Since young, I have always been impressed and inspired by my grandmother’s perseverance, commitment to faith and her strong seeking spirit. She has never missed her daily Buddhist practice in her many years of faith. And even at the senior age of 86 now, she is a Women Division Zone advisor and continues to attend all the meetings without fail. During the Covid-19 pandemic period, she would ask my father or me to help her log into her Zoom meetings and was often the earliest to enter the “meeting room”.
Besides my grandmother, my parents, too, have been a model of faith for me. They strive hard for kosen-rufu and give their all in every aspect of life. I myself became more earnest in practising Nichiren Buddhism during my final year in secondary school after witnessing my first actual proof of getting into the polytechnic course that I wanted – Apparel Design. I like the idea of bringing my designs to life and seeing how far I can go with my imagination. I remember the cut-off point for that course was 16, but I scored 24 during my school’s preliminary examinations.
Pursuing My Dreams
I started a daimoku campaign and set a strong prayer to enter the course of my desire. My parents did not support my choice initially. They were concerned that it would be difficult for me to secure a design job in the future, but they listened to my thoughts with an open heart and eventually supported my passion. My mother would chant with me every night. I studied hard and found myself becoming more courageous in seeking the necessary help from teachers and friends. Eventually I scored exactly 16 points and got enrolled in my dream course in Temasek Polytechnic. Witnessing my first actual proof, I was overjoyed. After that I continued to pursue my passion and obtained a degree in Fashion Design from LASALLE College of the Arts.
I faced my greatest struggles after my graduation in August 2019. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020, I had a hard time looking for a job. I chanted with the specific prayer that I could secure a job that would allow me to learn more about business marketing, had a positive work environment and enabled me to attend SGS activities to my heart’s content. I sent out resumes to various companies but to no avail.
I did not give up in the process even though it took me one and a half years before I finally secured a part-time position in my current company. However, I was grateful for the opportunity because my boss offered me a part-time position in business marketing even though I had no prior experience. Nichiren Daishonin states, “…winter always turns to spring” (WND-1, p. 536). After four months, I was converted to a full-time position in e-commerce marketing.
The job ticked all the boxes of what I chanted for. However, a year into the job, I started to feel that I was not making significant contribution in my work and was unsure how I could do more. My initial thought and prayer was “I’ll quit after securing a better job.”
Hitting a Plateau at Work
My mother always gave me her listening ear whenever I confided in her about my problems at work, and she would encourage me using Ikeda Sensei’s guidance. She shared this guidance on one occasion, “Buddhism is about winning. It is to drive home the importance of having the inner strength and fortitude to stand up to every obstacle and difficulty that arises in life. If we are fainthearted and timid, we cannot win over the negative functions in our own lives or in society.”
I was encouraged by this guidance and it enlightened me about the true meaning of human revolution. I changed my prayer and determined to make a positive impact in my workplace through my work and to actualise my human revolution wherever I go. Just as the Buddhist concept of oneness of life and environment teaches, everything around us, including work and relationships, reflects our inner lives; when we change, our environment changes.
With my new perspective and renewed determination, I gave my all at work regardless of what my job scope was and took the initiative to help my colleagues whenever they needed help. After one and a half years of hard work, my efforts were recognised, and I received a promotion and pay raise. I was then given the opportunity to guide a batch of interns. I took this as a good opportunity to put what I had learnt in SGS into practice — “fostering the next generation” in society — at my workplace.
In 2023 when I felt a bit of stagnation creeping in at work, I returned to the Gohonzon, praying that I could grow as an individual and excel at work to show the greatness of Nichiren Buddhism.
Around September that year, a colleague left and there was no one left to supervise the logistics team. My boss then asked another colleague and me to oversee the team temporarily. This gave me the opportunity to learn how to lead a team. Through reading The New Human Revolution, I learned from Ikeda Sensei how to be strict yet compassionate, and the importance of respecting and empathising with others. During the same period, I took up a new leadership role in SGS as the Young Women Division (YWD) zone chief in Thomson Zone. Though work was demanding, my daily prayers enabled me to elevate my life condition to enjoy my work and attend SGS activities in high spirits.
In early 2024, my boss decided to let me take over the supervisor role in the logistics department, while concurrently overseeing the marketing department. Upon learning of this news, my parents reminded me to be humble and to exert my utmost in my mission for kosen-rufu.
Learning about My Mentor
My parents always share with me how they were inspired by Ikeda Sensei when they had the opportunity to meet him at the SGI training courses or during his visits to Singapore. In fact, my father and my grandmother met Ikeda Sensei at the Telok Blangah Soka Centre (present-day Soka Peace Centre) when Sensei first visited Singapore in February 1988.
My dad shared that Singapore was the 42nd nation Ikeda Sensei was visiting since his inauguration as the third president of Soka Gakkai. The visit to Singapore was the last leg of his 20-day overseas guidance tour, having visited Hong Kong, Thailand and Malaysia before that. Ikeda Sensei must be very tired, yet upon his arrival on February 8, Sensei presented a long poem “Paths of Verdure in the Lion City” to the Singapore members, having completed it during his flight from Malaysia. He also presented these words, “The Golden Pillar of the Lion City”, “Together We Grow”, “Together We Advance” and “Together in Mind” to the youth division, Student Division, Young Men Division and Young Women Division respectively. This meeting has become my father’s prime point of faith and he continues to strive to grow and advance together with Ikeda Sensei for Singapore’s kosen-rufu.
Witnessing my parents’ efforts since their youth division days, I was hoping to be able to attend one such training course in Japan to experience what my parents had undergone. My dream came true when I was given the opportunity to be among 200 youth participants from India, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore to join the South Asia Youth Training Course in Kansai last year. This training course has been a life-changing experience for me and I’m eternally grateful for this opportunity. It is invigorating to see the Kansai members inheriting Ikeda Sensei’s spirit and standing up as his disciples. They genuinely treasure each individual they see and act with sincerity.
I’m also grateful that I got to know Ikeda Sensei on a deeper level; all his efforts for the happiness of others touch my heart. There is a video in the Soka Culture Centre of Ikeda Sensei’s visit to Malaysia where he told the members there, “You are working hard for kosen-rufu, there is no reason why you shouldn’t become happy.” It’s so simple yet so profound. This is one of the many things I had learnt during this training course that has strengthened my bond with Ikeda Sensei.
Another inspiring episode was during the Kansai General Meeting. The Kansai Men Division Chief said that the times are changing, but the only thing that cannot change is the Gakkai spirit, that is the spirit of encouraging one another and practising for oneself and others. I also learnt from the members the importance of practising with joy and renewing one’s determination again and again.
Visiting the Fukuchiyama Culture Centre in Kyoto was another prime point for me. I plucked up the courage to share Buddhism with new friends and it turned out to be such a fulfilling experience. Most importantly, I’ve learnt that being ever-victorious means never to be defeated, to try again even if I do not succeed the first time and to continue until I achieve it.
Having returned from the training course, I am determined to participate in every SGS activity with a heart of gratitude and to cherish every individual I meet. I am also determined to engrave the ever-victorious spirit in my life and to transmit this to the YWD members and Future Division members under my care. I am very sure that there will still be many more challenges ahead, but as a disciple of Ikeda Sensei, I will never be defeated and will continue striving to be a better version of myself each day.
Ikeda Sensei said, “That’s why the present moment is what matters, not some time in the future. We need to strive earnestly in faith, deepening our commitment to our Buddhist practice and transforming our karma, right here and now. This is the way to accumulate the causes for happiness, which also contain the effect or result of happiness.” (The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, Chapter 17.2)
Cherishing this guidance, I will strive to plant the cause for future victories right here and now where I am, in this Year of Soaring Higher towards a Youthful Soka Gakkai Worldwide!
(Adapted from February 2025 issue of Creative Life)
