Ikeda Sensei took his mentor’s words to heart and encouraged one member after another to join in the struggle of realising 100,000 members, which seemed an impossible dream when there were only about 10,000 YMD members in the year 1954.​

Referring to this passage in a piece of guidance dedicated to the young men’s division, my mentor, second president Josei Toda, declared: “Youth, just one of you stand! A second and then a third will definitely follow!” And he went on to say that once 100,000 young men had gathered in this way, then clearer than light, it would be possible to bring happiness to those suffering throughout the land.​

​When Mr Toda presented this guidance in 1954, there were only about 10,000 young men’s division members. The prospect of reaching 100,000 members seemed an impossible dream. I stood up alone, however, to realise his vision. Taking Mr Toda’s words to heart, I encouraged one member after another to join the struggle.​

Then, on November 5, 1961, the year after I was inaugurated as the third Soka Gakkai president, we succeeded in holding a triumphant gathering of 100,000 young men’s division members. At that time, too, we advanced with the two wheels of Buddhist study and propagation. We studied the Daishonin’s writings together and spoke of the joy we found in doing so, thereby stirring a huge groundswell of development. Exerting ourselves in the two ways of practice and study is the eternal spirit of the Soka Gakkai.​