What is Soka Spirit?

Buddhism exists for our happiness, for everyone’s happiness, for everyone’s lasting happiness intheir present existence into the next. Daishonin’s teaching of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo makes it possible to become unshakably happy. The SGI movement is propagating this great humanistic teaching to people worldwide without any distinction and will continue to do so for countless generations.

Soka Spirit is an act of compassion and conviction. It is a crucial focus in our practice by which we protect SGI member’s process of becoming happy from any confusing forces and reach out to dialogue and encourage those who mistakenly have drifted into the erroneous path of the priesthood or the temple.Soka Spirit is about protecting Daishonin’s teaching from subtle yet profound distortions of Nichiren Shoshu priesthood. Finally it is about not letting the lies of the priesthood about the SGI and its three Presidents impede the growth of SGI’s undertaking of kosen-rufu. The following write-up will elaborate these 3 points.

Daishonin’s Buddhism tells us practitioners about our infinite potential to become happy. It is a detailed dairy of our own life. In its rare stance, Buddhism exists for ordinary human beings and does not subjugate them to itself. Traditionally, religions in their singular focus on the external almighty have belittled the life of its follower and encouraged deep subservience. Hence, whenever considered necessary, human lives have been violated or sacrificed in the name religion. In recent times, even the world religions have seen increased fanaticism that violates sanctity of life in the name of preserving or advancing it. The founders of world religions might not have conceived devaluing human life, but as time moved far from the founding days, contemporary followers have taken false pride in lording over its adherants out of a belief that they are doing service to their own religion. Daishonin’s Buddhism and the Lotus Sutra recognizes common mortal as a true Buddha. Hence human considerations is paramount and central to faith. In a similar vein, Soka Spirit is about deeply valuing fellow human beings. It’s about praying deeply and exerting efforts towards those who are misguided about life-affirming teachings of Nichiren Daishonin despite the fortune of encountering it in their life. With an understanding of Soka Spirit, we remind lost individuals of the correct path - reminding people of the correctness of a correct path.

I subconsciously dreaded looking at Soka Spirit issue whole-heartedly or eye-to-eye with full conviction. But I realized that beginning to address it directly is itself the source of highest benefit. Nichiren Daishonin and Shakyamuni both attested to it. In the same spirit, President Ikeda has often brought this to our attention. This wholehearted courageous battle is a decisive battle for enlightenment. Like anything else in life, we might hesitate addressing fundamental darkness despite its significance in blocking our happiness - as if we dread taking up something which we know is value-creating. We also know from our own experience that the moment we begin to realize its importance and start addressing it, that which we dreaded becomes a source of great joy once we start breaking through it. Over the defeated turf of the greatest evil lies the greatest good. More we neglect or procrastinate, more we descend into lower life condition. Even if we make a humble beginning, it is of great import and carries the promise of great happiness ahead that transcends our imagination. We possess the potential to be whole heartedly determined about Soka Spirit within a single moment and such a moment will determine the course of our conviction in future with guaranteed happiness never known before. The nature of fundamental darkness is to trick us not into not looking at it, not recognizing it nor to address it. It diverts our minds convincingly whispering that there are other important issues to care about. If that doesn’t work, it scares us into thinking that addressing it will bring greater hardship.. that we might get run over by something gigantic and confusing. But such a dark inner voice keeps us from thinking about the great benefit of looking at it head on, recognize its true devilish nature and fighting it. It is like a dark room of which we are unknown and unfounded fear makes us think that there is something dangerous aitting inside. But if we can reach out and switch the light on, all our unfounded or confusing fear can be addressed by a touch of reality. We can become enlightened about what is truly inside the room. To make a vow or a determination that I will not let any force in the universe impede the progress of kosen-rufu, I will not let anyone prevent people’s eternal opportunity of becoming absolutely happy, I will not let anyone stop people from experiencing the great light of Nichiren Buddhism, not let anyone stop this light from engulfing our lives with hues of happiness. Such an unshakable determination is the greatest source of benefit, the greatest source of building a diamond like self which life and death can only reveal but not shake.