SGI -UK Study Department

Study Lecture notes for October 2022

Advancing on the great path of kosen-rufu with unwavering lifelong courage

Material: SGI Newsletter No. 11011
Notes: prepared by Tobi Keryk, SGI -UK Vice Women’s Division Leader
Thank you for embarking on a study journey towards October study. In October in SGI-UK we
have the great opportunity to include Future Division more fully in activities, to have joy filled
Future Division-centred discussion meetings, finding creative ways to include our young
people.

When we give this study, we will also be approaching 18 November and the realisation of our
united prayer to:
See two new young people in each district this year and the fruition of our beautiful
efforts in engaging in ever deeper, value creating Buddhist dialogues.

As we prepare this study, let’s each encourage and invite new people in our networks, and
particularly youth, to participate in the discussion meeting movement, the heartbeat of our
incredible grass-roots peace movement that is SGI-UK.

The study lecture by SGI President Daisaku Ikeda (NL11011) is complete in itself. I hope these
notes will promote reflection and discussion for study preparation meetings and, in our own
‘experience’ of this study, I have added some Reflection/Questions and invite us as lecturers
to consider these for ourselves in preparing to give this study.

The reference below from the ‘Bold Advance’ chapter of The New Human Revolution in
volume 26, is a beautiful guide for study preparation. President Ikeda was preparing to give a
lecture on behalf of his mentor in Kawagoe in 1952. He writes:

When he thought about the fact he was going to give a lecture on behalf of President
Toda, his nerves ran high, spurring him to study and chant even more intensely… As
Shin’ichi was ready to leave Mr Toda said to him:

“Each lecture is decisive. Thinking to yourself that you may not have another chance
to go to Kawagoe again, treasure each opportunity as a unique encounter… Your
challenge is whether you can awaken in your listeners the joy of having encountered
Nichiren Buddhism and of being able to dedicate their lives to kosen-rufu… Lecture in
such a way that in a year or two Kawagoe district will have grown into the size of a
chapter.”

(From: NHR Vol. 26, p. 354 in the World Tribune edition)

The lecture is anchored in two key Gosho: ‘The Essentials for Attaining Buddhahood’ and ‘On
Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land’, giving us the opportunity to more
deeply understand and powerfully actualise these teachings in our lives. I encourage you to
read these Gosho thoroughly to understand the background.
These notes are structured using: Preparation – contextualisation and introduction to the
Buddha’s teaching, Revelation – of the Buddha’s teachings and core principles, and
Transmission – the application of the Buddha’s teaching, how we use them to create a
valuable difference.

You will find sections of the lecture and study points that resonate with what you want to
share, knowing your local members, Districts/Chapter/HQ. Here I will share extracts that I
found particularly pertinent. The heading titles in each section can be read as guidance in
themselves and help us navigate the crucial points of this lecture.

Introduction/Preparation. This section includes the opening paragraphs and the titles:
‘Spreading a Philosophy of respect for the dignity of life’ and ‘Nichiren Daishonin praises those
with dauntless courage’.

The lecture opens with a reminder of the significance of 2 October 1960, when President
Ikeda set out on his first overseas trip and the beginning of his extensive travels to carry out
the vow shared with his mentor, Josei Toda, which culminated in the establishment of SGI in
Guam in 1975.
The preparation section is full of rich descriptions and examples of his international activities,
dialogues and guidance. The backdrop to President Ikeda’s courageous activities from 1960
was a world in crisis, experiencing profound threats and conflicts that we see mirrored sharply
in our world today. Crucially in the midst of this he shares his far-sighted vision and intent to
‘create the time’ of deep change based on Buddhist humanism:

 ‘Setting out united in spirit with my mentor, whose photograph I had tucked into the
breast pocket of my suit.’

‘Spreading a philosophy of respect for the dignity of life’

 ‘In every city and country I visited, I chanted with the resolve to permeate the land
with Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Speaking with and encouraging one person after
another...’
 ‘The cold war dragged on, the threat of nuclear weapons grew, and disputes and
armed conflicts arose in many regions. Against this backdrop, I awaited the right time,
I created the right time, while building a network of global citizens committed to peace
who upheld a philosophy of respect for the dignity of life.’

At the founding of SGI, President Ikeda called to those gathered with him in Guam, and equally
to us today:

As courageous, compassionate and dedicated disciples of Nichiren Daishonin who are

fully committed to truth and justice, please live out your lives in a positive and uplifting
way, striving for the prosperity of your countries, the happiness of the people and the
precious existence of humankind.

Creating the time is a core theme in the study, the additional reference shared here is an
extract from President Ikeda’s lecture on ‘The Selection of the Time’ (SGI Newsletter No. 8010)
 The ‘time’ is not simply an objective condition; it is carved, in essence, by a firm will.
In other words, a sound age is created by the will to fight and win, day after day,
steadily and surely, no matter whether anyone is watching our efforts or not. Mr Toda
said: “We should focus our efforts on fostering one new sincere member, and then
foster another, and another. This is what creates the time.” In this sense, the right time
is not something that we wait for, but something that we ourselves must create. This
is what I learned from my mentor during my youthful struggles at his side. I have always
taken action with the conviction that the right time is something we achieve through
determination and effort, that it all comes down to personally challenging ourselves.

(For further references on ‘creating the time’, please read Newsletter 8010 in full and also SGI
Newsletter No. 11022: ‘The time is now! Let’s create a whirlwind of dialogue’ and The Heart
of the Lotus Sutra, Chapter 19, p. 231-243.)

Reflection/question: How does a strong determination to practise with this type of courage
to ‘create the time’ change our life experience?

Section 1. Revelation: This section includes the first Gosho and the headings listed here
below:

Gosho Extract 1.

Because I have expounded this teaching, I have been exiled and almost killed.
As the saying goes: ‘Good advice grates on the ear’. But still I am not
discouraged. The Lotus Sutra [the Mystic Law] is like the seed, the Buddha
like the sower, and the people like the field. (WND-1, p. 748; ‘The Essentials
for Attaining Buddhahood’)

Headings:
‘Words that epitomise the Daishonin’s great compassion’
‘The Soka Gakkai spirit of ‘still I am not discouraged’.

‘The passion and commitment to lead all people to enlightenment’.

‘The fearless resolve to fight on amid adversity’.

‘If you give your all to faith you will never regret it’.
The section opens with the line from this Gosho passage ‘Still I am not discouraged’.

These five words are referenced many times throughout this section of the study and are also
the concluding words of the lecture, encapsulating the essence of the entire lecture.

This section also presents the profound meaning of the phrase Yumyo Shojin which we recite
in the first part of Gongyo (‘exerting themselves bravely and vigorously’).
Reflection/question: What does applying ‘still I am not discouraged’ mean to us personally in
our practice?

A central theme in this section is the heritage of courageous propagation from Shakyamuni’s
declaration in the Lotus Sutra, through to Nichiren Daishonin’s example of never for a
moment neglecting the Buddha’s work, and how his life-example emboldened his disciples.
Through to our first and second Soka Gakkai presidents, including citing President Makiguchi
lecturing on this passage. This deep heritage and shared compassionate pledge of the mentor
and disciples of Soka exemplify the spirit of the Soka Gakkai as ‘still I am not discouraged’.

(For further reference on the ‘oneness of mentor and disciple’ see: Guidelines for Kosen-rufu
Victory and Happiness pp. 20-23 extract 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7. Or you may wish to choose others)

The single lines of Gosho selected from Nichiren Daishonin’s writings here, are an impactful
guide for our attitude towards practice and in responding to the call for disciples to rise up
and not be fearful.

(Further reference in SGI Newsletter 11022: ‘The time is now! Let’s create a whirlwind of
dialogue’ President Ikeda shares his own call to pioneer members whilst travelling throughout
Japan (on p. 4). We can reference these to strengthen our resolve and response as disciples
now.)

It is essential to remember that this spirit of firm resolve applies equally to our attitude in
accomplishing our own personal human revolution. As President Ikeda states in the October
Gosho lecture:

The same spirit is crucial in our efforts to transform our karma. We must recognise
that the three obstacle and four devils are at work, confronting them with the lion’s
roar of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and not letting them sway or intimidate us. This is the
key to lessening karmic retribution and leading winning lives by changing poison into
medicine.

Reflection/question: Have we applied this courageous heart to keep tenaciously chanting and
taking action? What experience of joyful breakthrough, victories and/or transformations of
poison into medicine can we share to encourage others generally and in our study?

The section also includes reference to Bodhisattva Never Disparaging and his example which
illustrates that:

 ‘Unshakeable conviction and unremitting faith in the universal potential for

Buddhahood is the very essence of Bodhisattvas who have vowed to lead all to
enlightenment.’
 ‘Genuine Bodhisattvas never give up.’

And the study returns here to the central point of aligning our heart with our mentor:

 ‘The key to this is the mentor–disciple relationship. When we align our hearts with our
mentor’s vow, our innate, original sense of mission will well forth from the depths of
our beings.’
Reflection/question for discussion: What does aligning my heart with my mentor’s vow mean
to me, how has this enabled me to triumph?

Immediately after the declaration of ‘still I am not discouraged’, the Daishonin reveals the
principle of sowing the seed of enlightenment- the spirit of propagation and we read:

Sowing the seed of the Lotus Sutra (Nam-myoho-renge-kyo) in people’s lives activates
their innate Buddha nature. Our efforts in Buddhist dialogue link directly to the
Buddha’s action of sowing the seeds of Buddhahood so that all can attain
enlightenment.

The last section takes us into ‘transmission’ and illustrates the very heart of Buddhist dialogue.
Section 2: Transmission: This section includes the second Gosho and the headings listed here
below

Though I may be a person of little ability, I have reverently given myself to the
study of the Mahayana. A blue fly, if it clings to the tail of a thoroughbred horse,
can travel ten thousand miles, and the green ivy that twines around the tall
pine can grow to a thousand feet. I was born as the son of the one Buddha,
Shakyamuni, and I serve the king of scriptures, the Lotus Sutra. How could I
observe the decline of the Buddhist Law and not be filled with emotions of pity
and distress? (WND-1, p. 17; ‘On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the
Peace of the Land’)

Headings:

‘Proudly upholding the Lotus Sutra, the king of scriptures’.

‘The joy of living our lives with the Soka Gakkai’.

‘The spirit to protect Buddhism’.

‘Noble lives dedicated to sowing the seeds of Peace’.

‘Today is precious’.

This Gosho passage, and entire section, explores ‘Buddhist dialogue in action’ in some detail
to reveal the nature of wise, compassionate and tenacious dialogue as described here
between the host and guest.

Again, chant and find the lines and paragraphs in the section that are right for your study. I
was moved by the description of the dynamic exchanges within the dialogue, taking it as a
guide for my own dialogues. I noted:

 ‘It is very significant that he speaks from the standpoint of being a student of
Buddhism.’
  ‘Consistently engaging in compassionate dialogue is the heart of Bodhisattva practice
to help all people attain enlightenment. It is a sure way to elevate our own and others
fundamental state of life.’

Reflection /question: Can I share my experience of having compassionate, courageous wise

‘Buddhist dialogues’, challenging myself afresh to expand my heart even a little further in
this?

Ikeda Sensei in closing shares his the vow he made with members at the time of the founding
of SGI:

The sun of Nichiren Buddhism has begun to rise above the distant horizon. Rather than
seeking after your own praise or glory, I hope that you will dedicate your noble lives
to sowing the seeds of peace of the Mystic Law throughout the entire world. I shall do
the same…
As we strive to fulfil our vow as Bodhisattvas of the Earth, let us each, with
awareness as a disciple of the Buddha, make tenacious efforts in dialogue to realise a
peaceful and prosperous world for all through the humanistic teaching of the Mystic
Law. By doing so, we will sow the seeds, nurture the saplings, and foster the growth of
magnificent trees of peace throughout the world.

This is a beautiful reminder of how all our efforts and dialogues can inspire growth. This brings
us full circle to the heartbeat of our movement – our discussion meetings. Our discussion
meetings enable us to nurture and foster each other and in October in particular, nurturing
Future Division and young people, sharing our mentor’s great vision of ‘creating the time’ and
fostering the growth of a forest of magnificent trees of peace – right where we are.

I would encourage you to read generously from the concluding sections ‘Noble lives dedicated
to sowing the seeds of peace’ and ‘Today is precious’ to close your study.

Let’s each have a great study journey, living the essence of this lecture so we can share joyful
breakthroughs, victories and growth – exemplifying the heart of ‘still I am not discouraged’!

Please do contact me if you have any questions.

Tobi Keryk, SGI-UK vice Women’s Division leader

Email: Keryktobi@[Link]