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Brief Guidances

Discussion Meetings—Spreading the Light of Happiness and Peace

Toward a Hope-filled Future With the Daishonin’s Writings

Peter Zelei Images / Getty Images.

Now the thought [“At all times I think to myself” in the “Life Span” chapter of the Lotus Sutra][1] expressed by Nichiren and his followers as they chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the thought of great pity and compassion.

The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, p. 140


Our chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the sound of boundless compassion in “the same mind” as Nichiren Daishonin (see “The True Aspect of All Phenomena,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 385).

Soka Gakkai discussion meetings are assemblies brimming with the compassionate power of the Mystic Law put into action. They inspire us with the courage to overcome hardships and fill our hearts with the joy of revitalization. Like the morning sun radiant with hope, they are spreading the light of happiness and peace in our communities and societies.

Uniting around our admirable men’s and women’s district leaders, let’s forge ahead with a song of spring in our hearts and bring happy smiles to all around us!

From the Jan. 20, 2023, issue of the Soka Gakkai’s daily newspaper, Seikyo Shimbun. This message was received before Ikeda Sensei’s passing.

February 9, 2024, World Tribune, p. 3

References

  1. In the closing lines of “Life Span,” the 16th chapter of the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha states: “At all times I think to myself: How can I cause living beings to gain entry into the unsurpassed way and quickly acquire the body of a Buddha?” (The Lotus Sutra and Its Opening and Closing Sutras, p. 273). ↩︎

The District Women’s Leaders Shine

Engaging in Dialogue in the Spirit of Bodhisattva Never Disparaging