Today's quote by Daisaku Ikeda fits my family's recent news.
On Monday, my son Aaron called me from his trip to Australia to tell me he had won the Loyola, Stritch School of Medicine award for Persevering Through Hardship. Persevering Through Hardship. Boy, does he deserve that. He only had one semester of medical school before his brother Ben started showing signs of mental illness, and by Aaron's second year, Ben had already been hospitalized and things just got worse and worse until this summer, when, as many of you know, Ben began his next eternal journey.
Somehow, Aaron's determination, along with his strong Buddhist practice, and support from his family and friends got him through. With honors. What a champion.
The harder it got, the more he chanted. That is the sign of a true victor in life.
In many ways we are all going though hardship, aren't we? This is the age of Mappo - a dark time. But if we all perservere...if we all wake up every morning and spring in front of our Gohonzons and make our determinations AGAIN, we will all win.
I've been in three all-day conferences in the last few days...meeting new and old friends...learning useful information to further my life and the lives of others. Soon I start formal training in EFT Energy Freedom Technique - Tapping. It's a powerful modality. Moving ahead fearlessly...together...
Today's guidance from Daisaku Ikeda in
For Today and Tomorrow states:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We mustn't shy away from life's challenges.
We mustn't be defeated.
Refusing to be defeated equals victory.
A person who perseveres to the end is a winner.
In the course of promoting or movement,
the Soka Gakkai has never pulled back
in the face of any hindrance.
We have kept moving forward.
And that is the key to our success.
Never to retreat a single step, no matter what -
that is the Soka Gakkai spirit.
Those who can embrace this spirit
can achieve unlimited victory."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
