The Osaka Campaign - Part 1

Over the next few days I will be sharing Sensei's guidances from the Osaka campaign which we were studying towards Mar 16th. This campaign is one of my favourites. I find it abundantly encouraging. 

"When one comes to the end of one's good fortune, no strategy whatsoever avails. When one's karmic rewards are exhausted, even one's retainers no longer follow one." - The Gosho

Ikeda Sensei: "When you no longer have good fortune, nothing will go smoothly, no matter how hard you try or how excellent your strategies are. Good fortune means faith. As long as you doubt the Gohonzon, you won't accumulate good fortune or benefit. Buddhism is the body and society is the shadow."

My thoughts: Good fortune is integral to achieving happiness. While good fortune may be interpreted as good circumstances, it may also be viewed an ability to enjoy these circumstances. 

Sometimes one may feel that one has to 'accumulate' good fortune in the traditional sense by making causes on a day to day basis. While that is definitely true, Sensei here gives us very clear guidance that at the most basic level, good fortune is nothing but faith. The moment we determine and choose faith over doubt, we have hope. A shift in our ichinen, a shift in our minds from doubt, despair or hopelessness to belief, joy and hope causes us to obtain good fortune in that very moment. How hopeful! This definitely gave me courage and energy as I began to feel that I can have good fortune right now. Just by being hopeful. Just by believing in the Gohonzon. Just by believing in the infinite power of my life. 

How amazing! Thank you Sensei...

When We Are Grateful, We Feel Joy!

Shin'ichi said "The spirit of gratitude is very important. when we are grateful, we feel joy. When we are joyful, we also feel courageous. That leads us to want to do our utmost to show our appreciation to others. Having met many people all over the world, I have reached the conclusion that people who are able to feel gratitude are happy.
It is also true that those who betray others do not have this spirit of gratitude. Such people just expect others to do things for them. They come to depend on others and to rely heavily on their goodwill. Therefore, when other people don't do as they expect, they feel cheated and disappointed and start to complain incessantly. The slightest setback causes them to sulk and sends them into depression. But they are really just making themselves miserable, and they end up wandering through a self-created maze of unhappiness.
"The Gosho says; '... even though you chant and believe in Myoho-renge-kyo, if you think the Law is outside yourself, you are embracing not the Mystic Law but an inferior teaching'.
Concerning yourself with what others are doing and complaining when they don't live up to your expectations is looking for the Law outside yourself. Such thinking ultimately comes down to spiritual weakness."
- Daisaku Ikeda
Towards Victory, Excerpted guidances from the NHR Value Creation Feb 2014

Complaints Drain Good Fortune

IF one lacks courage, all of his experiences of hardship will turn into complaints and resentment towards others. He will then lose confidence in faith, as well as the energy to move forward. As a result, he will feel nothing but loneliness and regret.
- Daisaku Ikeda

In Pursuit of True Happiness

Even though they do not have faith in the Gohonzon, some people seem blessed with fame, wealth and seeming happiness. However, their satisfaction is all temporary unless based upon the Mystic Law and it can be termed rootless because their happiness is of a fleeting nature in view of the eternity of life. All in all, without basing your life on the Gohonzon, there is no true and most profound sense of happiness. Therefore, you, who have been able to begin this practice of faith, should realize how fortunate and how fantastic your life is.
Having such an awareness is vital for all of you now and even if you cannot convince yourself of this truth, as long as your Faith is sincere and your practice is vigorous, please remember you are still being yourself in the correct foundation of life. But anyway, the Gohonzon will never forget about the efforts you put out for kosen-rufu. The Buddhist gods will definitely protect all of you. This is so true, especially in terms of the law of cause and effect. I sincerely hope that you remain convinced of the fact that you are now developing the greatest fortune and opening up a great palace of happiness within your life.
Source: Guidelines for Youth, compiled by George M. Williams

4 Simple Ways to Embrace the Gohonzon

Gosho: Persecution by Sword and Staff

"As you crave food when hungry, seek water when thirsty, long to see a lover, beg for medicine when ill or as a beautiful woman desires powder and rouge, so should you put your fiat hint he Lotus Sutra. If you do not, you will regret it later."

When you are hungry, no one has to tell you, “Eat, you’ll feel better.” The impulse is to go get food arises from within you of its own accord. And when you are thirst, you don’t tell yourself, “If I don’t think about it, maybe it’ll go away.” If possible, you stop whatever you’re doing, and drink some water. When you are deeply in love, then waking or sleeping, you will always have that person in your thoughts; he or she is the only man or woman in the world for you. And when you are ill or injured, getting well takes immediate priority over everything. People with obscure diseases often exhaust their financial resources seeking medicine or doctors to relieve their pain. Moreover, people blessed with good looks naturally want to make the most of them. A great beauty may willingly spend hours in front of a mirror, determining the precise shade of make-up that will set off her looks to best advantage.
With each of these examples, Nichiren Daishonin teaches us something about the ideal attitude in faith that we should strive for. It is indeed great if we can turn to the Gohonzon immediately, spontaneously, and wholeheartedly under any circumstances, without being told to by anyone.

I feel this passage also indicates that we can confidently pray to the Gohonzon for the fulfilment of any desire whatsoever.

• “As you crave food when hungry, seek water when thirsty” might be read as indicating the most basic needs of the human being that must be met if one is to survive. 
• “Long to see a lover” could be said to represent more complex desires, involving emotional and spiritual needs as well as physical ones. 
• “Beg for medicine when ill” might be said to stand for problems – things that need to be corrected or resolved. 
• And “as beautiful woman desires powder and rouge” could be said to represent desires to fulfil our potential and enhance the meaning of our existence. 

In this way the Daishonin teaches us that faith in the Gohonzon can benefit people in every aspect of live. No matter how big or how small or what it may concern, nothing is outside the scope of the Gohonzon’s beneficial power.

Source: George M Williams, Vice President SGI

Accumulate Good Fortune NOW

Anyone would think that victory is impossible and that’s probably how you feel right now. But don’t forget this marvellous Gohonzon we have. It has the power to transform something you’d normally think is impossible into something possible. Those who give up before they try, thinking that it’s impossible, don’t really know the power of the Mystic Law. Only people who can bring forth the Mystic Law’s power can succeed at anything they try.

The strategy of the Lotus Sutra means to put faith in the Gohonzon first in whatever we do, and then make our very best effort upon that basis. In this way, we can bring the impossible within reach.

If one devotes himself to the practice of faith in this way, good fortune is sure to follow. Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism is a teaching for accumulating inexhaustible good fortune.

No matter how well educated, healthy or wealthy a person may be, or how comfortable his circumstances may appear, when his good fortune comes to an end, life will be miserable. No matter how high one’s status or position, if the direction of his life is not in harmony with the fundamental Law of life, he will not be happy. Those people who practice to the Gohonzon already have good fortune, because they have been able to meet this supreme Law. And, as they continue to practice, they are accumulating more good fortune all the time.

Source: Guidelines of Faith by Satoru Izumi

Effects of daimoku

President Ikeda shared this extremely motivating guidance with a future division member:

"Through the daimoku you are chanting now, you are overcoming the negative karma in your life that would otherwise have manifested in the future. No daimoku is ever wasted. Please chant earnestly and study hard."

Value creation Jan 2012

Encouraging Gosho Passage

The following passage is from the Gosho "Embracing the Lotus Sutra"  WND Vol I, p 59 and has been shared by Mrs Usha.

"One should have complete faith in the Lotus Sutra and look forward to being born in the presence of the Buddhas in one's next life.
To illustrate, suppose that a person  is standing at the foot of a tall embankment and is unable to ascend.  And suppose that there is someone on top of the embankment who lowers a rope and says, " If you take hold of this rope, I will pull you up to the top of the embankment."  If the person  at the bottom begins to doubt that the other has the strength to pull him up, or wonders if the rope is not too weak and therefore refuses to put forth his hand and grasp it, then how is he ever to get to the top of the embankment?  But if he follows the instructions, puts out his hand, and takes hold of the rope, then he can climb up.
If one doubts the strength of the Buddha when he says, " I am the only person who can rescue and protect others"; if one is  suspicious of the rope held out by the Lotus Sutra when its teachings declare that one can "gain entrance through faith alone"; if one fails to chant the Mystic Law which guarantees the "such a person assuredly and without doubt (will attain the Buddha way),"  then the Buddha's power cannot reach one, and it will be impossible to scale the embankment of enlightenment. "

Sensei's guidance

WHAT is important is that you will not be defeated by the inner tendency to despair over your circumstances. Just as not to suffer misfortunes is to be fortunate, not to be defeated is to win. 
No matter what happens, you must absolutely not allow yourself to be defeated. That is what faith means.

Power of Daimoku - Ikeda Sensei

Power of Daimoku

"If you underestimate the power of daimoku and use other strategies you will lose in the end. You can accumulate good fortune only when you fight for the kosen-rufu without begrudging your life. Unless your prayers are united, your fight for kosen-rufu cannot gain momentum. No matter what anybody says, or does, nothing can defeat the power of daimoku. But without action, you cannot call it faith. The Gohonzon can penetrate through everything.

The world of faith is very mystic and once you become serious, you can gain 1000 or 10000 times more benefits. When you chant abundant daimoku, you have the power to open even the heaviest iron-door that stands in your way i.e, you can overcome the most massive obstacles in your life. You can definitely change your negative karma. The world of faith is the place where many of us, all of us chant powerful daimoku in unity, thus creating power like the force of a huge wind. There is nothing but Daimoku. Daimoku determines everything. Daimoku has more power than 1 million guidance or a million books of philosophy.

Chant abundant Daimoku and pray to the Gohonzon. Ask the Gohonzon whatever you need. Everything will come true as your wish and the path of kosen-rufu will open up in front of you. Everything depends upon how much Daimoku you chant. When you chant a lot of Daimoku, you will naturally feel that you need to study more. When you chant Daimoku, your work will become more fulfilling.

There may be times that you will experience great sufferings and deep sorrow. There maybe nights when tears will not stop flowing. There may also be times when you are terribly hurt. At such times my heart will be open to you. I am always here to listen you. I, too, will share tears with you. You don't need to tell me anything if you are happy. I can tell just by looking at your face. Just tell me about the problems and pains that you have. I will carry half of your heavy burden and walk together with you."