This section features Ikeda Sensei’s seminal guidance to the members of the SGI-USA. The following is an excerpt of his speech given at the SGI-USA Executive Conference in San Francisco, March 17, 1993. The full speech can be found in My Dear Friends in America, fourth edition, pp. 294–301.
Patiently Constructing a Solid Self
The novel Miyamoto Musashi [an account of the 17-century master swordsman of the same name] by the great Japanese author Eiji Yoshikawa includes a passage where the protagonist, Musashi, gazing at Mount Fuji in the distance, counsels one of his young disciples as follows: “Instead of wanting to be like this or that, make yourself into a silent, immovable giant. That’s what the mountain is. Don’t waste your time trying to impress people. If you become the sort of man people can respect, they’ll respect you, without your doing anything.”[1]
For us, building a solid and unmoving self like Mount Fuji means doing our human revolution, elevating our state of life, based on our practice of faith. It means developing a solid self that is never defeated by our environment or circumstances and is capable of transforming everything into happiness and victory. True happiness shines in the lives of those who possess such an indomitable self.
When we summon forth a powerful life force to contribute to the welfare of people and society, we gather the admiration and trust of others, which testifies to the validity of the Mystic Law. Consequently, constructing a solid self equals advancing kosen-rufu.
In a letter to his follower Shijo Kingo, Nichiren Daishonin writes: “Bring forth the great power of faith, and be spoken of by all the people of Kamakura, both high and low, or by all the people of Japan, as ‘Shijo Kingo, Shijo Kingo of the Lotus school!’ Even a bad reputation will spread far and wide. A good reputation will spread even farther, particularly if it is a reputation for devotion to the Lotus Sutra” (“Earthly Desires Are Enlightenment,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 319).
Here Nichiren instructs Shijo Kingo not just to establish his reputation as a samurai but to become a person who is praised by people as “Shijo Kingo of the Lotus school.” This passage can be read to mean that the correct way of practice for those who embrace the Mystic Law is to show actual proof of victory based on faith and to win the respect and trust of others in society.
I hope all of you will be victors who are respected by many people as members of the SGI.
Establish Your Reputation Among the People
In another letter addressed to Shijo Kingo, Nichiren writes, “Live so that all the people of Kamakura will say in your praise that Nakatsukasa Saburo Saemon-no-jo is diligent in the service of his lord, in the service of Buddhism, and in his concern for other people” (“The Three Kinds of Treasure,” WND-1, 851).
In a modern context, this means that not only should we naturally develop strong faith, but we must also cultivate brilliant character and humanity so as to become indispensable people in our places of work and in our communities, thereby winning the praise and respect of others. …
Taking Responsibility for Our Own Communities
In a letter to another of his followers, the lay priest Takahashi Rokuro Hyoe, Nichiren writes: “I entrust you with the propagation of Buddhism in your province. It is stated that ‘the seeds of Buddhahood sprout as a result of conditions, and for this reason they preach the single vehicle’” (“The Properties of Rice,” WND-1, 1117).
The lay priest Takahashi lived in Kajima Village of the Fuji District of Suruga province (present-day Fuji City in Shizuoka Prefecture). In this passage, Nichiren declares that he completely entrusts his lay follower with the propagation of Buddhism in this region.
To take personal responsibility for transforming your own country, your own communities, into a Land of Eternally Tranquil Light (the Buddha land) through your own efforts and for the sake of your own happiness—this is the correct course for the advancement of kosen-rufu. All the hard work and effort you put toward this end will become your eternal good fortune. …
Gratitude Leads to Happiness
People who can express their gratitude are truly happy. A life that is always filled with appreciation is a bright and cheerful one—be it when you are meeting with people, when someone gives you a lift in their car or when you are at home with your family. Sincerely offering thanks is a sign of living truly happy lives. Where people embody such a sense of appreciation, they send out waves of happiness that envelop both themselves and others.
To voice your appreciation, it is important to say “thank you” to your fellow members and to your friends. Leaders who take the members’ sincere efforts for granted and assume a highhanded attitude toward them inevitably come to a deadlock because of their own arrogance. They bring bleakness and unhappiness to both themselves and others.
The expression thank you contains the essence of happiness. Those who appreciate the heart of these two words and use them generously are surely more eloquent than the most skilled of speakers.
From the November 2026 Living Buddhism
References
- Eiji Yoshikawa, Musashi, trans. Charles S. Terry (Tokyo: Kodansha International, 1981), p. 680. ↩︎
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