A RIGOROUS WINTER

By Takashi Ishigami
English version: Eduardo Lima,
Charles Jones and Leila Carvalho

A RIGOROUS WINTER
By Takashi Ishigami

All Rights Reserved.

Any reproduction or any other usage,
either in whole or partial, is expressly
prohibited without the prior consent of
the copyright owner.

Binding of a book (drawing):

Renato Ishigami

Sao Paulo Brazil

July of 2007

Index
Preface
Introduction
Good times, bad times
Searching for a way out
A new hope
Manifesting our karma
New challenges
Defeating the impossible
Crucial moment
Changing the karma
Beginning of spring
The great victory
Perceptions
The actual proof
Consistency from beginning to end
Another great obstacle
To beginners
About the author
My professional life
Letter from Satiko to Renato
Message
Epilogue 1
Epilogue 2
Epilogue
Acknowledgements 3
Appendix
3

Preface

Writing the preface of this book is such an

honor, but also a big responsibility, since it is a work

of reverberation among the members of SGI Brazil
as well as the public in general. Above all, it is an
unique case in the medical literature testified by
eminent doctors of the time who not only observed
the experience but also treated Renato Ishigami, son
of my friends Takashi and Satiko.
Lymphosarcoma is the name of this deadly disease,
incurable according to the doctors, and an immutable
karma according to the Buddhist view.
I have witnessed this dramatic fact together
with my wife, Marina, who supported me whenever I
needed. I not only witnessed but have also taken
part and shared this family drama. I sincerely fought
to help them to overcome this terrible disease.
I keep the letters my friend sent me up to this
day as a result of the intense communication we had
during the more desperate moments. We have
entirely proven the great original power of the Mystic
Law Nam-myoho-renge-kyo within our lives. We
have also proven that only in crucial moments, man
is capable of taking the natural potential each human
being has Buddhahood as revealed and
incorporated by Nichiren Daishonin, eternal master
of life, in the object of devotion Gohonzon. Its power
is capable of changing an immutable karma it into
happiness, that is, the fate every human being.

If the practice of the Nichiren Daishonin

Buddhism is capable of changing the destiny of each
person, it is necessary to propagate it to the world in
order to create a new era of peace and happiness to
mankind. This is the desire of Nichiren Daishonin,
the Buddha of the latter day of the law, whose task is
being fulfilled by SGI Brazil (BSGI), and by us,
members of this organization. We make this task a
mission in our lives our Kossen-rufu.
My kindest regards to my friends Takashi and
Satiko, to whom I dedicate a sincere friendship. With
them, I have learned how to respect them more and
more because of their strong persistence and their
determination which brings them dignity.
Each of us, spouses, kids, friends, and
members of BSGI were born in this era of Mappo,
together with president Ikeda, as our mentor, to
accomplish Kossen-rufu, as Boddhisatvas of the
Earth.
Tadashi Takiguti

Introduction
Since

I was a kid, I never had too much

motivation in life. I used to live my days unaware of
something more meaningful things in life. I had some
peaceful days in my childhood. I was never a man of
great ambitions.
My parents were one of the first Japanese
immigrants who arrived in Brazil. As every immigrant,
they ended up as farm workers. My father was an
educated man. He secretly taught Japanese
language to young people during the 2nd World War,
since Japan was considered an enemy country and
Brazil was an ally of the United States. We lived in a
place called gua Limpa, close to Araatuba, in So
Paulo countryside. Because of the risk of being sent
to jail, my father gave up being a teacher, and
started to be a farm manager.
The name of my father was Yaiti, and my
mother was Tameyo. He came from the Japanese
province of Fukushima; she was born in the province
of Guifu.
Together, they had seven children, five
boys Issao, Takashi, Tuyoshi, Satoshi and Sadamu
and two girls, who died when they were still very
young. Recently, my brother Issao also passed away
at the age of 78, in Recife, capital of Pernambuco,
where he used to live. My parents were very poor
and they struggled to give a good education to their
children. Sadamu and Satoshi became architects,
Tuyoshi is a civil engineer, and, in my case, I am an
accountant.
As time went by, I got married and had a
6

relatively good position in our society. There was

harmony at home and we used to live peaceful days,
without great problems or worries. Nevertheless, I
wasn't happy at all. I felt there was something
missing in my life. Every day, waking up, working,
eating and sleeping again, just repeating a routine...
To me, it looked like I was simply vegetating.
Perhaps this was happening because I saw no
purpose in my life, besides raising my own children.
It was in October 1972 that my routine
suddenly changed, when my son Renato, became a
victim of the most feared of the diseases, cancer.

Good times, bad times

O

ne day after work, when arriving at home, I

noticed that Satiko's face was heavy and worried.
She didn't wait for my questions about what was
going on. She immediately called our eldest son,
Renato, then a 9-year old boy, and asked him to
show me a growing nodule he had in his neck.
I asked Satiko to calm down, because there
was no reason to worry. She agreed and then we
decided to watch it closely before anything.
Unfortunately she was right; as the days went by,
Renato began to feel feverish, he was losing his
apetite and the nodule didn't stop to grow.
Three days after the finding, we took Renato
to the doctor, so that he could be examined. Waiting
for the results seemed to me a never-ending task. I
looked at Satiko and then to my son and all I could
feel was a deep sadness. I had a feeling of
frustration, a physical discomfort next to anguish.
Finally, the results arrived. The doctor told us
the blood exam indicated a high rate of white cells
(leukocytes) in his blood, which means a natural
reaction of his body against some serious infection.
Renato was examined many times in order to find
what sort of infection he had: mumps, a thyroid
disorder, toxoplasmosis, problems with his lymph,
and even TB; but the doctors couldn't reach any
diagnosis. My wife and I thought it was nothing but a
simple child's disease and our dear son would soon
recover. But after 2 weeks, Renato lost 2 kg. I was
8

feeling more and more tense, but I didn't show it, so

that Satiko would not feel worried.
After too many unsuccessful tests and scans,
the doctors decided to extract the nodule, just to
check what it was. This possibility made me very
nervous. I felt depressed and a shiver ran across all
over my body. I felt the muscles in my belly
contracting and I began to live in deep fear.
The doctors made a biopsy, and they found a
lymph sarcoma a cancer in the lymph, three times
more aggressive than leukemia.1 The doctors said
he would live from three to twelve months, since the
evolution of the disease is always fast and fatal
especially in children. 'There is not any record of
survivors with this disease, the doctor told us
promptly.
Anguish and despair were all around. Days
became truly a living hell. Oh, how I missed those
good old days!
I phoned my brother-in-law, who had
graduated in Medicine, and asked him about the
disorder. His answer was cold: 'Saving Renato is
harder than winning the lottery alone'.
There was a devastating strength in his
words, as they were just echoing inside my head. I

1 Lymphosarcoma or lymphoma is a very malignant

disorder without cure. It attacks the lymph nodes

or vessels and it quickly spreads from the lymph
to the organs, such as spleen, liver, lungs and
kidneys, killing the patient very rapidly.
9

couldn't react to them. After awhile, I angrily

answered:
'Why are you so cruel to me? Don't you feel
any pity for a father who is suffering such a pain?'
'How? he replied. 'These are the hardest
news. I do not want to deceive you, so you won't
suffer... When listening to the Medicine's verdict,
desperate parents just do anything: they look for
charlatans, witchdoctors, all these people want is
your money. And I don't want this to happen to you.'
Nevertheless he suggested me to one of the
most renowned hematologists in Brazil. Dr. M.J., a
professor at a famous university in So Paulo state.
However that doctor also did not give any hope at all.
All he did was to confirm the diagnosis from the tests
we previously made. He emphasized that any
treatment we try would only make Renato sufferings
last longer.
In the next day, we started a new treatment,
as indicated by the medical team: radiotherapy. One
month later and we spent every afternoon in the
hospital. The waiting room, located at the entrance of
the building of nuclear medicine, had about 10 m X
15 m. We were given a number by a receptionist at
the right corner of the room, and then waited for
Renato to return. The air was very cold, as the room
had no windows and thus it didn't receive any natural
light. There were about 50 chairs near the walls. We
usually waited 45 minutes, and within this period, my
son chatted with other patients that were also waiting
there.

10

I still remember a recently married young

couple that was there every day. Magnum the
husband became a very close friend of Renato. His
disease started soon after the marriage. He and my
son talked all the time and Renato was really happy
and could not see the minutes passing by. Their
friendship grew every therapy appointment they had.
My kid used to bring games to play with Magnum
while they waited for their turn.
One day, Magnum was not there. Renato
asked me the reason. I sat beside him while he
looked at me with his curious, childlike eyes. I
answered him promptly that he was feeling better
and that he didn't need the treatment any longer. But
my heart was crying; the nurse told me about his
death.
The radiation treatment lasted just 5 minutes
and seemed to be something harmless. But I could
see what was going on, as the days passed by. My
son suffered with nausea, he couldn't chew anything,
his hair started to fall, and after the third week of
treatment, his neck appeared to be wrapped around
a crust, as if he were recovering from a serious burn.
The days went by and I could not see any
improvement in Renato's condition. I was so
immerse into that unhappy situation, day after day,
that I even forgot to eat.
At that time, I used to work in a hotel, and the
managers told me that a professor at the University
of Houston, Texas, one of the greatest world
authorities in cancer, was staying at our hotel. He
was in So Paulo for a conference and the Brazilian
11

doctors were anxious to hear about new treatments

for this disease.
The doctor was very kind and polite. After
listening to me for over an hour, he asked me to
bring my son's tests and scans to be analyzed in the
USA. I was determined to take Renato to Houston, to
be treated and eventually cured using the most
modern treatment.
1) Renato's medical report (November 1972).
2) Diagnoses: Lymphosarcoma infiltrating saliva
glands.

12

When I was about to leave, he asked me:

'Do you have other kids?'
That question felt like a bullet in my heart. I
became overwhelmed with anger. I realized that it
was nothing left for me but crying. So that was what I
did.
I was in an awful mood and drowning in my
sadness, when two weeks later I received an
envelope from M.D. Anderson hospital, USA. It was
one of the world's best cancer centers with about
600 beds. Their answer was definitive. His illness
was confirmed and taking Renato to the USA would
be useless; even using their cutting-edge technology
which was superior to the resources already
available in Brazil. There was nothing they could do
to help my son. As if this answer was not enough,
the report informed that the radiotherapy my kid was
going through would just make his agony last longer;
the onset of other tumors would be inevitable, even
in the regions of the body where radiation had been
applied. The report stated that if it were Hodgkin
lymphoma, Renato would respond better to both
radiotherapy and to chemotherapy.
Then I realized that science would definitely
not make a difference for my son's disease; the
medical knowledge was helpless. Anguish, grief and
despair took over me, and the next few days turned
out to be cloudy and cold.

13

Searching for a way out

I

felt deeply during that time that I needed

God; someone who could help me save my son's life
and take me out of that darkness. I wondered: since
there was no hope at all here in this life, perhaps in
another life beyond this world. But is there a God?
Since a teenager, I always questioned the
existence of God. I once read in the newspapers the
story of a large fire in a circus in Rio de Janeiro. The
burning tent fell on top of many children, who later
died. Poor innocent little creatures. If God is
everywhere, knows everything and can do anything,
where was He then? I used to ask myself,
oftentimes feeling outraged. From then on, I became
a skeptic person.
I was raised catholic because of the Brazilian
culture and tradition. In my search for an answer, I
started to go to a famous church in Jabaquara, a
district in So Paulo city, but all I could feel was that
nothing had changed. My anxiety grew, and the more
I immersed into Christian religion, the more I felt I
could not fit into that.
I stopped going to that place. Even though my
wife continued with her prayers, I decide to stop. I
always argued with Satiko, who thought I was taking
the wrong decision and losing my faith. To avoid this
conflict, I decided to go with my wife to the mass
service. After the ceremony, I began a conversation
with the priest. I told him in detail about the problems
my family was facing. He listened to me patiently. We
14

exchanged looks that I interpreted as a quiet despair.

'My son, God knows what He is doing. He is calling
your son to a marvelous place, much better than this
one we live in a place called Heaven. Thus, let there
be God's will, and keep your faith in the Lord.'
I made up my mind after that: I would not
follow that religion. Since there was nothing that
could be done, why did I insist in going to a church,
where everything would end up into God's will?
Meekness was an attitude that never existed to me. I
decided to fight against that illness until all strength
inside me was gone.
I was feeling really stunned that day and felt
almost destroyed. I had to consider this was just
another pessimistic view; I could not give up the idea
that there was still hope for my son. Thus, I began
looking desperately for another religion. I could not
accept that situation; I had to be quick because the
situation was getting close to an end.
I started to get in touch with as many religions
as possible. I bought and read many books; I went to
many churches including two oriental ones and
Spiritist but none of them offered any perspective
to save my son from death. God was always
sovereign and an absolute king, responsible for the
fate of mankind, and this was not the 'God' I was
looking for.
Even if I didn't believe or if I didn't accept
anything I was being told, I always respected and still
respect every religion. I think that everyone has to be
valued, but to me, in such desperate moment, with
my son about to die, it upset me to hear that I was
15

under the influence of a supreme being and that the

life of my son depended solely on him. Selfishness?
Blasphemy? Perhaps in the opinion of most people.
I felt deep inside my heart that wishful
thinking, beautiful words, vows, meditation and good
attitudes in front of God, all this would not solve my
serious problem. I did not accept to just wait for this
Supreme Being to make a decision. If my son would
survive, people would say: 'thank God', 'this was a
Heaven's gift; 'it was a miracle'. If eventually he
would die, 'this was his fate; 'this is Gods will'. I
always asked: what is the coherence in it?
An urgent action was more than necessary
because I had a very strong 'enemy'. Therefore, I
needed something strong enough to fight. They say
that in soccer the best tactic is always the attack. If
my opponent made three goals, I had to make four
and win the game. It had to be a meaningful,
powerful and dynamic religion; one that lay above
the disease. I had an unbending purpose; I was up
to whatever it was needed to save my son.
The circumstances in my life were very
difficult. I knew that it would not help to be sad or
seek why this was happening to us. I knew too that
moaning would just make things worse than they
were. It was then that I remembered that in 1968, a
few years before my son's disease, I went to
Araatuba and saw a good friend of mine who told
me about the religion he was practicing to cure his
older son's illness, who suffered from asthma. I could
remember the happiness in his face when he told me
about it. After practicing for a couple of months his
kid was completely cured. At the time, I did not pay
16

too much attention to his story. I did not want to

follow any philosophy, and also I did not feel that I
needed a religion. I just listened to his account. I said
I was grateful to him, but I was not interested in
going to any church.
Telephone services were not as effective in
1972 as they are today; mail was the only effective
way for communication. Then, I remembered about
the teachings my friend told me. I took a pen and a
piece of paper and wrote a letter. I explained my
problem in detail, opening myself to him and asking
about any information he could give me about the
religion. When I finished the letter, I had the sincere
feeling I was attempting my last act of hope.
I waited for a reply from my friend day after
day. I felt an intense shiver whenever I checked the
mailbox at the entrance of my house. Every day, I did
the same thing, but there was nothing, no reply at all,
and I started to feel angry.
My friend, after reading my account, decided
to come to So Paulo, and talk to me in person
about his religion. Almost 600 km separated us and
such a distance became nothing compared to his
desire to help me. My heart filled with joy when the
bell rang and I saw Tadashi and his wife, Marina. I
could not believe my eyes, so I turned to gaze again
to have a second look. My friends were finally there.
I saw an incredible light over them, and I felt a great
serenity.
When Tadashi started talking about Nichiren
Daishonin Buddhism, and I immediately connected
with everything he was telling me. I saw logic and
17

coherence within the concepts of that philosophy.

Besides, he told me everything that I needed to hear
then:
1. Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism is a religion for
life, not for death;
2. We face Heaven and Hell here on Earth not after
death;
3. In our practice of faith, there is not a single pray
without an answer;
4. The invocation Nam-myoho-renge-kyo recited in
front of the Gohonzon turns the impossible into
the realms of possible. This is not to be taken as
a miracle. This is simply our inner universe
getting into contact with the outer universe;
5. Promoting Buddhism through Kossen-rufu (world
peace) is Soka Gakkai Organization's main
purpose, whose leader is our mentor Daisaku
Ikeda.
His words sounded like music to my tired
ears. His shining eyes and the sincerity of his words
were too good for me. I was listening attentively to
what was said. 'Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism has its
own philosophy and it states that the basis for
evaluation and judgment of a religion is its way to
document theoretical and real proof.' 'And what's this
real proof?' I asked.
Chanting nam-myoho-renge-kyo with faith,
sincerity, and determination, the person will
eventually find the real proof, in this life. This is for
real.' Then he remained quiet for awhile. He seemed
to be waiting for my next question. It was hard to
believe to what was being said. Real proof in this life
would be Renato's cure. I remained totally silent. I
18

felt that I had found a true religion, a true philosophy,

and I was able to embrace it with all my strength and
save my dear son.
I felt how sincere my great friend Tadashi was
in every word he was telling me. I have always
praised him for his intelligence, honesty and maturity.
I have always taken him as a role model with a
positive influence in my youth. And there he was,
talking about something that would change my life
completely. Inside my darkness, I could finally see a
little spot of light. Hope I had lost started to reborn
again deep inside me.
I looked through the window. It was almost
sunset and clouds were quickly appearing in the sky.
I thought about my son. I made a vow to do whatever
it was necessary, no matter how hard these tasks
would be. From that moment on, I believed my son
would not die, and then I felt a great inner stability.
The battle now was mine. As I wished, his survival
depended on us.
'The main goal of Buddhism is the realization of
peace and happiness of humankind'
(Josei Toda, second president of Soka Gakkai)

19

A new hope
From

that moment on, I began to practice

Buddhism. I did not know how I would do that, but I
considered myself able to face any difficulty to save
my son. I asked my friend to teach me how to
pronounce nam-myoho-renge-kyo. In the beginning,
I found that it was very hard to recite this phrase. My
friend also emphasized that I should recite the Sutra.
Tadashi's orientation attracted me, but I found
everything so much difficult that I used to think very
often that I could never make it. This was so different
for me. He told me to seat in a calm place and recite
nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the Daimoku, and the Sutra,
the Gongyo 2. It took then about one hour to recite
Gongyo, since at the time, it consisted of five
invocations in the morning and three in the evening,
and I used to pray in the two periods.
Before going back to Araatuba, Tadashi got
in contact with the BSGI organization. He introduced
me to some of the members who used to live close
to my house, reinforcing that they were there to
orient and support me. I was very happy with the
warm welcome, the availability and the support I was
given. I could not understand how come people
could be so concerned about my suffering, especially
because they hardly new me. The most challenging
of all was the fact that they were so optimistic and so
confident about my victory.
2

See chapter To Beginners for an explanation of

the Buddhist practice.
20

I became an honorary member of the

Community and District of Aclimao. I met
Sebastiana, Lourdes, Madalena, Dora and Luzia,
responsible for the district, chapter and area.
Whenever we met, all of these women were warm,
supportive with kind words and elevated my life
condition. I wanted to know more about Nichiren
Daishonin Buddhism and the practice. They
suggested reading the Soka Gakkai publications,
specially Brasil Seikyo, a newspaper, and the
magazine Third Civilization. I followed their advice.
I was feeling pretty anxious for answers, for
ideas, for orientation. I wanted to know the
philosophy in depth. Therefore, I read everything I
needed, and did not miss any lecture to which they
invite me. I started to feel differently, noticing details
to which I did not pay attention, observing each act in
my life, and as time went by, I realized that I was
gradually reaching a state of mind of perfect inner
harmony. I wanted Satiko to feel the same way. But
my wife remained indifferent to my practice, to my
words, and kept praying to God to save Renato's life.
We had no idea of what we were doing. Satiko
went to church and took Renato with her; I went to
Buddhist events and took Renato with me. We did
not stop to ask our son what was his opinion about
this confusion of gods and beliefs. It was evident that
I could not tell about my mind to Satiko. Every
complaint I made, I was just expressing the
unbearable frustration to be in an untenable
situation. For the first time, we were walking alone
and not side by side, as we had always done since
the beginning of our marriage. 'It is the moment to
have harmony in your family, if you wish to win this
21

bitter battle and save your son. It is very important to

everybody to practice and dedicate to Nichiren
Daishonin Buddhism. If it can't be that way, you will
hardly reach victory', said to me Mr. Carlos Uno, then
a director of BSGI, when I requested his guidance.
Mr. Uno's words echoed in my head. I imagined
several situations to talk to Satiko and explain to her
what was going on. I have taken every effort to
speak frankly with her.
We decided to talk to our son. His opinion was
the most important of all. We made up our minds: it
should be him who would decide the religion we
would follow. It was impossible to go on practicing
two religions at the same time. We put the question
with extreme care. A ten-year old boy, as our son,
would decide something really important to our
family.
'I want to practice my daddy's religion', Renato
answered without hesitating. 'Every time I recite
nam-myoho-renge-kyo, I feel a great joy, and
courage. I do not feel the same when I pray with
mom. I like a lot the place my daddy takes me.
Everything is so funny and beautiful. All those people
reciting together, they seem to be singing', he spoke,
smiling.
It was not necessary to look to Satiko and
understand she was fearful regarding Renato's
choice. On the other hand, I was feeling complete
joy. It was a great victory to listen to my son's
decision.
A joyful moment however was about to
happen. In an interview, I was approved to have the
22

Buddhist object of devotion, Gohonzon. It was the

end of January 1973, and, then, my kid had his
sessions of radiotherapy finished. His general health
was much better, at least apparently.
Satiko and I bought an altar to enshrine the
Gohonzon. I wanted the best to fit my happiness in
expressing my gratitude to the unique opportunity to
save Renato's life.
'I want the prettiest one, because we are
going to enshrine our Gohonzon and save our sons
life', I said excited to Satiko. I was feeling great joy,
because I was buying an altar to celebrate life and
not a funereal coffin.
On February 4, 1973, we proudly enshrined
our Gohonzon in an altar in our home. It was no
longer necessary to chant in front of an empty wall. I
felt a great difference in practicing Daimoku and
Gongyo in front of the Gohonzon; especially
regarding concentration, which is a very important
factor when the subject is faith. In the beginning, we
left the sacred Gohonzon in a small room. It was not
what I really wanted; initially I wished the Gohonzon
would be in our living room. But, I didnt want to
upset Satiko, so I agreed with that location. We have
been through hard times, and I felt she should not to
be disrespected.
Satiko began her practice and she chanted
the Buddhist prayers with me, Gongyo and Daimoku.
However, her dislike was visible on her face. She
was definitely feeling unhappy. Though we didn't
speak about this problem, this situation concerned
me a lot.
23

One day, I noticed that Satiko was murmuring

her old prayers. I saw that she still didn't believe in
the power of the Gohonzon. The days went by and
her attitude didn't change. I didn't have the faintest
idea about when she would change her mind. I just
accepted that situation and kept on my practice. I
knew that her attitude was placing my victory more
distant from me. We had to put our strength together,
but I did not know when.
I used to take Renato to Buddhist activities
with me, and I chatted with the boys who volunteered
to assist the members who were there. I once met a
young man at the old temple besides the Cultural
Center of BSGI. Though he was dressing casual, he
had an uncommon happiness. His eyes shone and
showed happiness, his voice was full of conviction.
When he talked about Buddhism, he showed a deep
knowledge of the philosophy.
Ogata had a peculiar way of chatting to other
people; he used to present examples of real life
using cases of Buddhism. It was then that I had an
idea: to invite him to visit my home and convince
Satiko. I could never imagine that this visit would be
fundamental so that Satiko would understand the
importance of her attitude and her faith to
accomplish our goal.
'Imagine your son pulling a two-wheeled cart
that is too heavy, it has a heavy burden to be taken
to a very far place. Just one wheel in this cart works
perfectly; the other one brakes. In our story, the
wheel that helps your kid is represented by your
husband. To let your son reach his final destination
depends on the correct work of the two wheels. And
the wheel that brakes, without rolling, is you', said
24

the young man to Satiko.

She was listening to Ogata with great
attention. I noticed that this man was speaking to her
heart. He spoke about Buddhism naturally and used
many examples. He carefully spoke in metaphors to
explain Buddhist concepts, clarifying any questions
that appeared. When the young man left my home, I
could realize, by the aspect of my wife, that there
were no questions in her mind. I was very grateful to
him. It was as if his visit was the missing spark so
that Satiko could practice that teaching.

25

Manifesting our karma

The beginning of March, 1973, was of great

sorrow and pain. According to the medical diagnostic

we had already heard, five different tumors were
inside Renato's neck. We were very sad. Doctors
emphasized that the removing these tumors would
be an impossible task. We were told by them that his
neck was a very vulnerable region because of the
radiotherapy, and this part of his body became
especially very sensitive. In addition to this bad
news, we had to face again radiotherapy sessions
over a period of forty days.
We left the hospital stunned. We walked to the
car in silence and drove home without speaking.
Changes in our expressions and sadness in our
faces were so noticeable that we looked like dead
bodies walking. The joy we were feeling was gone.
I broke that deep silence we were in, and said
to Satiko that I would keep the serenity: 'We can't
afford to give up', I told her. 'That is the life of our
son. It is our lives and family. Let's keep our spirits
high.' Satiko began to cry.
I kept on staring at her in silence. Then, I
noticed, my suffering was not as deep as hers,
because hope did not leave me yet. 'You must chant
daimoku intensely as fast as possible to change the
karma Renato and your family are in. Only with
intense invocation of nam-myoho-renge-kyo in front
of the Gohonzon this task is possible', said once
Luzia.
26

I was pretty scared when she told me that it

would be necessary 24 hours a day of daimoku to
accomplish my goal. To keep on chanting 24 hours a
day was an impossible task for me. 'How could I do
that?' I was feeling really uncomfortable with such a
perspective, and I told her that, before starting this
invocation, I would like to know someone who was
cured of cancer praying 24 hours of nam-myohorenge-kyo.
'We have not seen any case in Brazil yet.
There is only one, in Japan.' 'And did they chant
daimoku 24 hours a day?' 'Yes, according to the
explanation I have read once, there was one person
with cancer, and, for a long time, the altar he kept at
home remained opened, so each member in his
family could recite daimoku 24 hours a day.'
'But at home there is only me and Satiko! How
could we possibly do so many hours of daimoku?'
'Your family has a great mission: show a real proof
demonstrating the first cure of cancer here in Brazil.
Besides, your example will serve as a living
testimonial to a lot of people who will look for
Buddhism. Can you imagine how good this will be?
she said to me.
'Teaching another something is the same as
oiling the wheels of a cart so that they turn even
though it is heavy, or as floating a boat on water so
that it moves ahead easily.'
(Nichiren Daishonin, the writings of Nichiren
Daishonin, page 1086).

27

'I will pray three million daimoku'3 I did not

recall what I thought then. I just know that I felt I
could. I promised that victory to my son, to my family,
and I would not fail to accomplish it. As exhausting
my pact would be, I would keep it. I was committed
to this battle.
I spoke with Satiko and then with Renato.
Together we established a goal of 12 hours of
daimoku, so that, after three months, we would have
reached three million recitations. Every day, I would
pray for four hours, Satiko, for six hours, and Renato,
for two. How? We were not able to imagine ... My
two youngest kids were not included in this family
project, as they were very young to help. They were
only six and four years old. The surprising fact about
that was Renato's disposition.
I used to remember Daisaku Ikeda's guidance
that says: to reach happiness, sufferings and
problems are needed. By chanting nam-myohorenge-kyo we must challenge these problems and
sufferings, so we can reach victory through joy and
happiness, because there is not victory without
challenge. And the bigger this suffering is, the bigger
the joy with the victory.
We abruptly changed our routine. Friends and
relatives used to visit us when they heard about
Renatos illness, believing that it would be the last
time they would see him. We kindly ask them not to
come, since we would not have time to host them
3 One hour corresponds approximately to 3,000
nam-myoho-renge-kyo. One mllion means,
therefore, 365 hours of prayers.
28

and still chant 12 hours of daimoku daily.

I remember that I woke up in the next day with
birds singing. I looked for Satiko, but she was
already in front of the Gohonzon, chanting nammyoho-renge-kyo. I got up. My body ached. I was
too tired. I washed my face and quickly joined Satiko.
I could not believe what I was seeing. Finally, she
was determined to accomplish our purpose, and we
had 90 days.
Every member in our community supported
us. They came to our home every Saturday, recited
daimoku with us, and encouraged us. Luzia, Dora,
Lourdes, Madalena, Hase as if they were our
family started to share the challenges of this great
battle to save my son's life.
'Karma also may be divided into two
categories: fixed and unfixed. Sincere repentance
will eradicate even fixed karma, to say nothing of
karma that is unfixed.'
(Nichiren Daishonin, The Writings of Nichiren
Daishonin, page 954).
During that time, Mr. Izumi, Soka Gakkai's
vice-president, was visiting Brazil headquarters. I
thought about meeting him and tell him about the
situation we were facing and how we were dealing
with that. After explaining my wish, I had an
immediate reply from him, who received me at BSGI.
I will never forget that first meeting. We
entered the room in which he was Renato Satiko
and me- and, before saying a word, he said: 'You
thought that you brought Renato here, so he could
listen to my encouragement ... but in fact you were
29

brought here through Renatos illness.'

I explained to him how hard our situation was.
I told him in detail our struggle since the day we left
the hospital for the first time. 'Do not worry', he
smiled. 'This is the best moment of your lives. You
should make a strong prayer to the Gohonzon with
the objective of defeating the negative causes you
may have committed in this and previous lives. Even
if you do not remember, what you live at this
moment, right now, are the effects of causes you
have done yourselves.'

Ishigami family: Takashi, Satiko, and their kids,

Renato, Ricardo, and Suely. Picture sent to
President Ikeda on Mr. Izumi's request.
To understand that was impossible. What
have I done? I asked myself in low-spirits.
'You must have Renato's cure as your main
goal, and this must come with all your sincerity.
Recitation of daimoku must be done with all your
30

gratitude. The same way, you must thank such

wonderful opportunity for transformation. You should
double your determination at each victory and never
forget to be thankful.'
I knew that I could not question Mr. Izumi's
advice; after all he was a veteran in the Buddhist
practice. 'Please, never give up to pray for Renato to
live the best way as possible. By doing so, this will
be a great value to kossen-rufu making him a great
example of truth in Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism.
The disease of your son can be considered a
treasure in your family's life. Believe in my words.'
After all that was said, I had to admit that I
didn't understand the real meaning of his advices. In
spite of the fact that he was speaking in Japanese, I
didn't have the slightest difficulty to understand him.
But I could only comprehend the real meaning of his
words years later. It was only when I finally realized
Renato's and his illness' great possibilities. Without
all that pain, we would never have the chance to
change our lives and our family's evil karma.
When we were about to leave, Mr. Izumi gave
us the following advice:
Seven guidelines to change a person's evil destiny:
1) Sincere practice of gongyo and daimoku.
2) Constant practice of shakubuku.
3) Continuous development by faith.
4) Seekking spirit.
5) Never be defeated by obstacles.
6) Fighting for kossen-rufu together.
7) An absolute confidence in the Gohonzon.
We left completely determined to accomplish
our goal. His advice became part of us. As soon as
31

we got back home, we recited daimoku for hours

without stopping.
According to Mr. Izumi's request, I gave him a
picture of our family (reproduction on the previous
page) in the next day, so he could show it to Mr.
Daisaku Ikeda, reporting him our determination and
asking his support to meet our goal.
Renato were not surprised about anything. He
was always smiling, and never forgot about his two
daily hours of chanting. He had a very mature
attitude and his desire to live was profoundly
contagious. My son also wanted to recite gongyo
together with us, but he was too weak and too
young. I asked the woman leader in the BSGI
community to tell him that it wasn't necessary, that
he was doing enough for a 10-year old boy. He didn't
listen to the woman. He didn't accept what she said
to him and he quickly learned how to recite the
Sutra. Every day he joined me and Satiko to pray the
morning and the evening gongyo, besides his daily
two hours of daimoku.
'Daddy, I have to do whatever I can, so this
will work out. I am like you', he said.
'My son, do not make things harder. You are
demanding too much of yourself.'
I felt the tears in my eyes, but I remained
strong, without showing my inner feelings in front of
that child who taught me so much. When he finished
the first million daimoku, Renato could read the
complete Sutra, what made us extremely surprised,
and full of joy.
32

New challenges
I was at home. After accomplishing my daily

goal of four hours of daimoku, I sat on the couch and

started to read the Brasil Seikyo newspaper. There
was deep silence. I was feeling so sensitive after
many hours of recitation that anything that I read
would profoundly touch me. The text was written by
Daisaku Ikeda and seemed to be directed to me.
Each word echoed in my heart as a great incentive
to me.
Initially, the text mentioned a scene of
'Limelight', in which Charles Chaplin, playing the role
of Calvero, encourages a dancer named Terry, who
has lost all her hopes after having her legs
paralyzed. 'Life is beautiful, something magnificent.
Your problem is that you dont fight. You gave up and
live continuously in sickness and death. But there is
something as inevitable as death, which is life! Life!
Life! What is there to fight for? Everything! Life itself!
Isn't that enough? To have lived, suffered and
enjoyed', Calvero said to the young lady in that
scene. 'Think about the force in the Universe making
the earth go around and causing the trees to grow.
This is the same force inside you.'
Using this example and sharing the same
thought as Chaplin, Daisaku Ikeda was talking about
the existing power in the Universe and Nature, and
he stated that the same power could be found latent
inside every human being. Besides, he wrote that
manifesting this power is a challenge for everyone,
and by chanting nam-myoho-renge-kyo, such
33

accomplishment is possible. He added that opening

the door to the object of devotion to pray daimoku
was like opening the doors of the Universe. I thought
to myself: this is it! I will believe in this potential and
make it bloom! I can do that!
'Life itself is the most precious of all treasures
in the Universe and not even all the treasures in the
Universe can be compared to the value of one single
human life.'
(Nichiren Daishonin, The writings of Nichiren
Daishonin, page 955).
I was reciting daimoku with my son when I
noticed a subtle smile in his face. His eyes were
shining and fixed on the Gohonzon. His voice was
high-pitched, strong and I realized that something
different was happening.
'My son, what happened?' I gently asked him.
He did not move his eyes and resolutely asked me to
not interrupt him. I respected his demand and I kept
reciting nam-myoho-renge-kyo. I looked around us,
and listening to the sound of our own prayers, I could
realize that our voices were perfectly attuned. As
soon as we finished daimoku, I didn't want to ask
Renato about the feelings he had; but knowing him
as I do, I was certain that something happened.
'I was chatting with the Gohonzon', he
spontaneously told me.
How? I incredulously and calmly
Then, he clarified to me: 'I can't explain,
wonderful feeling. The chair in which I
disappeared and I felt I was floating
34

asked him.
but I had a
was sitting
in the air.

Everything around us disappeared including you. All I

could see was the shining Gohonzon, and then I
began to chat with it, as I used to do with my friends
in school.'
I kindly explained to him that what he told me
was practically impossible to happen. He didn't pay
too much attention to my words. He left the room,
happy. On the other hand, I had a sudden fear, that
tumors started in his head and he was having
hallucinations.
I decided to not tell anyone about that. I just
could not forget what I saw. I recalled his sincere
smile and his shining eyes too. That was inexplicable
to me. I felt his account was true because he had an
unspeakable happiness. But how? I could not stop
thinking about that for a single moment.
One day, I made up my mind, and decided to
talk about that to Luzia, the district leader. She
patiently told me: 'Engrave Renato's account in your
memory and never forget it. Your son has shown the
Buddhist principle of Kyoti myogo. Perhaps, this will
make no sense to you right now. But, after awhile,
you will understand how rare and unique it was the
experience he had next to you.' Her words were
incredibly pleasant.
'For a few seconds, Renato devoted himself
completely to the recitation of Daimoku and took part
in the most incredible experience a person can have.
He merged his life with life in the universe, the Mystic
Law, nam-myoho-renge-kyo', she convincingly told
me.

35

I was extremely happy; my eyes got filled with

tears. I was immersed in an exuberant tranquility.
Once again, I was feeling very well and, strangely,
my worries were gone. The darkest night became full
of light again.
Three days later, we received Silvia Saito at
home, the womens division leader. She was a very
experienced person, and came to talk specifically to
Satiko, although I was able to listen to the
conversation. I was feeling really curious about the
Buddhist philosophy and did not want to miss such
opportunity.
She was very perceptive and soon noticed my
wife's look which expressed confusion. She carefully
told Satiko. 'You will never obtain the benefits of the
practice if you keep confusing Buddhism and your
previous religious beliefs. Your attitude does not
correspond to Buddhist principles. Complaining and
lamenting yourself to the Gohonzon, asking to save
your son, will not benefit anyone. Praying to the
Gohonzon this way does not work. In Buddhism, we
do not pray for someone to save us. We pray to
develop our inner potential of victory and wisdom
which exist within us. This potential is called
Buddhahood and its manifestation allows us to
transform the most adverse circumstances in our
lives. 'Up to this moment, you have not convinced
yourself of the power of the Gohonzon. Your
difficulty, which is the same for everyone, is to
convince yourself. You need to believe that this
power exists and that you can manifest it in your life
and help your son.'
Silvia became silent for awhile expression
36

became relaxed. Satiko asked her what she

meant by changing her attitude. 'You need to pray to
the Gohonzon and firmly determine the cure of your
son. You must feel with all of your heart that you can
do that, and tell yourself that the Gohonzon has the
power to change your life. You should never lament
or complain yourself.' I sincerely thanked that
guidance because it not only touched Satikos heart
but also mine.
Never seek this Gohonzon outside yourself.
The Gohonzon exists only within the mortal flesh of
us ordinary people who embrace the Lotus Sutra and
chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo (WND page 832).
That was a rainy Saturday. Blooming trees
and bushes were shaken by the mild wind, and the
breeze touched my sad face. We went to a shopping
mall, just to relax. We ate hamburgers and icecreams. I felt envious when I saw parents walking
with their healthy kids, but at the same time, I wished
that they would never have to face what we were
going through and I said to myself: 'I would like to be
a father who doesn't love his son as much as I do;
this way, I would suffer less than I actually do'.
When we were about to complete the second
million daimoku, Sansho Shima (three obstacles and
four devils) manifested in our lives, trying to interrupt
our purpose of reciting three million daimoku.
One relative, feeling sorrow for Renato
because he spent the days at home just praying with
us like crazy, and imagining the short life span my
son would have, offered him a trip to Disneyland, Los
Angeles, together with one of his parents.
37

I kindly refused his offer. After all, I did not

want Renato to travel to America, as if it were his last
trip in life. Then, I thought: 'One day, my son will be
healthy and visit Disneyland. I am totally confident of
that. The Gohonzon will provide him this trip.
''As practice progresses and understanding grows,
the three obstacles and four devils emerge in
confusing form, vying with one another to interfere...
One should be neither influenced nor frightened by
them.(Nichiren Daishonin, The writings of Nichiren
Daishonin, page 501).

38

Defeating the impossible

Renato was too weak. We reached the end

of the second part of the radiation therapy and his

immune system was weak. My son could not eat at
all and was quickly losing weight. My wife cried when
she saw him taking a shower. Watching his skinny
body was painful because he looked like an
undernourished child. Renato had a blood test (a full
blood exam) every ten days. The last exams
revealed bad results and the medical team decided
to put him on chemotherapy and requested a new
blood exam. Deep inside my heart, I did not want
him to have these sessions, because Renato would
suffer a lot and I knew that it would be useless.
I was exhausted. I was living one of the
hardest days of my life. I sat, quiet, and did not want
to talk to anyone. We left home quite early. The sky
was hazy and gray; in fact, everything was gray and
colorless for me. I got the results of my son's blood
exam and took Renato and Satiko to the hospital.
We did not speak a word on the way. I focused my
attention on driving, and reached our destination
within ten minutes. Fear was pounding hard in my
heart. I had no thoughts in my head, just an
uncomfortable feeling.
I gave the closed envelope to the doctor, who
opened it and began a detailed reading. He was
looking fixedly at the paper, and without saying a
word, he got up and went to the supervisor office.
'We have decided to postpone the beginning
39

of the chemotherapy sessions. Results of his blood

exam are excellent, as if Renato never had cancer',
said the doctor, as soon as he came back from the
room.
That was unusual, I thought. How come? That
sudden and unexpected outcome left me excited and
happy. I wanted it to make sure it was true, but I did
not have strength enough to question the doctor's
decision. I was feeling too happy to ask him
anything. Winter arrived and it was cold with grayish
days. I had never felt such a cold winter in my life.
Finally, we were close to meet our great goal.
There were only eight days left to complete the three
million of daimoku. However, after a calm night of
sleep, we woke up. Renato was coughing too much,
and short of breath, he could not exhale air properly.
In less than five minutes, he was totally different. I
became disoriented and confused. I thought it would
be the flu, since his immune system could be very
low. To help him sleep and feel better, we put four
pillows under his head. He could not eat any solid
food, and had difficulty even with liquids.
I took him to the doctor to be examined. As
soon as he finished, the doctor's expression
changed, which made me very apprehensive. He
asked me a detailed account of the symptoms
Renato had shown in those days. After my account,
he sent my son immediately to x-ray. That was the
longest wait of my life, and the results were the most
discouraging ones.
'Your son has both lungs with metastases
which have spread all over his body. Constant
40

coughing and shortness of breath came from this

lung problem. Cancer has spread, and took 100% of
his right and 25% of his left lung. Your son state is
critical; other organs are at risk too. There is nothing
much we can do. I am so sorry; his life will not last
much longer. In my opinion, he might survive only a
couple of weeks.'
It is the end, I thought. I have reached the
desert of my life. I did not have any strength to fight,
and I found myself involved with a deep sorrow.
Before I could make myself heard, the doctor asked
me to be strong and carefully listen to what he would
say:
'The best that we can do for him is to send
him to the hospital. We need to sedate him and
avoid more pain. From now on, he will not be able to
breath and will feel awful pain all over his body. He
won't stand. His body is too weak. I will prepare his
checking in at the hospital and you, please, bring him
tomorrow morning.'
I felt dizzy. Even if I closed my eyes, I would
see the doctor. I held my head between my hands
and tried not to cry. I didn't want to look around me
because that place was too uncomfortable. How
could I leave Renato there sedated, ready to die?
I asked to myself: was everything I did in
vain? Was everything that I went through with my
family in vain? How would I tell Satiko about that?
What would be her reaction? What about Renato?
How could I tell everybody the medical decision?
I was feeling awfully disgusted, in a wreck. I
41

could not even find the exit door in the hospital. In

reality, I did not want to find it because I knew it
could end in a disaster. The words of the cancer
specialist made me feel really revolted. I could not
accept what the doctor had told me.
Feeling really depressed, I drove home. I was
ashamed, my ears were ringing, I was feeling my
body temperature very high, I was dizzy and, I
suppose, a little reddish. I went to Satiko and told her
the doctors' account.
Surprisingly, instead of despairing, she had a
strong reaction. I did not understand how she
reacted like this. I thought she would collapse, but
she was stronger than never. She asked me to take
her to the hospital, as she needed to talk to the
doctors who gave this fatal diagnostic to our son.
I could not disagree with her. I took her to the
hospital; I gathered all my strength. When we got
there, Satiko asked me not to enter the room. She
told me she wanted to talk alone with the doctors. I
was feeling so down that I did not have any other
reaction but to accept it.
I was smoking one cigarette after another, and
was anxiously waiting for my wife. About one hour
later, she got back from the room. She looked deep
inside my eyes and told me:
'We won't send our son to the hospital. I won't
let him being sedated to die. I told the doctors that he
will accomplish his goal of praying two daily hours of
daimoku, until we will meet our purpose. If we agree
with the solution offered by the doctors, he will be
42

unconscious and won't be able to accomplish it.

Renato is a strong child and he will reach his
objective, even if it is the last one in his life!'
On our way home, she explained to me that a
doctor from the team told her she would be sued for
neglecting medical support to her child; because she
didn't respect the decision of a medical team who
wished to take care of Renato. The doctor angrily
argued with her saying that she wasn't allowing her
son a silent, peaceful and serene death, calling her
'soulless and loveless mother.
'I can't accept this situation... I can't even
conceive the idea of my son being left here. I love
him too much, this is the reason I can't leave him
there. One day, I am going to bring him there, cured
and healthy, just to visit this doctor. I practice a
powerful religion that will cure my son. I won't give
up, I am convinced of it', she said, just repeating the
words she told to Doctor Karina.
'Do you believe in miracles? Do you think
something will fall from the sky to make your son
better? This miracle you are expecting simply
doesn't exist. If it really existed, we wouldn't see so
many sad situations, just watching people losing
their loved ones', the doctor coldly replied.
Satiko's attitude was a surprise to all, even to
me who doubted her courage. Some days later, she
confided to me that she was also surprised by her
reaction and how she challenged the doctor.
'I felt an incontrollable impulse then, and I
didn't surrender to fear', she concluded with tears in
43

her eyes. I could feel her faith at that moment. I saw

Satiko's strength; she faced that hard situation all by
herself. I myself, for a while, would have given in.
In an effort to cheer me up, some colleagues
at work invited me and my son to see a spiritualist
doctor in Taubat, a city close to So Paulo.
According to them, he cured many people from
cancer.
I kept thinking about that and asked Mr.
Carlos Uno for some advice. 'While you keep
thinking that something else other than Gohonzon
will cure your son, he will never get better', Mr. Uno
stated. 'You need to face everything that is occurring
to you and your family. And you must keep on
fighting with resolve up to the final victory. You must
have a strong, unbeatable faith in the power of the
Gohonzon.'
I said nothing else to him and left the room.
Leaving the BSGI building, I found a young
Japanese man son of Buddhist immigrants. The boy
came from Japan that week. He tried to comfort me
although he had difficulty speaking Portuguese.
Moreover, he explained to me that I was doing
everything that was within my reach to save my son,
but I needed something else.
'Besides the intense daimoku you've been
chanting, it is necessary to propagate Buddhism. You
must wish to end people's suffering by disseminating
Buddhism, with the same intensity you try to find a
cure for your son. Spreading Buddhism teachings to
others (shakubuku) are an essential part if you wish
to change this bad karma.'
44

How would I demonstrate that such teaching

was for real, if my son was about to die? To whom
would I talk about Buddhism? And who would believe
me? Finding answers to those questions was my
major challenge. it was then that I made a lot of
shakubuku with Renato's help, beginning with my
own parents and my in-laws.
Among all actions, caring and respecting
parents is of utmost importance. Caring for the
parents through the mystic Law is as perfect as clear
water in a golden vase (Writings of Nichiren, reply to
Lady Kubo-Ama).
Only Renato's grandparents could come to my
house to visit him, while we were accomplishing our
great goal of chanting three million daimokus. The
funny thing was that they could hardly speak with
their grandson; Renato could not stop his prayers
one minute. It seemed like a coincidence; every time
his grandparents were there, Renato was chanting.
One day, after waiting for one hour for my son
to finish his prayers, my father got up from the chair
and said: 'I am going to help Renato.' He sat by
Renato's side and started chanting daimoku.
Suddenly, my father-in-law, who was a
spectator of that scene, also got up, and without a
word, sat down next to them. When I looked over
again, my mother and my mother-in-law were there
too, praying daimoku with the other three.
I accomplished another victory. From that
moment on, it was not only Renato, Satiko and I who
were fighting that battle. We could count on our
45

parents, who were touched by our faith.

Now we are like the lotus or the plantain, and the

daimoku of the Lotus Sutra is like the sun or the
thunder (Nichiren Daishonin, The writings of Nichiren
Daishonin, page 142).

46

Crucial moment
I could see, after the hospital scene that
Renato was getting worse and worse. His body was
being dominated by the illness, and his strength was
fading away. He was very skinny and his head
protruded. His eyes were lifeless and bulged, his
skin colorless and dull. I felt his end was very close.
In a rainy day, I left home without saying a
word to Satiko. Before going to work, I stopped at
Morumbi cemetery and bought a vault for my family.
'Daddy, don't worry, one day, I am going to bury you',
Renato told me as soon as I got back home in the
evening. His eyes gazed on me.
I was shocked. I felt a shiver all around my
body. His words left me down. Did he follow me?
How did he know? I haven't shared what I had done
that morning with anyone. I looked on his face
attentively. I concluded that my son was really a very
special person. For some reason, I was staring at
him. I felt ashamed and I could not speak with him
about his words. His behavior was unbelievable.
'When a person attains Buddhahood, he or
she gets a very acute perception of people and the
things around', Luzia explained to me when I told her
about what happened. It was then that I could
perceive what happened to my son, who was able to
'guess' what I did. And Renato was not the only one
with this gift. That very week Luzia had a great
perception, when she decided to bring Mr. Eduardo
Taguchi, then vice-president of BSGI, to my home to
47

encourage me.
'I learned that Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism is
winning or losing. I feel that my defeat is too close,
because my son is going to die. Even though, I want
to turn this defeat into a victory, I told him, as soon
as we started to talk.
He looked at me scared. 'What do you mean
by this?' he asked.
'I love Renato so much that I cannot stand the
idea of living without him. After his death, I will have
another baby with my wife and vow to chant daimoku
to bring him back in a healthy and perfect body. This
will be my victory.'
'This is an illusion', he replied. 'Who do you
think you are to decide on your son's life? While
there is life, so there is hope. Therefore you should
pray with all your strength to save your son and don't
bury him alive the way you are doing with your words
and determination.'
Stunned and ashamed, and believing I had
found a way out to my suffering, I was told to do the
opposite. The way I was thinking was absurd.
'You must have more faith in the Gohonzon.
You should seek an unshakable faith at the bottom of
your heart, seek as hard as you can, as if you were
trying to find water in the desert, or trying to light up
fire from wet wood, ', he said full of conviction.
Those words touched deep in my heart. I
wanted to say something, but it was not possible. It
hurt in my soul to realize what I was doing.
48

According to your plan, who can guarantee

that your son will return to you?', he asked me. I felt
a deep pain in my chest. My whole body contracted;
my heart was beating so fast, that all I wanted was to
disappear from there. The only thing I could do was
shaking Mr. Taguchi's hand and regretfully looking at
his eyes. From that moment on, I rejuvenated my
decision and regained strength.
Buddhism is winning or losing. It does not
matter the adversity we are going through; we must
always triumph. Being victorious in our battles is
proof that we are correctly living the mentor and
disciple relationship. This is the correct way of faith.
(Daisaku Ikeda, president of SGI) Mr. Taguchi's
words did not leave my mind and echoed inside my
heart. I was so confused that all I could do was
wander in the streets, just thinking about what was
going on in my life.
A friend of mine offered me his apartment in a
beach called Praia Grande and I went there with my
family during a holiday. I woke up before sunrise and
went alone to the beach just to appreciate nature.
The sun rose above the horizon, and
everything became reddish. Seagulls flew high in the
sky. Fishermen were preparing their boats. It was
wonderful scenery, but it wasn't complete. My soul
was sad, I felt unhappy. I traveled to have a little fun,
but my main purpose was for Renato to be outside in
the sun because his skin was very pale. To see him
like this was something that I could not bear. It was a
little comfort to see him tanned because it would
make me feel he was a little better.

49

I met Ogata one day. I told him that Renato's

condition was worse and that after the doctors found
out metastasis in his lungs, his life would come to an
end.
'Don't worry; chanting daimoku is like opening
a faucet that was closed for a long time. When
opened, a lot of dirt and mud accumulated over the
years will come out through it. And what is our
attitude when we see all that dirt coming out? It is to
let the water abundantly run through it until it
becomes clean and clear again. This is how nammyoho-renge-kyo works in our lives. It cleans from
the inside, taking away all the impurities ', he said
comforting me. 'Keep your practice and don't give
up.'
The situation was really devastating. We felt
like orphans because we abandoned traditional
medicine when we didn't accept to send our son to
hospital. We were immersed in suffering.
'What should we do now? I asked Satiko.
We talked a lot, and concluded that we
needed to give him some vitamins so Renato could
feel better. He was feeling so weak that we didn't talk
about that, because we feared that perhaps he
wouldn't have enough strength to fulfill his purpose
of daimoku.
The pharmacist who worked next to my house
came everyday and gave Renato some shots of
vitamins. When pain became very strong and
unbearable, we gave him some painkillers. We saw
the disease taking over Renato and there was
50

nothing we could do about it. We made our decision

and would keep on fighting until the end.
Our only strategy was to remain confident.
When I remember those days, I come to the
conclusion that, without chanting daimoku, we would
simply give in.
As long as we are alive we will experience
sufferings. But that does not mean we have to be
unhappy. Unhappiness comes from allowing
ourselves to be controlled by life's ups and downs
from feeling defeated, from losing hope, losing
courage, losing the will to advance.
(Daisaku Ikeda, president of SGI)
The only thing our son could eat was the broth
that my wife prepared for him, and carefully gave him
so he could feel a little better. Sometimes, we felt
like we would fail, but not Renato who was always
trying to encourage us. He used to say that we were
about to finish, and that we should win.
Our son had a serious crisis in that awful
week. Pain was unbearable and Renato was
suffering a lot. Painkillers were ineffective then, even
on high doses. He rolled on his bed from one side to
another, and yelled in pain. He was completely wet
and sweated very much.
I left Satiko with him and ran to the Gohonzon.
I chanted daimoku with all my heart for my son to
stop suffering. Little by little his pain diminished and
my son got better.
'Mom, you are suffering a lot, I know. Don't
cry, mom. The Gohonzon is accumulating a lot of
51

benefits that will come to us. You may be the

unhappiest mother in the world today. The right
moment will arrive. I am sure that one day you will be
the happiest mother in the world. Don't lose your
faith in the Gohonzon, please', my son said, as soon
as the pain subsided.
Our son never failed in his objective of
chanting daimoku. Even when his health was awfully
debilitated, he didn't surrender. He was able to chant
daimoku in several parts throughout the day, but he
never missed one day.
He looked at me once and told me that, when
he became in tune with the Gohonzon, he could feel
the strength of a lion. It was funny because I thought
that he would mention his favorite hero, National Kid,
but surprisingly, he did tell he felt as brave as a lion.
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is like the roar of a
lion. What sickness can therefore be an obstacle?
(Nichiren Daishonin, The Writings of Nichiren
Daishonin, page 412).
Eight days went by the longest ones in our
lives. We had accomplished our purpose of three
million daimoku. Satiko, Renato and I were able to
beat all difficulties and all obstacles that appeared in
front of us. Even though my son's health remained
the same, we could feel happiness and relief for the
first time after the obscure times.
A feeling of victory had overwhelmed us,
making us feel proud of this achievement. We could
see a very tiny light of opportunity shining on us. We
were attentive to to grab every opportunity that would
52

come. We knew something would happen.

'Ok, then', I looked at Satiko. 'What shall
happen from now on, if, according to Nichiren
Daishonin Buddhism, there are no miracles?'
Satiko gave me back the same inquiring look.
Even knowing she couldn't know the answer to this
question, I asked her. 'If, life is a continuous and
dynamic process of change like we learn in
Buddhism, why our lives would be an exception? If
we are connected to the rhythm of life, to the law of
cause and effect and to nam-myoho-renge-kyo, what
we want will be certainly manifested', she concluded
to my surprise.

Araatuba, July the 20th, 1973.

Dear Takashi and Satiko,
I've just received the letter in which you tell
me about Renato's health. I can imagine how great
yours and Satikos pain is. Let me share my deepest
sympathy and solidarity with you at this time. But
there is something in your account that I am forced
53

to disagree: 'Encouraged by people from my

Buddhist community, I will fight to the end.' In this
sentence, aren't you admitting you lost the battle? It
seems to me that you have assumed the doctor's
words as the final verdict. I believe in medical
science as one of the greatest human achievements.
It has brought many benefits to mankind and it will
benefit more and more. Even Nichiren Daishonin
always asked the advice of Shijo Kingo, one of his
admiring disciples, and also, a great doctor. The
Gohonzon showed us the validity and importance of
science.
In fact, the Philosophy of life in Nichiren
Daishonins Buddhism is the only one that teaches
the oneness of physical and spiritual lives shikishin
funi has been revealed 700 years ago and is still
ignored by the world.
When you say: 'I'll fight to the end', this makes
me believe that you determined the end in advance. I
know you have reached an important place in your
journey of faith. A place where I myself have never
been and which everybody should face to challenge
their faith, but I am sure you will achieve actual proof
of benefits of the Gohonzon.
The Buddhist exercise is to always achieve
actual proof and, through it, reach an unshakable
faith. This brave and constant struggle will eventually
change the fate of your family (karma). Takashi, be
aware that you are not alone in this struggle to save
Renato, because Marina, Haroldo, Anglica, Ceclia
and I, all of us are chanting a lot of daimoku for you.
(Excerpt of a letter sent by Tadashi, on July 20,
1973)
54

Changing the karma

Even

after accomplishing our objective, we

continued intensively chanting daimoku. My son
could not leave his bed any longer. He was weighing
just 13 kilograms and could not stand on his feet.
Nothing that I ever faced, nothing that I ever
done or even wondered could be compared to the
anguish and the solitude I felt in those days. I knew
that I could not avoid feeling sad and hurt, but I tried
hard not to surrender. I could not bear seeing my son
the way he was; but I refused to say goodbye. I
wouldn't even think about that.
Satiko told me she was going to leave to buy
some candles. When she got back, she was very
excited. She told me that on her way she decided to
stop by at the BSGI headquarters to chant daimoku,
and that she connected to the Gohonzon the same
way Renato did. 'From that moment on, I was sure
that our son won't die!', she said. This statement
from Satiko made me feel actually odd. 'I am the only
one here who hasnt developed faith, I commented.
Next day, we went to a Buddhist ceremony
organized by the community we used to go to when
we started our practice. Srgio, a community
colleague who knew our story and our suffering,
came to speak to us:
'I have a niece, who has cancer and who is
almost cured, after she began an alternative
treatment with a biochemist. Her improvement is
55

visible. Why don't you try this treatment?' he

suggested to us, full of enthusiasm. The sun was
setting on the horizon and everything became
yellowish. Those words suddenly changed my state
of mind. I felt an immense joy and my eyes were
shining.
In the next morning, I took Renato, Satiko and
some friends from the community to see the
biochemist who were curing patients with cancer. I
must admit that I didn't like what I saw. That
'scientist' had tics, his hands shook and his beard
was badly shaved. He also smoked a lot. I
remembered the words my brother-in-law told me
some months before, about desperate parents who
do anything to save their ill kids.
At the same time, I realized that I was too
pessimistic in my thoughts. I had never seen a
scientist before and, after all, they all could be like
him, different.
During the appointment, it became quite clear
to us that he wasn't a doctor, and neither were we
convinced that he was actually a scientist.
After
examining Renato for almost 40 minutes, he said:
'I can say for sure that your son has 80%
chances to get cured', and added: 'It's bad that he
was submitted to radiotherapy. I will only get the
case because he didn't make any sessions of
chemotherapy. If he had done it, his treatment and
recovery would be totally compromised', he stated,
looking at me with an air of superiority.
When he told me these words, I gratefully
56

thanked to the Gohonzon, because the doctor, had

mystically cancelled the chemotherapy sessions. I
had a feeling that the very first effects of our prayers
had began to manifest.
When he started to explain the medications
that my son would have to take, I could hardly
believe. Renato would need to take about 140
different medications, liquid and pills, divided into
three daily portions morning, afternoon and
evening. What called my attention most was that all
medicines were found in pharmacies and he did not
prepared. Besides all this, we had to give him 30
daily shots, with a mixture of medicines, in a 20 ml
syringe, three times a day. According to the
'scientist', the treatment would last six months, and
depending on Renato's evolution, the dosage would
gradually diminish.
We thanked the scientist and left that place as
quickly as we could. I felt myself cheated and
expressed my impressions to the others, doubting
such a treatment could even exist. I was feeling a
great anguish, a pain within my stomach, when
Satiko broke the silence after my words:
'Renato, would you be willing to stand such a
violent, scaring treatment?'
'Even though I might seem physically ill, by
chanting daimoku, I actually feel strong and able to
face whatever is necessary. I won't complain; I will
follow the treatment as hard as it can be. My answer
is yes, I want to follow it. Let's give it a try. The
scientist may look strange or not, but he will only be
an instrument of the Gohonzon. The right time is
57

now. We don't have any time left to lose.'

The Gohonzon incorporates life in the
Universe. Since we are closely connected to the
Gohonzon, our vital force also is strengthened
(Daisaku Ikeda).
Knowledge is acquire from outside, wisdom
from within (Tsunessaburo Makiguchi, founder and
first president of SGI).
My son didn't look like a 10-year old child. His
thoughts made me reflect and I didn't have any
doubts. I decided we would start this treatment right
away.
I had a stunning moment of understanding
which reminded me of the Buddhist principle of
Hendoku Yaku: to transform poison into medicine. 'I
realized that it doesn't matter if he is a fake doctor or
scientist', I added. 'By doing many hours of daimoku,
we can change or inspire him for the treatment to be
successful. I will transform any uncertainty into
actual proof.'
I want to make clear that those words echoed
in my mind in a moment of uncertainty and
confusion. It is clear that we always need to see
doctors when we get ill. But in my case, there was
nothing left that could help my situation he was my
only and only one solution.
I had no doubts that it was the beginning of
the principle of Hendoku Yaku (changing the poison
into medicine). In my limited knowledge of
Buddhism, this was the explanation I found.
58

Early in the morning, I went to a large

pharmacy located at Praa da S, in So Paulo, to
buy the medicines prescribed by the scientist.
Because of the many medicines I bought, I was
asked by somebody where my pharmacy was when I
was leaving the place. And this was just for the first
week.

Blood test
The medical exams always indicated absurd results,
with leukocytes (white blood cells) reaching rates as
high as 20,000, and erythrocytes (red blood cells) at
very low rates. This test, made on May 3, 1973,
strangely resulted as normal, and the specialist
suspended the chemotherapy.
When hearing about the treatment, my
59

brother-in-law came with a lot of questions for us:

'This is truly absurd. This is a very strong treatment,
no human being could stand such a quantity of
medicines', he argued. 'Besides that, I would like to
know the complete name of this man, to denounce
him in the Medical Board.
We carefully explained to him the reasons
why we took that decision. We asked him to believe
that it was our only option and to respect our
decision. We didn't lose our minds. Soon after this,
we met Mr. Srgio's niece, who was also following
the same treatment. She was almost cured,
overjoyed and in good health. We became very
encouraged and imagined our son completely cured.
We planned our daily routine: everyday, the
nurses of the 'scientist' would come to our home
three times a day, to give our son the shots. Satiko
would give the oral medications, respecting a
rigorous order and dosage.
On the day before the start of the treatment,
my wife had a nervous breakdown. She cried a lot
grinding her teeth. She seemed to feel painful
spasms; she covered her face and went shivering to
bed. She felt the strength of my brother-in-law's
words, who had told us that no human being would
stand such heavy dosages of medicines.
I brought her to her senses again by telling
her everything would be all right, because we could
always count on the protection of the Gohonzon,
from beginning to end.

60

Beginning of spring
We had started the treatment. With the same

courage he had already displayed, Renato accepted

to take all the medicines. Thus, I think, he overcame
the worst period of his illness. He expelled very
strange things from his body from the very first day.
He puked and evacuated strange fluids. A stinking
smell took over our house, as if something was dead
or maybe putrefying. We used tons of cleaning
products, we tried everything available in the market
disinfectants, incenses, perfumes in our attempt
to take out that horrible smell from our house, but
nothing would do.
This reminded me the words of young Ogata:
'Let all the dirty leave his body'. I didn't understand
exactly what was going on, but I knew that our son
was expelling his disease, one way or another.
Besides the medicines he took, Renato had to
drink one glass of carrot juice in the morning; in the
afternoons, during lunch, it was watercress with
beets; in the evenings, spinach and radish. Juices
had to be prepared in the blender, and had to be
made without water, that is, they should be
necessarily concentrated. To make a 350-ml glass of
juice, we used at least eight carrots, 12 radishes,
four spinaches, or even more. In my opinion, that
sounded crazy, but we agreed to follow the treatment
in every detail, and we were willing to follow it until
the end. Crazy or not, that was our only and last
chance.
61

I attended a district meeting that week, which

theme was the 'law of cause and effect, one of the
most important concepts in Nichiren Daishonin
Buddhism. I will never forget the lecturer's words,
who told us about the eternity of life, presenting the
ceaseless cycle of birth and death. I remember the
way that man compared life and death with a
person's awaken and sleeping times.
'We wake up naturally rested after a good
night of sleep. Even though, if someone goes to
sleep in debt, he will wake up next morning with the
same debts. That is to say, if we don't change our
karma in this life, we are going to come back in the
next life in the same condition. Therefore, present
suffering is attributed to causes made in the past.
Even if we don't remember, every cause we made in
our existence is recorded within the depth of our
lives. These causes remain inside our eighth
consciousness, also known as Ayala consciousness.
The effects of these causes will be manifested
sooner or later. All they should find is a favorable
situation to manifest. Understanding the reasons why
we suffer and also that life goes beyond our daily
experience; that life is eternal and not only this very
moment; this is our challenge', he said.
I understood that Nichiren Daishonin
Buddhism is rigorous and never fails. But it is also
full of justice and benevolent; there isn't a sin that
cannot be forgiven; there is only cause and effect. I
realized that chanting intense Nam-myoho-renge-kyo
in front of the Gohonzon can change the negative
causes we made in the past, and deepen my faith
and devotion.
62

If you want to understand the causes

that existed in the past, look at the
results as they are manifested in the
present. And if you want to understand
what results will be manifested in the
future, look at the causes that exist in
the present.
The Shinjikan Sutra
The law of cause and effect does not
reside in any other place but in your
own life. Josei Toda.
Days went by. Medicines for the first week
were over, fortunately. I meant fortunately because
three days had passed beyond the deadline given by
conventional medicine. At the same time, that meant
Renato was able to take the huge amount of
medicines.
Explanations were not necessary for me
anymore. One more day of life for Renato was the
only thing that mattered to me. I realized that, as the
illness had developed, I had changed my personality,
as well as my attitudes towards my son's illness.
I went back to the pharmacy and bought
enough medicines for two weeks, as I knew my son
would survive; even though he was very weak and
sick, Renato would win, I knew it.
After 20 days of treatment, the 'scientist'
prescribed Renato nine egg yolks every morning.
Everything he told us to do was excessively out of
63

the ordinary. I was always at the pharmacy at the

Praa da S in the center of So Paulo city. When
is this situation going to end? Will all this suffering
ever finish? These were the questions I always
asked to myself.
'Winter always turns to spring.'
(Nichiren Daishonin, The Writings of Nichiren
Daishonin, page 535)
I heard that there would be a Buddhist exam
for beginners. Even though I was too busy, I made a
great effort to go to the preparatory lessons, where
they explained the topics and teachings that would
be discussed in the test. I remember that during the
first lesson, the instructor had a detailed explanation
about Buddhism. He explained that Buddhism is the
name given to the teachings of the Buddha which it
means 'the enlightened one', among other issues.
Buddhism began about 2,500 years ago with
the birth of Sidarta Gautama, a prince of a little clan
called Sakya, located in Central Nepal, next to the
border with India. When he was still a young boy,
against his father's will, he renounced to the life in
the palace and went on a search for the four
sufferings of life birth, age, sickness and death.
Between the age of 30 and 35, after deprivation, he
reached enlightenment under the Boddhi tree, in the
city of Boddhigaya, and thus he understood the
mysteries of life. From that moment on, he was
known as Sakyamuni, The Enlightened One. It is
said that Sakyamuni lived until he was 80 years old,
and, before he died, he made a prophecy that 2,000
years later, and another Buddha would come to
finish his teachings, the Lotus Sutra. According to his
64

prophecy the Original Buddha, Nichiren Daishonin,

was born in Japan in 1222 and he established the
True Buddhism, nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the eternal
Law of Life hidden in the Lotus Sutra. At the end of
the lesson, I asked him to explain the meaning of
nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
'If we put all universal laws inside a blender,
the concentrated juice, or the essence of everything,
might be compared to the daimoku', he told me, in a
friendly way. 'Put your energy on both practice and
study. There cannot be Buddhism without practice
and study. You should persevere on your faith and
also show it to others. Both practice and study come
from faith. One doesn't exist without the other.
Nichiren Daishonin writes about that in his writing
The true aspects of all phenomena.'
Three weeks had passed since we started the
treatment. I could notice some very small
improvements in my son. Renato was active, full of
energy and could eat. Pains had vanished, and he
finally could regain his weight.
'Today I am very happy, because Satiko told
our experience to 2,000 people in Palcio Mau, and
she was successful. Unfortunately I could not go,
since it was a womens Division meeting. The
responsible woman for the division came to our
house and told her experience was a success. She
told me that there were a lot of people driven to tears
and that the audience had applauded a lot when
Satiko told them that we chanted three million
daimokus. There were comments that it was truly
unsual for a family of father, mother and 10 year old
son to chant daily 11 to 12 hours of daimoku over a
65

three-month period in Brazil, especially considering

the fact that they had just started practicing
Buddhism. According to Dora, many people left this
meeting very impressed, with a strong will of
increasing the quantity of daimoku they were already
chanting. And when she finished her experience,
applauses lasted for such a long time that Satiko had
to gratefully raise twice. (Excerpt of a letter sent to
Tadashi, Sept. 20, 1973).

Little by little, Renato was recovering his

health. Then Satiko told him: 'Renato, in your next
existence, let's live together again in the same family
of today.' She was disappointed by our son's
immediate answer: 'Mom, that won't be possible,
because I have a mission to be reborn in a family
where Buddhism is not practiced, so that by means
of my serious disease, show all the strength of the
Gohonzon.'
I didn't invent those words, and they echoed in
my head. After a few years, I asked Marina
Nakajima, who I used to call my 'boss' when I was in
charge of the Aclimao district. She said to me:
'During Sakyamuni's time, countless bodhisattvas
came from the earth in the ceremony in the air,
swearing they would propagate the Mystic Law in the
difficult age of Mappo; each one with a mission and a
responsibility. In Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism, there
is a principle, the Ganken Ogo, that means: a
person, who is supposed to be born in happy
circumstances, as a result from the benefits of his or
her Buddhist practice, is born among unhappy
people, in accordance with his or her desire, just to
66

propagate the Mystic Law, nam-myoho-renge-kyo.'

And she concluded:
'Of course we can't say
for sure your kid is one of these Boddhisatvas, but it
is the only explanation I can think of for a 10 year old
boy ot have said those incredible words to Satiko.'
Several people encouraged me to write this
book, but Marina, by far, was the most important of
all. She made me write the first lines. She used to
say to me that my account should be spread to as
many people as possible. Besides, she showed me
people who could help me with the conclusion of the
book. I am very grateful to Marina from the bottom of
my heart, because I only wrote these sentences with
her encouragement.

Summer course, Aclimao district, 1978.

(from left) Ishigami, 6th on the first row. Marina, his
great friend, sat on the extreme left,.
I can notice everyday that Renato is feeling
67

better. Since we are busy with his treatment, in

November 28, 1973 under Doras advice, we have
started the objective of chanting daimoku. Until the
end of the year, we have as a purpose, chanting 8
daily hours of daimoku. So Satiko told my son:
Renato, every day I feel that my faith increases. My
kid replied her mother: No, mother, not every day, it
has to be every hour, or it takes too long. (Excerpt of
a letter sent to Tadashi, in Dec. 29, 1973)
Strengthen your faith day after day and month after
month. Should you slacken in your resolve even a
bit, devils will take advantage (Writings of Nichiren,
On Persecutions Befalling on the Sage, pp 997).

68

The great victory

The year of 1974 was a great marker in our

lives. For the first time, we organized a meeting at

our home, so we could celebrate the New Year, as
well as life itself. On January 1st, there was a
meeting at home. There were a lot of SGI Brazil
leaders, and we were very happy and grateful.
Renato's eyes shone as he was healthy and
happy and he was playfully running with other kids.
I looked around me and I couldn't believe that
I was living that reality. I tried to understand what
was going on. The room was very bright. I thought
that it was impossible to believe it according to the
logic that rules the world. At the same time I could
feel that it was real and true and, that we finally won.
By decision of my wife, the altar had been
placed in our home's main room, the place where I
had dreamed of when we started our practice.
Among the leaders who came, there was Mr.
Roberto Saito, then general director of SGI Brazil,
who closely followed every detail of our fight for
Renato's life. He spoke about the mystic law and
compared it to life:
'Our head represents myo; our throat, ho; our
chest, ren; our belly, gue; and our limbs, kyo.
According to the Buddha's wisdom, our body
represents the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo.
When chanting daimoku in front of the Gohonzon,
we harmonize our entire body, from our head to our
toes and vibrate intensively and neutralize everything
69

bad, including cancerous cells. This is at last the

greatest benefit we can receive ', he happily
explained. We were very excited and feeling a great
joy.
New Years Day marks the first day, the first month,
the beginning of the year, and the start of spring. A
person who celebrates this day will accumulate
virtue and be loved by all, just as the moon becomes
full gradually, moving from west to east, and as the
sun shines more brightly, traveling from east to west.
(Nichiren Daishonin, The Writings of Nichiren
Daishonin, page 1137).
We started the year with joy and fully
confident. Little by little, the life we were used to
started to return to us.
After a period of intense
suffering, 1974 was marked by great happiness for
our family. Renato went back to school and after a
couple of months.
There was an artistic drawing contest among
the students. The theme was free. To my happiness
and pride, the drawing he made was chosen among
the best ones. The theme he picked up was
'Flowers'. When I saw the drawing, it instantly
reminded me the Buddha's sentence: Winter never
fails to turn into spring', and I fondly keep this
drawing with me to this day. It became the cover of
this book in which I tell the story of our family.
In the first days of January, we received some
sad news: Srgio's niece, who received the same
treatment against cancer that my son received, died
of pneumonia. Then, the president of France,
Pompidou, died of lymphosarkoma, on April 2nd,
70

1974. Journalists were unanimous stating that

despite all efforts he had made against that terrible
illness, using every resource available and after
treatments in Switzerland, Germany and USA, he
eventually passed away.
I felt mixed feelings of sorrow and joy at the
same time. My family faced and defeated the same
disease, although we did not have the same
resources the president of France had. I realized that
our unquestionable advantage was our devotion to
the Buddhist practice. After all fame, wealthy and
powers were totally useless in the final moments. We
heard that Mr. Izumi would come back to Brazil, and
that he would like to meet us again.
On November 9th, 1974, we went to SGI Brazil
headquarters to see him. I recalled all the facts since
when we first met, when I was in complete despair.
Then, after all this, I noticed that my son was safe,
not in danger of dying from the disease, and that his
recovery was remarkable. I had never felt such great
joy and peace, such a deep understanding.
However, I wasn't able to express myself into words.
But deep inside, I was sure of meeting him again in a
state of victory.
That day, it was Renatos 11th
birthday, and I knew that that date could only be
celebrated because of the benefits of the Buddhist
practice in our lives.
'Meeting you again is the best gift I could have
received', said Renato, when he joyfully greeted Mr.
Izumi. 'Never allow him to stay away from the
Gohonzon! Raise your kid so that he'll never forget
his great mission. I will tell this remarkable victory to
president Ikeda. I am sure he will be extremely
happy.'
71

Perceptions
Renato was very healthy. He didn't show any

symptoms of the illness and his appetite was

absolutely normal. He had such an appetite that
sometimes we had to ask him to not eat that much.
He had a very healthy appearance. He used to play
with his brother and sister and his cousins as well.
His perception and sensibility were flourishing every
day. 'Let's pretend that mankind is on the palm of my
hand. On my thumb, there is a milky candy; on my
little finger, there is a lollipop; on my ring finger, a
peanut candy; and on my index finger, a chewing
gum. Every one chooses one path. Mommy, we
chose my middle finger, which is the steepest one
and with lots of obstacles, the longest one and also
the hardest one. But on the other hand, we can find
a box of chocolates in the end. That we are enjoying
now and that we will keep enjoying as long as we
live, and, that we will share with other people', he
used to say to Satiko, as if it were extremely usual
for an 11-year old boy to talk something like that.
Many times I saw Renato speaking with
Satiko and was completely stunned with his amusing
talk. I once asked him what he actually felt when he
said he was chatting with the Gohonzon. 'At first, I
feel really courageous and strong in my heart, like I
could walk across a cemetery at midnight. Then, a
desire that everybody would feel the same way as I
do, and, lastly, a huge desire of zoooooooooooo, get
inside the Gohonzon, flying like a bird.'
'How come, an 11-year old kid could have
72

such an understanding?', I perplexedly asked myself.

I thanked my son for the experience he was giving
me, the experience he was giving to my soul, and to
my growth as a human being.
On the saddest days of that time, I used to go
to the window and look for hours at the trees on my
street. In spite of not having a single leaf, they were
always full of purple flowers. Whenever I saw them, I
felt a strange feeling that reminded me of death. But
that very day, when I looked outside my window, I felt
an immense joy. I could see a lot of purple flowers.
I noticed then, that my perception had a deep
transformation in this whole process. I knew that I
wasn't able to see beauty in those trees before
because of my low life condition. I realized that, as
my practice went by, I elevated my life condition.
That enabled me to see beauty and color where I
once saw only sorrow and pain. I remembered the
Buddhist principle of Esho funi that I had studied
for a Buddhist exam --, but it was only then that I
perceived it its essence, which tells about the
oneness of human life and the environment.
The Vimalakirti Sutra states that, if the minds of living
beings are impure, their land is also impure, but if
their minds are pure, so is their land. There are not
two lands, pure or impure in themselves. The
difference lies solely in the good or evil of our minds
(Nichiren Daishonin, The Writings of Nichiren
Daishonin, page 4).

73

The actual proof

One

evening,
Satiko
proposed
me
unexpectedly to go back to the hospital and show the
doctors the results of our determination to save the
life of our son. I totally disagreed because I thought
the behavior of the doctors was correct and that they
acted according to their beliefs; thus there was no
need for this.
Renato was actually cured; he wasn't taking
any kind of medicine, just vitamins to help him
improve his immune system. We didn't have to prove
this to anyone else; it was enough that our son could
continue healthy and that we could be happy. Satiko
tried to argue, but I didn't let her.
We heard that in July 1975 there was going to
be an SGI course in Japan for Brazilian members.
We decided that Renato and Satiko would go. We
had a lot to thank for our good fortune and would like
to express it in person to president Ikeda, since he
founded the SGI Brazil. He made possible for us to
practice Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism and thus,
defeat the most difficult phase in our lives.
There were about 375 members from several
Brazilian regions divided into three distinct groups
going to Japan. During the training course, Renato
and Satiko had the opportunity to meet members
from several other countries and together they
shared the joy of being members of SGI as well as
being responsible for the happiness of other people.
74

When she came back home, Satiko told me

that they attended several meetings as invited
members and the feeling of proof of the strength of
nam-myoho-renge-kyo
against
cancer
was
enormous. Because of that, many Japanese guests
attending the meeting decided to embrace the
Buddhist philosophy.
The group in which my wife and my kid were
with received the news that a sudden change
happened to the flight schedule. They would have to
stop in Los Angeles for one day, and the local SGI
gave them as a present a sightseeing tour to
Disneyland.
When I answered the phone and Satiko told
me that, I was stunned. I couldn't hold my tears and
my feelings of gratitude and understanding about life
were intensified. My heart was feeling overjoyed and
I could then understand how precious life really is;
when we follow a philosophy that gives us spiritual
enhancement by means of actual proofs.
The more I paid attention to her words, the
more incredible the story was. Only Satiko and
Renato's group stopped in Los Angeles; the other
two groups came straight back to Brazil. My son
would visit Disneyland. How was that happening?
I couldn't listen to what Satiko was saying any
longer; she was so excited giving me all the details.
The only thing I could think of is that the present was
mystically given to my family by the SGI members in
the US. It was the first time, and perhaps the last
one, in which such fact happened during a visit of
members from abroad. The Brazilian members were
75

not informed by anyone, since it was supposed to be

a surprise prepared by the members in the U.S.

Trip to Japan. Renato, Tereza, Satiko and Sidney

Tojer (1975).
When I hang up the phone, I immediately
direct myself to the Gohonzon, and chanted a
thankful and vibrant daimoku. There wasnt any
reasonable way to explain this, but this was actually
happening. I was touched by a great feeling of joy
and I felt the importance of our determination and
faith.
I could feel that the law of cause and effect
permeates the universe and is invincible. I realized
that our lives are the result of our thoughts, our
words and our actions. Chance doesnt exist. I had
faith that my son would visit Disneyland healthy and
that is how it happened.
At such a time, the three obstacles and four devils
76

will invariably appear, and the wise will rejoice while

the foolish will retreat (Writings of Nichiren, The
Three Obstacles and Four Devils 637 pp).
Two years after Renato's total recovery, I
opened my house for SGI meetings with the
objective of propagating Nichiren Daishonins
Buddhism and giving the opportunity for as many
people as possible to attain the benefits of the
Buddhist practice. After all, I had attained the
greatest victory of my life which was the cure of my
son, and I could see the benefits of this practice
every day.
We had meetings for people interested in
Nichirens Buddhism every other week. These
meetings were lead by Dirce who is very
knowledgeable about Buddhism, and they were
specially prepared to clarify questions about the
Buddhist philosophy and to explain some basic
concepts. As a host of each meeting, I personally
received the guests with a warm hug and thus
welcome everybody in my house.
In one occasion I was surprised when I
opened the door of my house: my aspect changed,
and became silent; I could not give my warmest
welcome to this guest. Dr. Karina was there with her
husband; the same doctor who called Satiko
'soulless mother' two years ago.
I felt anxiety filling my heart. I became so
agitated that I could not express any reaction. We
never went to the hospital again since then. We
never saw again any of the doctors who treated
Renato.
77

'Look who's here, Renato. Come and greet Dr.

Karina', were the only words I could say, breaking
the silence. When she saw my son approaching,
happy and full of life, shining eyes and a smile on his
face, she was totally stunned. Her face became pale,
and she could not even greet Renato.
Renato ran to get her a cup of water. Her legs
were trembling so bad that she could stand only with
my help. I took her to the closest chair, while we
were waiting for the glass of water. Her husband,
who was a doctor too in a hospital of plastic surgery,
didn't understand her reaction. He told me that after
observing the surprising recovery of a Buddhist
patient member who used to go to our meetings, he
decided to attend the meeting and brought his wife
with him.
Even stunned by the situation, Dr. Karina tried
to stay and attend the meeting, but she was not able
to do so. As soon as the talk began, she kindly asked
to leave, because she wasnt feeling well. Before
leaving, Dirce asked her to make a brief report of the
seriousness of my son's illness.
'I have followed the development of the
disease of this boy from the beginning', she
explained, pointing to Renato. 'His situation was so
serious that we asked to keep him in the hospital and
be sedated until he would pass away.' When she
was speaking, she moved her hands constantly, and
she didn't look at to anyone. 'I argued with his
mother because she disagreed with the decision of
the medical team and she left the hospital stating
she would save her kid.' And she added, 'I don't
believe he is still alive. I cannot conceive this'. She
78

left the room sobbing and followed by her husband.

All this looked like some kind of theatrical
scene done to impress those who came for the first
time to a Buddhist meeting. We could not imagine
that this would happen one day. Many SGI leaders
from Brazil were present there and were astonished
by the scene. Sidney Tojer was one of them.
Observing my wife, I could feel how happy she was.
'You disagreed to take Renato to the hospital
once again. My desire was so intense that it was
able to bring the doctor to our house. This is proof of
the law of cause and effect', she said to me at the
end of the meeting.

79

Consistency from beginning

to end
T

he sun was shining intensely since very

early that morning. It was a very hot day. That
Saturday, we were all at home. The main
newspapers in the city had the headlines: 'Police
seeking for cancer charlatan'. And they went on:
'Police is looking for the charlatan of cancer
treatment; he took advantage of desperate patients
for years by selling them hope of cure'. According to
the news, many families who lost their dear ones in
the treatment have denounced him to the police. It
was believed that he ran away to Paraguay. In spite
of everything, charlatan or not, that man was very a
important person in my life, because he had a
fundamental role in changing my life in profound
ways. I feel grateful for him. I believe that it wasn't by
chance that he came into our lives; it was fate
instead. He played his role as an instrument of the
mystic law, and for us that was enough.
In this crowded world, full of people, he was
the person capable of 'curing' my son. 'Cure' in the
sense of giving hope with his formulas. The actual
'cure' was our faith and sincere chanting of nammyoho-renge-kyo in front of the Gohonzon.
Since we are speaking about a crowded
world, we are more than 10 million in the capital of
So Paulo, and it is hard to believe that Dr. Karina
came spontaneously to us, just because Satiko
80

challenged her saying that one day she would show

Renato alive to the doctor. Everything is really very
mystical... And we can't explain it!
During the time of problems with the Temple, I
don't remember the exact date, I was visited by two
ex-members of the board of BSGI. I was in charge of
the district and they wanted to persuade me to turn
away from president Ikeda. I responded that they
taught me to never leave the mentor, whoever he
might be. I told them too that I would never betray
the man who taught me how to benefit from the
Gohonzon and save my son from death.
It gives me goose bumps just to imagine what
could have happened if Sensei didn't come to Brazil
on October 19th, 1960. He was feeling very ill, tired
and had high fever at that time. But he came here
even risking his life to sow the seed of Nichren
Daishonins Buddhism in our country. That was just
12 year before I started practicing it in October 1972.
If president Ikeda was not there, I would never write
this book. And how my life would be today? This is
why I am so grateful to president Ikeda. He will be
my mentor forever.
One day, I invited Mr. Saito and his wife, Silvia
to have dinner with me at the restaurant of the hotel
where I worked. We talked about several subjects
regarding the organization. Then, Silvia told me that
in any religion or philosophy, it is normal for
problems to appear because we are human beings,
and thus subject to jealousy, envy, vanity, pride and
greed. It is not different among us.
History shows that there were even cases of
81

betrayal. After all, everyone is passing through a

revolution in one's own life. The worst enemy does
not come from the outside, but it rises from within,
among people who live with us. The lion, as the king
of the jungle, doesn't fear any animal, but a single
worm inside its body could kill it. Therefore, we
should only follow the Gohonzon and president
Ikeda, an enlightened person. By doing so, we
should never be disappointed. On the path to build
our faith, Silvia added, the same may happen. The
worst enemy, who tries to sabotage our practice,
comes from within, not from outside of us.
If you chant nam-myoho-renge-kyo with deep faith in
this principle, you are certain to attain Buddhahood
in this lifetime. (Nichiren Daishonin, The writings of
Nichiren Daishonin, page 4).

82

Another great obstacle

In

1988, Renato graduated in Business

Administration at Fundao Getulio Vargas, an
important Brazilian college. In 1992, he married
Ceclia, daughter of my great friend Tadashi. Seven
years later, they gave us a great joy, a beautiful
grandson named Guilherme.
As the years went by, I have learned that
living is to defeat daily setbacks. Once alive, we shall
always struggle. Our endless struggle is to defeat
with a strong and invincible spirit the obstacles that
suddenly appear into our lives, destroying our routine
and shaking our confidence.
I will never forget July 29th, 2003. My son was
41 years old, and after facing a cancer when he was
a child, he was healthy. But, on the night of this day
he suddenly woke up with a strong migraine. He was
feeling dizzy and nauseated and with difficulty to
express himself. Within a few minutes, his blood
pressure also increased. Ceclia desperately took
him to the hospital. We went immediately to the
hospital after she called us.
After several exams, there wasnt a definite
diagnosis for such serious symptoms. The doctors
decided to have a detailed computerized
tomography. When the results were available, the
neurologist told us that Renato had a transient
ischemic attack due to the obstruction of two arteries
responsible for irrigating the cerebellum. 'His blood
pressure doesn't stop to increase, and because of
that, he should be transferred to intensive care
83

because he is at risk of death', the doctor said.

Many hear about and accept this sutra, but when
great obstacles arise, just as they were told would
happen, few remember it and bear it firmly in mind.
To accept is easy; to continue is difficult. But
Buddhahood lies in countinuig faith (Writings of
Nichiren, The Difficult of Sustaining Faith 471 pp).
When faced with this situation, a movie played
into my mind within a few minutes. Once again,
Renato was at risk of death. But contrary to what
happened 30 years ago, I didn't despair. I was calm
and serene, and wasn't scared. Instead, I felt greatly
secure, because I knew that we would be winners
once again. Before we went to the hospital, Satiko
and I chanted one hour of daimoku with hope and
faith.
Renato's mother-in-law, who was also at the
hospital fell into despair after she heard the
neurologist's diagnosis. 'Marina, I guess that it will be
a new testimonial, don't you think?' I told her just to
cheer her up.
I realized at that moment that more than a
strong faith, I had also acquired a consistent faith. I
also realized that everything had changed. We were
no longer by ourselves, there were many more
people involved with our mission and fighting for
Renatos life. In addition to my friends from the
organization, about 15 members of my family started
to chant daimoku, as soon as they knew what was
going on.
After we came home, we immediately chanted
84

daimoku all night long. We told Renato's brother,

Ricardo, who was in Mexico, to send daimoku to his
brother as well. The magnetic resonance imaging
done in the hospital revealed that 25% of his
cerebellum was compromised with the lack of blood,
meaning that about a quarter of all cells had been
destroyed without any possibility of recovery. The
doctors also told us that, in case Renato didn't die,
the chances of having brain damages were high.
'Cerebellum is the part of the brain responsible for
coordination, balance and involuntary movements,
such as breathing. There is nothing to be done', the
neurologist told me.
After a close look at the exams, the doctors
found out that the cause of the obstruction were the
radiotherapy sessions he was submitted to when he
had cancer. According to the diagnosis, arteries
located in the neck, including the two carotid arteries,
got dried because of the radiation, blocking the
passage of blood to his brain. 'There are four arteries
in the neck; two of them are clogged, one is seriously
compromised and just one works correctly', the
doctor added.
Considering how serious the situation was,
just to break the ice, when I went to semi-intensive
care to visit him, I told him: 'at least, you wont be
attacked by vampires, because the carotid arteries
are the favorite for them. He looked at me and
smiled. Then, I felt his faith and that he would leave
that situation without any harm. I knew that look.
After four days at the intensive care, Renato
was sent to semi-intensive care treatment. 'Daddy,
the intensive care looks like a shop before
85

Christmas. Lights are on all the time. Doctors run

from one side to another. All the patients there are
fighting for their lives. Unfortunately I have seen too
many cases where people couldn't save themselves',
Renato told me, as he left the intensive care.
'Actually, I didn't feel anytime that I was at risk of
dying. I felt extremely calm and I knew I would leave
that place. It seemed that I was on a vacation on a
five-star hotel. I took the opportunity to rest and to
place my thoughts in order.'
Renato's words showed me how strong he
was even living such serious situation. 'Even
knowing that there were many of you on my side,
thinking of my recovery, the moments I spent at the
intensive care showed me how lonely we are. This is
how we live. But dying by ourselves doesn't mean
dying alone. After merging our lives to the universe,
we take our accomplishments as well as our pending
tasks. Those days provided me with a deep sense of
awareness. I realized the importance of living
intensely, having an existence without regrets,
without unfinished works, and without too many
unaccomplished dreams.'
We became quiet, unable to say one word.
But then, a strong power appeared inside me and I
remembered the last words of a Buddhist friend,
when he was about to die: 'We can't go to another
life with empty hands. This is why accumulating good
causes is important, every moment, everyday. We
must be good to others, always.' I have told my son
about that experience.
I remember a conversation I had with my
friend Dirce. 'Dirce, had you not traveled so much to
86

Japan, you could buy a fleet of cars to rent.' She

answered: 'Ishigami, I wont be able to take this fleet
of cars with me the day I die.' She meant that you
can only take the accumulated good fortune in this
life.
I was at home, chanting daimoku for Renato's
health, when the phone rang. It was Ceclia. She
was very happy and proud. Renato's neurologist had
told to her that he was totally out of risk. His recovery
was impressive and his patient was really a fighting
man. 'Thanks to his recovery along the years,
several blood capillaries developed, to partially
replace these two obstructed arteries', the doctor
said.
After ten days at the hospital, Renato was
able to come back home. He dismissed the
wheelchair the nurse offered him, and left the
hospital walking with his wife. That was an unusual
day. In addition to having defeated the illness once
again, Renatos son, Guilherme was celebrating his
fourth birthday.
When he arrived at home,
Renato had the opportunity to celebrate the two
occasions and give his family a great joy.
Although I and my disciples may encounter various
difficulties, if we do not harbor doubts in our hearts,
we will as a matter of course attain Buddhahood.
(Nichiren Daishonin, The Writings of Nichiren
Daishonin, page 283).
I describe now the experience Ceclia
presented at a chapter meeting in September 2003:

87

I would like to begin by mentioning president

Ikeda's words that I used to repeat a lot in my life's
worst days: The assurance that our prayers will be
answered is even greater than the Sun will rise in the
east every day.
On July 29th of this year, my daily routine
changed entirely and abruptly. My husband, Renato,
woke me up during the night with seizures, hardly
speaking, dizzy, and feeling nauseated. My mother,
who was at my house then, helped me carrying him
to the car and we drove to the hospital.
After many exams, the doctors couldn't make
a definite diagnosis. A neurologist performed a
computer-aided tomography, which revealed a
transient ischemia, due to clogging of the arteries in
his neck. These arteries are responsible for carrying
blood to his cerebellum. When hearing the results, I
was shocked and couldnt believe what I was told. I
am a physiotherapist, and because of my work, I
have already treated a lot of neurological patients
with the same condition.
I started chanting daimoku without stopping.
Daimoku was like the air that I breathed to stand still.
Renato was sent to the intensive care unit, since he
could die. Because of the clogging in his arteries, his
blood pressure didn't stop to increase. Anguish and
despair took over me, because, as a physical
therapist, I know exactly the possible consequences
of this illness.
My suffering was more intense when I thought
of the possible sequelae he could have or even
worse, his death. I was feeling so depressed that
88

one day, going home from the hospital, I shivered

from my head to my toes, and desperately cried, in
an obvious nervous breakdown. I sat down in front of
the Gohonzon and thought about the reasons of all
that was happening.

Renato, his wife Ceclia and his son Guilherme

(2005)
I will stop my experience here for a moment
and speak a little about the past. When he was nine
years old, Renato had cancer. It was then that he
and his family first heard about Buddhism, and they
started their practice because of my parents. They
set the objective of chanting three million of daimoku;
Renato was cured after three months.
This experience had always followed me, but
to me, it was merely a very beautiful story of which I
didn't take any part. Then, I thought to myself: It's
my turn to prove the strength and power of the
Gohonzon. I understood the opportunity Renato was
89

giving me to change my karma into a mission. There

is a message in which Sensei explains that prayer
means merging our mind to the fundamental Law of
the universe. This can be compared to a machine
gear. When a small wheel fits into a larger one, it is
able to spin at an unbelievable speed, larger than its
own capacity. The same way, when merging our own
lives with the universe, we are able to display an
incredible strength that allows us to defeat any
difficulties. When I followed this orientation, the more
daimoku I did, the stronger I felt, and the more my
heart was filled with courage and optimism. I chanted
four hours of daimoku daily and determined to the
Gohonzon the cure Renato and that he would leave
the hospital without any sequelae. And this was what
happened.
Renato was sent back home ten days later,
refusing the wheelchair he was offered. It was really
incredible and unbelievable! He had 25% of dead
cells in his cerebellum, and it was believed that
Renato would be in a wheelchair without any
movements, as the many cases I saw at the clinic I
worked.
A neurologist asked me what was the religion
that we practiced, because he was stunned and
curious about the recovery and considered that
Renato a very lucky person. Today I understand
president Ikeda's words, when he states that it is
because we suffer that we become strong and show
so much joy the appearance those who faced so
many difficulties and defeated every obstacle.
I end this experience and thank with all my
heart:
Thank you very much, Gohonzon!
90

Thank you very much, Sensei!

Ceclia
In 2006, Renato celebrated his 44th birthday
very healthy. Since he recovered he has been
fighting ceaselessly for the happiness of people,
encouraging them with his life. In the organization,
he is responsible for the district and vice-Chapter
leader. I can say for sure, that only today, at the age
of 72 years, I understand the meaning of the word
happiness. Today, I can look back to my life and say
that I had a significant existence full of meaning.
When I chant daimoku to the Gohonzon, I feel a
deep feeling of gratitude, stability and inner peace.
Today, I understand that my life and everything else
in the universe is part of the same thing. The vibrant
energy which we call life flows through eternity,
without beginning, middle and end.

91

To beginners
Human

beings face many problems and

sufferings, sometimes due to karma, such as
poverty, illness, family disharmony, addictions and
accidents among others. John is always complaining
about his boss; Jussara criticizes her mother-in-law
all the time; Sonia says that she is unfortunate in
love; and Ulisses keeps on talking bad things about
the government. The truth is that everybody suffers
with small or big problems. They do not realize that
the solution to all of their problems and the problems
of the world resides within themselves. And how can
one find the solution to these problems? Try to
practice Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism. It is free, it
doesnt cost anything.
If you never tried maple syrup, how can you
know its taste? Even if somebody explains in detail
how it is done, all the details of boiling, separation
and bottling, you won't know its flavor because your
knowledge of maple syrup is merely theoretical. The
only way to know its taste is to take it to your mouth.
The same goes with Buddhism: it is necessary to try
its practice. Theory is important, but without
practicing nam-myoho-renge-kyo, it means nothing.
There are two kinds of faith: hi no shinjin (faith
like fire) and mizu no shinjin (faith like running
water). The first one is characteristic of a person who
gets excited with the practice, and soon all this
excitement grows colder, that is, his or her faith
fades away. The second one, true faith, might be
compared to the water of a river flowing constantly
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until its final destination.

People in Brazil tend to be shortsighted
always looking for immediate results. I know
someone who practiced a certain religion for 20
years.
Unsatisfied,
she
tried
Buddhism.
Unfortunately, she finally gave up after a couple of
months. I must tell you: if this person could have
persisted a little more in practicing Buddhism, she
wouldn't have to wait another 20 years to see any
result from nam-myoho-renge-kyo. I intend to give
her a copy of this book, since I care about her
happiness.
There are no commandments in Nichiren
Daishonin Buddhism. Everything is based on cause
and effect. And everyone is responsible for ones
own actions. If you wish to smoke, you can do it, but
don't forget that the effect of it might be cancer in
your lungs.
Every sincere offering to the Gohonzon, such
as lighting up candles and incense when chanting,
as well as offer green leaves or fresh fruits to it, and
giving anything for the sake of kosen-rufu, will
certainly revert to one's own benefit.
The history of a poor woman and her lamp
In Sakyamuni's time, a very poor and religious
woman saw some day a cart with a great quantity of
oil. When she asked about it, they told her: 'the king
is offering this to the Buddha Sakyamuni'.
The poor woman also had a strong wish to
give some oil to the Buddha. Since she was very
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poor, she cut her long hair and sold it to get enough
money to buy some oil, make a lamp and give it to
the Buddha. Her lamp was insignificant compared to
the others given to the king.
The night Sakyamuni arrived in the town, all
lamps were lit not only to lighten up the place, but
also to pay tribute to the Buddha. Nonetheless, a
sudden strong wind began to blow, and extinguished
all lamps, except the one given by the woman.
President Ikeda states that a person's social
class or economic situation is not the main criterion
to evaluate happiness.
Quantity or quality of daimoku, what is the best?
About the question above, president Ikeda
makes a comparison with the value, or if you prefer,
the quality between a hundred dollar and a ten dollar
bill. Naturally, most people would rather have a
hundred dollar than a ten dollar bill. And, certainly,
having too many one hundred bills is even better.
The same happens to faith: strong and sincere
prayers are important. Both quality and quantity are
good. President Ikeda said once that chanting one
hour of daimoku isn't too little, and that chanting ten
million of daimoku isn't enough.
In December of 1957, Josei Toda, as Soka
Gakkai's second president had the goal of converting
750,000 families to Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism
and announced the three eternal guidelines of faith:
1) Practice of faith to create family harmony;
2) Practice of faith to achieve happiness;
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3) Practice of faith to defeat obstacles.

Some years later, Daisaku Ikeda, present
president of Soka Gakkai International, established
two more guidelines:
4) Practice of faith to reach good health and
longevity;
5) Practice of faith to conquer victory.
You should believe in the Lotus Sutra as you crave
for food when you are hungry or seek water when
thirsty.
(Nichiren Daishonin, The Writings of Nichiren
Dashonin, page 965).

95

About the author

By

working and caring for other peoples

happiness inside the BSGI that I grew as a person. I
had a strong and constant support from the womens
division when I started practicing. After all, the
organization was founded just a short while ago and
there were very few members in the senior division. I
will be forever grateful to those ladies who were kind
enough to spend their time with me and my family,
and were present in our lives' decisive moments,
assisting us and encouraging us.
The wish to save my son's life was so
enormous that I was able to grow very quickly within
the organization. I had such a strong desire to end
up that suffering and felt so welcome, that after only
six months upon my entrance, I became responsible
for taking care of the development of a group of
members. A little later, I was responsible for the
district and one month later for the entire chapter.
I couldn't completely understand at the time
that being responsible for the development of other
people alleviated my suffering and gave me enough
strength to overcome the daily adversities that
appeared. I knew that I received those assignments
because people trusted me and my determination.
These trusts made me never surrender and never
give up in face of adversities. In contrast, all these
responsibilities set the path to my victory and made
me grow faster, as they were the quickest way for my
own development as a person.
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Soon I became responsible for one Chapter

with four districts, multiplying by three the quantity of
members that I was committed with. I was forced to
develop myself and to create a strong vital energy,
able to embrace my life and the lives of people
around me. I used to chant two hours of daimoku
daily with one single purpose: to create human
values.
Soldiers regard the general as their soul. If the
general looses his courage, his soldiers become
cowards.
(Nichiren Daishonin, The Writings of Nichiren
Daishonin, page 613).
Satiko and I became responsible for one Area
consisting of two Chapters. Developing that region
was our greatest challenge, but we were willing to
accept it. I knew that I would have to double my
daimoku. Together, Satiko and I established our
objective of 365 hours of chanting daimoku in less
than half a year.
One year after being nominated, we founded
another Chapter and we appointed many leaders,
and once again, we were given actual proof that we
were in the right direction. I remember the face of
each member after his or her nomination, because
all of them, without exception, were living the proofs
of the benefits of the Buddhist practice. I felt joy and
happiness working at the organization.
In order to create strong friendships among
the members, we organized many activities. We
were very close. This was evident in sport activities,
because we invariably won first place in many
competitions. We were like a family.
97

Leaders who active and dynamic in the organization,

but neglect the practice pf Gongyo and Daimoku will
never be entirely happy and eventually will
disconnect in faith (Josei Toda).

Standing: Renato, Ceclia, Suely, Maricarmem and

Ricardo.
Seating: Satiko, Guilherme and Takashi. (November
2006)
I was invited once to participate in an activity
devoted to children (Group 2001, then). I knew that
invitation wasn't by chance. My responsibility was to
talk to those children about the importance of
chanting the Sutra. The sky was clear, and the sun
was shining. I remember driving for a long time to get
to that place.
When I got there, I was in front of happy
children, with shining eyes. It was impossible not to
98

remember Renato as a child when looking at those

faces. I was sincere to them and joked by saying that
daimoku was like water and gongyo was like soap. I
used a metaphor so that they could easily
understand the importance of chanting the Sutra, by
stating that only water could wash their hands, but
only with soap, they could be really clean.
'It has
been a while that I don't wash my hands before
eating', an eight-year old boy admitted.
Everybody laughed. I knew they understood
my words. I felt great surrounded by those children,
since I comprehended that human values were being
created and I was somehow contributing for their
happiness. Just like this one, there were many
unforgettable moments in my life. I feel proud when
looking back the way I built the organization with
Satiko and all my companions by my side. We were
able to create a history of constant evolution for the
happiness of people. In each organization we
worked as leaders we played our roles in the
development of kosen-rufu. In all these years as
leaders, my wife and I were nominated counselors of
Area. Today, we belong to District Campos do
Jordo Serra da Mantiqueira.
I took to the last exam of Buddhism to
advance from medium to high degree. I didn't pass,
but Satiko got her degree. Renato also got his higher
studies degree in Buddhism. I am proud to say that
Elisa Kakuta, daughter of my brother Issao, who
unfortunately passed away, is a leader in the state of
Pernambuco. Both she and her husband, Koichi, are
valuable people in the propagation of Buddhism in
the northeast states of Brazil.

99

My professional life
As I stated in the beginning of this book, I

received a business accounting degree and moved

to So Paulo and to try a new life. It was my friend
Tadashi Fuzihara who convinced me to move
because I wouldn't have a future living in the
countryside. My first job was in the store of my
unforgettable uncle, Akira Matsumoto. He helped my
family a lot. Tadashi Fuzihara and I are very close
friends until today and when I travel together with my
wife, his wife and him are indispensable
companions. During one of these trips, N. Brun, our
guide, gave us a small book with the following story:
Tale of a donkey.
One day, a peasant's donkey fell into a well.
The animal wasn't badly injured, but it couldn't leave
the hole on its own. The donkey cried for hours,
while the peasant decided what to do. The peasant
made a cruel decision: he concluded that the donkey
was very old, and the well was too dry and that it
would better to be filled in with sand. Thus, it wasn't
worth to take the donkey out of the hole. Instead, he
called his neighbors to help him to bury the animal
alive. They carried shovels, and started to put soil in
the well. The donkey soon realized what was going
on, and began to cry desperately.
Nonetheless, against all odds, the donkey
became quiet after some shovels of soil fell on it.
The peasant looked down to the well then and didn't
believe what he saw. The donkey shook each portion
of soil that fell on its back. Thus, after a while the
100

donkey managed to get to the top of the well and

was free to walk away.
Life is going to throw a lot of soil on your
head, especially when you are down at the bottom of
a hole. The secret to leave the well is to shake the
soil that falls on your head and step on it. Each of
our problems is like the step that could take you to a
higher ground. We can get out of the deepest holes if
we do not surrender. Accept the soil that falls on you;
it could be the solution to your problems.
I started my professional career working at an
accounting office in So Paulo. I didn't earn much,
but I learnt a lot of things in that job. I didnt have
enough money to have lunch every day, and I never
forget that during the first three months I could only
afford coffee, bread and butter. That experience
provided me with a lot of strength. As I grew older, I
realized that I had to fight if I wanted to make a
living.
The sargass collected in the sea of Guenkai is the
most delicious. This is because the sargass fight
high waves and become strong (Daisaku Ikeda).
After a while, I found a job at a small hotel
management company. I could feel things were
getting better.
I always followed my mother's
advice when she said that if I wanted to progress in a
job, I should consider the company as if it were mine.
Little by little, I began to have more
responsibilities and new positions. It was interesting
to see that every time I was given a new job at SGI
Brazil, I was also given a promotion in my company,
and thus my activities increased. It was very exciting
101

to see that synchronization between my professional

life and my activities in the SGI organization.
One day I reflected about the situation and
realized that when I was hired at the hotel in 1954,
there were only 50 rooms; in 1978, there were about
200 rooms to manage. I concluded that dedicating
myself to that company also meant that I was
dedicating to my own personal growth.

Tadashi and Marina, friends forever, Satiko, Takashi

and Guilherme.
After all those years working together, I
developed a close friendship with the owner, Mr.
Fabrizio Guzzoni. Among the several gifts he gave
me, Renato's medical treatments were one of them. I
retired in 1994 as a financial director confident that I
had accomplished my professional mission the best I
could.
I always had in mind a statement made by my
102

mentor Daisaku Ikeda, who said that building is hard.

It requires a lot of effort and dedication. But
destroying is easy; it takes only a few seconds.
I built a strong character based on strong faith
and was always alert to never make a mistake that
would jeopardize what I had built. I was very happy
working for the Guzzoni family. One week before Mr.
Fabrizio passed away in 2004, I visited him and
wrote in his agenda with big letters nam-myohorenge-kyo, and I asked him to repeat it three times
with me wishing that in his next existence he will
have the great joy of discovering Buddhist
philosophy.
One cannot judge the quality of ones
existence before it ends. The final result is decided
by the happiness or unhappiness of the last years in
ones life (Josei Toda).
After receiving so many benefits along the
years, the life of my son among them, I clearly
understand the spirit of appreciation. I celebrate
February 4th every year which is the day when I
enshrined the Gohonzon at home. I gather with my
family and we chant a vibrant gongyo full of
gratitude for all these years of constant victories.
When one has had the rare good fortune to
be born a human being, and the further good fortune
to encounter the teachings of Buddhism, how can
one waste this opportunity? If one is going to take
faith at all, then among all the various teachings of
the Mahayana and the Hinayana, provisional and
true doctrines, one should believe in the one
vehicle, the true purpose for which the Buddhas
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come into the world and the direct path to attaining

enlightenment for all living beings. (Nichiren
Daishonin, The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page
60).
I feel happy at the old age. I love the sea, the
mountains, dawn and sunset, the rain, the moon; I
love nature, which is full of beauty and perfection.
The appreciation I feel for this heaven in our lives is
immeasurable, especially after I felt the horrors of
hell. I love life with full intensity! I say to myself all
the time: 'What a wonderful thing to have
encountered Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism and live
in this wonderful world at the same time as
president Ikeda'.
I have never thought that I have
accomplished everything that I have desired. I still
have many projects in life, especially dedicated to
kossen-rufu, such as publishing this book. I live
every moment as if it were the last one, because I
am aware that this moment will not return. Since I
always liked to travel, this is what I do most. I travel
with Satiko. Sometimes just to relax, sometimes to
propagate Buddhism. I enjoy immensely the good
fortune that I accumulated with my practice.
I am 72 years old. I was born in the same
month as president Ikeda; I am a proud Capricorn,
just like him. I have 33 years of practice, and began
the practice on February 4th, 1973, the same month
Nichiren Daishonin, the Buddha of the latter day of
the law was born. The transformation I had in my life
with this practice was enormous.
I had high and low moments in my life even
104

practicing Buddhism. I faced worries, difficulties and

obstacles, but I never gave up the practice and I
overcame these situations with intense daimoku,
since Buddhism is persistence. I suffered a lot with
my son's illness, but it was worthwhile. I became a
strong person and convinced to never stay away
from the Gohonzon no matter what happens.
Regardless of what religion we practice, we
surely know that escaping from death is impossible.
I gained strength by practicing Buddhism. I feel that
the day when death comes to my family, I will be
ready to face the situation with courage and
serenity. I am not in a hurry though. I wish it will
come in many years from now, and let be me the
first one.
I don't fear death. When time is up, I want to
die quietly in company of my kids, full of health,
fighting for what is believed to be right,
accomplishing their missions, and happy. I would
like the burial to be as simple as possible, only with
my family and closest friends. I wish the coffin will
be closed so people will not see me. I would rather
people to remember me alive and not have a
ceremony.
This way one would avoid the inconvenience
for people to visit me twice. I reckon this subject is
getting boring, after all reading about my funeral is
not interesting at all. In return, I will describe
something amusing and funny.
Some humor
I was responsible for one SGI region and was
105

severely reprehended by the area leader. The

reason was that I used to tell jokes during the
meetings and soon enough I was known for that.
I defended myself: 'I never use bad language
or told dirty jokes'. He answered me, a little angry:
'Buddhism is a serious business! All meetings at
Gakkai are sacred and they are not the place for
telling jokes!'
I never told jokes again, but since I'm no
longer a member of the board, I will tell one that I
think is really funny, just to keep the habit:
After a long illness, Ms. Aparecida died and
appeared in front of the gates in heaven. While she
waited for St. Peter, she looked through the gates
and saw her grandparents and some friends walking
in the garden full of flowers. She thought there are
some religions that dont believe in paradise after
death. When St. Peter arrived carrying a big key,
she said what a beautiful place. How can I get in?
You have to spell one word and get it right in ten
seconds. What is the word?, she asked. Love.
She spelled correctly in five seconds and went
through the gates. Two years later, St. Peter gave
her the keys and asked her to watch the gates for a
while because he had to do something else. To her
surprise, her husband showed up saying Dear
Aparecida, after you died I married that beautiful
nurse who took care of you, I won the lottery and
was a millionaire. I sold our house and bought a
beautiful mansion. My wife and I traveled the world.
What a life. However, when I was skiing in the Alps,
I fell, hit my head and here I am. How do I get in
heaven? She said you have to spell a word correctly
in five seconds. He said okay dear, what is the
106

word?
'Darling, what is the word?'
Unconstitutionally she answered.
In 1981, I accomplished my most precious
dream to travel to Japan and meet Mr. Daisaku
Ikeda. Together with Brazilian colleagues, we all
enjoyed unforgettable moments, full of gratitude and
desire to help people attain happiness.
Our group stayed in a hotel in Tokyo, which
offered two types of breakfast, Eastern and Western
styles. My curiosity to know eastern breakfast was
so great that I showed up alone for breakfast very
early. I ran into Ms. Silvia Saito and we sat together
to chat during the meal:
'Ishigami-san, I have to share with you a wish
that I have for a long time: in my next life, I want to
be born in the Japanese imperial family, so I will
able to broadly spread the Buddhist philosophy to
most people'.
I felt her strong determination in every word
she said. I always admired her faith and realized at
that moment her strong desire to spread the
Buddhist philosophy.
I chant one hour of daimoku daily, because I
don't want my strength to diminish. This is just like a
savings account at the bank; one day you should
need it.
According to my experience, one should
chant as much daimoku as possible, with or without
107

faith. Of course, it is much better to chant with faith,

but at the beginning of the practice, I think it is very
hard. Oftentimes some questions arise: is this going
to work? Am I wasting my time? Nonetheless, I think
it is better to chant daimoku, because eventually
faith will come, as it happened to me. I strongly
believe that faith will come when the beginner sees
actual proofs of the power of the Gohonzon. It is like
boiling water in a 5-galons container. The time
required for the water to boil will depend on the
strength of the fire. Following that example, I come
to the conclusion that even with weak faith, a person
will reach the desired goals. It may take longer, but
provide the chanting is persistent, the benefits will
arrive. To change something small in the karma, a
person will need just a little of water. To change
something strong in the karma, like it was in my
case, a person will need hundreds of gallons of
water.
And yet, though one might point at the earth and
miss it, though one might bind up the sky, though
the tides might cease to ebb and flow and the sun
rise in the west, it could never come about that the
prayers of the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra would
go unanswered (Writings of Nichiren, On Prayer,
336-351pp).
Sometimes a person sets the goal of chanting
one million daimoku in a given time frame. After
finishing the task nothing happens, despite sincere
prayers to the Gohonzon. President Ikeda says that,
instead of being discouraged, one must renew our
vowels and persist in the objective until the final
victory is reached. I recall the example of boiling
108

water. If we stop heating the water before it boils,

the temperature the water reached when we
stopped will cool down again to ambient
temperature. It is such a pity letting this to happen.
The journey from Kamakura to Kyoto takes twelve
days. If you travel for eleven but stop with only one
day remaining, how can you admire the moon over
the capital?
(Nichiren Daishonin, The Writings of Nichiren
Daishonin, page 1027).
President Ikeda states that when our
determination changes, everything starts to move
towards our desire. The moment you desire to be
victorious, everything in you prepares for success.
On the other hand, Mr. Ikeda adds: If you
say: 'that will never happen', all of your being gives
up the fight and everything moves in the direction of
losing the battle. The way you prepare your mind
and the attitudes you have, they influence your life
and your environment.
The Buddhist principle that tells that one
single moment in life contains three thousand worlds
explains the true aspect of the power of life. By
means of a firm resolve, we can change our lives,
those around us, and the place we live.
President Ikeda states that sometimes we
pray and give up when things dont happen the way
we desire. But, what is the attitude that we are
practicing? We shall fight with determination for our
dreams. We should never leave anything to be
109

completed later. If we believe deep in our hearts that

we are not capable, then we will not accomplish
what we desire. Our attitude towards the Gohonzon
is very important.
The solution for everything is daimoku.
According to the mentor if you dont believe in this,
you should chant until you believe. Chant to have
the courage to act. Everything we need is inside us.
That is why we need to chant daimoku to bring forth
the inner force.
President Ikeda also says that we should not
give in to our weaknesses and we should fight until
we win. Even if we fall five times, we must get up six
times. We should never give up the fight for our
objectives. We can change anything; we can change
our present as well as our future.
We need to be courageous as our mentor
advises; we should challenge the things we think
are impossible to attain. If we never challenge the
impossible, we will never know the true power of
nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Our dreams can only come
true by our own actions.
In this orientation we understand that a
person's life is not made only of victories but losses
are part of life as well. The most important thing is to
get up every time we fall transforming the loss to the
path to our final victory. Winning everything is really
hard. We can lose some battles, but never the war.
I understand today that when everything goes
well and without any problems, things tend to get
into a routine.
I feel that only when I found
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myself facing great obstacles, I was able to get

strong. I am able to feel really passionate for life and
feel all its grandiosity.
I live in a meaningful way, and I have a
valuable existence. I see that in the world of faith in
Buddhism all my difficulties changed into great
treasuries. Buddhism showed me the 'god' I was
looking for at the very beginning when my son was
ill. I found this universal force that emanates from
my life, merges with the Universe and gives me the
chance to choose my own destiny.
When Satiko, Renato and I chanted three
million daimokus, my second son, Ricardo, was
seven years old. When Renato was facing serious
pain, Ricardo sat in front of the Gohonzon and
chanted daimoku for hours. But after that period, he
didn't continue the practice and I only saw him chant
daimoku for a few times; only when he had some
special desire and wish to conquer it.
Ricardo graduated with an MBA and worked
for some international banks. In early 2000, Ricardo
was invited to transfer to Mexico City. It was an
excellent opportunity and my son took it. I realized
that his mission was born at that moment. It was in
Mexico that he felt the importance of applying the
Buddhist philosophy in his life and fight for his own
happiness and the people in Mexico.
Ricardo used to call us and tell the news. He
called me once and said he was practicing
Buddhism and chanting daimoku and participating in
local meetings; he was propagating the Mystic Law.
After a while he called me again to tell that he had
111

accomplished 12 shakubuku and that he had 26

under way. He told me that he had weekly meetings
in his house and about 40 people typically attended
the meetings.
I didn't believe his words in the beginning. I
thought to myself, how come there was such a
change in such a short time? I thought he was
joking. After all, those numbers were so high and
almost impossible to be reached in a short period of
time. On the other hand, I could feel that he saw all
the conviction and transformation that happened in
our family and the moment for his revolution came
when he was alone abroad.
In November 2004, Satiko and I visited him
and we arrived exactly on a day that there was an
important meeting in his house. To my surprise, 48
people came, most of them invited by Ricardo. I felt
very happy. When the meeting was over, I joked
saying that I was there just to check if he was
serious. We laughed a lot that night. I felt a great
pleasure of seeing how much Ricardo changed.
We stayed two weeks in Mexico. Ricardo
showed us the rich culture and history of that
country. We visited the ruins of Teotihuacn, the
pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, and many other
sites. As I understood more about the local culture, I
realized the great struggle my son was having in
disseminating Buddhism, after all, that country has
very well established religious roots.
I followed Ricardo to three family visits; I went
to several meetings, and one of them was very
important. It was a study meeting held at the SGI
112

Mexico headquarters. There were about 120 people

that day and the theme of the meeting was
'Changing the immutable karma'. I was surprised
when I heard about the theme. After all, my
experience was actual proof of that theory.
I felt very excited and could barely get a hold
of myself. I wanted to tell everybody about my life
experience and encourage everyone there. When
the theoretical explanation was over, I got up
promptly, walked to the stage and made a brief
description of my life. I felt a great joy, as I knew I
had touched everyone's heart, by using my life as
an example of Buddhist principles.
The developments of that day were
unforgettable. I looked at Ricardo and was sure that
moving to Mexico was another action of the Mystic
Law in our lives. I felt proud and a great admiration
looking at him. My excitement was so great that I felt
like crying. Ricardo told us that he first introduced a
colleague from work, Heraldo, and they used to
have Buddhist meetings just the two of them. After a
while he introduced more and more people to the
practice.
My son, Ricardo, I have a message for you,
in the form of a Nichiren's gosho and then, president
Ikeda's guidance:
At first only Nichiren chanted Nam-myoho-rengekyo, but then two, three, and a hundred followed,
chanting and teaching others. Propagation will
unfold this way in the future as well (Writings of
Nichiren, The true aspect of all phenomena, 383388 pp).
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The stronger the determination to propagate the

Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin, the greater
accumulation of good fortune to construct a happy
life (Daisaku Ikeda).
Ricardo told me that night that after beginning
the practice, his life took a new perspective. He
realized what his mission was. Since he took the
decision to accomplish his mission, he could see
proofs of the daily benefits of Buddhist practice.
'I was able to overcome every obstacle and be
victorious against lifes difficulties', he told me
confidently. I had never seen my son speaking that
way. I told him, sincerely and frankly, that I was very
surprised with his development, and that I was very
proud of him as a father. We hugged each other.
Ricardo moved back to Brazil bought a very
beautiful house and has chakubuku meetings as he
used to have in Mexico. He and his wife Soraya
were recently nominated leaders for the Community
Giovanni Gronchi.
I never imposed to my kids the practice of
Buddhism. I always let them decide what they
wanted to follow in their lives. However, I always
prayed to the Gohonzon for their protection and
nurtured at the same time my wish of seeing them to
practice Buddhism. The transformation of Ricardo
was one more benefit I received in my life. Suely
(Renatos sister) only you is missing. There is an
old Japanese saying: cherry flowers take three
years to blossom and apple trees take eight years. I
wait confident for your blossom. I renew my vows
everyday and keep in mind that if something hasnt
114

happened yet it is because I have to continue with

my prayers until the final victory.
The Gohonzon is really absolute!
The power of
extraordinary thing!

daimoku

is

actually

an

I can truly say that that I won the lottery alone!

115

Letter from Satiko to Renato

Renato, my son,
Congratulations for your birthday!
When reading again the letters your father
wrote to Tadashi, it feels like I returned to the past. It
reminded me of all the sorrow we went through and
our strength and dedication in daimoku to save you.
Renato, you are a living proof that it was worthwhile!
You are alive and healthy, enjoying a happy life with
Ceclia.
Thank you for your survival; should the
opposite had happened, I would be crying your
absence until today.
Renato, I love you so much; as well as Suely
and Ricardo. I would do the same for them.
Always be the same wonderful human being
you are.
I am writing to you just because I would never
116

speak this in person as I am a very emotional

person.
Congratulations once again! May you and
Ceclia be very happy. Continue being the good
brother you are to Suely and Ricardo,
I love you all...
Your mother.

November 9th, 1997

Message
I dedicate this book to my dear wife Satiko,

without whom I would ever be victorious. I am totally

sure of that. If I would chant one hour of daimoku,
she would chant two; if I chanted three hours, she
would chat six. Satiko always worked twice as I hard
as I did.
The Daimoku a mother sends to her kids has
an immeasurable value because the connection she
has with them is more than the father.
Someone has said: 'Independently of the
117

religion one practices, God is always the same. The

only thing that changes is the name.' If I thought that
way, Satiko would continue with Catholicism, as I
would be Buddhist. But I don't think like this. If I
opted for Buddhism, it was because I felt that it
would save my son. I know that Satiko, then, thought
the same regarding the Catholic Church. Even
against her will, and my imposition, she decided to
follow me in the path I chose, and this is why I am
deeply grateful to her.
I dedicate this book to Renato also, who was
born as my son to show me the way to follow and
reach true happiness.
I will mention Ms. Luzia Chigusa as well, who
was cited several times in this book. The
determination and assertiveness I saw in her eyes
during crucial moments made me decide and have
faith to chant millions of daimoku and be victorious.
Finally I dedicate this book to my dear mentor,
president Ikeda, for his teaching, guidance and
encouragement, so I can seek every day the
greatest objective of enlightenment and absolute
happiness in this existence.
Thank you very much to all of you.
The author

118

Epilogue 1
After

accomplishing 33 years of Buddhist

practice, I can clearly see today that our existence
doesn't occur by chance. We were born with a
mission that will only depend on us to carry out.
I am aware of my mission as Bodhisattva of
the Earth; I chose to be born in this country, to
belong to this wonderful family, and in this adverse
situation. I understand today that I chose to be born
with one of the most severe illnesses with the single
purpose of transforming the impossible into possible
based only on the practice of faith. To demonstrate
the splendor of Nichiren Daishonin's teachings and
encourage other people to practice and receive its
benefit.
The harder the difficulties in our lives, the
more pleasurable will be the proof of the Buddhist
practice.
When I was revising this book, I could clearly
see that my family has accomplished the wishes of
our mentor Mr. Daisaku Ikeda. In President Ikeda's
poem 'Brazil be the Monarch of the world' written on
Jul 22nd, 2001, he says:
Let your merits be engraved in your records of
constant victories!
The difficulties in the present will be the glory
in the future!
119

The new trails in the new century will be

proportional to your journey!
Sharing with you the joy and pride of playing
one of the main roles in the actual proof of faith has
a unique meaning in my life.
I
am
totally
convinced that with this book, my dear father is
leaving our merits recorded into the pages of our
continuous victories.
Avoid complaining, and find the actual proof of
change within our present circumstances. This is the
way we should choose to encourage other people to
follow our steps based on Nichiren Daishonin
Buddhist philosophy.
Recently, after giving an experience of the
benefits I received during all these years, I was given
a card, which fondly says:
Renato, we, as Buddhists, thank you a lot for
being a living example of the force and power of
Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo.
My sincerest thanks for your visit.
Happy 2006!
Maria do Carmo
Bienal Community

120

Renato and family in Campos do Jordo

From the bottom of my heart and as my family
as a real example, I wish you can find the confidence
to transform your karma into mission. You can find
the mission to encourage people to believe that they
can transform suffering into joy and evidence the
courage and energy of the Buddha.
I would like to thank my dearest parents,
Satiko and Takashi, my brother, Ricardo, and my
sister, Suely, my beloved wife Ceclia, and my son,
Guilherme, my relatives, Tadashi and Marina,
Haroldo and Rossana, Cassiano and Anglica, Celso
and Mrcia, and all my colleagues at SGI Brazil. I will
be forever grateful to you, for sharing this wonderful
existence with all of you.
In July 2006
Renato Ishigami

121

Epilogue 2
A

Rigorous Winter is a fascinating book. It

not only addresses the issue of death in a especial
way but it is also a true life experience where hope,
harmony and family determination win the fight
against one of the worst diseases.
In these pages, the reader is carried to a self
evaluation to reflect that life is full of moments and
that because of this, it is important that each moment
be lived as if it were the last one.
In this story, life takes a unique meaning and
the Buddhist view of death is presented. We are able
to understand that death does not discriminate and
should not be feared. On the contrary, death should
be regarded as a period of relaxation, like sleeping in
which life restores its energy and prepares for a new
cycle. Because of that, how we choose to live our
lives is the main point of reflection presented in this
book.
Life gains new colors and beauty and we
realize the need to live our lives with a philosophy
that allows us to live fully, so we can make the
transition to the state of relaxation without regrets.
When I accepted this work, I had no idea that
I was receiving this gift. During the time I worked with
Renato Ishigami, revising and adapting the
experience of his father about his life, I had the
opportunity to reflect intensely about internal and
external issues involving the human existence. I
revised and expanded some concepts. I became
more aware and sensitive of my place in the
Universe and gained a new perception that the
relationships that exist in our planet are now part of
me.
Fernanda dos Reis Pinheiro
122

Final Epilogue
On May 12th, 2005, the newspaper O Estado

de So Paulo published an interesting report, in

which a researcher and doctor from the Swiss
University of Saint Gallen, Johannes Hirata, states
that money can't buy happiness. According to him,
before Japan's economy boom during the 1950s, the
average income of Japanese people was close to
4,000 dollars a year. Fifty years later, their annual
income is 30,000 dollars. Despite this increase in
income, there was no significant increase in the
degree of happiness among the Japanese. What is
the explanation for this? People get used to comfort,
says Hirata.
It is easy to understand how it works. When
people could not have access to electricity, they
were not less happy than today, simply because they
didn't know the comfort provided by electricity. Ever
since people started to have access to electricity,
people got used to it and the degree of happiness
remained the same.
One concludes that having money helps, but it
is not essential for peoples happiness. Not even a
millionaire will be entirely happy, if he/she does not
do his/her human revolution. To say that the
Gohonzon is wonderful and absolute when there are
no difficulties is easy. True faith is to keep the same
feeling when we are going through difficult situations.
Following the same reasoning, I consider that
my faith not being especial. It is simply faith. I admire
the faith of people who lost their beloved ones but
123

did not stop to work for Kosen-rufu. They are truly

admirable people. I would like to tell the story of Mr.
Antonio Pedro Moraes Pereira member of the
Pinhalense district in Pindamonhangaba. He said
with tears in his eyes:
When I was a little boy, my father killed my
mother and committed suicide after a while. The
tragedy in my family continued with the death of my
brother who hanged himself and the death of my
other brother who died in a hang gliding accident. I
later lost my son in an accident in the farm. The
tragedy continued when ten years ago I lost my other
son in a deadly car accident along with my mother in
law and my wife. I had no reason to live. My life was
over and I decided to put an end to it. I wrote a letter
to my sons: two men and five women. When I was
testing an old rifle, one of my daughters, Ana who
lives in Sao Paulo, suddenly appeared with her
husband Marcio. They were practicing Nichiren
Daishonins Buddhism. They were leader already
and came to Shakubuku me. When they saw I was in
a deep depression, they decide to take me to Sao
Paulo where I participated in several meetings. I
learnt a lot about Buddhism and after chanting a lot
of Daimoku, the pain, anxiety and despair that I was
feeling in my heart went away little by little.
It is incredible, but I started to smile again. I
decided to stop the succession of death that was
happening in my family and change my karma
because I didnt want any other tragedy to happen to
my family seven sons and several grand children. I
decided to return to Santo Antonio do Pinhal to
disseminate this wonderful Buddhism. After some
time, Ana and her family came to live in my city and
124

this was fundamental for the local organization. They

had shakubuku meetings in my simple home. We
started with one and then two and so on until it was
difficult to fit so many people in my small house.
Since there was some additional space, I decided to
build an extra room to hold more people. After some
struggle and using my retirement funds, I was able to
build the room.
It was in this place that I gave my experience
and had the opportunity to meet Mr. Antonio. There
were about sixty people. I was surprised and
embarrassed to see that pretty room with a large
altar donated by Wanderson. Today that place is the
community center of the city of Santo Antonio do
Pinhal.
I felt that compared to his experience, my
experience was insignificant. I went to Santo Antonio
do Pinhal to give my experience and encourage
people, but I came back very motivated. It is this way
sometimes: we try to encourage some people and
we get encouraged. Mr. Antonio also said Ana and
her family returned to the capital after creating value
in Santo Antonio do Pinhal. When saying goodbye in
that meeting, Mr. Antonio said I dont know if I
changed my karma, but ever since I started to
practice Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo ten years ago,
there hasnt been any tragedy in my family and he
smiled.

125

Ishigami and Tob (November, 2006) I enjoy my good

life condition and health. When I chant Daimoku to
the Gohonzon, I have only one feeling: a deep sense
of appreciation.

126

Acknowledgements
Many people are involved in the process of

writing and editing a book. The present book was

initiated in mid 2004 and concluded in November
2006 and it is not an exception. For this reason, I
need to express my sincerest thanks to all my
Buddhist friends who made the publication of this
book possible: Renato (my son), Fernanda dos Reis
Pinheiro, Maria de Lourdes dos Santos, Leila
Shimabukuro Otani, Julio China and mainly Getulio
Kiyoshi Nakajima, vice-president of BSGI.
I express many thanks to all members and
leaders of BSGI who constantly encouraged me to
get out of the darkness and find the path to
happiness.
Without you this book would not exist. I
sincerely hope that this book will touch the hearts of
many people and contribute to World Peace, which
is my only desire.
My eternal gratitude.
The author
I finish this book by citing a sentence from president
Ikeda's novel, Human revolution:
The splendor of Human Revolution of only
one person will one day launch the change of destiny
of a country and transform the destiny of the entire
human race.
To make an analogy, a single match will burn
an entire forest.
Tadashi Ishigami
127

Appendix
This is the story of strong people for strong
people. These are strong people who take all of their
strength from the power of Gohonzon and share it
with us.
To me, it was such an honor to read again this
book. I would like to thank all people who made this
translation possible, including people from the SGI in
California like Leila Carvalho, Charles Jones, Pete
Peterson and Mara Ornellas Tisi. I want to express
my gratitude to Renato and his father, Takashi, for
their support, even when things got harder, and I
almost gave up. I said to myself especially in the
beginning of this work: it is very hard, I won't make
it. But then, with Renato's warm words of care, I
thought: no, I have to continue. And, then, I could
translate some more words.
I would like to thank every one at the Lapa
community who gave their support and friendship.
And, last but not least, I would like to thank
the Mystic Law contained in the Gohonzon, which
brings a lot of benefits to those who believe in it.
The translator
128