I’m from Soka Gakkai, it’s a Japanese Buddhism. Thanks to my mum’s religious faith in Soka, I am a fortune baby (born under the practice of this wonderful Buddhism). Although I am a fortune baby, I wasn’t all along active when it comes to my faith practice. My mum brought my elder sister & I to participate in Primary Division, I stopped joining after my elder sister graduated from PD. So I was not active at all until I scored terribly for my O level and my score couldn’t get me into any polytechnic. It was a terrible feeling of fear… I started to pick up my faith again, picking up my gongyo beads and chant. At times I chanted with tears, my prayer was to get into a polytechnic and in return I will continue with my faith practice and show my gratitude through my actions.
My very first sincere prayer I have set, it was answered. Of course, I encouraged myself to make my first step towards my faith practice, my mum went around asking for me and even accompanied me to my first institution meeting in the Student Division, that’s how I find my place in RPSD. My first encounter was with Huimin, she has a pair of tiny eyes which added a degree of seriousness to her facial expression when she wasn’t smiling. I get to know Emily when Suyi/Huiping actually suggested to Emily & I could meet up and attend our next meeting in TSC since I never been there on my own before. That’s how I became acquainted with Emily! I knew Junhu through Emily’s masterwork of using my MSN while I was away from my laptop. We only have like 6 members in my batch, subsequently, Krystal changed her school, she left RPSD but we welcomed new member, Ynez. Because my batch was small, it was very easy for the 6 of us to be quite bonded, and overall members in RP are not that many and we were just gained “independence” from NYP or NP, I very much knew almost all my seniors.
As I pen down my thoughts, reminiscing the times when I was actively participating in Soka Gakkai, despite learning the fundamentals of faith, practice & study, there was tons of fun too… We even had regular sport connect besides campus connect (study sharing) and also chalet! Of course, I had my downs too… Going through and bearing the pain of loss, and that very year which I had to go through the pain over 3 times. And the physical tiredness from participating NDP & Chingay which I could never experienced if I’m not into practice.
Through all the years, I really made a lot of nice friends, most importantly, I forged a very valuable friendship with Emily & Huimin!
After I graduated from SD CIC, I moved on to being a district leader. But later on, I dropped out from being district leader “voluntarily”, even after knowing that this will be my last straw of being active in Soka. I decided to go solo and find my way to join a cultural group, Soka New Century Orchestra. It’s my 8 years in SNCO, and I am still in touch with Soka.
All thanks to Mr Daisaku Ikeda, our Sensei. I seriously think that no one, no one is ever able to reach the same level of work he has done and he is definitely irreplaceable. He has dedicated more than half of century of his life into this, I cannot imagine the immerse amount of work and sweat he put in while keeping up the constant changes in society and also the growing of demands to continue propagating human revolution. Without his unwavering faith, I might have missed out lots of things in my life! Because of him, I get to realise I truly like music (though I’m not a pro), enjoying my weekly practice. Almost half of my lifetime I have spent in Soka Gakkai, half of me is what this organisation has shaped me into.
Sensei, thank you for opening up a window for me when I really need it! Thank you for allowing me to have fun, laughters and also sadness with tears. You will always be in my prayers, sending you my daimoku, so you can carry them along in your next life! Thank you my Sensei! *Happy tears
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