By D. C. Fox, Greensboro, NC

I will never forget the day in June 1998 that I sought to fill a void by going on the Internet to find some spiritual practice, which would match what I already believed about the world. I was a former fundamentalist Christian who, because of many reasons, abandoned the faith of my childhood. I was now an agnostic humanist with no real community to explore what it means to be a spiritual person. 

I remember typing in the words "Buddhism/North Carolina" in the search engine. The first page to appear was that of SGI-USA. I brought the page up and saw the words "Nam Myoho-renge-kyo." It was as if I had some mystic connection to that phrase. I called the North Carolina Community Center and was put in touch with members here in Greensboro. 

My first meeting was at a Japanese couple's apartment. I absolutely fell in love with the practice from that moment on. The people were wonderful and Nichiren Buddhism as practiced by SGI fit me perfectly. The most wonderful thing was it was humanistic. It did not depend on any esoteric factors in order to work. I was in Heaven! I received Gohonzon in January of 1999 during New Year's Kosen Rufu Gongyo.

Several months later, I came across a newsgroup on the Internet and met some folks from various schools of Nichiren Buddhism. As we began to discuss, I began to have doubts about Soka Gakkai and its doctrines. I began to pull away from my District. I was not open to discussing the issues with a live person, preferring the "safety" of my PC over face-to-face, heart-to-heart dialogue. I was being swayed without even knowing it.

I began to explore other Buddhist groups who claimed a connection to Nichiren Daishonin. I also contacted several of them including a temple of the Nikken sect. I read, listened and chanted about everything I was learning. It was easy to dismiss most of the groups since they relied heavily on esoteric Buddhism mixing Zen, Nembutsu, Tibetan and other provisional Mahayana teachings with the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin.

That left me with a choice between the Temple people and SGI. I noticed that when I had dialogue with Temple folks online, I always ended up angry. They would always attack SGI, not from the doctrinal perspective, but instead would criticize the leadership, especially Ikeda Sensei. It seemed as if they could not find holes in the teachings of SGI so they resorted to attacking persons. I, for one, was not interested in the person, but the law: "Follow the law, not the person."

At this time a horrible event happened in my life. My wonderful animal companion died. He was not only a cat, but also one of my best friends. The weekend after he had died I was in a café in Raleigh when I spotted two SGI members from Greensboro. Both of them mentioned missing me in meetings, but were more concerned about how I was handling my cat's death.

It was something about that meeting that turned me around. I began to realize that the Mystic Law, when practiced correctly, changes people. It makes people care about others. 

The more I studied the Gosho and chanted, the more I knew in my heart that Soka Gakkai was the correct form of Buddhism as Nichiren Daishonin taught. Luckily, I had not even inquired about receiving Gohonzon from another group. 

Once again, I began to attend meetings and actually listened to what was being said instead of projecting my preconceived ideas. I found that there is a community which is living out the Mystic Law and is allowing that Law to shape their lives in positive ways. I want to be a part of that community which is working tirelessly for human revolution and Kosen Rufu.

The doubts in my heart are now gone. A centered love of this practice has now taken its place. I have great respect for those who have fought for so long to propagate correct understanding of this Buddhism.

Together, may we determine to have heart-to-heart dialogue with each other and with those who have yet to hear of the truths of the Buddhism of Nichiren Diashonin. Together, we can change the world by changing one person at a time. Thanks to my SGI family for your love and support of my family and myself and for holding firm, in love, to the truth of the Mystic Law.