QUICKLINKS

February Commemorative Women’s Meetings

The women’s theme for 2008 is:
“Today, I will not be defeated. Today, I courageously advance.”

President Ikeda explains, “What is defeat in life? It is not merely making a mistake; defeat means giving up on yourself in the midst of difficulty. What is true success in life? True success means winning your battle with yourself. Those who persist in the pursuit of their dreams, no matter what the hurdles, are winners in life, for they have won over their weaknesses” (Buddhism Day by Day, p.378).

The February women’s commemorative meetings provide us with the perfect opportunity to put our courage to the test. Let’s use the meetings as one milestone to measure our growth both individually and organizationally. Please plan the best Buddhist meeting ever, and through dialogue set goals for attendance, for guests, and for Gohonzon conferrals at the meeting (if it is feasible in your locale). Let’s challenge ourselves to create an unprecedented history by enabling every district to experience the joy of
welcoming at least one new member at their women’s meeting.

In his message to the October 2007 FNCC Women’s Conference, President Ikeda said, “Nothing ismore powerful than one-to-one dialogue. People’s true feelings come to the surface through individual dialogue. The amazing power innate in each person’s life can be tapped through one-to-one encouragement.”

Leading up to our women’s meetings in February, we want to put our mentor’s guidance into action. We would like to encourage each woman and young woman to initiate as many one-to-one dialogues as possible with both guests and members in an effort to foster a better understanding of Buddhism. Let’s see how many people we can help experience the joy of practicing Nichiren’s Buddhism.

So that we can proudly share our victories with Sensei let’s all keep track of these heart-to-heart exchanges. Please use your unique creative wisdom to count the number of dialogues that your district women engage in. The important part is the dialogue. For example, you could create a “Dialogue Treasure Box” and keep it at the district location where members can add a small paper heart or flower that represents a one-to-one dialogue they participated in. However, make the collection process easy. The
most important thing is that we engage in the one-to-one dialogues rather than focusing our energies on a complex plan to collect the number done. Let’s include all the one-to-one dialogues held from January 1st through March 2nd.

The dialogues that each leader does should only be counted in the district where the leader practices or is assigned. Please report the total number of these dialogues along with your district attendance so that we include everyone’s sincere efforts when we report to Sensei at the conclusion of our women’s meetings.

Let’s set a dynamic pace for victory for the remainder of 2008 with our women’s meetings. We must be victorious so that the “Sunflowers of Hope” can be the catalyst for positive change from every corner of the United States, and welcome President and Mrs. Ikeda to Soka University of America.