“I Am That One Disciple”
Manish Shekhawat had been practicing Nichiren Buddhism for nearly eighteen years when one of the most difficult phases of his life began unfolding.
In September 2020, his family was anxiously awaiting the outcome of a court case that had continued for almost three decades.
His father had been falsely implicated.
For months, Manish chanted abundant daimoku daily, praying intensely for justice and victory.
But despite all efforts, the court announced an adverse verdict.
His father was shattered emotionally.
The entire family felt traumatized.
At that moment, life itself seemed to ask one painful question:
Would he now begin doubting faith?
But Manish made a different choice.
Instead of collapsing internally, he intensified his prayers and continued exerting himself in Gakkai activities with determination.
Soon afterward, the family successfully obtained a legal stay order against the judgment.
Relief finally arrived.
But what seemed like the end of a nightmare was actually only the beginning.
When Grief Arrived One Blow After Another
In November 2020, the entire family tested positive for COVID-19.
His mother’s oxygen levels started dropping dangerously.
Hospitals had no available beds.
Manish himself was simultaneously battling COVID.
Yet even amid exhaustion and fear, he continued chanting fervently for his mother’s recovery.
After eight difficult days, however, she passed away.
The emotional devastation was immense.
Again, life demanded that he collapse in agony.
But standing before the reality of death, Manish chose to chant for her eternal peace instead of surrendering to despair.
Then another devastating blow arrived almost immediately.
Shortly after his mother’s passing, his father was diagnosed with advanced-stage cancer.
Overwhelmed with grief yet refusing to give up, Manish once again gathered his determination and began chanting abundant daimoku for his father’s health.
He completed one million daimoku while simultaneously:
Supporting members through e-visits
Attending Soshokai rosters
Participating in Gakkai meetings
Managing demanding office workdays stretching up to fourteen hours
Even his father, despite severe illness, stood beside him chanting daimoku.
In the middle of immense suffering, the family refused to lose their fighting spirit.
When Silence Entered His Life
Then another crisis emerged.
Due to caregiving responsibilities, toxic workplace culture, and office politics, Manish lost his job.
After twenty-seven years of a successful corporate career, he suddenly found himself unemployed.
The emptiness afterward felt unbearable.
He later described that phase simply:
“There was pin-drop silence in my life.”
Everything externally seemed to be collapsing simultaneously.
Yet once again, he refused to give in to despair, depression, or anxiety.
Instead, he immersed himself even more deeply in faith.
He spent countless nights in hospitals beside his father’s bed chanting daimoku.
He attended court hearings, coordinated treatments, and ran continuously between hospitals and responsibilities.
Mystically, the right doctors and treatment emerged, and the entire medical expense was reimbursed.
But despite the fierce struggle, his father eventually passed away.
Within one year, Manish had lost:
His mother
His father
His long-standing career
His physical and mental health were severely affected.
Yet even then, he refused to be defeated.
One passage from Nichiren Daishonin became his lifeline:
“Still I am not discouraged.”
(“The Essentials for Attaining Buddhahood,” WND-1, p. 748)
These words became the foundation of his determination to keep advancing no matter what happened.
Fighting as ‘That One Disciple’
Just after his father’s cremation, Manish joined alliance daimoku with zone leaders for the success of the General Meeting.
In remarkably high spirits, he even recorded a video invitation encouraging all zone members.
At a time when most people would naturally withdraw inward, Manish chose contribution and encouragement.
Two Gosho passages deeply strengthened his spirit:
“However wretched a beggar you might become, never disgrace the Lotus Sutra.”
And:
“If my lord should confiscate it, I will regard it as an offering to the Lotus Sutra and a blessing.”
These writings helped him understand his suffering differently.
Rather than seeing himself as unfortunate, he began viewing every hardship as part of his mission as Sensei’s disciple.
His suffering gradually transformed into a profound determination never to begrudge his life.
Turning Pain Into Encouragement
Meanwhile, fresh financial challenges emerged.
His elder son secured admission to prestigious universities in the United Kingdom for postgraduate studies.
But arranging finances seemed impossible.
Without employment, obtaining an education loan became extremely difficult.
Household expenses and EMIs rapidly drained family savings.
At the same time, Manish searched tirelessly for employment.
He applied to more than sixty companies and approached numerous consultants.
Still, nothing materialized.
Yet his nine years of Soshokai training helped him maintain extraordinary courage.
Instead of viewing unemployment merely as suffering, he challenged himself to see it as an opportunity to advance kosen-rufu.
He participated enthusiastically in all BTS activities.
Study meetings and e-rosters became sources of joy and strength.
Encouraged by senior leaders, he undertook another fierce challenge:
One million daimoku
One hundred home visits in one hundred days
He also created unit-wise prayer lists for men’s division members facing severe struggles including:
Job loss
Illness
Death of loved ones
Many times, he visited members with tears hidden behind a smile.
But while encouraging others, something remarkable happened.
Victories began pouring into the lives of members around him.
One got a new job.
Another achieved business success.
Someone overcame grief.
Another received promotion and increment.
Court cases resolved favorably.
The atmosphere itself began transforming.
While fighting his own battles, Manish became a source of courage for countless others.
Changing Poison Into Medicine
Determined to understand Sensei’s heart more deeply, Manish prayed continuously for stronger and deeper faith.
Some days, he chanted as much as ten hours.
Within a year, he completed:
Three million daimoku
Two hundred home visits
Slowly, something profound changed inside him.
Even amid grief and uncertainty, he genuinely experienced hope, courage, and happiness.
For the first time, he deeply understood the Buddhist principle of “changing poison into medicine.”
Then, after a full year of unemployment, breakthrough finally arrived.
Manish secured a director-level position at a renowned health-service aggregator company.
The role came with:
The salary package he desired
Five-day workweeks
Enough flexibility to continue supporting Gakkai activities wholeheartedly
Meanwhile, his elder son received admission offers from Oxford and the London School of Economics along with a fifty-percent scholarship.
He also secured a job to independently manage his expenses, removing the need for education loans entirely.
His younger son, who previously struggled academically and lacked confidence, transformed into one of the top students in his class and began practicing Buddhism sincerely.
His wife Monisha also received a promotion with a significant salary increase.
Yet for Manish, the greatest victory was something else entirely.
Throughout the most horrifying two years of his life, not once did his family need to console him emotionally.
Not once did he allow himself to remain defeated internally.
Every single day, he chose to stand up again.
A Line That Stayed With Me
“Still I am not discouraged.”
Reflection
Sometimes life tests human beings beyond what feels bearable.
Loss, grief, illness, unemployment, and uncertainty can arrive all at once.
At such moments, the real battle often becomes internal.
Manish’s journey shows that Buddhism does not promise a life without suffering.
It teaches how to confront suffering without losing hope, dignity, or purpose.
True victory is not avoiding pain.
It is refusing to let pain destroy one’s spirit.
Key Takeaways
Faith helps transform even unbearable suffering into strength.
Encouraging others deepens our own life condition.
Human revolution means refusing to surrender internally.
Consistent efforts eventually create visible breakthroughs.
True discipleship is revealed during life’s harshest storms.
Forward With Determination
Today, Manish remains deeply determined to:
Fight for kosen-rufu with unwavering spirit
Continue supporting members sincerely
Advance as “that one disciple” for his mentor
Never forsake faith regardless of circumstances
Above all, he remains committed to continuing his lifelong journey of transforming suffering into value, courage, and hope.
Inspired by a published Buddhist experience and retold with commentary, reflection, and adapted storytelling.