I once published a volume of lectures on “The Selection of the Time” (in 1964.) (…) In this early series, I remember discussing at length the question of how the Daishonin’s reference to “great struggles and disputes such as have never been known in the past” should be interpreted in the present age [which is found in The Selection of the Time.] I noted that (…) I chose to interpret “great struggles and disputes such as have never been known in the past” as referring to the Second World War, and to continue emphasizing the importance of courageously pressing ahead on the path of kosen-rufu to create a world where peace prevails. My sentiments today are the same. Rather, they have only grown stronger. We absolutely have to achieve peace. Last year, I issued a nuclear disarmament proposal. In Mr. Toda’s landmark declaration for the abolition of nuclear weapons (in September 1957), he passionately stated: “It is my wish to attack the problem at its root, that is, to rip out the claws that are hidden in the very depths of this issue.” Making his spirit my own, I have taken action toward the goal of realising a world without nuclear weapons. I would now like to pass on the baton of worldwide kosen-rufu—that is, the baton of peace creation—to the youth of Soka. For all people to live in peace and security is without doubt the central focus of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism.[1]

In his 2016 Peace Proposal, Daisaku Ikeda mentions the following idea expressed by Tsunesaburo Makiguchi: “Everyone speaks of the wrongfulness of an evil act, but inexplicably no one is held accountable for the wrongfulness of failure to do good. And thus, fundamental social evils remain unresolved.”[2] In order to change the times, it is not enough to avoid the wrongfulness or to refute it theoretically, but it is necessary to take action. Following on with The Selection of the Time, Ikeda Sensei states the following:

Without positive action, there is a danger of losing all direction. A strong determination to move the times toward solid good is the driving force that propels us to create the right time. The “time” is not simply an objective condition; it is carved, in essence, by a firm will. In other words, a sound age is created by the will to fight and win, day after day, steadily and surely, no matter whether anyone is watching our efforts or not. Mr. Toda said: “We should focus our efforts on fostering one new sincere member, and then foster another, and another. This is what creates the time.” In this sense, the right time is not something that we wait for, but something that we ourselves must create.[3]