Ikeda Sensei gave the following speech at a general meeting of Toshima, Taito, Sumida and Meguro Wards in Tokyo, Japan, Dec. 12, 1987. It can be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 3, revised edition, chapter 24, installment 2, pp. 110–13.
In Buddhism, functions that direct people toward goodness and Buddhist practice are termed good friends. Ikeda Sensei says that the organization of the Soka Gakkai is a gathering of just such positive influences, or good friends.
A good friend, in Buddhism, is a good influence embodied in a person that leads someone to embark on the Buddha way. People of virtue, honest and true, who guide others in a positive direction and enable them to practice Buddhism act as good friends, be they Buddhas, bodhisattvas, practitioners of the two vehicles,[1] heavenly beings or human beings. Naturally, therefore, we too, can serve as wonderful good friends to others.
Good friends function in various ways. They support Buddhist practitioners and enable them to practice with security and peace of mind. They strive alongside other practitioners and help one another improve their lives through mutual support and inspiration. And they teach others about the correct doctrines and principles of Buddhism and put them on the path to right action.
All of you, as leaders of our movement, are admirable good friends, people of virtue, who are guiding and leading others toward kosen-rufu, the Gohonzon, the Mystic Law and the attainment of Buddhahood by encouraging them to do gongyo, attend meetings and read Nichiren Daishonin’s writings.
The Soka Gakkai is a gathering of good friends. It is an organization for promoting Buddhist faith and practice, for expanding and developing kosen-rufu. It has the important mission of leading people all around the world to the correct teaching of Buddhism and guiding them onto the path for attaining Buddhahood.
One important requirement in this regard is to be open hearted and accepting of others.
In “Unseen Virtue and Visible Reward,” the Daishonin writes: “You must be on good terms with those who believe in this teaching, neither seeing, hearing, nor pointing out anything about them that may displease you. Calmly continue to offer prayers” (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 907). This writing, incidentally, is a fragment of a longer letter, the remaining pages of which have been lost.
It goes without saying that we must properly instruct members in the fundamental principles that are the basics of Nichiren Buddhism, but it is unwise to make unnecessary comments on or criticize their personal lives. We each have our own personality and lifestyle. Our circumstances also differ. The key is to respect one another and work together harmoniously. We are a gathering of ordinary people. Therefore, we’re bound to encounter things that we don’t like or that annoy us at times.
Though in a slightly different context, the Daishonin expressed similar feelings: “Unlike most people, in the course of spreading these doctrines of mine I, Nichiren, have occasion to meet with a great many persons. But there are fewer than one in a thousand who impress me as truly admirable” (“Condolences on a Deceased Husband,” WND-2, 778). He says that he has met many people in his efforts for kosen-rufu. I, too, have met a great many people, and I’m sure all of you are meeting many people as you carry out your activities for kosen-rufu.
“But there are fewer than one in a thousand who impress me as truly admirable” (WND-2, 778). The Daishonin, of course, had profound compassion for all living beings, but here he is saying that he rarely came across someone of exemplary character.
We can well relate to these words in our own efforts for kosen-rufu. None of us is perfect. Our goal is to strive to improve ourselves, but since we are still in the process of doing so, we all have flaws and shortcomings. And in our human relations, it is inevitable to some extent that there will be people we like and those we don’t.
It would be unbearable if we spent all our time and energy pointing out every little thing we don’t like or finding fault with one another. Such petty frictions can easily escalate into emotional conflicts that even result in destroying people’s faith—the most important thing of all—which would go against our very purpose.
No matter how challenging someone may be to deal with, we need to be tolerant and patient, embracing and encouraging them so that they can strengthen their faith. Rise above the situation and pray for their personal and spiritual growth. That attitude will help them deepen their faith, which will gradually encourage them to become a better person.
There are 5 billion [as of 2026, more than 8 billion] members of the human race, and we of the Soka Gakkai are the precursors of a new age. Our role is to spread the Mystic Law and serve as good friends who guide all people toward enlightenment. In that sense, each of us Soka Gakkai members today has an infinitely noble mission. So I ask you to respect and encourage one another and advance together harmoniously.
March 6, 2026 World Tribune, p. 2
References
- Persons of the two vehicles: The voice-hearers and cause-awakened ones, or persons of the worlds of learning and realization, in terms of the Ten Worlds. ↩︎
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