Whenever Koichi Sato, the 1st Germany Chapter leader was feeling down, he went to the hotel where President Ikeda once stayed. Once, he stood in front of the building and called out: “Sensei! Where are the Bodhisattvas of the Earth that you said would emerge?”​​

Koichi Sato (First Germany Chapter leader): When I met President Ikeda, He greeted me with a smile and said: “So you’re the one who’s going to Germany to work for kosen-rufu!” Then, he encouraged me: “I opened the way for kosen-rufu in Europe. Bodhisattvas of the Earth are waiting there, too.” After I arriving at West Germany for work, I also started toward my goal by encouraging the three member households already there. Then, I began to engage in dialogues about Buddhism with my German coworkers in the mine. But hardly knowing much German, my efforts were unsuccessful, after 2 months. Furthermore, my work was physically exhausting.

Whenever I was feeling down, I went to the hotel where President Ikeda once stayed. Once, I stood in front of the building and called out: “Sensei! Where are the Bodhisattvas of the Earth that you said would emerge?” But each time I went there, I remembered President Ikeda’s guidance about taking it one step at a time, like climbing a stairway, and treasuring each individual. As a result, I was able to rouse my courage and return to my job in the coal mine. 

Before I started practising Nichiren Buddhism, I was hit by a car at work and was badly injured. I nearly had to have my left foot amputated. That was the incident that motivated me to join the Soka Gakkai. I decided that if I couldn’t share Buddhism with others in words, I could show them my foot and communicate with gestures about my experience of surmounting this injury through faith. In response to my earnestness, a woman who was bedridden with a painful leg disorder decided to start practising. She was the first German person to receive the Gohonzon.