The New Human Revolution, vol. 25

By Daisaku Ikeda

Through this novelized history of the Soka Gakkai—one of the most dynamic, diverse, and empowering movements in the world today—readers will discover the organization's goals and achievements even as they find inspiring and practical Buddhist wisdom for living happily and compassionately in today's world. The book recounts the stories of ordinary individuals who faced tremendous odds in transforming their lives through the practice of Nichiren Buddhism and in bringing Buddhism's humanistic teachings to the world. This inspiring narrative provides readers with the principles with which they can positively transform their own lives for the better and realize enduring happiness for themselves and others.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Independent Publishers Group
• Release date: Apr 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781946635587

Book preview

Light of Happiness

Spring is here!

The spring of rebirth is here!

The new sprouts of hope

having survived the harsh winter

break through the frozen earth,

vigorously bursting forth, heralding the arrival of spring!

The plum blossoms fill the garden with fragrance and tranquillity,

the splendid cherry blossoms dance with the joy of happiness, and

a triumphal song of the people heralds the victorious arrival of spring!

No matter how many times we are trampled on,

we won’t be defeated.

No matter how harsh

the tribulations that beset us,

we hold our heads high and press onward.

Forward, forward, always forward!

Neither angry breakers nor raging storms can stop us!

We have the invincible and indestructible

Michinoku¹ spirit.

In our hearts,

the fighting spirit of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth burns

and the great compassionate life of the Buddha

sparkles with a golden light.

We have an eternal mission

that we must fulfill in this existence.

We have the great vow of Soka mentors and disciples

to create happiness for all and to build a flourishing community.

My friends!

Transform sadness into courage.

Transform karma into mission.

Break through the darkness

and make the morning sun rise in your hearts.

Come, dancing forth like a reborn sun

heralding the arrival of spring to Michinoku!

On March 11, 1977, Shin’ichi Yamamoto traveled to Fukushima to visit the new Fukushima Culture Center² located in Kuwano, Koriyama City.

DEPARTING FROM Tokyo’s Ueno Station at two in the afternoon on the Tohoku Main Line limited express train Hibari, Shin’ichi passed through the flat landscape of the Kanto Plain. Watching the scenery outside the train window, he could see the dried grass blowing in the wind and the exposed gray-brown earth of the bare fields. The land was still in the grip of winter.

I wonder if there will be a good harvest this year, thought Shin’ichi, chanting silently as he looked at the dry, not yet irrigated rice fields.

The previous year, 1976, Japan had its fifth-worst rice harvest since the end of World War II, due to an unseasonably cold summer and a series of typhoons. The region from Hokkaido down through Tohoku had been especially cold from August to September, and there was a sharp drop in crop yields. Many farming families were facing difficulties.

According to the statistics compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in November, the total loss was 409.3 billion yen,³ broken down as follows: Hokkaido, 86.1 billion yen; Iwate Prefecture, 36.1 billion yen; Miyagi Prefecture, 32.4 billion yen; Niigata Prefecture, 31.3 billion yen; Aomori Prefecture, 30.9 billion yen; and Fukushima Prefecture, 28.5 billion yen.

In addition, from December through February, Japan experienced a severe cold spell. Even in Tokyo, the average high in January was only 45.5 degrees Fahrenheit, the lowest since the war. The amount of snow rivaled that of the heavy snowfall of January 1963. And on February 8, Aomori City recorded the heaviest snowfall since the war, 6.4 feet. In Moshiri, Horokanai-cho, Hokkaido, a new postwar record low temperature was set at -41.4 degrees Fahrenheit.

The heavy snows caused the cancellation of more than twenty-nine thousand trains on Japanese National Railways lines.

The cold spell also affected agriculture, delaying the harvest of vegetable crops and causing a sudden spike in prices. In February, cabbage prices shot up to six times that of the previous autumn. Tohoku in particular was severely affected by the unseasonably cold weather.

Shin’ichi thought: Tohoku has had to deal with the cold weather, drought, and the effects of the 1960 Chilean Earthquake and Tsunami. That’s why I want Tohoku to transform its karma and flourish, and be happier than any other place. I’m going to make my visit to Tohoku to proclaim this new dawn.

HE ARRIVED at the Fukushima Culture Center a little after half past four in the afternoon.

The center was located in the Aizubandai area west of Koriyama Station, with a view of Mount Adatara to the north and the Abukuma highland to the east. The three-story reinforced-concrete building with brown tile walls was situated on a spacious lot.

On the first floor were an office, an editing room, and a conference room. The second floor consisted of a 3,469-square-foot auditorium and a Japanese-style room, and on the third floor was a special exhibition room.

When Shin’ichi stepped out of the car in front of the entrance, several leaders were there waiting to greet him.

Looking at Norio Shiba, the Fukushima Prefecture leader, and Kakuji Tone, the Tohoku region leader, Shin’ichi began to speak to them energetically: I’m here! Let’s get started and build a new Fukushima and a new Tohoku! From today, we are departing on a fresh chapter.

Yes! replied the two in unison.

Shin’ichi began to walk through the center’s garden. It’s a fine center. I’m sure everyone is very happy with it. I hope our members will be able to rejuvenate their faith here and then go out to initiate a groundswell of kosenrufu filled with self-confidence and enthusiasm.

Norio Shiba was from Miyagi Prefecture. He had been a vice national youth division leader before being appointed as the Fukushima Prefecture leader in December of the previous year. He was thirty-five years old and exhibited the rich qualities of initiative and innovation.

Shin’ichi wanted to talk to him about the key for advancing kosen-rufu. "Mr. Shiba, to construct a new era for our Soka movement in Fukushima, it won’t be enough to focus just on short-term, ad hoc plans and new guidelines for activities. A firm foundation is created through the transformation of all the members’ attitudes, to enable them to refresh their lives. It is vital that you foster true champions who have pride in where they come from and are dedicated to kosen-rufu.

The Soka Gakkai has grown in Fukushima to the point that it has because the pioneer members struggled with all their might. It is crucial to never forget how those members wholeheartedly dedicated themselves to kosenrufu, with utter devotion, never retreating a single step no matter how they were reviled or persecuted.

SHIN’ICHI HAD HEARD from the leaders traveling with him that Fukushima was usually quite cold through mid-March, but this day was surprisingly warm. A cherry tree in a pot that someone had set in the garden was beginning to blossom.

Spring has arrived in Fukushima, he said to the leaders. He looked at the culture center again and continued: "It really is a fine culture center. It is the castle of Fukushima. This is the fresh departure of the great ship Aizubandai. What matters most is how you use this new culture center to promote kosen-rufu in Fukushima. The completion of its construction is by no means the end of things. It’s actually the beginning of a new, greater struggle.

"When circumstances become comfortable and settled, people tend to get accustomed and take things for granted. They forget how hard the members in the pioneering days worked, and when they run into the slightest difficulty, they tend to start complaining and slack off.

"Unhesitatingly taking on a blizzard of challenges and bitter struggles during one’s youth is our starting point. Nothing is more worrisome than to see young people become negligent and apathetic.

"Kosen-rufu is an eternal struggle. Nichiren Daishonin declared valiantly, ‘But still I am not discouraged’ (WND-1, 748). He continued his struggle to share the correct teachings of Buddhism with others, undaunted by persecution after persecution. That’s the spirit of the Daishonin and the Soka Gakkai.

"Many of our members began practicing this faith striving earnestly to become happy in the face of desperate circumstances, dealing with illness, family strife, and life’s countless problems.

"The only way to overcome all our problems and build a state of indestructible happiness is by practicing for oneself and others. This is why we have been studying Buddhism and chanting earnestly while dedicating ourselves to sharing the teaching with others, just as Nichiren instructs when he writes, ‘You must not only persevere yourself; you must also teach others’ (WND-1, 386).

That is why so many members have acquired great benefits and demonstrated actual proof of genuine happiness. This is why the Soka Gakkai organizations in Fukushima Prefecture and the Tohoku region have grown and developed to the extent that they have.

Shin’ichi spoke with passion, driving home his message.

"N O MATTER how fine our past achievements may have been, if everyone forgets the fighting spirit and our ardent practice from the early days, kosenrufu will inevitably begin to decline. Were that to happen, individuals would not be able to transform their karma, and ‘establishing the correct teaching for the peace of the land’ ⁴ would become impossible.

"Our real struggle lies ahead of us. I’m going to wholeheartedly encourage our pioneer members that we must not step back or relent in our struggle for kosen-rufu.

"If we stop striving, then all the efforts we have made so far will be in vain. As Nichiren writes, ‘You cannot strike fire from flint if you stop halfway’ (WND-1, 319). We cannot fulfill the great vow of attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime if we give up halfway. All our hard-won efforts up to now will vanish like foam on the waves. Nothing could be more unfortunate, more of a waste. This is what I hope to remind everyone of, for the sake of the future.

"As the Daishonin instructs, ‘Life is limited; we must not begrudge it. What we should ultimately aspire to is the Buddha land’ (WND-1, 214). Noble Soka mentors and disciples need to keep on striving with all their might until the final moment of life. As you know, that’s what both Mr. Makiguchi and Mr. Toda did.

"I will do so too. Those who continue advancing no matter what are genuinely happy. They are victors in life. They are Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the Earth.

This is why I hope to reignite the spirit of a new departure in the hearts of the guidance division members who blazed the trail during our pioneering days.

While the guidance division had been established in the early days of the Soka Gakkai, a fresh start was made in August 1974 when a guidance leader and committee were set up in each prefecture and headquarters. After that, the guidance division was also established at the greater block (present-day chapter), block (present-day district), and sub-block (present-day block or group) levels.

Guidance division members are experienced practitioners with a long history of using their Buddhist faith to surmount countless challenges to achieve victory. Their lives shine. They are role models in faith. When they fully exert themselves in fostering the younger generation and offering members personal encouragement in faith, they continue to generate a powerful momentum for kosen-rufu.

SHIN’ICHI BEGAN to talk about the qualities of the various generations of members: "The current generation now in its thirties is the core of our membership here in Fukushima and other prefectures as well. The youthful generation that has emerged on the stage of kosen-rufu is filled with vigor and energy.

"They are all my precious disciples, whom I have fostered since being inaugurated as the third president. Many of them became leaders after our organization was already well established. As a result they never experienced the harsh challenges of the early days, when members were often shunned or disrespected because of their efforts to share Nichiren Buddhism with others.

"Consequently, some leaders have yet to develop the capacity to pioneer kosen-rufu amid such adverse circumstances. Though clever and intelligent, on a fundamental level they haven’t forged an unshakable conviction in faith or fully exhibited the true spirit to share and propagate this Buddhism.

"Even though they may be good at running the organization, when they are faced with a major challenge, they hesitate and easily give up. To win a really difficult battle, we need to fearlessly advance and be prepared to give our all. A real leader of propagating Buddhism will never emerge from among those who are indecisive and lack a pioneering spirit.

"If today’s youthful leaders stop trying to grow and develop, the Soka Gakkai will degenerate. It will have no future.

"Kosen-rufu is a continuous effort to pioneer the unexplored frontier. It is a task arduous beyond belief. We can never expect it to be easy. Those who are self-serving, cowardly, half hearted, careless, or dishonest stunt their potential.

In everything we do, including propagation and giving personal encouragement in faith, victory is achieved by tackling each task at hand with all our might. Let’s throw ourselves into sincerely and wholeheartedly supporting each member. That’s the way of a champion.

As the French author George Sand wrote, It is useful work, sincere devotion, that has re-tempered me.⁵ Our earnest commitment to kosen-rufu is expressed in our effort to forge and polish our lives. Shin’ichi wanted to imbue the young prefectural leader with this spirit.

SHIN’ICHI STOOD before a stone monument in the garden, a monument dedicated to second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda.

Engraved on the monument was a poem by Toda, in Shin’ichi’s handwriting:

The journey to propagate

the Mystic Law

is long;

let us encourage one another

and advance together.

Gazing at the monument, Shin’ichi continued speaking with the prefectural leader: "Tomorrow will be the unveiling ceremony for this monument. Mr. Toda dearly treasured young people. The journey for kosen-rufu is long. It is a grand undertaking that will take many generations. That’s why we must foster youthful successors. As prefectural leader, it’s vital that you devote yourself to this task.

The Soka Gakkai has continued to advance over the years because we have helped young people develop. From the time when I was inaugurated as Soka Gakkai president at the age of thirty-two, I have poured all my energy into fostering youth.

One of the leaders asked Shin’ichi, When it comes to fostering young people, what should we keep in mind?

"That’s a good question. I always take the initiative to speak with young people, to engage in frank dialogue with them, and to encourage them. Leaders must not be conceited and withdrawn, ignoring youth. They should jump right in with an open heart.

"For example, if a young person rushes from work but arrives only when the discussion meeting is reaching the end, we should encourage them with all our heart, saying: ‘Thanks for coming. I know how hard it must be to get away from work. Please keep doing your best!’ Then the person will feel assured to try and attend the next meeting.

"But if we look at them with an expression that says ‘How dare you arrive so late?’ and don’t even speak to them, they won’t want to come to another meeting.

Praise is a key aspect of encouraging someone.

Everyone nodded vigorously.

Again, while supporting and embracing youth, I also entrust them with real responsibilities. Experience is the best teacher, after all. And even when young members fail, I take full responsibility. It’s important that we have a magnanimous spirit.

THE COLORS of sunset began to paint the western sky as Shin’ichi continued his walk with the leaders.

It’s crucial that the Soka Gakkai’s youthful successors gain real experience propagating Buddhism. The Soka Gakkai has emerged as an organization dedicated to spreading Nichiren Buddhism and carrying out kosenrufu just as Nichiren instructed. Its successors, the youth, need to be fostered into great champions of propagation, or the Soka Gakkai will have no future.

Nichiren writes, From the time that I was born until today, I have never known a moment’s ease; I have thought only of propagating the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra [Nam-myoho-renge-kyo] (WND-1, 965). The great path of Buddhist faith is to dedicate one’s life to propagation based on that spirit.

Shin’ichi continued, Seniors in faith need to not only encourage their juniors to introduce Buddhism to others but also fully explain to them, from various perspectives, the importance of propagation.

Sharing Nichiren’s philosophy is a key aspect of our Buddhist practice for attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime, a state of absolute happiness.

The Daishonin states, One who recites even one word or phrase of the Lotus Sutra and who speaks about it to another person is the emissary of Shakyamuni Buddha, lord of the teachings (WND-1, 331). He also declares: There should be no discrimination among those who propagate the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo in the Latter Day of the Law, be they men or women. Were they not Bodhisattvas of the Earth, they could not chant the daimoku (WND-1, 385).

By joyfully chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and sharing Buddhism with others, we connect our lives with that of the Buddha, function as the Buddha’s emissaries, and live as Bodhisattvas of the Earth. In other words, through this practice of faith for the sake of self and others alike, the power of the Buddha wells up within us and the life state of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth beats in our hearts. We are filled with great joy and a burning desire to help other living beings, and our lives are transformed.

Through that, we carry out our human revolution and transform our karma, thereby building a life state of absolute happiness.

Introducing others to Nichiren’s teachings—enabling others to resolve their sufferings on the most fundamental level and showing them the means for attaining a state of indestructible happiness—is also a practice of supreme compassion. It is the noblest thing we can do for the benefit of others and the highest good. It forges ties of true friendship and eternal bonds of familial love.

FOSTERING YOUTH creates a brilliant, golden future. That is why Shin’ichi spoke on the subject in detail to the prefectural leaders.

"It’s very important, not only in propagation efforts but in all activities, to make the purpose very clear and reconfirm it with all involved. This enables all members to bring forth their full potential and advance without straying from the path.

"It’s important to remember, however, that we cannot simply tell young people who have no previous experience in sharing Nichiren’s teachings about the significance of propagation, encourage them to do their best, and expect them to succeed. Most people would still feel unable to do it.

"We need to show them through our own example how to introduce Buddhism to others.

"One effective way is for seniors in faith—men’s and women’s division members who have succeeded in explaining Nichiren Buddhism to others—to share their actual experiences.

"It’s also necessary to occasionally go together with young people when we engage in dialogue about Buddhism, teaching them in the midst of actual Buddhist practice an example of what to do. By giving them the chance to observe us in action, they’ll think: ‘I see. That’s how one does it. I can do that. I want to try!’

When people think something is beyond their capacity, they will hesitate to act. But if they think they can do something, they’ll take action.

As the Daishonin writes, Teaching another something is the same as oiling the wheels of a cart so that they turn even though it is heavy, or as floating a boat on water so that it moves ahead easily (WND-1, 1086). Encouragement and guidance serve to identify the thing holding us back, remove the obstacle, and rouse our courage.

When youth make an effort to promote Buddhism, we should support them fully and assist in such a way that they can succeed. And even if they don’t succeed at first, if we praise them for planting the seed for future success, it will give them great self-confidence. This confidence is the driving force for development.

Youth develop quickly if they are fostered. They will grow as quickly as bamboo shoots.

THE LEADERS traveling with Shin’ichi were impressed with the energy he put into offering wholehearted guidance to the Fukushima and Tohoku leaders so soon after his arrival.

Discerning their feelings, Shin’ichi said: I want our Fukushima and Tohoku members to be strong enough to overcome any obstacle and continue to develop. Tohoku has repeatedly suffered from unseasonable cold spells that have harmed crops, as well as numerous other natural disasters. The area is far from the center of government and hasn’t received much help. I want the people of Tohoku to become genuinely happy. The only way that can occur is if they establish indomitable and indestructible faith, so strong that nothing can vanquish it. Every member needs to become a lionhearted champion. To make that happen, I intend to put my entire being into invigorating the lives of all the members during my three days here.

Knowing how Shin’ichi felt about Fukushima and Tohoku, the leaders traveling with him were moved to tears.

A little after six o’clock on March 11, 1977, Shin’ichi participated in a meeting to commemorate the opening of the new culture center.

Eight years had passed since his last visit to Fukushima.

Good evening! I’ve come to see you all. Congratulations on the completion of the Fukushima Culture Center.

The culture center reverberated with applause and joyous shouts as Shin’ichi entered the main meeting room.

At the commemorative meeting, following the sutra recitation and remarks by the prefectural leader and a Soka Gakkai vice president, Shin’ichi encouraged the members. With a broad smile, he began to speak in a warm, embracing manner: "This Fukushima Culture Center is the Soka Gakkai’s unsinkable ship Aizubandai, and today marks the start of its maiden voyage.

To achieve fresh growth, we need a center for our activities. With this Fukushima Culture Center as our hub for all Soka Gakkai activities in Fukushima Prefecture, let’s embark on our Buddhist practice with a fresh spirit and renewed determination and dynamically advance toward attaining true happiness.

Shin’ichi then announced that all the Soka Gakkai centers in Fukushima would be renovated.

NEXT, SHIN’ICHI YAMAMOTO reconfirmed the three guidelines he had presented at the Fukushima General Headquarters leaders meeting he attended eight years earlier, in October 1969: Fukushima, advance blazing with hope; Fukushima, be victorious in the struggle of daily life; and Fukushima, develop a faith brimming with life force.

"The reason why I made ‘Fukushima, advance blazing with hope’ the first guideline is because our Buddhist faith has the power to foster hope.

"There are many trials and tribulations in life. In addition, we each have our own karma, and on top of that, when we practice our faith ardently, obstacles are certain to arise. No one lives a life that is always smooth sailing. But no matter how deep the darkness of despair, faith enables us to keep the flame of hope burning in our hearts.

"Nichiren Daishonin writes: ‘Maintain your faith and attain Buddhahood in this lifetime. Nam-myoho-rengekyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo’ (WND-1, 4). The Mystic Law enables us to overcome every obstacle, no matter how overwhelmed or deadlocked we may be, and establish a life state of indestructible happiness.

The important thing is to have faith in the Gohonzon, earnestly chant, and strive to share this Buddhism with others. If we do so, we’ll be able to open a way forward. We were born into this world as human beings with a mission to become strong and happy.

Shin’ichi then discussed the meaning of his second guideline, Fukushima, be victorious in the struggle of daily life.

"One of life’s major struggles is to establish financial security. Rather than looking for ways to get rich quick, I hope you’ll all lead your lives in a way that is earnest, trustworthy, responsible, wise, and value creative. As Buddhists, to win in society we need to exert ourselves, use our ingenuity, and work harder than anyone else.

"Never forget that our Buddhist faith is the source of all our prosperity. As the Daishonin notes, ‘If a tree is deeply rooted, its branches and leaves will never wither’ (WND-1, 909). We should plant roots firmly in the earth of the Mystic Law and through those roots draw forth the nourishment of good fortune. That’s the way to flourish in every respect.

I hope that you will all demonstrate actual proof of victory in the struggles of daily life and make Fukushima, just as its name indicates, an ‘island of good fortune,’ an ‘island of happiness.’

SHIN’ICHI MOVED ON to the third guideline, Fukushima, develop a faith brimming with life force.

"Life force is what drives the courage, wisdom, perseverance, and strength that we need to triumph in life. If we lack life force, our spirit will be shrouded with sadness, emotionalism, despair, and resignation; we’ll be quick to complain, and our expression and voice will be gloomy. We’ll drive people away. Everyone prefers to be around those who are energetic and optimistic.

"When we’re brimming with life force and burning with enthusiasm, we can be like a sun illuminating others with the light of hope. And if we’re filled with life force, we tend to have a positive outlook on everything, and the bigger the obstacle we find in our way, the brighter our fighting spirit burns to overcome it.

"We inherently possess the great life condition of Buddhahood, of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth. As Nichiren states, ‘The daimoku of the Lotus Sutra is like the roar of a lion’ (OTT, 152). Nam-myoho-renge-kyo has the power to draw forth the strength of a lionhearted champion from within us.

Through chanting, our lives are filled with great vitality, we can calmly overcome any challenge, and we will never be defeated. As such, I wish to declare that there is no adversity that we Soka Gakkai members cannot overcome.

Shin’ichi concluded his talk by referring to the Mentors Memorial Hall that had been opened on the third floor of the Fukushima Culture Center as a place to renew the pledge to succeed to and carry on the spirit of Presidents Makiguchi and Toda.

Shin’ichi then walked over to the piano that was in the room.

Today, to celebrate this fresh departure with my fellow Fukushima members, I’d like to play the piano for you, although I’m not so talented.

The members gasped with joy and clapped excitedly.

The