The following is from the August 2026 issue of the Daibyakurenge, the Soka Gakkai’s monthly study journal.
Challenge is the very essence of youth. Through initiatives such as the Future Division Summer Challenge [in Japan], which includes a variety of annual summer contests, our young members—the young saplings of kosen-rufu—are joyfully advancing along the path of growth that will one day enable them to become mighty trees. I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation and respect to all their family members, as well as the future division leaders and members of the broader Soka family in every community, who continue to support and encourage these young people with such devoted care.
Nichiren Daishonin praised Nanjo Tokimitsu—whom we may regard as a forerunner of today’s future division—for not only inheriting the faith of his late father but surpassing it through deepening his own resolve. He likened him to cloth that had been dyed bluer even than the indigo dye itself (see “Offerings in the Snow” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 2 p. 809).[1] To nurture successors who become “bluer than the indigo” is among the noblest of undertakings, one the Daishonin praised above all.
Every future division member who embraces the Mystic Law from a young age is a lion cub with a unique mission. Ikeda Sensei used to write with the earnest determination that his words would reach every young person, and future division members today can feel their mentor’s heart directly through his writings. Let us warmly encourage these precious treasures of the Soka Gakkai whose bond with their mentor runs deep, pass on to them the “faith of the lion,” and together make this a summer of dynamic growth and advance.
Sensei trained his disciples by taking action together with them. One enduring example of this unfolded during the summer 55 years ago.
On Aug. 5, 1971, the high school division was holding its annual summer training course in Shizuoka Prefecture when an urgent request for assistance arrived from the World Scout Jamboree, whose campsite in the nearby Asagiri Heights at the western foot of Mount Fuji had been damaged by a major typhoon. Sensei responded decisively, promptly establishing an emergency headquarters and personally directing the relief effort. He purchased emergency supplies from local shops and, despite the powerful wind and rain, welcomed the young scouts as they arrived at the training course’s location. For nearly six hours that day, he led the operation with the courage and unyielding resolve of a lion.
Future division members also played a crucial role in this effort. Standing shoulder to shoulder with their mentor in the pouring rain, they kindly welcomed the scouts. Everyone shared in the joy of striving together with their mentor as volunteers formed a team to interpret for the scouts, offering warm words of reassurance and encouragement, while the Music Corps and the Fife and Drum Corps provided uplifting performances.
In later years, during his overseas guidance trips, Sensei would sometimes be reunited with former scouts who had gone on to become leaders in their respective countries. They would fondly recall that day, thanking him for taking care of them at that time. The inspiration born of that encounter and the bonds of friendship forged through it continue to shine, transcending both time and national borders.
Sensei devoted his entire life to fulfilling the vow forged through his profound encounter with his mentor, second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda. Now, as Aug. 24—the day on which Sensei embarked on his journey of oneness with his mentor—approaches, let each of us commemorate it by taking on a personal challenge of our own!
August 21, 2026 World Tribune, p. 10
References
- The phrase “blue dye is bluer even than indigo itself” derives from a writing of the Chinese philosopher Hsun Tzu. The liquid extracted from the indigo plant is not a deep blue color. The color is only obtained by repeatedly dipping the cloth into the dye until it attains a blue more intense than the color of the juice from the plant itself. This becomes a metaphor for deepening one’s learning and knowledge through study. It is cited in T’ien-t’ai’s Great Concentration and Insight. Nichiren Daishonin often employs this metaphor of the indigo plant not only in the context of deepening one’s Buddhist practice but also regarding our development as successors. ↩︎
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