A HUMAN REVOLUTION
Transforming our way of living

By DAISAKU IKEDA

This year, the Doomsday Clock devised by the Chicago-based Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists was advanced two minutes, for the first time in five years. It now stands at 11:55 p.m., just five minutes away from the "midnight" of human annihilation. This change not only reflects last year's nuclear test by North Korea and uncertainties regarding Iran's nuclear development goals; it is also a reflection of the impact of environmental degradation and climate change.

This "clock" was established in 1947 at a time when nuclear weapons were understood to be the greatest threat to human survival. Today, the global ecological crisis casts a stark shadow over the future, one that demands immediate action.
It is now 35 years since The Club of Rome issued their initial report on the global environment, "The Limits to Growth." Three years later, in 1975, I met with the club's founder, Aurelio Peccei. He expressed his deep concern that, unless we change direction, the 21st century could see the Earth become a barren planet, with both nature and humanity in ruin. Despite the severity of the crisis, leaders in the business, political and other fields were failing to focus earnestly on the search for solutions; they were more preoccupied with short-term gain, with little thought for future generations.

Discussing these realities, Peccei and I concurred that nothing was more crucial than a revolutionary change within human beings themselves.
Humanity has experienced many revolutionary changes over the course of history: revolutions in agriculture, in science, industrial production, as well as numerous political revolutions. But these have all been limited to the external aspects of our individual and collective lives.

In other words, while we have made great leaps forward in our technological capacity to control and shape the world around us, we have not achieved a correspondingly dramatic expansion and elevation of the human spirit. As a result, we end up at the mercy of the very forces we have unleashed.

For millenniums humanity has pursued the goal of obtaining the material necessities of our survival. Yet, as Mahatma Gandhi stated, the Earth can produce enough to satisfy everyone's need, but not everyone's greed.

If it continues to be driven by the unrestrained impulses of desire, our materialistic culture will completely escape our control. Even now, it threatens to consume and exhaust the Earth itself, undermining the life systems that support our existence.
Ultimately, all human activities have as their goal the realization of happiness. Why, then, have we ended up producing the opposite result? Could the underlying cause be our failure to correctly understand the true nature of happiness?

The gratification of desire is not happiness. If it were, as Socrates noted, a person who spends his life scratching an itch would have to be considered happy. Genuine happiness can only be achieved when we transform our way of life from the unthinking pursuit of pleasure to one committed to enriching our inner lives, when we focus on "being more" rather than simply having more.

Our own lives are most effectively enhanced and fulfilled when we seek the kind of happiness that is not limited to ourselves, but includes the welfare of others. I further believe that a commitment to the happiness of others holds the key to the achievement of peaceful coexistence among people and between people and the natural world.

In the Buddhist tradition, the pursuit of such an ideal is embodied by the bodhisattva. Bodhisattvas are described as seeking not simply their own release from suffering. Rather, they are prepared to risk everything in order to take action on behalf of those who suffer. For the bodhisattva, there is a profound harmonization of the interests of self and other; wholehearted efforts on behalf of others are the greatest source of benefit and joy. Bodhisattvas are said to fear the loss of the altruistic spirit more than the torments of hell itself; for to lose the spirit of altruism is to lose the very reason for one's being.

While I have used the specifically Buddhist term bodhisattva, this is not to imply the existence of a special kind of person, somehow different or better. Rather, the capacity for altruism is something inherent in every human heart. The term describes anyone -- of whatever culture or religion -- who acts for the sake of others.
Working for people's happiness is something everyone can do, regardless of circumstances. It requires no special titles or qualifications. In the end, it comes down to the effort to engage with and encourage others. But this encouragement is not something offered at arm's length, keeping oneself at a safe distance. Real encouragement is conveyed only in the process of sharing the reality of life's sufferings and challenges.

Making the effort to live this way amid the corruptions and humiliations of society, striving to offer the gifts of courage and hope, brings out the inner radiance of our lives. Encouraging others enables us to fully grasp the meaning of our lives and experience enduring happiness.

The transformation from a self-centered, self-involved way of life to one dedicated to the well-being of others is the process of "human revolution."
Even in the face of the severe crisis confronting humanity today, I cannot side with the advocates of apocalypse. Rather than the spurs and promptings of fear, we can best negotiate the challenges we face when guided by a vision of hope.

The inner transformation resulting from even a single person's human revolution holds just such a hope. This is a revolution open to all, one that does not demand the sacrifice of a single life.

When this process achieves a critical momentum -- with waves of positive change spreading from one person to another -- global society itself will be dramatically transformed.

This is a revolution that starts here, now -- in the heart of every one of us.

Daisaku Ikeda is president of Soka Gakkai International, and founder of Soka University and the Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research. This column is the last in a one-year series.

Hi da jia!

First of all i would like to really thank teck koon, jefferson, yvonne and may for all your efforts put into planning the orientation cum graduation. thanks for rising to the call and getting everything done so promply. i'm really inspired by you guys especially when i'm such a last min person haha. i must work harder to overcome my last-min-fundamental darkness. let's really pray that it'll be a success and everyone will go back feeling recharged, re-energised. =) (even though auntie layleng is having exams sobzz) ya but pls really enjoy yourselves. i'm sure you all enjoyed the planning and everything rite? wanted to share this with you guys yesterdae but had to go off for home visit. Well remember this month we should be reading NHR vol3. =) just to share Sensei's words,

"What determines an organisation's strength? It is unity and harmonious cooperation among its leaders. When the leaders of an organisation are out of sync or lack harmony with one another, any ability or power individuals may posses is diffused."

Also in the same chapter

"The important thing si to think not only about yourselves but work in harmony with those around you in order to win. This will contribute to your own growth as well."

Yupz so let's work together and encourage one another. when we treat one another with sincerity, it will be felt somehow. Let's always bear this in mind push forward together. Like that then will truly be 共胜 smiles!

The Best Defense is the best Offence

The Best Defense is the best Offence



Hello Npsdian, haha, school reopening soon and a fresh beginning of challenges will emerge once more. In addition, NPSD will be expecting a fresh batch of new NPSD members coming from the future division so let’s be on our best spirit to warmly welcome each and every one of them when they arrived

I once read in a guidance which sensei declared, “The best defense is the best offence”. This statement personally, has lots of meaning to me as it serves as a cry for me to always stand in the frontline of Kosenrufu. The reason being, I believed that the 8th level of consciousness, which is the karmic storehouse, is the crucial factor that determined lots of thing in life.

At times I wonder what will happen for me in the future. However, ever since meeting that statement, I found my reply. I believed all of us want to lead a happy life where we can fight off the devils of the sixth heaven and sansoshima but then again, what defenses do we really have then? Right now, I may think that I am still young and will never have a serious setback but life is harsh and complicated

As sensei says,” Buddhism describes the fundamental anguish that restricts the freedom of life as the four sufferings or the eight sufferings. The four sufferings comprise birth, old age, sickness and death. In more detail, we can describe them as follows: the suffering of living bound by the shackles of karma; the loneliness of old age; the anguish of sickness, and the fear of that most fundamental fact, death. The eight sufferings include four additional sufferings: the suffering of having to part with loved ones; the suffering of having to meet those whom one hates; the suffering of being unable to obtain what one desires, as in the case of one who wishes to become wealthy or successful but is unable to realize these desires; and the suffering arising from the five components, in other words, the suffering of being unable to realize harmony in the physical and spiritual aspects of one’s life and of feeling heavy and depressed.
(SGI President Ikeda’s guidance at the Eleventh SGI General Meeting held in the World Peace Ikeda Auditorium in Santa Monica on February 17 1990)

Acknowledging that each life is based on its karmic retribution, the actions we take presently will then be of a significant scale. If we were to idle around while we are still young, healthy, and without any life threatening problem, then we will make no improvement on our “offensive” strategy for the sake of our life. Rather than to seat back and do nothing but allow the chance for devils or your negative karma prepare and strike you in the future ,let us shift the advantage by challenging them head-on.

In the previous post, “A famous Japanese author wrote: ‘Rather than worrying about your future, thinking, “Perhaps I should become this. Perhaps I should become that,” first be still and build a self that is as solid and unmoving as Mount Fuji.’, If we really want to build a solid and stable foundation for us, let build it on our attack with the conviction that it will cast off all the negative karma in our lives. Only by activating the ninth conciseness which is your Buddha nature where we can triumph over our bad karma

Sensei went on later to say that: “It is the sharp sword of the Mystic Law and the great power of faith that enable us to completely sever the chains of these sufferings. Therefore, I wish to make it clear that in order to secure eternal freedom and happiness, you must absolutely not be cowardly, especially in faith.”

Let us advance with courage and aggression now! Starting from this moment, call up a member and reach out to their lives.Be a champion in our HEARTS campaign. Don’t give up! Expand both their lives and ours as much as possible and challenge every difficulty, be it in doing home visit or reading a book, do it with the fighting spirit of an Ashura. I assure you, With that kind of fierce ichinen coupled with the lion’s roar daimoku, devils will be trembling from it and victory will be yours for savor.

“Simply trying to eliminate, avoid, or run away from one’s karma or destiny will ultimately postpone the whole process of changing it only”
IKEDA SENSEI

2gether we win : wL