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Leaders of the Park (see Part IV)
“Only one person can make a breakthrough,
the second and a third will follow.
This is the formula for victory!
Become a pioneer of the new era
and shine in your community.”Daisaku Ikeda, "To My Friends", 3 July 2014
What is it means "only one person can make a breakthrough?
ReplyDeleteAnd who is that one person?
Confused.
Who is the one person? Anyone.
ReplyDeleteBasically, a community of believers, a movement or a change in direction requires one person to start that community, movement or change.
Recently, there was the woman's march against Trump. This doesn't just happen but is inspired by one person taking action and inspiring others.
A few years ago in the UK there was a backlash against Simon Cowell's X-factor winner having the number one single at Christmas, and one person set up a campaign to make Rage Against the Machine's "Killing in the Name" the number one single. Other people got behind this campaign and the X-Factor winner was beaten by Rage Against the Machine.
Many of today's musical artists were inspired by previous artists who were in turn inspired by previous artists, and the artists of today will also inspire the artists of tomorrow.
Within Buddhism, that one person making a breakthrough starts with Shakyamuni - who revealed the Lotus Sutra, but Nichiren's study of all the schools of Buddhism in Japan, led to Japan awakening to the king of sutras, and more recently, Makiguchi - who inspired Josei Toda - created a movement of shakubuku and kosen-rufu, which President Ikeda encouraged to spread throughout the world.
But it is also all of us as individual Buddhists. Within my own environment, I am the one person in my apartment building, street, workplace or college that can shine, share and inspire other people.