Recently, while watching television during my staff retreat, there was a program about the complications of members of the same household having different faiths. This reminds me suddenly of Min, a friend of mine during our undergrad days. Like myself, she is an active member of the Soka Gakkai. However, I learnt recently that her boyfriend is a son of a pastor. How interesting!

It is true that there may be complications when members of the same household have different religions, but it is too hasty to conclude that such a configuration will definitely result in disharmony.

When Nichiren Buddhism was first imported into America, most the practitioners were the Japanese wives of military personals who married while away from home. When these women returned with their husbands when the war was over, they were alone in a strange land and knew little English. Despite great cultural differences, they succeeded in developing a harmonious family and left records of wonderful testimonials of personal triumph.

Min and her boyfriend perfectly respected each other’s faith. I am happy for her that they can enjoy such support from each other. There had been cases of people not fully understanding our movement and resulting in various degree of unhappiness. This is truly unfortunate.

Someone commented to me that when she bought a friend to our meetings, the friend felt awkward after a while because she said that the meeting is too “church-like”. He did not expect a Buddhist organization to be so full of songs and dance and camaraderie. I have no idea when “church-like” had begun to take on a negative connotation among the general populace. I have to admit that I have met various Christian fanatics who damaged their image seriously by acting in very distasteful manner. But I am also rational enough to know that the majority of them are actually very decent folks. It is silly to think that any thing “church-like” is naturally unhealthy.

The Father of Contemporary Peace Studies, Dr Johan Galtung, described one of his encounters with Buddhism as follows: he was visiting a Buddhist Centre in Malaysia when one of the organizers asked him if he would be interested to offer his thoughts and speak about a Buddhist topic. Dr Galtung rejected at first, stating that he is someone who came from the Protestant north of Europe but is visiting only because he wanted to learn more about this philosophy. He was then told directly that the fact that he possessed such a seeking spirit, he is already a Buddhist.

That means that as long as you are striving to understand your own life and its relationship with the environment, you are a Buddhist. This is because Buddhists do not pray to any deities at all. They are just people who are cultivating themselves in order to achieve the life-state of a Buddha. Hence, to some people, they would define Buddhists as spiritual atheistic.

Ultimately the different faiths all have a common goal. And that is to help the common men lead happier lives. Personally, I had studied both the Bible and the Koran when I was younger. And I remained a devoted Buddhist. When I was younger and more headstrong, I would compare the teachings and try to determine the superiority of one over the others. As I gain maturity, my objective had totally changed. I can see the merit in each of the teachings. Although I am still absolutely convinced that Buddhism is the best path to happiness compared to the other faiths, the others are no longer viewed as weaker paths. They are simply alternatives to people with different life-conditions and experiences.

In recent times, the Singapore Soka Association had also begun to reach out beyond our own communities and had multiple chances to cooperate with the Muslim group Mercy Relief on various meaningful and charitable activities. I believe this is a good sign. As long as we continue in this endeavor, true harmony in our society will definitely be achieved. This world is definite in need of more cooperation rather than competition.

Dear Raymond,

Vitality is the capacity to grow. It is also the power to survive. Please always be humble and recognize the need of continual growth. It is only in the constant struggle to grow that you can demonstrate physical and intellectual vigor and energy. As a disciple of a great mentor, you have to do him justice by cultivating 大将之风！You have to become a general of generals, king of kings.

You must be foremost in prayer. Sensei said:

People instinctively wish for protection for themselves and their loved ones when faced with sudden natural disaster or threat, and at the most desperate and dire of times. When such a wish is powerfully concentrated, it becomes a prayer. It is not of the realm of logic or intellect. It transcends such things. Prayer is an act in which we give expression to the pressing and powerful wishes and hopes in the depths of our being and yearn for their fulfillment.

Human beings possess an innate and undeniable instinct for prayer. Religion first came into being in response to this. Prayer did not come into existence because of religion; it was the other way round. Prayer in Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism – chanting daimoku to the Gohonzon – directly fuses all of our diverse prayers with reality, based on the universal law of life. In short, religion came into being out of the human desire for happiness.

Never forget to pray. It is an indication of your commitment to human revolution.

Conduct dialogues! For dialogues are the bridges to attaining peace and security of our communities through understanding and harmony.

Reach out! Be proactive! There are people everywhere who seek a philosophy as a guiding star for their lives. If you are truly compassionate, reach out to them.

And always appreciate your mentor. For gratitude is the wellspring of humanity.

Sincerely,
Your Inner Voice

My uncle had a stoke last night. Upon being hospitalized, it is learned that his cancer had advanced to the fourth stage. It is likely that he might be the second brother my mother will lose to this debilitating disease.

I walked in the rain today. It was cold, yet cleansing. My shirt was thoroughly wet and I was drenched. My hair was in a mess. But my mind was becoming clear. The cold was not frightening. The stings from the winds are weak compared to the passion in my heart.

Every step we take, every breath we take, we lumbered closer to our death. What then is the most important?

How should we live? How should we die? Create legends of our very own. I welcome the rain.

It had been a long time since I gave serious thoughts on what I should write on this blog. Have been rather casual in my past few posts. I guessed it was because I am putting more effort in another blog which I started for my students which I entitled “MRC University”.

But something bothered me quite a bit over the past few days. I was wondering if the NYPSD is doing right? Morale is low. And I was pondering really hard about it. It was at this time that I learnt that Kim Teck will be graduating from the YMD to the MD. He will be missed. He had been the gentle giant, and I truly admire his style and composure. In his last speech as our YMD zone chief, I undoubtedly felt his compassion. I will never forget his definition of “Brothers” and “好汉”.

Campaigns will always be there to be fought. I am a warrior. I too will join in the fight. I can perfectly understand why people are trying very hard to convince others of their faith and philosophy. I am also willing to share Buddhism with anyone because I am absolutely convinced of its validity and its ability to help others lead better lives.

But oftentimes, people at the height of their passion lost the true meaning of sharing the faith. The practice of faith must be a joyous undertaking. Each individual whom we encouraged to take up faith have to become happier people because that is the purpose. We must never lose sight of it. There may be times where aggression may be necessary to dispel erroneous thoughts. But mostly, people are happy only because there is a heart-to-heart connection. We are happy because we believe that there are people who cared, and cared sincerely through the heart.

I must never forget to care.

何谓好汉？

难道非得冲锋，以蛮汉之勇，强行取胜方称好汉？我不以为然。真正的好汉，必须拥有威风堂堂之风范，旷阔无际的胸径。对诸亲有情，对诸友有义，对诸人有任。心字当头，鞠躬尽瘁。

好汉，是有缘人。好汉, 是真心英雄。

Firstly, I believe that compassion is the highest of all human virtues. But true be told, that it is very difficult to cultivate compassion because everyone is inherently selfish. But second president of the Soka Gakkai, the late Josei Toda, would often say that while we may not be able to call forth compassion at will, we can always put courage in its stead. Courage is what allows great men and women of yore do amazing things.

Together with courage, we need also cultivate patience and perseverance. Only with an abundant of these qualities can we have the capacity to embrace others. With this bigness of heart and the generous spirit of accepting people as they are, we will definitely be capable of becoming wonder leaders of society.

As human, it cannot be helped that sometimes we feel like grumbling and complaining when times do not go in our favor, but it is important never to be defeated by our own negativities and weaknesses. We must stand with an invincible spirit like a Lion King. A Lion King seeks no lackeys. A Lion King is afraid of no enemies.

We should always seek to form a harmonious relationship with the people around us and our society. The society is there we put the teaching of Buddhism into practice. Therefore, it makes sense to ensure that the essence of Buddhism shines in our actions in society. We have to stand firm and always uphold justice.

Finally, we have to cherish hope. There is no such thing as a truly smooth-sailing life without any problems. Everyone will encounter various kinds of difficulties and obstacles as they journey through their existence on Earth. What is needed is to always have the hope that when we wage an all out struggle, victory will ultimately be ours. This is what is meant by having an invincible spirit.

It is only in victories where we can savor and taste the joy of life. Buddhism is not about looking for a salvation after death. It is not a safe harbor where you will be protected from the storms. It is about discovering this invincible spirit in order to win. It is about being about to proclaim with pride that we are true victors over the sufferings in life. It is about being strong.

I had been on a lot of invigilation duties lately. What is invigilation for?

I understand that it is important to have invigilators around when that is an official examinations going on. We are there to ensure that the examination proceed smoothly. We are also there to answer any queries that the candidates may have pertaining to the examination. But someone commented that what we really have to do is to stare down the students and make sure that they get the message that cheating is not an option.

Now, am I supposed to be an invigilator or a sentry?

I feel that we need to have trust in these students. But are they trustworthy? I like to believe that they are. But I don’t have any means to verify it.

It had been a busy week. Firstly, there was the SD Kenshukai. I was unable to stay for the entire duration because my brother had chosen the next day to get me a sister-in-law. Seriously lacking in sleep from running errands for my brother, but it was a joyous occasion for the family.

I raise my eyes to the skies
Seeking for the comforting lights
Of the stars
But all I see are clouds
Floating along with the cold winds
The times are changing
I am changing

Like a frog in a well
I struggle to see beyond the walls
But I climb
Trying with all my might
To breath the lovely air of the night
But the more I climb
The more I see of the walls

Can I, but just jump
Or learn the secret of flight
To soar towards the guiding stars
But the barricade
Standing firm
Silent and strong
I vow to dismantle it somehow

November is here
The cold is penetrates
From the feet to the heart
Must reflect
Again and again
For a determined heart
Warms from the heart to the feet

Had a health screening yesterday, my cholesterol level and blood pressure went up. Am I too stressed?

In order to change this world, we all need power. That is exactly what we’re acquiring day in day out. We increase power by gaining experiences, and by increasing our knowledge. Indeed, knowledge is power. Power is the human capacity to control our environment by scientific or technological means.

However, if lacking in wisdom, we will not be able to harness this power and use it creatively for the welfare of humanity.

May we never forget to ask ourselves: For what reason do we cultivate wisdom?