This November 18 marks the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Soka Gakkai. Sharing the profound bond of mentor and disciple, Makiguchi Sensei and Toda Sensei founded the organisation on this very day in 1930.
They staked their lives on this great cause amid the harshest of circumstances. Their sole intent was to propagate Nichiren Buddhism, the great philosophy of life that enables people to eradicate suffering, bringing hope and courage for each person to transform their life and destiny.
Living his life in the same spirit as Makiguchi and Toda Sensei, Ikeda Sensei writes in his guidance:
“In this month of the Soka Gakkai’s founding , I would like to reaffirm an important basic point: namely, the Soka Gakkai’s fundamental mission is to achieve kosen-rufu — the widespread propagation of the Mystic Law — which is the wish of Nichiren Daishonin. This is grounded in the conviction that the Soka Gakkai is the harmonious gathering of Bodhisattvas of the Earth summoned forth by the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law, and the organisation that has vowed to realise the Buddha’s intent.”
He further calls out to us: “Our founding month is a month of creating new history. It is also a month in which courageous, self-reliant champions of justice rise purposefully into action.”
Our founding month is not simply a time for reflecting on the past. It is not a page in some dusty old chronicle. Kosen-rufu is a process of endless creativity and forward movement that does not permit even a moment’s cessation or stagnation. Our founding month lives on forever in the present, because our victory at each moment, right now, contributes to “founding” an ever-victorious Gakkai that will solidly endure the next 50, next 100 years.
When we dedicate ourselves to kosen-rufu together with the Soka Gakkai, we awaken and give expression to our inherent nature as Bodhisattvas of the Earth. On this long journey, it is only natural that we will face obstacles and difficulties from time to time. Yet when we advance with pride and confidence in our mission, we have nothing to fear and no obstacle can stop us.
Every hardship we overcome allows us to grow and taste exhilarating joy. When we strive with courageous, pure-hearted faith, all difficulties are transformed into sources of benefit and good fortune, becoming springboards for creating an even brighter future. We, who steadfastly exert ourselves in faith for the sake of kosen-rufu, are certain to attain a life state overflowing with the boundless joy of the Law.
As we commemorate this founding month of the Soka Gakkai with our deepest gratitude to our three founding presidents, let us be keenly aware that the fulfilment of the organisation’s noble mission depends entirely on our own actions as members. It is therefore vital that we strive to live as practitioners of the Lotus Sutra, as taught by Nichiren Daishonin, expanding the network of Bodhisattvas of the Earth and raising the curtain on a new drama of human revolution in our lives, breaking free from the confines of the smaller self and engaging compassionately in the sharing of Buddhism with others.
Together, let us achieve a brilliant victory that will shine forever in the annals of kosen-rufu, as we joyfully celebrate in unity with our comrades around the world.
