SPIRITUAL JOURNEY

Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni, Founder Niwano, please guide me. President Niwano, please guide me.

I’m Sujan Bikash Barua. My father’s name is Tapon Bikash Barua and my mother’s name is Maya Rani Barua. We are a family of five–my parents, two younger brothers, and me.

I deeply appreciate this opportunity to speak of my spiritual experience on this meaningful day. Rev. Koichi Saito and the members from the Tokyo East Division, welcome to Bangladesh.

Thanks to your visit to Bangladesh, I have the honor of this opportunity to share my spiritual experience today. If you had not visited Bangladesh, I would not have had this chance. I would like to thank my younger brothers who have supported me, senior members of Rissho Kosei-kai, and the members of chapter “A” who gave me much advice, and Rev. Norimasa Aritomi, minister of the Dharma center, who gave me guidance for gaining happiness of my family.

In Bangladeshi society, we usually don’t talk about our family issues with others, because we think to do so disgraceful. In Rissho Kosei-kai, however, the members share their experiences with others. So I would like to courageously talk about my experience, in order to move forward as well as to change myself. I would like to share my joy and happiness with them, and if it would help them promote their religious faith, I would feel very grateful.

I would like to talk about having my dream come true. I had studied in Tokyo for two years as a student of the Overseas Course in Rissho Kosei-kai’s Gakurin seminary. When I was a second-year student, my parents were living in the rural area of Rangamati. One day my younger brother contacted me, and said that my family had to move to a town because of a problem that arose in the area. The problem was something often happened in such areas. My parents and younger brothers left their home without taking the household goods with them, and started a new life in the town with nothing. But they managed to live happily for the time being.

One day, however, my father and mother had a quarrel, and my father got angry and went back to the former house. Since then, my father had been in a bad mood and wouldn’t go back to the new home in the town. Even so, my father continued to stay in touch with my youngest brother. I was so depressed by hearing about this while I was in Japan. At the time, I stayed at the Toyoda Dharma Center and was in dissemination training. So I talked with Rev. Kayo Shimada, minister of the Dharma center, about my family’s situation. She gave me guidance, saying, “If you believe in the Buddha and practice the Dharma diligently, your family will be liberated from suffering.”

After graduating from Gakurin seminary, I went back to Bangladesh and met my father at the former house in the rural area. I lived in the town, but because my father lived alone in the rural area, I had only talked with him by phone. When he came to the town, he and I had met outside our house. I asked him to come to our house, but he declined my request. Once I forcibly tried to take him home, but he didn’t enter the house and returned his home. 

I talked about my family situation to Rev. Aritomi and senior members of Rissho Kosei-kai. Hearing my talk, Rev. Aritomi gave me guidance, saying, “The cause of this situation might be within your mind, might it not? If you change yourself, your family will also change and become happy.” Then, I reflected on whether my mind might be the cause of this situation, and what I should change about myself. I had suddenly noticed that I am short tempered and emotional like my father. I realized that when my father was angry, if I had gotten in touch with him to listen to what was on his mind, he might not have left the new home after the quarrel with his wife. I talked about this realization to Rev. Aritomi, and asked him for his guidance again. He said that I should call to my father every day to listen to what was causing him distress. I put Rev. Aritomi’s guidance into practice, and continued to keep in touch with him and listen to him talk about his issues. Attentively listening to him, I found that various problems were happening with my father.

I consulted Rissho Kosei-kai’s senior members about the situation. They earnestly listened to what I had to say, and gave me a lot of advice and suggestions. Their family members visited our home over and over, and guided my family to the way of the Lotus Sutra. My mother felt sad about the relationship with her husband, but she held it in her heart. However, thanks to the families of my senior members and the Sangha, she became cheerful. I’m very grateful for their guidance. I really appreciate it.

Last year, I received headquarters-bestowed Gohonzon, and I felt the Buddha’s compassion in our family. I felt that each family member is seriously and wholeheartedly thinking about the happiness of the family. I came to see the warm-heartedness and compassion that my parents and brothers had in the past, which I had not realized before.

Even though two years had passed since I came back from Japan, my father still didn’t live together with the family. But the family relationship had improved. When my father came to the town, he brought many things for the family. One day, when I went out to meet my father, my mother cooked his favorite food to take to him. I was really surprised by her act. I felt her love toward him in that moment.

One day, I suddenly got a phone call from a stranger through my father’s cell phone. He said that my father’s blood pressure had gone up, and he was resting at his store in the town. I was far from there, so I contacted with my younger brothers and had them go to the store. My brothers took my father to see a doctor, but they took him back home despite the doctor’s objection. Because my mother and brothers took care of him, his condition improved. I said to him, “Please stay here in this home whenever you come to the town. Here is our home. Here is your home, too.” Saying “Okay,” he went back to his home in the rural area.

From that time forward, he has been staying at our house in the town whenever he comes here. When he does, I become so happy that I cannot express it in words. I reported to Rev. Aritomi and senior members that my family had come to live together, and that this dream of mine finally had come true. Hearing of my report, they were as delighted as I was. Thanks to my parents, younger brothers, Rissho Kosei-kai’s senior members, and Rev. Aritomi, my dream came true finally. Everyone, thank you very much.

Two months before, we took a family trip, for the first time in twenty-three years. We had a very good time. This joy of mine came about as the result of the practice of the teachings of the Lotus Sutra. I believe that everyone is sure to become happy if she or he learns the teachings of Rissho Kosei-kai, guides others to practice the teachings, attentively listens to their worries, and asks senior members for guidance and practices as guided.

Today, I would like to share my wish with you. If I am born as a human in a future life, I would like to have my parents give birth to me again. I respect and love my parents as the best in the world. I’m really grateful to my father and mother for having brought me up until the present. I’m afraid that their favor is too big for me to repay, but I’m proud of being born as their child. I always wish for their happiness.

I would like to thank you, once again, for giving me this opportunity to share my spiritual experience with you.

Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni, Founder Niwano, thank you. President Niwano, thank you. Everyone, thank you very much.