A great human revolution in just a single individual will help achieve a change in the destiny of a nation and further, will enable a change in the destiny of all humankind.

Shared Struggle

The characters for "shared struggle" also appear in the Lotus Sutra, where the disciples who are "worthy and sage leaders" of the forces of the Buddha are said to "battle together" against negative forces. Here, the battle against devilish functions is described as a shared struggle. As long as the lives of mentor and disciple remain engaged in this shared struggle, the spirit of the Lotus Sutra, the teaching of universal enlightenment, will live on.

Justice

On May 5, picturing my mentor’s face, I wrote down my pledge as a piece of calligraphy ... I knew that my real struggle was only beginning. Whatever circumstances I found myself in, I would fight resolutely. Even if I were alone. I firmly resolved in the depths of my being that I would triumph—in the true spirit of the oneness of mentor and disciple.

How just is the cause
of Soka,
dedicated to kosen-rufu,
‍for which we strivetogether, you and I,
‍comrades from time withoutbeginning!

Vow

On May 3, 1979, I took up my calligraphy brush and wrote the single word Vow. That was the day of the Headquarters General Meeting immediately after I had stepped down as third Soka Gakkai president. As long as we continue to dedicate our lives to the vow of mentor and disciple, there is nothing to fear.

A Record of the Great Vow

He created these calligraphies to “transmit the Soka Gakkai spirit in concrete form” to his successors and disciples.

Photo taken from the Kanagawa Culture Center, March 1995

"Every time I looked out at the water,” he said, “my vision expanded.”

Five Guidelines for SGI-USA Youth

The power to move the times always comes from achieving a transformation right where you are.

When I became the third Soka Gakkai president in 1960, at age 32, as a disciple at one with my mentor, President Toda, I marked my first step toward global kosen-rufu in America, forming the first Soka Gakkai district outside Japan. Our worldwide movement began with this district in the United States, and has now spread to 192 countries and territories.
‍
Now, once again, the youth of America have been creating a groundswell of advancement and growth for our kosen-rufu movement in this new era. Knowing I can entrust this task to you, nothing could bring me greater joy.

Four Mottoes for the New Departure of American Kosen-rufu

With the United States as the stage, we have at last arrived at a time when we can contribute to society on many fronts. I urge each of you to have the conviction that you play the leading role in shouldering this magnificent movement of the people, and to advance wisely, cheerfully, and with perseverance.
‍
Nichiren states, "Single-mindedly chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and urge others to do the same; that will remain as the only memory of your present life in this human world" (“Embracing the Lotus Sutra,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 64).

Photo: Malibu, California, January 25, 1981

President Ikeda encourages a brass band member. In his “Precepts for Brass Band,” he writes, “It is my wish that, without having to utter a word, your performances will powerfully move and inspire your listeners to carry out their human revolution with joy and vitality.”

Photo: San Francisco, March 14, 1993

Far more than meeting with eminent figures, I derive my greatest joy from meeting with you.

Lacquer plate with poem

As I serve my mentor
in the old mystic bond,
Unchanged will I myself remain,
though others may change.

Los Angeles,
the city that I traversed
during the memorable days of my youth,
is now abloom with
the flowers of kosen-rufu.

In Hawaii,
gazing at Diamond Head—
shining peak of hope—
together with my wife.

Visiting the United States
on my travels for
global kosen-rufu—
a page of history is written
in sunny Denver.

A majestic waterfall
flows powerfully
in my heart.

Gazing at the mighty Niagara Falls.

After my lecture
at Harvard,
I took this snapshot
while enjoying
the sights of Boston.

I will never forget Denver,
a place of fond memories—
a milestone in my history,
the history of countless journeys
for kosen-rufu.

Fond memories
That day, that time
I shall never forget
The smile from all of you
In Miami.

One path—
it is
a path of justice,
a path of happiness,
a path of peace,
a path of freedom;
it is a path of fond memories
I walk together with my wife.

On the outskirts of Moscow.

Panel

There are those who build a path, and those who tear it down.
There are those who continue to walk a path, and those who stray from it.
I wish to be a person who forges a path;
a person who persists in walking a path.

No matter what; until the end, I will keep walking, keep running.
Even if I should fall along the way, and return to the dust of the land,
because I believe in the youth who will succeed me along this path,
I will have not a single regret.”

It is like the lion king, the monarch of all the creatures that run on the ground, and like the eagle, the king of all the creatures that fly in the sky.

Painting

I think the greatest writing practice I had was writing letters of encouragement and advice to my friends. Wherever I went, I carried stationary, envelopes and postcards. Whenever I had a few moments, between meetings or when riding a train, I would write words of encouragement to friends and fellow members. In the short time I had, I would think long and hard what approach I should take to best bring hope, inspiration and renewed energy to the person to whom I was writing. When I lifted my pen and moved it across the paper, I wrote with all my concentration, wanting to touch the person with my very life and being.

Poem Exchange

As I serve my mentor
in the old mystic bond.
Unchanged will I myself remain,
though others may change.

Oft I arose
on fields of battle
I’ll keep you as my sword
at my side always.

Photo: Oita, Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan’s four main islands, 1940

I came here to help you become people of genuine faith.

Photo: President Makiguchi leads a discussion meeting, Ikebukuro, Tokyo, 1942

Nichiren wrote, “Those resolved to seek the way should gather and listen to the contents of this letter.”

Teacup, stoneware with glaze

“When the skies are clear, the ground is illuminated. Similarly, when one knows the Lotus Sutra, one understands the meaning of all worldly affairs.”

The moment the sun rises, the entire world suddenly becomes bright. Similarly, when we practice the Daishonin’s Buddhism, we can improve everything in our life. The important thing is to bring the sun out and make the skies clear. That’s the way we should practice.

Postcard, ink on paper, facsimile

I am avidly reading the philosophy of Kant. When I reflect on how I was able to produce my theory of value—a theory that scholars for the past one hundred years had sought in vain—and, moreover, to connect it to faith in the Lotus Sutra and enable several thousand people to realize actual proof, I am surprised in spite of myself. Therefore, it is only natural that the three obstacles and four devils should have assailed me; it is just as the sutra states.

Notebook, graphite on paper

I came here to help you become people of genuine faith.“The citizens of the world, have an inviolable right to live,” said President Toda. “Anyone who jeopardizes that right is a devil incarnate, a fiend, a monster.”

Photo: President Toda encourages a woman at a building dedication in Shizuoka, Japan, March 1, 1958

The founding Soka Gakkai presidents stress the utmost importance of caring for a single person. “In order to encourage the person right in front of us, to help them overcome their suffering,” says President Ikeda, “we take action, we talk to them and we strive tenaciously to have heart-to-heart dialogue with them.” This, he says, is “the work of the Buddha.”

Photo: President Toda lectures on Buddhism, Toshima, Tokyo, May 19, 1956

President Toda was truly a master in giving lectures. I was so impressed that I remember thinking, There are three kinds of lectures: unskilled, skilled and artistic—Mr. Toda’s belonged to the last category.

The most vital requirements for young people to grow as successors for kosen-rufu is to gain unshakable conviction in faith. In addition, they need to develop themselves and forge their character based on an awareness of their profound mission as Bodhisattvas of the Earth.

I firmly believe it is America’s mission . . . to spread Nichiren Buddhism to the rest of the world, sending the groundswell of peace and happiness to every corner of the Earth. Above all, it is my American youth who will play the main role in this endeavor. . .

The victory of American youth is the victory of the world.

The Florida Nature and Culture Center

“America is vast,” Sensei writes of his visits in the 1990s. “It is a majestic land. For that reason, American kosen-rufu is something you must move forward steadily, firmly, and sincerely, one step at a time, while gazing into the distant future, hundreds or even thousands of years ahead. . .

"The time has come to pour all our heart and soul into fostering one person at a time, thereby steadily and carefully planting the seeds for future development.”

1996 Poem

A great opportunity is now upon us.

Castle of Mentor and Disciple - Calligraphy

I am praying earnestly that all of you, my dear fellow members of the Soka family, each in the sphere of your own vow and mission, will create a record of brilliant achievement in leading lives of complete fulfillment and advancing our movement for kosen-rufu.

Introduction Panel

Biting his lip, Ikeda vowed silently: “I will stand upon the soil of America on Sensei’s behalf. I will definitely make history anew.”

“Nichiren Buddhism was born in Japan,” Ikeda said, “but I firmly believe it is America’s mission . . . to spread Nichiren Buddhism to the rest of the world."

The SGI-USA’s progress serves as a model for and gives hope to the entire world. The greater the development of the SGI-USA, the greater the momentum will be for the progress and expansion of worldwide kosen-rufu.”

The First Fifteen Years

I can deeply appreciate how much pain and sadness you must feel. However, this Buddhism has the power to transform your suffering into happiness, to change the tears you have shed into glittering jewels of good fortune. Those who have wept the most bitterly have the right to become the happiest people of all.

Pioneering Buddhism in America: The District

If we liken the Soka Gakkai to an orchard, each district corresponds to a single fruit tree, while the fruit represents each of you. Without the tree, there will be no fruit. Everything depends on the tree. Similarly, the real basis of the Soka Gakkai is each district that composes it. One could even say that the district itself is the Soka Gakkai. When a district is formed and becomes fully functional, kosen-rufu in that area will progress by leaps and bounds.”

Three Guidelines to Pioneer Buddhism in a New Country

It was the pioneer members who introduced Nichiren Buddhism to the West and created the foundation of the American organization—a painstaking process that Ikeda Sensei described as “scraping off the rust from a sheet of metal with their bare fingernails.”

Construction

It’s true that the individual wires are not very thick, but when bunched together in great numbers, they display incredible strength. This resembles the unity of many in body, one in mind. In the Soka Gakkai, too, though each person’s strength may be small, when that strength is combined and the members are firmly united, they can display unimaginable power. Unity is strength.

The twenty-first century must be a Century of Life, a century in which life is valued to the utmost. Realizing the dream of a civilization that celebrates humanity depends on whether we can uncover the true nature of life, which is eternal, unchanging and invincible.

The Growth of the SGI-USA

Real peace is not built through pacts between nations but through friendship among people, among individual human beings. In short, I feel that lasting global peace will be established only when based on the dignity of the individual.

Establishing the Soka Gakkai International

In order to realize lasting peace for all humanity, we need to instill in people’s hearts a spirit of compassion for all living beings in accord with the Buddhist principle of the sanctity of life, which itself is based on the recognition that all life inherently possesses the supremely noble and unsurpassed life state of Buddhahood. This process is what we call kosen-rufu.”

Rather than seeking after your own praise or glory, I hope that you will dedicate your noble lives to sowing the seeds of peace of the Mystic Law throughout the entire world. I shall do the same.”

Celebrating Twenty Years of American Kosen-rufu

A thorough understanding of Buddhism is vital for our many members, so they do not fall prey to self-centered views and interpretations. . . Thus, we study Buddhism to solidify our conviction in faith and to guide us unerringly on the path to realizing kosen-rufu.

America is vast. It is a majestic land. For that reason, American kosen-rufu is something you must move forward steadily, firmly, and sincerely, one step at a time, while gazing into the distant future, hundreds or even thousands of years ahead.

Arise the Sun of the Century

It is through the certain steps we take in daily life
that a magnificent future
of peace and kosen-rufu
is brought closer.
It is the light of your humanity
that gives it its brilliance.“

Do not forget that Buddhism is reflected
in life, living and society.
Take compassionate action for others;
manifest proof as a person valued at work;
be the foundation for happiness and harmony at home
and the light of good sense in society.

Please advance steadily with the awareness that you are now building a foundation for the next thousand years of the kosen-rufu movement in the United States. There is no need to be impatient. . . . I hope you will complete this work slowly but surely, filled with hope and joy.

A Spiritual Foundation

I hope that young people, with rich and apt powers of critical evaluation in all matters, will always advance toward higher and greater targets, never allowing themselves to become complacent with their present circumstances.

"I moved, conversed, spoke out, and strove with my beloved fellow members of the SGI-USA,” Sensei wrote. “I leapt in among my circle of friends with the intent of packing a year or even ten years’ worth of effort into each day."

The Sun of Jiyu Over a New Land

If one reaches back to these fundamental roots,
all become friends and comrades.
To realize this is to “emerge from the earth.”

Ultimately our future development hinges on every member having the commitment required of a Soka Gakkai president. With this spirit, this sense of responsibility, this leadership in your activities, may you always work for kosen-rufu and for the victory of the people. May you also build a Soka Gakkai where everyone can advance joyfully—a Soka Gakkai of undying progress.

Ever-Victorious Youth

A cub sired by a lion king will become a lion king.

Please advance with courage, turning the tragic date of September 11 into a day of rebirth and fresh beginnings for America, a day on which you strengthen your determination and bonds of solidarity to achieve kosen-rufu.

You have stood up with the Mystic Law for a peaceful world, for the happiness of the people, and for the security of your family and loved ones. Because of this, your mission is profoundly important. Please take care to ensure the accomplishment of kosen-rufu in America, which is essential for the entire world.

The Era of the Oneness of Mentor and Disciple

Be strong! Develop strength! Grow into people who, like towering trees, will never be toppled by even the most violent winds. My young friends, I entrust the mission of worldwide kosen-rufu to you in the twenty-first century!

Our theme for 2005 is the Year of Youth and Development. My mentor, the second Soka Gakkai president, Josei Toda, loved the youth and had the highest expectations for them. He ardently asserted, "A new century will be built by the power and passion of youth."

The second act of worldwide kosen-rufu is an age when infinite brilliant flowers of value creation based on Buddhism come into bloom through the magnificent endeavors of our members, Bodhisattvas of the Earth. I have fully prepared the stage for them. People from diverse fields around the globe have high hopes for the SGI’s activities for peace and culture.

Youth Take the Lead

During the assembly where Shakyamuni preached the Lotus Sutra, his disciples repeatedly pledged to him that they would carry out the widespread propagation of the Law just as he had taught, asking him to put his mind at complete ease on that account.

True victory in this cause can only be achieved when the disciples are serious in their commitment, united in purpose, and pray and take action without begrudging their lives. This is the spirit of disciples who inherit the heart of the Lotus Sutra.

It is crucial that you stand up with a great vow and strive to achieve a fundamental goal. Once you decide what is fundamental, nothing that happens will sway you, and you can grow by leaps and bounds.

The SGI-USA’s progress serves as a model for and gives hope to the entire world. The greater the development of the SGI-USA, the greater the momentum will be for the progress and expansion of worldwide kosen-rufu.

Challenge

Nichiren Daishonin wrote to the young Nanjo Tokimitsu, ‘My wish is that all my disciples make a great vow.’ (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 1003) This one statement constitutes the Daishonin’s eternal guideline for all youth throughout the 10,000 years of the Latter Day of the Law.”

50,000 Lions of Justice

Two years earlier, the youth responded to Sensei’s call “to work hard over the next two years with our fellow members around the world to expand our network of Bodhisattvas of the Earth” by setting a goal to gather 50,000 youth in 2018.

Those who live the way of mentor and disciple are strong.
They will surely keep winning.
I want to develop genuine ‘lions’
who will persevere on the path of mentor and disciple.
I want to raise lions who each possess the power and ability of a thousand.
I want to foster even one more lion of justice
who will remain unperturbed by the harshest storm.
This is my present wish and vow.