment. Seeing the actual proof such as the good reputation
or background you have gained through the practice of faith, people will
believe you and tend to listen to what you have to say. I also would like
to add that this activity of the Shakubuku meeting had a great influence
on me to take up the course of social work in the university, which is
the practice of interacting with people to solve their problems, a similar
struggle being conducted with SGI activities.
Q2. Please share your favorite guidance of Sensei Ikeda and describe the
bond between Sensei and you.
My favorite guidance of Sensei goes like this:
Sensei said that young women should regard this lifetime as precious and be able to courageously declare, "I am noble and valuable. I don’t want to spend my youth
in a way that will cause me to have regrets, or will cast shadows
over my heart in the future. I want to
live life free from regrets so that I can say at the very end of my life:
I was happy, I was truly fulfilled. May I be
able to smile and declare, I have won!"
Ever since my father died, I considered Sensei Ikeda as a second father to me, because through his guidance, he continuously encourages and inspires me to go on. As a disciple of Sensei Ikeda, I am determined to merge my faith in Nichiren Buddhism and my profession as a social worker to effect positive changes in society, working with the less fortunate and the deprived sectors in this country. In other words, I would like to practice Sensei’s idea that “the world is yours to change” in my life and work, by stimulating people to accomplish something great in this lifetime – helping them feel good about themselves, inspiring them to tap their potentials and achieve their hopes for the present moment and their dreams in the future.
Q3. Please tell us about your personal dream for future or your aspirations
in life. I would like to develop the Young Women Division members in my province, and, in order to show actual proof of my faith, I also would like to be successful in my career of social work, helping both my family and other people. Last but not least, through this wonderful faith, I would like to repay my debt of gratitude to my mother, who has been working so hard for me and my siblings.
