Losing My Mother Helped Me Discover My Mission

My journey in faith began in 2011 through my mother.

At that time, she was battling severe kidney disease and needed a transplant.

Despite enormous uncertainty, she faced everything with extraordinary courage, hope, and determination.

Watching her struggle with such dignity deeply shaped my life.

She was an educator and constantly taught me two things:

To respect learning deeply

To believe that I could build a meaningful life

She became my greatest role model.

Growing Up With Confidence Through Faith

Because of the training I received in the Gakkai, I gradually became more disciplined, confident, and determined.

Over the years, I experienced many victories:

I topped my class in Grade 11

Became Head Girl in Grade 12

Won gold medals at yoga nationals

Earned a black belt in karate

Learned eight dance forms

Secured admission to New York University Abu Dhabi on a full scholarship

Throughout every achievement, my mother stood beside me like my strongest cheerleader.

She constantly reinforced one conviction in my heart:

“You can achieve anything.”

With that confidence, I dared to dream beyond what seemed realistic.

I determined to study at universities like Harvard or Stanford one day and contribute meaningfully to society.

Losing My Mother Changed Everything

Then in April 2021, my world collapsed.

I lost my mother to COVID.

The grief was unbearable.

I completely lost my will to live.

The confident and vibrant person I once was disappeared.

I became consumed by:

Self-doubt

Loneliness

Emotional numbness

Despair

Friendships faded.

I isolated myself emotionally.

Every dream I once carried suddenly felt meaningless.

Returning To Faith

In December 2022, during one of the darkest phases of my life, I slowly found my way back to faith.

I sought guidance from seniors in faith and began chanting earnestly again.

I also studied Sensei’s writings on the four sufferings:

Birth

Aging

Sickness

Death

Gradually, my perspective began changing.

Instead of asking:

“Why did my mother leave so early?”

I started realizing something much deeper.

She had prolonged her life for years to raise her daughters into strong and capable individuals.

She had already given me everything I needed.

Now it was my turn to stand up.

Not as a victim of suffering — but as a warrior of faith.

Winning Over Fear And Self-Doubt

Even after this realization, challenges continued.

My final year at university felt overwhelming.

I especially struggled with my Capstone project, which I had earlier withdrawn from because of setbacks and fear.

But this time, I made a firm determination:

I will rely on the strategy of the Lotus Sutra.

I aligned my project with my deeper mission of contributing to educational access and opportunities.

Little by little, my confidence returned.

The results stunned even me.

I graduated with a perfect 4.0 GPA across all four years.

And my Capstone project was exhibited at the Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi.

Continuing My Mother’s Dream

After graduating, I returned to India.

By then, my passion for education had deepened tremendously.

I took over my mother’s educational institute and gradually expanded it from 10 students to 60 students.

At the same time, I pursued internships:

With an NGO

With the government

I wanted to understand education at every level and contribute meaningfully to society through it.

Quietly, I also revived the dream my mother and I once shared together:

Studying education at one of the world’s top universities.

Choosing Hope Every Day

The application process felt terrifying.

Some universities had acceptance rates as low as three percent.

Many days, grief resurfaced.

I wondered whether I was dreaming too big.

But I kept returning to these words of Nichiren Daishonin:

“We ordinary people can see neither our own eyelashes, which are so close, nor the heavens in the distance. Similarly, we do not see that the Buddha exists in our own hearts.”

(‘New Year’s Gosho’, WND-1, 1137)

Slowly, I fought against my insecurities and developed a stand-alone spirit.

Ikeda Sensei’s words also became my daily compass:

“Hope … is a decision. It is the most important decision we can make.”

(Hope Is a Decision, 5)

I began each morning by consciously deciding to live with hope.

Advancing Kosen-rufu Wholeheartedly

Throughout 2024, I immersed myself fully in Gakkai activities.

I attended:

Discussion meetings

Gosho meetings

Planning meetings

OTT

Special division meetings

I also:

Read the 30 Gosho for Ikeda Kayo-kai daily

Studied Discussions on Youth

Studied The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace

Opened my home for meetings

Took responsibility as a block chief

Supported the student division at the region level

Most importantly, I visited members daily and encouraged them sincerely.

I also introduced five friends to the practice.

Through striving for others’ happiness, I underwent profound human revolution.

I became:

Stronger emotionally

Wiser in difficult situations

More compassionate

More fearless

Reporting Victory To My Mentor

Then came March 2025.

I had made a determination to report victory by March 16th.

And finally, the results arrived.

I received admission offers from:

Harvard University

Stanford University

Columbia University

UC Berkeley

Brown University

University of Texas at Austin

Soka University of America

At that moment, I felt overwhelming gratitude.

Not only because I achieved my dream — but because I had transformed my grief into mission.

What I Learned

This journey taught me that faith does not erase suffering instantly.

Rather, it gives us the strength to:

Stand up again after collapsing

Transform grief into wisdom

Turn pain into purpose

Create value from suffering

I also realized that when we devote ourselves to encouraging others, our own life expands naturally.

My Determination

I now determine to:

Lead a value-creating life through education

Empower others through learning

Support fellow members wholeheartedly

Advance kosen-rufu with the heart of a lion king

Continue reporting victory after victory to Sensei

This victory is not the end of my journey.

It is only the beginning.