Concrete prayers are important

Ikeda: As I mentioned earlier, it is important that our prayers be specific and concrete. Being vague and unfocused when you chant is like shooting an arrow without looking at the target. When you chant, it should be with a strong and passionate resolve to make your prayer a reality. To have the attitude, 'If I chant, everything will be all right', is just wishful thinking. Earnest prayer - prayer infused with one's whole heart and being - cannot fail to be communicated to the Gohonzon. Another thing to remember is that as the focus of your prayers expands, to include not just your own wishes but the happiness of your friends, your family, your classmates, and society and humanity as a whole, you will expand your own horizons and your breadth as a human being. When I became president of the Soka Gakkai at 32, my first two prayers were that Japan would have a good harvest so that there would be no hunger, and that there would be no major earthquakes. On another occasion, I prayed that I alone would bear the brunt of any major persecution we suffered for the sake of kosen-rufu. My prayers were answered when I was arrested by the authorities on trumped-up 3 charges in the 1957 Osaka incident. Kimura: Your prayers are of such a lofty dimension!