‘Earnest Prayer Is the Mother of Wisdom’

The World Tribune is publishing Ikeda Sensei’s encouragement every month for the SGI-USA women’s division’s America Victory Daimoku Group and Sophia Group meetings. The following excerpt is from The New Human Revolution, vol. 17, revised edition, pp. 212–13. Shin’ichi Yamamoto is Ikeda Sensei’s character in the novel.

“After talking to a person just once, you may find yourself jumping to the conclusion that he or she isn’t receptive and that you’ll never get anywhere with the person. But people’s minds are always changing, minute by minute, and you can definitely change them through your persevering efforts at dialogue.

“Sometimes, we need to consider whether our manner of speaking might be at fault. For example, if we tell a person with family problems that they can overcome illness through Buddhism, we’re not going to pique their interest. Likewise, it doesn’t do much good to tell a person struggling with illness that faith will help them succeed in business. Employing wisdom also means determining how to gain the other person’s understanding.

“Some members may have many friends but, lacking conviction, are unable to talk about faith persuasively. In such cases, it’s a good idea to have a senior in faith support that person in talking to their friends about Buddhism.

“Our wisdom is essentially unlimited. It can make the impossible possible. And it arises from the firm resolve to achieve something. Earnest prayer is the mother of wisdom.”