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Encouragement

You Are All Queens of Happiness

Guidance for All Soka Women

January 10, 2022

Baltimore. Photo by Rob Hendry

When Soka Women Unite, Kosen-rufu Will Advance

My mentor, second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda, once said to the young women’s division members: “When the links in a chain are solidly connected, they cannot be broken. It’s the same with human beings. When strongly committed people solidly join hands and unite, kosen-rufu will definitely advance. Please create such a united network of people.”

Our women’s and young women’s members everywhere, based on the path of mentor and disciple dedicated to kosen-rufu and transcending national borders and ethnic differences, are firmly linked together by their ties of faith in the Mystic Law, their vow or commitment and their friendship as fellow members united in the spirit of “many in body, one in mind.” As long as they stay connected in this way, the SGI will remain strong and sound forever. And as long as the united network of Soka women exists, peace in the world will be won, maintained and advanced without fail, no matter how turbulent the international situation.[1]

Los Angeles. Photo by Leticia Williams.

Be Undefeated by Any Onslaught of Karma

My wife, Kaneko, and I will never forget these impassioned words of our mentor, second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda: “Humanity must change its course by focusing on the happiness of women. It is crucial, therefore, that young women possess a sound life philosophy, along with a strong life force that will allow them to be undefeated by any onslaught of karma.”

We believe and pray that in the coming decade, you, the young women of Soka, working harmoniously and cheerfully with your Kayo-kai sisters across the globe, will make that a reality. May each of you enjoy a youth of health, good fortune and victory![2]

Lead Lives of Happiness and Victory Day After Day

I received the wonderful news that on July 19, 2021, the young women’s division anniversary, our Kayo-kai membership in India surpassed 50,000. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, our young women’s division members in India have continued to expand a beautiful flower garden of happiness with their pure and resilient spirit, like the lotus flower that blooms in muddy water.[3]

Happy are those who are undefeated.
Happy are those who are unafraid.
Happy are those who have strong faith.
You are all queens of happiness.

These are the words my wife, Kaneko, and I presented to the women of Soka in India three decades ago [during a visit in 1992].

My wife has also maintained a firm resolve to lead an undefeated life together with her fellow members. She was 9 years old when she started practicing Nichiren Buddhism along with her parents, making this year her 80th year of practice.[4] As a forerunner of the future division, she once guided Tsunesaburo Makiguchi by the hand from the nearest train station to her family home for a discussion meeting. She was also among the first members of the young women’s division when it was founded by Mr. Toda, and continued to work hard for kosen-rufu even after becoming a mother and a women’s division member, like the members of the current women’s division Young White Lily Generation[5] in Japan. She continues to chant earnestly that her fellow Soka women, the suns of peace, not only in India but throughout the entire world, will lead undefeated lives of happiness and victory day after day.[6]

These quotes contain guidance from Ikeda Sensei that SGI Women’s Leader Yumiko Kasanuki emphasized as crucial for all women, including the young women, of Soka throughout the world as the Soka Gakkai advances in this crucial decade toward its centennial in 2030.

References

  1. Jan. 30, 2015, World Tribune, p. 5.
  2. Aug. 13, 2021, World Tribune, p. 3.
  3. See The Lotus Sutra and Its Opening and Closing Sutras, p. 263.
  4. Kaneko Ikeda began her Buddhist practice on July 12, 1941.
  5. At the Soka Gakkai Headquarters Leaders Meeting held on Nov. 18, 2019, it was announced that women’s division members in Japan under the age of 50 would be referred to as the Young White Lily Generation. The white lily is one of the symbols of the women’s division. In conjunction with this development, the Young Mother’s Group was dissolved and absorbed into this larger group.
  6. Sept. 17, 2021, World Tribune, pp. 2–3.

Sincerity Is the Key to Vibrant Growth: Shijo Kingo—Part 3 of 3

Toward a New Year of Dynamic Progress!