NPSD Nov Institution Meeting

NPSD Nov Institution Meeting

A big Thank You to everyone who made our NPSD last institution meeting of the year a great success! It was truly a joyful and rejuvenating meeting, whereby I can see the smiles displayed on all of your faces and the fun that you all had enjoyed at the meeting.

That day, we also witnessed the graduation of our "Da Ge" IIC, Song Heng (dressed in blue, see below), from NPSD, whereby he shared with us his life-changing experience through faith. He had become what he is today all thanks to the training that he had received in SD. It was truly a hearfelt sharing.


Song Heng, thank you so much for all your contributions to NPSD! We will always remember you as our "Da Ge". All the best for your future endeavours! =)

Our Big NPSD Family

1st Informal Shot

2nd Informal Shot

Finally, a formal shot "p

What matters now

An excerpt from message of ikeda sensei was sent to the SGI-USA youth in the pioneering efforts where only 1 or 2 members will turn up for a meeting only.
" What counts is not the number of people who are engaged in our challenge. Rather, what matters is if one earnest indiviual resolutely stands up, he or she can bring about victory for all people. "
What we should think now is not how many people can turn up for meeting but rather, make our meeting so amazing that everyone that attend can really realised their mission in life. Let's really have this conviction in whatever we do now.

2gether we win
wL

Dear all, here's something that I would like to share from NHR vol 11, Dynamic Advancement Chapter, which is in line with the study that we had on Monday:

"Human beings tend to allow themselves to be defeated by suffering and as a result lose their joy and shining smiles, their lives becoming dark and spiritless, filled with sorrow and regret. Buddhism, however, teaches the path to overcoming those sufferings and bringing one's life to shine with brillant splendour.

So how do we do this? The first step is to establish a fundamental purpose in life. The Daishonin teaches that this is accomplished not by wishing solely for our own happiness and seeking such things as wealth, status, honour, fame, authority or power, but by dedicating our lives to kosen-rufu.

Where do we see the brillance of humanity in people? Isn't it found in those who have broken through the shell of their ego and who dedicate themselves to helping their suffering friends, to their fellow human beings and to society at large, even though at times they must make sacrifices to do so? This is what it means to dedicate one's life to kosen-rufu.

Furthermore, nothing is wasted on the path of kosen-rufu. Every hardship we encounter becomes a source of great good fortune and benefit.

Life's true brillance is born from awakening to our personal mission and initiating courageous action to advance kosen-rufu. Faith is not a duty. It is a right. But if we become passive and just do as others tell us, our faith will come to feel like a duty and we will experience no real joy.

On the other hand, if we stand up on our own and take bold action, we will savour the greatest joy that life has to offer. It is also important to strive to improve ourselves day after day. This means perservering in faith. To persevere doesn't mean simply doing today what we did yesterday. It is to challenge oursleves anew and to make a fresh resolve each day. Faith is a constant struggle against devilish functions, and a Buddha is one who never ceases in that struggle.

I want you all to know that it is by engaging in such struggle that we bring our lives to shine; it is here that a golden life is realized." ~ Shinichi Yamamoto

NPSD-WEB REVOLUTIONZ

hi NPSDIANZ, this is going to be the new look of npsd-web, comments please, hehe.

gratitude

Hi all Npsdian,
firstly will like to thank teck kun for such a wonderful article. He have already taken the first step to post something nice for us. Actually, the setup of this blog is really for u all, yes the ppl u are reading, to encourage u and to let u all have space to say somethings and i will very much like to see more such initative going on..
Will also like to take this opporunity to report to all of you tt today, i haf met up with boon keng and zhong hao. I am determined to struggle for npsd this round and i recall one of the words song heng told me and i have write it down in my notebook, : "In order for NPSD to soar to greater heights, the central figure have to work doublely hard than any other person. " In the recent guidance of Ikeda sensei, sensei also call on all leaders to take on the most ardous task yourself.
For the sake of my mentor and my seniors who i owe so much, i will do it! Come what may that will stop npsd from growing, i urge all of the ymd to steadfast and challenge each obstacles head on , juz like our mentor and our seniors.
With that i have composed a poem for the seniors who i owed so much : "

Gratitude

Having encounter such compassionate senior,
like a north star,
guiding me to my mentor
What can one ask for.
I pledge,
with your upmost protection for me,
resolutely live out my mentor's calling.
From this moment,
as proud disciples of Ikeda Sensei,
together we win!

(dedicated to my seniors in faith
by your humble junior, wL)

Hi NPSDianZ, this is Teck Koon.
Would like to share something i've read from http://www.ikedaquotes.org

It's quite lengthy,
so please read it with your whole heart.

Title "What is Happiness?"
Exact link is over here: http://www.ikedaquotes.org/contents/short_essays/happiness.html

What is the purpose of life? It is to become happy. Whatever country or society people live in, they all have the same deep desire: to become happy.

Yet, there are few ideals as difficult to grasp as that of happiness. In our daily life we constantly experience happiness and unhappiness, but we are still quite ignorant as to what happiness really is.

A young friend of mine once spent a long time trying to work out what happiness was, particularly happiness for women. When she first thought about happiness she saw it as a matter of becoming financially secure or getting married. (The view in Japanese society then was that happiness for a woman was only to be found in marriage.) But looking at friends who were married, she realized that marriage didn't necessarily guarantee happiness.

She saw couples who had been passionately in love suffering from discord soon after their wedding. She saw women who had married men with money or status but who fought constantly with their husbands.

Gradually, she realized that the secret of happiness lay in building a strong inner self that no trial or hardship could ruin. She saw that happiness for anyone — man or woman — does not come simply from having a formal education, from wealth or from marriage. It begins with having the strength to confront and conquer one's own weaknesses. Only then does it become possible to lead a truly happy life and enjoy a successful marriage.

She finally told me, "Now I can say with confidence that happiness doesn't exist in the past or in the future. It only exists within our state of life right now, here in the present, as we face the challenges of daily life."

I agree entirely. You yourself know best whether you are feeling joy or struggling with suffering. These things are not known to other people. Even a man who has great wealth, social recognition and many awards may still be shadowed by indescribable suffering deep in his heart. On the other hand, an elderly woman who is not fortunate financially, leading a simple life alone, may feel the sun of joy and happiness rising in her heart each day.

Happiness is not a life without problems, but rather the strength to overcome the problems that come our way. There is no such thing as a problem-free life; difficulties are unavoidable. But how we experience and react to our problems depends on us. Buddhism teaches that we are each responsible for our own happiness or unhappiness. Our vitality — the amount of energy or "life-force" we have — is in fact the single most important factor in determining whether or not we are happy.

True happiness is to be found within, in the state of our hearts. It does not exist on the far side of some distant mountains. It is within you, yourself. However much you try, you can never run away from yourself. And if you are weak, suffering will follow you wherever you go. You will never find happiness if you don't challenge your weaknesses and change yourself from within.

Happiness is to be found in the dynamism and energy of your own life as you struggle to overcome one obstacle after another. This is why I believe that a person who is active and free from fear is truly happy.

The challenges we face in life can be compared to a tall mountain, rising before a mountain climber. For someone who has not trained properly, whose muscles and reflexes are weak and slow, every inch of the climb will be filled with terror and pain. The exact same climb, however, will be a thrilling journey for someone who is prepared, whose legs and arms have been strengthened by constant training. With each step forward and up, beautiful new views will come into sight.

My teacher used to talk about two kinds of happiness — "relative" and "absolute" happiness. Relative happiness is happiness that depends on things outside ourselves: friends and family, surroundings, the size of our home or family income.

This is what we feel when a desire is fulfilled, or something we have longed for is obtained. While the happiness such things bring us is certainly real, the fact is that none of this lasts forever. Things change. People change. This kind of happiness shatters easily when external conditions alter.

Relative happiness is also based on comparison with others. We may feel this kind of happiness at having a newer or bigger home than the neighbors. But that feeling turns to misery the moment they start making new additions to theirs!

Absolute happiness, on the other hand, is something we must find within. It means establishing a state of life in which we are never defeated by trials and where just being alive is a source of great joy. This persists no matter what we might be lacking, or what might happen around us. A deep sense of joy is something which can only exist in the innermost reaches of our life, and which cannot be destroyed by any external forces. It is eternal and inexhaustible.

This kind of satisfaction is to be found in consistent and repeated effort, so that we can say, "Today, again, I did my very best. Today, again, I have no regrets. Today, again, I won." The accumulated result of such efforts is a life of great victory.

What we should compare is not ourselves against others. We should compare who we are today against who we were yesterday, who we are today against who we will be tomorrow. While this may seem simple and obvious, true happiness is found in a life of constant advancement. And the same worries that could have made us miserable can actually be a source of growth when we approach them with courage and wisdom.

One friend whose dramatic life proved this was Natalia Satz, who founded the first children's theater in Moscow. In the 1930s, she and her husband were marked by Soviet Union's secret police. Even though they were guilty of no crime, her husband was arrested and executed and she was sent to a prison camp in the frozen depths of Siberia.

After she recovered from the initial shock, she started looking at her situation, not with despair, but for opportunity. She realized that many of her fellow prisoners had special skills and talents. She began organizing a "university," encouraging the prisoners to share their knowledge. "You. You are a scientist. Teach us about science. You are an artist. Talk to us about art."

In this way, the boredom and terror of the prison camp were transformed into the joy of learning and teaching. Eventually, Mrs. Satz even made use of her own unique talents to organize a theater group. She survived the five-year prison sentence, and dedicated the rest of her long life to creating children's theater. When we met for the first time in Moscow in 1981, she was already in her 80s. She was as radiant and buoyant as a young girl. Her smile was the smile of someone who has triumphed over the hardships of life. Hers is the kind of spirit I had in mind when I wrote the following poem on "Happiness":

A person with a vast heart is happy.
Such a person lives each day with a broad and embracing spirit.
A person with a strong will is happy.
Such a person can confidently enjoy life, never defeated by suffering.
A person with a profound spirit is happy.
Such a person can savor life's depths
while creating meaning and value that will last for eternity.
A person with a pure mind is happy.
Such a person is always surrounded by refreshing breezes of joy.


Ciaozz,
be TRUE happy :)
smile~~

--Start--

Hi everyone, hope each and everyone of you usher in the start of your new study term with high spirits and vigor. Each new semseter brings about fresh determinations and hopes. However, it is only with unyielding determination in chanting, having faith and taking initative in all your endeavors that will ensure success. Allow me to use this post to also apologise to all of you as recently due to unforseen challenges in my NS duties( i never use the word problems as i believe that all the challenges i am facing are chances for us to grow and i am also convinced that i be able to overcome them ) but nevertheless, all the other iic have already planned out fresh activities for npsd. In fact, all of them, drag their body out from bed on a sunday morning, reach TBSC at 8am sharply, to chant and plan for the growth of NPSD. Mind you that all of them live quite far from tbsc but they make it in time.

I remember reading this in one of the sensei guidance, it was somewhat like this, Soka is another word for winning. Being in the soka families means that to be a winner. As buddhism ulitmately is either win or lose, all the more, we must win. Perhaps you must be choking now as the words winning keeps appearing in your mind right now but the winning we are concerned is not like we buy 4D then we win. The winning that what i am looking for is to win against yourself. To dare yourself to do something you never imagine you will. As lao tzu says, " He who gains victory over other men is strong; but he who gains victory overhimself is all powerful." By winning over our weakness, we will definately become capable people that will produce mega-watts smile.

I do not wish to bore you with another lenghty post as i know that already not a lot of people is reading this blog but it is okay for me as i vow to keep this blog alive and this blog is also a chance for me to win over my laziness. I really hope that in this fresh new start of your new journey in your studies, you can adhere to these words by sensei

"Fight to the very end. You must beat the forlorn and irresolute side of you that says," I cannot go on anymore,"That is enough." You must emerge victorious in the battle against yourself, and tell yourself " i must not lose heart," I must not give in." Ikeda Sensei

In closing, let us all, to keep it simple, as i cite Mr Toda's words," Now, all i can do is ADVANCE, STRUGGLE and WIN. Now, i move FORWARD , ever FORWARD!!." The essential phase for npsd and your lives have arrived. Live out your live to the fullest now. NPSD , lets really, ADVANCE, STRUGGLE , WIN!!!

2gether we win!!
wL

Dear NPSD bros & sis,

Just to share with you all: Above is the poem that our SD chiefs have written to Sensei on behalf of all of you in response to Sensei's high hopes for SD. It was presented to Sensei as part of the gift Jinhao & Mabel brought to Japan for Kenshu in September. The gift photo is also shown above. It's very cute, isn't it?

Thank you so much for all of your efforts! Very encouraged that you all have taken the initative in arranging homevisits and dialogues with your members. Due to everyone's efforts, we have achieved another victory for SD in this HEARTS campaign. SD have achieved 5200 homevists from March till 6 October 07! Through this HEARTS campaign, we realised that it is only through dialogue and homevisit that our beloved members start to open up and join us for activities. Hence, for NPSD, let's continue with HEARTS campaign and continue to reach out to our members through dialogue and homevisit. Let's continue to advance valiantly! NP must grow even more! Every NPSDian must become happy!

While chanting

Hi everyone, after chanting and was flipping through sensei daily guidance, i came across this,

: " There may be times, certainly, when being a member of an organization seems bothersome and we just want to be alone. But how sad it is if we are left alone without any support and then lose our faith. True growth comes from striving together with our fellow members in the living realm of human beings, ourselves experiencing the rich gamut of human emotions. (Daily encoragement 15th feburary volume 4) "

No matter what happens, faith is our's. The faith that you should have is not for others to see but for yourselves to become happy!

2gether we win!

Battlles

" Having battles to fight
makes life exciting.
Encountering great difficulties
provide us opportunites
to develop our Buddhahood.
By confronting every obstacles,
we enable our Buddhahood
to shine brilliantly within our lives."
Ikeda sensei

(I am reposting this again as i think this is a very importance guidance that we should learn from)

President Ikeda's Guidance to Soka High School Baseball Coach:SHS finally made it to the playoffs, only to lose in the first round.

The Coach wrote to PI:"Our ace pitcher was drafted and is gone. We are not as strong as wewere; I believe our capability is lower, but we will chant and becomea greater and more capable team."

President Ikeda: "You are wrong. You should have enough capability to win without having to go back and chant. Become capable and then your Daimoku will become a strong wind behind your capability. If you are relying on Daimoku to make it happen rather than on your own capability, then you are just using faith like a superstition. You should practice, and therefore, become capable. The team which becomes the most capable will be the one which practices and works hardest and has the most perseverance. Capability is very important because it requires constant courage and training, but if your capability counts only 50% and you base the other 50% on Daimoku to the Gohonzon to bring it about "somehow", then your religion has become a crutch for you. Religion is not there to hide yourshortcomings, but to strengthen you as a human being."

--never give up--

Recently i have try to reach out to the ymds and find out about their results. The outcome, i must honestly say, is not that encouraging. I think that it is due to my inability that so many of the ymd members have not reached their full potential.I like to apologise to all of you all. I am sorry!

However, i hope this will be a lesson to all of us. I am confident that if you strive for kosenrufu, the protection that you get will be immensed. Having said that, i also have to strictly warn those that uses daimoku as an excuse. Please do not seek the law outside of yourselves! I do not wish to say much. From now on, action will take center stage. I will also like to take this opporiunity to clarify something. It is not the grades that is important but how much you have actually sweat it out.

As sensei says: " The important thing is that you get into the habit of challenging yourselves to the limit. In a sense, the results you get are not so important. The actual grades you received in high school, for instance, won't decide you for the rest of your life. But the habit of pushing yourself to the limit will in time bear fruit. It will distinguish you from others w/o fail. It will bring your unqiue talent to shine."

I will not say much as if you are reading this post, let us together reflect upon ourselves how much did we push ourselves to our limit in everything we do??

2gether we win : wL

WHAT IS THIS THING??

HI NPSDIANS!! This is deckun, this is a logo created by me. i don't think

it's a good logo afterall, but for the moment, please bear with it, lol. anyone is interested, PLEASE, please help me in making the NPSD logo. :)

how this logo comes about?

mm, when i anyhow play around with my mac fireworks, lol.

what is this afterall?

to me, it looks like a aftermath when u use ur own eyes look directly towards to the the light of the lighthouse or the sun(LOL)

.. it also looks like the lotus flower (with 5 petals only, LOL)

it's like the website is not update for long time, so i think it's time to start something

New...

so i come out with this :)

NEW NPSD TEE-SHIRT??

NEW NPSD TEE-SHIRT??

Hi NPSDIANS!! this is deckun, i am looking for help in making a new NPSD tees. anyone

interested??

this is my 10mins unfinished product, have a look (Above text) :)

to those who wanna help me interested, please help me in it, ur support can make

a difference, :)

(A very strict but true guidance.. Hope everyone will take time out to read it)

President Ikeda's Guidance to Soka High School Baseball Coach:SHS finally made it to the playoffs, only to lose

in the first round.

The Coach wrote to PI:"Our ace pitcher was drafted and is gone. We are not as strong as wewere; I believe our

capability is lower, but we will chant and becomea greater and more capable team."

President Ikeda: "You are wrong. You should have enough capability to win without having to go back and

chant. Become capable and then yourDaimoku will become a strong wind behind your capability. If you are

relying on Daimoku to make it happen rather than on your own capability, then you are just using faith like a

superstition. You should practice, and therefore, become capable. The team which becomes the most capable

will be the one which practices and works hardest and has the most perseverance. Capability is very

important because it requires constant courage and training, but if your capability counts only 50% and you

base the other 50% on Daimoku to the Gohonzon to bring it about "somehow", then your religion has become

a crutch for you. Religion is not there to hide yourshortcomings, but to strengthen you as a human being."

TO BECOME A PERSON OF HIGH SELF-ESTEEM
By Danny Nagashima, SGI General Director

You can analyze your situation all you want. You have to get to the root of why "I don't believe in the greatness of my life". You have to grab it by the roots and yank it out of your life. The answer is probably so simple, but we tend to over-analyze, it gets complicated and the solution seems far away. Your mission as a Buddhist is to become happy - not to master suffering. We have the negative and positive sides of us - one says "who are you kidding", the other "you can do it". You have to fight to not to give in to your negativity. This is not about being a writer, an artist, an actor, etc. It is about becoming the man or woman that you always wanted to become, a man or woman who really values his/her life.

The obstacles you face are the answer to your prayer.

Those feeling of self-doubt, those feelings that "I am a failure" - those are the feelings that I have to face and to address. How you feel about yourself, that feeling of self-loathing, of not being good enough, of being a sham. Those are the feeling you have to face. Your talent is not being questioned; it is about how you feel about yourself. That is the karma; You have to value your own life, to appreciate that it has nothing to do with anybody else validating you. Follow your heart, follow your buddhahood, and the effect from that , the benefit from that will be massive.

You need to follow your heart, truly treasure your life. When Nichiren Daishonin inscribed the gohonzon, he was already chanting daimoku out of the greatness of his life, his buddhahood, his enlightened state, he inscribed the gohonzon for all humanity so that everyone could relieve his or her suffering. When you sit in front of the gohonzon and chant, you have to have the most reverence for your life, the same as the Daishonin's, therefore your life deserves that kind of reverence.

If you chant for two weeks to really be a person of unlimited self-esteem and to really, truly appreciate your life including your flaws, your accomplishments, your defeats and your losses, your victories, all that you have created and to truly appreciate your talent as XYZ for two weeks, everything will change.

Forget about the past garbage. Put it away. That will only make you feel impotent. From today on really chant about being that man/woman of unlimited self-esteem. Really appreciate everything about your life; all the things that make you incredibly unique and wonderful. All your sufferings, problems, heartaches, will be the stuff you need, in order to share your experience, to encourage and to inspire others.

Focus on really, truly awakening to your greatness. This is the opportunity (sufferings, obstacles, lack of self-esteem) you needed to go through in order to become outrageously successful - so you can fulfill your dream. If you focus on this - really valuing your life mow, then everything will fall into place in a much bigger way. This is something no one can give you; the universe is showing you what you need to tackle. When you first chant this way, a lot of garbage may come out of your life, a lot of negativity, awful feelings may surface, let it enlightened side of your fear. We always bring into our lives what matches our life condition. Chant to feel incredible joy about your worth. You will feel and know self worth and greatness.

You not being able to do whatever you determine is a manifestation deep down of your feeling of fear, that you are not good enough, that you do not have it in you. You must get yourself to a place where there is the greatness of your life, then everything will be transformed. We have to believe in our buddhahood. When we face the Gohonzon, we should say, " I am going got praise my wonderful life". It is important to awaken to your own greatness. Your life is the Gohonzon. Now is the time for you to start over.

When you pray to a deity, your prayer becomes passive. Our voice is the Mystic Law. This law is not outside of you. When you get a benefit, it was you who created it. You must awaken to your greatness, appreciate and value your own life. It is no different to the enlightened life of Nichiren Daishonin, embodied in the Gohonzon.

Just as a beautiful piece of art elicits a response, or a great book touches your life in a certain way, we must elicit the Buddha nature from our own lives. It is right there, and the Gohonzon is the perfect vehicle to bring out that strength, joy and vibrant life condition then you take that to the world and change the environment. We are not necessarily chanting for the house, the car, the job, the relationship; but we are chanting to elevate out life condition to attract that happiness. The result that we see in our lives are a reflection of our life condition.

Every day as you chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo consciously call forth your Buddhahood to manifest itself consistently. Chant to rise above your basic tendency of disbelief,or continually thinking that you are a common mortal who does not deserve good fortune in this life. Do not negate your life when you sit in front of the gohonzon. Do not beg. Do not scream. Do no berate the gohonzon. Believe in the greatness of your life; manifest the extraordinary side of you. The gohonzon is the toll we need to bring out our buddhahood.

My life is the gohonzon. Do not slander your life. The doubt is necessary to prove to myself that " I am a Buddha. I will fulfill every one of my dreams for myself". We already possess something incredible - our Buddha nature, the gohonzon. But we do not believe that the good fortune, the "million dollars" is truly mine. I will not be able to get it, or to enjoy it. Trust that the gohonzon, your prayer is the absolute means for you to transform your life. Trust and faith are the key words.

Chant with the expectation that every one of your wildest dreams will be fulfilled beyond your wildest imagination. Chant to believe in your buddhahood. Trust in the greatness of your life of your life. In "On Attaining Buddhahood", Nichiren Daishonin made a primary point. To free ourselves from the suffering of birth and death which we have endured in this lifetime after lifetime, and to attain absolute happiness, we need to awaken to the mystic truth that has always been within our lives. That truth is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. That truth is I am a Buddha. Trust that you have everything you need for your happiness.

TEN POINTS TO BECOME A PERSON OF HIGH SELF-ESTEEM:

1) Chant to become a person of unlimited self-esteem.

2) Chant to awaken to your own greatness.

3) Chant to appreciate your life, including flaws, accomplishments, defeats, losses, and victories and truly appreciate all that makes you a unique and wonderful person.

4) Chant to make the impossible possible.

5) Chant to consistently manifest your Buddha nature and rise above your basic tendencies and overcome your inherent negativities in your life.

6) Believe that you are a Buddha and create all the benefits for yourself.

7) Believe you are the gohonzon.

8) Trust that in the gohonzon, you have the means to fulfill each and every desire to become extraordinarily happy.

9) Chant to display your buddhahood and to bring forth that strength, joy, vibrant life condition,

10) And then take it to the world and then change the environment.

Think Positive

If you want to get somewhere, you have to know where you want to go and how to get there. Then never, never, never give up. The secret of life isn't what happens to you, but what you do with what happens to you.

Help other people to cope with their problems and your own will be easier to cope with. Never use the word impossible seriously again. Toss it into the verbal wastebasket. Self-trust is the first secret of success. So believe in and trust yourself. Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find that they haven't half the strength you think they have.

Joy increases as you give it, and diminishes as you try to keep it for yourself. In giving it, you will accumulate a deposit of joy greater than you ever believed possible. How you think about a problem is more important than the problem itself - so always think positively. Go at life with abandon; give it all you've got. And life will give all it has to you.

NPSD meeting on 22 July 2007

NPSD meeting on 22 July 2007

Dear all,

Above are the photos that we have taken at the meeting just now.

Thank you so much to everyone who was there just now, you all have made the meeting a great success!

Thank you to Jefferson, Xue Yun, Derrick and Zi Jing who planned the whole meeting.

Thank you to Xue Yun for being doshi and for bringing her friend, Fiona along.

Thank you to Cai Ling and Jefferson for being emcees, you all did a great job!

Thank you to Zi Jing for taking charge of games and preparing jelly as refreshments for us. The jelly was very nice, too bad for those who missed today's meeting =p

Thank you to Hong Bin and Yvonne for the inspiring testimonials. They touched us in the hearts.

Thank you to Jefferson, Kok Sheng, Vanessa and Sherlene for joining the dance, though you all didn't have a chance to perform due to time constraint. Let's save it for our next meeting, ok? So that we will have a chance to see your superb dance. =)

Thank you to Song Heng for the video and drinks.

Thank you to Soo Shan for the sweet goodies from China and Xue Yun for the snacks.

Thank you to May, Derrick, Soo Shan and Vanessa for preparing the NPSD song and Xue Yun for the song lyrics and emcee script.

We didn't sing well enough for the NPSD song. Huimin, our SD vice chief, commented that our NPSD seniors sang much better than us. Let us really learn this song and sing it well during the next meeting. Cos it's our very own song, we must be proud of it!

For those who could not make it today, thank you to you all for your daimoku behind the scenes. Hope to meet up with you all soon!

Flutter Intrepidly, The Banner of Youth!

Flutter Intrepidly, The Banner of Youth!
-Dedicated to our successors, my beloved youth division members who are the treasures of the SGI-July 3rd, commemorating the day of my mentor's release from prison and the day I was imprisoned.- Sensei

Fierce winds, blow!
Angry waves, surge!

I am a youth
I am the scarlet banner fluttering in the storm-
Nothing daunts me,
Nothing defeats me,

Here where I stand
Is the headland from which I set forth;
Today, this moment,
Ever a fresh, new campaign-
When I think of my future
Boundless strength and courage
Well up in my heart.

Winds! Waves!
As an indomitable youth,
I will bravely battle
Your relentless onslaughts.

Wow! : ) Let's all achieve great advancements and victories this year (its 3&4Q already)

Refusing to Accept Failure

Refusing to Accept Failure


Sir Edmund Hillary was the first man to climb Mount Everest. On May 29, 1953 he scaled the highest mountain then known to man-29,000 feet straight up. He was knighted for his efforts.

He even made American Express card commercials because of it! However, until we read his book, High Adventure, we don't understand that Hillary had to grow into this success.

You see, in 1952 he attempted to climb Mount Everest, but failed. A few weeks later a group in England asked him to address its members.

Hillary walked on stage to a thunderous applause. The audience was recognizing an attempt at greatness, but Edmund Hillary saw himself as a failure. He moved away from the microphone and walked to the edge of the platform.

He made a fist and pointed at a picture of the mountain. He said in a loud voice, "Mount Everest, you beat me the first time, but I'll beat you the next time because you've grown all you are going to grow... but I'm still growing!"

"To live is to be engaged in constant struggle.
The cells in our body, the blood flowing through our veins, are all
engaged in unending struggle. Life is a struggle both on the individual and
social levels. In a poem, the German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)
cried out: "For i was a human being/ and that means to be a fighter."
(Ikeda sensei)