Work and Gakkai Activities

When told that they must reconcile work and Gakkai activities, some members think, “That means not to devote ourselves a hundred percent only to one or the other. We only need to do both to a moderate degree. That is what Buddhism calls the middle way.” This is a wrong interpretation.

(States a member’s example) Having been appointed a group chief in the men’s division, he began to engage in activities even more vigorously than before. He ran a small factory with about a dozen employees. In a few months he realized that his business was not going well. Many people would have decided to stop activities altogether until the business was rehabilitated. (I recognize that there may be cases where this is the only alternative). The group chief, however, went a step further. He resolved to exert himself all-out to rebuild his business and at the same time, not to neglect activities even a bit. He earnestly chanted daimoku so that he would be able to do both in a most satisfactory manner.

Not only did the firm’s business begin flourishing again, but the person found even more time than before for activities. Note that he did not choose between work and activities. Only when he resolved to carry out both successfully with an eye to the future did he see a new path open before him. To reconcile work and activities is not to perform both halfway, but to perform both to the fullest extent. For this purpose, consider carefully what you should do, and chant earnestly. Then wisdom will inevitably well up within you, showing you a splendid way out of your difficulty.

Source: Guidelines of Faith by Satoru Izumi