Soka Gakkai Foundation Commemorative Gongyo Meeting (November 18,
2008)
Yasunori Takimoto
(SGI Vice President)
Good evening everyone!
I would like to sincerely thank you all for participating in today's November
18 Soka Gakkai Foundation Commemorative Gongyo Meeting!
Well, as you all are very well aware of, and as has been explained in detail
awhile ago by our General Director Cabauatan, 78 years ago today in November
18, 1930, two persons: Soka Gakkai first president Tsunesaburo Makiguchi
and later-to-be second president Josei Toda founded Soka Kyoiku Gakkai,
the forerunner organization of Soka Gakkai.
From that day on, the organization faced persecution after persecution
- in exact accord with the teachings of the sutra. However, rather than
yielding to these persecutions, both of them undauntedly strove in doing
Gakkai activities. Then finally on July 6, 1943, while in Shimoda, Izu,
Mr. Makiguchi was charged with the violation of the Peace Preservation
Law as well as lese majeste against a Shinto shrine and was arrested.
Furthermore, Mr. Toda was also arrested in Tokyo on the same day with the same crime.
Then after being subjected to continuous
severe interrogations day after day, Mr. Makiguchi closed his noble life
of fighting
for human rights at the infirmary of a Tokyo
prison due to old age and malnutrition on November 18, 1944. He was 73.
Meanwhile, Mr. Toda was able to survive incarceration
and was released on July 3, 1945. Then, through the principle of the
oneness of mentor and disciple, only one
of Mr. Toda’s disciple – in the person of Ikeda-Sensei – the brilliant
era of today
was opened.
While basing ourselves on our great history
that is November 18, let us open yet another era of greater victory!
In the November issue of SGI Graph, Ikeda-Sensei
gave the following guidance:
"Our activities are a movement that empowers people to live humanly and enjoy meaningful lives to the
utmost. Let us enable our cheerful and lively
'flowers of dialogue' to fully blossom."
Now, as members of SGI Philippines, let us
give our utmost in while endeavoring in shakubuku and Buddhist dialogue
cheerfully
and pleasantly together with our General
Director Cabauatan!
Thank you very much for patiently listening
to me today!
