To My Friends (Feb. 14)

A translation of SGI President Ikeda's "To My Friends" published in the Seikyo Shimbun and more.

—TO MY FRIENDS—
"Winter always turns to spring."*
It is in the midst of persevering in our struggles,
in the face of adversity,
that the causes for victory and success are made.
Let's each win on our own respective stages of life
and open up the way to a springtime filled with happiness and good fortune.

*"Those who believe in the Lotus Sutra are as if in winter, but winter always turns to spring." "Winter Always Turns to Spring," WND-I, page 536

**Winter can function to awaken inherent power and latent potential—this principle applies to both life and Buddhist practice. All living beings possess the seed of Buddhahood, otherwise known as the Buddha nature. This seed contains potential as vast and boundless as the universe itself. It is awakened from dormancy and brought to fruition by faith in the Lotus Sutra, which enables us to surmount the trials of winter. In other words, it is achieved through our struggles against the obstacles that arise in the course of our Buddhist practice--namely, against the three obstacles and four devils, and the three powerful enemies. We can bring brilliant flowers of victory to bloom in our lives when we weather the hardships of winter and emerge triumphant based on our practice of the Mystic Law.
(SGI President Ikeda's gosho lecture, SGI Newsletter No. 7521)

—DAILY GOSHO— "Three things are required--a good teacher, a good believer, and a good teaching--before prayers can be effective and disasters banished from the land." (How Those Initially Aspiring to the Way Can Attain Buddhahood through the Lotus Sutra—The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 880) Selection source: SGI President Ikeda's essay, Seikyo Shimbun, February 14