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1. From President Ikeda’s
Words on Soka Spirit #001 |
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It is especially important
for leaders to be energetic. As leaders, we must courageously
speak out against any evil that would cause suffering
to our fellow members.
Construction entails an all-out struggle; destruction
can happen in an instant. Should evil flourish, good will
perish. As long as there are courageous people who will
battle selflessly against corruption, good can be protected.
But if that spirit is lost, destruction will begin immediately.
Base, self-serving people must not be allowed to exploit
the Gakkai or the members’ faith. Never give anyone
the kind of special status that would place them above
criticism even when all around them know something is
wrong with their behavior.
Always speak out boldly against wrongdoing. Corruption
should be denounced unequivocally. Don’t be timid
or cowardly. Cowardice is a form of dishonesty, and dishonesty
is evil.
Those who neither act nor speak out against wrongdoing
when they see it will be guilty of the same offense. This
will only erase the good fortune and benefit that they
have accumulated thus far.
The truly good are those who battle against evil. Buddhism
entails a constant struggle against the devilish functions
that cause people misery.
It is proper and just to strictly refute evil. To do the
right thing, one must be strong; without strength, one
will not be able to uphold what is right. Justice and
courage are inseparable.
Power-hungry tyrants, on the other hand, ignore or denigrate
the supreme value of the individual, seeing people only
as faceless masses. Anyone who does this is on a par with
such dictators as Adolf Hitler.
Hitler had no conception of the dignity of the individual.
He was only interested in people as a mass. This is because
as far as tyrants are concerned, people are just a means
to an end.
Dictators seek to use the people to further their own
greed and ambitions, to cleverly manipulate them. The
way of the Soka Gakkai is diametrically opposed to such
human exploitation.
The organization does not come first and the individual
second. Everything starts with the individual and through
individuals uniting strongly together. Losing sight of
this fundamental point can have terrible consequences.
Anyone who sees the Gakkai and its members as nothing
but a means to advance personal ends, just like the tyrants
I have described, is a person of the purest evil.
In one passage from this classic text, Confucius replies
to a question from a disciple, saying, “Promote
the upright, place them above the crooked, and you shall
make the crooked upright.”
In other words, the upright must be placed above the wicked
and be allowed to give full play to their potential. Upright
people must be given opportunities to contribute and use
their talent and ability, and be empowered. This is the
key to an organization achieving sound and healthy development,
while correcting and eradicating evils.
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