Have you ever tried stopping in the middle of a jog, just to squat down opposite some blocks of HDB flats and wonder, how many of those units houses truly happy and harmonious families? How many are suffering in silence, combating their lives’ problems alone and afraid?

There are really a lot of people in this world. We can provide an estimate of the number of people on this planet, but that will ultimately be just a statistic. How many human hearts can we come to know and love and touch? Are our own hearts big enough to embrace the world? Some times we cannot even embrace the people in our humble community and society.

Am I being too sentimental? The cynics may well accuse me of that, but regardless, I am only trying to cultivate compassion. Compassion, is what I would consider that highest of all human virtues. Nothing is nobler than compassion. Not even love that the media is shamelessly advertising daily, although love has its merit, it is hardly the purest of virtues.

I am a very religious person. I am religious enough to declare boldly that should I be persecuted, exiled, or slandered because of my faith, I will still continue upholding my beliefs and philosophies in life. That is exactly how confident I am of my religion.

I remember a time when I first gain such intensity passion for my faith; I often challenge others in religious and philosophical debates. With a healthy knowledge of Christianity due to my schooling in mission schools and my own personal research, I was often able to provide comprehensive arguments to establish the superiority of Nichiren Buddhism. (I offer my apologies to my Christian friends for stating such a hard stand. But I do not see the need to mask any of my heartfelt feelings on this blog.)

Over the years, I have had opportunities to shaken many individual’s faith by exposing the many weaknesses in their philosophies. As I reflected on those times, I felt a tint of reproach on my self. I came to realized that it was arrogance that guided my debates. Whereas what I should really be cultivating should be compassion.

The function of compassion is to desire happiness for all. Buddhism teaches that every individual have the potential for Buddhahood within their lives. However, this Buddhahood can only be manifested under the right karmic conditions, and external stimulus. If these factors are not in place, disproving others’ faith will not lead them to happiness, but only to disturb their minds and upset their emotions.

It is for this reason that I ceased to initiate any religious debate. However, propagation is the lifeblood of all religions. If you truly believe something is good and worthy of sharing, and you fail to do so, you are nothing more than a hypocrite. Which is why, although I disapprove of the methods of evangelistic individuals, I can fully appreciate their passion and enthusiasm. All I will do is to bold declare my affiliations and announce my willingness to share my faith if anyone is interested. However, if you are not interested, I can guarantee that I will not bombard your senses unnecessarily.

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When it comes to happiness, everyone has a different concept. A dictionary says that happiness means a fulfilled state of life in which one feels happy. This definition, however, is quite vague. Some may say, “If I’m satisfied with my current way of living, I’m happy.” Others might say, “If I desire too much, there will be no end to it. That is why I feel I am satisfied with the way my life is.” Still others can say, “Because I’m healthy, financially blessed, and have a nice family, I am happy.” Such happiness, however, will collapse when they fall ill, meet with accidents, or encounter troubles in daily life. Instead of happiness, they will experience unhappiness. To put it another way, happiness that depends solely on favorable circumstances can never be guaranteed. Such happiness can collapse any time one’s surroundings change.

Some people say that as long as you make the effort, you can become happy. But effort without knowing the ultimate purpose in life is like piloting a boat in the middle of Pacific Ocean without a compass or chart. People who believe in the efficacy of self-achievement have a shallow, overly optimistic view that someday everything will come together for them. Their viewpoint is based on their superficial confidence in their own ability to achieve happiness; it is just like being in a boat that may capsize at any moment when the waves of obstacles arise. When all is said and done, true happiness is a powerful feeling that wells up from the depths of one’s life, accompanied by an absolute sense of confidence and fulfillment – a life condition that can never be destroyed by outside forces.

The ‘reality’ of one’s environment or surroundings is only a means to happiness. It is not the foundation of happiness itself. Actually, the source of one’s happiness is found only within oneself. So even if you are plagued by suffering and sorrow, if you live a life in which you make every possible effort to express your fullest potential in the manner that best suits you, you will bring find supreme happiness. As you struggle to bring out this highest potential, no matter what difficult situations you may experience along the way you will without fail come to feel a true sense of fulfillment at being able to live a happy life. Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism alone enables one to express one’s full potential and tap the ultimate, indestructible state of life, or enlightenment.

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Morigasaki Beach

With my friend by the shore
Morigasaki
Pungent seaside smell
Waves withdrawing

Nineteen-year-old boys
Pondering what path to choose
Philosophical talk
As the hours go by

My friend troubled
Always so poor
“The way of Christ
Is the one I’ll follow!”
Eyes flashing keen in the moonlight –
To that firm heartbeat
The waves rolled in

On the crumbling embankment
Grasses grown thick
Voices of insects – what kind I don’t know
Tonight we shall fashion
Poems and songs?
Music with a tone
Of ancient court times?

But my friend stands silent
What way should I choose,
That my life may wing away
To far-off gardens of the moon?
He wipes away the tears, sighing

My friend in lonely sorrow
I too
But with one boundless aspiration:
Make a promise with me
We’ll face life
Whatever pain it brings!
My friend smiles
“I’ll go along with that!”

That far-off world
My friend is seeking –
A different one
But I too have my Way
A long song on a stage
That never ends
Till hair turns white,
Talking with the moon

I wish you all luck
My friend!
Next time we meet –
When will it be?
Wordless we depart
Upon our separate journeys
Silver waves sway gently
Morigasaki