Learning from the Spirit of the February Campaign
In the month of the Lunar New Year, I would like to extend my well wishes to all. Happy New Year!
My heartiest congratulations to our 298 SGS participants, both performers and support staff, for putting up a spectacular performance in the segment of “Joy” at Chingay 2025, after months of hard work and effort. My deepest appreciation to everyone!
In the history of Soka Gakkai, the February Campaign of 1952 stood out as an important milestone of kosen-rufu. Ikeda Sensei, then an advisor to Tokyo’s Kamata Chapter, initiated a dynamic propagation campaign. Together with the Kamata members, he broke through inertia in propagation by introducing Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism to 201 new member- households.
This campaign opened the way in achieving the landmark goal of 750,000 member-households that the great leader of kosen-rufu, Second Soka Gakkai President Toda Sensei, had passionately called forth.
The momentum that led to this victory in that early campaign was driven by members, ordinary men and women, reaching out to friends and neighbours. They courageously and confidently spoke to people around them about Nichiren Buddhism based on their own personal experiences in faith, leading them to the path of enlightenment and happiness.
In his writing “The True Aspect of All Phenomena”, Nichiren Daishonin urges us to talk to others about the teachings of Buddhism to the best of our ability, even if we share only a single sentence or phrase. (cf. WND-1, p. 386) He further declares that “the Thus Come One’s secret and his transcendental powers” (LSOC16, p. 225) leading all people to happiness and peace are to be found within our own lives. (cf. OTT, p. 125)
The very act of shakubuku, sharing and leading others to faith in Nichiren Buddhism, is the very essence of the Lotus Sutra as taught by the Daishonin.
The Lotus Sutra elucidates the great vow of kosen-rufu — the vow to widely spread the correct teaching to enable all living beings to attain Buddhahood. It asserts that devoting one’s life to this great vow or aspiration is the true and eternal bodhisattva way.
Ikeda Sensei in his guidance states: “Talking to others about the teaching and philosophy of Buddhism is to do the Buddha’s work. This means believing in the Buddha nature of those we talk with, and directing our words to this most noble and most supreme essence of their lives.
“Because one has heard the Lotus Sutra, which leads to Buddhahood, with this as the seed, one will invariably become a Buddha’ (WND-1, p. 882), writes the Daishonin. Through our unceasing struggle to advance kosen-rufu, we of the Soka Gakkai have enabled countless individuals to form a profound connection with Buddhism. Through the power of one-on-one dialogue, we have sown the seeds of Buddhahood in people’s hearts, cultivating the inner realm of human life.”
Thus, this is the very essence of our Buddhist practice — the practice for oneself and others. It is imperative that in our practice of faith to obtain absolute happiness, we are awakened to the mission of Bodhisattvas of the Earth in leading others on this path of happiness.
It is in this spirit that SGS has set forth the goal of the emergence of 500 Bodhisattvas of the Earth for 2025. Let’s strive together joyfully to diligently share Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism with as many people around us as possible, learning from the spirit of the February Campaign.
