From Survival To A Life Of Mission And Confidence

I spent my childhood in a single-room house in a low-income neighborhood with my parents and three siblings.

Even finding a rented room was difficult for a family of six.

Many landlords simply refused to rent their homes to us.

Life felt uncertain all the time.

My father had purchased a small piece of land in Jaipur years earlier, hoping one day we could sell it and finally buy a proper house. But despite trying for years, we never found the right buyer.

Slowly, I began believing that perhaps this was all life had to offer us — just survival.

I lacked confidence, direction, and dreams for the future.

My First Encounter With Buddhism

In 2016, one of my close friends introduced me to Nichiren Buddhism.

I even attended a discussion meeting once.

But honestly, I couldn’t understand how chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo could change someone’s life.

It sounded unrealistic to me.

So, I decided not to continue practicing.

Life, however, had other plans.

My Father’s Surgery Became A Turning Point

My father’s health had always been fragile, but in 2016 his condition worsened drastically.

Doctors advised an open-heart surgery.

The situation was serious enough that they prepared us mentally for the worst.

At that time, even though I had stopped attending meetings, my friend continued praying sincerely for my family.

The surgery was conducted in October 2016.

To everyone’s relief, it was successful.

Watching my father gradually recover planted the first seed of faith inside me.

Around the same time, I also realized that I now had to shoulder the responsibility of supporting my family financially.

I started working as a salesman while simultaneously pursuing my BCA degree through IGNOU.

Giving Faith A Genuine Chance

In 2019, my friend once again encouraged me to try the practice sincerely.

This time, instead of explaining philosophy, she simply shared her own victories and experiences.

Her sincerity moved me deeply.

I finally decided to start chanting.

A senior in faith confidently told me:

“Your life is bound to transform through this practice.”

Something about those words stayed with me.

I learned gongyo as quickly as possible and started attending monthly meetings regularly.

Initially, I remained completely silent in meetings because I lacked self-confidence.

But slowly, I began participating in activities.

Without realizing it, my life had started changing from within.

An Unexpected Opportunity

Just a few months after beginning my practice seriously, something completely unexpected happened.

In July 2020, one of my relatives decided to hand over his business operations to me because he was expanding into other areas.

He did this without charging me anything.

I was stunned.

For the first time, I genuinely felt:

Maybe this practice really works.

Transforming My Personality

From then onward, I became deeply committed to faith, practice, and study.

Every morning, I would chant daimoku softly so I wouldn’t disturb my family members sleeping beside me in the same room.

No matter how late I returned from work, I never missed evening gongyo.

I participated wholeheartedly in BSG campaigns, welcome duties, sports festivals, and every activity possible.

Gradually, my personality started transforming.

I became more confident while speaking to people.

I learned how to set clear goals for my life.

One dream became especially strong:

I wanted to buy a proper house for my family.

A place where we could live comfortably and happily.

The confidence I developed through faith also reflected in my work.

I became better at conducting business discussions and negotiations.

My earnings began increasing steadily.

Creating Causes For Victory

At the same time, my prayers expanded beyond my personal struggles.

I began chanting sincerely for the growth of my district and for members’ happiness.

Whenever I felt discouraged or low, instead of isolating myself, I went for home visits to encourage struggling members.

I reached out to inactive members one by one.

My senior leaders constantly reminded me that by working for others’ happiness, I was creating the causes for my own victory.

Those words became my source of strength.

Breakthroughs At Home

In December 2022, my younger brother secured a job with an excellent salary package.

For the first time in years, my financial burden reduced significantly.

Around the same time, we successfully sold our Jaipur land at a very good price.

Suddenly, the dream of owning a house finally felt possible.

But new confusion emerged.

Despite searching extensively, we could not find the right house.

I became anxious again.

Then I came across this guidance from Ikeda Sensei:

“When we run up against trouble and find ourselves facing adversity, we may think that we have reached our limit, but actually the more trying the circumstances, the closer we are to making a breakthrough.”

(The New Human Revolution, vol. 22)

Those words changed my perspective completely.

Instead of panicking, I focused once again on strengthening my faith and practice.

A House With A Mission

Slowly, my prayer itself evolved.

I no longer wanted just a comfortable home.

I wanted a house where members could gather joyfully for Gakkai activities.

At the same time, I challenged myself harder in my district responsibilities.

When I first started supporting the district, only three members were active.

Gradually, that number increased to ten active members.

The meetings became lively and joyful.

I also held dialogues with my brother and sister and deepened our family bonds.

Earlier this year, I was appointed as a chapter chief and also started supporting future division meetings behind the scenes.

The Victory Finally Arrived

Then, during the March 16th Campaign this year, we found the perfect house.

It matched both our needs and our budget.

Most importantly, it was located in the very same colony where we had spent the last 24 years struggling in rented homes.

It was a multi-level house with enough space for our family — and for kosen-rufu activities.

Standing inside that home for the first time, I felt overwhelming gratitude.

Not just because we had bought a house.

But because I had transformed as a person.

Reflection

When I look back now, I realize the biggest change was not external.

The biggest transformation happened inside me.

I changed from:

A fearful and directionless youth

Into someone who could dream, lead, and encourage others

Faith taught me that circumstances do not define our worth.

Human revolution does.

Key Takeaways

Consistent efforts in faith gradually build confidence.

Working for others’ happiness strengthens one’s own life.

External victories often begin with internal transformation.

Challenges become opportunities when faced with courage.

Prayer expands naturally from personal struggles to a larger mission.

Moving Forward

Today, I am focused on building heart-to-heart bonds with future division members and helping them connect to Ikeda Sensei’s heart.

I chant sincerely for every member in my region to experience breakthroughs and victories.

Most importantly, I determine to continue following the path of mentor and disciple throughout my life and build a harmonious, healthy, and value-creating family.