Anyone can parrot the words “mentor and disciple”, but actually living the path of mentor and disciple is not such a casual matter. Mr Toda and I shared a deep spiritual bond. Now, even after he has gone, he is still with me, and always will be, in the next and all future lifetimes.​

One of the laudatory titles of the Buddha is “conqueror of Mara (devilish forces).” A Buddha refuses to be defeated. Being adamantly determined to win and triumph over all is the spirit of a Buddha. As practitioners of the Daishonin’s Buddhism, there is no way that you will be defeated. No matter what obstacles or malicious attacks you may encounter, you can surmount them and come out winning.​

The life of my mentor, second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda, was a continuous series of tribulations. He faced one business setback after another, and his health, severely damaged by his time in prison, was frail to the extreme. I stood up alone to protect and support him. I gave all my earnings and worldly goods, my youth, and my very life to my mentor. This is an everlasting source of pride and honour for me. ​

The mentor-disciple relationship, the spirit of oneness of mentor and disciple, is the epitome of Buddhism. Upholding Buddhism means dedicating one’s life to the path of oneness of mentor and disciple.​

Anyone can parrot the words “mentor and disciple,” but actually living the path of mentor and disciple is not such a casual matter. I really put my life on the line to protect Mr Toda – because I knew that protecting my mentor meant protecting kosen-rufu, the Soka Gakkai, and its precious members. Mr Toda and I shared a deep spiritual bond. Now, even after he has gone, he is still with me, and always will be, in the next and all future lifetimes. That is how profound the Buddhist principle of mentor and disciple is.