SGI Canada Newsletter, No. 104 - May 3, 2024
SGI Canada Newsletter
Issue no. 104
May 3, 2024
Welcome to the 104th issue of the SGI Canada Newsletter, a bi-weekly summary of news, upcoming events and encouragement. If you are not subscribing to the SGI Canada Newsletter, you may do so by clicking on the button below. Subscriptions are free of charge, and the SGI Canada Newsletter will be emailed directly to you.
Encouragement
May 3—Eternal Day of Fresh Departure!
In his May 2024 editorial in Daibyakurenge, Soka Gakkai President Harada writes about the spirit of May 3:
May 3 is both Soka Gakkai Day and Soka Gakkai Mothers Day honouring all the women of Soka, who are worthy of the utmost praise.
On May 3, 1972, during a visit to Paris, President Daisaku Ikeda spoke about the history of kosen-rufu, and explained that May 3 is the Soka Gakkai’s New Year’s Day.
He shed light on the profound significance of this in 1980, the year after he stepped down as Soka Gakkai president. While visiting Kansai, he inscribed a calligraphic work with “May 3” in large Chinese characters, and, in the margin, a list in smaller characters of the dates of significant milestones for the Soka Gakkai. These include May 3, 1951 (when Mr. Toda became the second Soka Gakkai president); May 3, 1960 (when President Ikeda became the third Soka Gakkai president); and May 3, 1979. These are followed by the words: “This day is the starting point of the Soka Gakkai.”[1]
The three founding Soka Gakkai presidents dedicated their lives to fearlessly propagating Buddhism having engraved in the depths of their beings the steadfast determination expressed by Nichiren Daishonin: “This I will state. Let the gods forsake me. Let all persecutions assail me. Still I will give my life for the sake of the Law” (WND-1, 280). Their resolute commitment as the Daishonin’s direct successors who have inherited his great vow and triumphed over all manner of persecution is the very starting point of the Soka Gakkai that we should all engrave in our own lives.
***
[1] Now mounted as a hanging scroll, this calligraphic work features the Chinese characters for “May 3” in bold and vivid strokes down the center. In the right-hand margin, the following dates are inscribed:
May 3, 1951 (Josei Toda’s inauguration as second Soka Gakkai president);
May 3, 1960 (President Ikeda’s inauguration as third Soka Gakkai president);
May 3, 1979 (the Headquarters general meeting at which President Ikeda formally stepped down as third president, following his resignation on April 24);
May 3, 1983 (reflecting President Ikeda’s determination to open the way for the fresh development of the Soka Gakkai within the next three years); and
May 3, 2001 (aiming for the first May 3 of the 21st century).
Below this is inscribed the date May 3, 1952 (the day President and Mrs. Ikeda were married). This list of dates is accompanied by the words: “This date [May 3] / is the starting point of the Soka Gakkai. / Inscribed on May 3, 1980. / My heart serene and tranquil. / With palms pressed together. / Daisaku.”
The complete editorial will be published in the June 2024 New Century.
News
Windsor, Ont. “Transforming Lives” Exhibit featured in SGI report
The SGI Peace Activities Annual Report for 2023 features an article on last year’s exhibition of “Transforming Lives: the power of human rights education” in Windsor, Ontario.
The exhibit opened at Windsor’s historic Mackenzie Hall Cultural Centre on March 15, 2023.
Ontario West Area Women’s Group Vice Leader Iole Iadipaolo brought together several community groups to co-sponsor the exhibit: the City of Windsor, the New Canadians’ Centre of Excellence Inc., Legal Assistance of Windsor, the University of Windsor’s Anti-Racism Organizational Change Office, and the InterFaithGroup of Windsor and Essex County.
After a very successful four-day showing, the exhibit closed on March 18 with a message from City of Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens and remarks from several other community leaders.
For more information about “Transforming Lives”, please see:
https://www.power-humanrights-education.org/
The complete SGI Peace Activities Annual Report for 2023 can be found at:
Mackenzie Hall Cultural Centre in
Windsor, Ontario. (Photo by Susumu Uchida)
Sustainable Development Goals social media campaign
SGI and Earth Charter International (ECI) are collaborating on a social media campaign that highlights the SGI “Seeds of Hope and Action” exhibit.
The campaign invites participants to share photos and videos of their actions, or actions they witness around them, toward the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The “Seeds of Hope and Action” exhibit will be an important part of SGI Canada’s summer activities for peace. More information to come soon!
You can follow and tag “Seeds of Hope and Action” on Instagram, Facebook and X
Upcoming events
“I Can Make a Difference”
Women’s Group General Meetings carry on through the month of May. The SGI Canada Women’s Group theme this year is “I can make a difference”.
We hope that every district has a very successful Women’s Group General Meeting, and we wish everyone a very happy Soka Gakkai Day and Soka Gakkai Mothers Day!
We hope you found this newsletter beneficial. Please email your questions or comments to contact@sgicanada.org. Please note that the next SGI Canada Newsletter will appear on May 17, 2024. See you then!