Reviving My Fighting Spirit
I began practicing Nichiren Buddhism in 2009.
Over the years, this practice transformed many aspects of my life.
I built a start-up supplying handcrafted gifts to e-commerce companies.
My husband and daughter also became part of the BSG family.
I joyfully participated in major kosen-rufu milestones and campaigns, including:
The 100,000 Campaign in 2015
The opening of the grand citadels in 2019
Supporting members during the COVID-19 pandemic
Outwardly, everything seemed stable.
But somewhere along the way, I slowly began losing my fighting spirit.
Without realizing it, I had drifted away from the passionate seeking spirit that once energized my life.
When My Inner World Began Crumbling
By 2023, my practice had started feeling empty.
At home, disharmony increased steadily.
My daughter began suffering panic attacks.
Meanwhile, balancing:
Family responsibilities
Business pressures
Gakkai responsibilities
became emotionally overwhelming.
I slowly slipped into anxiety and depression.
Even after seeking medical help, I felt lost internally.
For nearly a year, I struggled silently.
Then finally, I sought guidance from my senior in faith.
Instead of criticism or judgment, I was embraced warmly and compassionately.
That encounter itself became healing.
Then came another turning point.
In May 2024, I attended the Mentor Memorial Training Course.
That experience completely transformed my life condition.
I renewed my determination to strive with the same heart and spirit as Ikeda Sensei.
For the first time in a long while, I felt my fighting spirit awakening again.
Returning to the Rhythm of Faith
After the training course, I challenged myself wholeheartedly in the July “Smile Revolution” WD Campaign.
I focused completely on encouraging women’s division members sincerely.
I also invited three guests to the New Friends Festival at BSG Headquarters.
As my inner life condition changed, visible changes started appearing in my environment too.
On the business front:
I secured an important order
Achieved 99 percent stock sales
At home:
My daughter’s panic attacks disappeared
Family harmony improved significantly
Yet another major challenge soon emerged.
After the 4th BSG General Meeting in November, I determined to transform my zone completely.
But during the Area Training Course in January, the statistics revealed a difficult reality:
Low attendance
Weak membership participation
Inactive districts
Instead of becoming discouraged, the zone and region leaders united strongly with one determination:
To report victory to Sensei.
We carefully reviewed all 16 districts and began systematic home visits.
Members started taking extraordinary initiative.
One MD leader supported a visually impaired member in contacting every MD.
Another WD leader conducted 12 dialogues in a single day.
Yet another leader, despite her own illness, continued reaching out to members tirelessly.
I realized once again that sincere unity creates unstoppable strength.
Creating My Own “Osaka”
One guidance from Sensei deeply moved me during this period:
“This battle will determine my destiny.”
(VC, January 2007)
I determined to create my own “Osaka” struggle.
Not only for the zone.
But also for reviving my own life and business.
I immersed myself deeply in study:
The Osaka Campaign
My Youthful Diary
Making the Impossible Possible
The Gosho
The New Human Revolution
I challenged myself to chant up to three hours daily.
I prayed intensely to believe in the mission and potential of every member.
As HDC for three struggling districts, I personally visited inactive members, encouraged leaders, and invited people joyfully to meetings.
I offered handwritten determination cards and heartfelt encouragement wherever I went.
Gradually, something remarkable started happening.
When Hope Returned Everywhere
By January this year, the discussion meeting attendance in our zone reached 118 — compared to just 44 the previous year.
In a single month, we invited 12 New Friends to discussion meetings, surpassing all of 2024.
Personally, I completed:
100+ home visits in 45 days
Activation of seven youth members
From having zero Gohonzon conferrals in 2024, nine members received Gohonzon in February itself.
Twenty-five members — including eleven leaders — returned to active practice.
Members joyfully participated in:
YSF 3.0
The Gathering of Trailblazers
Welcome committee activities
Planning meetings became vibrant and meaningful.
Saturday daimoku sessions created tremendous unity and momentum.
The same zone that once felt stagnant was now overflowing with hope and movement.
Victories in My Personal Life
At the same time, breakthroughs appeared in my own life too.
I began making wiser business decisions:
Reducing unnecessary costs
Expanding business outreach
Overcoming my fear of rejection
I successfully signed deals with new clients.
My revenues improved so dramatically that by March, I had repaid 80 percent of my debts.
Another deeply emotional victory also unfolded.
A close friend suffered a severe brain stroke.
I chanted earnestly for her recovery and she gradually began recovering well.
Meanwhile:
My husband returned to work after a four-month business collapse
My daughter’s faith revived strongly
I now pray deeply to raise her as a bright and capable Ikeda Kayo-kai member.
Then came another unforgettable moment.
In March, I visited Daiseido and participated in the Kosen-rufu Gongyo Ceremony along with Sensei’s voice.
There, I renewed my vow once again:
To create even greater victories in my zone.
I realized that when kosen-rufu becomes the center of life, limitless courage and hope naturally emerge.
A Line That Stayed With Me
“This battle will determine my destiny.”
Reflection
Sometimes people do not lose faith suddenly.
It happens gradually.
Through exhaustion.
Through emotional overload.
Through forgetting one’s original vow.
But Buddhism teaches that revival is always possible.
The moment we reconnect with:
Prayer
Seeking spirit
Encouraging others
Mentor-disciple spirit
our life force begins reviving again.
My journey taught me that the fastest way to overcome inner suffering is often to stand up for someone else’s happiness.
Key Takeaways
Faith can revive even a deeply exhausted spirit.
Encouraging others strengthens one’s own life immensely.
Unity creates unstoppable momentum.
Human revolution begins by reviving one’s seeking spirit.
Kosen-rufu-centered living transforms both inner and outer life.
Forward With Determination
Today, I remain deeply determined to:
Create a joyful and united zone
Advance kosen-rufu with the spirit of “many in body, one in mind”
Chant 3 million daimoku by November 18th
Engage in 100 dialogues
Introduce 10 lives to the practice
Enable 10 members to receive Gohonzon in 2025
Above all, I determine to repay my debt of gratitude to my mentor and fellow members by creating victory after victory through faith.
Inspired by a published Buddhist experience and retold with commentary, reflection, and adapted storytelling.