A Mother's Unconditional Love

A Mother's Unconditional Love
by Cheryl Yow

“Even one daimoku can permeate the entire universe. How much greater then is daimoku’s capacity to move anything when it is chanted with sincerity and determination….

~ Daisaku Ikeda ~

         This is a testimony of unconditional love - a devoted mother with great faith. I actually heard this testimony some years back. Today I heard it for the second time.  Tears welled up in my eyes as I listened to her agonizing struggles. It was a detailed two hours testimony but I try to keep it short here. 

        Oh Ya Mei is a woman division leader. She has a loving husband and two wonderful children. Her struggles started when she had her 3^rd child – a baby boy.

While in the hospital, she noticed her baby boy was not drinking much milk, the other babies had all finished their milk but her baby’s bottle was still full. On the 2^nd day she asked the nurse and the nurse casually replied, “ Ah Soh, your baby tongue is too short!” She said that remark instantly prick her heart, it was as if someone has said that her son was mute.

          When she finally brought the baby home and for the first time unwrapped the cloth and towel around him, she was stunned! He had severe disability! His hands and feet were badly twisted  and his fingers/toes were ‘glued’ tightly together, he was not able to spread his fingers/toes. His backbone was collapsing all over him and half of his body was twisted. His upper arms were sealed/attached to his body, he could not lift his arms over his head. His head was constantly bent over the right side of his shoulders. Besides, he had some serious nerve, muscle and bone disease. The doctor said that this particular disease is very rare, at that point of time there were only two in Singapore and the other one had died. The doctor did not have much hope that this baby would survive.

            She said she felt ashamed to have such a baby. Why her? What had she done to deserve such a fate? What would others say … that she chanted and yet had such a baby! How could she face people whom she had so enthusiastically asked to chant for a better life? She said she started chanting for her son to have a quick and painless death. In the meantime she did not tell anyone about it, when members and friends came over, the baby was well- wrapped up. No one suspected anything.

     Then one day she wrote to Ikeda sensei (Daisaku Ikeda) to ask sensei to choose a name for her son. However she did not mention a thing about the disability of her baby. Within 2 weeks she received a letter from Ikeda sensei. She had expected a more wordy letter but there were only three Chinese characters:

Zhen  ( real/absolute)

Guang ( light)

Ming (radiant/brillante)

So the meaning of the name means an ‘absolute radiant light.’ She said the moment she read these three words, she felt as if a surge of a glowing beam of light has emerged out of her! From that moment she made a commitment to chant for 20 years for her son to be normal.

“When your determination changes, everything will begin to move in the direction you desire. The moment you resolve to be victorious, every nerve and fibre in your being will immediately orient itself toward your success.”

~ Daisaku Ikeda ~

           She started chanting 8 hours daily. She had to sacrifice her TV time, her favourite dramas and chant till 2 to 3 am daily. Her prayers are very focused:

1. I want his tongue to be longer/extended, 
    for him to speak properly 
    and the first few words that he will speak 
    are not mummy or daddy 
    but Nam Myo Ho Renge Kyo
   ( after a few millions of chant he did,
   Starting with Nam to Nam Myo to Nam Myoho 
   and eventually the whole phrase!)

2.  I want him to be able to spread his fingers 
     and that his wrist will not be twisted so that he

    could write Nam Myoho Renge Kyo .

3. I want him to be able to spread his toes
    and his ankle will not be twisted 
    so that he could walk for kosen-rufu.

4. I want him to be able to walk straight 
    and his body will not be twisted, 
   because his body is like the Butsudan
    – the embodiment of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

5. I want his head to be lifted up 
    so he could be a proof of the vow/power of

    Nam Myoho Renge  Kyo.

There are many more such focused and determined prayers like these. All prayers are answered. Much later on, she wanted to find a specialist for him to work on other areas that needed some specific medical expertise so she chanted for a specialist to have Buddha’s wisdom to conduct a successful (highly complicated) surgery for her son. One day someone just walked up to her and introduced a specialist to her!

Now he has grown into a charming young man with no sign of previous disability. He is a handsome boy ( 24 year-old) and he looks like a Korean movie actor! He is an active member of SGI young men division and presently he is doing his university studies.

I try to be as accurate as I can but more significantly here is her enduring determination and persevering faith. Though I cannot depict the intensity of her agony, her emotions, the strength of her spirit and the tears in her eyes, I believe we can take a piece of this inspiring story of faith to continue with staunch determination to overcome any obstacles we have.

“Invisible radio waves travel vast distances through space, reaching Mars and Venus. In the same way, our inner determination… activates the forces in the universe- the heavenly deities and the Buddhas throughout the ten directions-appears as solid actual proof  with the principle of 3000 realms in a single moment of life“
~ Daisaku Ikeda~