Suriyakala d/o Suppaiya
Women Division
“Why are you crying? You have the Gohonzon with you. Tap the power of the Gohonzon and transform your life! Don’t be fearful! I have never doubted the Gohonzon!”
My father said these words to me when I told him I had been diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2022.
Health Challenges
In January 2022, during a self-examination, I discovered a lump in my right breast. A biopsy confirmed I had stage 2 breast cancer. The cancer was called HER2-positive. I was told that this type of cancer cells are highly active and dynamic. I was devastated. When I shared the news with my family, my father reminded me of the power of our Buddhist practice. My father has always been my role model and his words immediately brought me back to my senses.
I took up faith when I was 12 years old. My mother was introduced to this Buddhism in 1981 by a colleague while working as a school attendant. At that time, she was troubled by my brother’s poor academic performance. She was also struggling with chronic sinus issues, and my dad was suffering from persistent gastric pain. Over the years, we witnessed many positive transformations. Eventually, my father took up faith as well. He managed to find the right doctor who prescribed effective medication – finally putting an end to the gastric pain that had tormented him for so long.
I am very grateful to my leaders and members who supported me in chanting throughout this ordeal. I joined my district as a district leader when COVID-19 was at its height and did not have any opportunity to have face-to-face interactions with my members. On 1 January 2022, I set determined prayers during the New Year Gongyo to be able to connect with all my Women Division (WD) members.
I wanted to visit all of them before the first discussion meeting of the year in February. With the support of my fellow WD leaders, I took the lead in preparing “Happy Packs”, which included a daimoku chart, Ikeda Sensei’s guidance, chocolates, and a personalised handwritten card thanking each member for their contributions the previous year.
The WD members welcomed us warmly when we delivered the “Happy Packs” and we were able to engage in brief but inspiring conversations with them. Each visit brought me immense joy, and I continued these meet-ups even after my breast cancer diagnosis. When I shared my health challenge with my members, they encouraged me in return.
I began my treatment in March 2022. Before each session, I chanted abundant daimoku to elevate my life condition. I was determined to inspire the fellow patients and medical professionals I encountered. I also chanted for the medical team to have the wisdom to provide me with the best possible care and treatment. It was a difficult journey. Not long after starting chemotherapy, I began to lose my hair and appetite. Still, I did not give up. I knew I had to persevere – for the sake of my loved ones, as well as the SGS members who were sincerely chanting for my recovery.
Demonstrating the Never Defeated Spirit
As I was going through my cancer treatment, several other challenges arose in my family. In June 2022, my father fell in the bathroom, which led to multiple health complications in the following weeks. He was hospitalised for 5 weeks. In July of the same year, my husband suddenly experienced chest pains at work and had to be rushed to the hospital.
Each time a problem arose, I felt like crumbling. But I picked myself up again quickly by going back to daimoku and found my footing through Ikeda Sensei’s guidance. I doubled my efforts for kosen-rufu, determined to show actual proof. Ikeda Sensei wrote, “Falling ill is not a form of failure or defeat. It doesn’t happen because our faith is weak. When the suffering of illness occurs amid our efforts for kosen-rufu, it is the working of devilish influences trying to obstruct our attainment of Buddhahood. As such, we mustn’t let illness intimidate us. The Daishonin teaches us how to bring forth courage to face illness and attain Buddhahood in this lifetime.
“When you experience illness, the important thing is to rouse even stronger faith. Keep chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with the determination to make this illness an opportunity to demonstrate the tremendous power of faith and achieve truly amazing growth as a human being.” (The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, Part 1: Happiness, 8.2)
During this period, I would share Ikeda Sensei’s guidance or testimonies of members I had read with my members and fellow leaders every morning. I never missed a discussion meeting and took every opportunity to prepare slides, call and communicate with members, visit them, manage technical support for the meetings and chant for the success of the meetings. My experience and transformation inspired my Women Division members to believe that winter will definitely turn into spring and to continue challenging their problems with prayers and the never give up spirit. Striving for the happiness of the members allowed me to bring forth greater strength within my life.
My chemotherapy lasted six months. In September 2022, I underwent surgery to remove the shrinking lump and my lymph nodes, followed by radiation therapy in November. Throughout this period, I continued to work as an executive assistant to a demanding managing director. At the same time, my husband and I remained committed to supporting both our families. Since my parents preferred home-cooked meals, I prepared meals over the weekends and delivered a week’s supply of food to them – even though I was physically weak from the treatments.
Juggling with all the health challenges, tiring cancer treatments and surgery, looking after the family and working full-time was physically and mentally exhausting. I sometimes felt discouraged, cried, and wondered how much more I had to endure. The after-effects of each intense treatment were terrible. I felt fragile, and it generally took ten to twelve days to recover from each treatment. I could not sit upright to work or even chant. During the weeks that followed after each treatment, I had a fever, very poor appetite, infections in both feet at different times that required minor surgery.
Nevertheless, I challenged myself to chant even more, even if I had to lie down on the bed. I reminded myself of my mission as a votary of the Lotus Sutra and chanted to stay strong, cheerful, and focused. This activated the protective functions of the universe. The doctors had the wisdom to support me and every time I was challenged like feeling giddy from low blood pressure, there would be someone around to help me.
Just when I thought that I had made some headway in my health situation, I was shocked when the doctors informed me at the end of November 2022 that the aggressive cancer cells were not under control. I had to continue with a new targeted chemotherapy treatment in 2023. Even though I was in a state of rejection initially, I quickly plucked up the courage and determination to chant and battle my illness again.
Sensei’s guidance evoked the courage in me to fight on, “The key to victory in our lives lies in how hard we struggle when we are in winter, how wisely we use that time and how meaningfully we live each day, confident that spring will definitely come.” (Learning from The Gosho: The Hope-filled Writings of Nichiren Daishonin , “Winter Always Turns to Spring”)
My Vow
The targeted chemotherapy treatments started in 2023. I had a lot of pain. Just before a trip to Japan in July 2023, during the tenth targeted chemotherapy treatment, I was down with a fever and was admitted to the hospital. Tests revealed that my lungs were inflamed. In the hospital, I was subjected to continuous jabs to draw blood for examination, and my fever would flare up every evening. The doctors refused to let me return home. I felt very depressed but reminded myself that these were obstacles manifesting to test my faith and made a determination to report victory to my mentor, Ikeda Sensei.
I managed to get myself discharged from the hospital, set powerful prayers and took good care of myself. True enough, all the symptoms like fever and pains were gone within four days and I went on my trip successfully. I wrote a letter to Ikeda Sensei, sharing with him my victories, my district’s goals and my vow to advance kosen-rufu throughout my life.
Dawn Arrives
After I returned to Singapore, the doctors found that the lung inflammation was under control and the white spots that were found in my lungs earlier had lessened. Eventually, they were gone.
I am now on the road to full recovery. In addition, my husband, who was once an inactive member, has reawakened to faith again. I have been chanting for my entire family to contribute to kosen-rufu and gradually, I have seen changes. My daughter started practising and attending discussion meetings again. I am confident that my son will follow suit in his own time. As for my father, he recovered from his fall and was able to live a fulfilling life before peacefully passing on in 2024.
It has been my long-held dream to go to the Hall of the Great Vow for Kosen-rufu in Tokyo. I am glad through my struggles and prayers, I managed to fulfil my dream and renew my vows for kosen-rufu and pray for the growth of my WD members there this year.
Ikeda Sensei wrote, “It is only when we struggle against adversity that the tremendous power residing in the very depths of our lives begins to reveal itself. Those who can summon great strength at the most challenging time are victors. This is an unchanging rule of history.” (The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, Part 2: Human Revolution, 15.8)
I have truly learnt to never give up and have come to realise that I possess a deep reservoir of strength and potential within me — one that I can always draw upon as I continue to advance and lead others on this path of absolute happiness.
(Adapted from Creative Life, June 2025 issue)
