Tung Poh Yee Clarissa
Women Division
My son Earnest handed me his piggy bank and said, “Mummy, this is for you. You can put all the money I have saved into your bank account.” I was surprised and touched.
I was retrenched in May last year. Unfortunately, anxious to find a job, I fell for a job scam in July and lost all my savings. Even though I have often heard about online scams, I never thought it would happen to me. I faced the double blow of losing my 16 years of savings and my job. Nevertheless, I remained calm and composed.
My husband was surprised by my strength and determination, and was more worried than I was. I told him, “I feel fortunate because I have the Gohonzon, and by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, we can bring forth the ‘strength to continue living,’ transform all misfortunes, and live with courage. We will never be deadlocked.”
This is exactly what Nichiren Daishonin taught us: “Suffer what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy. Regard both suffering and joy as facts of life, and continue chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, no matter what happens. How could this be anything other than the boundless joy of the Law? Strengthen your power of faith more than ever.” (WND-1, p. 681)
We decided to tell the children what happened to me. Earnest then gave me his piggy bank. Understanding the family’s financial situation, the children became prudent in their spending. They would ask us which food is cheaper instead of choosing their favourite when we were buying food. The children’s thoughtfulness and growth convinced me of the greatness of Nichiren Buddhism, and that I was actually transforming the karma of my family and myself through this ordeal.
Growing up in the Soka Gakkai
I am very grateful to my mother. She had embraced faith during her youth. My two brothers and I are all fortune babies who grew up in the organisation. I remember during my Young Women Division (YWD) days in Singapore, I had just arrived for work from Malaysia and had to scrimp and save, eating only bread and biscuits for my three meals. Sometimes, I had to go on a hungry stomach when I rushed from work to my SGS meeting venue. However, my Women Division (WD) leader cared for me warmly. She even cooked noodles for me. That bowl of noodles, seasoned with love, is still etched in my memory. I am who I am today because of the dedicated efforts of many WD leaders to nurture me. I had learned from them the WD’s spirit of quietly nurturing the youth behind the scenes.
I met my husband when we were preparing for the Soka Youth Musical in 2010 and we got married in 2013. Upon graduation to the WD, I took on the mission of vice WD district chief. The members under my care were mostly more senior WD members. However, through home visits and one-to-one dialogues alongside my fellow leaders, I was able to build strong bonds of friendship with them. I also learned from them what it means to uphold persevering faith. Some of these WD members participated in the discussion meetings more proactively after our home visits, and among them were those who even brought their children and grandchildren along to attend the meetings. I was also overjoyed when I managed to encourage some of the WD members who had been inactive in their Buddhist practice to join our small group dialogues.
Transforming Karma with Resolute Faith
On August 27 last year, I attended a meeting commemorating the 35th anniversary of Ikeda Sensei’s first visit to Singapore in 1988. In his message, Ikeda Sensei said, “Because of your profound mission, you may have to live a life that is busier than others and experience various hardships. However, please continue to advance with the lion’s roar of our daimoku resounding even more powerfully no matter what happens, and continue making remarkable contributions to society with courage, great cheer, and wisdom so that together, we can all lead wonderful lives that are filled with happiness and victory.” Sensei’s words struck a chord with me. I felt that it perfectly described what I was going through after the job scam.
After losing all my savings, I chanted with gratitude in front of the Gohonzon every day to elevate my life condition and continued to strive for kosen-rufu. I threw myself into kosen-rufu activities, assuming both the responsibilities of Vice WD Chapter Chief and Sunshine Auntie in the Primary Division. After three months of prayers, I finally found a job as an assistant in September. Even though the salary was half of what I received in my previous company, I was immensely grateful.
Ikeda Sensei says, “Right now, your life may be filled with suffering. But just as pleasure never lasts forever, neither does suffering. In life, there is both suffering and joy. Sometimes we win, and other times we lose. Both suffering and joy are a part of life; this is life’s reality. That is why, whether experiencing suffering or joy, we should keep chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, just as we are, says the Daishonin. If we do that, we will attain a state of supreme happiness through the wisdom and power of the Mystic Law. We can lead a life in which nothing will defeat us.”
With the spirit of voluntarily assuming the appropriate karma, my family and I made a determination to advance based on abundant daimoku, refusing to be defeated by challenges. Even though we were still facing financial difficulties, we managed to achieve my goal of making sincere offerings to the Members Contribution Fund.
It was amazing that in December, my previous company decided to rehire me in another department, offering me a pay slightly higher than before the retrenchment. My family and I are in awe of the greatness of Nichiren Buddhism, having gone through this process of transforming poison into medicine.
We are truly grateful to Ikeda Sensei for his guidance and encouragement. I vow to introduce Nichiren Buddhism to more people by sharing my victories and experiences. I will also endeavour to foster more youth and, together with the other three division leaders, achieve great victories in this Year of Fresh Departure Towards a Youthful Soka Gakkai Worldwide!
(Adapted from March 2024 issue of Creative Life)
