Ikeda Sensei gave the following speech at a Soka Gakkai headquarters leaders meeting in Osaka, Japan, on March 4, 1991. It can be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 2, revised edition, chapter 15, installment 2, pp. 125–27.
Ikeda Sensei points out that, to gain a state of indestructible happiness, it is crucial that we develop the inner strength to challenge any hardship or difficulty.
Steady Buddhist practice leads to a flowering of unsurpassed happiness in our lives as a result of accumulating inconspicuous benefit. This accords with reason, and Buddhism is based on reason.
That’s why Nichiren Daishonin repeatedly instructs us to persevere in our Buddhist practice throughout our lives, never quitting along the way or straying from the path of faith, no matter what happens.
A life without struggle and challenge, a life free from hardship and difficulty, might seem pleasant and easy; but just as a child who is never exposed to the outside air grows up to be weak and frail, a life, a spirit, that is never tested or tempered cannot attain true happiness. Happiness can exist only in the heart of a person with a strong, solid self that is able to confidently overcome anything.
In that sense, being able to train and forge ourselves through facing repeated difficulties is in itself a source of happiness. And more than anything, our Buddhist practice dedicated to the realization of kosen-rufu hones us into people of “diamond-like” happiness.
The more we train and exercise our body, brain and spirit, the stronger we become, the more we improve and the more potential we can draw forth. Without exercise, we soon deteriorate and can easily fall ill. This is only natural from a medical perspective.
In the realm of faith, too, it is only by continually challenging ourselves amid hardships and difficulties that we can attain a state of absolutely indestructible happiness.
The Daishonin states, “Difficulties will arise, and these are to be looked on as [peace and comfort]” (The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, p. 115).
The realm of kosen-rufu—in which we see difficulties as peace and comfort, as a badge of honor, and advance while surmounting every obstacle—is the “soil” in which people of truly great character are nurtured. This is the great path for building lasting happiness, and, just as the Daishonin instructs, it is the quickest route by which the correct teaching is being spread widely.
You are reading {{ meterCount }} of {{ meterMax }} free premium articles