Intro (Riya)

Good evening everyone, The Concept -Onward to hope and

victory with a Vast Heart- is the part of May 3 rd Campaign and given in the March VC.
Ikeda Sensei in his message to the 47 TH HQLM, calls upon his disciplines to create “ a future
of hope and victory with the ‘vast heart’ of ‘Soka’ saying..

Quote (Shubhangi Saxena)

“Our founding president laid down his life, leaving an example of the 'vast heart' of Soka for his
disciples and successors. This 'vast heart' is the great, invincible spirit to keep striving together
with the Mystic Law through even the bitterest adversity to transform all poison into medicine
and freely create value with confidence, strength, wisdom and optimism”

Our members will now share: How to develop a Vast Heart, thru 6 pointers

(Saransh) The Vast heart we will develop will be a by-product of our Human Revolution. That
brings us to our first point:

1. A ‘Vast Heart’ is a heart that cares for kosen-rufu: Happiness of Members

Not the kind of happiness when a person experiences if you give them a chocolate but
the kind of happiness when a person feels empowered. Sensei says, “I hope that you will have
big hearts, deeply caring about your members, respecting your societies and loving the lands in
which you live.” He says to become a pillar of spiritual support, of trust, of social conscience. A
pillar fulfills its responsibility, whether people are watching or not. Whatever challenges arise,
believe in the Gohonzon like true champions of humanity remain unshaken, calm and resolute
in the face of adversity like True Kings.

2. A ‘Vast Heart’ equals an Expansive Life State (Shubhangi Saxena)

Whenever in our lives,we are going through a rough phase facing financial, health or
relationship difficulties or are clueless about the course of our life.
How would we normally feel about it? A person facing such circumstances would feel miserable
and hopeless,or would look upon it as a big misfortune.
When in reality, Fortunate circumstances don’t guarantee happiness, and, conversely, hard
circumstances don’t guarantee that one will be unhappy.
Our environment doesn’t decide our happiness; we do. We are either defeated by
our environment or we triumph over it. That’s what determines our happiness.
It all depends on our conviction in faith and our spiritual wealth.
This I would like to explain with the help of an eg....
Nicherin Daishonin,who was an exile,living in exceedingly tough circumstances,facing great
hardships,difficulties and being deprived even of the basic things one needs to survive...,being
threatened and not knowing when he might get attacked,or worse, killed..In such a situation
where others might have lost complete hope,Nicherin Daishonin was surprisingly calm and his
faith was unshaken- he was brimming with joy and an expansive state of life. Here, Spiritual
Wealth is different from mere financial wealth, the happiness of which is bound to disappear,
once the material riches are lost. Shinichi said that those with the strongest faith are the
wealthiest of all.The real wealth resides internally. It is attaining such a state of mind, soul and
our whole being that we are able to experience satisfaction and joy,irrespective of our external
life conditions.
To achieve such a joyful and balanced internal well-being and rich spiritual wealth, we must
develop great conviction by accumulating many experiences in faith. It is imp to have specific
and concrete prayers. As your conviction will strengthen with every problem you solve.

Personally, I determine to chant Daimoku everyday about the littlest and biggest of problems
and desires I have. I determine to develop the Vast heart, and see the proof of this practice in
my life.

3. Our Buddhist Practice Enables a ‘Vast Heart’ (Lata Aunty)

So now, what enables a vast heart? Nothing else but our Buddhist practice. As human
beings we will surely encounter sickness,sufferings of ageing, death etc but it does not mean
our lives will be unhappy .During this pandemic situation it is necessary to build a strong,
expansive life state, focus on our Buddhist faith and practice and determine to change our
karma. Moreover those who polish and train their spirits and dedicate themselves to the mission
of kosen rufu will be content and brimming with joy day after day,even though they may be old
and in poor health.
Nichiren Daishonin writes”Those who believe in the Lotus Sutra are as if in winter but winter
always turns to spring.” The determination no matter what adverse situation we may face, one
has to truly deepen one’s understanding of Buddhism. Therefore, it’s imperative for us to win
In our daily lives and show actual proof to deepen our understanding of faith.
Especially in the prevailing pandemic situation.Two weeks ago, my whole family was down with
COVID .Being a practitioner of this life transforming philosophy, I did not feel miserable and
hopeless. I was sure to overcome the trying times because the Gohonzon within me has
limitless potential. Despite ill health, I motivated myself and woke up early and chanted two
hours daily, not only for my family but also for those who were sick and ailing.I spoke to the
affected members and encouraged them to read theVC, NHR and Sensei’s guidances. I told
them that this is the time to make a resolve to achieve victory in life and to keep challenging
oneself. A strong prayer to the gohonzon is certain to be realised. The power of Nam Myo Ho
Renge Kyo is colossal. It can transform a life imbued with trying, difficult and adverse situations
into one that is strolling in paradise.
Having strong faith and conviction in the practice, exerting for kosenrufu and the campaign, the
life condition of my family members started improving day by day, and made them understand
the importance of creating value out of any situation.I have realised that I can be the agent of
change myself and do not have to wait for something or someone else to change things for me.
Every victory has been realised by our strong faith and determination. How true it is that our
invisible determinations and and unseen actions will definitely manifest as visible rewards.

4. The Importance of developing a Lion’s ‘Vast Heart’ in the Here and Now (Riya)

The greater the adversity, the more important it to resolve that now is the time to achieve
a victory in life and keep challenging oneself. It is here that the beneficial power of the
Gohonzon manifest. Adversity is therefore an opportunity to overcome and prove the
working of the mystic law. If we determine that yes we will overcome such adversity then
every nerve and fiber of your’s will move in that direction to overcome that adversity. The
principle of achieving a momentous human revolution lies in launching yourself headfirst
into this turbulence and struggling with all your might. For instance if you want to reach
Chennai from lucknow and the efforts that you are putting in is by walking then you will
reach that destination at that pace but if you go by plane then the destination will come
within few hours, hence every adversity need its own reciprocate efforts to overcome it.
The key to happiness is to build a strong and invincible spirit, the wisdom to create value out
of everything, and a vibrant self brimming with hope and joy. Realizing happiness and peace
starts with transforming one’s life or doing one’s human revolution. If we will keep finding
happiness in our surrounding then we will not be able to attain the absolute happiness. The
absolute happiness lies within our own self. The only way is to forge the strength of sprit not
to be defeated by any adversity and the richness of heart to create value out of any
situation and if all people were to do their human revolution and change themselves, a
peaceful society can be attained.

5. A ‘Vast Heart’ spans realms (Divyansh)

Here, sensei is talking about looking at things from the perspective of faith.

There may be times when we are put in some kind of unpleasant situation. We might end up
complaining about it or start blaming our environment for our misery. But that's not the buddhist
perspective. Sensei explains that whatever the situation may be, we should think of ourselves
as having been sent there by the buddha to carry out Kosen Rufu. Whatever situation we are in
the present has deep meaning.

Sensei has also shared what Toda sensei often used to say. He said, “I wonder what planet I’ll
be born on in my next life. If the Daishonin tells me to go to a certain planet and carry out
Kosne Rufu, I’ll be born there and build another Soka Gakkai” That was his expansive spirit
and life state.

Sensei further talks about the importance of breaking through the shell of lesser self by saying
that those who think solely of their own happiness will become anxious and weak, while those
who resolve to live for Kosen Rufu and cultivate deep rooted faith will develop a spirit that is
broad and resilient.
Lets determine to expand our network of trust and friendship, and demonstrate actual proof of
happiness and victory.

6. A Vast Heart is Invisible yet Invincible (Devika)

As Nichiren Daishonin says, “unseen virtue brings about visible rewards.” So even tho
the vast heart we develop will be invisible, the effects it will bring out will be beyond our
imagination as Buddhism manifests itself in daily life. And how we will develop this unseen
virtue our vast heart is when:
i) Unshaken: Sensei says, “As lions, we continue to move forward unshaken by any obstacle or
setback, determined to realize kosen-rufu and fulfill our personal mission. That is the only way
to attain absolute happiness.”
ii) Never Passive: That is why we must never be passive or lax in faith.” A life filled with
grumbling, complaining, bitterness and animosity is miserable.
iii)Helping People: He says, “Its important that people help each other.” Alerting us saying, not
in a way that causes Dependency but in a way that creates Self-reliance for the person.

This will help us build a shinning treasure tower in the innermost depths of our life, our very
CORE. And the only way to do that is to Polish and Forge our Life. Forge literally means, make
or shape by heating metal in fire & hammering it, creating something strong, enduring and
successful.

And one of the last most imp point he shares is: Devotion to the Mystic Law. It’s really
fascinating how he really gets into the details and explains:
Devotion or dedicating our life to buddhism does not encourage a sort of self sacrifice but rather
the state of mind. The kind of devotion he talks about is entirely different. It is a state of
complete, self-assured calm and peace, a state of utterly without fear. It is a feeling as
expansive and serene as the clear blue sky, a fullness of hope, of jot, of total satisfaction being
ultimately true to ourself. Breaking though or lesser self, the small you that is driven and hounds
by all kinds of petty, selfish desires. It means returning to the greater self, self that is one with
the universe, as vast as the cosmos itself. When that happens, you will shine with your highest
human potential.

So let's determine to really forge our lives with our current challenges, turning all poison into
medicine and report a magnificent victory by May 3rd.

Thank you