The following is from a speech at a representatives conference in Bangkok, Thailand, on Feb. 2, 1992. It can be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, chapter 4, installment 4, pp. 142–43.
Our hearts will not shine unless we polish them. When we exert ourselves in faith and polish our hearts like diamonds, we attain a state of genuine happiness.
What is the purpose of our Buddhist practice? It is for all of us, without exception, to become happy. That is also the purpose of our organization for kosen-rufu. Those who steadfastly uphold the Mystic Law will never be unhappy. It is important to have absolute confidence in this. That confidence, that conviction, will generate immense good fortune.
Buddhism teaches the four sufferings of birth, aging, sickness and death. Our bright, hope-filled members in the future division and young men’s and young women’s divisions will also eventually grow old. The sufferings of sickness and death, too, are inescapable parts of life. Will you lead a life shining with solid happiness, accumulating ever more benefit and good fortune as you grow older? Or will you lead a life characterized by frustration and disappointment, growing sadder and lonelier with the passing years?
The Mystic Law embodies the principle that the sufferings of birth and death are nirvana. It enables us to be eternally youthful and vibrant, always bringing forth hope and actualizing our dreams.
The Mystic Law embodies the principle that earthly desires are enlightenment. The more numerous our problems, the more we can expand our life state based on faith and make those problems the fuel for our happiness. We can positively transform everything, changing poison into medicine.
The time of youth, in particular, is fraught with problems and worries. But that’s how it should be. You can’t become great leaders without experiencing problems or making effort. Through effort and hard work, you strengthen yourself and grow.
Nichiren Daishonin writes, “It is the heart that is important” (“The Strategy of the Lotus Sutra,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 1000).
Those who have diamondlike hearts of faith are radiant champions who enjoy an indestructible, diamondlike state of happiness. They are eternal victors. Wherever they go, wherever they dwell, is a royal palace. They enjoy a vast and lofty state of life, as if gazing serenely over the entire universe.
By contrast, there are those who, though giving the appearance of being fine and upstanding, are actually morally corrupt and dishonest.
We need to polish the diamond of our faith. A raw gemstone sparkles only when it is polished. The diamond of our faith is polished by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and working for kosen-rufu. A life dedicated to the mission of advancing kosen-rufu will unfailingly enter a path of enduring happiness—a wonderful state of constant joy.
Our Buddhist practice enables us to attain a vast and expansive state of life in which we can accept whatever happens with courage and joy, and keep moving positively forward.
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