Cai Pei Xiang
Women Division
It all started in 2009 when a colleague, who saw me heavily pregnant, encouraged me to try chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
However, I did not practise faith seriously until I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010. My colleague brought her chapter leader along to visit me immediately. During the visit, they shared more about Nichiren Buddhism with me and gave me a copy of Creative Life. I came across this Gosho passage, “It could never come about that the prayers of the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra would go unanswered.” (WND-1, p. 345) It gave me immense hope and I began to chant with the strong determination to recover.
The chemotherapy journey was difficult. After the second session, I felt so unwell that I wondered if my body would be able to endure the many more sessions to come. I was feeling demoralised when my colleague called to encourage me. Even though the entire journey was fraught with unexpected challenges, I engraved the Daishonin’s writings in my heart and put them into practice. “Strengthen your power of faith more than ever.” (WND-1, p. 681) I chanted that I must manifest strong life force and the unshakeable conviction in the power of faith to win and show actual proof. I pulled through, transforming all poison into medicine with the daimoku and the support of fellow SGS members.
I quit my job while battling with cancer. Upon my recovery, I decided to return to the workforce. I studied fashion design and inherited tailoring skills from my mother, who was a seamstress. When I saw an advertisement seeking one, I decided to give it a try.
Finding a Job that Manifests My Potential
When I walked in for an interview, the Human Resources staff handed me a form. My heart sank when I turned to a page with two questions: “Have you worked in a company that sells luxury goods before?” and “Have you ever been diagnosed with any major illness?” I had no experience in the field mentioned, and I had just recovered from cancer.
Just when I was about to leave, the HR staff took the form from me and filled it out for me while speaking with me. I was then tested to alter a suit. I passed the test and an interview with the store manager, but was told that there would be another interview with the company’s Singapore Operations Manager. He was an Italian, and the interview would be conducted in English.
I was nervous, as I was not proficient in English. I tried to practise speaking in English and chanted abundant daimoku for the success of the interview. Nothing beats the strategy of the Lotus Sutra and I was determined to show actual proof of victory!
After a few days, I received a call informing that the store manager felt there was no need for me to go through the interview and strongly recommended me for the job. I was surprised and grateful when I was offered the job as the remuneration package was better than what I had requested.
My Journey of Faith
With a deep sense of gratitude, I enshrined my Gohonzon in 2013 and took on the role of assistant district leader in September 2015. My former colleague who had introduced me to the practice has taken on the role of the Women Division district chief while I would be supporting her as the assistant district chief. In retrospect, I realise I would not have grown into the person I am today if I had not taken on the leadership role. Ikeda Sensei writes, “When illness assails you, bring forth the great power of faith. Chant to make it an opportunity to grow bigger as a human being.” I realised the actual proofs I received was to support the faith and lives of so many others, do my human revolution and gained a deeper understanding of Nichiren Buddhism and Ikeda Sensei.
In 2024, a member’s daughter was diagnosed with cancer. I encouraged her and chanted with her at our individual homes after the phone call. Leaders and members of our district chanted for them too. When her daughter rejected radiotherapy, we encouraged her to chant for her daughter to be able to manifest wisdom to make the best decision. In the end, the daughter decided to go for the radiotherapy and her cancer was in remission. Both mother and daughter strengthened their faith in the process.
In the same year, I realised that an ex-colleague I had introduced to faith had lost contact with my previous district. I reached out to her immediately. Coincidentally, she was facing some challenges with her job. I encouraged her to chant and participate in SGS activities, explaining to her how she could put Buddhism into practice in her daily life. While she deepened her understanding of Nichiren Buddhism and strengthened her Buddhist practice, she saw actual proof in getting an ideal job and also shared her experience at the discussion meeting.
A Most Precious Inconspicuous Benefit
I have two daughters. When my elder daughter Xin Ping was young, I made her study very hard from the tender age of three. I wanted to equip her with all the tool necessary to survive in a highly competitive world. She excelled in her results but there was one problem – we did not enjoy a close mother–daughter relationship. I was heartbroken when, during a parent-teacher conference, her teacher told me that she had commented that my husband and I loved her younger sister but not her.
The truth was I had changed after taking up faith and experiencing the life-threatening cancer. I was also aware of Soka Gakkai’s founding president Makiguchi Sensei’s guidance that the fundamental purpose of education is to enable children to lead happy lives. I realised that having excellent results did not necessarily mean they would lead lives of true happiness. I tried to change the way I interacted with my children, but the gulf between Xin Ping and me had already become too wide.
Later, Xin Ping could not get into the overseas university of her dreams, despite her excellent results. She did not pass the interview. When the results came out, I comforted her, saying, “You have done your best. Everything must have happened for a reason. Let’s chant together.” She gently took both my hands in hers and said to me in a soft voice, “Please do not ask me to chant from today onwards.” Tears streamed down my cheeks. This was not what I had expected.
In the next two years, I tried every way I could think to guide her back to faith, but to no avail. My daughter eventually enrolled in the National University of Singapore and chose rock climbing as her extracurricular activity. During one of the training sessions last year, she fell and broke her leg. Unfortunately, her leg did not recover well after the first surgery, and she had to undergo a second one. My senior in faith encouraged me to chant not only for the success of the operation but for this to be an opportunity for her to return to faith.
Unexpectedly, there were many hiccups during this journey. I was also shocked to realise that three cuts were made during the operation, one of which was a long wound. I felt deeply unsettled after seeing my daughter’s wounds. I turned my sorrows into resolve that there is no problem that cannot be solved through prayer infused with a vow for kosen-rufu. As the Daishonin states: “The greater the hardships befalling him , the greater the delight he feels, because of his strong faith.” (WND-1, p. 33)
Due to my daughter’s leg condition, she could not attend school and had to stay at home for two weeks. My husband and I took turns to take leave to care for her. During this time, we started having heart-to-heart conversations. My daughter realised how much I cared for her throughout this ordeal. I apologised to her and shared that I would not have raised her in the same way if we could turn back time. We discussed various matters and reflected on how we could have done things better. We re-established a strong relationship, and her leg fully recovered in time, just before she left for New York on a student exchange programme in May.
Before going to the airport, I mustered up the courage to ask her to chant with me. She immediately agreed and chanted sincerely, without any trace of reluctance. This was a breakthrough for me after two years. During her exchange in New York, she also visited the Soka Centre on her own. When I brought my younger daughter to visit her in New York, I realised that the family atmosphere had transformed, becoming warmer and more light-hearted, and my daughter had obviously become more cheerful.
Both of us realised how everything had worked out in the best possible way, and we had received a most precious gift — one better than we had hoped for: a close-knit mother-daughter relationship. Xin Ping also told me later, if she had gotten into the university of her dreams, she would have gone overseas, and none of what had happened would have taken place. We would have lost a brilliant opportunity to mend our relationship.
I am filled with immense gratitude. I can’t help but feel thankful that I have had excellent seniors to guide me through my years of practice. I always felt enlightened, rejuvenated and encouraged after a call to them whenever I was troubled.
Ikeda Sensei wrote, “t is also important to seek guidance from members with more experience in faith. Without the spirit to learn about faith from our seniors and to polish and forge ourselves, we will grow self-centred and complacent.” (NHR Volume 9, “Brilliant Light” chapter, 14)
This year marks the 10th anniversary since I took on leadership in the organisation. I am grateful to be able to walk on this path, working for the happiness of both others and myself. Over the years, I have become keenly aware of the importance of study and maintaining a strong seeking spirit. Ikeda Sensei writes, “Studying the Daishonin’s writings rouses the Daishonin’s indomitable fighting spirit in our hearts and causes our beings to resound with his great compassion to alleviate the sufferings of all people. When we read the Daishonin’s writings, boundless courage surges within us, along with immense passion and wisdom for finding a way forward, no matter what difficulties or obstacles we face.”
The more I study, the more I am able to offer timely encouragement to members when they need it. I believe that as long as we base everything on faith, we will be able to build a solid foundation for achieving success in both work and life. I am determined to do so and to lead others to do the same, ensuring that my growth contributes to the growth of kosen-rufu in Singapore.
(Adapted from March 2025 issue of Creative Life)
