Good morning everyone!
I have just offered prayers to the Gohonzon for world peace together with
all of you. Aside from this, I have also prayed for all your further happiness
and safety. Moreover, I have also prayed for more good fortune, safety
and development of your respective families.
Now, August 24 this year is truly an auspicious day since that is the day when Ikeda-Sensei will be celebrating his 61st anniversary of becoming a member of the Soka Gakkai.
Come to think of it, Sensei first met with Mentor Toda on August 14, 1947
at a discussion meeting at Miyake's residence in Tokyo where more than
20 people gathered to hear the lecture about On Establishing the Correct
Teaching for the Peace of the Land.
During the question and answer session, Mentor Toda received the following questions from Sensei:
1) What is the correct way of living?
2) What kind of person is a true patriot?
3) What is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo?
4) What is your opinion of the emperor?
Mentor Toda
then appealed the actual practice of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism of thoroughly
and eternally saving a single noble
person and further, saving the country by making a clear reply based on
his own experience of faith and his
experience
during incarceration.
Sensei sensed
Mentor Toda's sincerity and decided to follow and learn from him.
Then, 10 days
after that – on August 24, Sensei joined the Soka Gakkai. Later on, in
commemorating August 24, it became
the "Men's
Division Day". In either case, from then until today, Sensei has continuously
and devotedly struggled for the sake
of the happiness
of the members; for the sake of kosen-rufu and further, for the sake of
the happiness of all mankind.
Well, Sensei
gave the following guidance at the Headquarters Leaders Meeting last July
16:
"In anything
you do, to achieve victory, you must exert effort and chant daimoku. Only
by becoming so attached and
obsessed such
that you will be labeled a 'fanatic' will you be able to create history
that will shine forth in later generations. There
is no need to feel reserved. You must not leave behind regrets. Instead,
you must valiantly advance ever forward for the
sake of your parents and for the sake of your many friends. I am wholeheartedly
praying and awaiting for your radiant victory,
my youthful friends! There is no development with formalism. Leaders should
desperately and earnestly pray and
take thoroughgoing
actions by pondering what must be done in order to essentially advance
kosen-rufu. Even when getting
into contact with
fellow members, they should wholeheartedly praise, encourage and thank
them. First and foremost, you should
stand up yourself – for the sake of your mentor and for the sake of your
fellow members!"
Furthermore,
Sensei also mentioned this in The New Human Revolution: "The beauty
and strength of the Soka Gakkai are
to be found
in the way seniors in faith treasure and care for younger or newer members,
devoting themselves
wholeheartedly
to supporting, encouraging and nurturing them with utmost sincerity."
(TNHR, Early Spring 221)
As members
of SGI Philippines and for the sake of Philippine kosen-rufu, let us advance
by doing our utmost in our
endeavor for shakubuku effort cheerfully and in high spirits together with our General Director Roger Cabauatan and
Women's Division
Chief, Mrs. Rosita Ngo Dee!
Photo on the top: Flowers in Nagano (Photo by Daisaku Ikeda)
Copyright (c) 2006-2007, Soka Gakkai International of the Philippines,
All rights reserved.
