This following excerpts are from a speech Sensei gave at the New York Culture Center, New York, on June 15, 1996. It can be found in My Dear Friends in America, new edition, pp. 458–71.
My friends in New York, you have grown magnificently. Your organization today is truly outstanding. You have won over everything! Congratulations! And thank you for all your tireless efforts.
To commemorate this occasion, I dedicate the following waka to you:
New York,
serene and at last triumphant,
you have created a record
invincible and immortal.
• • •
New York,
deep in faith,
deep in camaraderie,
is watched and praised
by friends the world over.
The Daishonin will
protect you without fail.
Therefore, New York,
enjoy each day
with courage and hope.
Why do we practice faith? So that we may live the most wonderful lives. So that we may serenely surmount the sufferings of birth, aging, sickness and death that are an inescapable part of the human condition.
•••
We all face various problems and obstacles. But Nichiren writes: “Kyo’o’s misfortune will change into fortune. Muster your faith, and pray to this Gohonzon. Then what is there that cannot be achieved?” (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 412).
The first thing is to pray. From the moment we begin to pray, things start moving. The darker the night, the closer the dawn. From the moment we chant daimoku with a deep and powerful resolve, the sun begins to rise in our hearts.
Hope—prayer is the sun of hope. To chant daimoku each time we face a problem, overcoming it and elevating our life condition as a result—this is the path of “earthly desires are enlightenment” taught in Nichiren Buddhism.
Suffering and undergoing hardships for the sake of friends and for spreading the Law are manifestations of the great sense of responsibility of a genuine leader and the behavior of a bodhisattva. There is no suffering or hardship that a Bodhisattva of the Earth cannot surmount. So no matter what happens, I would like you to advance steadily, one step at a time, always chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with a vibrant voice. …
Buddhism stresses the importance of the present and the future. There is little point in dwelling on the past. Far more constructive is looking to the future and moving forward. What is vital is that we achieve a bright and glorious future through our current efforts and perseverance. Things are just starting for the SGI members in New York. I hope you will join me in creating another exhilarating drama of victory and joy.
You are reading {{ meterCount }} of {{ meterMax }} free premium articles