Welcome to the July edition of Indigo.

This month we celebrate Mentor Disciple Day on the 3rd, the foundation of the Young Men's Division on the 11th, and the formation of the Young Women's

Division on the 19th.

In this issue we bring you some images of winter in Australia. Yes! We do have snow in Australia! Members of our photography team who either live in colder regions or have visited them sent these in.

Happy reading!

Alejandro Schneider - Indigo Editor

Insights by Third President Daisaku Ikeda

Be a Resolute Champion in Refuting the Erroneous and Revealing the True

The benefit of those who strive for kosen-rufu with the bright and expansive spirit of Bodhisattva Never Disparaging will endure for endless eons.

Nichiren Daishonin writes: “What does Bodhisattva Never Disparaging's profound respect for people signify? The purpose of the appearance in this world of Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, lies in his behaviour as a human being” (W.N.D1p852).

Respect for others - this is the essence of the practice of the Lotus Sutra.

One's behaviour as a human being - this is the starting and ending point of Buddhism.

As his name indicates, Bodhisattva Never Disparaging never looked down upon or disparaged anyone. Rather, he bowed to everyone in reverence, proclaiming that they would all certainly attain Buddhahood through practicing the bodhisattva way (compare L.S20p267).

The members of the Soka Gakkai are practicing just this ultimate form of dialogue and engagement with others, respecting all people and valuing them as individuals, in complete accord with the Daishonin's teachings.

Bodhisattva Never Disparaging's practice of respect for others is naturally resented and opposed by the forces of arrogance who disdain and disrespect others. Facing persecution is an honour for those who uphold the cause of justice. It is a dynamic characterised by the ongoing struggle between the Buddha nature inherent in all life and the devilish nature of authority and power.

As my dear friend and former South African president Nelson Mandela, a mighty champion of human rights, has declared, the struggle against injustice is a struggle to defend our humanity: “Out of the experience of an extraordinary human disaster that lasted too long, must be born a society of which all humanity will be proud."

Mr Mandela's indomitable spirit of fighting for truth and justice resonates deeply and powerfully with the spirit of mentor and disciple embodied by the first three presidents of the Soka Gakkai. And that is precisely why the South African leader, after gaining his freedom from a prison term lasting 27 and a half years - more than 10,000 days - came to visit us at the Seikyo Shimbun building in Tokyo (in 1990), where, with a beaming smile on his face, he was welcomed by a large group of young people.

Protect

freedom of religious belief.

staunchly wielding the sword of justice to defeat falsehood and error.

Soka Gakkai founding president Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, second President Josei Toda and I, the third president, were all unjustly arrested and imprisoned.

My moment came in the Osaka Incident of July 1957. I know of a wonderful, unforgettable couple who continued to pray for me and put aside all their other commitments to attend every session of my trial for the four and a half years until the court declared my innocence. Members in Kansai pledged with every ounce of their being to achieve complete victory. They refused to allow the Gakkai to be vanquished by the devilish nature of the authorities, to permit the noble, ordinary citizens to be callously trampled on, or to accept defeat at the hands of those who sought to destroy our bond as mentor and disciples united in a just cause. This passionate Kansai spirit burns even stronger today, 50 years later, in the month of July - the month of mentor and disciple, of justice and of youth.

Insights by Third President Daisaku Ikeda

Bodhisattva Never Disparaging is described in the Lotus Sutra as “having no fear in his mind” (compare L.S20p268). The noble, courageous hearts of our members in Japan and around the world are equally fearless. The Soka Gakkai is upright, strong and beautiful.

Our “Ever-victorious” tradition began with a revolutionary struggle to protect people's rights.

The Daishonin writes: “If one fails to denounce the enemies of the Lotus Sutra, it will be impossible to attain the way”. The great and direct path to attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime and achieving kosen-rufu is found in the struggle to thoroughly defeat the arrogance that devalues humanity and disrespects human life. One is not qualified to proclaim the truth unless one is willing to denounce falsehood. Only by refuting the erroneous can we reveal the true. The great German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724 to 1804), one of the first Europeans to take note of the Lotus Sutra, sternly warned: “Do not suffer your rights to be trampled underfoot by others with impunity.”²

The renowned Brazilian pianist and composer Amaral Vieira, who has expressed a profound sympathy with our S.G.I movement, has declared: “The S.G.I guarantees to all people the freedom and right to practice any religion and the freedom and right to take action in order to improve society. Let us extend it our solidarity and our spiritual and moral support."

Buddhism is a win-or-lose struggle. So is life. And our challenge to establish the correct teaching for the peace of the land is also such a crucial struggle. That is why we must win without fail.

Louisa May Alcott (1832 to 88), American author and advocate for the political rights of women, spoke of “ [earning] some right to rejoice when the victory is won.”

Resolutely follow the correct path of refuting the erroneous and revealing the true, so that you may attain Buddhahood.

The Timeless Wisdom of the Mentor

President Ikeda giving a speech at the 5th Headquarters Leader's Meeting, Tokyo 2006 | Photo: Seikyo Shimbun

Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1994), p. 540.

$ ^{2} $ Immanuel Kant, Ethical Philosophy: The Complete Texts of Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals and Metaphysical Principles of Virtue (Part II of The Metaphysics of Morals), translated by James W. Ellington (Indianapolis, Indiana: Hackett Publishing Company, 1983), p. 99.

$ ^{3} $Louisa May Alcott, The Portable Louisa May Alcott (New York: Penguin Books, 2000), p. 604

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