This study series covers Soka Spirit topics to be presented by a youth or student division member at Soka 2030 meetings on the last Sunday of each month.
Have you ever seen someone being treated unfairly and wondered what to do? Maybe a friend was mocked online or someone was deliberately left out of an activity. Standing up to such things can feel risky, especially when no one else does.
Often, people motivated by selfishness or prejudice quickly find others who think alike. Meanwhile, those who want to do what’s right may hesitate, act alone or assume their efforts won’t matter. As a result, harmful influences can grow stronger when people of goodwill are not connected to one another.
Ikeda Sensei encouraged young people to transform this dynamic. He pointed to Nichiren Daishonin’s disciples in Atsuhara Village, who faced severe persecution from authorities hostile to Nichiren. Despite intense pressure, they remained united in faith.
Reflecting on their example, Sensei said:
Those attached to power are always envious and resentful of the good and just. It is an instinctive, primitive response on the part of those who wish to protect themselves and their own interests at all costs. Another thing is that corrupt people join forces with others of their kind easily and have not the slightest scruple in doing so.
Good people, on the other hand, don’t form alliances so easily. The ideal we must aim for is a world in which good people can join hands and work together.[1]
A Gathering of Good Friends
If positive change hinges on the cooperation of good people, then communities that unite people on accomplishing the highest good are essential. This is one reason the Soka Gakkai is so vital.
Founding Soka Gakkai President Tsunesaburo Makiguchi once noted that had he not encountered Nichiren Buddhism he might have overlooked wrongdoing to protect his own interests. His Buddhist practice awakened in him the courage to care about society rather than live only for self-interest.[2]
Nichiren Buddhism is not only about developing strength, wisdom and happiness in our own lives. It’s also about fostering humanistic people who share Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to awaken others to their Buddhahood.
The Soka Gakkai aims to unite people around the greatest positive force for humanity. Through faith, friendship and unity in purpose, we become a gathering of good friends who help one another build unshakable happiness.
The disciples in Atsuhara did not prevail through individual courage alone. Their strength came from unity in faith. They showed that the power of Buddhism is found not only in personal conviction but also in the bonds we build with fellow practitioners striving toward the same goal.
Which Road Will You Take?
With school, work, family, friendships and personal challenges, it’s easy to become absorbed in our own concerns. Yet Buddhism teaches us to extend ourselves to others. Through Buddhist practice, we encourage one another to develop courage, wisdom and compassion.
Buddhism also teaches that we should not ignore suffering or injustice. As Sensei states: “It is … wrong to witness evil or injustice and stand by in silence. In cases like that, good people should join forces.”[3]
We strengthen the forces of good each time we chant, share Buddhism or support someone in becoming happy. Through these efforts, we transform our own lives and help create an environment where respect, hope and courage can take root and flourish.
The SGI’s role is not to resolve every societal issue directly, but rather to help people become humanistic leaders who, through Buddhist practice, contribute to peace and justice in their chosen fields and communities. The vital question, then, is what kind of person we choose to become.
Sensei poses a direct challenge: “Are you going to ally yourself with evil or good? With wrong or right? Which road will you take in life?”[4]
Choosing the path of good means aligning our lives with a vow for the happiness of all and joining with others who are doing the same. For us, practice of the Mystic Law is central to this. That is the purpose of our Soka movement: to build a network of people united by the shared vow of kosen-rufu, encouraging one another through friendship and dialogue so that more people can encounter the Mystic Law—the greatest good of all.
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