At the crucial moment in 1979, top Soka Gakkai leaders failed to protect President Ikeda against enemies who were eagerly waiting for a chance to destroy the Soka Gakkai, cumulating in his resignation.​

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To protect my sincere fellow members, I sought with all my being to find a way to forge harmonious unity between the priesthood and lay believers. But all my efforts looked as if they would come to naught when a top Soka Gakkai leader – who later quit and renounced his faith – made inappropriate remarks. The Gakkai’s enemies, who were waiting all along to destroy us, pounced on us eagerly. The priests raised an uproar and demanded that I take responsibility for this person’s words.​

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One day, I asked the top leaders of the Soka Gakkai, “Do you think my resignation would settle the problem?” There was a painful silence. Then someone spoke. “You can’t go against the flow of the times.”  A sharp pain tore through my heart. Even if all my members urged me not to, I was willing to bow in apology if it would bring an end to the turmoil. And in fact, my resignation may have been unavoidable. I also knew how tired everyone was, due to the long defensive battle in which they had all fought so hard. ​

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But “flow of the times”? It was the attitude, the state of mind, underlying that utterance that so disturbed me. I could detect no trace of the fighting spirit to protect the Soka Gakkai with one’s life or the willingness to fight with me no matter what the times or circumstances. It was pitiful, and I was completely lost for words. Mr Toda had said to us all, “Protect the third president! If you do so, you will definitely be able to achieve kosen-rufu!” Had the top leaders of the Soka Gakkai forgotten the spirit of their beloved mentor? How pathetically they had let themselves be defeated!  Where was the Gakkai spirit, that they should have allowed themselves to be so overcome by circumstances?