Resources for the introduction of SGI-Spain’s discussion meetings
Strengthen your resolve more than ever. Ice is made of water, but it is colder than water. Blue dye comes from indigo, but when something is repeatedly dyed in it, the color is better than that of the indigo plant. The Lotus Sutra remains the same, but if you repeatedly strengthen your resolve, your color will be better than that of others, and you will receive more blessings than they do.
↳ Passage from The Supremacy of the Law in WND-1, page 615. Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter at Minobu in the eighth month of the first year of Kenji (1275). It was addressed to Oto, the daughter of Nichimyo, an earnest believer living in Kamakura. Although, addressed to Oto, it was obviously meant for her mother. Virtually nothing is known about Nichimyo other than that she visited the Daishonin, with her daughter, while he was in exile on Sado Island. The journey to Sado was a dangerous one, and the Daishonin was greatly impressed by the strength of faith she demonstrated. In reply to this, in 1272, he sent her a letter in which he gave her the Buddhist name Sage Nichimyo (Nichimyo means “Sun Wonderful”, stating that “You are the foremost votary of the Lotus Sutra among the women of Japan.” (WND-1, page 325). The Supremacy of the Law was written after Nichimyo visited her mentor once again, this time in Minobu.
Knowing that Nichimyo already had strong faith, the Daishonin urges her to strengthen her resolve in faith more than ever. He uses various analogies which show that through faith that grows even stronger, we will shine brighter and more benefits will manifest in our lives.
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(…) [T]o be able to demonstrate the power of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo will depend on the strength of our faith and practice. “I will overcome any difficulty”—this determination, together with the spirit to strengthen our resolve more than ever is what gives rise to true satisfaction in life.
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The important thing is to always keep our mind focused on moving forward. The challenge of triumphing over obstacles will itself definitely become the cause for substantially expanding our state of life. If we make active efforts to grapple with our problems, we can definitely change inside and transform our karma.
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In that sense, any time when we become stuck is really an opportunity for us to realize victory. And “ever-stronger faith” is what gives us the power to break through such deadlocks.[1]
During the years he spent with his mentor, Daisaku Ikeda treasured his guidance which he engraved in his heart and also recorded them in writing. As to the strength of faith, he conveyed us the following:
Mr. Toda used to say: “Obviously when you strike a bell you’re going to get a vastly different sound, depending on whether you use a toothpick, a chopstick, or a bell striker to do so. The bell’s the same, but if you hit it powerfully, it rings loudly; if you hit it weakly, it rings softly. The same is true of the Gohonzon. The benefit that we receive depends entirely on the power of our faith and practice.”[2]
In a recent speech published in this issue of CG, Minoru Harada mentions some interesting commentaries about Soka Gakkai’s discussion meeting movement made by two university professors in Japan. Hiroshi Kainuma, a sociologist who has interviewed a number of Soka Gakkai members as part of his study has observed: “The source of the Soka Gakkai’s strength is the fact that it holds discussion meetings, which value the very act of people meeting together, as a natural core activity.”[3] Moreover, Yoko Yamada, who specializes in lifespan developmental and narrative psychology, said that she admired “the Soka Gakkai’s practice of employing the ‘narrative approach’ that is to say, through using the process of dialogue to enable each individual to transform their life story into a positive one and create new meaning for themselves.”[4] Through persevering in this approach, constantly strengthening their determination, this Soka Gakkai Spain’s discussion group from Madrid that appears in the above photo is giving a new meaning to its name after the attendance decreased due to various circumstances.
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[1] ↑ IKEDA, Daisaku: “The Supremacy of the Law, part 3” of the series “The Teachings for Victory,” Daibyakurenge, September 2009.
[2] ↑ IKEDA, Daisaku: “For the Protagonists of the Twenty-first Century. Part 2” of the series “Discussions on Youth,” Koko Shimpo, 11/2/1998.
[3] ↑ See the section «Orientación» of this issue.
[4] ↑ Ib.