FreshWrite: Building More Than Walls: The Journey to Whare Soka Buddha

Discovering the rewards and energy from being part of something bigger has been a highlight of my week.

I started the week yesterday by helping to cut some wood and drill holes for some support scaffolding for an artwork that will be put in place on the wall of our new Buddhist community Centre, Whare Soka Buddha, which is almost now complete in Wellington.

It has been a long process. First, we had to find land in the CBD to make the new centre easily accessible for all, then came the process of architectural design, finding a suitable builder and finally getting it built. Several years went by, and now the last hectic tasks are underway to make this centre open for members and visitors.

Hundreds of members have been supporting this new build in various ways. It has not been a typical construction process; it has been a manifestation of community spirit, strong faith in making the impossible possible and bringing all on a journey.

I feel immense satisfaction when I look around and walk inside this beautiful centre's meticulously and carefully built and finished details. I am proud to invite people to the new centre when it officially opens, hopefully already this year, but at least early 2024.

There have been problems, hiccups, and delays. Still, as the project manager of the building company said, "I have never seen such a commitment before to make everything absolutely to the highest quality". The spirit of Soka means never giving up, always moving on, winning over any obstacles every time, and turning 'poison into medicine'. This building is the epitome of it.

I have visited dozens of our centres in Europe, the USA, Japan and Australia. They all radiate similar uncompromising high quality, generosity, and inviting beauty. They are not built for an organisation to show off but for people to enjoy, engage and find a place for rejuvenation and purpose in the middle of their daily struggles.

Every time I have done even small things to help complete the centre, I have felt better, and my life has been elevated to calm, happiness and satisfaction. Being part of a bigger movement or flow becomes the source of energy and fulfilment.

In modern society, it is too easy to leave things to authorities, corporations, or others to care for while minding our own businesses. We may think that money talks, but talk are cheap in a human context. Only our actions as individuals count and build long-lasting generosity of spirit, material well-being and prosperity.

In Buddhism, this is called the law of Karma. It is nothing mysterious and esoteric, but the Sanskrit word karma means action. It is the law of the simultaneity of cause and effect. What you think, say or do is a cause, and the result is already inbuilt as your Karma: you will see the impact when the circumstances are right. Doing nothing also contains the effect: nothing.

Our life is not a big bang but a kaleidoscopic art composed of our small – sometimes even unseen – actions. Depending on those actions, we can either admire a colourful and extraordinary life or experience a dull and unfulfilling dragging of events that we feel have nothing to do with us.

The key to opening this Kaleidoscope is to belong to something greater than an individual can do or be.

While waiting for our centre to be open, I am grateful for all my fellow members of the SGI who have spent countless hours helping build it, making art to decorate it, and putting so much love and care into it that you can feel the warm energy it radiates even from the street when you walk past it at the end of the buzzing Cuba Street.

Being part of the movement for peace, culture, and education has been the dynamo of my life for over 30 years. Having been part of it and helping, even a little, has enriched my life more than anything else.

I hope you can also feel the belonging, the feeling of being part of a greater purpose. If you haven't, please start searching; it pays back to find that purpose for your life.

Ngā mihi,

Jussi

This week’s book is Runt

Runt is a heart-warming, funny, beautifully told story for readers of all ages from the bestselling author of Jasper Jones and Honeybee, Craig Silvey.

Little Annie Shearer likes to fix things. She lives in the country town of Upson Downs with her best friend, an adopted stray dog called Runt. The two share an extraordinary bond.

Runt is remarkably fast and agile, perfect for herding runaway sheep. But when greedy local landowner Earl Robert-Barren puts her family's home at risk, Annie directs Runt's extraordinary talents towards a different pursuit - winning the Agility Course Grand Championship at the lucrative Krumpets Dog Show in London.

However, there are obstacles in her way. 

And I leave it there for you to read or listen to this beautiful book.

Genevieve brilliantly narrates the audiobook Hegney, whose play with the Australian accent is hilarious and touching and keeps you listening with a smile on your face. Or, if you prefer reading yourself, Silvey's language is tasty, rich, and layered. Each sentence, paragraph and chapter is a gem.

You can get the audiobook and eBook from Apple Books or Amazon.

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