It all comes down to hope. If we SGI members advance with hope and buoyant spirits, then we have nothing to fear in either the present or the future. The Law will continue to spread as long as those who uphold it remain vigorous and well.
Daisaku Ikeda
Ah ... hope .... that was the first 'benefit' I had when I started practising this Buddhism over 15 years ago .. Hope was something I had lost and although it wouldn't be true to say all my problems had been solved the second I started chanting ... I really did feel an uplift after only a few minutes that maybe I really could take control of my life and I've been chanting ever since.
So I think this guidance is encouraging us (and applies to all, not just SGI members) not to lose that hope and succumb to our own weaknesses and give up.. possibly for an easy life .. That's a very easy thing to do and very tempting at times. Of course, sometimes it will get the better of us .. we are only human after all, but the key thing is to dig deep (through chanting nam myoho renge kyo) and find that hope in our lives and apply it to our daily lives and struggles.
I think the last bit "The Law will continue to spread as long as those who uphold it remain vigorous and well." is really a continuation of what I have written above ... Simply put, if we have hope, we will have the will to carry on and develop our lives, and by sharing that with others, the practise of this buddhism will continue long into the future, changing people's lives.
