​President Toda condemned betrayals with such vehemence that one might be tempted to accuse him of overreacting, but this, said Mr Toda, was a manifestation not of personal anger but of true compassion for the person.​

During World War II, the Soka Gakkai was persecuted by the Japanese militarist authorities, and many of its top leaders were imprisoned. Mr Makiguchi remained true to his beliefs to the very end and died in prison. Mr Toda struggled for two long years behind bars before finally being released. But all of the other top Gakkai leaders abandoned their faith. One of them was a university professor. He repudiated his faith because his wife implored him, saying she wanted him to get out of prison as soon as possible. ​

Firmly declaring that the professor had betrayed their mentor President Makiguchi and the Soka Gakkai, Mr Toda adamantly refused to excuse his behaviour. He was infuriated by the man’s action. He condemned this betrayal with such vehemence that one might be tempted to accuse him of overreacting, but this, said Mr Toda, was a manifestation not of personal anger but of true compassion for the man. ​

After the war, there were other top Gakkai leaders who lost sight of faith and betrayed their fellow members. Mr Toda resolutely denounced them, insisting that if he failed to do so the Gakkai would be severely imperilled!

“Share your thoughts and celebrate the life of our beloved mentor by contributing a eulogy on the site https://daisakuikedalegacy.org/wordpress/eulogy. Your words will forever cherish his memory.”