No Sign of Stagnation
By Nabomita Das
Symphony District
Mississauga, Ontario
I have practised the wonderful philosophy of Nichiren Buddhism for the past four years. Recently, I encountered obstacles in four areas of my life—finances, work, family and health. However, instead of being defeated, these difficulties helped me to see how far I have come in truly understanding the power of this practice.
SGI President Daisaku Ikeda says:
Life is a constant battle against deadlock. As long as we are alive, as long as we continue to challenge ourselves, we are bound to come up against difficult obstacles that need to be overcome. If life were all smooth sailing, if we never encountered setbacks, that in itself would be a sign of stagnation.[1]
In 2016, I moved from India to the U.S., and even after years of professional experience back in India, I struggled to find a financially and professionally rewarding job in my field of Design and Marketing. I submitted multiple applications, but I experienced many rejections as well. I often wanted to give up, but each time, I decided to make a fresh determination to change my situation through faith in the Mystic Law.
I stuck to the three pillars of our Buddhist practice—faith, practice and study.[2] I set clear goals, and I participated in SGI activities. I committed myself to reading the writings of Nichiren Daishonin and those of President Ikeda. In addition, I also made sincere efforts to introduce others to the practice.
Through my Buddhist practice, I understood that I wanted a job that would give me the impetus to grow into a successful professional in my field and in turn allow me to contribute positively to my family and to society, and to advance in my kosen-rufu[3] activities. Finding the perfect kosen-rufu job with beauty, value and benefit[4] wasn’t easy at all. But I tried my best to never give up and took up any opportunity that came my way with utmost gratitude. Many people doubted me and even thought that my goals were far-fetched and my expectations were too high. As much as those thoughts made me nervous, I remained hopeful in the midst of frustration, followed the guidance of my fellow members, and continued to believe in my daimoku.[5]
On November 18, 2020, which is the anniversary of the Soka Gakkai’s founding, I was coincidently interviewed by my current company, and I was hired shortly after. This is meaningful to me, since the day holds a special significance in our practice. It is on this day that we vow to strengthen our determination and sense of responsibility to contribute toward the welfare of society and world peace, while upholding the spirit of the three founding presidents of the Soka Gakkai.
Nabomita (right) with her husband, Som,
and mother, Madhumita
I was beyond ecstatic because I had waited for years to get a chance to work for this company. But I had another hurdle to overcome. My work permit was pending renewal, and the COVID-19 pandemic meant longer wait times than usual. Once again, I was determined to actualize the power of this significant day, and I single-mindedly chanted abundant daimoku for the following weeks and focused to strengthen my practice even more. I am happy to report that my hiring manager waited for two months until I received my renewed work permit, after which I was able to join a team of talented and wonderful people in the month of February 2021. I am certain that I was able to overcome this challenge only through the power of chanting daimoku, which is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.[6]
Soon after I started working, I was diagnosed with a concerning health issue. One of my fallopian tubes was found to be damaged, and it was filled with fluid. This condition had been developing for 10 years without my knowledge as a result of an injury that occurred during one of the four spinal surgeries and arduous treatments that I had to undergo in the past. I was deeply overwhelmed by the idea of having to undergo another surgical procedure.
But in spite of this, I made a fresh determination again, and I chanted to gain the right perspective. I am proud to share that my life condition at this time was unlike what I had experienced during any of my past medical procedures. Although I was in a lot of pain and the recovery was tough, I found myself to be very happy and composed.
A month later, just as I thought my life was getting back to normal, my mother’s health suddenly deteriorated back home in India. One morning, she complained of extreme breathlessness, racing heartbeat and intense swelling. With no signs of improvement, she had to be urgently rushed to the hospital. Since COVID-19 was rampant in India at the time, we hoped she would be stabilized and sent home the same night.
But things didn’t turn out that way. Although she was admitted for general observation, she was suddenly shifted to the ICU, plugged into several machines, and had to be heavily medicated because her condition unexplainably deteriorated. Out of nowhere, my seemingly healthy mother went into multi-organ failure from sepsis due to an E. coli infection. As her situation drastically changed, the doctors lost hope about her survival.
While I know that in life, nothing is constant, I never imagined having to live my life without my mother. I had lost my father early in life, and so the fear of losing another parent crushed me. Yet, at that moment, I refused to succumb to defeat. I chanted for hours, praying for my mother’s protection, good health and recovery. Even though her heart rate gradually normalized, the battle was far from over.
Being so far away from her, I chanted like never before. I read every possible writing by Nichiren Daishonin so I could strongly face my worst fear and not allow myself to give up. I was determined to show the power of our practice through my mother’s absolute recovery. I knew deep in my heart that I had to change my destiny, and the only way to do it was by trusting the Gohonzon.[7] I wrote letters to Ikeda Sensei, reached out to Soka Gakkai members, friends and neighbours, asking everyone to support my mother with their prayers.
In the letter ‘Reply to Kyō’ō,’ Nichiren Daishonin says:
“Believe in this mandala with all your heart. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is like the roar of a lion. What sickness can therefore be an obstacle?” (WND-1, 412).
I engraved these lines in my heart, and I chanted with a lion’s roar to defeat this illness. I was determined to change our family’s destiny for the sake of kosen-rufu. I was terrified. I don’t know how I would have dealt with this situation without the pillar of my practice. Even after 10 days, my mother was on high-dose medications, and she was given regular electric shocks to keep her heart functioning. On the 11th day, she went into full cardiac arrest, and after several attempts when she was about to be declared dead, she revived. The doctors were certain that the trauma would have had a damaging effect on her health and mobility, so they did a brain MRI to assess the impact of the cardio-embolic stroke. To everyone’s surprise, all her scans came out clear. Our daimoku had reached her life.
President Ikeda says:
When facing adversity, we may think we’ve reached our limit, but actually the more trying the circumstances, the closer we are to making a breakthrough. The darker the night, the nearer the dawn. Victory in life is decided by the last concentrated burst of energy filled with the resolve to win.[8]
My mom was in the ICU for 15 dreadful days. Once her condition was stable, my brother in India brought her home, and her health gradually improved.
Now, one year later, I am happy and appreciative to report that my mother has made it through the toughest phase of her recovery. She has no mobility issues nor any other significant adverse effects. She sincerely chants every day with the determination to completely recover and transform her situation.
During this time, we had many other benefits too. None of my family members in India contracted COVID-19, and in 2021, my husband and I were able to move from the U.S. to Canada without any hassle. My husband’s work project was extended with a substantial raise, and my American manager made an exception by hiring me back in the same project through a Canadian company. Besides this, my husband and I received many other financial benefits that helped us to take care of my mother’s treatment and comfortably settle in this new country.
Over the course of these months of transition, I have deeply felt the power of the Gohonzon and the value of the guidance of my mentor, Daisaku Ikeda. Through these obstacles, I have come to truly realize the meaning of the mentor-disciple spirit.[9] I also reported my victory to President Ikeda, who has always encouraged me so much through his writings, and I am thrilled to report that I even received a reply from him.
President Ikeda says:
We who embrace the Mystic Law will not suffer on account of old age or death. As long as we keep the flame of faith alive, the fire of life force will forever burn brightly within us; we can live with great confidence transcending birth and death.[10]
Although my various struggles are not over yet, I am determined to overcome each one of them for the sake of kosen-rufu. I am also eternally grateful to be able to witness and share the power of the Buddha, the power of the Law, the power of faith and the power of this practice.
Published in July 2023 New Century
[1] www.daisakuikeda.org/sub/quotations/theme/difficulties.html
[2] Faith, practice and study: There are three basic elements in applying the teachings of Nichiren Buddhism: faith, practice, and study. Faith means belief in the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin—the correct teaching of the Latter Day of the Law—and in the Gohonzon, its ultimate expression. The central ingredient of Buddhist practice is faith. Practice refers to concrete efforts to transform and develop our lives. Study means learning and inquiring into the teachings of Nichiren Buddhism. It provides us with guiding principles for proper faith and practice, helping us strengthen our practice and deepen our faith. Correct practice of Nichiren Buddhism must include all three of these elements.
[3] Kosen-rufu: Literally, it means “to widely declare and spread [the Lotus Sutra]”; to secure lasting peace and happiness for all humankind through the propagation of Nichiren Buddhism. More broadly, kosen-rufu refers to the process of establishing the humanistic ideals of Nichiren Buddhism in society.
[4] Mr. Makiguchi taught that there are three kinds of value: beauty, benefit and good. In the working world, the value of beauty means to find a job you like; the value of benefit is to get a job that earns you a salary that can support your daily life; the value of good means to find a job that helps others and contributes to society. See
[5] Daimoku: Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo in Nichiren Daishonin’s teachings.
[6] Nam-myoho-renge-kyo: The fundamental Law of the universe expounded in Nichiren Buddhism, it expresses the true aspect of life. Chanting it allows people to directly tap their enlightened nature and is the primary practice of SGI members. Although the deepest meaning of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is revealed only through its practice, the literal meaning is: Nam (devotion), the action of practising Buddhism; myoho (Mystic Law), the essential Law of the universe and its phenomenal manifestations; renge (lotus), the simultaneity of cause and effect; kyo (Buddha’s teaching), all phenomena.
[7] Gohonzon: The object of devotion in Nichiren Buddhism. It is the embodiment of the Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, expressing the life state of Buddhahood, which all people inherently possess. Go means “worthy of honour” and honzon means “object of fundamental respect.”
[8] www.daisakuikeda.org/sub/quotations/theme/difficulties.html
[9] The mentor-disciple relationship is essential in Nichiren Buddhism as it is a means for strengthening one’s limitless potential, courage and compassion. A mentor in Buddhism inspires the disciple to excel in life based on the mentor’s example. At its core is the commitment to the happiness of all people. But it is through the mentor-disciple relationship, through life-to-life connections, one person’s aspiration igniting another’s, that this ideal is brought out of the realm of abstract theory and made a reality in people’s lives. SGI practitioners regard SGI President Daisaku Ikeda as their mentor in life. See sokaglobal.org.
[10] Daisaku Ikeda, For Today & Tomorrow – Daily Encouragement, World Tribune Press, 1999, p. 163.