PROFILE: LIFE MISSION
“I have adopted the daily creed of:
Make today worth one week!
I have not yet lived a hundred years,
but I have striven to create several hundred years of value.
It’s about having a sense of mission. Nothing is stronger”
♦ Dr. Daisaku Ikeda ♦
This declaration resonated deeply with Martin and he too, chose to adopt it as his life quote. Despite the physical, emotional and mental challenges he constantly faced, Martin abided by the same principles as Dr Daisaku Ikeda, his mentor in life and succeeded to live his life to the fullest.
Nichiren wrote of the preciousness of life, declaring that an extra day is worth more than ten million ounces of gold. If one more day of living is worth of a fortune, how important it is, then, that we recognize the sanctity of life – once a life is lost, it can never be recovered. With this recognition, however, the point is not just to cling to life as long as possible; it’s making each day of life count.
Our challenge is to make each day meaningful, to be concerned more with how we live rather than how long.
Self [6913307-114]
”Life as a human being is hard to sustain – as hard as it is for the dew to remain on the grass. But it is better to live a single day with honor than to live to 120 and die in disgrace.”
♦ Nichiren Daishonin ♦
The Heart Momento [6913307-060]
Martin fully understood how precious life is and how vulnerable it can be, especially to him when he had little or no control over his physical condition and life span due to his chronic illness. In the last two to three years, his life has been transformed so much that the values he has created was profound and expounded.
Though he was fighting a fierce battle against his chronic illness, he gave himself no excuses. Instead, he worked extremely hard and immersed fully in creating digital arts and continued to create great impact in the lives of many individuals through sharing Nichiren Buddhism with them. They were people from all walks of life, from a drug addict to a general manager, and a CEO of a regional company. There was also a businessman who failed in his business and was ready to end his life but decided otherwise when encouraged by Martin.
“The heart is beautiful. The heart is always very hopeful. The heart is always very positive. The heart with “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo” (The Sutra of the Lotus Blossom of the Wonderful Law) will be able to connect with the Mystic Law in the Universe and gives us the energy.”
♦ Sandra ♦
Sandra’s sharing about the ‘Heart’ resonated with Martin so deeply that he smiled beamingly and stretched up his hands wide open as if he was embracing the whole Universe. He said that all along the heart of the matter was the motto in his life. He understood why the heart was so beautiful. The heart is indeed beautiful because when we connect to the Universal Law through our heart, we are able to bring out hope and give hope and strength to those we encounter.
It’s the ‘Power of the heart’ that does wonders. Likewise, what one single individual who can manifest the infinite power of the heart can do is certainly beyond human imagination. It is this philosophy that the Second Soka Gakkai President, Josei Toda termed “human revolution” that underscores the SGI’s movement of value creation.
As President Ikeda shares, “A great human revolution in the life of one person can change the destiny of humankind and our planet. It is Buddhism, the Lotus Sutra that encourages and enables people to become aware of their great power, to draw forth and use it. Buddhism gives people the means to develop themselves thoroughly and opens their eyes to the limitless power inherent in their lives.”
Through Martin’s own human revolution, he had demonstrated the limitless power inherent in our lives.
Be a guiding Light to the Lost
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