So I worried about whether or not my brother and I would need to give them money, and if so, how much they would need, and if we could actually be able to help them.
Toward the Buddhist study course this past weekend, I read some things from President Ikeda and while at the course, also received guidance from a senior in faith, that encouraged me and gave me more confidence about the situation.
Taking the senior leader's words to heart, I emailed my dad with some of President Ikeda's guidance. The email, along with my dad's response, follows below.
From: Peggy
To: Patrick
Cc: Ray [my brother]
Sent: Sunday, October 23, 2011 10:50 PM
Subject: Guidance
Hi Dad,
How are you? I just got back last night from a study conference in Ito, on the Izu Peninsula (where Nichiren Daishonin had been exiled). It's kind of like FNCC, but only two days instead of four. I learned a lot and made new friends. I have a renewed determination to chant more and do my human revolution.
Before the course, I'd been asking myself why you and Mom have to face this difficult financial situation you are now in, especially after so many years of sincere practice.
But the following guidance from President Ikeda explained it very well for me:
"We all have our own karma or destiny. But when we look it square in the face and grasp its true significance, then any hardship can serve to help us lead more rich and profound lives. And our actions in battling our destiny become an example and inspiration for countless others. In other words, when we change our karma to mission, we transform our destiny from playing a negative role to a positive one. Anyone who changes their karma into their mission is a person who has 'voluntarily assumed the appropriate karma.' Therefore, those who keep advancing, while regarding everything as part of their mission, proceed toward the goal of transforming their destiny."
Also, President Ikeda said:
"Life is full of unexpected suffering. Even so, Eleanor Roosevelt said, 'If you can live through that [a difficult situation], you can live through anything. You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I've lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.'' That's exactly right. Struggling against great difficulty enables us to develop ourselves tremendously. We then call forth and manifest those abilities dormant within us. Difficulty can then be a source of dynamic new growth and positive progress" (Faith into Action, p.107).
This guidance reminded of the period when you and mom had a million dollars of debt, and you were able to overcome that situation. Because of that experience, I know you can change poison into medicine in your current situation as well.
At the course this past weekend, I had a chance to ask my about our family's financial situation at a Q&A session with WD leader Mrs. Yokota.
She said*: "The economy is depressed globally, but we must never lose confidence that we can change poison into medicine. President Ikeda said that it is during challenging times that we can move the universe to manifest as shoten zenjin [protective forces]. We must continue to chant until the poison has changed to medicine. But we can't make this happen with a weak, wobbly attitude or with a strong determination that lasts only a short while. This will be a time of perseverance and patience. Be confident that you will win in the end."
Please share this with Mom. I am chanting for you both.
Love,
Peggy
* [She also said, "It is during times of struggle when we can develop close family ties," which is something I've been trying to figure out how to do for awhile now. But I didn't share this part with my dad because it's a weird self-conscious thing to do.]
On Oct 24, 2011, at 10:43 PM, Patrick Chen wrote:
Hi,
Peggy,
Thanks for sharing the guidance you received with us. True, we both have had financial karma. We have overcome it and changed into today's situation. Right now, we are okay without owing [money] to anyone. Instead, we have invested in the net-leased property [and will be receiving enough income to live on]. On top of all these I am continuing to do the real estate and import business....I believe we will be okay. We will have more time to do Kosen Rufu [participate in Buddhist activites] for sure.
We both determin to [c]hant lot more, especially after returning form FNCC we have learned so many people overcame obstacles one after another by chanting millions of Daimoku. To tell the truth I have never made determination to chant 1 million in three months (3 hours a day) yet.
Thanks for your concern about us. We are okay. Nothing to worry. Actually, you should worry about yourself: when you are gonna getting married. You are approaching 32 soon.
Regards,
Dad
------------
I am so relieved my getting married is my parents' biggest concern. I was really worried that they wouldn't be able to survive without some serious financial support from my brother and/or me.
The marriage question is something I've been thinking about for awhile. What I learned this past weekend was that you have to decide that you want to get married, that is, you have to make a determination that you want to marry a particular person, at or by a particular time.
Otherwise, like with anything else in life, if you just have a vague sense that you want to do something, you'll be waiting a long time for something that may or may not happen. "Be determined! Chant and take action!" That's the take-away message I got from this past weekend.
I want to get married and have kids, but one of the reasons this hasn't happened yet is that I feel like I haven't even established a career yet. I'm thinking of getting a Masters in Education so I can teach English literature. I don't want to go from job to random job, then enter parenthood, at which time I'd have to put on hold any progress or pursuit of a career for many years.
I got to talk to a few Women's Division members about this, and I'm glad I did. One of them encouraged me to pursue my education first, because it's a lot harder with kids--which means, if I want to have kids before I get too old, I need to take action NOW.
Many members have mentioned the education program at Soka University in Japan. I never knew that they had so many different programs, and many in English, too. Since I started working at this "assembly-line" teaching job, I've become more interested in Soka Education.
Soka education is humanistic and treats students as individuals with great potential, who should be inspired to be creative and to think creatively--basically, the antithesis of a traditional Japanese education.
Growing up as an SGI member, I'd always known that it's first president, Makiguchi, was an educator who first applied the Buddhist principles to his classrooms in response to the factory-like approach to education in place at the time, in the 1920s.
But it has been by teaching Japanese students and experiencing the sadness that is the Japanese education system that I have really begun to understand and appreciate Makiguchi's situation and efforts.
Some of my students don't have an opinion whatsoever on whether or not they like something. For example, for a question like "Do you like camping?", some don't know whether to answer "yes" or "no," and even among those who can say that much, most can't explain why they do or don't like it, and it's not always for a lack of language ability. It's just sad.
I think there's a better approach to education, and Soka education is definitely a better one.
