Jarrod Ho Wei Cheon
Men Division
It all began in 1990 — the year that changed everything. My life took a complete turn when my father introduced me to Nichiren Buddhism. Soon after, I became a member of Soka Gakkai Singapore (SGS).
The foundation of my Buddhist faith was solidified during my time with the Student Division where I established my perspective of life and was encouraged to embrace hopes and dreams. Through the rigorous faith training, I experienced first-hand the undeniable actual proof in my life. It reminded me Ikeda Sensei’s guidance on how the Gohonzon exists within our lives: “The power of the Gohonzon is immeasurable, as vast as the universe itself. Our lives, too, have infinite potential.” (The New Human Revolution Vol 2, “Training” chapter) Over 30 years of Buddhist practice, I have undergone a profound transformation – from a melancholic soul to my most authentic, fulfilled self. I was convinced that, when our prayers are rooted in kosen-rufu, there is no deadlock we cannot overcome, and we can bring the incredible potential within us to shine brilliantly.
Ruled by Short-term Gains
In 2015, at the height of my career in my 40s, I was earning well and travelling very frequently for work. As my life grew more comfortable, my Buddhist practice waned, and I carried out my practice by force of habit. My chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and recitation of gongyo gradually became half-hearted. My Buddhist practice was affected by what Buddhism terms as the “eight winds” (prosperity, decline, disgrace, honour, praise, censure, suffering, and pleasure—including prosperity, honour and pleasure that I was enjoying then). My mind was constantly consumed by the pursuit of wealth, indulging in whims, and chasing financial success.
I was soon blinded by greed. Enticed by get-rich-quick schemes, I recklessly invested in money games, stocks, and forex, only to lose over hundreds of thousands of dollars. Each failure fuelled my desperation to recover my losses, plunging me deeper into a vicious cycle of financial ruin. My investments turned to dust, leaving me buried under a mountain of debt—a painful price for my greed and ignorance.
A Turning Point
During this difficult period, I became emotionally withdrawn at home. I refused to communicate with my wife and my indifference strained our relationship greatly. Under the crushing weight of financial loss, I asked myself why I ended up being in the state I was in. As I started to gather the shattered pieces and rebuild my life after this downfall, I found strength in Ikeda Sensei’s encouragement. Sensei shared, “…if we chant to the Gohonzon but always blame other people or our environment for our circumstances, we are avoiding the challenge of tackling our inner darkness or ignorance. Prayer is the driving force for that change.” (Lectures on “On Attaining Buddhahood in this Lifetime” (4))
I decided to snap out of my victim mode and began exerting in my Buddhist practice and deepening my faith. Based on the strict law of causality, I needed to take full responsibility for the negative causes I had made and pray wholeheartedly to the Gohonzon, with a genuine resolve to transform my karma at its root. With this determination, I took the first step towards starting anew in my Buddhist practice.
One of the hardest things to do next was to muster the courage to confess my enormous debt to my wife. I chanted with utmost sincerity, to be truthful and to wholeheartedly accept whatever her reactions might be. To my surprise, when my wife learned the truth, she did not burst into anger. Instead, she congratulated me, applauding the heavy price I needed to pay for this important lesson. I saw how she put what she had learnt in Buddhism into practice and was truly shining like the sun of the family during the darkest moment of my life. Her vast heart and strict compassion supported me as I rebuilt my life from scratch.
In 2016, while I was still drowning in debt, the oil crisis struck. Then came an even harsher blow – my family learned that my father had been diagnosed with stage four vocal cord cancer. Panic gripped us. My father had no insurance, and I was already struggling under the weight of my financial burdens. At that moment, I made a vow – to fight alongside my father, no matter what. His battle became my battle.
In July that year, his condition took a turn for the worse. Complications landed him in the Intensive Care Unit, his life was hanging by a thread. As I stood at his bedside, praying earnestly, another storm loomed on the horizon — news broke that the senior management would be arriving to hand out retrenchment notices. I knew my job in regional commercial sales for a global Shipbuilder and Engineering firm was on the line.
Refusing to be Defeated by One Ordeal after Another
Ikeda Sensei illustrated, “…if our life force is a magnitude of one, and we encounter a problem that measures a magnitude of two or three, we will likely be discouraged. But if we strengthen our life force to a magnitude of a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand, such difficulties will be nothing more than minor distractions that we toss away as we proceed joyfully along”. (The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra — A Discussion on Religion in the Twenty-first Century)
My faith did not falter this time round. I chanted with fierce determination to elevate my life condition and believe with every fibre of my being that a path forward will open. The next morning, I called a prospective customer, informing him of the possibility that I might be laid off but assuring him that I would see his account through.
Hours later, while driving to the hospital, an email notification popped up. As I read it, tears streamed down my face. The customer had decided to award us a major order — on one condition: I had to be the one leading the project. I was thus spared from the retrenchment. That same day, my father, who had been unconscious, woke up.
On November 18, 2016, the inevitable happened — my company officially shut down its Singapore office. I was the last to be let go and was compensated generously. As my younger sister was unemployed too at that time, we could apply for financial aid through the hospital social services. By the end of December 2016, we received incredible news — our application was approved! My father’s entire six-figure medical bill was fully covered, along with an additional year’s supply of medical necessities. My father turned 91 years old in March this year (2025). It has now been over eight years since he had cancer and was given the clean bill of health.
Nichiren Daishonin says, “Buddhism is like the body, and society like the shadow. When the body bends, so does the shadow.” (WND-1, p. 1039) As I reflected on my mistakes, I realised that it was not about anyone else, but me, I needed to focus on the “body” which was to have absolute faith in Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. I was thus able to manifest the courage and wisdom needed to create value out of my seemingly hopeless situation. I restructured my debt repayment scheme.
In January 2017, my former company offered me a job unexpectedly without knowing I was just being retrenched. During the Covid-19 pandemic, when retrenchments loomed once again, another company reached out with a job offer — this time with a salary increase of over 50%. Each time I faced job uncertainty, an unexpected opportunity would appear to carry me forward with another 50% increment. I managed to clear all my debts within three years.
Unleashing My Hidden Potential
In 2021, I broke free from my self-limiting beliefs and turned a lifelong dream into reality – becoming a freelance featured actor. Then, in 2023, alongside passionate actors and filmmakers, I co-wrote and produced a short film for a competition. Our work was recognised, earning a nomination for Best Actor/Actress. I could embark on this voyage of creative self-discovery and realise my potential because of our Buddhist practice and my mentor’s guidance during those trying periods.
I am now more convinced than ever these words of my mentor, “You who have embraced this great Law are millionaires rich in life force who possess good fortune surpassing the wealth of even the world’s richest people. Material possessions cannot be enjoyed after death. But, “millionaires rich in life force” are able to freely make use of the treasures of the universe in lifetime after lifetime and enjoy a journey of eternal happiness. That is what constitutes proof of true victory in life. Of course, in order to accumulate such great good fortune, you have to persevere in the Buddhist practice. However, when you cultivate your life in this way, you will tap an inexhaustible source of good fortune within your life. It is as though, by unlocking and opening a magical treasure chest, you gain access to infinite treasures. Therefore, you should never discard faith or slacken in your practice.” (At an SGI joint training session, held at the Soka University Los Angeles campus, on February 18, 1990)
Over the years, sharing the practice of Nichiren Buddhism has become a defining part of my life – a relentless pursuit to advance kosen-rufu. It brings me great fulfilment to see the positive transformation in the lives of those I have shared Nichiren Buddhism with. Some of them have awakened to their mission as Bodhisattvas of the Earth and are striving hard for kosen-rufu.
Moving forward, I am determined to make Ikeda Sensei’s heart for kosen-rufu my own, and to enable every member I encounter to practise faith happily and correctly so that they can lead lives of true fulfilment and supreme happiness, transforming all karma into mission!
(Adapted from April 2025 issue of Creative Life)
