I, Nichiren, am the only person in all Japan who understands this. But if I utter so much as a word concerning it, then parents, brothers and teachers will surely censure me and the ruler of the nation will take steps against me. On the other hand, I am fully aware that if I do not speak out, I will be lacking in compassion. I have considered which course to take in the light of the teachings of the Lotus and Nirvana sutras. If I remain silent, I may escape persecutions in this lifetime, but in my next life I will most certainly fall into the hell of incessant suffering. If I speak out, I am fully aware that I will have to contend with the three obstacles and four devils. But of these two courses, surely the latter is the one to choose.

The Opening of the Eyes (1), WND, 239, to Shijo Kingo in February of 1272 from Tsukahara

I entrust you with the propagation of Buddhism in your province. It is stated that "the seeds of Buddhahood sprout as a result of conditions, and for this reason they preach the single vehicle."

The Properties of Rice, WND, 1117 Takahashi [MW-5]

Buddhism stresses the quality of our motivation, valuing that which issues spontaneously from within, as expressed in the simple phrase, "Our heart is what matters most." It teaches that the ultimate objective of Shakyamuni's life was revealed in the humanity he manifested in his behavior and actions. Thus the cultivation and perfection of a person's character is considered in the Buddhist tradition to be the true goal of religious training. Norms that are not inner-generated and do not encourage the development of individual character are ultimately weak and ineffective. Only when external norms and inner values function in a mutually supportive manner can they enable people to resist evil and live as genuine advocates and champions of human rights.

Over half a century ago, at the height of Japanese militarism, Soka Gakkai's founding president Makiguchi declared, "Rejecting evil and embracing good are two actions born of the same impulse." He also said, "Only a person courageous enough to fight against evil can be a true friend of the good," and, "It is not enough to indulge passively in goodness; we must have the moral courage actively to pursue good." In this way Makiguchi launched a critique of the militarist regime which trampled human rights as it carried out its wars of invasion. In the face of constant persecution, he never yielded an inch, holding firm to his beliefs up to the moment of his death in prison. I derive profound personal inspiration from the struggles that culminated in his martyrdom; I feel that it is here that we can find the spiritual wellsprings of the SGI's current activities to promote human rights.

Just twenty-three years ago I appealed to members of the newly-formed SGI, saying, "Let us not seek praise or glory for ourselves, but instead dedicate our lives to sowing the seeds of the Mystic Law for peace everywhere in the world." Just as unhappiness is not something only others suffer, neither can happiness be for ourselves only. In this sense, my appeal was a cry from the depths of my heart that we should live the bodhisattva way of life: overcoming the ego, developing an extended, more inclusive sense of self-seeing ourselves in others and feeling others to be part of ourselves.

As responsible citizens of their respective societies, the members of SGI are working to advance a movement for peace, culture, and education. In the immediate context of their daily lives, they act with the bodhisattva spirit, refusing to ignore or abandon those who suffer. They initiate and carry out countless acts for the benefit of others, striving to encourage this person, to relieve the anguish of that person, and to help those around them. I am proud of them and believe theirs are the kind of quiet, grass-roots endeavors that will certainly help to create the human rights culture that our times demand.

It is my belief that if we can foster, in the depths of each individual human life, the kind of active, independent basis for altruistic behavior exemplified in the bodhisattva's vow, we can establish the fundamental basis for an ethic of responsibility and commitment, upon which a genuine culture of human rights can flourish. This is because the inner motivation that spurs people to act in the face of threats to human dignity is, for human rights, the most crucial supporting and sustaining force.

Living Buddhism, May 1998, Pg. 33

In the famous "Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings," the Daishonin discusses the profound significance of the "lion's roar," which is expounded in the Lotus Sutra. Noting that the word lion is written with Chinese characters for teacher and child, he says: "The Chinese character teacher represents the Mystic law as it is passed on by the mentor, and the Chinese character child indicates the Mystic law as it is received by the disciples. The Chinese character roar, meanwhile, refers to the sound of mentor and disciples chanting in unison" (Gosho Zenshu, P. 748)

Letting the lion's roar of mentor and disciple resound powerfully far and wide, the Soka Gakkai will forever advance on the path of undefeated victory.

World Tribune, November10, 2000, pg. 9

The anniversary of the Soka Gakkai's founding is also the anniversary of the day Mr. Makiguchi died in prison for his beliefs.

Every time Nov. 18 came around, Mr. Toda would declare with passion, his voice ringing with anger at injustice: "We must never forget the authoritarian powers who oppressed, persecuted and ridiculed the Soka Gakkai, an organization committed to justice and truth. We must never forgive the authoritarian powers who hurt, scorned and insulted our members. As the Daishonin says, 'Buddhism primarily concerns itself with victory of defeat' (WND, 835).

"We must clearly perceive the true workings of the strict law of cause and effect, and through the Soka Gakkai achieving overwhelming, total victory, become models for the 10,000 years and more of the Latter Day of the Law."

World Tribune, December 1, 2000, pg. 9

The Soka Gakkai is a bright sun of hope rising in the skies of the 21^st century. Its history has been marked by an uninterrupted series of persecutions - mountain upon towering mountain, wave upon crashing wave. But like a massive, indestructible rock, it has withstood all the buffeting. Until today, it rings with the cheers of the people's victory and happiness.

What is the basic cause behind the Soka Gakkai's phenomenal growth? The great power of the Gohonzon and the faith of the Soka Gakkai members. As the famous passage from Nichikan Shonin's "Commentary on 'The True Object of Worship'" states: "If you have faith in this Gohonzon and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo even for a short while, no prayer will go unanswered, no offense unexpiated, no good fortune unbestowed, and no righteousness unproven."

In exact accord with this passage, the noble members of the Soka Gakkai have placed their faith in the Gohonzon. They have chanted Nam-myoho-renge-kyo earnestly, praying and challenging themselves with all their might, and as a result have triumphed in all their endeavors.

World Tribune, November 19, 1999, pg. 2

IKEDA: Very simply, Mr. Toda's enlightenment should be remembered as the moment that clearly revealed the Soka Gakkai as the true heir to the Daishonin's Buddhism. That was the starting point of all our propagation activities and our development today, and I firmly believe it was an epoch-making event in the history of Buddhism. Mr. Toda revived Buddhism in contemporary times and made it accessible to all.

When I was younger, Mr. Toda told me about his profound experience in prison. His words left me convinced that his realization formed the religious and philosophical core of the Soka Gakkai. The truth to which he became enlightened is identical to the ultimate teaching of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism. I believe Mr. Toda's realization opened a path out of the deadlock facing humanity. Our mission as his disciples is to extend that path in all directions and on all planes.

The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, Vol. 1, pp. 21

IKEDA: He was truly trying to read the sutra with his whole being. The Lotus Sutra teaches that all people can attain Buddhahood. What, then, is a Buddha? What does it mean to attain Buddhahood? These questions are vital to all Buddhist teachings. Mr. Toda deeply contemplated these questions and sought to resolve them. It was then that the word life suddenly flashed in his mind. He finally perceived that the Buddha is life itself.

SAITO: Mr. Toda used the word life precisely because he had perceived the Buddha as a real entity.

IKEDA: Yes. Life is a straightforward, familiar word we use every day. But at the same time it can express the most profound essence of the Buddhist Law, a single word that expresses infinite meaning. All humans are endowed with life, so this word has practical, concrete meaning for everyone. In this way, Mr. Toda's realization made Buddhism comprehensible to all.

The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, Vol. 1, pp. 23

IKEDA: The purpose of Buddhism, ultimately, is to transform one's inner state of life. The Soka Gakkai was not the first to speak of Buddhism as a philosophy of life. The Daishonin's Buddhism is by its very nature a philosophy of life, and the Soka Gakkai is heir to that Buddhism.

IKEDA: The Soka Gakkai begins and ends with the philosophy set forth by Mr. Toda; its essence lies in his realization that the Buddha is life itself.

The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, Vol. 1, pp. 25, 27

Toda fervently impressed the Buddhism of the Latter Day of the Law on the minds of new believers who had previously associated this religion only with Shakyamuni. Even impious intellectuals of our time sometimes seek salvation in Buddhism, but only within the confines of the conventional teachings of Shakyamuni.

The Human Revolution, vol. 7, 52-3

We are daily carrying out activities in order to build a glorious history of kosen-rufu. It may seem that the activities of a single person are insignificant; however, the history of such distinguished deeds and activities for kosen-rufu will without fail, as time goes on, shine even more brightly.

Buddhism in Action vol. 4, p. 115

Ours is a struggle between retreating in the face of the arrogance of Anger and continuing to chant until the end with strong faith, thus reinforcing the strength of the Buddhist gods and suppressing the state of Anger; this battle between Anger and Hell is an important aspect of the expansion of the kosen-rufu movement. Herein also lies the great significance of the tenet that "Buddhism is win or lose."

This principle applies to everything - not only to the individual, but also to the family, society, the nation and the world. Therefore, we must continue chanting the daimoku of the Mystic Law powerfully and devote ourselves to the practice of propagation with strong conviction, thereby further opening the great road of the widespread propagation of the Mystic Law.

Buddhism in Action vol. 4, p. 123-24

The majority of the participants did not yet have the Gosho, and those few who had brought it were vexingly slow in finding the designated page. Toda watched all this.

"The Gosho is an expensive book. Perhaps many of you cannot afford it now, but once you purchase a copy, it will be yours for life. Law books change from time to time, but the Gosho - never! So, try to get a copy as soon as possible, even though you may have to live with a thin purse for a while. What nerve to attempt the study of true Buddhism without so much as buying a Gosho! You are like a samurai without sword."

The Human Revolution, vol. 7, 53

Our noble mission is to advance kosen-rufu. It is imperative that we always forge ahead with a sense of beautiful comradeship, free of fragmentation and cunning stratagems among ourselves.

Buddhism in Action vol. 4, p. 145

What faith means is to take everything you do for kosen-rufu as a source of benefit for your own sake, and you should remember that this is how you can accumulate good fortune and virtue. On the other hand, action carried out on the basis of selfish interests will not become the cause for you to build good fortune and virtue. It is only natural for you to freely express your opinions at your planning meetings in order to develop your chapter, but if you neglect to develop your faith and resort to expressing yourself out of emotion or complaining out of dissatisfaction, you are erasing your good fortune. I advise you to be on guard against such negative attitudes.

Buddhism in Action vol. 1, p. 197

In the "Letter to the Brothers," the Daishonin states, "Yet you must grit your teeth and never slacken in your faith. Be as fearless as Nichiren when he acted and spoke out before Hei no Saemon-no-jo [a high-ranking official of the Hōjō regency]” (WND, 498, [MW-1, 140]). This is the spirit of Nichiren Daishonin, and it must be the spirit of the Soka Gakkai, which is striving to promote the movement for kosen-rufu.

Buddhism in Action vol. 4, p. 151

Exerting oneself without remuneration and in the midst of a hectic daily schedule, to give guidance to people weighted down with many kinds of problems is indeed difficult. However, there can be no nobler task than to teach true Buddhism to these people, to struggle together to challenge the vital problems of birth and death, as well as other problems of life, and to help solve their problems through faith. Please be confident, as the Gosho teaches, that the highest of all honors is to exert oneself for the sake of the Law, for others and for society as a true envoy of Nichiren Daishonin.

Buddhism in Action vol. 1, p. 191

When one believes in and embraces the Gohonzon, one can manifest the highest state of life, equal to that of the Buddha. To cherish one's inherent Buddhahood is the starting point of the Daishonin's Buddhism.

Daily Guidance vol. 2, p. 20

The world of faith has nothing to do with selfish interests. It also has nothing to do with fame or strategy. We should wholeheartedly live for the cause of kosen-rufu as willed by Nichiren Daishonin, while at the same time exerting constant efforts to embrace and base ourselves on the Mystic Law. In order to accomplish kosen-rufu, we must show actual proof of our faith in our daily lives and society with pride and a sense of responsibility as followers of true Buddhism.

Buddhism in Action vol. 1, p.278-79

We who are comrades in the world of the Mystic Law should advance with our hearts linked as one for the cause of peace. However, I hope you will also fully treasure the customs and traditions of your respective countries.

Daily Guidance vol. 2, p. 35

Buddhism is a practice of assiduity. Because this spirit of "never for a moment neglecting the Buddha's work" exists in the Gakkai, we have realized our present development.

Lectures on the "Expedient Means" and "Life Span" Chapters of the Lotus Sutra, V-2, p. 128

We deserve to be called true followers of Buddhism only when we establish the strong and respectworthy faith of "never begrudging our lives for the sake of the Law"; then we can, as a matter of course, attain Buddhahood, the supreme condition of life.

Buddhism in Action vol. 1, p. 277

The Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin is called "the teaching of perfect endowment." Therefore, it neither denies nor disregards the value of the cultures and traditions which have formed in various countries as legacies of mankind. On the contrary, it enables them to develop and prosper through the power of the Mystic Law.

Buddhism in Action vol. 3, p. 126

No epic undertaking can be accomplished in single generation. Only when the mentor's spirit is inherited by the disciples and passed on continuously to successive generations, can such an undertaking be achieved.

The humanistic movement of the SGI that now encompasses the entire world comes from the mentor's spirit being passed down over three generations - from Tsunesaburo Makiguchi to Josei Toda, from Josei Toda to myself. This struggle, in which mentor and disciple are engaged together and indivisibly united, is the lifeline upon which the eternal flow of kosen-rufu depends.

The task now falls to us to expand this movement into a huge river whose waters will continue to nourish and benefit humanity throughout the next century, the next millennium and throughout the ten thousand years and more of the Latter Day of the Law. Everything hinges on the disciples who inherit this mission.

World Tribune, December 15, 2000, Pg. 6

"When Mr. Toda became president," Shin'ichi continued, "the Soka Gakkai consisted of 12 chapters, and all 12 chapter leaders were resolved to give their very lives to carrying out the widespread propagation of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism together with Mr. Toda. None of them cared the least for social status, recognition or wealth. Their only thought was advancing kosen-rufu and carrying out their missions in this lifetime. This is the Soka Gakkai spirit, the spirit that kept us going in the beginning.

World Tribune, 12/15/00, Pg. 11

Dialogue on the Lotus Sutra #42

ENDO: It's true that people sometimes limit the beneficial power of daimoku without realizing it. We need to be confident that, just as Nichikan says, "no prayer will go unanswered."

IKEDA: That's right. And, in particular, the prayers of those who are exerting themselves to accomplish the propagation of the Mystic Law cannot fail to be answered. The Daishonin says, "If you are of the same mind as Nichiren, you must be a Bodhisattva of the Earth" (WND, 385 [MW-1, 93]). To be "of the same mind as Nichiren" means to cherish the same determination for kosen-rufu. When we work for kosen-rufu and we stand up with the resolve to demonstrate the victory of faith, our lives overflow with benefit beyond belief. We receive benefit because we work for kosen-rufu, which is the wish of the Buddha. This is analogous to how someone who works for a company receives a salary. Second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda characterized those who chant with a laundry list of things that they want, as though it were the "duty" of the Gohonzon to supply benefit, as having "beggar's faith." And he urged that instead they should stand up with the determination: "I will stake my life on the struggle for kosen-rufu!"

Living Buddhism, October 1999, Pg.

Ikeda: The purpose of faith is to realize a state of eternal happiness. This existence is as fleeting as a dream. We practice faith in order to awaken from this dream and firmly establish a state of eternal happiness in the depths of our lives during this lifetime. That is what it means to "attain Buddhahood in this lifetime." And that's why, as I always say, we must exert ourselves to the utmost in faith. What, then, is necessary to achieve Buddhahood? Nichiren Daishonin says, "If you are of the same mind as Nichiren, you must be a Bodhisattva of the Earth" (WND, 385 [MW-1, 93]). Those who struggle for kosen-rufu with the same spirit as the Daishonin are the true Bodhisattvas of the Earth. Everything in the cosmos moves along its own path in exquisite harmony. Just as the earth naturally follows its own orbit, so too is kosen-rufu like the revolution of a planet around the sun. In the same manner, our individual human revolution is like the rotation of a planet on its axis. These two motions are inseparable. The SGI represents the "forces of the Buddha." It is only natural, therefore, that we are attacked by "devils." For, as the Daishonin says, "The Buddha and Devadatta are like a form and its shadow - in lifetime after lifetime, they are never separated" (MW-2, 170 [195]). We have to hunt out, beat down and defeat negative forces. This is the spirit of shakubuku. When we are "of the same mind as Nichiren," what can we possibly have to fear? Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and Josei Toda, the first and second Soka Gakkai presidents, never retreated a single step, even when they were under attack by the militarist authorities during the war. They continued advancing straight ahead with the "spirit of the lion king," which is the spirit of Nichiren Daishonin.

Endo: That was where the Soka Gakkai and the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood decisively parted ways. The members of the priesthood, far from being "of the same mind as Nichiren," trampled the Daishonin's spirit underfoot out of fear of persecution.

Living Buddhism, January 1998, page 33

The two went on exchanging views about organizations. Shin'ichi continued: "If we use the allegory of the human body, the organization itself would correspond to the skeletal structure. So, though indispensable in its own way, the structure itself is not alive. President Toda's greatness, I believe, lay in his continually infusing the organization with fresh life by tirelessly pumping the lifeblood of human warmth through its veins. Practically speaking, he did this by offering encouragement and guidance to each member.

"To my knowledge, President Toda must have given personal guidance to tens of thousands of people who, as a result, triumphed over the greatest of hardships and dramatically revitalized their lives. The Soka Gakkai's development stems solely from its having provided encouragement to people in their darkest hours - when, for many, the suffering was so overwhelming that only suicide seemed the answer - and helping them resume their lives with courage again through faith.

"The members didn't love Mr. Toda because he was president. Their profound respect for him came from their personal experiences of opening their lives and becoming happy as a result of his guidance and his encouragement. Consequently they made personal decisions to choose him as their mentor and devote themselves to activities for kosen-rufu.

"Our members didn't follow Mr. Toda because of his organizational position or status. Even if he had resigned as president, he would still have remained our mentor, a Buddhist leader and teacher to all of us."

The New Human Revolution, Vol. 3, pp. 221-2

"We were born in this world to enjoy life to the fullest. To do so, we need strong vitality, and chanting daimoku is the wellspring of such vibrant life force. So please continue to exert yourselves courageously in faith. Determined to follow your chosen paths in life, always base yourselves on daimoku, regardless of what others think or say. Those who do so will be happy. I also hope that you will develop your lives and your chapter organizations in such a way that you will be filled with an sense of joy and delight."

The New Human Revolution, Vol. 4, P. 77

I have all along believed that what is possible for one is possible for all," Mahatma Gandhi declared. Gandhi's struggle for human rights spread like a flame to those around him, then went on to ignite a great nationwide movement.

One example of this was Gandhi's advocating the use of the charkha - a traditional Indian spinning wheel - to hand-spin cloth as part of a move to promote consumption of Indian products. Such efforts, he believed, would help the populace gain economic and spiritual independence from British domination.

Then there was the Salt March of 1930. Gandhi and some eighty followers set out on foot on a 400-kilometer (240-mile) journey to the west coast of India. It was an adamant protest against the British taxation of salt and monopoly on the production of this essential commodity; an oppressive practice against which Gandhi staked his life. By the end of the march, the procession had grown to a grand scale of several thousand. At the seashore, Gandhi solemnly demonstrated how to obtain natural salt, which was free for the taking.

Through such actions, he taught the Indian people the wrongs perpetrated under colonial rule and fueled their passion for total independence.

"Do not surrender to evil! Do not cooperate with wrongdoing!"

Gandhi's frail form was always seen at the forefront of the independence movement. He was jailed countless times. In all, he spent about six years and five months in prison, including detention in South Africa.

Faced with the monumental truth Gandhi held before them, his oppressors lost their nerve and began to feel pangs of conscience. The growing ranks of his supporters included men and women, young and old. Though endless threats, clubs, guns and prison awaited them, all stood their ground proudly before their oppressors. Thousands, then tens of thousands of ordinary people went to prison willingly for their cause.

For Gandhi, nonviolence was not just a means or tactic; it was the essence of human truth, a conviction permeating his entire life. He called his struggle satyagraha (devotion to truth) and declared: "Nonviolence is not a cover for cowardice, but it is the supreme virtue of the brave."

Gandhi gave spiritual backbone to the Indian people. True Indian independence could not be achieved unless the people first gained spiritual independence. Above all, Ghandi purged the fear so long ingrained in people's hearts. When the people stopped being intimidated - when they stood up straight with dignity and pride - arrogant authorities who tyrannized them would inevitably fall.

Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of an independent India, asserted that driving fear from people's had been Gandhi's "greatest gift" to India.

What is fear? It is but an illusion created by one's own mind. Cowards tremble with fear at shadows of their own making.

"Do not fear!" Shakyamuni Buddha taught long ago. In our own age, Gandhi also called on the people of India to cast aside their fear. They responded by standing up with courage, marking the true dawn of India's independence.

Gandhi always carried out his struggles for human rights with a firm recognition of the country's political realities. The New Human Revolution, Vol. 3, pp. 94-5

The perspectives of either physical or historical time are also inadequate for a full understanding of Nichiren's confidence that an inner state of vast compassion provides the key to helping people to manifest their true, magnificent potential over the next ten thousand years and through all eternity.

Often it is bitter experiences that lead us to awaken to the most profound spiritual truths. The awakening of Soka Gakkai second president Josei Toda, while in jail for his beliefs, also needs to be understood from the viewpoint of existential time. His realization was that he had participated, in an eternally present moment, at the ceremony in which the essence of the Buddha's teachings was entrusted to those who would share it with others in the Latter Day of the Law. He realized that this allegorical ceremony, in which ordinary people (as "bodhisattvas of the Earth") pledge to share their understanding of enlightenment to the Mystic Law contained within the Lotus Sutra with others, continues eternally.

Without Toda's experience-the starting point in the post-World War II period of the Soka Gakkai's Buddhist movement of "value-creation" (soka)- Nichiren's reference to "the assembly on Eagle Peak which continues in solemn state without disbanding" might have been ignored or dismissed.

Those words are resonant only when we seek to grasp them at the deep level of existential time or "life-time" that both encompasses and cuts through the surface flow of history, reaching into its very depths. Buddhism calls for participation in the profound spiritual history of humankind, which is possible only through undergoing great hardship and struggle; as Berdjaev suggests, by the intensity of joy or agony experienced. It is also a message sent from the depths of history to all cosmic life, the "summons of heroes" that Bergson said is found in a "complete and perfect morality."

Living Buddhism, May 1998, Pgs. 17-18

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