World Peace Commemorative Gongyo Meeting (November 4, 2007)
Yasunori Takimoto
(SGI Vice President)
Good morning everyone! I would like to express my sincere gratitude to
all of you for coming to participate in the November World Peace Commemorative
Gongyo Meeting coming very early in the morning and traveling from long
distances, thank you very much!
Together with every one of you, I have prayed to the Gohonzon for the excellent health of Sensei and Mrs. Ikeda, for world peace as well as for the good health, good fortune, further prosperity and happiness of the entire family of the participants today.
Now, as you all very well know, on the 18th of this month (Sunday), we will be welcoming the 77th founding anniversary of the Soka Gakkai.
We will also be able to welcome the 77th founding commemorative day in great victory together with Sensei and Mrs. Ikeda who are becoming healthier.
Indeed, I would like to congratulate you all for this, congratulations!
In a speech, Sensei declared the following:
“Through the first president Makiguchi’s unsparing martyrdom; the second president Toda’s fervent struggle and the magnificent expansion to the world in the time of the third president Ikeda, the foundation of world kosen-rufu that will build the peace and happiness of humanity has been established rock solid.”
Moreover, Sensei has taught that the following is needed in the age from now:
1. For each single individual to become strong.
2. What is the greatest power to surely establish the eternal path of victory? – It is the youth. It is to develop and nurture the youth for the sake of the Soka Gakkai’s future.
For the sake of Philippine kosen-rufu in the 21st century, let us all unite
our efforts in protecting, supporting and nurturing the precious members
of the youth division. Members of the youth division, I’m counting on you
to achieve Philippine kosen-rufu!
Now, Sensei has given the following guidance about prayers:
1. Only human beings are capable of doing the sublime act of praying.
2. This prayer is based upon the law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo that is the ideal perfection of life; moreover, it conforms most vividly to the reality of every day life. And, it is the Daishonin’s Buddhism that has made gongyo practicable by anyone.
3. Gongyo is a ceremony where you call forth the life of the Buddha in you and making it shine with your fresh and reverberating voice.
4. By doing gongyo, the courage and wisdom of the Buddha will be manifested and the life condition where you will experience the greatest of all joys will well up.
5. No matter what kind of sansho shima (three obstacles and four devils) attacks you, by doing gongyo you will always win over them.
6. Chant intense daimoku to the Gohonzon with the prayers that you will win in your endeavors for kosen-rufu.
7. The voice of gongyo has the significance of mentor and disciple chanting together; it is the reverberating great voice of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo together with Sensei and the supreme struggle of the oneness of mentor and disciple.
Having conviction on these 7 points, let us strive in doing shakubuku and in doing our SGI activities in SGI Philippines together with our General Director Roger Cabauatan and Women’s Division Chief, Mrs. Shibata in high spirits and in a cheerful and merry way for the sake of the advancement and victory in all fronts.
Photo on the top: Flowers in Nagano (Photo by Daisaku Ikeda)
Copyright (c) 2006-2007, Soka Gakkai International of the Philippines,
All rights reserved.
