SSA General Director’s 2019 New Year’s Message
Happy New Year to all SSA members, your families and our friends!
We have just opened 2019 “Year of Soka Victory—Towards Our 90th Anniversary” in high spirits. Nothing brings us greater joy than having our mentor advancing together with us in good health at the age of 91. Congratulations to everyone!
Following the series of successful youth events last year that saw the four division working in harmonious unity to enable young Bodhisattvas of the Earth to emerge, it is now our joint commitment to warmly nurture the youth in fulfilling their potential and guiding them in deepening their understanding of this profound philosophy of Nichiren Buddhism.
This year, in addition to fostering our youth successors, we will also focus on creating uplifting discussion meetings, nurturing a warm culture of encouragement and steadily expanding the network of happiness. It is only through uniting to create genuine life-to-life bonds with one another that we can ring in the clarion bell of Buddhist humanism.
SGI President Ikeda shared, “Kosen-rufu is a glorious procession of hope, marching forward for the happiness of the people and for peace in our world. And we will continue to widen the avenues of dialogue that inspire hope and confidence in others, dialogue to realise a more peaceful planet for all, doing so with utmost pride as each of us show actual proof of our human revolution in our own lives.”
Nichiren Daishonin also exhorts us onwards in this way: “…those who become Nichiren’s disciples and lay believers should realise the profound karmic relationship they share with him and spread the Lotus Sutra as he does.” (WND-1, p. 994)
In this decisive year of Soka Victory and towards the Soka Gakkai’s 90th anniversary in 2020, let us create unprecedented victories together with our mentor with ever stronger faith, carry out our human revolution which directly advances kosen- rufu, and in beautiful unity that is as “inseparable as fish and the water in which they swim”. (WND-1, p. 217)
May 2019 be a fulfilling and victorious year for you and your families!
