“In any event, Nichiren Daishonin states, ‘If Nichiren’s mercy is truly great, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo will spread for ten thousand years and more, for all eternity. His blessings will dispel the blindness of all mankind and block the path to the hell of incessant suffering.’ We must act precisely according to this spirit of the True Buddha, without the slightest deviation. That is the essence of kosen-rufu and the basis of everything. The question is how, on this basis, we should secure the peace of the country and the world.”
After the election, members paid close attention to news reports of election results. The news was good for Kansai, not so good for Tokyo.
On his flight back to Tokyo, Shinichi Yamamoto reflected on the campaign and the future growth of the Soka Gakkai. President Toda, too, pondored the election. Although Kansai had won a great victory, he was deeply concerned about the loss in Tokyo. He began to think about reorganization to meet the needs of the rapidly growing membership.
President Toda and Shinichi Yamamoto shared a vision for the future of the Soka Gakkai. They were concerned that the general public would view the Gakkai as a politically motivated organization. Nothing could be further from the truth! It is faith that matters.
In the future, the Soka Gakkai could spread into all fields of society. It would undoubtedly become the crown of the religious world.
The Soka Gakkai’s election success astounded the general public. Media people sought interview with President Toda, seemingly to gather information they could use to discredit the Soka Gakkai.
President Toda, stressed out over the despair of members whose candidates had lost, saw to it that all the chapters had leaders meetings in order to inspire the dejected members. He also prepared for the appointment of a large number of new leaders.
The inauguration of sixteen new chapters was held on August 26th at the International Stadium in Ryogoko, Tokyo. At the monthly leaders meeting a few days later, President Toda elaborated on the spirit of the decision to promote unit discussion meetings as the main force for kosenrufu.
After the meeting, President Toda was content that he had confronted a weakening of the Gakkai spirit and had prevented a buildup of a bureaucracy that would push the organization into mere formality.
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