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An
excerpt from SGI President Daisaku Ikeda's essay "The Magnificent Ceremony on March 16" |
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President
Ikeda's Poem "A Blue Deeper Than the Blue of the Indigo Plant Itself" |
From Human Revolution Vol. XII
Successor 32
Successor 32, 35, 36, 40, and 41Rain fell at the head temple on the evening of March 15, but by midnight it had lifted completely. Just after 3 a.m. on the 16th, headlights could be seen approaching through the forest of Japanese cedars. The sound of engines broke the silence as a line of buses carrying the youth pressed on toward the head temple.
The first youth to arrive on the buses were those who came by train from as far as Fuji, departing from Tokyo Station at 9:50 the night before. Though it was almost spring, the air was quite cold around the foothills of Mount Fuji, and people's breath rose in white puffs. Event staff led the youth along the central path of the head temple to the garden area of the Fuji Seminary.
There, a temporary kitchen had been set up under a corrugated steel roof. Under the light of a naked bulb, steam rose from iron pots that were set upon the metal-drum stoves. The aroma of miso (fermented soybean paste) filled the area as the tonjiru (pork and vegetable soup) simmered inside the pots. Koji Itami, Kiichiro Matsuda and the other helpers from Kamata Chapter, wearing headbands made from hand towels, ran about busily, ladling the soup into several wooden tubs. In spite of the cold, their foreheads glistened with perspiration.
The youth division support staff carried the tonjiru from the kitchen area and served it into the bowls that the newly arrived youth had brought with them. It was only then that the youth realized for the first time the meaning behind the emphatic direction that they each bring along a bowl and a pair of chopsticks. After having their bowls filled with tonjiru, they sat down nearby and opened the food they had packed and brought with them. In the cold predawn air of the head temple, the hot soup satisfied their hunger and warmed their bodies to the core. When they realized that the food had provided out of President Toda's concern for them many were moved to tears at their mentor's sincerity.
The glimmer of dawn broke the darkness. Mount Fuji's faint purple silhouette became visible through the morning mist. Soon the mist cleared and the golden rays of the sun began to inch their way up the slope of Mount Fuji toward its snow-capped summit. The morning sky was clear and blue, and cheerful voices could be heard echoing in the cedar forest as youth continued to arrive on the head temple grounds.
The youth division members assembled at 8 a.m. beside the Grand Lecture Hall. There, senior youth division leaders stood up one after another to explain the significance of the grand reception that was to follow and offer points of caution. Youth Division Chief Hiroshi Yamagiwa was the last to offer guidance:
Today, the youth division will be welcoming Prime Minister Mine to the head temple. Our dignified attitude and stalwart appearance will, in themselves, serve to propagate the Law. Because the Soka Gakkai youth division exists, Japan's future is secure. Let's fully express our confidence that we, the youth of the Soka Gakkai, are the leaders who will shoulder the coming era for Asia and the world. This, I believe, is the significance of today's ceremony. What do you say?
There was s spontaneous burst of energetic shouts of approval and applause from the crowd.
Some of the young men wore shabby suits with frayed cuffs. There were also boys in tattered school uniforms who still exuded a childlike innocence. Youth women were clad in simple black suits, their cheeks a rosy-pink from the cold and excitement. All were poor. Yet each was filled with pride in being a disciple of Josei Toda. They stood intrepidly in the spring breeze, eyes shining with confidence.
On the morning of March 16, President Toda received a phone call from Prime Minister Mine, apologizing that he could not attend the gathering due to a sudden diplomatic crisis. He had, instead sent his wife, daughter, son-in-law, Secretary Kotaro Kawabe ad Diet representative Toshio Saijo on his behalf, in attending the meeting.
After receiving Prime Minister Mine's call on the morning of Sunday, March 16, Toda set down the phone, scowling as he thought to reign in his anger. After standing quietly for moment, he noticed the questioning looks of those around him and said sharply, "Prime Minister Mine is not coming."
At that moment, he envisioned the faces of some of the six thousand youth who had gathered for that day. Toda thought: With what kind of hopes and feelings had these young people gathered? How will they feel once they learn that the Prime Minister won't be coming? Loving the youth as he did, he knew all too well how disappointed they would be.
"It's not fair to them," he murmured and then pronounced in decisive tones, "Right!" as if spurring himself to action. Immediately, he called a meeting of all the youth division leaders. Though it was now difficult for him even to walk, he was determined to summon forth his remaining strength to somehow encourage the youth on his own.
Youth Division Chief of Staff Shin'ichi Yamamoto and Youth Division Chief Hiroshi Yamagiwa rushed immediately to the Rikyo-bo lodging temple. Toda briefly explained to them that Prime Minister Mie would not be coming, but would be sending members of his family and others to the head temple to represent him. He then said with some passion:
"Though the Prime Minister will not be attending, today we will still hold a magnificent ceremony just as planned. Let's five our guests a splendid welcome. This event -- our dress rehearsal for the future realization of kosen-rufu (world peace) -- will go ahead without the slightest change. I regard the youth who are participating in today's event as my successors, and I intend to make this a ceremony in which I will hand over to them the entire responsibility for kosen-rufu (world peace). Because the Prime Minister will not be coming, I want to put everything I have into encouraging them."
Toda had gotten over his initial disappointment; all that now remained was the deep compassion he felt for the youth.
At around noon, with Shin'ichi's assistance, Josei Toda had made his way down to the entrance of the Rikyo-bo lodging. Immediately outside sat the litter the youth had built to carry Toda. It had been wrapped with white strips of cloth. When Toda saw it, he said loudly and succinctly: "It's too big! It's unsuitable for a real battle. I can't fight in something like this!"
This was his second rebuke concerning the litter.
Shin'ichi then stepped forward and said: "Sensei, I truly understand. I'm very sorry. But this litter was built out of your disciples' sincerity. Won't you please ride in it?"
It was a deeply moving drama, a life-to-life exchange between mentor and disciple -- the mentor's strict compassion to convey to his disciples, until the last moment of his life, the vital requirements for successful struggle and the fighting spirit of a great general; the disciples' sincerity to comfort and care for their ailing mentor.
Looking at Shin'ichi, Toda smiled and nodded. He then allowed his disciples to help him on to the seat they had affixed to the center of the litter.
Carried by several young men's division members, who had been selected for that task, the litter quietly moved down the path toward the Grand Lecture Hall. Shin'ichi walked closely alongside.
A sense of love and pride filled his heart as he gazed at the youth who lined the walkway. Deeply moved by their robust growth, Toda addressed them in his heart:
"Thank you all for coming! It's unfortunate that the Prime Minister can't make it, but I'm so happy to see you. How splendidly you've grown! You've really developed. This will probably be the last time I'll be able to meet you like this. After I'm gone, it will be all up to you! I'm counting on you to realize kosen-rufu (world peace)!"
Toda's passionate gaze pierced the young people's hearts. Looking up at their mentor and seeing the intense brilliance of his eyes, in such stark contrast to his emaciated form, their own eyes filled with tears.
As President Toda addressed the 6000 youth divisions during the meeting:
The more Toda spoke, the more power infused his words.
"I have never thought of Mr. Mine as great simply because he is Prime Minister. It has nothing to do with position, it is a friendship between tow human beings. It will continue as such from here on, too. This is my sincere feeling as a friend. I hope that all of you will treat Mr. Mine with the same spirit of friendship."
"From the standpoint of the Mystic Law, everyone is equal. And for individuals and the nation to achieve prosperity and happiness, there is no other way but to make the True Law our foundation. To achieve this, it is our mission to accomplish kosen-rufu (world peace) without fail."
"Today, I want to bequeath this mission to you young people. I entrust the future to all of you. I'm counting on you -- counting on you to accomplish kosen-rufu (world peace)!"
It was a call that issued from the depths of Toda's life, striking the hearts of the 6,000 youth like a bolt of lightening and leaving them profoundly moved. For a moment, a hushed, solemn stillness pervaded. Then, their emotion gave way to a powerful surge of determination that erupted the next moment into a storm of tumultuous applause. Rising skyward, a snowcapped Mount Fuji seemed to embrace these youth who burned with passion and resolved for kosen-rufu.
Looking out at the crowd, Toda smiled broadly.
"The time will surely come when Mr. Mine will have to practice this faith. But right now, voted seems more important to him than the Gohonzon. At the present moment, he feels very grateful for even one or two more votes. This is to be expected."
"Mr. Mine is a king in the political world, but what really matters is that we understand each other as fellow human beings. The Soka Gakkai is the king of the religious world. We are afraid of nothing. Never forget that you are heirs tot this legacy. I want you to fight and advance bravely, as valiant young warriors, in the proud battle to spread the Law."
"The Soka Gakkai is the king of the religious world" -- these words were Toda's grand declaration of the victory in his lifelong struggle for kosen-rufu. It was also a final roar -- a call to his young successors -- in the life of this great lion of a man.
Toda finished by saying: "Today I've talked a little too long. There are many things I would like to say to you, but I will finish here."
With this reluctant ending, the crowd burst into loud and prolonged applause. The youth were swept by a sense of being bathed in the brilliant spiritual light emanating from their ailing mentor's frail body.
The welcoming ceremony was brought to a close with a chorus of divisional songs led by Young Men's Division Chief Eisuke Akizuki and Young Women's Division Chief Hideyo Morikawa, respectively.
Mrs. Mine and her party left the head temple at around 2:30 p.m. With the welcoming festivities over, Josei Toda mounted the litter once again and rode it from the Grand Lecture Hall back to the Rikyo-bo lodging temple. The faces of the young people as they sent Toda off with their applause were rosy, and their eyes gleamed with determination.
Toda now sensed that everything was complete. He felt all of his remaining energy drain from his body, but it was a good feeling -- a fulfilled sense of exhaustion. He sank down into the armchair atop the litter. Jutting from behind a grove of cedars, cloaked in a mantle of snow, he could see the serene and perfect summit of Mount Fuji. He was reminded of the lyrics of "Song of Comrades," which he had composed:
I do not begrudge my life,
But where are the young flagbearer?
Can you not see Fuji's summit?
Rally now, quickly, in growing numbers!Now, the youth he spoke of in these lyrics had gathered around him in large numbers, standing up bravely to hold aloft the banner of the Mystic Law. In his mind, Toda recalled the image of his mentor, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi who died in prison. He clearly remembered how he, Toda, had been the only disciple Makiguchi could really count on to carry on the movement in the future. Thirteen years had now passed since he had stood up alone amid the burned-out ruins of a defeated Japan, seething with rage as his beloved mentor's death. And now these young people he had nurtured under his wing had gallantly embarked on their own long march toward kosen-rufu.
Toda addressed Makiguchi in his hear:
"Sensei! I have inherited your will and secure the lasting foundation for kosen-rufu; I have now entrusted the entire future to my own beloved disciples. Your will continues to pulse with fresh and vibrant energy in their veins. The day is not far of when the flame of kosen-rufu will spread throughout Asia and to the entire world."
Toda pictured Makiguchi smiling warmly and nodding his approval. The spring breeze caressed his face.
Shin'ichi Yamamoto, who was walking alongside the litter looked up at Toda, who calmly closed his eyes, a faint smile on his lips. To Shin'ichi, his was the image of a great general of kosen-rufu triumphant in victory in his lifelong struggle for the True Law. Yet, however radiant he appeared, Shin'ichi could not but sense from his mentor's emaciated features that the life of Josei Toda -- this Chu-ko K'ung-ming of kosen-rufu -- was drawing to a close. As he gazed up at Toda, Shin'ichi made a silent solitary pledge: "Sensei! We, your disciples, will definitely accomplish kosen-rufu. Please rest assured!"
The flag bearing the seal of succession now flew proudly within Shin'ichi Yamamoto's heart waving magnificently in the skies of kosen-rufu.
Sunlight glistened on the white slopes of Mount Fuji, which seemed to smile down warmly on the procession below. March 16 -- which came to be called "kosen-rufu Day" (World Peace Day) -- would thereafter serve as a day for the disciples to renew their pledge to build the eternal, indestructible foundation for kosen-rufu.
