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On May 3, 2023, a secretive closed-door meeting was held at the headquarters, with more than 10 attendees present. According to a whistleblower who attended the meeting and sent information to us, some of the attendees included
Dear readers,
The team has received bits and pieces of information from some meetings in Singapore. Thank you for the reports! Thanks to your valuable contributions, we’ve got an idea of what’s currently going on in Singapore. We are calling for any others who have any type of information such as recordings. Do not worry as we will prepare a secure site for you to drop any files. To all readers, stay tuned as we release further news very soon… Hi Readers,
There had been a surge of readership today especially from Singapore. We heard there is something going on. If anyone has any information, please feel free to send to our email h.kempon@gmail.com Thank you. In 2017 last year, we had reported quite extensively on the topic of the 50,000 membership. Now in “The Year of Brilliant Achievement in the New Era of Worldwide Kosen-rufu”, there is no better time to review its progress, although SSA has been very quiet about it in the past few months.
For 7 years since 2010, this target of 50,000 membership had always been on the lips of SSA top leaders. The original goal at the start of 2017 was to achieve the target by Nov 18, 2017, to commemorate the 87th Anniversary of the Founding of the Soka Gakkai. However, it was then announced that the deadline of the 50k target was postponed till end of the year instead, obviously to give themselves even more time to achieve the goal. Suddenly, starting from Aug 2017, this topic disappeared as the preparation for the Lotus Sutra Exhibition (LSE) went underway. The final result? As far as we know, it stood at close to 34,000, falling short of 16,000. And the counter at SSA HQ has remained largely unchanged for the past few months. Although SSA top leaders dared not declare it, let us declare here courageously and unequivocally that the campaign is yet again, a complete failure and an utter embarrassment! Is this an acceptable outcome? In early 1958, Toda Sensei said to his direct disciple, Ikeda Sensei who has been spearheading the propagation movement towards the great goal of his mentor: “Do you think you can accomplish a membership of 3 million households in the next 7 years?” “Yes”, Ikeda Sensei replied without hesitation, “I will do it. I feel even more determined!” This target was achieved 4 years later, on Nov 1962. This was 3 years ahead of target. The moment that was reached, Ikeda Sensei raised his sights to an even higher achievement: 6 million household! And 4 years later, in the year 1966, Ikeda Sensei, together with the leaders and members, achieved that goal too. This is the kind of proud tradition that Ikeda Sensei left behind for us to emulate. It was always about achieving a propagation target earlier than expected. This is the kind of result which inspired an entire generation of disciples of SGI countries ranging from Taiwan to India, to follow and even surpass. Once, in Aug 1957, Ikeda Sensei was asked how he was able to achieve a 10% increase in membership – more than 200 new membership households in just a single week. He replied, “Achieving a membership of 750,000 households was the struggle of Toda Sensei’s final years. I was determined for us to achieve it within 1957 so that his mind would be at ease. I resolved to become the driving force for its accomplishment. At the same time, I wanted to create an example of how kosen-rufu should be expanded on into the future.” “The final struggle of the mentor’s life is to make sure that the disciples are achieving great victories. As disciples, therefore, it is important that we show actual proof so that we can proudly report to our mentor: “I have triumphed!” This is the oneness of mentor and disciple.” Obviously, Ikeda Sensei owned and shared the goal of 750,000 households with the same commitment as Toda Sensei. Ikeda Sensei and Toda Sensei were in complete rhythm. We are not sure if anyone in SSA owned and shared a deep vow to achieve the 50,000 membership target. Were any top leaders in complete rhythm with Ikeda Sensei?! We all know the answer. Ikeda Sensei continued, “…when we live with the awareness that mentor and disciple are one, we manifest the life state of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth who vowed in the distant past to take on the great mission of kosen-rufu together with the teacher. We will be filled with incomparable strength.” If disciples were to make up their mind and were dead serious about the 50,000 membership, they would be able to bring forth the wisdom so that even the LSE could become a mean to gather momentum towards the goal rather than regarding LSE as a separate event from the 50,000 membership target. We heard rather disturbing and defensive statements such as “…the numbers are not important, it is the process that counts, not the figures.” If the figures do not matter, why do we put up a counter at SSA HQ in the first place? By the way, the above statements came from top leaders. What a shame! Nevertheless, we must congratulate SSA for hosting a successful LSE, with an attendance of about 62,000 in the months of Oct and Nov 2017. This exhibition finally came to Singapore after having travelled to 15 other SGI countries, enabling many members of the public to have a better understanding of the Lotus Sutra and its teachings as well as Ikeda Sensei’s role in it. SSA has always been very good in declaring empty victories. In great anticipation, we would want to know on how the 50,000 membership issue would be addressed in the coming weeks. Are they going to use the Form Signing Campaign as a way to mask the failure? Or perhaps they are going to use the 62,000 attendance of the LSE as a substitute for the 50,000 membership flop? With this failure to achieve the 50,000 membership target, SSA has missed a chance to enable the members to see for themselves how involving earnestly in the campaign can change their lives and transform their karma. More worryingly, we fear that this has surely strengthened the very unhealthy culture in SSA that it is acceptable to fail in a campaign miserably. A whole generation of leaders and members, in particular, the youth division will no longer take campaigns seriously, and will view targets set with disdain. Gradually, will members start to look upon the record set by Ikeda Sensei as a fairy tale, a supernatural feat that will never be repeated in future? Another big flop is not merely an issue of failing to meet a numerical target but also the great failure on the part of the top leaders of SSA to impart the correct spirit of a genuine disciple to future generations - The spirit of achieving solid victories to put the mentor’s mind at ease. Ikeda Sensei is 90 years old this year. He is without doubt in his final chapters of his struggle. How can our mentor’s mind be at ease when SSA is basking in self-congratulatory mode with no clear cut victories to show? We hope the readers can see that SSA has deviated from the path of the oneness of mentor and disciple for too long. In 2018 this year, in exact accordance of what our mentor Ikeda Sensei shared in his new year message, let’s create a record of brilliant achievement in leading lives of complete fulfilment and advancing our movement for kosen-rufu, each in the sphere of your own vow and mission. In celebration of Ikeda Sensei's 90th birthday and the 65th anniversary of his inauguration as Young Men's Division First Corp Chief that fall on January 2, Hosshaku Kempon's Editorial Team wishes to present this beautiful cake as our well wishes for our beloved mentor’s excellent health and longevity.
The cake contains two important elements mentioned in Ikeda Sensei's recent guidance namely: 1. Hall of Great Vow 2. Soka Gakkai's Year Theme for 2018 Soka Gakkai will commemorate the 5th anniversary of the completion of the Hall of Great Vow for kosen-rufu on Nov 18, 2018 and the theme for Soka Gakkai in 2018 is “The Year of Brilliant Achievement in the New Era of Worldwide Kosen-rufu”. Ikeda Sensei further shared that the term “Brilliant Achievement” shone for the first time in Gakkai’s Year Theme half a century ago in 1968 and 2018 shall be the year in which the SGI will open the path for the next 50 years of New Worldwide Kosen-rufu. Towards the end of his guidance, Ikeda Sensei calls out to his youthful disciples who have formed deep karmic connection with him and dedicates the following 3 guidelines to them for their departure towards brilliant achievements: “Wisdom” – Polish your wisdom by devoting yourself to study gosho! Here lies the direct path to illuminate the future of mankind. “Passion” – Do not forget the passion for shakubuku! Live for the happiness of both yourself and others! The Gakkai is an organisation of shakubuku for eternity. “Victory” – Win over yourself and not over others! Win today! The unceasing practice of gongyo and daimoku is the source for victory. In response to our beloved mentor's expectation, let's practise the guidelines with our lives and set a great vow for kosen-rufu. Together let's highly raise the “Triumphant Cry” of our own human revolution and create the story of “Brilliant Achievement for the Future” in our own respective endeavours! A sutra says: “If you want to understand what results will be manifested in the future, look at the causes that exist in the present.” (WND-1, 279). In volume 30 of the epic novel New Human Revolution, Great Mountain, Ikeda Sensei wrote, "Shinichi told himself, 'It’s now or never! Don’t let this precious moment slip by!'" Such was the sense of urgency with which our mentor carried out kosen-rufu movement. We are already in the third quarter of 2017, the year which Ikeda Sensei designated as the “Year of Developing Youth in the New Era of Worldwide Kosen-rufu”. As the deadline of achieving a target of 50,000 membership by 18 November this year draws closer, let us try to understand its significance. The target of 50,000 membership was first set in the year 2005, in response to Ikeda Sensei’s call to achieve a target of 1% of the respective countries’ population. This 50,000 membership goal was initially targeted to be achieved in 2010. The achievement of the unprecedented 1,111 Gohonzon Conferment in 2005 gave fresh hopes to many of us that SSA was finally returning to its root of propagation as its original focus ever since it was neglected in the 1990s under the senior youth leadership at that time. Between 2006 and 2009, SSA senior leadership, with youth division as the driving force, kept up its focus on propagation activities. In 2010, just as the propagation efforts were gearing towards the 50,000 target, this goal was suddenly dropped by the central leaders. It was as if someone had pulled a handbrake. Instead, the central leaders mysteriously re-directed the organisation’s focus to the 20K great discussion meeting exercise and year-end Soka Gakkai 80th anniversary celebration. Thereafter, in December 2010, for some strange reasons, it was announced that the goal to achieve the target of 50,000 membership was adjourned to 2017, a procrastination of 7 years! We find this deviation from the ‘now or never’ way Ikeda Sensei carried out kosen-rufu movement very disturbing. Finally after 4 years of oblivion, this goal of 50,000 suddenly resurfaced in 2014. With changes in top leadership came different methods to build momentum towards the 50,000 target. Examples included apportioning this target based on some simple linear mathematical calculation, with a uniform increase of the number of memberships per district per year from 2014 to 2017, though the leaders at the zone, chapter and district levels had never seemed to be clear on how it all adds up. YWD came up with their Hi 5! Campaign while the YMD started their 11,11 and Happiness CYCLIST campaigns. By now, we all know clearly in our hearts that all these methods have brought disappointing results. With the recent appointment of new adult leadership which essentially comprise former senior youth leaders who led the youth division in the 1990s, we understand that SSA launched the Happiness Counter Campaign at the meeting to commemorate March 16. What is this campaign about? To understand this, let’s study the total membership of SSA. From SSA official sources, the following table shows the estimated membership over the years.
We wondered why the membership could fluctuate by as much as a few thousands in some years and to be honest, there was in fact a drop in the membership since the year 2005. We understand that in some years, membership count included the Soka network which essentially comprised of friends of SSA but in more recent years, they were excluded. If what is to be included and excluded in membership depends on the whims and fancy of top leadership, then would the membership figures not be easily manipulated to achieve the organisation’s ends?
As part of the Happiness Counter Campaign, there is a big exercise underway to approach many family members who are inactive to complete membership forms. We must admit that this is a very clever way to increase membership quickly without much effort needed. For example, suppose a Men Division member applied for Gohonzon some years ago when he was a father of three young children. He would have included all his family members in his membership application form. All along, he would have been counted as one Setai member and his family members would have already been included in the Tokang list. All his children and wife are now being approached by frontline leaders to complete separate membership forms, even if they do nothing more than visiting the culture centres once a year during Lunar New Year Open House or chant 3 daimoku each day. In this way, membership count would have increased by 4! The same goes for believers. It is not hard to see that this method will definitely lead to double counting. With dismal Gohonzon conferment figures in the last few years (not difficult to infer from studying the number of people receiving Gohonzon from SSA Times), SSA top leaders choose to turn their attention on form filling instead of reviewing the failed propagation campaigns. It seems that all they care about is to increase membership count. Ikeda Sensei wrote in NHR, Great Mountain Chapter, “When the disciples’ resolve aligns with that of the mentor, the wheels of kosen-rufu begin to move powerfully. That is why the unity of mentor and disciple is the lifeline of Soka Gakkai.” We were recently inspired by the example of Bharat Soka Gakkai (BSG) Youth Division which aims to achieve 100,000 youth membership. The senior youth leaders recalled the message that Ikeda Sensei conveyed at BSG's general meeting in 2014: "Please lead the youth of the entire world." Two years ago, BSG went on to accomplish a membership of 110,000 and last year, they broke through a membership of 150,000. In the centre of BSG’s explosive vigour, it has been the youth who took the lead. We are struck by the way the senior youth leaders explained the goal of 100,000 youths: "Our goal is to create a solidarity of '100,000 Shinichi Yamamotos' rather than the mere increase of membership. What refreshing words!" They were inspired by Ikeda Sensei who had achieved "100,000 patriots" for his mentor, Toda Sensei in 1958. Instead of just reading what Shinichi Yamamoto has done in NHR, they aspire to practise like the “Shinichi Yamamotos” in the modern era. Furthermore, once in every two months, the youths will gather at the chapter level in individual division to study the novel. Their spirit is so strong that even new friends are invited to study with them. The prime point of the mentor and disciple spirit which the Youth Division of BSG cherishes with Ikeda Sensei is contained in the single word "NOW". They wanted to respond to the mentor's call and delight the mentor. We salute the BSG Youths who are clearly in tandem with the mentor’s heart and we are confident that the great advancement of kosen-rufu for India is assured! The gap between SSA and BSG in their approach to fight propagation campaigns could not have been wider. SSA is reduced to strategizing to reach membership target while BSG is using membership campaign as a means to increase the Buddha forces as well as to strengthen the faith of current membership. In the 28th HQ leaders meeting commemorating May 3rd in 2009, Ikeda Sensei said, ‘The Soka Gakkai is an organisation of lions. “Lion” is a symbol for the oneness of mentor and disciple. Both the mentor and the disciple must boldly keep on winning. I have fought like a lion all my life. And I have won. I want the youth to fight like lions too, and triumph in every struggle. I am counting on you!’ BSG senior leaders clearly have engraved Ikeda Sensei’s words to heart. What came out strongly in BSG example is that instead of merely chasing numbers, the propagation campaign provides a mean to transform all members to become Shinichi Yamamotos, in other words, to become lion cubs who are courageous individuals who can win over all obstacles in their lives as they immerse themselves in the propagation campaign. The members are not only fully involved; they understand the significance of the campaign and they are joyful to be part of it. It is clearly a campaign that changes lives and draws members closer to the mentor. In the case of SSA, on the other hand, by focusing on form filling, we suspect that the original intent of the membership target got lost along the way, even among the top leaders. Majority of the members are not actively involved in the act of propagation at all! A great opportunity to inculcate in them the true spirit of propagation has slipped away. SSA top leaders need to understand that merely parroting Ikeda Sensei’s guidance at meetings but not engraving them to heart and translating them into concrete actions, they are only practising the mentor and disciple spirit. But, in the essential phase of the second act of worldwide kosen-rufu, true disciples should practise what BSG is practising: the ONENESS of the mentor and disciple spirit. Makiguchi Sensei once said: “A thousand sheep cannot hold their own against a single lion.” By hook or by crook, we are quite confident that the 50,000 membership target can be achieved without fail. The glory and credit will certainly go to the senior leaders who “oversee” the campaign. But without having been inspired to fight like lions, how many of us will truly be celebrating on November 18? Will SSA members become ‘sheep’ in the process of achieving 50,000 membership target? Buddhism was preached by Shakyamuni in India during 450 BCE and it was transmitted from China and Korea Peninsula to Japan. During the 13th century, Nichiren Daishonin appeared in Japan to establish the form of Buddhism that is practised by the members of the SGI today. It was during the same time, Shakyamuni’s Buddhism in India had died out. It was until the 20th Century that the Soka Gakkai’s 3 Founding Presidents, Makiguchi Sensei, Toda Sensei and Ikeda Sensei, revived Nichiren Buddhism and established it as a world religion through the historical development of repeating a wide variety of dialogue on religion, ideology and culture. Today, as a great substantiation of "Westward Transmission" prophesized by Nichiren Daishonin himself, the SGI has established a solidarity of 150,000 Soka members in India. What is the cause of the surge in membership that creates the time for the emergence of the great river? It has to be traced back to the very first drop of the river that took place in 1961. Ikeda Sensei first visited India in January/February of 1961. He was 32 years old when he was inaugurated as Soka Gakkai’s 3rd President in the previous year. Carrying with him the photo of Toda Sensei who held the dream of kosen-rufu in Asia, Ikeda Sensei stared at the quiet great land of India which has not even a single member back then and chanted daimoku for the advancement of kosen-rufu of this land. The real turning point of India’s kosen-rufu was during Ikeda Sensei’s third visit in February 1979. He spoke to the 40 members of India then, “The eternal flow of the Ganges River starts from a single drop. Just like the members now, at the very least, with the awareness of yourself as the single drop, believe in the boundless future and advance.” In February 1992, during Ikeda Sensei’s 4th visit to India, the number of comrades whom he met and encouraged exceeded 1000. Ikeda Sensei composed and presented to the India’s members a long poem, titled "Dawn of India – In Praise of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth". "So our friends will follow suit in exact accord with the principle of 'emerging from the earth'; they will without doubt become a great river through the inexorable workings of time." In accordance with their mentor’s guidelines, the Bharat Soka Gakkai (BSG) members worked perseveringly for kosen-rufu, contributing to their society and creating the time for the emergence of the great river. Two years ago, BSG accomplished a membership of 110,000 and last year, they broke through a membership of 150,000. In the centre of BSG’s explosive vigour, it is always the youth who takes the lead. There are indeed no limits to the flow of the great river of India’s kosen-rufu. A recent interview by Soka Shimpo was conducted with BSG’s Young Men Division Leader (Saboo) and Young Woman Division Leader (Gupta). The interview was titled “India Youth Division - Going towards 100,000 disciples!” An excerpt of the interview is as follows: Interviewer: This year, I heard that everyone in BSG aims to achieve "100,000 Youths". YMD Chief Saboo: Currently, the number of youth members of BSG is 77,000. For the construction of the civilization of new India and the new world, we will surely have to build a formation of 100,000 people! YWD Chief Gupta: Our goal is to create a solidarity of "100,000 Shinichi Yamamoto" rather than the mere increase of membership. It is the "expansion of disciples" that exists for our mentor, Ikeda Sensei. Both in shakubuku and encouragement of comrades, the first thing that we will talk about is "the splendor of living for the mentor and disciple". Interviewer: What kind of efforts are you propelling in order to transmit the spirit of "mentor and disciple"? Saboo: In BSG, we have determined these two years as "the most important time" to lay the foundation to eternalise the mentor and disciple's spirit. And we are progressing in the campaign of devoting ourselves to study the novel "The New Human Revolution" across the country. Gupta: Once in every two months, we will gather at the chapter level in individual division to study the novel. We will also invite new friends. The chapter to study was selected in conjunction with the efforts at that time. The next round will be the "Victory" chapter of Volume 5. This chapter is written about Toda Sensei's appeal for "100,000 patriots" and is packed with beautiful guidelines to accomplish our objectives. It is without doubt that the BSG Youths did not pluck the figure of 100,000 youths from the sky! Rather, they have set this target by following the same path as their mentor, Ikeda Sensei who had achieved "100,000 patriots" for his mentor, Toda Sensei. They are becoming the ‘Shinichi Yamamoto’ just as Ikeda Sensei has wanted them to be as shared in his various recent guidance! While his mentor, Josei Toda, was still alive, Ikeda Sensei had wanted to reassure him by accomplishing a YMD membership of 100,000. Back in October 1954, there were no more than 10,000 YMD members. Nevertheless, Ikeda Sensei vowed, "Even if I have to do it alone, I will achieve Sensei's dream, no matter what!" As youth division chief of staff, Ikeda Sensei rose to the challenge and devoted all his energy to achieving that goal, calling out to his fellow members to join him in reaching their mentor's vision of "100,000 patriots". In response to Ikeda Sensei’s call and the committed action he took, the YMD members gradually began to unite. Reaching a membership of 100,000 became their common goal. By December 1957, there were 78,000 YMD members; Ikeda Sensei knew they would reach their target within one more year. Toda Sensei had fallen ill in the autumn of 1957. Although he seemed to be recovering, he was still very weak. In January 1958, Ikeda Sensei said to Toda Sensei, "Sensei, this year we will reach our goal of 100,000 YMD members." "That's wonderful!" Toda Sensei replied. Sitting up on his futon, his eyes radiating joy, he continued, "When 100,000 young men are united, they can achieve anything. The dawn of a new age for the people is coming." "Yes," Ikeda Sensei agreed, "Once we reach our goal, we will celebrate by gathering ‘100,000 patriots.’ I really want you to see it." "Yes, I'd like that, I'd like that very much," Toda replied, nodding several times. However, Josei Toda did not live to hear the announcement that his cherished dream had been achieved. He passed away on April 2, 1958. The YMD reached their target a little less than six months later, at the end of that September. Ikeda Sensei was deeply disappointed that his mentor could not witness the dynamic gathering of the 100,000 YMD members. Together with the youth division chief of staff, these original 100,000 YMD members became a core support for the Soka Gakkai. After Ikeda Sensei became President of SGI, the YMD members united with him even more solidly, working with one heart and mind to achieve an overall membership of 3 million households, initiating a powerful surge of growth and advancement. By early May 1961, the YMD membership had grown to some 250,000. Ikeda Sensei had been proposing to the YMD leaders for some time that they held a meeting with the 100,000 representatives to mark a fresh beginning for the youth who will build a new Soka Gakkai and usher in a new era for humanity. Thus, at the May 3 Headquarters General Meeting, marking the first anniversary of Ikeda Sensei’s inauguration as president, YMD Chief Einosuke Akiya announced that the gathering of 100,000 young men be held at last. The top leaders of the YMD shared Ikeda Sensei's spirit in this regard and worked with all their might. As a result of their efforts, within only a short span of six months, the YMD membership had surged from 250,000 since the May 3 Headquarters General Meeting to an incredible 350,000 by the November YMD general meeting. In other words, from the day on which Ikeda Sensei had proposed to the youth division leaders that they designated 1961 as the "Year of Youth," the YMD had expanded by 100,000 members. Ikeda Sensei said, “Mr Toda declared that the existence of 100,000 genuine 'patriots' would guarantee that the people would be relieved of their suffering. I never want to let these words of our mentor become false.” The 100,000 target set by the BSG’s Youth Division Leaders’ clearly resonates with the above episode from the New Human Revolution Novel, “Victory” Chapter. “Create a solidarity of ‘100,000 Shinichi Yamamoto' rather than the mere increase of membership!” “Determined these two years as 'the most important time' to lay the foundation to eternalize the mentor and disciple's spirit!” These are concrete targets showcasing the oneness of Mentor and Disciple! They must have surely wanted the mentor to witness their targets being achieved! In concluding the interview in Soka Shimpo, the Interviewer states: Please share with me the origin of the mentor and disciple with Ikeda Sensei in which the Youth Division of BSG cherishes. Gupta: It is "now". The disciple responds to the mentor's call. And delights the mentor. We have a mission which is to build up the expansion to transmit to the future. Saboo: In 2014, in the message to BSG's general meeting, Ikeda Sensei called out to us, "Please lead the youth of the entire world." In order to meet the expectation of this mentor, BSG expanded the membership to 110,000 people the following year. And last year, we were able to extend it to 150,000 people. In addition to what Sensei concludes in the "headwater" chapter of New Human Revolution volume 29, we the BSG wrote down that the "the battle is now" through our huddle that created a breakthrough in membership of 150,000 people as our "eternal history". There is no limit to the joy of ours. We will continue to fight till the end of our lives. As "Shinichi" of the new era. Congratulations to the BSG Youth! As long as the BSG Youths continue in the same spirit and action to emerge victorious as their YMD and YWD leaders who are in tandem to the mentor’s heart, the great advancement of kosen-rufu for India is assured! There will be no limits to the flow of the great river of kosen-rufu in India, the great land of the moon! This year has been designated as the “Year of Developing Youth in the new era of World-wide kosen-rufu”. In his new year’s message, Ikeda Sensei called on the youth in all SGI countries this year to become youthful Bodhisattvas of the Earth and be the light of hope for humanity. Ikeda Sensei urged in his message, “Let’s strive even more to encourage and support each one of our young successors. And let’s make 2017 a year that leads to further dynamic expansion of our Soka network of youthful global citizens who are dedicated to world peace and humanitarian ideals.” In a separate New Year message to all SGI countries to elaborate on the SGI theme, one of the key focus is to “foster our successors in the youth division and promote propagation activities, with the youth at the forefront.” In response to Ikeda Sensei’s call, disciples from around the world have taken concrete steps to build dynamic network as mentioned in Ikeda Sensei’s New Year message this year. For example, we are encouraged and inspired by the way Taiwan Soka Association (TSA) run their discussion meeting this year. Allow us to share their discussion meeting agenda for February / March:
All these take place within a meeting which lasts no more than one and half hours. The fact that one third of a total discussion meeting time is devoted to youth clearly shows TSA’s alignment to SGI theme this year. The agenda enables the youth leaders and members to be involved and engaged at discussion meetings and to be filled with youthful spirit. The youths are clearly at the forefront in the discussion meetings. Such thoughtful planning and implementation will not have been possible without the directions from the top leaders of the organisation. What about Singapore? Those of us who attend discussion meetings regularly all these years can memorise the familiar format:
Why is it that we can memorise the agenda? Because it has not been changed all these years! What is the proportion of time spent on youth- related matters? It is almost non-existent! With such predictable agenda which lacks vitality, it is not surprising that even the leaders themselves do not sound or look excited, let alone the members. No wonder we rarely see youths (and even youth leaders) attend discussion meetings. We hesitate to bring new friends to discussion meetings because we are not confident of the quality of discussion meetings. For those of us who brought new friends, they only came once and subsequently declined further invitations. To be fair, frontline leaders do try to inject new ideas to energise the discussion meetings. However, unless this is part of a national effort, it will not have a huge impact on the ground. What is clearly lacking is the direction from the top leaders of the organisation to plan and align themselves with the direction of the SGI theme of the year! They think that the ground can move by itself! This brings to mind the following passage from the introduction chapter of “Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra”. In it, Ikeda Sensei explained, “The essence of ‘This is what I heard’ is the oneness of mentor and disciple, and that is the quintessence of the transmission of Buddhism. The drama of the oneness of mentor and disciple, in which there is a mutual resonance and response between the Buddha's wish to save all living things and the resolve of the disciple who seeks to embody and propagate the Buddha's teaching, is epitomised in this expression, "This is what I heard ... " In other words, the spirit of the Lotus Sutra, from beginning to end, is that of the oneness of mentor and disciple. It is as clear as day that the first three presidents of Soka Gakkai practised “This is what I heard” with their lives. While the top leadership of TSA is also truly practising “This is what I heard” through their actions, the same cannot be said of SSA top leaders. The million dollar question is: Why are SSA top leaders “hearing” it differently? Another related issue is the growing (but not new) concern in SSA that there is not enough youth to take on district leadership. To “resolve” this issue, we learnt of the recent organisation expansion plans in SSA. One key part in the expansion plan is the formation of new districts. We are struck by one particular criterion on the leadership make-up. We understand that in forming a new district, there must be both Men Division and Women Division district leaders present. But for the youth division, it states that it is only necessary to have at least one leader or student helper from either Young Men Division or Young Women Division. In other words, a new district can be formed as long as we have the following minimum leadership make-up: Either
This new district formation criteria reminded us of the following guidance given by Ikeda Sensei in 1989 at the 20th Headquarters Leaders’ meeting. He said, “...In brief, a major factor contributing to the Portuguese decline was the fact that its rapid expansion had outstripped the country’s ability to sustain it. … This was true of Spain. Though one of the two world naval powers along with Portugal, Spain lacked the basic national strength to use its hard-won riches to develop the nation’s capital base. Both Portugal and Spain lacked the fundamental strength to maintain and expand on their prosperity; the greater the sphere of their activities grew, the more difficult they became for the countries to support. As their problems multiplied, the very foundation on which the nation stood were shaken, and their prosperity began to crumble. “ Ikeda Sensei warned, “This is a significant point that must be seriously taken into account by any group – whether a country or organisation.” He continued, “I believe that in order to take another great step forward, we now must once again focus on solidifying the foundation on which we stand and thus build our internal strength. Organisational adjustments should be made, as necessary, and we should exert ourselves to the utmost to foster and train capable people. Unless we proceed in this manner, the Soka Gakkai will not be able to fulfil its mission of securing and expanding the uninterrupted flow of kosen-rufu, which is the will of Nichiren Daishonin.” He cautioned, “Therefore, no hasty development of the organisation should be attempted at the present time. We need to exercise patience, and above all concentrate on raising capable people.” If raising capable people is the pre-requisite to expand new districts, isn’t SSA being too hasty in this regard? The first issue is that the responsibility of student helper is not clearly defined. Student helpers being students, they may not be as committed as district leaders as they are not appointed leaders. During examination periods, we cannot fault them for not attending discussion meetings, let alone attending planning sessions. Furthermore, Student Division already have its own monthly activities. Are we overloading them with too much expectation and responsibilities? The more active student members may be overstretched in the process and run away instead. This is the last thing we want to see. It is one thing putting names on paper to fulfil the criteria so that new districts can be formed and quite another in expecting student helpers to replace district leaders. This is surely not the way to raise capable people. Have the top leaders considered the feelings of the adult division district leaders when the Youth Division is hardly present? Are we resolving the issue or creating more problems? This district expansion plan and enforcement will only delay or sweep under the carpet the real issue: the lack of serious efforts to foster the youths and the failure in the propagation efforts in the organisation organised by the top leaders of the Youth Division in recent years. Secondly, this leadership make-up criteria shows SSA top leaders’ tacit acknowledgement that SSA Youth Division is not able to develop sufficient youth frontline leaders to cope with the expansion plans. Instead of first addressing the problem head on, it seems that the top leaders are side-stepping the issue. At a deeper level, this criteria is also sending a signal that district expansion plans will continue even though there is a lack of the ready Youth Division frontline leaders. One could not help but wonder: why is there a need to rush ahead with forming new districts? Why is there a need to form new districts when only the adult divisions are ready? SSA seems to be willing to accept a weakened Youth Division frontline leader composition. This enforcement criteria only serves to make the adult top leaders look good. Put it simply, the adult division seems to be telling the Youth Division that “WE WILL NOT WAIT FOR YOU.” Rather than displaying the spirit of unity of the four divisions, this expansion plan very clearly implies that the adult division is forsaking the Youth Division. It is quite interesting that this comes at a time soon after the longest serving ex-youth chief of SSA was appointed as the new MD chief. How is this criteria “encouraging and supporting our young successors”? In what way is this criteria “leading to further dynamic expansion of our network of youthful global citizens”? How is this criteria putting youth at the forefront? This enforcement criteria looks more like repeating the mistakes of Portugal and Spain as mentioned above. Without a doubt, the expansion plans of SSA runs counter to SGI Theme of “Year of Developing Youth in the new era of World-wide kosen-rufu” and deviates from the directions of Ikeda Sensei! SSA top leadership still has a long way to go from practicing “This is what I heard”. Don’t they realise that ultimately, it is the ground and frontline leaders who suffer? In fact, given a choice, many district leaders may not want to split the districts. Could this criteria be a plot by top leaders to “force” the districts to split? As long as SSA continues to sweep real issues under the carpet and refuse to pour energy to resolve them head on, problems will only get worse. Instead of focusing only on paper expansion and making things look good on the surface, SSA should humbly learn from TSA practice of having a nation-wide, youth-focused agenda in discussion meetings for a start. It is an excellent example to “foster our successors in the youth division and promote propagation activities, with the youth at the forefront”. The basis of a genuine district expansion should be based on the organic growth of membership in the district. The way to achieve this growth of membership is none other than through concrete propagation efforts and results. Genuine district expansion and genuine growth of membership must go hand in hand. Otherwise, all of these are just bubbles, waiting to be burst. In October 12, 1279, Nichiren Daishonin inscribed the Dai-Gohonzon for the sake of mankind and in October 2, 1960, the third President of Soka Gakkai, Ikeda Sensei began his overseas kosen-rufu movement which would last for more than 35 years. Both events, though occurred almost 600 years apart have one thing in common: the clear evidence of the great victory of the propagation movement which preceded them.
We all knew that Nichiren Daishonin was moved to inscribe the Dai-Gohonzon because he had witnessed the growing conviction amongst the lay believers in protecting the Mystic Law, even at the cost of their lives, as exemplified by the three martyrs in the well-known Atsuhara Persecution. The reason for the surge in the number of lay believers at that time was due to the serious all-out propagation efforts led by the Daishonin’s genuine disciple, Nikko Shonin. We can even say that Nikko Shonin brought about the time for the Dai-Gohonzon to be inscribed. Fast forward to the 20th century, the key battles led and won by Ikeda Sensei at Kamata Chapter in 1952, Osaka in 1956 as well as Yamaguchi in late 1956 to early 1957 gave hope and impetus to the 750,000 household membership goal set by Toda Sensei in 1951. It could be said that it was not until these key battles were won that this goal became believable. In fact, this monumental goal was achieved earlier than expected. If disciples such as Nikko Shonin and Ikeda Sensei had not engraved their mentors’ guidances in their heart, shared their mentors’ goal and staked their lives to win these victories, kosen-rufu would have been delayed. Many more members would not have encountered Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism and changed their lives. Outside Japan, genuine disciples have emerged. Mr Zhu Wanli was one such individual, of whom we mentioned in the last two editorials. Fellow SGI organisations of Brazil and Korea have demonstrated tremendous advancement in propagation in recent years as well. More recently, Bharat Soka Gakkai of India inspired us with the astounding achievement of 111,111 households from 50,000 in a mere eleven months! Taking the lead in this breakthrough are the members from Mumbai which has earned the nickname “Kansai of India”. We can feel the strong resolve, the iron-clad unity, excitement, energy and joy exuding from the four division members when they talked about the 100,000 membership campaign in a video shared at discussion meetings this year. The top leaders of India no doubt used 11,111 memberships achieved by Ikeda Sensei in Osaka, Kansai in 1956 as an inspiration and galvanised the members to join them in this campaign to change their lives. We can sense the oneness of Mentor and Disciple pulsating in the organisation. This vow to achieve the goal of 100,000 membership was shared amongst all the members throughout the organisation. Everyone wanted to follow the footsteps of Ikeda Sensei and to achieve this victory for Ikeda Sensei in order to reassure him that true disciples and Bodhisattvas of the Earth have emerged in India. Similar to what Ikeda Sensei has achieved in the Osaka Campaign, the target was achieved earlier than expected. In this way, they truly exemplified what genuine disciples in the second act of kosen-rufu should do and behave. The last time such a sense of excitement and energy which were evident among SSA members was more than 10 years ago when 1,111 Gohonzon conferment was achieved in 2005. There was a similar itai-doshin spirit and determination pervading the organisation. This excitement has since sadly and mysteriously dissipated. We have been talking about achieving the 50,000 membership target for many years. Instead of emulating Soka Gakkai’s proud tradition of achieving any target set earlier than expected, SSA now has developed the unenviable habit of delaying the deadline of meeting targets again and again. If memory has not failed us, the target of 50,000 membership was originally set to be achieved in 2010 and this has since been postponed for seven years till 2017. The top leadership tried to justify the delay in different ways through the years. We can’t help but start wondering if the current top leaders of SSA share the same vow of attaining the noble goal of kosen-rufu as Ikeda Sensei. In the March editorial this year, we mentioned that Young Men Division of SSA launched the ‘11,11’ campaign. The latest we know is that there were only 30 odd YMDs Gohonzon recipients as of October. This figure is embarrassingly dismal! Where is the vow and resolve in the YMD? How is this result supporting the 50,000 membership target of the organisation? Another pertinent question springs to mind: What is the current total membership of SSA? How far are we from this target of 50,000? No one seems to be sure, not even the staff. In 2010 organisation annual report, it was reported that there were about 35,000 active membership. In 2013, it increased to 38,000 and a year later in 2014, it became 32,000. Recently, it was announced that it is about 33,000. It is puzzling that the membership could fluctuate as much as a few thousands in a year. On the other hand, when the total attendance in monthly discussion meetings has been averaging between 13,000 to 14,000, how do we account for the difference of about 20,000? Do we consider this 20,000 members active? We also know that believers and new friends are included in the monthly discussion meeting attendance figures. This means that the average number of members attending monthly discussion meetings are very likely to be below 13,000. Will SSA eventually resort to include Soka Network to achieve their 50,000 membership target? Although it has been the practice to register all believers using the Believer Registration Form all these years, there was a renewed push to get believers and Soka Network to register themselves this year. The district leaders have always been diligently updating the Tokang (District membership) list annually. However, the list which is returned to them from HQ each year will always include names of members whom they have deleted the year before. We can empathise with many of these Men Division frontline leaders who lamented that the updating exercise has become a waste of time. We understand that some of the members whose names have been deleted might have passed on or have become uncontactable. If this list of deceased members and uncontactable members are still in the database, is SSA also counting them in the 50,000 membership? Without clarity on this and together with the stuttering propagation campaign, we seriously question how SSA is monitoring the progress of the 50,000 target. After speaking to a number of members and leaders of different divisions, it is quite evident that an overwhelming sense of lethargy has set in within the organisation in this 50,000 membership campaign, in the midst of a protracted period of poor results. Ten years ago, Ikeda Sensei warned in his guidance given at the HQ leaders meeting in November 2006, “Though a mentor may have many disciples, it is a sad and lamentable situation if none of them actually embraces the same spirit as their mentor or are willing to share their mentor’s sufferings and joys. This is not the way of mentor and disciple of the Soka Gakkai.” Has the above warning rung true for SSA senior leaders? When the frontline leaders are not inspired to take serious actions in propagation, the top leaders must surely shoulder most of the blame. Are the top leaders themselves leading with conviction at all? What exactly are the priorities and ichinen of the top leaders? It is quite clear by now that they are deviating from the winning formula which Ikeda Sensei has shared in a number of books written on propagation campaigns. Why do they choose not to practise the winning formula? What is holding them back? The other SGI countries are showing results by employing the same winning strategies of setting clear prayers, conducting one to one dialogues and studying the gosho with the members. As Bharat Soka Gakkai's example has shown, we just need to do exactly what Ikeda Sensei has done. Toda Sensei sternly warns, “No matter what happens, I will win without fail. The most important thing is kosen-rufu, the Daishonin’s mandate; it mustn’t be delayed for even a day!” [Awakening to the Profound Mission of Bodhisattvas of the Earth, Nov 2006] If Toda Sensei were to be alive, the SSA top leaders would surely receive a severe rebuke from him. Failure to arouse the joy of propagation amongst the members is equivalent to robbing the local members’ of opportunities to repay debts of gratitude and accumulate good fortune in their lives. Genuine disciples in the second act of kosen-rufu should report victories to reassure Ikeda Sensei, instead of giving him more worries! It seems that at the moment, the top SSA leaders have been so busy sharing the victories of USA, Brazil and India to the point of forgetting to create victory of our own or worse still, is it possible that they are busy sharing the victories of others precisely because there are no local victories to share? The 3 Founding Presidents will be addressed as 'Sensei'
In the New Era of Worldwide Kosen-rufu, Soka Gakkai held its 72nd General Affair Committee Conference on 4 Nov 2016 at Soka Bunka Centre in Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku. Ikeda Sensei once shared in his guidance that every Buddhist principle has already been imparted to his disciples. Following that, is what the disciples have to carry out on their own initiative. In the aforementioned conference, Ikeda Sensei’s direct disciple President Minoru Harada made a proposal for the revision of ‘Soka Gakkai Constitution’ and was approved by all participants attended. Firstly, this revision included a guidance from Toda Sensei in the introductory statement stating that in future Buddhist scriptures, the Soka Gakkai would be referred to as ‘Soka Gakkai Buddha’ from the fact that Soka Gakkai is the only orthodox organization that accords with Buddha’s intent and decree to realize the worldwide kosen-rufu. Toda Sensei’s guidance states: Being the true Buddhist samgha (harmonious community of believers) organization that is directly connected to the Daishonin to accomplish kosen-rufu, the Soka Gakkai is the Buddha per se and will be known as ‘Soka Gakkai Buddha’ in future Buddhist scriptures. Based on this guidance, Ikeda Sensei indicated that Soka Gakkai per se is the ‘existence of Buddha’. He further stressed that it is none other than the Soka Gakkai that acts in accordance with the original Buddha’s immense compassion for the widespread of the great law in the raging saha world and it is the reason for Toda Sensei to declare the ‘Soka Gakkai Buddha’. It is truly a clear declaration of Soka Gakkai’s religious uniqueness and its significant appearance as true Buddhist samgha (harmonious community of believers) organization. The new resolution was intended for the posterity of future Buddhist gathering. In addition to the aforementioned constitution, the ‘3 Founding Presidents’ was to be specified as the ‘Eternal Mentors of Kosen-rufu’ and the title of the ‘3 Founding Presidents’ was newly specified as ‘Sensei’. In line with the direction of Soka Gakkai in the New Era of Worldwide Kosen-rufu, Hosshaku Kempon website will adopt the title of ‘Sensei’ for the ‘Eternal Mentors of Kosen-rufu’, from this moment onwards in our articles and reports. 三代会长头衔被称为先生 在世界广布新时代里,创价学会于2016年11月4日在信浓町新宿区的创价文化会馆举办了第72回总务会。 池田先生曾在指导中说道,每一项佛法的法则都以传授于弟子们。未来就是接下棒子的弟子们勤于行动之时。 在总务会上,作为池田先生直弟子之一的原田稔会长提议修改“创价学会会章”,获得全场出席者的支持。 其一,这次修改以户田先生的指导以此序幕:因为创价学会是符合“佛意佛勅”而完成世界广宣流布的唯一正统组织,所以创价学会将在未来的佛法经典里故称为“创价学会佛”。 户田先生指导如下:“因大圣人而筑成广宣流布的真正僧伽佛教组织(和合僧的团体),创价学会就是佛,所以将在未来的佛法经典里故称为‘创价学会佛’。” 以此指导为本,池田先生说明了创价学会本当就是“佛的存在”。他接着强调创价学会名副其实的,就是本佛以大慈悲在汹涌的娑婆世界里弘通大法的具体体现,也是户田先生宣告“创价学会佛”的原因。 这清楚不过的声明了创价学会独特的宗教性质,也标志着实为真正僧伽佛教组织的深远意义。这崭新的决议是为了未来佛教聚会永垂不朽的意义上而确立的。 除了此会章修改以外,“三代会长”被称为“广宣流布永远的师匠”,而“三代会长”的头衔也被称为“先生”。 以同步跟随世界广布新时代里创价学会的精神作风,本网站(“发迹显本”网站)将在未来的读物与报道中,引用“先生”作为“广宣流布永远的师匠”的称号。 As the oppressive winds continued to blow, Mr Zhu Wanli worked tirelessly so that the members could practise faith with a peace of mind. At the same time, with an eye on the future, he also focused his attention on the youths. On 24 Oct 1965, the first cultural group called Dawn Harmonica Group was formed with an initial membership of 34, made up of high school students between the age of 16 and 17. The current General Director of Taiwan Soka Association, Mr Lin Zhao was the first group chief. Mr Zhu especially composed a poem for this group: The Light of Dawn emerges from the Valley; Its brilliance lights up the sky; The sound of Harmonica stirs the heart; May it perform the Buddha’s Work On New Year day the following year, the Dawn Harmonica Group was invited to perform in Taichung. However, there were four members who could not afford the instrument. Upon hearing this, Mr Zhu used his year-end bonus to buy the musical instruments for them. His act of generosity was forever fondly remembered by the youths. By 1970, several cultural groups were formed, including Angel Fife and Drum Band, Women Division Choir and Pacific Youth Choir. Through the training in these cultural groups, the youthful successors emerged in increasing numbers. Mr Zhu Wanli had experience in running the newspaper in his younger days and he understood deeply the power of the media. As such, he decided to use the written word as a weapon to good effect to make a breakthrough in the kosen-rufu movement in Taiwan. In May 1986, Zheng Yin Publication was founded. On the name ‘Zheng Yin’, Mr Zhu explained that Buddhism teaches the Law of Cause and Effect. In order to reap good effect or harvest, we need to sow good seeds or plant good causes. The publication’s mission is to provide readers with intellectual nutrients and a correct understanding of religion, so as to guide society on a correct path. He recruited several youths who were talented in translation, especially those who had returned home after studying in Japan. Besides publishing, they translated many of President Ikeda’s works into Chinese. In Oct 1988, the newsletter Fu Yun started its first issue. In 1992, Fu Yun and Zheng Yin Publication merged to become Zheng Yin Cultural Affairs Private Limited. The company brings to its readers the latest development of kosen-rufu movement around the world. In 1990, in an effort to provide readers with more graphic based materials, He Le Quarterly started circulation. In 1994, He Le became a monthly publication. In October the following year, He Le Press was founded. This was the predecessor of Taiwan Soka Press as it is known now. In 2002, Soka Children was started to provide study material for the younger readers. Today, Zheng Yin Cultural Affairs Private Limited has become the pillar of publishing SGI materials in Chinese. It is evident that Mr Zhu Wanli was instrumental in bringing the philosophy of Nichiren Daishonin and Soka Humanism to the Chinese community. After 27 long years of struggle, spring finally arrived! On 3 March 1990, Taiwan Soka Association (TSA) was formally established and Mr Zhu Wanli became the first general director. Basing on President Ikeda’s guidance ‘To be an exemplary citizen and a good member of the community’, he poured his energies in leading TSA to benefit the common people and contribute to society. Starting from 1992, TSA was awarded “Exemplary Social Organisation” conferred by the Internal Affairs Department for eighteen consecutive years! This sealed the trust that the Taiwan community have in TSA. In May 1993 when Mr Zhu was 70 years old, he started the translation of the Gosho at the encouragement of President Ikeda. In March 1994, Mr Lin Zhao succeeded Mr Zhu as the general director and Mr Zhu became honorary general director so that he could concentrate fully in the mammoth task of Gosho translation. After more than 4 years, he completed the translation of the Chinese version of “The Complete Works of Nichiren Daishonin Gosho Writings”. It has 1600 pages and comes in 12 volumes. In the year 2000, to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the founding of Soka Gakkai in November 18, the sale of the Chinese version of “The Complete Works of Nichiren Daishonin Gosho Writings” was officially launched. This signified a giant step towards achieving the great goal of Westward Transmission of Buddhism. In order to recognise the pioneering efforts of Mr Zhu Wanli in spearheading Taiwan kosen-rufu movement as well as the heroic contribution of his translation of the Gosho, President Ikeda conferred upon Mr Zhu Wanli the Soka Gakkai Highest Honorary Award on 18 November 2009. In 2015, the then SGI Vice General Director Mr Hasegawa visited Taiwan. On behalf of President Ikeda, he brought gifts to Mr Zhu in recognition of his lifelong contribution to kosen-rufu in Taiwan. Fast forward to March 2016, when President Ikeda received the news of the passing of Mr Zhu Wanli, he immediately stopped what he was doing to chant to the Gohonzon for the early repose of Mr Zhu. This act of President Ikeda only goes to show the great respect he has for Mr Zhu as a genuine disciple. On 27 March 2016, a solemn memorial service was held in Taoyuan Cultural Centre for Mr Zhu Wanli. President Ikeda specifically sent Mr Hasegawa, the Soka Gakkai General Director on this occasion to send his condolences. Below is a summary of the eulogy by President Ikeda at the memorial service read by Mr Hasegawa: “I can still remember vividly the moving encounter with Mr Zhu Wanli at Songshan Airport in 1963. With great courage and unwavering conviction of faith, Mr Zhu has steadfastly upheld the principle of ‘Winter never fails to turn to spring’, in the face of challenging circumstances. He warmly protected and encouraged every single member in the long winter years. Such heroic acts will forever be etched in my heart. For over 30 years, Mr Zhu poured his life into the mammoth task of translating the Complete Works of Nichiren Daishonin Gosho Writings, accurately conveying the Buddhist philosophy of the sanctity of life to Taiwan and Asia and even the world. I am certain that he will be praised by the original Buddha Nichiren Daishonin himself!” Mr Hasegawa ended President Ikeda’s eulogy by declaring that Mr Zhu Wanli is the true hero of Asia kosen-rufu and he has won. In this memorial service, President Ikeda especially conferred “Soka Gakkai Award – Daisaku Ikeda Award” to Mr Zhu Wanli for his lifelong contribution and dedication to the struggle for kosen-rufu. The contents of the award are as follows: You are proud to be the direct disciple of Ikeda and advanced along the path of mentor and disciple. You have dedicated your life for kosen-rufu and made enormous contribution to the happiness of the people and long lasting peace. This is a great actual proof of the victory of mentor and disciple. Mr Hasegawa also relayed a short message which President Ikeda conveyed to him just before he left for Taiwan to the family of Mr Zhu: “I remember the great merits and legacies of Honorary General Director Mr Zhu and I have been praying daily to the Gohonzon for his early repose. Please send my warmest regards to the family and the members of Taiwan on my behalf.” In his speech, Mr Hasegawa also mentioned that Mr Zhu Wanli is the genuine disciple among disciples and that he is a great role model of all SGI members. In addition, he added that the Chinese translation of the Gosho by Mr Zhu was instrumental in enabling SGI to become a world religion. In his eulogy, TSA General Director Mr Lin Zhao quoted the foreword by President Ikeda in the translated work of the Complete Writings of Nichiren Daishonin: “Japan owed its debt of gratitude to China for the spread of Buddhism from China to Japan. And the Chinese language is a vital conduit of communication. With the launch of the translated work of the Complete Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, we hope to repay our debts of gratitude to China.” Mr Lin Zhao continued, “The last wish of Nichiren Daishonin is Westward Transmission of Buddhism. Mr Zhu practised the Daishonin Buddhism and translated the Gosho into Chinese in order to fulfil the wish to transmit Buddhism from Japan back to China and India.” Mr Lin Zhao also recalled the parting words from Mr Zhu at the end of his visit to his house when he was 17 years old. Shaking and holding his hands, Mr Zhu said, “For over a hundred years, East Asia has been mired in wars and conflict and the common people have been suffering. Let’s work together, with the youths as the vanguard, to spread the seeds of Buddhism and peace on the barren land of Asia, shall we? This is what Nichiren Daishonin means when he talked about Westward Transmission of Buddhism.” Mr Zhu Wanli used to sing the song titled “The Whole River Red”. Mr Lin Zhao revealed that Mr Zhu Wanli, who was born in China, fervently wished that Nichiren Buddhism can take root in China in which Buddhism has declined. The lyrics of the two lines of the song read as follows: At the age of thirty, my deeds are nothing but dust, my journey has taken me over eight thousand li. So do not sit by idly, for young men will grow old in regret. He urged the members and the youth division at the memorial service not to forget the great wish of Mr Zhu Wanli and carry on the “eight thousand li (里) journey” of kosen-rufu pioneered by Mr Zhu. Without a doubt, the speed and progress of Taiwan kosen-rufu achievement was for all to see, even though President Ikeda could not visit Taiwan even once. It proves a very important point: It is the vow of the disciple who responds to the mentor that counts, and not the physical proximity of the mentor nor the number of times the mentor has visited a country. Today, the successors nurtured by Mr Zhu over the years are actively contributing in various fields in society and TSA has earned the trust of the Taiwan society. These are the testimonies of the victories of Mr Zhu and he will be remembered and highly revered as the pioneer of world-wide kosen-rufu. The well-respected honorary general director of Taiwan Soka Association, Mr Zhu Wanli, passed away at the age of 93 on March 19 recently. We believe that not many members know about this great pioneer of Taiwan kosen-rufu, so the editorial will devote a two part series on Mr Zhu. Mr Zhu was born in 1923, 10 February in Jiang Su, China. He was the second child in the family, with an elder sister and a younger brother and sister. When he was studying in Senior High school, the China-Japan war broke out and disrupted his education. He took refuge in a temple and did self-study. He had a strong desire for knowledge, devouring thick literary textbooks, ranging from Chinese Classics to contemporary Chinese Literature from the likes of Ba Jin, Lu Xun, Lin Yu Tang and so on. It was through such youthful efforts that lay the foundation of his depth of knowledge. He studied law in Nanjing University from 1941 until his fourth year when student demonstrations forced the university to close. He furthered his studies in Japan, majoring in Politics and Economics in Tokyo University of Agriculture. After the war, he obtained accreditation from Nanjing University after passing a national examination. He subsequently worked as a civil servant in Taiwan before joining the private sector. In the spring of 1960, Mr Zhu was despatched to Japan for a business convention. He observed that the post-war Japanese society was brimming with youthful energy. He was introduced to Soka Gakkai by a friend and read the book on Value Creation by the First Soka Gakkai President Tsunesaburo Makiguchi. He was attracted to the idea of Buddha nature in all human beings and the need to save humanity and identified with the philosophy expounded in the book. During his 2- month stay in Japan, he visited the Headquarters of Soka Gakkai, read Gakkai publications and eventually received the Gohonzon on 10 May 1960. Upon returning to Taiwan, Mr Zhu was informed by Soka Gakkai that there were about 20 Gakkai members in Taiwan. With Mr Zhu as the central figure, kosen-rufu in Taiwan started its first step. In May 1962, five districts were established in Taiwan and Mr Zhu was appointed the district chief of BeiTou District. These were Mr Zhu’s thoughts of his appointment “Maybe the dream of many are about promotions and accumulating wealth, but doing the right things and making positive contribution to society is my real aspiration. I believe that this Buddhism will help Taiwan society. With my connection and my background, I can’t shirk this responsibility to talk to people about the philosophy of this Buddhism.” On 31 August of the same year, the typhoon Ou Bo landed in Taiwan. On the same day, Taipei Chapter was formed with 9 districts. Mr Zhu was appointed the first Chapter Chief, thus establishing a milestone in the annals of kosen-rufu in Taiwan. It could be said that the path of kosen-rufu in Taiwan would resemble the storm which was brewing at the time of the appointment. Nothing could win over strong prayers. On 27 January 1963, President Ikeda, then Soka Gakkai President touched down at Songshan Airport in Taipei on his return from Hong Kong. Taipei wasn’t included in his original itinerary, but due to a flight change, he was required to make a stopover at the airport. Mr Zhu and other members were at a prayer meeting, where they were chanting for Mr Ikeda’s safe journey, when they received news of his sudden stopover in Taipei. Everyone was excited about the sudden and unexpected meeting with President Ikeda. Hoping to welcome President Ikeda, the members in the southern regions made overnight trips and waited at the airport since dawn. When they saw the back of President Ikeda, they shouted,” Sensei! Sensei!” President Ikeda turned around and was amazed to see so many Taiwan members. At that time, the arrival hall and the transit waiting area was only separated by a fence. President Ikeda and Mr Zhu managed to shake hands using their fingers through the fence. That was a precious moment in history. A few minutes later, the Women Division members who were at the prayer meeting arrived at the airport. About 50 members surrounded President Ikeda at the airport lobby for a group photo. President Ikeda said, “I was attracted here by your chanting.” The members were elated. “Please continue your faith in this Buddhism for life. For the well-being of the people of Taiwan, no matter what happens, no matter how adverse the situation, I hope you will not allow the flame of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism to be extinguished. Actual proof of faith will only become conspicuous in 30 or 40 years. You will never fail to win in the end! Winter always turns to spring (WND, page 1305)” His warm encouragement and resolute tone were forever etched in the hearts of these members and it became the prime point of Taiwan kosen-rufu movement. In April of that year, as anti-Japanese sentiment reached its peak, Soka Gakkai did not receive official recognition from its authoritarian regime because of its Japanese origins. The Taiwan authorities issued a directive to disband the Soka Gakkai’s Taipei Chapter, thus began the age of Winter, which would last 27 years. On the evening of April 9, local district leaders gathered at Mr Zhu’s home, and under the supervision of a senior officer of the foreign affairs section of the Taipei Police department, a meeting was held to announce the disbanding of the Soka Gakkai oragnisation in Taiwan. Upon knowing the adverse situation they were in, President Ikeda wrote a handwritten letter to encourage the Taiwan members. In the letter, he wrote, “Doesn’t the Gosho say, ‘As practice progresses and understanding grows, the three obstacles and four devils emerge in confusing form, vying with one another to interfere.’? Never be swayed, never fear! Encountering persecution verifies that we are practising the correct teaching. It is only by facing great obstacles that we can attain Buddhahood in this lifetime.” When President Ikeda knew that Mr Zhu was turning 40 at that time, he remarked. “He is still young. Real victory doesn’t come until one’s seventies and eighties. There is no way this situation will persist for decades. The day will definitely come when the members in Taiwan will carry out Gakkai activities freely. Night always gives way to day. Winter always turns to spring. Now is the time for the members to store their energy, just as plants do when they send their roots deep into the soil, so that when dawn comes, when spring arrives, they can cause a great flourishing of kosen-rufu. The important thing is that the members patiently endure this time of hardship with the determination not to retreat a single step, and that they work to steadily build a solid foundation for kosen-rufu in the future. If they triumph over this obstacle, the Soka Gakkai in Taiwan will see tremendous growth. It will usher in a golden age in the twenty –first century.” “Endurance requires courage more than anything else” became Mr Zhu’s guiding principle from that point onward. With the dissolution of the chapter, joyful gatherings could no longer be held. Mr Zhu vowed to protect religious freedom. He kept the passion and conviction of faith in the members burning through the steadfastness of a father and the warmth of a mother. The police stepped up its surveillance and crackdown on members. Some members had their homes raided and their Gohonzon seized. Others had their copies of Nichiren Daishonin’s writings and other Soka Gakkai publications, as well as their Soka Gakkai pins and other items confiscated. Although the freedom of religious beliefs of the individual was constitutionally guaranteed, the reality was that the members in Taiwan were robbed of even that right once their organisation had been disbanded. However, Mr Zhu regarded this hardship as an honour, and he rose to the occasion like a courageous lion. He was a mid-level manager with a promising future in a large cement manufacturer. When the police began watching him, the company management pressed him to give up his Buddhist practice. Of course, Mr Zhu’s determination never wavered. As a result, not only was his future advancement at the company blocked, he was removed from his post. Forced into a position where he had little real work to do, Mr Zhu left his office earlier than usual and made use of his vacation days. Taking advantage of this extra time, he began to translate the Daishonin’s writings into Chinese. Moreover, he chose to translate them into classical Chinese in order to achieve the highest degree of accuracy. Having decided to make this work his personal mission, he went about it with quiet diligence. Someone once asked Mr Zhu, “Was there ever a time you felt so depressed that you can’t continue to chant?” What would you do in this moment? Mr Zhu replied, “Everyone experiences happiness, anger, sadness and joy. But when I think of the many members and people who need me, I will not allow myself to stay in such a state for too long. I picked myself up and got revitalised quickly.” This episode was shared by the current general director of Taiwan Soka Association, Mr Lin Zhao. Mr Zhu spared no efforts in developing the youth division. Even in the midst of the adverse and oppressive environment, he thought of ways to enable youths to study and understand Daishonin Buddhism so that they can walk the correct path of kosen-rufu. In March 1967, Youth Gosho Study Classes began. Due to the clamp down on religions, the size of gatherings was limited. Mr Zhu conducted separate study sessions for the YMD and YWD. The study sessions were conducted twice a month in Mr Zhu’s house. As the police came for spot checks quite frequently, the study sessions had to shift from the living room to the dining room and even to Mr Zhu’s son’s bedroom at times. The materials used for the study were publications from Soka Gakkai headquarters which included Human Revolution and Gosho. He would explain the difficult Buddhist terms using examples from daily life to enable the youths to understand the essence. To be continued… In this month when we once again commemorate the 58th anniversary of the Spirit of 3.16, we would like to focus on the propagation campaign which the Young Men Division of SSA launched since the beginning of this year. We understood that it is called the 1111 campaign. This target, to convert 1,111 YMDs, was first shared at the YMD kenshu in November 2015, but yet such an important target was noticeably omitted from the agenda of RZC in January 2016. This makes some to wonder if the YMD chief is serious about achieving the target that he set. The YMD Chief apparently drew the above pictorial representation at the launch in November 2015 and explained that four 1s in the 1111 campaign refer to 1 Mentor, 1 Disciple, 1 Junior and 1 New Friend. The upward lip drawn is supposed to symbolise a happy campaign. This representation alone reflects clearly the inner world and ichinen of the person who is supposed to be the general among generals. It raises many questions. How is this modelled after the way our eternal mentors set targets in propagation campaigns? What is meant by a “happy” campaign? Can such kind of message galvanise the leaders who attended the meeting to rise up and fight? Second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda set a propagation target of 750, 000 households in 1951 to secure the foundation of kosen-rufu in Japan. In response, the young President Ikeda launched the Kamata Chapter Campaign in 1952 by setting a goal of 200 new households in February to commemorate the births of Nichiren Daishonin and President Toda, as well as to repay debts of gratitude to them. Setting a target should be a solemn affair. As a disciple of President Toda, young Ikeda was always thinking of what he could do to achieve the target set by his mentor, whether in Kamata Chapter, Osaka or Yamaguchi campaigns. What is starkly absent from that YMD meeting is to explain how the achievement of this 1111 campaign can contribute to the organisational target of 50,000. Not explaining this significance is to deprive the ground of hope and reasons to fight! Are the SSA top YMD leaders fighting in one mind with Sensei? As to the meaning of a ‘happy’ campaign, it is clear from the numerous campaigns fought by President Ikeda that happiness is derived from the joy of making personal breakthroughs and victories. The personal anecdotes of members and leaders revealed that they experienced joy through convincing another person to take up faith via his or her personal conviction in the power of the Gohonzon that their lives will be changed. True joy also emerged from the kind of personal victories they achieved in the midst of the campaign or even after the campaign. A campaign is a life’s battle. It goes against the spirit of campaign when we try too hard to sugar-coat it from the start and naively think that it can be stress free or happily accomplished. By so doing is misleading the ground. What the ground ultimately needs is the top leaders’ ground-shaking lion roar to inspire them to fight. We need not look too far to get ideas on how victories can be achieved. In fact, a formula has been established by President Ikeda. What are the common elements of the campaigns Mr Ikeda fought and won as a youth? In the Kamata Campaign, the young Ikeda mentioned that the first step in any challenge is to set clear goals. The young Ikeda resolved to make Chapter Chief Koizumi the best chapter leader in Japan. He said, “We should not conclude that something is impossible even before we embark on it. Why don’t we give it a try first?” Is there such a determination or resolve among the current top SSA YMD Leaders? The second step is to begin with earnest and profound prayers. In one occasion, the Kamata Chapter WD chief personally saw the seriousness of young Ikeda’s attitude in reporting the day’s struggle to the Gohonzon from his posture and sonorous chanting of daimoku and reciting of gongyo. She finally understood what it means to “be on the battleground every moment”, with an unrelenting determination to score a victory. In the Osaka Campaign, young Ikeda quoted from the Gosho to encourage the ground, “Praying as earnestly as though to produce fire from damp wood or to obtain water from parched ground.” He then added, “If we have absolute conviction in the Gohonzon, no prayers will go unanswered.” How many SSA top YMD leaders are role modelling these basic practices and strong conviction to the Gohonzon? Thirdly, it is to use the best strategy and most effective action. Whether it was Kamata chapter or Kansai, young Ikeda strove to “visit everyone in every corner” and give guidance to each member. Through such meet-ups, many people renewed their determination to introduce friends to Buddhism. These friends, in turn, brought along new friends to discuss on the greatness of this Buddhism. After each visit, young Ikeda followed up by sending members with letters of encouragement. A wave was thus created. Another aspect of effective action is to practise swift and accurate reporting. This allows Sensei to be aware and take quick follow up action. Are the actions taken by the YMD so far been effective? Are there enough face-to-face and heart-to-heart dialogue? What has been observed instead are merely tonnes of text messages flying around through group whatsapp. Do the YMD top leaders believe even for a moment that the ground will move by itself through such means? Fourthly, it is to establish confidence in faith based on study of the Gosho. Many members witnessed the young Ikeda holding regular Gosho study sessions to deepen their understanding of the practice and this injected hope, confidence and pride in the members. How often do current SSA Top YMD leaders study with the members and leaders? Fifthly, the young Ikeda always moved with lightning speed. In contrast, three months have passed since the launch of the campaign. What is the progress so far in Singapore? Currently, there is a CYCLIST campaign going on. The purpose aims at bond building. Did President Ikeda build bond at the start of he campaign, in the same way it is done now? No! It is in the midst of fighting the campaigns that the eternal bonds of oneness of mentor and disciple and comradeship are forged. Fighting campaigns after building bond is clearly deviated from the success formula mentioned. We hope that the YMD top leaders have not mistakenly equating building bond to developing iron-clad unity. President Ikeda clearly explained in a number of occasions that true unity means to stand up alone, and not become dependent on each other. If individual members cannot stand alone with a sense of responsibility, there can be no true unity. Only genuine unity leads to victory. In whatever platform the YMD holds, it should gear towards the 1111 campaign. Instead, the YMD chief is inexplicably focusing on YMD Formation day meeting even though they are already in the month of march.This only confirms that the YMD chief is not serious about the campaign at all! President Ikeda said, “There is no campaign if there are no capable people and there is no victory if the central figure has no conviction…An organisation depends on the determination of a leader. It is like the top; the top spins when the core is solid. The same is true for the organisation. This is the true aspect of all phenomena.” This is also in accordance of the Gosho passages, “If the lord of the castle is strong, the soldiers are also strong. If the lord of the castle is weak, the soldiers will be cowardly.” (Gosho Zenshu, p979) and “In a battle, soldiers regard the general as their soul.” (WND, p613). By drawing a smiley and focusing on a happy campaign, it clearly indicates what kind of general the current YMD chief is portraying and the current pathetic state of the YMD force is. President Ikeda concluded, “If the central figure is cold, the buds will never blossom, the flower will not bloom, there will not be any capable people. Under the leadership of a warm central figure with great tolerance, buds will sprout and flowers will blossom and bear fruits.” Using whatsapp chats to replace face-to-face meet ups and dialogues is never going to enable “flowers to blossom and buds to sprout”. The significance of 3.16 is about the youth division taking over the baton of kosen-rufu from our eternal mentor and fulfil the shared vows of the mentor and the disciple. We cannot truly develop a profound state of life if we have to always depend on the mentor. The way of a disciple lies in embracing the mentor’s teaching and struggling with all one’s might as a self-sufficient practitioner. This is the path of a true disciple. (The Heart of the Lotus Sutra, p248) The crucial point is the determination to inherit, completely, the mentor’s spirit and pray to wage a great struggle to succeed with this spirit. At a recent Question and Answer session with SGI Vice Study Department Chief Mr Harada, he responded to a question from a local YMD senior leader who asked about the consequence of failing to achieve target set for a campaign in this way, “If the YMD failed to achieve a target set, we are setting a record of defeat.” Indeed the YMD chief has to come to his sense that if the YMD failed to achieve the target of 1111 that he sets, he is leading the YMD to defeat and ruin. If this happens, he not only fails as a YMD chief but also fails as a true disciple of Sensei! From the above observations, it is quite evident that the current YMD top leaders are far off the mark in their readiness to take over the baton for Singapore kosen-rufu and have a long way to go in inheriting the mentor’s spirit. When will they ever learn? Singapore urgently needs true disciples to emerge! In this time of festivities and giving, we would like to close the year with a focus on the issue of transparency in financial management in charitable organisations. The recently concluded 3-year trial of City Harvest Church has gripped much of the public attention and we would like to start by drawing parallels with the previous high profile case involving National Kidney Foundation. 1. National Kidney Foundation saga In August 1997 and December 1998, NKF volunteer Archie Ong and aero-modelling instructor Piragasam Singaravelu respectively were hauled to court separately for defamation when both said that T.T. Durai had been flying first class. The former mentioned in April 1997 that the NKF “squandered monies” in a casual conversation with former chairman of NKF’s finance committee Alwyn Lim, while the latter has claimed that he had personally seen Mr Durai in Singapore Airlines’ first-class cabin. Both paid an undisclosed amount of damages to the NKF, and apologised. The Straits Times then published an editorial “NKF: Controversially ahead of its time?” on 19 April 2004, written by senior correspondent Susan Long. This article became the subject of the dispute, and eventually the lawsuit that led to the scandal. Durai and NKF challenged the first six lines of the article, which claimed that a retired contractor (who declined to be named, for fear of being sued) had ‘lost it’ when he was asked to install “a glass-panelled shower, a pricey German toilet bowl and a (S$1,000) gold-plated tap” in Durai’s office. The tap was said to have been replaced later with a different material. NKF shortly issued a letter of demand for an apology, retraction, and payment of damages from the paper’s publisher, Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), within 24 hours. Four days after the article’s publication, NKF and Durai served a writ on Long and SPH for defamation, demanding S$3.24 million in damages. They claimed that the six paragraphs in the article implied the mismanagement of donors’ funds, that the installations were scaled down only due to the contractor’s protests, and that it had avoided providing further details on that matter. The focus of the scandal turned to the revelation of Durai’s S$600,000 pay, which caused widespread feelings of outrage, anger, and betrayal among the public. Durai was formally accused of having submitted false invoices between 2003 and 2004 to the NKF to make claims for various consultancy services which were never rendered. One invoice was for $20,000 and the other, $5,000. Durai was said to have misled the charity by using the false invoices "knowingly . . . with intent to deceive (the NKF)". Anyone who uses a false or erroneous document, which to his knowledge is intended to mislead, is guilty of an offence under Section 6(c) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. On June 11, 2007, Durai was eventually found guilty of misleading the charitable organisation with a falsified invoice of $20,000 which was allegedly for interior design consultancy work done by David Tan, director of the design firm. The invoice, dated December 29, 2003, was meant for work done for various dialysis centres. For this, Durai was sentenced to three months in jail on June 21. On May 30, 2008, he lost the appeal as Justice Tay Yong Kwang said Durai "was in a position of trust and authority at the NKF and the return of the money only came about after investigations into the invoices were underway."He added that the "money in question belonged to a charity whose funds come from well -meaning trusting donors". 2. City Harvest Church Scandal In 2003, it was a businessman Roland Poon who first alleged that City Harvest Church (CHC) church funds were being misused to finance the music career of Ms Ho, the wife of CHC founder Kong Hee.Mr Poon eventually retracted his statement and apologised, but his comments set off a chain of events leading to the criminal charges. A number of formal church members recalled how they were strongly encouraged to divert their tithes and donations to music production company Xtron to fund the mounting expenses of Ms Ho’s US album. Apparently, ordinary church members who donated to the church, the building fund and the Crossover Project had sacrificed their own well-being in the process, some even only eating biscuits and downgrading their flats to save money so that they can donate more to the church. The senior leaders of City Harvest Church had control and considerable influence over Xtron, the management firm handling the music career of church founder Kong Hee's wife. Xtron had intended to use the money to pay for the production of Ms Ho's United States album and then repay the debt with album proceeds. City Harvest Church (CHC) loaned $13 million to Xtron over two years - but repayment of the loan was never formally documented in the company's cash flows. The court found 6 senior leaders guilty of funnelling $24 million in church building funds into sham bond investments to bankroll the music ambitions of Kong's wife, Ms HoYeow Sun.Later, they used a further $26 million to cover their tracks. Ms Ho reportedly lived in a S$28,000-a-month rented apartment in the Hollywood Hills estate where famous Hollywood celebrities were her neighbours when she moved to Los Angeles for her music career. Furthermore, Kong Hee and his wife had misled a small group of donors who had been supporting the livelihood of the couple. Kong had apparently struck himself off the church payroll in 2005. Kong did so by showing the donors ‘false accounts’. The money was channelled to a multi-purpose account (MPA) a trust fund that comprised personal donations – called love gifts – from about 40 of Kong’s closest supporters. The MPA was used by Kong Hee and his wife for their personal expenses including travel, medical bills, hair and make-up. Later, investigations showed Ms Ho and Kong had been withdrawing more than $400, 000 per year from the MPA as part of Ms Ho’s salary, royalties and bonuses for her music career. This was not told to the MPA donors as CHC had a practice of keeping its members’ income confidential. The issue was Kong and Sun were living an extravagant life, but when they presented the MPA to the donors, they made it seem like they are so sacrificial and are having a hard time. For their multi-million dollar fraud, Kong Hee was sentenced to 8 years in prison while 5 others received a sentence between 21 months and 6 years. What do these mean for donors like us? These two scandals shared two distinctive features:
According to the article in the Straits Times Opinion section titled Holding charities to account by Priscilla Goy, 50% of charities consist of religious groups and that donations rose from $1.8 billion in 2009 to $2.5 billion in 2013. It was observed that many charities have been slow to disclose key information about how they are run. Few charities feel the pressure to improve governance and transparency. It leaves door open to murky practices. In one sense, religious organisations are more vulnerable because of the deep trust in religious leaders who are likely to have a hold on followers as they are able to quote passages from teachings to convince them that what they do is in accordance of the teachings. However, from the perspective of Buddhism, no organisation is infallible, not even local organisations since they are run by human beings and we know that human beings can be susceptible to the three poisons and the eight winds. For members like us, these two unfortunate incidents had reminded us that we have the right to question how donations are being used and where there are delays in promised projects such as expansion plans, we should press the management committee for updates and explanation. When something is amiss, we must have the courage to speak up. It is no exaggeration to say that Singapore has a fair judicial system which protects all people who uphold a strong sense of justice. It is only when ordinary members, instead of blindly complying with the authorities, become wise and vigilant, that top leaders of religious organisations are kept on their toes and are held accountable of their responsibilities. We must never be fooled by a leader’s charisma; instead, as true Bodhisattvas of the earth, our minds must know no fear, become courageous men and women, who fight against the devilish functions that trample on the sanctity of life and obstruct human happiness. In this way, we, as true Bodhisattvas of the Earth become true treasures of the community, country and the world. On this day 9th August 2015, the 50th Birthday of our beloved homeland Singapore, we would like to share our mentor’s guidance on Singapore. In this guidance published on November 2014, President Ikeda described in great detail the history of Singapore mentioning Singapore’s founding father, Mr Lee Kuan Yew. Narrating the legend of Sang Nila Utama who threw his crown into the sea in order to save his crew, President Ikeda wrote: “This is indeed a fitting legend for Singapore, the noble land of capable people. A fancy crown is unimportant. What matters is advancing with the spirit of a lion for the sake of one’s friends and others, never fearing the harshest adversity. The crown of true champions of the people sparkles on the heads of youth who have this spirit.” In the midst of the Jubilee SG50 celebration, let us reaffirm our vow as Bodhisattvas of the Earth in this garden city of Singapore, to be uncrowned heroes who worked tirelessly for the happiness of fellow Singaporeans and the advancement of kosen-rufu in this country we hold so dear! For Chinese Version, please click the following link: https://www.daisakuikeda.org/chs/nature/photo-essays/singapore.html Singapore, November 2000. Photographer: Daisaku Ikeda
Singapore, also known as the garden city, has developed from a small fishing village with only a few hundred people to today’s bustling city full of skyscapers in just two centuries [Source: daisakuikeda.org] SGI PRESIDENT IKEDA’S GUIDANCE THE SKYSCRAPERS OF SINGAPORE SGI President Ikeda’s Guidance for the Future Division - Spread Your Wings toward the Future A series of encouragement from SGI President Ikeda addressing members of the junior high and high school divisions. A youthful life entails growing boldly and courageously, reaching for the sky. Those who are youthful soar limitlessly in their own unique way, at their own pace. The cityscape of Singapore has this dynamic youthful spirit. In between various engagements, I viewed the skyscrapers of the city shooting into the tropical sky. A colorful rainbow also stretched across the sky as if celebrating the future of this small yet mighty country that has grown so vibrantly while harmonizing diverse cultures. A dear friend of mine, President David Tay of The Photographic Society of Singapore, said that he believes that photographs can capture not only physical phenomena, but also our dreams. Envisioning a great dream for the future of the youthful and growing city-state of Singapore, I pressed the shutter on my camera. * * * Singapore, which has overcome numerous difficulties and obstacles as it developed, is known as the Lion City. A statue of a merlion, with the head of a lion and the body of a fish, is the symbol of this maritime nation. Why has Singapore come to be called the Lion City? According to legend, a young king was sailing the seas with his crew in order to build a new capital when they came upon a beautiful island. But when they saw that island in the far distance, a storm assailed their ship. The crew tossed whatever they could overboard to lighten their load. Even so, their ship was on the verge of sinking. Was there nothing else they could throw overboard? At that moment, the king, wishing to save his crew’s life, tossed his crown into the sea. The storm instantly abated, and the ship and all its passengers made their way safely to the island. When they landed, they encountered a magnificent lion. The king, wishing that his new capital would be like the lion—the king of beasts—named the island Singapura, the Lion City. This is the legend of Singapore’s origin. This is indeed a fitting legend for Singapore, the noble land of capable people. A fancy crown is unimportant. What matters is advancing with the spirit of a lion for the sake of one’s friends and others, never fearing the harshest adversity. The crown of true champions of the people sparkles on the heads of youth who have this spirit. * * * Looking at a map of the world, we see that Singapore is located at one degree north latitude, on the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, almost directly on the Equator. Relatively small in area—about 700 square kilometers (about 270 square miles)—its beauty has led it to be dubbed the “Jewel of the Southern Ocean.” I have visited this bustling republic three times. The population of 5.4 million is comprised of three main ethnic groups—Chinese, Malay, and Indian—as well as Eurasian and other ethnicities. The multilingual and multicultural city-state has the strongest economy in Asia and is one of the world’s leaders. Singapore began as a small fishing village, but located at the crossroads of the eastern and western civilizations, it connects the Pacific and Indian oceans and quickly grew as a center for trade. When it was a British colony, numerous immigrants came to Singapore to earn their living, making the city-state what it is today. During World War II, Japan invaded Singapore, and under its oppressive military rule, many suffered and lost their lives. After the war, Singapore sought its independence. Until 1963, it remained a self-governing state within the British Commonwealth, but then it joined the Federation of Malaysia, gaining its independence from the British. However, two years later, in 1965, the Malaysian Parliament suddenly voted to expel Singapore from the Federation of Malaysia. This was the beginning of a perilous road for Singapore, which had few natural resources. The city-state lacked both sufficient food and water. How could a nation without such basic resources survive? How could a country made up of several different ethnic groups overcome the obstacles it faced? The people of Singapore decided to make the most of their human resources, and rallied together in unity. * * * The first prime minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew (1), took the lead at this time. He is someone from whom many leaders of other countries seek advice. I met him on my first visit to Singapore in 1988, and we spoke of the world’s future. Mr. Lee studied diligently in his youth. But when all the schools were closed by the occupying Japanese forces, he was forced to interrupt his education. After the war, he went to study at Cambridge University in the U.K., where he applied himself assiduously, pledging that he would become the best in his class. And in his final examinations, he fulfilled his vow, receiving the highest score and graduating with honors. The dean of Cambridge warmly encouraged young Mr. Lee, speaking to him about how to live a good life. He told him to remember that: “What is past is past. What has happened has happened. That is that. It’s the future that counts, that makes life worth living.” (2) With that advice of the dean engraved in his heart, Mr. Lee looked to the future and continued to strive with persistence. Eventually, he was elected as prime minister and set about building a society in which everyone, regardless of their origins or social status, had the opportunity to succeed. Focusing on peace and security and promoting education, he fostered many capable people while also attracting the world’s top companies and talents to Singapore. The nation of capable individuals built through the unity of the people of Singapore grew and developed into one of the economic giants of the world. * * * Singapore Soka Association (SSA) members have worked hard to overcome the misconceptions and lack of understanding of their fellow citizens. Many were still hostile toward Japan due to its wartime experiences and were suspicious of the Soka Gakkai as a religious organization originating from a country that once invaded it. They have done this by striving tirelessly for the happiness of one individual after another and the prosperity of their society. Today, the SSA is fully recognized as one of Singapore’s representative groups, and its members are annually invited by the government to perform at their National Day event celebrating Singapore’s independence. As model citizens of Singapore and the world, the members of SSA are burning with a lionhearted spirit as they expand their network for peace, culture, and education. When I met with then Singapore President S. R. Nathan in 2000, he praised the performances of the SSA members, as well as those of Soka Gakkai Malaysia (SGM) members, which he also saw. He said he had always been impressed, not only by their wonderful presentation, but by the fact that young people were taking a leading role in these performances. Considering the history and bright future of Singapore in fostering capable people, I founded a Soka kindergarten there in 1993. As its founder, I have visited it a number of times, shaken hands with its bright-eyed students, and created many fond memories with them. Classes there are conducted in both Chinese and English. I am overjoyed to see how the kindergarten’s graduates are now making wonderful contributions to society in Singapore and around the world. Some of them have gone on to study at Soka University in Japan and Soka University of America. * * * This month (November 2014) marks 70 years since Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, the founder of our Soka movement, passed away (in 1944). Imprisoned by the militaristic Japanese authorities, Mr. Makiguchi never abandoned his convictions. He gave his life for truth and justice and died in prison for his beliefs. In his revolutionary work Jinsei Chirigaku (The Geography of Human Life), written over 100 years ago, Mr. Makiguchi called for engaging in exchange with other nations as neighbors in the spirit of global citizens. He stressed that we should be aware that we are citizens of our local community, citizens of our country, and citizens of the world. Being grounded in one’s community connects one to the larger world. For you, your community is, first, your family—your mother and father, your brothers and sisters; then, it is your school—your classmates, teachers, and friends. In addition, there are SGI members in your area who are looking forward to your growth. They are also part of your community. People who realize that they are supported by many others, and who appreciate the people in their lives, can forge a connection to the world. In addition, I hope you will all study foreign languages, because they are a passport for global citizens. Humanity is waiting for many global citizens to grow vigorously and confidently. As the proud successors to the first three Soka Gakkai presidents, each of you has a precious mission to step up and take your place among those global citizens in the future. * * * I have presented the Singapore members with a poem. In it, there are the following stanzas: Children of the lion, gazing steadily upon the future, you must know that those who are strong are so because of ceaseless training… Strive always to challenge the problems of today. Devote yourselves wholeheartedly to the mission that you find before you. This is where your training is to be found, bringing forth the brilliant crown of eventual victory. (3) * * * Youth and life are a struggle. They are a continual struggle against being intimidated by harsh circumstances or letting barriers to stand in one’s way. Don’t allow the past to hold you back. Just win in the present. A new challenge begins from this day, from this moment. Nichiren Daishonin often writes of the “heart of a lion.” For example, he says: “Those with the heart of a lion king are sure to attain Buddhahood” (WND-1, 302), and “Each of you should summon up the courage [lit. heart] of a lion king and never succumb to threats from anyone. The lion king fears no other beast, nor do its cubs. Slanderers are like barking foxes, but Nichiren’s followers are like roaring lions” (WND-1, 997). In other words, a lion king is a courageous person. What is courage? It is the spirit to never be defeated, to get up again each time you’re knocked down. It is the spirit to challenge yourself, pouring all your strength into each problem that arises in front of you. And it is the spirit to keep seeking and striving, to continuously polish and perfect yourself day after day. The Daishonin also explains: “The word shishi, or ‘lion,’ is made up of two elements, the first shi, which can be taken to mean a teacher, and the second shi, which can be taken to mean a disciple” (OTT, 168). When teacher and disciple are united in spirit, supreme courage, wisdom, and strength well up from within. Mr. Makiguchi had Mr. Toda as his disciple; Mr. Toda had me as his disciple; and I have all of you as my disciples. That’s why we, Soka mentors and disciples, have nothing to fear! Footnote: 1 Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew passed away on March 23, 2015, at the age of 91. 2 Alex Josey, Lee Kuan Yew: The Struggle for Singapore (London: Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1980), p. 32. 3 Daisaku Ikeda, Songs of Victory (Tokyo: NSIC, 1988), pp. 198–199. (Translated from the November 1, 2014, issue of the Mirai [Future] Journal, the Soka Gakkai monthly newspaper for the junior high and high school divisions) Recently, we have been following the Facebook postings of an ex-Young Men Division (YMD) Chapter leader from Tampines Zone on how he was graduated to the Men’s Division (MD).
It is indeed shocking, even if there is the slightest truth to it, that such episodes are happening within our humanistic organisation. After reading it, it is not difficult to imagine the agony, frustration and distress this YMD had endured after going through this scope of events for the past 3 years. When one attempts to analyse the chain of events leading to his graduation, it is obvious that there is indeed more than what meets the eye. “For the past 3 years since the removal of the group of YMD seniors from their leadership positions, I was targeted and persecuted. Despite the pretense of dialogues and fake acts of compassion shown to me, it was obvious that there was a plot on-going to get me removed – subtly and slowly to escape accusation. I was black marked and passed a death sentence since 2011. It was naïve of me to even put in the effort to meet up with these leaders holding dialogue after dialogue, only to find out that all dialogues were merely actions to disguise their plot and intention…” [Extracted from Aaron Chan Facebook posting dated February 24, 2015.For full text of his posting, click here] In the course of the 3 years, this ex-YMD chapter leader was first sidelined. He was then humiliated when the MD chapter leader, backed by the region and SHQ leaders, forced him to make an apology in front of his 4-division district leaders for posting on facebook two years ago – an event which they deemed to have caused the adult leaders to have mistrust towards him, but yet denied him the opportunity to have dialogue with the leaders concerned to resolve any misunderstanding. Following that, this YMD was cornered during a dialogue where attendees, including region and SHQ leaders, came prepared with an agenda to execute–to bulldoze the appointment of YMD assistant for the chapter, even to the extent of raising their voices to silent him when he tried to explain his perspective. Soon, this YMD became less active due to his personal challenges, which was of no surprise after he was left abashed. Instead of supporting him to break through his personal life, this became a convenient reason for the YMD chief to step him down to an assistant Chapter leader after an intimidating dialogue. Finally, just three months after the execution of this swap, another similar dialogue heavily attended by senior leaders were once again held, which this YMD was clever enough not to attend and be cornered once again. This time, the objective was to graduate him to MD, which they succeeded. The first glaring issue in this entire episode was the way the top leaders had treated this defenceless YMD. Does a chapter level YMD leader, who was close to the removed leaders, pose such a threat to the top leaders that they had to execute such conspiracy? Regardless of his previous actions and views on any issue, no member should be subjected to such ordeal and be intimidated and disparaged. By inflicting such mental distress on him, providing absolutely no support during his challenging times and with the YMD chief even telling him off for “not doing enough” without understanding his circumstances, these top leaders had shown absolutely no compassion whatsoever. Even if they deemed this YMD as wayward in his views and perspective, shouldn’t there be attempts to reach out to him by embracing and supporting him rather than using authority to suppress him and eventually oust him out altogether? President Ikeda has always reminded senior leaders, sometimes strictly, of how they should embrace the leaders they are taking care of. He gave the following pointers to youth leaders in 2007: Leaders should pray first. They should pray for the health and happiness of their fellow members and peace and prosperity of their respective societies. Prayer is linked to compassion. Compassion becomes prayer. Compassion transforms itself into action and wisdom. The three keys to fostering capable individuals are: a leader’s consideration, a leader’s encouragement and a leader’s caring attitude. Don’t just promote meetings. Rather, shine a light upon each person through one-on-one communication. Leaders should learn to be good listeners and understand their members. Become their friend and ally. Did our youth senior leaders pay heed to the above guidance? President Ikeda reminded us of the SGI’s mission during his Special Lecture Commemorating November 18 in 2013. One of its mission is as follows: “Transcending all forms of discrimination and prejudice, the SGI will forever spread its network of human equality.” By harping on the facebook issue that had already came to a closure two years ago during the various dialogues seems to suggest that the YMD senior leadership is still holding suspicious views of certain YMDs in the organisation. RHQ YMD leader may have revealed the top leaders’ true intent when he made the following statement by a slip of the tongue, “HQ is still monitoring all those who ever wrote in Facebook during the YMD facebook issue.”The intimidating and insinuating remarks from YMD chief during his dialogues with this ex-YMD chapter leader further confirms this. Instead of warmly reaching out to these leaders, encouraging them and guiding them back to faith, top YMD leaders have chosen to discriminate and hold prejudice against them. We cannot help but support this ex-YMD chapter leader in his claim that the true intention of the YMD SHQ leaders all along was to get him removed. The other disturbing trait in this saga was how the top leaders worked in cahoots with specific leaders to achieve their aim. Seemingly, genuine concerns raised were all brushed off or even silenced. Yet when they could not convinced people with logical reasoning, things were bull-dozed through using their leadership position where they work in cahoots to talk and act in a pre-planned and coordinated manner to achieve an orchestrated outcome. These senior leaders outwardly tried to show concern, yet harboured so much hatred deep in their heart! They schemed and plotted to achieve their ends, conspiring with others who also had their own private agenda, but were willing to work together towards a common goal. This is so typical of how devilish function works! This episode shared lots of similarities with the high-handed way in which five YMD senior leaders were removed from leadership and the sixth were expelled from the organisation a few years ago. One area stands out - The lack of genuine dialogue. Dialogues to clarify misunderstanding and rebuild trust (if the so called mistrust was not fabricated) were rejected. Discussions were prepared, planned and easily executed with the sheer number of senior leaders attending. All the one-to-one dialogue by YMD senior leaders with this YMD revealed that they came with an intention to communicate a set message. Isn’t open and heartfelt dialogue the beginning of all peace activities of SGI? Isn’t dialogue the starting point to change lives? A Buddha is after all a master in holding genuine dialogues. It is due to the tireless efforts of President Daisaku Ikeda who hold heart to heart dialogues with world figures for all these years that genuine understanding of the Soka Gakkai movement spread far and wide. From the above, we see that these top leaders had clearly succumbed to devilish functions. Neither have they put the happiness of members as their priority nor try to resolve issues sincerely through genuine dialogue. No matter how high the leadership position one may hold, no matter how one may speak about their conviction in faith and relationship with their mentor, no one is exempted from being poisoned by evil. And when this happens, they betray the organisation and the members they are supposed to take care of. We can also recall at least one clear instance in which the Soka Gakkai International (SGI) top leaders succumbed to such devilish functions: In 1979, the First Temple issue took place in which President Ikeda was forced to step down as third President of Soka Gakkai on 24 April. While Mr Ikeda could understand the evil intentions of the Priesthood all along, what had saddened him even more was that none of the SGI top leaders, including the senior youth leaders stood up to protect him. They were the ones who were trained by him personally for many years. Former Soka Gakkai Chief Legal Counsellor Masatomo Yamazaki, in particular worked in cahoots with Nichiren Shoshu to exterminate Soka Gakkai. Mr Ikeda said, “… I didn’t care what they might do to me. But their actions constituted a betrayal of the sincere faith of the members, who were linked together by strong ties of mentor and disciple that spanned the three existences of past, present and future. A women’s division member at the gathering commented angrily later: 'Why didn’t the leaders have the courage to proudly declare that the phenomenal development of the kosen-rufu movement was all due to President Ikeda?!’ “When I left the meeting, the applause again was hesitant. I had heard that one of the top youth division leaders had told members not to applaud very much at the meeting for it would antagonize the priests — and, in particular, not to applaud at all for me. He had been poisoned by the frightening evil of the priesthood. He had turned cowardly in the face of those bellicose asuras…” If Soka Gakkai top leaders who were trained by President Ikeda and were physically close to President Ikeda could also succumb to the devilish functions, do you think top leaders in Singapore can be immune to it? If we fall victim to negligence or cowardice even a little, we create an opening by which the devilish functions can enter to try to destroy our faith and the foundation of our happiness. [NHR, Crown Champions] When top leaders in the organisation fall prey to devilish function, it is an urgent crisis for Buddhism itself. However, this is precisely the time for a “wise person,” possessing wisdom of the correct teaching of Buddhism to discern the true nature of individuals, combat that evil, and restore the ideal of respect for all people that is the original aim of Buddhism. It is important for these wise and awakened citizenry to detect error, fight it to repudiate misguided teachings. We are not without any guidance or teachings to guide us. Mr Ikeda spoke of the devilish nature of the people involved at First Temple Issue: … “We must never, never allow ourselves to follow such perfidious, scheming individuals. Whatever oppressive measures they may take, we must remember that faith means endurance. We of the Soka Gakkai are practicing in complete accord with the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin. We are devoting ourselves selflessly to propagating the Mystic Law. We should always wear the gentle armour of endurance. Those self-serving priests who bore hostility toward the Soka Gakkai, borrowing the guise of the Daishonin, sought to turn the true emissaries of the Buddha — the Gakkai members — into pawns, exploiting them and finally destroying the Soka Gakkai. We were confronted with an insane rampage of the terrible, insidious nature of authority.” [https://www.gakkaionline.net/apr24/] The last thing we want is for our senior leadership succumbing to such devilish functions. But the signs are showing… This editorial intends to examine how SSA,which proclaims herself to be the “Indomitable Fortress of Worldwide Kosen-rufu”has fared towards the goal of 2017 so far. But first, let us comment about the Youth Friendship for Peace Festival (YFP), which has just ended. We are impressed by the commitment and dedication of the participants who put up an energetic and dynamic performance and are equally grateful to all the backstage staff who worked quietly behind the scenes.
Since 1980, SSA has held a Youth Peace Cultural Festival every five years, where youth are given full play to their inner potential and creativity. The festivals are aimed at responding to SGI President Daisaku Ikeda's call for youth to become capable leaders in society who are committed to the advancement of peace. The youth have also used such occasions as a springboard for challenging various areas in their lives and strengthening their Buddhist practice. Besides strengthening their faith, members no doubt developed deep bonds of friendship during preparations for the festival which hopefully enable them to go on to contribute to their local communities and country as good citizens. Let us recollect the past few Youth Peace Culture Festivals. Over three weekends in July 2005, the Youth Peace Culture Festival (YCF) was held in two different external venues. Some 5,000 youth, including SSA members, their friends and students from various schools, participated in the event. The YCF was held in conjunction with the launch of the North East Racial Harmony Month, thus tying YCF with the local community in response to President Ikeda’s call to the youth to contribute to society as good citizens. Ministers, government officials and local mayors attended the respective shows. As the organisation was structured in 3 Headquarters then, HQ 1 held their show at Singapore Expo Hall 5, while HQ 2 and HQ 3 held their festivals at the Toa Payoh Sports Hall. The planning of the YCF began way back in 2004 and a decisive victory was scored. The serious and meticulous preparations of the youth division led by the then EXCO chairperson Mr Tay Hee Chiew was for all to see. About 20,000 members and friends attended the shows! Notably, riding on this momentum, the youth division played a big part in helping SSA achieve the historic 1111 Gohonzon Conferment at the end of the year to cap a victorious year. We can see that the success of YCF and shakubuku campaign were closely linked. A successful model has been set. Five years later in 2010, to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the founding of Soka Gakkai, the 35th anniversary of the founding of Soka Gakkai International and the 50th anniversary of SGI President Ikeda’s inauguration as the third president of the Soka Gakkai, SSA staged the memorable Youth Musical in March 2010 at SSA Headquarters. The Musical, which depicted the spirit of the Oneness of Mentor and Disciple with President Toda and President Ikeda as the protagonists, involved 1000 youth division members and more than 150 cast members. Preparations again began more than a year before. The Musical built on the momentum of a hugely victorious propagation campaign in 2009 led by the Youth Division in which the number of Gohonzon Conferment and applications smashed the record last set by the class of 2005. In order to reach out to as many members and friends as possible, a total of 18 sessions of the Musical for both English and Mandarin speaking audience were held over three weekends. We grow when we push ourselves beyond our limitations, when we challenge ourselves to go further than we think we can. By doing so, we can break through our shell, become strong, expand our state of life and carry out our human revolution. This is the way of Buddhist practice. [NHR, Community Spirit Chapter] The lives of the cast members and those behind the scene exemplified the above guidance by President Ikeda. Although it must have been very exhausting for the youth, there was also evidently tremendous joy and courage shown. On average, each session attracted an attendance of 700 members and new friends. More than 12,000 people would have seen and be inspired by the Musical. In both the 2005 and 2010 editions, concrete victory in propagation campaigns and a successful YCF went hand in hand. We would have thought that this model would be built upon by the current senior youth leaders in planning for the 2014 edition. Unfortunately, this did not seem to be the case. The reasons for this conclusion are supported by the following observations. Firstly, doing things last minute seems to become the norm these days. As late as September, YFP did not exist and instead SSA Times was still publicising about the Youth Culture Festival. Why was the YCF changed to YFP only in October? Even if the reason for the change in the name was justified, the confirmation of the name of such an important event two months before the actual date is undeniably very last minute. The same could be said about the venue of the Festival. The fact that it was to be held in Toa Payoh Indoor Sports Hall was only made known to members as late as October. Even leaders were uncertain of the dates of the YFP until end of October. I wonder when the whole planning started. The change of senior youth leadership in March, is definitely a poor excuse. It is obvious that, with a seating capacity of 2000, Toa Payoh Sports Hall is never an ideal place to hold a YFP if we are focusing on outreach. Was it because all other preferred venues were taken up? Secondly, it is indisputable that the number of people being reached out to has dwindled. One preview and 4 actual shows held in the Toa Payoh Sports Hall mean that the number of people who can watch the performances are limited. Defeat was clear right from the beginning as far as the choice of the venue is concerned. This year’s scale is equivalent to the scale which one HQ would have managed in 2005!So in terms of numbers, we were only one third of the past even though it looked impressive at the grand finale. And to be honest, those who attended the shows will realise that except for the last show with the attendance of a Minister of State, all other shows only had 65% to 70% of the Sports Hall occupied. More importantly, many among the spectators were our own adult division members and not youth division new friends. It seemed that the outreach fell far short of target. Thirdly, the plans seemed haphazard and not well-thought out. Although there was a 30-minute video publicising the YFP during the November Individual Division discussion meeting to inspire members to look forward to the YFP,we were then informed there are only two tickets available for the whole district’s four division to invite new friends who are preferably youth. This is a joke! The target is so easy to achieve that it does not push us to fight and challenge ourselves to invite friends. The length of the video and the number of tickets made available do not synchronise! Even with this so called “sure-win” target, we wonder if we achieved it, as mentioned in my second point. The fact that publicity came just one month before the actual event only goes to show again the last minute planning. In terms of strategic planning and inspiring the ground to fight, we are regressing. Fourthly, ever since the focus shifted to YFP in June, the propagation campaign died a natural death. Although a few friendship meetings were held since then, outcomes were vague. It is naive to think that reporting the number of new friends attending such meetings in SSA Times is the same as reporting concrete results achieved in propagation. In terms of focus and follow up of campaigns, SSA Senior Youth Leadership is found wanting again. Fifthly, we wonder if the welfare of the YFP participants has been seriously looked into. We were very touched by the heroic acts of the logistic group members who sheltered the participants to and from the holding area and the Sports Hall when there were spells of heavy rain during the shows. But this could not hide the fact that there was poor planning from the show chairperson and the planning team! Has the weather been factored into the planning when clearly there was no cover between the Stadium and the Sports Hall? It was clearly left for the logistic group to save the day! Nothing should be left to chance! We should always chant for the best outcome but prepare for the worst! Has this thinking been forgotten? How do we explain the fact that the participants of the YMD item had to stand under trees opposite the Toa Payoh Stadium stand which could not hold all participants? The poor members had to endure the scorching heat of the sun and brave the rain. Is this so called “training” for the YMD? Or is this another example of poor planning of the senior leaders? Lastly, it was noticed by quite a few members that the Youth Chief dressed too shabbily for the occasion when he delivered the congratulatory message. He only wore a long sleeve shirt with long pants, which is essentially just ordinary office wear. The Youth Chief is the representative of the entire Youth Division and the Youth Friendship for Peace Festival is clearly the platform of the Youth Chief! Though it may seem a small matter, it spoke volumes about the importance he attached to the YFP. Such attitude is unbecoming of a top leader in the youth division. We hope that SSA has not become complacent to assume that since they have the experience accumulated over these years to hold a YCF, they will be successful anyway. Has the new senior youth leadership team, perhaps consumed by egotism or mere arrogance, chose to try a new approach at the expense of a successful model set in 2005? The above observations suggest that this new approach did not seem to work! Without clear cut victories in both shakubuku campaign and YFP fronts, 2014 seems to be another year of decline rather than dynamic advancement. Our heart goes out to all members and frontline leaders who have tirelessly given their energies and best effort to try to make things work on the ground. However, we are less sympathetic towards senior leaders who have let the members down, again and again! We cannot see how SSA central leadership is giving us hope and confidence that all is going well toward the attainment of its target of 50,000 members in 2017. But one thing is sure: we are running out of time. What we have been seeing is leaders quoting a lot of President Ikeda’s guidance in meetings urging members and frontline leaders to practise with a vow. But so far, all the actual planning, thinking and execution taken by the top leaders in campaigns and activities make us wonder if they really understand what it means to truly practise based on a vow of a genuine disciple. It is easy to parrot the words. What we want to see are the practice and actions. The central leaders have not shown good examples so far. A great deal of soul searching among the central leaders is needed. Perhaps what is urgently needed is to practise exactly what President Ikeda has taught us instead of trying to be creative and clever.The youth division, being the driving force of the entire organisation, has to deliver concrete results soon. Nov 18, the date which commemorates the establishment of Soka Gakkai by its founder Mr Tsunesaburo Makiguchi. The Hosshaku Kempon website has chosen this significant month to undergo a facelift for a new departure with the mission to share fresh insight on numerous topics through a series of instalments.
While we will continue to monitor and report any injustice inflicted on innocent practitioners or despotic behaviors from the central leaders, it is also our resolve to share contents and materials based on our mentor, President Ikeda’s teaching, to our readers, which are free from manipulation for personal/organizational propaganda. Hosshaku Kempon’s new mission is guided by the recent President Ikeda’s lecture series, The Teachings for Victory – The Kalpa of Decrease: 1. A true person of wisdom in the Latter Day of the Law must embody not only the great good wisdom of the correct teachings of Buddhism but also be able to detect error, fight against it, and strive earnestly to free people from the hold of false teachings. Nichiren Daishonin stood up as that person to engage in his struggle without begrudging his life. 2. A “worthy ruler” represents a social entity that acknowledges a person with wisdom. Today, in our democratic society, the “worthy ruler” corresponds to be a wise and awakened citizenry. 3. Such a citizenry is vital if a peaceful and prosperous society is to be realised. As people grow wiser and stronger, the ideals of the sanctity of life and the absolute importance of peace will become more widely accepted and established in society. Hosshaku Kempon website endeavours to unearth more “person of wisdom” through its sharing and as a result, achieve a “wise and awakened citizenry” within the practitioners in Singapore. Similarly, during Daishonin’s time, the Buddhist Schools had lost sight of the Buddha’s true intent and the fundamental ideals of Buddhism. The clergy of these schools displayed the characteristics of “arrogant priests” and “arrogant false sages”, two of the three powerful enemies. They harbored intense enmity towards the Daishonin, the votary of the Lotus Sutra. The lay followers of those schools, however, were taken in by the priests’ religious authority and appearance of respectability, and failed to see the true situation. As a result, though they were accumulating good causes through their Buddhist practice, they were in fact, frighteningly enough, steeping themselves in the poison of the law. It was as if the healing medicine that people thought they had been prescribed was actually a toxic substance. Daishonin indicates that the only way for this situation to be remedied was for a wise person possessing the wisdom of the correct teachings of Buddhism and a worthy ruler to join together to put a stop to this great evil. A wise person is able to recognize slander of the law committed by the erroneous teachings and discern the true nature of the leaders, combat that evil and restore the ideal of respect for all people that is the original aim of Buddhism. This person, joining together with a worthy ruler possessing excellent powers of judgment concerning right and wrong, worked to repudiate misguided teachings and principles that ultimately cause people’s sufferings. This is the path to genuinely leading people to enlightenment and creating a secure and prosperous society. Today, as mentioned by President Ikeda, the worthy ruler corresponds to a wise and awakened citizenry. As people grow stronger and wiser, the ideals of sanctity of life and absolute importance of peace will become more widely accepted and established in society. This will lead to more people rejecting self-centered ideas that give rise to discrimination and war, which inflict human suffering. As President Ikeda’s genuine disciples, we vow to ensure that Buddhism must continue as a teaching that exist to spread far and wide for people’s happiness. That is the very basis. Therefore, we must take a firm stand against any authoritarian forces that seek to subvert the humanistic ideals of the Nichiren Buddhism! At this time of the essential phase, we must guard against anyone who tries to turn it into a religion that exists only for its own sake and exploits people for their own ends! This is the time to cast of the transient and reveal the true – the Hosshaku Kempon of the Ikeda’s Direct Disciples! The Deep Significance of Mentor Memorial Hall
The Telok Blangah Soka Centre (TBSC) was officially opened on 12 Oct 1984. It marks the triumphant victory over the issue of Ichinen Sanzen group in the 1980s. It was also the centre that we received the first visit of President Ikeda in the year 1988. Acknowledging the victory led by Mr Koh Kian Boon, our ex-General Director, President Ikeda commented that it was the “most beautiful centre in the world”. He also planted a pomelo tree to commemorate the event. Fast forward to the SSA AGM in Apr 2011, it was announced that TBSC would be demolished to make way for a new 4-storey building. The main intention was to construct a building with a revised plot ratio of 1.4 instead of original 1.0. The increase in gross floor area would mean a bigger main hall and more meeting rooms to meet the need of the members. It will also house a Mentor & Disciple Heritage Centre. There was also a provision to have a basement car park to cater to members who drive. As there are still 31 years left on this prime piece of land, the Management Committee (MC) argues that it makes practical sense to demolish the old building and make way for a new one with a higher plot ratio in order to facilitate members’ activity. This proposal was not met with any resistance during the meeting and all attendees looked forward to a new centre. The centre was officially closed for activities in February 2012. However, the tender for the building was only awarded on 1 October 2012 and demolition commenced on 19 October. What transpired in the 8 month of inactivity was anyone’s guess! One thing is for sure - as Hosshaku Kempon has reported in May 2012 editorial, the land depreciation for 8 months work out to be about $28,000. The inconvenience caused to members and the loss of opportunity to advance kosen-rufu is beyond quantification. Perhaps, one can glean a bit more into what transpired from the sharing by one of the ex-Redevelopment Project Committee (RPC) member during the 2013 AGM. He highlighted the events leading to his comrades and his own dismissal from the RPC. To quote from an article from Hosshaku Kempon published earlier: Haphazard Planning of Project Team leader Mano revealed further that when the original model of SPC was published on issue 481 of SSA Times February 2012, the design was not examined by RPC yet. It could be due to the fact that RPC was still not brought into existence. During the 6 months when RPC came on board, they discovered the original design of SPC to be dysfunctional. Numerous issues were not addressed and yet the building was approved by RPC Project Team leader Ong and his supporters. It is disheartening to learn that within this short period of review by the members of ex-RPC, the design of the building was revised seven times. This was mainly due to the haphazard planning and sluggish attitude of Project Team leader and his assistants. At the stage after the tender was called and even after the tender was bided, the documents were laying in a state of dreadful mess. Concerning this point that was raised by Mano, he wanted the MC to register it and had it recorded in the minutes of AGM. Poor Planning of MC led to Additional Cost Incurred Mano continued, “On the issue of the closure of TBSC on Feb 12, we are of the view that it would have been a wrong decision. Because at that time of the closure, none of the plans were ready for construction, none of them were being approved by the URA planning. At that stage, for some reason that management committee decided, to manage this project based on 3 phases of construction – one the demolition, the second the piling and the third, the main construction work. Never in my 35 years of experience, for a 4.5 or 5 million dollar project, it has got to be broken into 3 phases.” To link to full article Click here. Whatever that was reported here was only the tip of the iceberg. The MC was not transparent in their approach even to the RPC members. The blunders of the Central Leaders in charge were evidently clear. During the Ground Breaking Ceremony held on 29 December 2012, the final design of the building was revealed. The main hall was much smaller than previously planned. It was obvious that the higher plot ratio initially planned, which warrants a complete tear down of the building, did not materialize. Of course, why this happened and who blundered were again conveniently swept under the carpet. Instead, the focus was on the centre having a special mission to preserve forever the Soka Spirit of being united with the mentor. The key to this was the “Mentor & Disciples Heritage Room” which was going to be housed in the building, differing from the initially planned Mentor & Disciple Heritage Centre originally announced in the 2011 AGM. Eventually, it was renamed the Mentor Memorial Hall (MMH), a setup known worldwide which was officially endorsed by SGI. So what is this Mentor Memorial Hall? What is its true significance and function? The following excerpt from NHR Vol 23 Bold Struggles Chapter provides a good explanation: Shin’ichi had proposed building memorial halls and special display rooms throughout Japan to exhibit the belongings of the past Soka Gakkai presidents. He did so out of his belief that viewing mementos and other objects related to presidents Makiguchi and Toda was an indispensable means for encouraging Gakkai members to study and inherit the spirit and struggle of the first and second presidents…. It was Josei Toda who came to the conclusion that constructing facilities that could forever preserve the spirit of his mentor were also necessary in order to ensure the eternal survival of the Soka Gakkai…. …When that day arrives, in order to ensure that the Soka Gakkai spirit of being united with our mentor is preserved forever, we will have a mentor memorial room to commemorate and honour our founder Makiguchi.” [Creative Life February 2013 pg 22-23] So does it mean with the successful completion of MMH, the future of Singapore kosen-rufu is secured for eternity? The answer is not as simple as that. SGI General Director Oba quoted NHR Volume 26, Chapter 4 “Bold Advance” during his speech at the opening of the SPC: Only when the fortress of faith, the fortress of courage and the fortress of victory is firmly forged in the lives of each and every member can we say that the fortress for kosen-rufu, that is, our community centre is complete in the true sense of the word. Without the personal victories of our members, there will be no victory for the Soka Gakkai as a whole. The community centres of the Soka Gakkai are the main bastions of kosen-rufu. It is not a luxurious palace. A bastion exists for the sake of the battle. Henceforth, the greatest way to celebrate the completion of a bastion for kosen-rufu is to win in our battle for kosen-rufu. GD Oba went on to elaborate that “Only when we plunge ourselves onto the forefronts of kosen-rufu in our chapters and districts, offer wholehearted encouragement to our members and share the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism can the foundation of Singapore kosen-rufu be forged and the entire organization of SSA will pulsate with refreshing vigour. Only then will our Soka Peace Centre shine as a centre that is imbued with joy and security.” Mentor Memorial Hall (MMH) is officially endorsed by SGI and only a few countries outside of Japan have the good fortune and honour to house it. It is not too much to say that the whole fiasco of rebuilding TBSC with a higher plot ratio, was saved by the existence of the MMH. One can’t help feeling that SSA central leaders has blundered big time and save again by the intervention of SGI. I believed all these while it is our mentor who is closely watching over us. Will SSA Central Leaders make blunders again when President Ikeda is not around? The essential phase has already started. It is time the disciples stand up, take action and assure our mentor. It is no longer the time to depend on the Mentor. We believe the true significance of the SPC will only be realized when each of us become the genuine disciples and take the lead for the future movement of kosen-rufu based on what our mentor has taught us without the slightest deviation! The return of the 50,000
This month is a significant one as we commemorate Mentor and Disciple Day on July 3rd. In the midst of holding and attending the usual commemorative meeting, it is more important for us to deeply ponder on the true significance of such a day. The mentor and disciple relationship in Buddhism has taken its roots since the time of Shakyamuni. In the Emerging from the Earth chapter of the Lotus Sutra, the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, disciples of Shakyamuni since the remotest past, rose up and pledged to Shakyamuni to spread the teachings of the Lotus Sutra in the latter day of the law. This scene embodies the vow of the mentor and disciple, the disciples standing up and embracing as their own the vow of their mentor. On July 3, 1945, President Toda was released from jail, determined to carry on his mentor’s dream of kosen-rufu. During his inaugural speech on May 3rd, 1951, he made a great vow for kosen-rufu: “In my lifetime, I will convert by my own hand 750,000 families through propagation… If my goal should not be attained by the end of my life, you need not hold a funeral for me, but just throw my remains into the sea of Shinagawa, all right?” [HR-1, p.563] The declaration of President Toda, a dauntless lion king of kosen-rufu, shocked everyone. No one at that time could believe it, but it was proven true in less than seven years. Everything starts with a vow and the great vow set forth by President Toda led to a monumental victory. It is heartening that the central leaders of SSA are talking about achieving 50,000 membership again, after a long period of silence on this important target. Just how determined are the central leaders of SSA in achieving the target? In fact, the target of 50,000 membership was set in 2005 by our then General Director, Mr Ong Bon Chai, basing on the expectation of President Ikeda to achieve a target of 1% of the respective nations’ population. Despite all out campaigns fought in the following few years with momentum picking up, SSA was still very far from the 50,000 membership target. Similarly, in the case of Japan in 1952, a year after President Toda became the second president of Soka Gakkai, the progress towards achieving the 750,000 household was slow and it didn’t seem that the goal would be achieved. “At this rate, kosen-rufu is going to take thousands of years!” declared Mr Toda. “Daisaku, get to it!” “Yes, sir!” I responded without a moment’s hesitation. [Executive Leaders Conference, Nov 18, 2006] Under young Daisaku’s leadership, Kamata achieved unprecedented result of 201 new membership households within a single month, creating a fresh momentum of victory. He continued to plunge himself in the frontline and spearheaded shakubuku efforts leading to the pinnacle victory of converting 11,111 household within a single month in Osaka Campaign. Following that, the young Daisaku left everyone in complete awe by leading Yamaguchi Prefecture to achieve a ten-fold increase in number of household within a period of 22 days. These victories set off such a huge wave of momentum that as of April 1958 when President Toda’s life came to a close, the number of Soka Gakkai households stands at approximately 800,000. By 1962, just 4 years after President Toda’s passing, the Soka Gakkai’s membership increased to 3 million households, a vision President Toda articulated just before his death. The target was not merely achieved but exceeded. This is the proud tradition of Soka Gakkai. In contrast, as SSA approached nearer to 2010, the year the target was to be achieved, this goal was no longer mentioned by the central leaders. Instead, the central leaders re-directed the organisation’s focus on the 20K great discussion meeting exercise and year-end 80th anniversary celebration. Thereafter, in December 2010, it was announced that the target of 50,000 membership was to adjourn to 2017, a procrastination of 7 years! No concrete expansion plans, targets and projections were shared. Mr. Toda used to say: “After all, we’re Bodhisattvas of the Earth who champion the cause of kosen-rufu. . . . The most important thing is kosen-rufu, the Daishonin’s mandate; it mustn’t be delayed for even a day. The Soka Gakkai is the sole body that can achieve this mission.” [The Hope-filled Writing of ND - Letter to Jakunichi-bo] Finally after 4 years of oblivion, this goal of 50,000 suddenly resurfaced. This target seems to be further apportioned based on some simple linear mathematical calculation, with a uniform increase of a number of memberships per district per year from 2014 to 2017, though definition and information seem to differ amongst the zone, chapters and districts. In the struggle for kosen-rufu, the unchanging principle for victory is for central leaders to leap into action in the most difficult places and situations, and encourage members who are exerting themselves on the front lines. As the Daishonin states: “In battles soldiers regard the general as their soul.” (WND, 613) In all victorious campaigns, great strides in propagation can only be achieved when the central leaders make an all out effort to inspire others and align the members’ hearts to the great vow of the mentor and inspiring them to take action as disciples who shared the same commitment as their mentor. This was clearly demonstrated by the young Daisaku who personally took the lead in all the key campaigns and worked together with the local leaders to tune their hearts to the great vow of their mentor. How much have the central leaders in Singapore been striving with the frontline leaders? Or are they merely bellowing their instructions from the podium and then expecting the momentum of Shakubuku to automatically pick up? There were instances where senior leaders went around to teach the frontline leaders and members by saying that if they want to do Shakubuku, they could do so by merely chanting to the Gohonzon and those who need the Gohonzon will naturally appear in front of them. But does merely chanting to the Gohonzon ensures victory? President Ikeda encouraged the members during the Osaka campaign. “Our campaign will begin with the strong prayers of all the members in Kansai. But are fervent, single-minded prayers enough? No, they are not…Chanting is only the first step. The second factor is to use the best strategy and the most effective action. Without this second part we will never be able to gain the initiative to win. Neither the first nor the second factor alone is enough. Only when both are perfectly harmonized can the impossible become possible.” [HR-2, p.1324] President Ikeda also used the following Gosho during the campaign to emphasize the importance of detailed preparation and planning in order to achieve victory. “Carefully planning strategy prior to a battle, even one a thousand miles distant, will be the cause for victory.” (GZ-183) He explained that in order to advance your kosen-rufu activities, one should not take any action arbitrarily or without preparation. "Work out your plans with a great deal of deliberation and discussion among all the people concerned; carry them out with everyone working in harmony, united as one.” (Buddhism in Action Vol. V p.187) If the SSA central leaders are earnest in attaining 50,000 membership goal, we should be able to see a whirlpool of momentum picking up nationwide soon, connecting the hearts of our leaders and member to the great vow of our mentor. During the 41st HQ leaders meeting on Jun 3, 2010, the message sent from President Ikeda includes the following: “The Bodhisattvas of the Earth are dedicated disciples who since the infinite past have striven in the same spirit as their teacher. During the assembly where Shakyamuni preached the Lotus Sutra, his disciples repeatedly pledged to him that they would carry out the widespread propagation of the Law just as he taught, asking him to put his mind at complete ease on that account… He (Mr Toda) was especially strict with me: “Daisaku, I have done everything I possibly can for the future. The rest is up to you. Strive your hardest! Win victory after victory!” I feel now just as Mr Toda did then. For now is the time for me to put the finishing touches to my work and leave everything to you.” The great wish and vow for kosen-rufu is the heart of the mentor. The spirit of the mentor is that of selfless dedication and taking action for the sake of the Law. Embracing both the heart and spirit of the mentor is the path to achieving kosen-rufu. During the opening of Soka Peace Centre this year, Mr Oba, SGI General Director, shared that President Ikeda gifted an original copy of Seikyo Shimbun, reporting the achievement of 750,000 household in 1958 in Japan. It recorded the historical moment of Soka Gakkai where the great expansion took place under the leadership of President Toda and thereby fulfilling his own vow. Mr Oba even jokingly shared that Soka Peace Centre is so fortunate to have this original copy while the one in Japan’s Headquarters is just a duplicated copy. This light-hearted comment seems to carry a far deeper meaning to it! The intention is clear. Since SSA proclaims to be a model organisation of worldwide kosen-rufu and strives to be an indomitable fortress, it is timely for SSA central leaders to make a great vow and live up to this expectation of our mentor by submerging themselves in the front line to lead the entire organisation in achieving a monumental expansion of membership. Postscript: Over the last few months, we have received a number of feedbacks on the articles written by the editors of this website. We greatly appreciate and will take note of the feedback given in good spirits, and we welcome more of such constructive feedback. Are the Youths of Singapore ready to receive the Baton of Kosen-rufu?
On March 16 1958, an ailing Mr Toda passed the baton of kosen-rufu to a gathering of 6000 youths who braved the cold of late winter to rush to the Head Temple to respond to their mentor. Recalling a scene on 16 March 1958, Sensei described in the New Human Revolution Vol 4, Spring Storm Chapter, “… After the ceremony and just before returning to his lodging, President Toda called out to us, ‘Let us fight!’ I think his words are profoundly meaningful. I feel certain he was referring to the whole spectrum of struggles we must grapple with: to help those suffering become happy, to challenge erroneous teachings, to fight against abuses and injustices committed by those in positions of power and out individual struggles against our own weaknesses… In any case, when I heard him call out, ‘Let us fight!’ his eyes sharp and radiant, his voice strong and vibrant despite his terrible gauntness – I was electrified. At that time, I resolved anew to fight intrepidly for kosen-rufu. Engraving our mentor’s words deeply in our hearts, let’s fight resolutely and unceasingly until the day we have finally achieved kosen-rufu.” Why did Mr Toda choose this timing to entrust the youth with the future of kosen-rufu? Even if he knew he might not have much time left, would he be able to pass the baton confidently to the youth if Soka Gakkai had not been scoring clear and decisive victories? No doubt Mr Toda sensed the time was right largely because of the waves of great breakthroughs in propagation Gakkai has achieved in the past few years. The momentum really started in 1952 with the famous February Kamata Chapter campaign in which 201 households were converted in a single month, the Osaka Campaign in which 11, 111 households took faith within 5 months in 1956, culminating in the 750,000 households achieved in 1957. Mr Toda must have seen the tremendous growth of the youth division led by Mr Ikeda who was the Chief of Staff at that time. March 16 is now viewed within the Soka Gakkai and the SGI as a day of new departures, "of eternal beginnings and perpetual hope." Mr. Ikeda has stated, "It is a time when people renew their profound resolution to accomplish kosen-rufu, a time when they put their minds together and make a fresh start." In other words, March 16 is the day when genuine disciples who have been entrusted with carrying on the mission of kosen-rufu stand up resolutely and vow to shoulder full responsibility for that goal. Buddhism is win or lose. To realize clear and decisive victory is the hallmark of a genuine disciple. Are there any signs of genuine disciples in Singapore? Are there any clear and decisive victories shown recently? The quiet enshrinement of the Gohonzon at the Soka Peace Centre was held on March 16 with the attendance of local senior leaders. Strangely, it rained heavily that day. The World of Nichiren Daishonin's Writing, Vol.4 Pg.184 writes: "Nichiren Daishonin passed away at around 8.00am, during the hour of the dragon. Legend has it that the cherry trees were in bloom out of season at that time. The story no doubt arose because the Daishonin died on a warm, sunny, spring like day. Nichiren Buddhism is the 'Buddhism of the sun'. The sun was shining when the Daishonin first proclaimed his teaching and it shone when he left this world." In other words, a sunny and fine weather signifies a great omen. That is why Nichiren Buddhism is known as the Buddhism of the Sun. So why did it rain on March 16 2014? There were some laughable theories claiming that raining is good since Singapore had been experiencing severely hot and dry weather recently. The fact remains that it rained on Kosen-rufu day in Singapore. It was a very sunny weather greeted us when the SGI leaders and representatives from South Asia attended the opening of the Soka Peace Centre a week later. What does it say about SSA? What does it say about her top leaders who were present? It is clearly a defeat. In addition, as far as we know, there were only less than 5 YMD applicants for Gohonzon as of March 16 this year. The target was 1 applicant per zone. The results was pathetic, to say the least. It is a decisive defeat. There didn’t seem to be any resolve from the senior YMD leadership to commemorate 3.16 with a victory. Either there was no resolve or no wisdom to do so. Or maybe it was both?! News has it that the new YMD chief was the campaign chief of the above campaign which flopped miserably. Does it say about the future of YMDs in Singapore? The new youth chief was the former YMD chief who was ultimately responsible for the failure of the campaign. I couldn’t recall a single clear and decisive victory that the former YMD chief has scored. So what does it say about the future of the Youth Division of Singapore when they are going to be led by people who have no proven track record of scoring clear and decisive victories? The Poem A Blue Deeper than Indigo Itself was written for Singapore by Ikeda Sensei on 9 March 1988. I quote part of poem: “ Don’t ask Whether or not this mighty flow of kosen-rufu Will turn out to be a historical necessity. Rather, always ask ourselves Whether or not you carry the passion of heart To make kosen-rufu inevitable, Through your own sweat and toil. … The time has come around again For us to observe Kosen-rufu Day. This day signified the dawn of hope For my dear disciples Youth, Always push on, Now is the time; We should not go back even a step. Youth, Sing the bright and brave song of youth Proudly and Hopefully, Continuing to challenge your daily efforts courageously; In your pursuit of study and training. With a golden unity that will never break down, Give yourselves to accomplishing this, Our Sacred Undertaking, Bringing in a new day in the history of mankind.” Where are the youthful genuine disciples of Singapore? These series of clear defeats are signs that the top youth leaders don’t seem to be ready to receive the baton of kosen-rufu from their Mentor yet. The ideal of SSA being an indomitable fortress is in my opinion still a faraway dream. Results speak louder than words. Concrete actions backed by Buddha wisdom based on a great vow are what really matters. Are the youths of SSA really engraving Sensei’s word in their hearts? Or are there merely following instructions from the top who may be none the wiser. The time is ticking. Each defeat is delaying kosen-rufu in Singapore. A time of great defeat calls for a time of great reflection! The Hall of the Great Vow for Kosen-rufu Hosshaku Kempon Editorial Team would like to take this opportunity to wish all the Chinese readers ‘A Happy and Prosperous Horse Year!’
In view of the recent breakthrough of readership pertaining to Jay Hou’s special reports, we wish to take pleasure by publishing this special editorial as a sense of gratitude to our precious readers. Right after the reports of Jay Hou’s incident were published, we received emails enquiring on the significance of the Hall of the Great Vow for Kosen-rufu. According to the content of their emails, the senders mentioned that SSA top leaders shared nothing on its significance. Henceforth, we take it upon our challenge to raise the awareness of the Hall of the Great Vow for Kosen-rufu, so that more and more of the true practitioners in Singapore will look forward to visit this magnificent edifice, standing proudly in Shinanomachi, Tokyo. The Hall of the Great Vow for Kosen-rufu was officially opened on November 18, 2013. Its opening commemorated the founding of the Soka Gakkai in 1930 and the 69th anniversary of the passing of first Soka Gakkai President Tsunesaburo Makiguchi. It serves as ground zero for SGI's movement for worldwide Kosen-rufu and signifies a new phase in the development of the SGI as an international movement of lay practitioners of Nichiren Buddhism. This new building has eight pillars on its southern and northern sides, symbolizing the eight character passage from the Lotus Sutra which reads: "You should rise and greet them from afar, showing them the same respect you would a Buddha." This signifies the key spirit of Soka Gakkai in treasuring each member as if he were a Buddha. It is equivalent to the spirit of one should without fail show the practitioners of the Lotus Sutra the kind of respect one would show to a Buddha. On November 5, SGI President Ikeda presided over the Gohonzon enshrining ceremony in this hall together with President Harada and other top Soka Gakkai leaders. Three days later on November 8, a commemorative gongyo meeting was held in this hall, led by President Harada. In attendance were the 330 SGI leaders from 85 countries and territories around the world. In his message for this occasion, President Ikeda expressed his hope that the new hall will be a place where world citizens of the Mystic Law come together in rich diversity to pray and renew their commitment to work for the happiness and security of the people, the flourishing of society, the realization of world peace and the transformation of the destiny of all humankind. We are proud and honored to announce that SSA top leaders were among the 330 SGI representatives from 85 countries participating in this gongyo meeting. They were among the earliest party to hear this enlightening message of President Ikeda and encounter the first hand experience of this awe-inspiring event. Yet the significance and spirit of this wonderful edifice was not officially announced to our fellow members and leaders of SSA. · What is the basis for not imparting them? · Do the top leaders fret over the fact that the Hall of the Great Vow for Kosen-rufu in Japan will outweigh the value and significance of Soka Peace Centre in Singapore and thereby abating the merit of the top leaders for building it? It will be a great injustice to our mentor, President Ikeda if the facts relating to this lofty edifice are intentionally or unintentionally withheld from the true practitioners of Singapore. We, hereby, share the details of the building uninhibitedly. In his message, President Ikeda stated, “This year marks 70 years since the Soka Gakkai’s first and second presidents, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and Josei Toda, were arrested and imprisoned by the wartime Japanese militarist authorities for refusing to compromise their beliefs (in July 1943). The completion of this grand and stately hall on this significant milestone is an indisputable testimony to the victory of the mentors and disciples of Soka.” “President Makiguchi, who resisted wartime militarism and died in prison for his beliefs, had vowed to realize the Daishonin’s ideal of “establishing the correct teaching for the peace of the land.” Making his vow my own, I began and developed a diverse global network of people committed to the values of peace, culture, and education.” [The Great Vow for the Happiness of All Humanity] Why did Sensei propose to call this new building, the Hall of the Great Vow for Kosen-rufu? In his message, President Ikeda stated, “During his life-threatening exile on Sado Island, the Daishonin declared: “I will make a great vow” (WND-1, 280). He pledged to be the pillar, the eyes, the great ship that would save all people from suffering, praying single-mindedly for the realization of Kosen-rufu. The “great vow” he made is none other than the great vow for the propagation of the Lotus Sutra—that is, the great vow for Kosen-rufu.” “Seven centuries after the Daishonin first proclaimed his teaching; the Soka Gakkai appeared in modern times—at the very height of this age of conflict that is the Latter Day of the Law—taking upon itself the mission to accomplish the great vow for Kosen-rufu in exact accord with Nichiren Daishonin’s spirit. It is truly the organization carrying out the Buddha’s will and decree.” “The heart of the great vow for kosen-rufu and the life-state of Buddhahood are one and the same. Therefore, when we dedicate our lives to this vow, we can bring forth the supreme nobility, strength, and greatness of our lives. When we remain true to this vow, the limitless courage, wisdom, and compassion of the Buddha flow forth from within us. When we wholeheartedly strive to realize this vow, the “poison” of even the most difficult challenge can be transformed into “medicine,” and karma transformed into mission.” “The Joju Gohonzon enshrined in the altar here is the “banner of propagation of the Lotus Sutra” (WND-1, 831) upheld by the Soka Gakkai, which is dedicated to this great vow. It bears the inscription ‘For the Fulfillment of the Great Vow for Kosen-rufu through the Compassionate Propagation of the Great Law.’” [The Great Vow for the Happiness of All Humanity] In his message, President Ikeda mentioned that as the true disciple of President Toda, he protected this Joju Gohonzon, enshrined in the Mentor-Disciple Hall of the former Soka Gakkai Headquarters building, by engaging himself to realize the fulfillment of the great vow for Kosen-Rufu through the compassionate propagation of the great Law. President Ikeda continued, “I chanted constantly before this Gohonzon, praying for the happiness, health, and longevity of all our members and for them to successfully carry out their human revolution and attain Buddhahood in this lifetime. And, looking toward the distant future of our movement, I continued my efforts to create a solid and unending flow of capable successors and took decisive leadership to thoroughly ensure the eternal perpetuation of the Law.” “And now this time has come, and we are able to see the long-awaited completion of this towering citadel of mentor and disciple.” “This is truly a golden place of assembly like that described in the Lotus Sutra, as Bodhisattvas of the Earth from around the world joyously gather to chant before the Kosen-rufu Gohonzon enshrined here—causing the life-state of Buddhahood that is one with the great vow from time without beginning to shine forth brightly like the morning sun—and make a fresh departure with brand-new energy and commitment’” “I, therefore, propose that, from this day forward, this hall be called the Hall of the Great Vow for Kosen-rufu, and that we joyfully initiate a fresh dynamic advance, spreading hope and justice, toward a new era of worldwide Kosen-rufu.” [The Great Vow for the Happiness of All Humanity] President Ikeda has reassured us that this towering citadel is the crystallization of the victory of the mentors and disciples of Soka. This grand and stately hall, as President Ikeda calls it, will be a place where we reaffirm ourselves as genuine disciples of President Ikeda and renew our Vow for Kosen-rufu, thereby making a fresh departure with brand-new energy and commitment. For this reason, the Hall of the Great Vow for Kosen-rufu belongs to all the genuine disciples of President Ikeda across the globe. Henceforth, none of the architectural building built in any of the SGI countries, can be used to replace or act as replica to this lofty edifice. Nothing can substitute this sublime spirit of the Oneness of Mentor and Disciple, which we can unveil from this lofty hall. No…not even our Soka Peace Centre, which has just obtained the Temporary Occupation Permit, can replicate it! As a consequence, nobody including SSA top leaders or the HQ staffs shall in anyway derail us from visiting this lofty edifice. Finally, we wish to accredit this special editorial to Jay Hou for setting precedence in Japan by displaying the unrelenting spirit to break through all obstacles hindering him from setting foot on this wonderful Hall of the Great Vow for Kosen-rufu. If it happens that you were to meet him on the street or in our Soka Centres, please greet him with the spirit of "You should rise and greet them from afar, showing them the same respect you would a Buddha."We are certain our top leaders and HQ staffs will learn and follow from our example. Believe or not…JUST DO IT. As a YMD witnessing the events for the past few months, the decline of the organisation is both apparent and appalling.
Time to Change a New Carpet? As a member attending AGMs, it seems that AGMs are getting more and more exciting nowadays. At the AGM held at the end of May, Mr Mano stood up to raise several questions about the details of the construction of the Soka Peace Centre. These questions were technical in nature but all seemed to point to the integrity of the top leadership overseeing the project, especially the way money is being spent. Surprisingly, the Management Committee members who sat at the panel did not give a single satisfactory response to the questions raised. Not even GD Tay who was present that night! How long can they continue to sweep things under the carpet? What is going on? I can feel the growing anger in Mr Mano’s voice that night; I can also sense his care for the SSA members who have been making sincere donations to support the building fund. My view is that your own people would not normally speak in public to question you unless they have been deprived of chance after chance to do so in private. So why did it happen? Is there a lack of one to one dialogue? Is this a one-off incident? Or is it reflecting a more fundamental behaviour that is taking root in the top SSA leadership? However the Management committee tried to play down the issues, the fact is there is no smoke without fire. Is this incident just another example of the new normal they have been displaying since the forced expulsion and resignation of former SSA senior YMD leaders? The new normal seems to be lack of dialogue, display of arrogance and highhandedness in dealing with people. Are they treating people as fellow comrades and Buddhas? You, the reader decide. Are the YMDs really a " Strong and Unstoppable Force"? June is the month of the birth of the first president of Soka Gakkai, Mr Tsunesaburo Makiguchi. To be exact, it falls on the 6th of June. If he were alive today, he would be 142 years old. What is the spirit of Mr Makiguchi? In short, he is a shining example of a person with a strong moral courage and sense of justice, dialogue and dedication to the ideals of value creation. In the last editorial, I mentioned about the falling attendance of the important YMD platform. I attended the last daimokukai on 14 June. The YMD broke a new ‘record’ yet again. There were only 110 YMDs who attended the meeting, a sharp drop from 190 in April. I wonder how the General Director feels about his ‘Strong and Unstoppable Forces’. Is YMD having a bright future or are they already at the edge of the cliff? This is an utter failure! No thanks to the YMDs senior leaders. Did they understand the true significance of the daimokukai? Did they communicate the importance to the ground? Did they take the Valiant Advance Daimokukai seriously or was it just another meeting to them? The more important question is: Is poor attendance at meetings an accepted norm nowadays? VA daimokukai was initiated by GD Tay himself and his vice-chiefs in the 1980s when he was the YMD chief. As far as I understand it, the purpose was to rally all the YMDs in Singapore to chant in Itai Doshin to defeat the devilish functions in the form of Ichinen Sanzen Group at that time and to give assurance to the organisation that the YMD was around to protect it, no matter what. It was a show of strength and determination manifested in terms of both the numbers and the valiant spirit to overcome all obstacles that obstruct the advancement of Singapore Kosenrufu. The daimoku was so vigorous that it shook the building of then TBSC. The VA daimokukai reached a peak of 1000 and more in attendance at one point. Even a few years ago when the YMD senior leaders who were obviously more united and enlightened, the attendance was able to maintain at least 500. So what has happened? I strongly believe that the rot started from the top leaders. A time of great defeat is a time for further soul searching among the senior leaders. Regrettably, they did not do anything after the warning sign of April VA daimokukai. They have to wake up! Otherwise, I am sorry to say that they are not fit to be genuine disciples of Ikeda Sensei. I quote from Mr Makiguchi: “The problems of life can only be understood through dialogue. People listening to a lecture or talk will feel that what is being said is not their personal concern. Note that Nichiren Daishonin's treatise, "On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land," was written in the form of a dialogue.” Not many YMDs dare to voice their true opinion nowadays because they are afraid of being labelled as rebels. The expulsion of the YMD senior leaders is no doubt still fresh in everyone’s mind. Herein lies the true rot of the organisation: Criticism are not taken with humility, but with suspicion. There is no true dialogue. The top leaders think they know best. This is going to be the downfall of the organisation if this continues. This is contrary to the spirit of Mr Toda who I recall asking the young Mr Ikeda how he thought of the organisation. Mr Ikeda did not have much positive things to say of the Gakkai at that time. Mr Toda acknowledged that and encouraged Mr Ikeda to change it. Such open-mindedness! If you ask me, some reasons for the falling attendance of the VA diamokukai could be 1) Non-rhythmic chanting To be honest, the daimoku led by the YMD chief is not rhythmic. It is not shiok chanting such daimoku with him. We are always taught to chant vigorous daimoku which should be like a galloping stallion. This lack of fundamentals sets the cause of defeat; 2) Predictable agenda I quote from Mr Makiguchi: “To become caught up in immediate realities, and to fail to live and act on the basis of a more holistic view of things, is a myopic way of life. The opposite is a way of life in which one fails to see what is close at hand in proper focus; to declare impossible-to-realize ideals and put nothing into practice. A correctly focused way of life is one in which we embrace vast ideals and have a clearly defined sense of purpose while putting this into practice amidst our day-to-day realities.” I can guess what the agenda of the next VA will be. There is no strong reason to rally all YMDs, in other words, there is a lack of ‘selling point’ for VA daimokukai. There is no sense of purpose or clear direction of where we are heading. This shows poor leadership and planning. Meetings nowadays seem to be held because ‘it is stated in the activities schedule’. 3) Uninspiring encouragement by senior leaders I always look forward to the sharing of testimonials by members. My heart went out to the speakers who prepared the sharing and yet only a few appeared to listen to them. But I am not sure if I look forward to the low energy level encouragement by YMD chief at the end. It is quite ironic when I would expect that after chanting, he should have a higher life state. Could it be due to the non-rhythmic chanting? The poor YMD members have only a few meetings to attend per year and it is unfair that they are not sufficiently inspired in the meeting to fight to win in their lives. If Sensei were here, I think he would be very disappointed. 4) Poor communication We as junior leaders are not motivated to do homevisits as we are seldom homevisited by our seniors. Members feel that leaders only call or SMS them when there is a meeting. There is no widespread comradeship or genuine concern shown among leaders and from leaders to members. When one to one dialogue and shakubuku are no longer the main focus, leaders will gradually lose the art of communication. The art of dialogue needs to be continuously practised. In short, not enough thoughts have been put into the planning and communicating on the importance of this daimokukai. Is the attendance of our next VA daimokukai going to fall below 100? Only time will tell. One thing for sure is that the future for the YMD is hazy, not a bright one as GD Tay has proclaimed. Nichiren Daishonin wrote, "Buddhism primarily concerns itself with victory or defeat, while secular authority is based on the principle of reward and punishment. For this reason, a Buddha is looked up to as the Hero of the World..."
Ikeda Sensei, in his recent guidance teaches: “The value of our victory also depends on the scale of the challenge we tackle. For a champion bodybuilder to lift a heavy suitcase scarcely counts as a victory. It is only when we push ourselves beyond our limits that our success becomes meaningful to ourselves and respected by others. Living a "safe" existence in which we merely abide by society's rules is to shirk the bigger challenges involved in living in a way which both maximizes our positive, creative influence and actively tackles those forces which cause suffering and abuse. Whether we are striving for promotion at work or encouraging a friend battling depression, in order to succeed we need courage, perseverance and the spiritual strength to withstand hardship and moments of hopelessness. Nichiren stresses that if we are fainthearted we will surely fail, and we each know how miserable it feels to be defeated by our own weakness or cowardice. Nichiren's own life provides an example of supreme courage in the face of opposition and persecution, and the Buddhist practice he established can help us clarify our goals and also provide tools with which to reach them. For Nichiren Buddhists, the greatest good toward which one can strive is spreading a deeper understanding of the limitless potential for courage, wisdom and compassion which exists in every individual's life--the hidden treasures collectively described as Buddhahood. Through chanting "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" which activates this potential, we can deepen our resolve to achieve our goals and develop the strength necessary to win over any obstacles, internal and external, which might hinder our progress. And as we see evidence of the efficacy of the combination of this strong prayer, determination and action in concrete positive results in our lives, we dare to take on bigger, broader challenges and also inspire others to tackle their problems with renewed hope of success.” In the words of SGI President Ikeda: "Buddhism concerns itself with winning. When we battle a powerful enemy, either we will triumph or we will be defeated--there is no middle ground. Battling against life's negative functions is an integral part of Buddhism. It is through victory in this struggle that we become Buddhas." I wonder if the word ‘victory’ now takes on a new meaning under the current General Director. In a recent YMD meeting, he said something to the effect that the YMD has won and he was confident that the YMD has a bright future. Singapore has a big mission and that we are going to succeed Sensei’s vision of becoming the indomitable fortress of world-wide kosen-rufu. He was happy and excited that if we continue with this spirit, the YMD will become an unstoppable force. Is having a nationwide attendance of below 200 consistently in VA daimokukais indicative that the YMD is having a bright future? I recall that we used to have 500 to 600 YMDs attending VA in just a few years back at TBSC. Has the YMD really pushed ourselves beyond our limit? How does that show that the YMDs have a bright future? I seriously doubt so. At least, my zone chief has never pushed me to do anything beyond my limits for each VA daimokukai. Each daimokukai just felt normal and ordinary. I simply cannot feel the ‘unstoppable force’ that GD Tay bragged with regards to the YMD forces. What evidence then, did the general director see that I did not, which makes him having such confidence in the YMD? To be honest, we have not experienced major victory in the YMD for the last few years. Is it because the YMD has grown so weak that we can’t take strict words and not able to accept reality that we are growing weaker with each passing month? In the recent meeting commemorating 5.3, it was announced that 13 out of 486 districts achieve the Lion King’s district award. Is the general director really very happy and excited about the outcomes? It was reported as a victory. 13 out of 486 achieving LKD award sounds more like a crushing defeat after we spent three years in this exercise! I felt embarrassed and ashamed of this result. Why are the top leaders declaring this a victory? Why has our standard dropped to such abyss? Is the yardstick for victory changed to ‘as long as you do something, it is a victory.’? If it were really true, then I am very confused because this does not seem to follow what Sensei teaches. Are we in an era of indulging in self-consolation and self-deception? Victory, to me is very clear. Sensei, in all that he did, not only achieved the targets set but exceeded them. This is true of all the shakubuku campaigns he has led. This is true of the 192 countries and territories that Sensei has helped Mr Toda fulfil the shared wish of mentor and disciple. When we are defeated or did not achieve what we set out to achieve, we should have the moral courage to admit it openly and search for the correct way. When we keep declaring victory when there are actually none, we can hardly be calling ourselves genuine disciples of Sensei. In fact, we are lying and deceiving the members!! Therefore, I do not share the same optimism and enthusiasm as the general director of SSA about the future. Maybe he can read more closely on Sensei’s guidance again and try to understand what constitutes true victory and be stricter to the YMDs when the need arises. His misguided ‘feel good’ words may make the current YMD senior leaders arrogant and worse still, think that they are on the right track. Which part of Sensei guidance I shared above has the top leadership of SSA put into practice? The short answer: none. Sensei wrote:” Total commitment is the key to victory. No matter what happens, we must not be daunted; we must not lose, but must ever continue to challenge ourselves and our circumstances. This is what contributes true proof of following a correct path in life. I hope that you will strongly maintain this attitude of thoroughly going belief.” In this month of May when we commemorate May 3rd which signifies fresh and new departure, I wish to borrow a brilliant quote and that is, a time of great defeat (so far) is a time for serious and honest reflection on the part of the SSA top leadership. Do the top leaders move on…?
In the ‘Flow of Events’, chronicled by the expelled and the removed member and leaders of SSA, I chanced upon a consequential passage which reads, “The big sweep does not end with the expulsion and removal of the 5 senior YMD leaders. It is just the beginning of a bigger sweep. Just like you need more lies to cover up your previous lies.” It induced me to ponder deeply and eventually arrived at a dubiety that prompted me to ask this question: Do the top leaders of SSA move on? Barely a year has passed since punitive actions were imposed on 5 senior YMD leaders and a MD member, consecutive abuses were inflicted on their supporters by the despotic top leaders. None of Stanley’s siblings, whom were senior leaders, were spared. A YWD assistant regional Hq leader, Wei Ling, was suspended and eventually removed from her leadership responsibility, for speaking in defiance of the top leaders’ high-handedness.Following that, a righteous and courageous MD leader, David Tan was silenced by the top leaders, for standing up to protect the victims. Thereafter, Aaron was forced to apologise for his Facebook post, while Melvin Tan and Gymy were graduated from Future Division I/C, without their knowledge. So, what’s next…? In one of the lecture of ‘The Writing of ND and M & D Relationship’, President Ikeda shares the following passages: “The passage we are studying this time from “The True Aspect of All Phenomena” elucidates the all-important teaching that “ordinary people are identical with the highest level of being” (OTT, 22)—that is, the life-state of Buddhahood. Though it is thought that Shakyamuni Buddha possesses the three virtues of sovereign, teacher, and parent for the sake of all of us living beings, that is not so. On the contrary, it is common mortals who endow him with the three virtues. (WND-1, 384) The Buddha’s great virtues are manifested because of ordinary people, the Daishonin asserts. This is a truly remarkable statement, a bold and historic declaration of humanism that marks a radical departure from religion as an authoritarian entity to one that puts people first.” [The Humanistic Teaching That Ordinary People Are Buddhas, Pg.2] Our seniors used to share that they had always been taught, during Mr. Koh’s days, that leaders exist for the sake of our members and never the contrary. It is always our juniors who help us to grow. Putting people first is in consonance with the spirit of the above passage, taught by our beloved mentor.Never hold our juniors in contempt. No matter how reasonable you may seem to protect the unity of the organization, to trample on the members’ right is barbaric. This is especially so when the top leaders exercise their authority to dictate the junior leader to remove their Facebook posting. Recently, we came across an instance where the rights of a Hosshaku Kempon’s Facebook friend, were trampled by the top leaders. He is known as冰人杰乐 in Facebook. In one of the thread posted, on 21 April 2013, in his Facebook wall, he voiced his displeasure of an encounter with an arrogant individual whose conceited behavior corresponds to the CEO of a company. Perhaps one of the phrases he used, ‘correct attitude of a leader’, caught the attention of the authority. It, somehow, triggers the paranoia inherent in the mental state of the top leaders. The word ‘leader(s)’ is not commonly used merely by the Gakkai, it has been prevalently adopted by numerous established organisations. By linking 冰人 Facebook posting to an act of criticizing the organisation, the top leaders ordered him to take down his thread. The order was issued without prior investigation and dialogue.This is another case of a verdict passed before trial. President Ikeda teaches: “People who trample on other’s rights, no matter how respectable they may seem, are merely barbarians. Respect for human rights is a barometer of civilization.” [Website:www.ikedaquotes.org/human-rights/humanrights467] We believe that every individual has an inalienable right to freely access information and express their view and opinion in social media. The act of compelling somebody to remove their Facebook posting is a stunning violation of an individual personal rights and privacy. As the receiver deserves the right not to listen, the speaker is served with the parallel right in freely expressing his thought. In this case, it is conspicuous that the remarks made by冰人 is directed at individual outside the organisation although we have got no evidence to deduce that his remarks is targeted at his workplace. No matter what, isn’t it the correct protocol for the senior leaders to conduct investigation before reaching unwarranted conclusions that the Facebook’s comments involve Gakkai? Out of conceit with the false accusation fabricated by the top leaders, it is obvious 冰人 will not succumb to threat misused by the authority. However, base on the history recorded, non-compliance will land himself in hot soup, despite how well he can prove that his expression is not related to the Gakkai. Our impertinent top leaders are capable of distorting all fact to accuse somebody of inciting hatred to cause disharmony within the organization. One method to abuse the freedom of speech is to set rules to restrain people for speaking freely. One classic example is to label free speech as hate speech. Hate speech is elucidated as speech that induces hatred within a community. The ultimate aim is to facilitate punishment for speeches that antagonise the punisher to deter freedom of speech.International law protects any form of expression that can be communicated, including information and ideas, which are deemed provocative and offensive to some people or parties. The right of freedom of expression constitutes a primary and basic element of the public order of a democratic society. Restriction in the freedom of speech, in any form, is a blatant abuse of individual right and freedom. For this instance, the top leaders had seriously impaired the fundamental rights of a junior leader. President Ikeda states: “When stones are cast at good people, when the rights of honest, hardworking people are trampled, we should be angry! When anyone anywhere around the world discriminates against another, we should burn with indignation! Raise your voices! Nothing suits the authorities better than the apathy of the people, than their feeling of the powerlessness and their acceptance of violation of human rights.” [Website:www.ikedaquotes.org/human-rights/humanrights468] Let us render our support to冰人杰乐 by encouraging him not to yield to threat and fear, instilled by the authority. Do not feel helpless and cower to the authority. Hosshaku Kempon will support you with our voice of justice. We shall not let violation of human rights goes unchallenged and undisputed, else the darkness looming over our beloved organisation will only grow darker and deeper. President Ikeda teaches: “The Daishonin’s Buddhism is a great humanistic and people-centered philosophy that challenges this tendency toward arrogance, pretension, and discrimination head-on.” [The Humanistic Teaching That Ordinary People Are Buddhas, Pg.1&2] In conclusion, do the top leaders of SSA genuinely move on? No, they indeed move away from the compassionate spirit of our founding presidents. The local organisation is far-fetched from one that practices humanism by putting people first, but one that portrays religion as an authoritarian entity that put people off… Nichiren Daishonin was born in 16 Feb 1222. Mr Toda, the second President of Soka Gakkai was born in Feb 11 1900. For Singapore, February was significant in that our beloved Mentor, Mr Ikeda visited our country on Feb 9 in 1988. 25 years have passed. How time flies!
Without Nichiren, the true Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law, this wonderful philosophy of life would not have existed in the first place. Without the tireless efforts and leadership of Mr Toda, Soka Gakkai would not have been reconstructed in the difficult years after the war. Mr Ikeda would not have become the disciple and the person he is today. In 1988, Sensei composed the poem called “A Blue Deeper than Indigo Itself” which is one of my favourites. I quote: “ Nichiren Daishonin stood up seven hundred years ago. Has the time turned ripe? Or did we make and bring about the time? How wondrous! We have laid the foundation for Kosen Rufu in the Latter Day of the Law.” In another section, he wrote about Mr Toda’s wish “There is nothing more that I want. All I hope for is capable people whom I can trust.” This year, as the Lunar New Year fell on the 10th of Feb, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Sensei’s first visit here, the planning committee of SSA came up with an interesting idea to gather all the 25 years olds to attend the commemorative meeting on 1 Feb. I just wondered if this is really the best way to commemorate this significant event. Shouldn’t a true disciple commemorate significant events by achieving a victory first?How carefully selected are these 25 year olds? Did they bring about the time for Kosen Rufu in their own respective areas? Are they the capable people whom we can trust? Or are we simply gathering as many 25 year olds as possible to make up the numbers just to look impressive? Are we planning to get 30 years old to attend the next commemorative event in 2018? The fact that this idea was approved goes to show superficial understanding by the senior leadership of this event. What vows did the 25 year olds make? What victory did they score? Is this oneness of mentor and disciple spirit in action? In another part of the poem, Sensei wrote “My Mentor was then fifty-eight; I, his disciple, was thirty. Perhaps because he bequeathed to me his life, For his sake, this year I reached the milestone of sixty years of age. You, young friends! I ask That you carry on in my footsteps With the same heart as his. Youth, Always push on. Now is the time; We should not go back even a s step. Youth, Sing the bright and brave song of youth Proudly and hopefully, Continuing to challenge your daily efforts courageously; In your pursuit of study and training. With a golden unity that will never break down, Give yourselves to accomplishing this, Our sacred undertaking, Bringing in a new day in the history of mankind.” In the second phase of Kosen Rufu, it is no longer about showing how great Sensei is, but rather how great the disciples are in fulfilling Sensei’s dreams and goals. Did we carry on in Sensei’s footsteps since 1988? Expelling senior youth leaders in 2011 without sincere dialogue certainly would not count as one of them. It seems that along the way, we have forgotten these words and lost our way. How then can we dare claim that we are a model of world Kosen Rufu? In the same meeting, WD chief recounted how she wrote to Sensei to invite him to come to Singapore back then. She shared that Sensei was great because he fulfilled his promise by coming to Singapore eventually. This seems to give people an impression that you can equate the greatness of a person by just looking at the promises that the person can fulfil. To me, fulfilling promises is a basic human quality. On the other hand, in a recent guidance Sensei talked about “Leaders who base their lives on the Daishonin’s teachings are truly great leaders.” This, sadly, is what SSA top leaders have been doing all these 25 years: Understanding Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism and Sensei’s guidance in their subjective terms and partial perspectives instead of the wholesome perspective of Sensei. What I fear is that with such superficial understanding of the top leaders, the membership will be misled and do not know the true essence of the Daishonin’s Buddhism and Spirit of the three Presidents. Let’s be genuine disciples of Sensei who understand and practise the essence of the Daishonin’s Buddhism. In his guidance titled “Expanding the Ranks of Youth” Part 1 of 2, written in 2008, President Daisaku Ikeda wrote, “People. It all comes down to people.” These words are attributed to Zhuge Liang, one of the heroes of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, in Japanese novelist Eiji Yoshikawa’s retelling of the classic Chinese tale, which I studied with my mentor Josei Toda.
Zhuge Liang said this to Liu Bei immediately after their victory in the famous Battle of Red Cliffs. Liu Bei had asked Zhuge Liang, his advisor on military strategy, the secret to leading the nation to victory and prosperity. Everything depends upon people. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Japan-China Peace and Friendship Treaty. To celebrate this landmark event, the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum in Hachioji, Tokyo, will be holding an exhibition titled Great Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Among the items that will be on display, I am told, there will be artifacts such as arrowheads and spears excavated from a site where the Battle of Red Cliffs was said to have occurred, exactly 1,800 years ago (in 208). I wish the exhibition a great success. The three kingdoms were the ancient states of Wei, Wu, and Shu. The northern state of Wei was ruled by Cao Cao. Allied with the imperial house, it held the advantage of perceived legitimacy, and was the most powerful of the three. Wu was ruled by Sun Quan, and enjoyed the benefits of the rich farmland south of the Yangtze River. The third kingdom, Shu or the Shu Han, ruled by Liu Bei, was known for its domestic harmony, or the unity of its people, and had secure hold of the west. While this balance of three powers—outlined in the Longzhong Plan—was in effect, Zhuge Liang emphasized the importance of fostering capable people as the basis for strengthening the state of the Shu Han. Referring to The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Mr. Toda used to say: “We mustn’t be petty and incompetent. A true hero cherishes capable people. Those who don’t value capable people cannot rise to heroic action. We must make the Soka Gakkai a bastion of capable people.” At this point of reading, one cannot help but reflect on the events of 2012 in which capable SSA YMDs were persecuted using high handed means with very flimsy reasons given. A group of five senior YMD leaders and one MD member were stripped off their responsibilities and membership respectively. We wonder is SSA actually valuing capable people or merely quoting Sensei’s guidance to justify their plans for the year. Have SSA top leaders forgotten the words of Mr Toda? Mr Toda said quite clearly that “those who don’t value capable people cannot rise to heroic action.” YMD chief said in a recent YMD leaders meeting that YMD had a successful year in 2012 achieving many victories. One cannot understand and feel if that was true. What victory did we achieve? Who rose to heroic action? Is having only 60 out of 110 Chapters breakthrough one Gohonzon conferment a victory? It looks more like a defeat. What is the definition of victory nowadays? Is trying or making half-hearted effort without concrete results called victory? Perhaps there were too few victories of the YMDs in 2012 that prompted Mr Tay, in his final encouragement to even count bringing three children to a discussion meeting as a personal struggle and regards the person a hero. This person is none other than the YMD chief. One would think this is the highest form of self-deception, a sign of rot in the senior management of the organisation which had declined gradually but surely in the past few years, or maybe even longer. President Ikeda continued, “Exactly 55 years ago, in the cold February of 1953, I followed up the February Campaign in Kamata Chapter of the previous year by taking the lead in a new struggle to develop capable individuals. Being 25 years old at the time, I fought with a vigorous spirit much like the younger members of our young men’s division today.” It is clear that the large part of the YMD plans for this year is to imitate what Sensei did in 1953. We applaud the intent and spirit of wanting to do so. However, when we look closer, the precursor to Sensei’s vow to developing of capable people was a victorious and fiercely fought campaign in Kamata. What precursor did we have in 2012? Did we have a victorious campaign in 2012? It seemed to us, a case of trying to apply something without thorough thinking and planning. It just reflected poor leadership and the lack of seriousness. More than 2 weeks had passed since that meeting at MTA; there seems to be no movement and follow up actions since then. Is it a case of just trying to present a plan for the sake of presenting which seems to be the new norm in YMD? All it seems at present is excessive focus on getting enough bodies into NDP. We understand that the deadline of submission of names of NDP participants was 31st Dec 2012. It makes one wonders who had decided on this deadline. This person clearly had little understanding of the ground. It is common sense that 31st Dec is a day whereby people enjoy half day off and are probably getting ready to welcome the New Year. The last thing they would want to do is to chase names for NDP. This is just another case of poor judgement and decision making by senior leadership of SSA. To quote further, “I was in my second month as leader of the young men’s division First Corps, having been appointed to that position by Mr. Toda at the start of the year. In order to realize my mentor’s goal of attaining 750,000 member households, I launched an intense campaign to rally young people with whom we could together foster and develop new capable individuals. I made a steadfast vow: “Our mentor President Toda is praying and hoping for his disciples to surge forth in great numbers. I will present him with an impressive force of youthful disciples committed to truth and justice!” “That year’s goal for developing capable people was very clear. Our First Corps would become a corps of 1,000 by the end of the year. When I became leader of the corps, members were centeredaround Sumida, Koto, and Edogawa wards (on the east side of Tokyo). There were six groups and about 300 members. Our goal was to increase our numbers more than threefold. I was sent there on assignment, away from my home area of Kamata (on the south side of Tokyo). Obviously, it would not be an easy task. But if we were to attain Mr. Toda’s larger goal, it was crucial at that moment to accelerate the solidarity of the youth division. Just as Kamata Chapter had achieved a breakthrough for Kosen Rufu as a whole, if the youth division could show the way to create expansion in one locale, it was certain to have positive repercussions that would spread throughout the country. Mr. Toda appointed me First Corps leader as an expression of his total confidence and faith in me, knowing that if he entrusted me with this critical task, I was certain to achieve it. In my mind, there was no challenge that couldn’t be achieved if it was assigned by such a superb mentor of KosenRufu. Moreover, we had the strategy of the Lotus Sutra.” These few paragraphs showed that Sensei was dead serious in helping Mr Toda achieve the organisation goal of propagation of 750, 000 households. How did the present YMD chief encourage the YMDs? He mumbled, (quoted sensei) “KosenRufu is like an adventure”. Trying to be funny, he even joked that that adventure is like Indiana Jones. Indiana Jones?! Is this analogy appropriate at all? Does it accurately reflect the struggle of Sensei? YMD chief also said that Kosen Rufu is like an adventure as we do not know the final outcome. Is this really true? Sensei is always very confident that victory will definitely be achieved, if we based on the strategy of the lotus sutra. Admittedly, YMD chief did mention the strategy of the lotus sutra, but he was not clear in his messages, as usual. So in this New Year, nothing seems to have changed. Sigh. Advancing powerfully towards the ‘Year of Victory for the Youthful SGI’
As the Year of Developing a Youthful SGI is coming to a close, the SGI organizations across the globe advance powerfully towards 2013, heralding the theme of 'Year of Victory for the Youthful SGI'. What constitutes the starting point of a Youthful SGI? It has to be traced back to the first youth division study seminar, which was held 60 years ago, in 1952, the year following the establishment of the young men’s and young women’s divisions. In ‘The Teachings For Victory’, President Ikeda shares: At the meeting, youth were called on to answer a total of 20 questions that had been drawn up on a wide range of topics, including the relationship between science and religion, the fivefold comparison, and the principle of “casting off the transient and revealing the true.” One speaker was chosen from the audience for each question, with the length of the response limited to five minutes. Second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda happily watched the spirited efforts of the young men and women—some struggling with nerves— as they presented their answers and demonstrated the results of their day-to-day studies. When they had finished, he praised them for being so well versed in various subjects. The Soka Gakkai was then still a small organization, but President Toda was focusing on the question of what kind of values and ideas should be promoted and how to build a truly peaceful society. He taught that the youth’s stage was the world and that their mission was to dissolve the conflicts of opposing ideologies and narrow national interests and unite people all over the globe. His youthful listeners were thrilled by his grand vision. At that meeting, he also said: “I will pass on the third presidency to a member of the youth division. . . . If you support the third president, kosen-rufu will surely be achieved.” Declaring that the Soka Gakkai alone offered hope for resolving the problems facing Japan and for opening the way to happiness for all humanity, he called on his listeners to rise to that challenge. The 400 youth present, profoundly moved and inspired by his words, affirmed their determination to do so. The mentor making wholehearted efforts to foster the youth, and the youth shouldering full responsibility for kosen-rufu—this solemn united spirit of mentor and disciple is the starting point of a youthful SGI. [‘The Four Virtues and the Four Debts of Gratitude’ – Pg3 &4] In the Year of Developing a Youthful SGI, numerous SGI organisation across the globe, which are aligned to SGI’s theme, are soaring high with capable young Bodhisattvas of the Earth, emerging in ever-increasing numbers. What about our Youthful SGI organization in Singapore? Our beloved top leaders of SSA are creating movements to continue their persecutions towards the youthful leaders, whom were somehow linked to the removed and expelled. As these events, which were uncalled for, were not mentioned at all, in our recent leaders conference, Hosshaku Kempon takes this as our personal mission to list out the persecutions befalling our frontline leaders in Year 2012. In the aftermath of the unjust removal and expulsion of 5 YMD senior leaders and a MD member, the so-called ‘witch hunt’ ran rampant in SSA. The events unfold as follows:
In addition to persecuting the Youthful leaders, the top leaders busied themselves preparing their defense for our infamous Leonard Koh, Youth chief of SSA for his Facebook saga. Several meetings, in different levels, were conducted to defend his shameful acts after they reckoned with the facts that these saga, as comparable to the raging fire, which spread beyond proportion. The Youth chief saga was published not only in most popular web portals but in the Main Stream Media and was on the famous MediaCorpCh 8 morning talk show too. To add a little spice to such an eventful year for SSA, these events finally reached a summit when our newly appointed General Director shouted at a group of youths to wake up their ideas and the pioneers of SSA will not allow the youth to destroy the organization. In another occasion, the same General Director declared total victory for the youth in the Youth General Meeting, which left several youth, to puzzle over his sudden change of temperament. Seriously on what basis does he ride on to declare a sudden total victory for the youth, under the leadership of our infamous Youth chief? If this sudden declaration came with the intention as an encouragement to address the current status of our youth division, it will appear to be more of a humiliation than an inspiration. After all, we sincerely hope that the top leaders will not, once again, deviate from the SGI theme of 2013 and continue to persecute the youth… Strengthening our own determination and sense of responsibility to contribute to the welfare of society and world peace
November 18 is the day Soka Gakkai (Value-Creating Society) was founded in 1930 by Mr. Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, who became its first president, and his disciple, Mr. Josei Toda, later its second president. We take this day, as disciples, to strengthen our determination and sense of responsibility to contribute to the welfare of society and world peace in the spirit of the three founding presidents. Soka Gakkai 1st President Makiguchi was an educator and scholar who regarded the purpose of education, to the creation of values that are contributive to a happy life. After his encounter on the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin and the Lotus Sutra, he found in them resonance with his philosophy of value, specifically as a means for leading a life of the highest values and greatest good. Subsequently in June of that year he was converted to Nichiren Shoshu. The Soka Gakkai views Buddhism as an applied philosophy of life and is distant from an exclusively spiritual or metaphysical pursuit. It encourages Buddhist practice as a means for people to develop the character, wisdom, and strength to improve themselves and their circumstances, to contribute to society, and to help bring about happiness and peace in the world. Soka Gakkai advocates that the basis of the practice and philosophy of the Daishonin's teachings lays on an individual inner reformation called "human revolution." The ultimate goal of which is the attainment of world peace and the happiness of all humanity. In The Teachings for Victory, SGI President Ikeda annotates: In the same guidance that I introduced in the opening section of this lecture, Mr. Toda went on to say that the work we have been dispatched to do as envoys of the Buddha is to help all people attain the life-state of Buddhahood and uplift the character of the entire human race to the highest value: “When all people manifest the life-state of Buddhahood, that is to say, when they reveal the supreme value of their character, there will be neither war nor hunger in the world. There will be neither illness nor poverty. Enabling all people to become Buddhas, elevating the character of all people to something of supreme value—this is what it means to carry out ‘the Thus Come One’s work’”. [A Ship to Cross the Sea of Suffering, pg.18] The Soka Gakkai upholds the Lotus Sutra philosophy that all people inherently possess within them the Buddha nature, the potential for attaining Buddhahood. Hence, the purpose of the Buddhist practice is to bring forth the Buddhahood. Based on this teaching, the Soka Gakkai has been endeavoring to establish the sanctity of life and the dignity of humanity as fundamental universal ideals. As a matter of fact, the members of the SGI apply the ideals and teachings of Nichiren Buddhism in their daily lives and communities, thus becoming protagonists of peace within their local communities. In The Teachings for Victory, SGI President Ikeda annotates: Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism is a teaching that awakens individuals to their mission as envoys of the Buddha and inspires them to undertake the same compassionate practice as the Buddha, thereby enabling them to help many others realize a life of happiness and victory. [A Ship to Cross the Sea of Suffering - pg.4] With the advent of Soka Gakkai, Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism is propagated to more than 180 countries and regions underthe great leadership of the 3rd President of Soka Gakkai, Dr.Daisaku Ikeda. Due to his immense compassion, million of human lives are able to savor the great joy and benefits, derived from the practice of the Daishonin’s Buddhism. It is SGI President Ikeda who guides and inspires his disciples globally to fulfill the mission as envoys of the Buddha. During the Daishonin’s lifetime, only a handful of people in his society professed faith in the Lotus Sutra. Their practice was not more than just listening to lectures on the sutra or transcribing its passages with the aim of attaining personal benefit. The general view of the Lotus Sutra, upheld by these believers was completely different from the Buddha’s true spirit, that is to work unstintingly, to free all people from delusion and suffering by leading them to enlightenment. In The Teachings for Victory, SGI President Ikeda elucidates: Founding Soka Gakkai president Tsunesaburo Makiguchi famously distinguished between those who merely believe in the Lotus Sutra and those who actually practice it: “Encountering obstacles or devilish functions is what distinguishes ‘practitioners’ from mere ‘believers.’” He was saying, in other words, that those concerned solely with their own benefit, who don’t confront the three obstacles and four devils, are mere believers, while those who apply themselves to bodhisattva practice for the sake of kosen-rufu—for the happiness of both themselves and others—and actively battle the three obstacles and four devils are genuine practitioners. It is none other than the first three Soka Gakkai presidents and our dedicated members in Japan and throughout the world who have faithfully engaged in this endeavor as true practitioners of the Lotus Sutra. That is why the three obstacles and four devils and the three powerful enemies have ascended to obstruct the advancement of our movement. Because each member is a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra, the Soka Gakkai has been able to face countless hardships and obstacles with courageous faith and triumph completely over each one." [A Ship to Cross the Sea of Suffering, pg.8 & 9] It is crucial to keep the flame of propagation alive in Singapore. It empowers our members to practice as true practitioners of the Lotus Sutra. Since the year 2010, the then General Director had led the organization astray by focusing on 20K Great Discussion Meeting and totally forewent the propagation efforts. This is not an assertion that discussion meeting is of lesser importance but it has to be reckoned as a mean or process in support of the ends, which are the propagation efforts. Discussion meeting is indeed a citadel to house and develop the new believers, grooming them into true practitioners of the Lotus Sutra. The Brazilian members are able to achieve great victory in the Lion King District precisely because they place the focus correctly. In view of the activities, spearheaded by our ex-General Director, the focus of the organizational direction was based entirely on his intuition, rather than relying on the values and standards set forth by our mentor. Just like the ever-changing placement of our HQ office furniture and our staff’s seating arrangement, it has never known a moment rest since he sat in the office of Chief Executive Director. Be that as it may, organizational directions are of total difference in nature and intensity. It will either lead our entire membership towards attainment of absolute happiness or complete destruction. A minute of digression from the spirit and values of our founders is sufficient to send our entire organization towards annihilation. What truly falls short of SSA is our mentor’s spirit of reaching out to one person after another and encouraging them. The initiation of a charismatic speaker and large group gathering can never supersede the spirit of reaching out to one after another. It is never an imperative for the appearance of a charismatic speaker to expound profound Buddhist doctrines. On the contrary, it is indispensable for the presence of a sincere and compassionate voice that can move people’s heart on a profound level. In The Teachings for Victory, SGI President Ikeda elucidates: The voice has tremendous power. Voices brimming with courage, confidence, and compassion resonate in people’s hearts and move them on a profound level...Such efforts are not merely restricted to talking about difficult Buddhist doctrines. There’s no need to overcomplicate matters. You can simply share the unadorned and honest account of your actual experiences, your joy, and your conviction in the power of faith in the Mystic Law. These are words of truth, too. For instance, telling someone: “You are guaranteed to become happy through this Buddhist practice.” “Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo will transform your life.” “There’s no difficulty that can’t be overcome through chanting.” Sincere words arising from a genuine wish for a friend’s happiness; words of conviction and joy welling forth from the depths of your life; words of courage and hope to dispel a friend’s sufferings—all of these are words that awaken the Buddha nature within others. This is why sharing “even a sentence or phrase” in itself constitutes a fine way to propagate the correct teaching of Buddhism, and why such noble efforts are certain to bring forth wonderful good fortune and benefit. That was the spirit with which I took the lead of propagation activities [for Kamata Chapter] in my home neighborhood of Tokyo’s Ota Ward six decades ago, at the age of 24. I reached out to one person after another and encouraged them, intent on building a network of fellow Bodhisattvas of the Earth who in turn would go out to share with others “even a sentence or phrase.” [A Ship to Cross the Sea of Suffering, pg.11] It is absolutely erroneous to impart wrong values to our members especially when the basis is not locked to our mentor’s spirit and values, but to one’s clairvoyance, which is the product of one’s deep arrogance. The more one who base on his hunch to adopt the organizational directions, the more it will deviate from our founders’ original spirit and values. Eventually the end result will simply be the destruction of our beloved organization. We believe that 6 Martyrs, who were either removed or expelled, were able to apprehend the grave aberration committed by the ex-General Director and his confederates and thereby severely reprimanded them. In The Teachings for Victory, SGI President Ikeda instructs: "Mr. Toda also often spoke of Shih K’uang and Li Lou to the youth. He was always telling us: “To transform our society and our age, and to ensure the sound and unerring development of kosen-rufu, it is important in all things for youth to have keen eyes to discern the truth and sharp ears to hear the voices of truth.”" [A Ship to Cross the Sea of Suffering, pg.6] Now I wish to say to my dear young friends in the youth division and all my beloved fellow members around the world: the SokaGakkai is a great ship on the course to peace, harmony, and prosperity for all humanity, sailing over the stormy seas of the 21st century as it upholds the Buddhist principle of respect for the dignity of life. [A Ship to Cross the Sea of Suffering, pg.19] In what course this little ship of SSA will take has to rely largely on our righteous youth to develop the aptitude and skill of keen eyes to discern the truth and sharp ears to hear the voices of the truth. The future belongs to those who prepare for it today… Nichiren Daishonin Accomplishes The Purpose Of His Appearance In This World
October 12 is the day Nichiren Daishonin inscribed the Dai-Gohonzon 733 years ago. It was three days prior to the Atsuhara persecution on which the three Atsuhara farmers, known as the three martyrs were executed for their unwavering commitment to the belief in the Daishonin's teaching. It signals a victory of the human spirit that triumphs over the devilish forces of the authority. From the moment the Daishonin proclaimed the establishment of his teaching, he staked his life by waging a struggle of selfless dedication to the propagation of the Law, without a moment's rest. These efforts in itself led the Daishonin to arrive at the climatic stage of the Tatsunokuchi Persecution, thereby actualising the principle of 'Casting off the transient and revealing the true'. One aspect of the significance behind Nichiren Daishonin's manifestation of the Gohonzon is 'Casting Off the Transient and Revealing the True'. It was the turning point, in the course of his life, that led to his decision to inscribe the Gohonzon. In the Tatsunokuchi Persecution, the Daishonin manifested in his own life as a human being, the life of the Buddha of time without beginning and defeated the devilish nature of power and moved the Buddhist god throughout the universe to action. Henceforth, another aspect of the Daishonin's inscription of the Gohonzon lies in having revealed in himself the Buddha of limitless joy while remaining an ordinary person. The life of the Daishonin was a great example of what it takes for an ordinary person to live in oneness with the Great Law. Apart from the aforementioned perspectives, President Ikeda states the basis for the Daishonin's revelation of the Gohonzon: "As to why it was necessary for him to reveal the Gohonzon, one reason is that he did not know when he would be able to return from Sado; in addition his life was being threatened. For the sake of his disciples at the time as well as those in the future, it was necessary for him to reveal a correct model or standard for faith and practice of the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day. Another reason, and this is the most important, is that the Daishonin needed to establish the correct way for ordinary people to manifest the world of Buddhahood just as they are - something he himself had achieved. This was necessary to ensure the eternal perpetuation and widespread propagation of the Law after his passing. [WNDW, Vol. 2, pg 111] In the Latter Day of the Law, the true teacher is indeed an ordinary person in every aspect, but his true identity is that of the Buddha. For the purpose of realising the widespread propagation of the Law in a world of ordinary people who are steeped in the three poisons, the teacher has to be an ordinary person with the heart of the Buddha. To set out the great path of salvation for the people in the Latter Day, Nichiren Daishonin inscribed his inner life state of the Buddha of limitless joy, the Buddha who has been enlightened since time without beginning, in the object of devotion known as the Gohonzon. NIchiren Daishonin teaches us, from his writings, that the same state of life embodied in the Gohonzon also exists within our lives. President Ikeda teaches, "The Daishonin revealed the Gohonzon to teach people of this limitless life force. With the Gohonzon as the clear mirror, we should develop confidence in the existence of this power of life in ourselves, in our friends, and in all people.To believe in the Gohonzon is to believe that all people are endowed with the 'life of the Buddha of limitless joy' as a real potential." [WNDW, Vol. 2, pg 118] Indeed the appearance of the Gohozon has effectuated a radical change in the concept of the object of devotion where the emphasis is placed on human being. It is, in essence, a 'religion for humanity' that supremely respects human potential. President Ikeda shares, "The Lotus Sutra explains this truth as the pledge to "make all persons equal to me, without any distinction between us." (LS2, pg 36) This is the paean of a champion of humanity. It declares: "I am a human being. You, too, are human beings! How great human beings are!" This is the heart of the Lotus Sutra," [WNDW, Vol. 2, pg 128] On the similar note, the Daishonin fulfilled the purpose of his advent in this world due to the appearance of resolute and steadfast followers, emerging from among the ranks of the ordinary people in dedicating their lives to kosen-rufu. President Ikeda shares, "Like the Persecutions that befell the Daishonin, his followers came under attack during the Atsuhara Persecution precisely because they weren't passive or retiring. To correctly grasp the essence of this repression, we must first of all recognise that it took place as the result of the Daishonin's true disciple Nikko Shonin standing up to take the lead in propagation efforts. His righteous struggle to transform reality, infused with his youthful spirit, set the stage, and then others, ordinary people - first two, three, and then a hundred - awakened to faith in the Daishonin's Buddhism." [WNDW, Vol. 4, pg 95] The Atsuhara Persecution was conjured by the young people's effort to combat evil. In 1268, the young NIkko Shonin composed a letter, titled 'The Disgraceful State of Affairs at Jissho-ji temple' and appealed it to the authorities to have the chief priest removed from his post. In the letter of indictment, the then 23 years old Nikko Shonin outlined the 51 specific instances of misconduct, committed by the chief priest of Jissho-ji temple. His bold and indefatigable efforts in 'refuting the erroneous and revealing the true' won him the support of many people in the Suruga area. Numerous were converted to the Daishonin's Buddhism eventually and they were inclusive of Nisshu, Nichiben, Nichizen and other priests of Ryusen-ji temple. In response to the success of the propagation efforts in Suruga area, initiated by Nikko Shonin, obstacles and devilish functions emerged in full force. In April 1276, Gyochi, the temple deputy chief priest, adjured Nisshu and the Daishonin's other followers at Ryusen-ji to write an oath swearing to abandon the Lotus Sutra and to chant the Nembutsu instead. Their refusal to comply led up to Nisshu and the others being stripped of their positions and ousted from the lodging temples where they resided. On top of it, Gyochi connived with officials at the Hojo administrative office in Fuji District to have a Daishonin's follower wounded with a sword and another decapitated. Following that, Gyochi and his confederates pinned the blame for these 2 crimes on Nisshu and other disciples of the Daishonin. The machination of devilish forces reached a summit when Gyochi orchestrated another attack on the Daishonin's followers in September 1276. Gyochi ordered his confederates, whom were the Daishonin's former followers that renounced faith in the early stages of the Atsuhara Persecution, to cause a melee with the Atsuhara farmers helping with the harvesting of rice from the field of Nisshu. The motive of Gyochi's confederates was to seize the opportunity to steal the crops from the fields of Nisshu and Nichiben in the midst of this confusion. Following that, Gyochi and his cohorts incited Yatoji, the elder brother of the 3 Martyrs, to submit a complain to the authority, falsely claiming the Daishonin's followers as the culprits behind the violence and lawlessness committed on Ryusen-ji temple grounds. As a result, 20 farmers were arrested based on the allegations inclusive of charges of murder, assault and armed theft of rice. With regard to these allegations, President Ikeda commented, "The Daishonin says with regard to the charges made by Gyochi and his cronies, "They are an utter sham." The entire claim was completely groundless - a total fabrication." [WNDW, Vol. 4, pg 95] Since those claims which were brought upon the 20 farmers were criminal charges, it has to be under the jurisdiction of Hei no Saemon. Riding on Hei no Saemon's support, Gyochi was confident to win even in the most reckless and preposterous lawsuit. However, none of the farmers' commitment to faith were wavered by the arrest and this had greatly alarmed Hei no Saemon. Hence, the interrogation he conducted on the 20 farmers were highly unusual. On October 15, 1279, Hei no Saemon tasked his second son to coerce the 20 to chant the Nembutsu but none of Atsuhara farmers yielded. They were later subjected to various kind of torture including firing blunt-tipped whistling arrows at them. President Ikeda remarks: "But no one of the Daishonin's followers abandoned their faith. Hei no Saemon may not have initially intended to carry out any executions. But the sight of these humble people who so adamantly defied him - one of the most powerful people in the land - and who seemed willingly to lay down their lives for their beliefs must have filled him with irrepressible rage." [WNDW, Vol. 4, pg 95] Since Hei no Saemon's arrogance was greatly challenged by the Atsuhara farmers' undaunted spirit, he rashly proceeded to behead the 3 Martyrs, Jinshiro, Yagoro and Yarokuro on October 15, 1279. The evil forces that attempt to repress the ordinary people always resort to false propaganda, deception and, when all of their evil means are exhausted, violence is their last weapon. They are the robbers of life and robbers of benefit. President Ikeda shares: "The actions of these 20 brave ordinary people in feudal, 13th-century Japan amount to a great pioneering struggle for human rights that shines with eternal splendour. These farmers, who did not even have surnames, staunchly maintain their religious convictions and responded to the tyrannical demands of the authorities with a resounding "No!" This is an episode that deserves mention in the history of the struggle for human rights." [WNDW, Vol. 4, pg 115] "The Daishonin established the Dai-Gohonzon in response to the appearance of growing numbers of believers, ordinary people, who embraced strong faith and a commitment to actively realise kosen-rufu." [WNDW, Vol. 4, pg 113] Realising that the believers who would uphold this teaching with the spirit of 'not begrudging their lives' appeared among the ordinary people, Nichiren Daishonin fulfilled the purpose of his appearance in this world by inscribing the Dai-Gohonzon on October 12, 1279, three days prior to the Atsuhara Persecution. The Atsuhara Persecution signalled a victory of the human spirit in which these ordinary followers of the Daishonin, through their magnificent solidarity as Bodhisattva of the Earth, triumphed over the devilish forces of the authority. Incidentally, on Oct 12 last year, a MD member received a notice of expulsion, summoning him to appear before a board of directors in SSA Headquarter to answer to their enquiries. Consecutively on Oct 15, 5 senior YMD leaders received the final peremptory demand for their individual presence to be enquired by the top leaders. Subsequently, all recipients were either expelled or removed from their leadership responsibilities after they failed to submit to the oppressive demands of the top leaders. In the first place, why would a final peremptory demand required by the top leaders of an organization, practising mutual respect for each other's Buddha nature? Many people who failed to acquire a penetrating insight, may perceive the entire issue arose from differing views or quarrel between the 2 parties in the top leadership. After reading umpteen times on the 'flow of events', one will never fail to develop the ability to discern a deeper meaning in it. After BC Ong succeeded the office of General Director from our respected Mr. Koh, the propagation effort had reached an impasse, with the membership lingering around 20k. Together under the leadership of former YMD chief Mr. Tay HC, the removed and the expelled, who were the group of YMD senior leaders then, supported him in restoring the propagation spirit of SSA in 2005. This rejuvenated spirit had led to the impetus growth of the YMD and the rhythm carried the YMD forward in leading the propagation efforts for the next few years. Nevertheless, the great propagation efforts put through by this group of YMD will naturally call forth the devilish forces that seek to destroy the achievement. Initially it appeared in the life of the newli succeeded YMD chief, Leonard Koh who instead of executing the spirit and values of the 3 Founding Presidents to lead the entire YMD forces, he implemented the MOE's management style to manage the division. This one wrong step, carried out by Leonard Koh nearly toppled the entire division till the expelled and the removed assisted him to revamp the entire division. The subsequent YMD chief, Khoo GH who succeeded Leonard Koh is in no way better than his predecessor. After his appointment, the YMD was thrown into chaos. One to one dialogue and the spirit of our founders has long been forgotten. The emphasis was placed on big meetings as a substitute and they were modeling after the success of City Harvest Church. The YMD Shq team could hardly meet to discuss the current affairs and the future of the division was left unattended. Fearing the future of the YMD will crumble under the hand of the new YMD chief, the removed, who held the position of YMD senior leadership repeatedly engaged Khoo GH in dialogues. After each dialogues, the decision on the directions which had been casted together varied without the prior notice of the YMD Shq team. Upon further inquiries from his Shq team for the sudden change of directions, he will avert all concerns by channelling all blames to the Youth secretariat. This left some of the YMD Shq team with no choice but to seek from the new Youth chief, Leonard Koh. Ironically, Leonard Koh evaded and channelled all the blames to the ex-GD BC Ong and the Central Committee. He claimed that all decisions were made by the Central Committee and the function of the Youth Secretariat was just to provide proposal on the directions. If the Youth secretariat was tasked by the ex-GD in spearheading the movement of Youth, it is rightful for the individual divisional chief to revert to their division to thoroughly discuss with their Shq team before implementing the direction, spearheaded by the Youth secretariat. However, this did not take place at all. It was after this distinct incident that these senior YMD leaders began to be cognizant that they were being sidelined by Leonard Koh and his confederates. Such were the conditions of the Youth Division, headed by Leonard Koh. Like the Atsuhara farmers, these sidelined senior YMD leaders did not waver in their commitment to kosen-rufu. Indeed they pursued to settle the issues through dialogues. The event took a turn with the involvement of ex-GD BC Ong and VGD Oh KY. In one of the YMD Shq leaders meeting, designated to plan the YMD direction, it unexpectedly turned out to be an interrogation session inquiring on the Malacca trip which occurred nearly 2 years from the meeting. It was falsified by Leonard Koh and his accomplice as a trip planned to plot against the organization. (For details, pls read 'The Flow of Events' on HK Website) Arming on the falsified facts as their weapon, the conniving top leaders proceeded to compel the senior YMD leaders to apologise for the charge of plotting against the organization during the Malacca trip. These senior YMD leaders were undaunted in their stance to comply on something which they did not commit. Their non-compliance to the oppression of the treacherous top leaders thus led to the removal of the YMD leaders and expulsion of a MD member while the dialogues were carried out halfway. After all, the ultimatum issued by the top leaders are just subterfuge employed to carry out their execution to silent these YMDs. President Ikeda shares with regards to the Atsuhara persecution as follows: "In response, the startled authorities went to extreme lengths to clamp down on their activities. But despite the high-handed and oppressive means they employed, they could not sway the faith of a single of the Daishonin's farmer believers. This fact is the heart and essence of the Atsuhara Persecution. The callous execution of three of these humble believers ultimately symbolises the spiritual ruin of those in power. By contrast, the strength and splendour of the faith of the Daishonin's followers in Atsuhara, who remained undaunted by even the most hideous outrages committed by the authorities, makes their beliefs a landmark event without precedent in the religious and folk history of Japan. Indeed, these believers shine with an eternal spiritual brilliance, and could without exaggeration be described as noble forerunners in the struggle for Human Rights." [WNDW, Vol. 4, pg 96] To expel a member, without proceeding even a single dialogue, is the act of oppression. It is an act to remove him from the orbit of happiness and it defies the spirit of the Lotus Sutra. It runs conflictingly to the spirit of the Daishonin's Buddhism which is to embrace and value every single life based on the belief that all people are endowed with the 'life of the Buddha of limitless joy' as a real potential. Such actions displayed by SSA top leaders correspond to the robbers of life and robbers of benefit whom totally disregard and disrespect human rights. In addition, the behaviour of the top leaders in conniving with their confederates, to do away with the group of senior YMD leaders who were committed to actively realising kosen-rufu befits the Gyochi's. This episode symbolises the dark age of SSA and the spiritual ruin of the top leaders who abuse its powers to meet its end. In contrast, the life of the victims who suffered under the treacherous hands of the hideous top leaders will shine with an eternal spiritual brilliance. This history shall forever be remembered by all. P.S. - Thanks to a reader who contributed the article known as 'The Digression'. It will be published in Hosshaku Kempon website in due course. September 12 - The Day That Crystallizes The Essence of Nichiren's Buddhism
September 12, the day on which Nichiren Daishonin faced the greatest ordeal of his lifetime and it is known as the Tatsunokuchi Persecution. Although this incident took place in 1271, it is the day that crystallizes the essence of Nichiren's Buddhism. It is also the day that Soka Gakkai designates it as Study Department Day to commemorate this significant event. Nichiren Daishonin's life was beset by a succession of persecutions which he describes as "Minor persecutions and annoyances are too numerous even to be counted but the major persecutions number four". [WND, pg 240] The four major persecutions to which Nichiren Daishonin refers to were Matsubagayatsu Persecutions (1260), the Izu exile (1261), the Komatsubara Persecution (1264) and lastly, the persecution that began with his near execution at Tatsnokuchi and lasted through his exile in Sado (1271). It was certainly not due to any secular offenses which the Daishonin committed that led him to be assailed by persecution after persecution. These persecutions were called forth by the Daishonin for arduously asserting that the Lotus Sutra is the only one vehicle that will enable all people to attain supreme enlightenment in the Latter Day of the Law. In other words, it is the sole teaching for relieving the suffering of the people and enabling them to become happy. His strong proclaimation of the correct teaching had frightened other religious figures which constituted the powerful religious authority of his day. This induced in themselves the outburst of anger and jealousy towards the Daishonin. In Tatsunokuchi Persecution, the three powerful enemies emerged in unison to persecute Daishonin. They were the combination of ignorant lay people and arrogant, cunning priests who combined forces with priest whom was revered as sage by the general public. Emerged as the third of the three powerful enemies in Tatsunokuchi Persecution was Ryokan of Gokuraku-ji temple. One factor that hastened the occurrence of Tatsunokuchi Persecution was the Daishonin's rival with Ryokan in praying for rain. Besides being famous as a Precept priest, Ryokan's additional forte was his success in praying for rain. Henceforth, he accepted Daishonin's challenge with great pleasure. Ryokan announced to his disciples that he would cause rain to fall within seven days. However, he failed to produce rain even after fourteen days of prayer he offered with several hundreds of priests, instead, fierce gales arose. Ryokan was blatantly defeated and his resentment and hatred towards Daishonin intensified. In lieu of acknowledging his own defeat, Ryokan plotted against the Daishonin. He devised a scheme to have Gyobin of Jokomyo-ji temple, acted as the plaintiff to file a written complaint against the Daishonin's followers for casting the mages of Amida and Kannon into fire or water. In actuality, the main culprits were the Nembutsu followers who accused the Daishonin's followers of committing deeds to which they themselves were guilty of. Nevertheless, due to Gyobin's failure in submitting evidence and witness to support his claims, as was ardently demanded by the Daishonin, no official judgement was passed on the complaint. Mr. Saito remarks in The World of Nichiren Dashonin's Writing: "Evil people always resort to similar tactics. They make smoke when there is no fire. They attack people of justice with lies and false rumours, accusing them of the very base actions which they themselves are guilty. No matter how many lies they may amass, the truth is one. In fact, the more falsehoods they manufacture, the more certain it is that all their lies will come crashing down." [WNDW Vol 2 pg 67,68] President Ikeda continues: "That is why it is important to thoroughly challenge lies. Then the villains, who are cowards deep down, will continue piling up lies and will eventually bring about their own ruins. [WNDW Vol 2 pg 68] These words of wisdom, by President Ikeda, truly portray the current situation confronting the top leaders of SSA for using lies to cover another lie. In spite of this, Ryokan's evil machination on the Daishonin did not cease. Indeed he began using his influence among the wives and widows of top shogunate officials to make accusations against the Daishonin. As a result, Nichiren Daishonin was summoned for interrogation by the deputy chief of the Office of Military and Police Affairs, Hei no Saemon, on September 10, 1271. the Daishonin took the opportunity to calmly remonstrate with Hei no Saemon, predicting the outbreak of internal strife and foreign invasion if the rulers punished him unlawfully. Two days later on September 12, Hei no Saemon led a contingent of several hundred armour-clad soldiers to arrest the Daishonin at his dwelling in Matsubagayatsu. Hei no Saemon was wearing the headgear of a court noble, glaring angrily and speaking coarsely. With this, President Ikeda shared, "The Daishonin was a religious person who was unarmed and had no powerful backing. If his arrest had been the only objective, then 20 people would have been more than sufficient. It was because the Daishonin was viewed with such hostility that the manner of his arrest was so ostentatious." [WNDW Vol 2 pg 73] Such scenic depiction of event rekindles our memory of the few bout of meetings that were specially conducted to announce the removal and the expulsion. Coincidentally the venue of the meetings were heavily guarded by the YMD Gajokai and the MD Ojokai. The atmosphere was tensed and taut. Numerous leaders who attended the meeting remarked, "Was our centre protected from terrorists? If not, why was it so heavily guarded and the attendees were closely scrutinised?" Unless the removed and expelled were viewed with such hostility, there was no reason for the venue to be kept under close surveillance. Although the victim of persecution may differ from time to time, the nature of the people behind the evil machination resonates. Neither legal proceeding or judicial hearing was conducted before they sentenced the Daishonin to be exiled to Sado Island. For the Daishonin to undergo such treatment by Hei no Saemon, was equivalent of treating the former as a rebel for a crime committed against the state. Outwardly it was declared that the Daishonin would be exiled to Sado, behind closed doors, they had planned to execute him in the night. Around midnight, the Daishonin was taken by Hei no Saemon's men to the execution grounds on the beach at Tatsunokuchi. While en-route to the execution site, the party passed the Tsurugaoka Hachiman shrine, the Daishonin requested that he be given a moment. His request was granted, and he turned to reprimand Bodhisattva Hachiman for failing to protect him, saying that he was the votary of the Lotus Sutra, whom Bodhisattva Hachiman had vowed to protect in the presence of Shakyamuni Buddha. Finally the party arrived at the Yui beach, the Daishonin sent a messenger to Shijo Kingo. In response, Shijo Kingo hurried to the Daishonin's side barefoot and wept in grief, determined to die with his mentor. With regards to this episode, President Ikeda shared: "It was a sublime drama of mentor and disciple. Persevering along the supreme path of life no matter what may happen, ready to give their lives together for their convictions - this image of mentor and disciple must have left a powerful impression on everyone present, regardless of their religious beliefs. By that point, the minds of the soldiers must have been completely shaken. "Just what kind of criminal is this?" they were probably wondering. "Can it really be right to execute him like this in the middle of the night?" "Are we about to commit some wrong that can never be redeemed?" It would not be all surprising if this was how they felt." [WNDW Vol 2 pg 78,79] When the executioner drew his sword and was ready to carry out the execution, a luminous orb shot across the sky, brightly illuminating the surroundings. The executioner fell on his face, his eyes were temporary blinded while the soldiers trembled in fear, threw themselves prostrate on the ground, ran away and cowered down. From the gosho, 'The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra': I called out, "Here, why do you shrink from this vile prisoner? Come closer! Come closer!" But no one would approach me. "What if the dawn should come? You must hurry up and execute me - once the day breaks, it will be too ugly a job." I urged them on but they made no response. [WND' pg 767] From the perspective of the Tatsunokuchi Persecution, the Daishonin had truly displayed his magnificent life-state of the Buddha. By contrast, the persecutor cowered down in fear and made no advances. Why did the persecutor need to carry out the execution hastily in the middle of the night? Because it would be too ugly a job to slaughter an innocent person who was free from crime in the broad daylight. In the similar manner, on what basis did the top leaders hinge on to remove and expel the YMD senior leaders and a MD member hastily while in the midst of dialogues? Since the nature of the persecutor is similar across the ages, the reason could only be one. That was to silent them before more dark secrets of the top leaders were being disclosed in the Facebook. Outwardly, the top leaders declared to solve the issue through dialogues, but behind closed doors, the top had decided, long ago, to remove and expel them. Right after the failed attempt in executing the Daishonin, he was placed in custody at the residence of Homma Shigetsura, deputy constable of the island province of Sado, for about a month. On October 10, 1271, he was sent into exile on Sado. What is the deep significance of the Tatsunokuchi Persecution? It was then that the Daishonin actualised the principle of 'casting off the transient and revealing the true'. It does not mean that the Daishonin had become someone else. Rather, he manifested the life of the eternal Buddha within the life of an ordinary person. President Ikeda explains: "In other words, at the time of the Tatsunokuchi Persecution Nichiren Daishonin discarded his transient status as an ordinary practitioner at the stage of hearing the name and words of the truth; and while as an ordinary person, he manifested his true identity as the Buddha of limitless joy who has been enlightened since time without beginning. To put in another way, while remaining as an ordinary person, he manifested the eternal Thus Come One that is one with the eternal Mystic Law, the fundamental Law of the universe. After discarding his transient status and revealing his true identity, the Daishonin stood up as the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law. And, as the Buddha of the Latter Day, he began inscribing the Gohonzon in the form of a mandala for all people to revere as the fundamental object of devotion and to believe in as the origin and basis of their own lives." It is our fervent wish, as frontline leaders, that the top leaders will transform the innate darkness that beset their lives and reveal their dharma nature. To cast off their transient is simply to cast off their weakness and cowardice which envelop their lives and reveal their identity of courage to face up to their mistakes. They have to respond to different opinions with the most positive attitude. The attitude of 'always liberal when it suits them and small-minded when it does not' has to be completely discarded. Only then will our beloved organization free from the darkness of discrimination and conflict of disparity. For this to happen, more people has to awaken to this truth and join us to pray and act for our beloved top leaders to 'cast off their transient and revealing the true'. August 24 - The day when profound bond of mentor and disciple begins
August 24 is Soka Gakkai “Men’s Division Day.” This is the date when President Ikeda joined the Soka Gakkai in 1947. On August 14, 1947, a nineteen-year-old man named Daisaku Ikeda was invited to attend a discussion meeting. On that evening, President Toda spoke about Nichiren Daishonin's essay "On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land." He explained that, without solving our fundamental issues based on the philosophy and practice of Nichiren Buddhism, no real construction of happiness can be established. President Toda further shared his conviction that the objective of our kosen-rufu movement is to abolish tragedy and misfortune from the earth. It was in this historical encounter that the young Daisaku Ikeda was moved by President Toda's sincere and direct answers. The young man, who had been searching for a direction in life, was so inspired by this encounter with the man who would be his mentor for life that he recited an impromptu poem at this discussion meeting. Traveler, From whence do you come? And where do you go? The moon has set, But the Sun has not yet risen. In the chaos of darkness before the dawn Seeking the light, I advance To dispel the dark clouds from my mind To find a great tree unbowed by the tempest I emerge from the earth. Ten days later, on August 24, 1947, Daisaku Ikeda received the Gohonzon, joined the Soka Gakkai and began to practice Nichiren Buddhism. August 24 was also the date in 1950 when his mentor, Josei Toda, announced his intention to resign his position as general director of the Soka Gakkai. The young Ikeda resolved on that day that President Toda would be his mentor for life and that he would protect him forever. With the profound significance of the oneness of mentor and disciple, August 24 was designated as “Men’s Division Day” in 1976. Nobody in this world, except President Ikeda, teaches us by his actions, the correct way of Oneness of Mentor and Disciple. In SGI President Ikeda’s Study Lecture Series, he shares the following: "In his propagation efforts, the Daishonin did not just teach the Mystic Law through words or theory, but actively demonstrated its power through the example of his own conduct and efforts as one who believes in and practices the Mystic Law. The Daishonin’s Buddhism does not exist apart from his real-life struggles for kosen-rufu. Consequently, it is important for us to practice with the same spirit as the Daishonin, if we are to understand the essence of his teachings." "The mentor embodies and practices the Mystic Law. The disciples in turn strive to do likewise. Following the mentor’s example and teachings, they continue to take personal action for kosen-rufu. This is the only way forward. The true transmission of Buddhism resides in this living connection between mentor and disciple." (Translated from the June 2011 issue of the Daibyakurenge, the Soka Gakkai monthly study journal) In the Year of Developing a Youthful SGI, a theme designated by President Ikeda for year 2012, what plans and actions has the top leadership developed to lead SSA in actualizing the objectives and goals? While the other SGI countries, like Taiwan Soka Association, are busily plunging themselves in embarking activities to pursue the theme of year 2012, the top leaders indulge themselves in holding meetings after meetings to protect their own breed from the exposure of his scandalous act. The move initiated by the top leadership, has caused the general leadership to feel ambiguity towards Leonard Koh's scandal and the approach adopted by the top leadership. This has led the general populace to shoot a point-blank question as such: Is the revelation on LK's scandal really the attack of Sansho Shima (3 Obstacles and 4 Devils) as alleged by the top leaders? To recap on LK's scandal, this incident was sparked off by worried parent(s) whom courageously published LK's Facebook photo in STOMP. The parent was uncontrovertibly perturbed by LK's action of stalking and commenting on his daughter and other young girls' sexy photographs. In addition, LK left traces of visiting adult sexual sites on his Facebook walls. Such acts of LK created a public uproar by the netizen over his perverted behaviours especially of his fetishism on the 'sweet young things'. The whole scandal escalated to an amplitude when it was published in Sin Ming Daily News, Lianghe Zhao Bao, Straits Times and even discussed by ex-educators and called-in parents of a popular Media Corps talk show 'Good morning Singapore'. For the purpose of impeding further speculations from the frontline leaders and members, the top leaders of SSA held meetings after meetings from SRZ to SR and finally ended in RZCD in Regional level. Prepared script were even read by the senior leaders during discussion meetings to address the issue. Comparing it to the priesthood issue which was erupted in the early 90's, rarely meetings were conducted to defend our mentor, Ikeda Sensei and SGI. Then what is the logical basis behind numerous meetings being conducted, in defence of Leonard Koh? Needless to say, youth chief's scandal is directly linked to the reputation of the top leaders of SSA. The top leaders correlate Leonard Koh's reputation to the Berlin Wall, which once divided Germany, East from West. Once it collapses, the power will return to the people and in this case, to our frontline leaders and members. In consequence, top leaders' exertion on total authoritarian will be fettered by the general masses. Henceforth, to allow someone to disclose the ill repute of Leonard Koh is a threat to topple their authority. Therefore, the top leaders protect this course even at the expense of their lives. To distract Leonard Koh's scandal from the general masses, the top leaders channel all blames to the senders of the mass email and the flyers which, once again, come too conveniently. Although no one understand the intent of the senders, the contents were not malicious, as depicted by the top. They were replica of the reports, published in newspapers and web-portals. To add spice to the entire matter, the top leaders escalated an individual scandal to the level of organizational crisis, declaring that the organization was under the attack of sansho shima. Through this artificially self-acclaimed crisis, the top leaders aim at funneling the de facto individual scandal of Leonard Koh into an organizational crisis to garner supports from the masses and while hoping that the general masses will eventually forget about the entire scandal. It is another 'dirty' maneuver of the top leadership of SSA. As taught by our mentor, "Being a leader doesn't make one great or special. What matters is whether a leader burns with a genuine fighting spirit. That is all-important. Pretentious posturing, ambitious scheming and clever maneuvering will all ultimately lead to defeat." [Value Creation Vol. 1, Pg 7] Another good example of demonstrating dirty politic played by the top leadership was an incident occurred in SHQ met RHQ meeting, scheduled on a Sunday morning. In that meeting, a Regional HQ MD chief raised the genuine concern of the general leadership whom deemed the top leadership of over-protecting LK. With the purpose of dispelling the doubt of the general leadership, he proposed to invite LK to step forward to prepare his own defense. However, this sincere proposal of a Regional HQ MD chief was met with strong opposition from a top WD leader. She protested by asserting herself that such move of summoning LK for self-defense will direct everyone to fall into the trap set by the sender. She further presented her point forcibly that the intent of the sender was to force LK to be interrogated by the general public. Was it the real intent of the sender, as alleged by the top WD leader or was it another facade, by the top leadership, to prevent LK from public scrutiny? Since Leonard Koh's scandal erupted, the frontline leaders especially the chapter and the district level, are airing their displeasure in the ways the top leaders handle the issue. They conceive that the top leaders protect their own reputation and interest more than the confidentiality of the members' information and data. The general masses are losing confidence in the top's competence of safeguarding the data of our membership. The main concern of the top leadership is to conduct meetings after meetings to clarify again and again on Leonard's innocence. After all, it is all about protecting their own Berlin wall from crumbling. In the same study series, President Ikeda further enlightens us, "Unless we establish a solid network of people united in the supreme cause of good that is the happiness of all humanity, then selfishness and division will continue and the world will remain shrouded in the darkness of confusion and chaos." (Translated from the June 2011 issue of the Daibyakurenge, the Soka Gakkai monthly study journal) It is this invisible 'Berlin wall' which resides in the lives of the top leadership that divides the top leadership from the general masses. Indeed this is the function of Sansho Shima our top leadership should reckon with. This is de facto the Sansho Shima that attacks the inner life of the top leadership of SSA. Without conquering this innate darkness which dispel the lives of the top leadership, the 'Berlin wall' will continue to create division within the precious organization built by our mentor. As a result, SSA will forever remain shrouded in the darkness of confusion and chaos. Sensei continues, "The ultimate power resides within us human beings. We have the power to stand up for the happiness of humanity. We have the power to believe in and create a bright, hope-filled tomorrow." (Translated from the June 2011 issue of the Daibyakurenge, the Soka Gakkai monthly study journal) It is we, the common people, who possess the ultimate power to make changes and create a bright and hope-filled organization that once existed. It should be the innate darkness (Berlin wall) residing in the innermost life of the top leadership that we should topple. Let's continue to focus our prayer, from our strongest daimoku, to dispel this innate darkness from our top leadership so that they will awaken to their mission as genuine disciple of our mentor. Let's continue to pray for the absolute happiness of our top leaders of SSA. Dear Readers,
The Hosshaku Kempon Editorial Team will like to thank all our readers in visiting our website. We have achieved a hike of about 500 unique readers in a single day since the launch of the previous editorial! This was due to your earnest desire and strong sense of justice to find out the truth after listening to the propangda in your respective meetings! The top leadership is only interested in painting a partial truth to safeguard their personal interests. Hosshaku Kempon is dedicated to presenting the whole truth without prejudice for all our readers! We appreciate your continuous support through your readership, articles contribution and comments in our facebook pages! Thank you! Best Regards, Hosshaku Kempon Editorial Team July 3 came to be known as Day of Mentor and Disciple in Soka Gakkai. It was on July 3 that President Toda was released from Prison in 1945. It was also on this particular day 12 years later in 1957 that SGI President Ikeda entered prison. It signifies the mystic bond of mentor and disciple.
By the early 1940s, Japan's militarist government was steadily tightening controls on thought and expression as part of the war effort. Mr. Makiguchi and Mr. Toda refused to bow to pressure from the state-controlled war machine and as a result, the meetings organized by the Soka Kyoiku Gakkai came under the surveillance of the Special Higher Police, responsible for the suppression of "thought crimes." On July 6, 1943, Mr. Makiguchi and Mr.Toda were detained on suspicion of violation of the notorious Peace Preservation Law and accused of showing disrespect to the emperor. On November 18, 1944, Mr. Makiguchi died of malnutrition and the privations of his long imprisonment, a martyr to his convictions. Mr. Toda was released on parole on July 3, 1945. Amid a war ravaged Japan, he set out to reconstruct the organization, renaming it the Soka Gakkai in 1946. Mystically on July 3, 1957, SGI President Ikeda returned to Tokyo after three days of battling the unjust actions of the Coal Miners' Union in Yubari, only to find himself summoned by the Osaka prefectural police and arrested on a charge that was later proven to be entirely groundless. After a drawn-out legal proceeding, he was found innocent of all charges in January 1962. This lofty principle of oneness of mentor and disciple is the epitome of humanistic values. On July 3 Daily Guidance, Sensei said, "When we steadfastly dedicate ourselves to the path of mentor and disciple, we can boundlessly manifest the wisdom and power that is inherent in our life. In this world, nothing is stronger than the united struggle of mentor and disciple. Nothing is more joyful." "FAITH is not a matter of appearances. Nor does it have anything to do with position in the organization. It depends entirely on a person’s “fighting spirit”. Those who burn with a “fighting spirit” are true SGI members and disciples of President Makiguchi and President Toda." ( https://dailyguidance.blogspot.sg/2007/07/3rd-july.html ) Human has the tendency to view thing from a shadow perspective. One great example which clearly demonstrates such traits is from the recent incident of a fast growing religious community. In spite of sufficient evidences produced to substantiate their charges on their founder, the followers persisted in their blind faith to protect him. Likewise in SSA, similar characteristic arises. We received emails from our readers stating that the Student Division(SD) Chief clarified absurdly on what transpired in Leonard Koh's Facebook that showed 'Orgasm on Roller Coaster'. The reason furnished was that Leonard's Facebook account was jointly shared by his wife and it was his wife who liked and commented the 'Orgasm' site. It resembles closely to the reason used by a new political incumbent at that moment she was accused of contravening elections rule. Perhaps Leonard Koh or the SD chief can breed more creativity or originality in concocting future excuses. As clearly instructed by our mentor, organizational position has got no relation to faith. The higher the responsibility one shoulders, the more prone he is to the devilish inducement. Especially when one's fighting spirit is weak, he will be easily drawn into the devil's domain. In the recent incident of 'principal saga', Leonard Koh, being the principal of Northland Secondary School, visited the Facebook wall of young girls to comment 'Nice', 'Cute', 'Pretty' and 'So womanly' on their photographs. The number of girl's photographs Leonard visited and commented, was not merely restricted to one or two but extended to more than a hundred in the Facebook. Worst still, he commented them at the graveyard hours, before he retired to bed and after he awoke, as though performing some kind of ritual. Could he be replacing morning and evening gongyo with this ritual? Comparably, his YMD comrades could be busily sloughing themselves in shakubuku campaign or conducting dialogues at these hours. On one of the photographs he commented 'cute' on Facebook, the Northland Sec's female student jokingly called Leonard Koh a stalker. Leonard Koh reciprocated by saying sorry to haunt her in this way as he was accessing FB randomly. He continued by saying that he sometimes liked to kpo here and there. In spite of how kind natured a principal was, the lingo he used on his student is deemed, without doubt, flirtatious. On another girl's photograph he commented, due to the girl who carries the same name as his wife, Leonard Koh stated his intent to meet the girl one day. As it was clearly highlighted by the guest speakers and the parents who called in to Good Morning Singapore talk-show (Mediacorp Channel 8), they regarded the behaviour of the principal as inappropriate. They further reiterated that although the words 'Nice'... may be commonly used but to utilize these words to comment on the pose of the girls, will mean otherwise. This opinion raised by the ex-educator fits well into the numerous photographs commented by Leonard Koh which are poses of the girls with revealing cleavage, etc. To add on, Leonard Koh - Youth Chief of SSA, visited, liked and commented on some adult's site and left traces on his Facebook wall. The sites that he visited on include: 1) This woman has an orgasm on a roller coaster! 2) Wet & Wild Bikini Girls 3) Sport Illustrated Swim Suit Edition As quoted by the worried parent, Nel in STOMP, "What kind of message is this educator sending to his pupils when these postings can be openly viewed by all?" Precisely to the point that not only his students could view these sites but our YWD too. From the Youth chief saga, it teaches us not to view matter solely from one perspective. I believe nobody can fault Leonard Koh on the words he chose to use. Neverthless, if you piece up the bits and pieces by linking the number of girl's photographs he visited, liked and commented repeatedly at wee hours, via his flirtatous remarks to the girls with attempted invitation, to the adult's site he visited, we are very inclined to share the same worries and concerns of the troubled parent, Nel. Who else in this world, who has accumulated much life experiences, allows their daughters to be stalked in this manner? Thanks to the top leadership of SSA. Instead of addressing the issues confronting our youth chief by reprimanding his mistakes, our dearest top leaders advance in quick pace to prevent this matter from erupting into public shame by defending Leonard Koh's interest. In the most recent RZC leaders meeting held in Regional level, the top leaders defended Leonard Koh by stating that the MOE has done its investigation and concluded that there has not been any evidence pointing to the professional misconduct on his part. Although the ministry, as of this point in time, found no new evidence of the misconduct of the principal, nevertheless it does not mean that Leonard Koh is not guilty of crossing the boundary on the moral and ethical aspect of an educator. In other words, he is morally wrong to indulge and bury himself in the photographs of those 'sweet young things', as named by netizens. Moreover, what the Ministry lacks, at this point in time, concrete evidence. Henceforth, Leonard Koh can get away scot-free at this moment, but that does not mean that he is not guilty of misconduct. Interestingly, the top leaders further defended that on Jun 24, Leonard Koh had presented himself in front of SSA central committee and also the management committee to give a full explanation on that Saturday and the central committee and the management committee are fully satisfied with his explanation. However, the report did not cover on how extensive the investigation was conducted by the CC and the MC. Were all evidences extracted from STOMP to the various newspapers to Temasek Times presented and tabled for investigation? Did Leonard Koh show his part of evidences that he commented on both the male and female students? If all of the above-said steps were not established, how can we be assured that the investigations were carried out in an impartial but not haphazard manner? By the way, the CC and the MC are made up of almost the same personnel. Besides, Leonard Koh sits in both of the committees. Needless to say, the members of the committees will protect their common interest by protecting Leonard Koh. Although the top leaders had dwelled quite a fair bit into defending Leonard Koh during the RZC meeting, the report was only a partial of what it was shared in the media. Many of the facts were intentionally omitted in the official statement as follows: 1) LK visited and commented on more than a hundred former and current female students' Facebook photographs at graveyard hours. 2) Numerous of the girls' photographs which Leonard commented were rather revealing with exposure of the girls' cleavage, etc. 3) LK's lingo in his comments on the girls' photographs contained certain degree of flirting. 4) LK left traces of his visit to sexual websites on his Facebook wall. Why was so many pointers being omitted by the top leaders in their official statement to clarify the Youth chief's saga? It is an indisputable fact that by presenting merely the surface aspect of this whole issue will somehow deceive our members into believing that the matter has already been addressed. This is to forbid members from further queries so that they can put the matter to an immediate closure. This is indeed the practice of bureaucracy on the part of SSA top leadership. In NHR, SGI President Ikeda writes: "What, then, would be the fundamental cause for the Soka Gakkai growing bureaucratic? It would be when leaders forget the organisation's original purpose - that is, of working for kosen-rufu and serving the members, who are the children of the Buddha - and instead lapse into self interest. It would happen when leaders no longer focus on kosen-rufu but on themselves." [NHR Vol 10 Crown Champions, pg. 268-269] Inheriting from the spirit from our mentor, it is imperative that we should speak the words of truth, without reservation, to dispel the falsehood generated by the top leaders of SSA. We shall continue to speak against injustice till the top leadership of SSA re-channel their focus back to kosen-rufu and serving the members. In conclusion, we would like to present the following words of wisdom from our mentor, SGI President Ikeda to you. Sensei teaches, "The truth is the truth. We must speak out with righteous anger to defend it, fighting resolutely against falsehoods with words of truth. We must make the 21st century an age where human rights shine brightly. [Value Creation Vol. 1, Pg 16] Mr. Tsunesaburō Makiguchi was a Japanese educator who founded and became the first president of Sōka Kyoiku Gakkai in 1930. He was born on June 6, 1871. Adopted by the Makiguchi family, he moved to Hokkaidō at the age of 14. Working his way through school, he graduated from Sapporo Normal School (today's Hokkaidō University of Education). Thereafter, he started as an assistant teacher at a primary school affiliated with his alma mater, and later taught at high school and served as a dormitory superintendent.
Since Mr. Makiguchi was recognized as an able teacher known for his warmth and consideration, he strove to introduce a more humanistic, student-centered approach to education. He fiercely opposed corrupt educational practices and his uncompromising attitude towards the authorities resulted in his frequent transfers from one school to another. After moving to Tokyo, he served as principal in a succession of six primary schools, from 1913 to 1932. In 1928, both Mr. Makiguchi and Mr. Jōsei Toda were converted to Nichiren Buddhism. Mr. Makiguchi's encounter with this school of Buddhist thought took his life into an even deeper and broader dimension, resulting in the establishment of the Soka Kyoiku Gakkai (Value-Creation Education Society), the predecessor to today's Sōka Gakkai. It is a known fact that Mr. Makiguchi created and developed a grassroots movement as the foundation of a lasting peace, an objective he perceived at the very heart of Nichiren Buddhism. During World War II, he opposed Japan's military government's attempts to impose the doctrine of State Shintō through strict control of religions and thoughts inimical to its war effort. In 1943, due to his refusal to accept the Shinto talisman and support the war, he was arrested and imprisoned as a "thought criminal" for violating the Peace Preservation Law revised in 1941 and under which tens of thousands were arrested. Yet, in spite of being subjected to harsh interrogations, he never retreated from his beliefs, the 72-year-old former principal continued to assert the value of freedom of religion as a fundamental human rights. On November 18, 1944, he breathed his last breath in prison due to extreme malnutrition. Mr. Makiguchi's spirit and values are practiced by million of members of SGI to this day. His unrelenting spirit in the face of authorities, demonstrated to his future successors his towering state of life to withstand all kind of persecutions befalling him. His immediate and subsequent successors, Mr. Toda and Mr. Ikeda valiantly uphold his majestic spirit and values, reconstructed the Soka Gakkai from the post war Japan and propagated Nichiren's Buddhism to 192 countries and regions in the midst of tumultuous waves of obstacles. Without the relentless struggles of our 3 Founding Presidents especially President Ikeda, the practitioners under the network of SGI countries will fail to savor the tremendous joy derived from this Buddhist practice. As shared by Mr. Morinaka in 'The World of Nichiren Daishonin's Writing', "In commenting on a passage in The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind, 26th high priest Nichikan Shonin says that the Daishonin's actions in establishing the entity of the Law for propagation in the Latter Day - Nam-myoho-renge-kyo of the Three Great Secret Laws - along with his practice of refuting the provisional teachings espoused by the other Buddhist schools of his time correspond to 'shakubuku of the entity of the law'. In contrast, he says that widely propagating the Gohonzon in society through our behavior as human beings and enabling one person after another to embrace faith in it represents 'shakubuku of substantiation'. [WNDW - Vol.3, Pg125] It was clearly illustrated in history that since the establishment of the Nichiren's Buddhism, none in the Fuji school carried out the practice of 'shakubuku of substantiation' for the past 750 years, not even Nikken Abe. It is solely the members of the Soka Gakkai and SGI who accomplished it and advanced the global spread of kosen-rufu under the leadership and guidance of President Ikeda. Questionably, is the spirit of 'shakubuku of substantiation' still upheld by the top leadership of SSA? Recently, we have a spate of incidents which sparked a controversy on the danto issue. Quite a number of our members in SSA were besieged by the danto members and a handful of SSA members had pledged allegiance to Nikken Abe after undergoing rounds of brainwashing sessions, conducted by the danto members. In the end, they returned Nichikan Shonin transcribed Gohonzon in replace of Nikken' transcribed Gohonzon. Undoubtedly, the top leadership are quick in pointing finger at the social media, namely the Facebook, which aided the danto's assaults. In the first place, what is the cause of the outbreak of danto issue in SSA today? It is the abandonment in the practice of Soka spirit in Singapore. In year 2010, when SGI's office requested SSA repeatedly to present on the development of danto in Singapore, ex-GD Ong BC turned a deaf ear to them. Subsequently, for the purpose of avoiding SGI's office, he tasked VGD Loh SK to liaise with SGI's office. When VGD Loh presented the Soka Spirit plan to benefit the members of SSA to ex-GD Ong BC, the entire plan was dispose of, fearing which the Soka spirit movement will pose a directional distraction to the goal of 20k Great Discussion Meeting. Following that, to draw a veil over the blunder of abandoning the practice of Soka Spirit in Singapore, ex-GD Ong BC declared victory over the danto which in actuality, they did not. In the Young Men Division Vanguard meeting held on 31 July 2011, ex-GD Ong BC declared, "We have unofficially won over the danto in Singapore." Consecutively in 8.4 Commemorative Meeting, held on 4 August 2011 at SSA Headquarter, he again declared, "For the last 20 years, we have been battling Singapore local Ichinen Sanzen(group) as well as Nichiren Shoshu and we have won in year 2010." Could this hideous act of delivering such lies create, in the heart of the general leadership, a sense of complacency that the battle against the devilish forces of Nikken was over? The aftermath is, of course, the lack of preparation and alertness on the part of our general leadership to react when the danto lay siege to our castle. Incidentally, we received report of a SSA senior leader when was questioned by the danto member on the reason of why SGI members are idolizing President Ikeda, he was stunned and dumbfounded. If Soka Spirit was not abolished by our dear ex-GD in year 2010, majority of our leadership will still stay in vigilance to prepare for assault that may arise at any moment. If the top leadership could not even protect our mentor by bearing the brunt of attack by the deviates, not to even mention proclaiming his greatness, what make us think that we can protect our own fortress of kosen-rufu from the danto? Indeed IS members should be thankful to President Ikeda for his endeavors in expanding Nichiren's Buddhism worldwide, if they still harbor gratitude as human beings in tracing the root of their encounter with Nichiren's Buddhism in Singapore. Without President Ikeda embarked on the journey of Westward Transmission 51 years ago, Nichiren's Buddhism will still be contained within Japan as another ordinary Buddhism sect. While President Ikeda toils and sweats in the field of shakubuku of substantiation, endeavoring himself to spread Nichiren' Buddhism to every parts of the world, Nikken Abe continually indulges himself in extravagant pleasure seeking. Nikken is merely riding on the victory of SGI and savoring the fruits sowed by President Ikeda. In actuality, the danto movement in other SGI countries is dying off or at near extinction, but in the case of Singapore, the flame of the evil danto movement is glowing stronger each day. It is our greatest hope that our top leadership can be awaken to the reality and attribute our past successes of SSA to President Ikeda and continue to advance kosen-rufu in Singapore, not to forget that attack is the best defense. To serve as a constant reminder to our dearest top leadership of SSA, we would like to present these precious words of Sensei to you: "There is a saying that starting and undertaking is easy but maintaining it is difficult. Human beings tend to lose the robust spirit to keep challenging themselves once a solid foundation has been established. Instead, they move into the defensive, growing conservative and self-protective. But it is precisely when the foundation has been laid that the real struggle, the real challenge, begins. No matter how ideal or comfortable the circumstances we may find ourselves in, we must never lose our vibrant, pioneering spirit and passion for challenging new horizons. We must stay on the offensive, always striving to take fresh initiative and to keep advancing." [26 Nov 2000 at SSA-SGI Australia Executive Conference held in Singapore - Singapore, Where the Crown of Humanity Shines] May 3 is a day when disciples renew their vow for the joint commitment of Mentor and Disciple. It is known as "Soka Gakkai Day" within SGI. On May 3, 1951, Mr. Toda was inaugurated as the second president of Soka Gakkai. On the same day in 1960, Mr. Ikeda was also inaugurated as the third president. May 3 is also "Soka Gakkai Mother's Day," symbolizing the crucial role which women play within Soka Gakkai.
During the time when President Toda became second president, Soka Gakkai membership was hovering around 3000 in Japan. SGI President Daisaku Ikeda recalls that on that day, President Toda announced his goal of achieving a membership of 750,000 households during his lifetime. He comments, "This was a soaring pledge to accomplish kosen-rufu (world peace through the spread of Nichiren Buddhism). The goal he announced was truly staggering. But I was overjoyed. Courage surged through me. My mentor, incomparable leader of kosen-rufu, had finally resolved to stand at the helm as president." Mr. Toda's passionate efforts to realize this vision inspired hundreds of thousands of people throughout Japan to join Soka Gakkai over the next few years and eventually laid the path for Nichiren Buddhism to propagate around the world. An excerpt from NHR: On May 3, 1960, Daisaku Ikeda, at age 32, became the third president of the Soka Gakkai. As he stood on the stage at Nihon University, he gazed up at a portrait of Jose Toda and pledged: "Sensei, following in your footsteps, I now begin my great lifelong struggle for the Law. Transcending life and death, I will march forth boldly on a journey of world kosen-rufu in which I will spread Nichiren Buddhism to the farthest reaches of the [planet]. Please wait and see" (The Human Revolution, p. 1970) Under President Ikeda's leadership, the movement began an era of innovation and expansion, becoming actively engaged in cultural and educational endeavors worldwide. Ikeda has continued to dedicate himself to fulfilling Mr. Toda's dreams by developing initiatives in the areas of peace, culture and education. He has described May 3 as "a day to embark afresh on our struggle for world peace and the happiness of humanity." We do not merely commemorate May 3 as the inaugurations of President Toda and President Ikeda, it epitomizes the profound vow they shared as mentor and disciple. It marks the moment when the disciple pledges to take full responsibility to accomplish kosen-rufu, the will of the mentor, regardless of what obstacles may stand in the way. The disciples in Singapore, too, should be undaunted to confront any obstacles that may arise from the advancement of Kosen-rufu. From the recent spate of issues surrounding TBSC, it sank our heart again to discover the lack of transparency on the part of the Management Committee. The function or basic responsibility of the Management Committee is to ascertain that the TBSC reconstruction project is in good hand of the Building Committee. In the case of the application of revised plot ratio which was still at the processing stage, many frontline leaders felt that there was no necessity in the hasty closure of TBSC. The original plot ratio of the land where TBSC was erected stands at 1.0. It means that Gross Floor Area of the building must not exceed the Site Area(Land size). For the sake of maximizing the Gross Floor Area to facilitate the M & D Heritage Centre into the new building, the Committee applied for a revision of plot ratio from the initial 1.0 to 1.4. As stated in URA website, for the development of place of worship at the fringe of landed housing estate and within low-density housing area with surrounding residential gross plot ratio not exceeding 1.4, the MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE PLOT RATIO is 1.0. This is applicable to the plot of land that sits TBSC. Henceforth, to appeal for the revision of plot ratio from 1.0 to 1.4 is an uphill task and probably unattainable. However, prior to the approval of their application, the top leaders proceeded to announce the new building plan, in the form of artist impression, to the general masses, giving them delusive hope of a 4-storey building. Reverting to the perspective of the untimely closure of TBSC since Feb 2012, it brought tremendous inconveniences to the members especially the elderly. This was because major activities such as daily chanting, Sunday morning gongyo and Sensei's video were held in this centre. In addition, the sales office was located in TBSC too. Aside from these inconveniences inflicted on the members, the paper depreciation of TBSC stands at approximately $42,000 per year, based on the tenure of 60 years lease. In the case that the construction could only commence in Aug 2012, 6 months after its closure, the paper depreciation will be around $21,000. It is apparent that the reason for the delay in construction was entirely due to the plot ratio which was still in the pending process. Nevertheless, the Management Committee concocted an excuse that the delay was caused by last minute change to refine for the betterment of the building. To make matter worse, General Director Mr. Tay instructed the attendees of AGM to use this concocted excuse as a standard answer to explain to the members. It is the lack of transparency of the top leaders who play multiple roles in various committees, that cause confusion to our members. This leaves several of our members harboring numerous doubts that keep lingering in their minds. In the event that the application fails to push through and the plot ratio remains at 1.0, will the committees cease the plan to rebuild and consider Addition & Alteration for TBSC since the maximization of the building space is unattainable? If the maximization of the building space becomes impossible, will the M & D Heritage Centre be foregone? Will the new building named Soka Peace Centre lose its significance if the M & D Heritage Centre is abandoned? If the revision of plot ratio from 1.0 to 1.4 is still in the pending process, why did the Building Committee propose an untimely closure of TBSC? Why did the Management Committee accede to the request on the untimely closure of TBSC? Didn't the Management Committee fail to study the consequence of the hasty closure which will lead to the inconveniences inflicted on the members and the paper depreciation of $42,000 per year? The competency and integrity of Management Committee is indeed questionable! It is our wish that the committee will make a clean breast of this issue and refrain from further misleading the members. The funds that will be discharged for the re-development of TBSC are precious contribution from our dearest members and have to be administered meticulously. Henceforth, it is at this appropriate moment that the top decision makers confess to the blunders they have created and apologize for their misdeeds. We believe our members are forgiving. After all, it is human to err. I would like to borrow a reader's quote to end this editorial. "I sincerely wish that everyone could forgive the decision makers if they confess to the big blunder they created. First and foremost, it is critical to be transparent, candid, and admit to your error. Don't try to blame it on others. After all, it is human to err. You have to respond quickly before people make judgments about your incompetence or inexpertise. By demonstrating that you have changed as a result of your mistake, you reassure everyone that you can be trusted with equally important tasks or decisions in the future." Today marks the anniversary of the establishment of Nichiren Buddhism. It was on this significant day that Nichiren Daishonin first invoked the chant "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" on April 28, 1253, at Seichoji Temple where he had first studied Buddhism as a young boy. Through his extensive study of the Buddhist scriptures, Nichiren Daishonin subsequently concluded that the Lotus Sutra was the vehicle that would lead all people directly to attain enlightenment, or Buddhahood in this present lifetime.
Nichiren Daishonin had foreseen that he would encounter opposition upon his declaration as he was living at a time when the society placed staunch attachment to the practice of Nembutsu. It was a teaching which encouraged people to believe that they could gain rebirth in a Pure Land after death. By declaring that the practice of the Lotus Sutra would enable people to bring forth the Buddhahood in this lifetime, was indeed challenging the fundamental mindset of the time which believed that ordinary people were powerless to affect change by themselves. As a consequence, he incurred anger and hatred from the powerful religious authorities of his day whom in cahoots with the shogunate, oppressed and persecuted Nichiren Daishonin leading to his near execution and exiles. These persecutions arose out of Nichiren Daishonin's fervent wish to free people from suffering and transform an evil age by widely propagating the teaching of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. In the Gosho - Reply to Yasaburo, Nichiren Daishonin wrote: At first I pondered whether or not I should speak out. Yet what was I to do? Could I turn my back on the teachings of the Buddha who is father and mother to all living beings? Resolving to bear whatever might befall me, I began to speak out, and in these more than twenty years I have been driven from my dwelling, my disciples have been killed, I have been wounded, exiled twice and finally came close to being beheaded. I spoke out solely because I have long known that the people of Japan would meet with great suffering and felt pity for them. Thoughtful persons should therefore realize that I have met these trials for their sake. If they were people who understood their obligations or who were capable of reason, then out of two blows that fall upon me, they would receive one in my stead. (WND, 828) Contrary to reason or common sense, Nichiren Daishonin was escorted to the execution ground at Tatsunokuchi without undergoing any kind of judicial hearing. Even worse, his captors paraded him around the town, treating him as if he was a rebel and traitor. What complete madness it will bring if an authority wields absolute power to apprehend and sentence a suspect on the spot. How devastating it will be when the demonic power of the authority is left unbridled! In like manner, South Africa's first black President Nelson Mandela was imprisoned, by the authority, for 27 years for high treason, depriving him of freedom. Although both fighters live in different age, the function of the authorities which persecuted Nichiren Daishonin and Nelson Mandela is identical in its diabolical nature. In his published work, 'One By One', President Ikeda writes: The intensity and scale of his struggle stagger the imagination. His imprisonment dragged on for twenty-seven-and-a-half years, more than ten thousand days. As he himself has said, "South Africa's prisons were intended to cripple us so that we should never again have the strength and courage to pursue our ideals. [One By One, Pg 36] The prison condition was harsh and the regulations were vicious and humiliating. Prisoners were segregated by race, with black prisoners receiving the fewest rations. Political prisoners were kept separated from ordinary criminals and received fewer privileges. To make matters worse, the rules were subject to the sudden disposition of the guards. President Ikeda continues: Even under the hellish conditions, Mandela managed to study and encouraged other prisoners to share their knowledge with each other and to debate their ideas. Lectures were arranged in secrecy and the prison came to be known as "Mandela University." Mandela never relented in his efforts to change mistaken views and create allies among those around him. Eventually, his indomitable spirit gained the respect of even the prison guards. [One By One, Pg 36, 37] For most of his life Mandela fought for an end to apartheid (a system of segregation based on race that gave advantages to whites while restricting blacks to labour reserves) in South Africa. The white minority government of South Africa held rigid belief and absurd assumption that due to the ignorant nature of the blacks, any protests staged by the blacks would be instigated and controlled by a small group of leaders. Hence, this led the authorities to divert their attack on the leadership of the Africa National Congress (ANC). In actuality, he was merely giving voice to the outrage, prayers and hopes of millions of individuals. President Ikeda: The tendency to label people is not unique to South Africa. Such prejudiced attitudes are at the root of human rights abuses everywhere. By lumping people into categories, our ability to imagine their thoughts and feelings is stunted. We can longer put ourselves in their shoes. We stop recognizing them as individuals, as our fellow beings. They are there in front of us, but we do not see them. [One By One, Pg 38] It is a dream of Mandela to transform South Africa into a land ruled neither by blacks nor whites. What he hopes for is a "rainbow nation" in which all people enjoy equal treatments. From the dock at the opening of the defence case in the trial on 20 April 1964 at Pretoria Supreme Court, Mandela closed his statement with these words: "During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to the struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." Herein, we wish to borrow an infamous quote of SSA Young Men Division Chief Khoo Ghee Han: "Whether you like it or not, we represent the organization!" Let’s not jump into blaming Ghee Han for making such audacious and domineering remarks. It is natural to believe that these words were not sprouted out from his sudden whim but as a result of previously held conception. This idea of representing the organization should have been rehearsed for umpteen times in his mind after being emboldened by his peers’ agreement. To speak simply, it is no longer the notion of representing the organization upheld alone by Ghee Han but by all of his peers in the top leadership. The representatives of the association were empowered by the general masses. The empowerment was borrowed from the people and it should not be robbed from the people. It will be a sad blunder on the part of the top leaders to harbor opinion that the empowerment comes naturally and without the requirement of hard earned efforts. It is all because what that are contained within the empowerment are 'trust and respect'. Once trust and respect are violated, what transpires are despotism and oppression. It will cease its existence of a peace loving organization of the people, for the people and by the people. In the conclusion, President Ikeda writes: The most profound philosophies are born in those who have endured the most severe oppression. In Mandela's own words, "It was during those long and lonely years that my hunger for the freedom of my own people became a hunger for the freedom of all people, white and black. I knew as well as I knew anything that the oppressor must be liberated just as surely as the oppressed. A man who takes away another man's freedom is a prisoner of hatred; he is locked behind the bars of prejudice and narrow-mindedness... The oppressed and the oppressor alike are robbed of their humanity. [One By One, Pg 42] During the recent Annual General Meeting of SSA held at it’s headquarter building, the Management Committee further exerted its intimidation towards those whom patronize the Hosshaku Kempon Facebook. It further demonstrated its stance that it would not condone the act of the patrons. To coerce another to stop or remove his/her Facebook posting is the action of oppressor, a prisoner of hatred who robs another of their freedom. Let’s exercise prudence not to fall into the same life-state of the prejudiced and narrow-mindedness. In contrast, we have to manifest the life-state of absolute freedom to liberate both the oppressor and the oppressed. Mar 16 is a significant day for the youth division members around the world to commemorate the event which took place on Mar 16, 1958. It was on this day that the Second Soka Gakkai President Toda entrusted the future of Soka Gakkai and the movement of Kosen-rufu to his beloved youthful disciples, particularly the next President Daisaku Ikeda. In this symbolic day, which direction will the Youth Division of SSA embark? Is the Youth Division of SSA advancing freely with the spirit of 'Integrity', or digressing from the original spirit of the Founding Presidents.
This will determine the future success in the Kosen-rufu movement of Singapore. Youth is the future. They will either develop into fine individual who will assume the role of the pillars of Singapore Kosen-rufu movement or emerge as monstrous tyrant which persecutes its membership. Whether the youth of today will emerge as tyrant of tomorrow will have to rely on the youth of today who has the ability to develop penetrating insight to view thing basing on justice and integrity, and not from the perspective of one-sided or biased report. In 'One By One', President Ikeda narrates the followings: "Toynbee visited Turkey in 1921, when he was about 32 years old. He had gone to observe Greco-Turkish war that had been raging for two years. He first observed conditions from the Greek side, then from the Turkish. For Toynbee, guided as he was by Saint Augustine's injunction "Audi alteram partem" (Hear the other side), this was absolutely crucial. And he placed particular importance on listening to the side that was "the more on danger of not being a fair hearing": 'If one was to see straight, one must also see things from the mute party's point of view... In the present conflict and controversy between Greeks and Turks. The Greeks were the vocal party once again. The Greeks had the ear of the West, and the West was in the ascendant in the world. I was familiar with the Greeks' case; I felt that it could take care of itself; the Turks' case was the one that I must take the pains to understand.' Toynbee traveled to a town where Turkish civilians had been massacred. He witnessed the suffering of the Turkish refugees, and was outraged that these atrocities went completely unreported in the West. Writing down the facts exactly as he had seen them, he wired these to the Manchester Guardian, a leading British newspaper. The editor of the paper courageously published the full texts of Toynbee's report. Why "courageously"? For centuries the Turks had been portrayed in the West as uncivilized savages. To make matter worse, the horrors of the 1915 Armenian Massacre carried out by the Ottoman Turks were still fresh in people's memories. And indeed, when the articles appeared, the newspaper was besieged by a storm of criticism. People attacked it for shamelessly publishing articles sympathetic to the "unspeakable Turks." (Daisaku Ikeda in One By One - Page 18, 19) It is a norm in our culture to always see and believe in the sole source of official report. As a result, it cripples one's ability to develop another way of seeing things. It also attenuates one's motivation from advancing even a single step forward to seek the truth. Except under the circumstances the youth of today is able to penetrate the crust of this cultural barrier and develop the eyes of justice and truth. Otherwise, the future is bleak for Singapore Kosen-rufu. President Ikeda continues: "Relying only on informations from the West - viewing things always from the Western perspective - does not provide a true picture of the world. There is an African view of the world, a world seen from the Middle East, from Latin America, through the eyes of various ethnic minorities. There is more to international society than just the West... Much of the information that floods our world has been selected and tailored to fit preconceived notions and stereotypes. In the extremity of wartime, repeatedly airing scenes of "our side" coming under attack will incite and outrage the populace. In contrast, scenes of the hellish misery inflicted on the citizen of the other country will rarely be broadcast. The growth and development of various media can actually increase the danger of proliferating stereotypes and ready-make images. We are all exposed to this risks." (Daisaku Ikeda in One By One - Page 19, 20, 21) We strongly believe that the powerpoint presentation exhibited on the screen and the witnesses called upon to testify on the stage, during the expulsion of Stanley and removal of 5 senior YMD leaders, were all stereotypes and ready-make image. They have been selected and altered to fit the preconceived notions. Those were the tools and weapons of the top powerful authorities to execute their operation 'c' in Singapore. A move to shut the mouth of those who spoke against their interest. It is utterly senseless to believe that a trip to Malacca could be used to plot against SSA. It is even more ludicrous to brand a group of camaraderie sharing the same thought, as 'clique'. It was obviously a joke of the century for the top authorities to paint the notion of people who spoke against the authorities as plotting against the organization. It was sharply pointed out in 'The Big Sweep' that till now, there wasn't a piece of clear evidence surfaced to proof the validity of the authority's claims. In contrast, what presented in 'The Big Sweep' was evidently clear and explicitly elucidated. By and large, the IS Group of the 80's emerged with ill intention. The source of origin could be traced back to the organization in Indonesia. The purpose of their advent was to deny our mentor, President Ikeda and to oppose Soka Gakkai. They joined hands with our local disgrunted leaders to encroach into our local organization to poach our members to join alliance. Their eventual motive was to divide our membership to form a new community of faith, apart from the family of SGI; apart from our mentor. To make matter worst, the horrors created by the IS Group are still fresh in the memories of our general membership. Henceforth, the top authorities craftily portrayed the expelled member and the removed YMD leaders as the emergence of another similar group that linked to IS group. These twisted facts was adequate for the top leadership of SSA to justify their execution on the expulsion and the removal. If the youth of today and those who are youthful at heart fail to see straight. That is to see things from the mute's party point of view, we will easily fall into the trap set by the plotter. President Ikeda continues in One By One: "It is vital that we each ask ourselves some important questions. For example: Do I accept without question the image provided to me? Do I believe unconfirmed reports without first examining them? Have I unwittingly allowed myself to become prejudiced? Do I really have a grasp of the facts of the matter? Have I confirmed things for myself? Have I gone to the scene? Have I met the people involved? Have I listened to what they have to say? Am I being swayed by malicious rumors?" When we stop looking at ourselves, when we no longer question ourselves, we become self-righteous and dogmatic. Our discourse becomes a one way street. We cannot hear others, that real dialogue becomes impossible." (Daisaku Ikeda in One By One - Page 21) Youth of today and the pillar of SSA for tomorrow, I appeal to you to stop for a moment to ponder. Can we develop another way of seeing things? Its you who can make a change. It's you who will usher SSA into a better tomorrow. The future of SSA depends on you! Now that the number of visits of this website has increased significantly and exceeded 10,000 visitors, it is perhaps appropriate to re-state the purpose and the stand of this website.
At such rate of exposure in the internet which respects the freedom of speech, it is inevitable that there might be people of ill or distraught intent who reproduced, quoted, inferred or made use of the contents in this website, in their various means and channels to achieve certain personal or group objectives that do not represent in any way, the real intent, purpose and stand of this website. As you are well aware that the objective, disclaimer and notice can be found clearly in the home page of this website, it is imperative now to re-emphasize on the points previously presented in order to proclaim our intent and stand on the matter stated above. Please allow us to reiterate the disclaimer here again: Disclaimers: 1. All contents and information should not be misused or misquoted against Singapore Soka Association (SSA) or Soka Gakkai International (SGI) in any forms. 2. All contents and information exist for the sole purpose of education only. 3. We are here to protect and support this Organisation! The disclaimer stated above clearly indicates that the website will endorse and is in full support of the SGI and President Ikeda, our mentor in life, never acting against their interests. In fact, without President Ikeda who founded the SGI, the correct practice and spirit of Nichiren Buddhism will never be able to transmit and spread, in exact accordance based on the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin, to a total of 192 countries and territories today. Precisely because of President Ikeda and the SGI, all its practitioners are able to transform their existing circumstances and achieve absolute happiness in their lives. In this aspect, the website declares its deepest gratitude towards President Ikeda eternally. Again, this website endeavors to be a wellspring of truth and justice based on the correct practice of Nichiren Buddhism within the organization of Soka Gakkai and the SGI, as taught and exemplified by our 3 founding presidents i.e. Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, Josei Toda and our mentor in life, Daisaku Ikeda. Any comments of disagreement, ill intent, malice, distortion or even vulgarities towards this website would be accepted with grace and a spirit of embrace but the website will demonstrate zero tolerance against any of such comments against our 3 founding presidents and especially our mentor in life, President Ikeda. The website will, without reservation, take appropriate actions against any of such misbehaviour that could be found via any channels. The website would like to extend to all visitors to support us in our cause of advancing towards truth and justice in this noble path of kosen-rufu. Once again, thank you very much for your appreciation and support. Today marks a significant day for all of us whom are practising Nichiren's Buddhism. It is a day SGI members around the world commemorate the anniversary of the birth of Nichiren Daishonin, who established the Buddhist practice followed by SGI members. Nichiren Daishonin was born in 16 February 1222, seven hundred and ninety years ago. As a SGI members, we should take this significant day to renew our vow to advance kosen-rufu with the same spirit as Nichiren. Needless to say, it's the spirit of Rissho Ankoku Ron. Without the appearance of Nichiren Daishonin and the selfless dedication of the 3 Founding Presidents of Soka Gakkai, we won't be able to have this faith correctly practising in more than 190 countries and regions. Henceforth, it's at this vital moment that the top leaders of SSA should reflect on whether they digresses from the spirit of our founder of Buddhism and Soka Gakkai.
A series of persecutions that spark off after the Facebook issue left us with no choice but to be convinced that the top leaders had indeed strayed off from the spirit of its founders. The element of compassion, righteousness and integrity is nowhere to be found in this peace-loving organization. What prevails in their behaviour is authoritarianism, dogmatism, despotism and oppressiveness! These series of persecutions befalling the victims was analytically elucidated in Moral Panic-Witch Hunt and Intimidation Ritual in Stanley's Facebook. How true are the description? Moral Panic and Intimidation Ritual are no prophecy but an academic study on the human behavioral reaction of the dictatorship towards those whom they deem as opposers. After the expulsion of a MD and removal of senior responsibility of five YMDs from SSA, none of the righteous people who stood up to speak against the injustice were spared. The first victims was Mr. D. He was ambushed by the top MD leaders while he reported for Soka Knight Duty in SSA Headquarter. Mr. D was later escorted by 5 leaders to a room in SSA headquarter where he was coerced into stopping his commentary on Facebook. A violation of Freedom of Speech by the top leaders. Worst to come, he was ordered to remove his posting in Facebook, an action truthfully violates the Human Rights! Of what right do these oppressive top leaders of SSA have for thus irrational demand to its member? Several times when Mr. D presented his view in his Facebook posting, he was repeatedly interrupted by JTay(v md chf) and retorted that he didn't care on any violation of freedom of speech. What JTay cared was that DT complied in their demand. I believe the following Ikeda Sensei's guidance acutely illustrate the behaviour of JTay. "A humble person is usually composed, while an arrogant person is often impatient. A composed person can assess things correctly, while a person in a hurry always sees things in a distorted way." (Ikeda Sensei in Wisdom for a winning life) This demonic trait of persecuting members was not contained within this pack of top leaders. It was cascaded even to the Chapter level. Due to this cascading effect, Geylang West Chap YMD Chief KSoh wrote a poisonous letter to Stanley's family, ripping their hearts apart. In the letter, KSoh asserted that Stanley's Facebook constituted committing the fifth of the five cardinal sins. KSoh explained that his intent of writing this letter was to advise Stanley's family to refrain from participating in Facebook comments. To everyone's consternation, it turned out that the letter of advice became a letter filled with provocative and confrontative content. It's comparable to the impact of rubbing salt to its wound. I have to accept the fact that the writer is either a moron or a person who harbours hidden agenda, or may be the underling of Devil King of Sixth Heaven who brought misery to people. Consecutively, Jtay's gang did not stop harassing Mr. D. The follow-up interrogation was scheduled 5 days after the ambush in HQ. When Mr. D requested the second session to be held at his home, JTay became furious and shouted on the phone. He even made freakish request liked if you agreed to stop in Facebook, then I will meet you in your house. I do not need to emphasize further on how such remarks describe the behavior of a dictator, or a coward. Anyway, they are two sides of a coin. "A person who warmly embraces and protects others is happy. A person who, on the other hand, is quick to scold or gives orders, or who harbours exclusivist tendencies, creates a cold, dark world around himself." (Ikeda Sensei in Wisdom for a winning life) Needless to say, this guidance of Ikeda Sensei sharply depict the atmosphere which the top leaders create for the organization, SSA. When everything appears to be simmered down, four leaders were suspended from the role of study facilitator yesterday, namely Ivy Chua(Stanley's Sis)-WD, Aaron Chan-YMD, Albert Chua-YMD & Melvin Tan(Mr. D's son)-YMD. The suspension of the four leaders converges to only a single reason and that is their non-compliance in stopping and removing of their Facebook posting. Out of the four, Aaron was also suspended from Gajokai Duty. Could Albert Chua and Melvin Tan be suspended from Gajokai duty too? It's a matter of time the persecutors take action. From the past observation, the persecutors adopt similar set of pattern to execute their demonic works. They will use dialogue as their camouflage to coerce the victim into submission. If the victims are not intimidated to comply to their demands, they will proceed to suspend, remove or even expel them. I do not believe true Buddhist leaders will employ similar impious and monstrous methods to rule over their membership. What truly sickening and intolerable was that these Oppressors made Ivy travelled a long way to Senja Soka Centre, situated in the North-west of Singapore from the East. Although Singapore is relatively small as compared to our neighboring countries, the journey would simply take more than an hour. Given her weak constitution and her recent discharge from hospital, she was warned by doctor not to travel long distance journey as it may endanger her life if left unattended. To her shock, she was informed only in Senja Soka Centre that she was suspended from the role of study facilitator due to her posting in Facebook. This decision was made with no due consideration to the affected party. I would like to pose a question to the WD chf. Who is going to take responsibility if some mishaps happen to Ivy while en-route to SJSC? Who is responsible for such miscommunication? If top leaders can't even look into the welfare and safety of their junior, are you fit to sit in that position? Let's forget about JTay in this role. He's just a watchdog at the entrance who dare not even bark now. From the aforesaid massacre, they persist to establish a fact. A fact that the top leaders of SSA had digressed from the spirit of our founders. The spirit to remove suffering and give joy. Digressing from this spirit, the oppressive nature of the top leaders impart suffering to its members. Of course there are still good souls around in the top leadership. I'm certain Karin Lee is one such good example. When I mentioned top leadership, I refer to top decision makers sitting in the Central Committee and the Management Committee, the masterminds behind all these massacre. I will conclude with the following passage from the Gosho, A Ship to Cross the Sea of Suffering. "Doesn't a fire burn more briskly when logs are added? All rivers flow into the sea, but does the sea turn back their waters? The currents of hardship pour into the sea of the Lotus Sutra and rush against its votary. The river is not rejected by the ocean, nor does the votary reject suffering. Were it not for the flowing rivers, there would be no sea. Likewise, without tribulation there would be no votary of the Lotus Sutra." Arise! Bodhisattva of the Earth...Arise! Hello to all fellow comrades,
In view with the recent events happening, the editorial team has decided to invite anyone who have any grievances or suffered any oppression, to step forward and share with us. We wish to reveal the truth and report all sufferings and unfairness that are brought upon you and your family. If you happen to know anyone that are suffering or being oppressed, please share it with us. We ensure you that your identity will be kept confidential and we will not disclose any information about you. We strongly encourage everyone to step forward! We would like to be the voices that speak out for justice! Please don't hesitate because the longer you wait, the longer those who are suffering will remain suffering! You can reach us at h.kempon@gmail.com. From our editors...
As SGI heralds into year 2012 with the theme of Year of Developing a Youthful Gakkai, it commemorates the 50th anniversary of Kamata Chapter. A campaign where Sensei took the lead for Kamata Chapter to shakubuku 200 households within a month. It is without doubt the true disciples of Sensei worldwide is standing up to embark with the spirit of transforming the karma or destiny of that particular place—the spirit of the “threefold transformation of the land.” Sensei shared in his lecture: The “Threefold Transformation of the Land”—Part 1 [of 2] "The wide spreading of the Mystic Law serves as the fundamental driving force for transforming the world into a realm of peace and prosperity. All of you, my comrades in faith, are working together with me to fulfill this great mission that we proudly share. This is the most admirable life possible and the way to accumulate boundless good fortune and benefit." (Translated from the December 11, 2008, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, the Soka Gakkai daily newspaper) Will the change in GD signal a change in the nature of leadership? From the religious oppression to one that leads the practitioners towards the path of absolute happiness? Will SSA advance in tandem with the direction of SGI or remain in its own egoistic and obstinate direction? Will they still be bogged down by the Lion King District (LKD) set by the ex-General Director Ong Bon Chai? These are true concerns and voices from the ground. Or else it would be like what it was shared by the ground, '换汤不换药'? It means 'Different broth but the same old medicine'. A deeper meaning and that is changes that is accomplished on the surface but not in its essence. It will depend largely on the 太上皇, the Retired Emperor who will or will not cling on to its power. Unless it appears to have a clean break from the old oppressive style of ruling. There again, it has to be at the mercy of 太上皇 to stop exerting influence on the new GD or worst, its supporters. A smooth handover of Chief Executive Director(CED) from the office of Mr. Ong Bon Chai to Mr. Tay Eng Kiat may appear to be successful on the surface. Due to the fact that tonnes of dirt were swept under the carpet over an extensive period by the ex, I wonder how long the contemporary will take to clean. It will be even worst if the contemporary adopts the 'if I can't beat you, I join us' attitude and linger on with the dirts. Lets not forget that the contemporary was once a YMD Chief during his Youthful days. All the more he has to execute such impartiality. Therefore, we will have to depend on whether his fundamental enlightenment triumph over his fundamental darkness or vice versa. To think that the bad old days are over is simply naive. In order for Kosen-rufu to advance limitlessly in Singapore, this evil influences have to be severed distinctly. Beside basing on prayers, more courageous people have to stand up and speak up to ensure that truth prevails. Lastly, the editorial team would like to wish our readers a Happy and Fulfilling year! 2 Jan 2012 |