SGI President Ikeda’s Message for May 3, 2008

To all our dear friends of Soka Gakkai Malaysia (SGM Penang Branch ) my wife and I would like to offer you our warmest congratulations on this glorious May 3, Soka Gakkai Day, which we also celebrate as Soka Gakkai Mother’s Day out of the deepest respect and appreciation for all the noble mothers of kosen-rufu.

May 3 is the New Year’s Day of the Soka Gakkai; a red-letter day in the calendar of our worldwide kosen-rufu movement. Members around the globe mark this annual milestone by taking a fresh step forward. This is the hope-filled rhythm of the SGI, and one of the important keys of our continued victory.

On this day in 1951, my mentor Josei Toda, filled with unwavering determination to dedicate his life to kosen-rufu, was inaugurated as the second president of the Soka Gakkai. He followed in the footsteps of his mentor Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, the founder and first president of the Soka Gakkai who laid down his life in the cause of upholding and propagating the correct teaching of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism. Later, on this same date in 1960, I began my work as the third president of the Soka Gakkai, resolved as President Toda’s true disciple to build a path to global kosen-rufu, his cherished dream. In this way, May 3 has been the day when Soka mentors and disciples—revealing their true identities as Bodhisattvas of the Earth—have stood up to accomplish kosen-rufu, the mission entrusted to them by Nichiren Daishonin.

In the 48 years since my inauguration as third president, the foundations for worldwide kosen-rufu have been firmly secured. Today, a rich diversity of activities for peace, culture, and education based on the humanistic principles and ideals of the Daishonin’s Buddhism are being enthusiastically pursued in 190 countries and territories. I can state unequivocally that every vow I have made to my mentor I have fulfilled completely and to the letter.
Now the glorious anniversary of May 3 has arrived again. In my mind, I can picture the familiar faces of members around the world who have triumphed magnificently over all manner of hardship and adversity, and I can also hear the joyous voices of new members who are nurturing fresh faith in the Mystic Law and taking on the challenge of pioneering our movement in their countries.

“Were they not Bodhisattvas of the Earth, they could not chant the daimoku” (WND-1, 385), declares the Daishonin. As these words indicate, each of you is most assuredly a Bodhisattva of the Earth. It is therefore crucial that you deeply realize this, your true and most fundamental identity, and, based on chanting daimoku infused with a great vow, courageously engage in the work of kosen-rufu in harmonious unity with your fellow members.
I call out to you: Embark on fresh challenges, with a totally rejuvenated spirit! Be lions, and triumph as lions! Together let’s dedicate our lives to the great vow and grand vision of kosen-rufu!

The SGI is always advancing with a vibrant and youthful life-force. The brilliance and majesty of this unstoppable and ever-victorious dynamism is the treasure of our organization, which President Toda called “Soka Gakkai Buddha.”

The time is ripe. This moment and the place where you are right now is what matters. When committed disciples rise into action with a self-reliant spirit, the sure flame of Soka will burn and spread brightly from where they are, from that very moment. I hope all of you, our members everywhere, will stand up with a vigorous, youthful spirit.

The new, second act of kosen-rufu has begun. The Daishonin urges us: “Strengthen your resolve more than ever” (WND-1, 615) and “Summon up the great power of faith more than ever” (WND-1, 1000). Taking his impassioned cry to heart, let us make our way together on the grand and infinite stage of kosen-rufu with spirited resolve and courageous faith.
My wife and I are praying with all our hearts for the good health, long life, and happiness of each one of you.


Daisaku Ikeda, SGI President
Kaneko Ikeda

May 3, 2008



Guat : Dear all YBs, please read Sensei's message to us with heart, and pledge from the bottom of our heart to fight with all our might and fulfill Sensei's hope on us, as youth, as YB.