SGI Canada Newsletter, No. 123 - January 31, 2025
SGI Canada Newsletter
Issue no. 123
January 31, 2025
Welcome to the 123rd 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
President Harada’s editorial: “The Discussion Meeting—A Noble Gathering Embodying Respect for All!”
In his editorial in the February issue of Daibyakurenge, the Soka Gakkai monthly study journal, Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada writes about the importance of each district:
The driving force of the February Campaign[1] in 1952 was the discussion meetings held at the unit level, the smallest division of our organization at that time. President Ikeda regarded these grassroots gatherings as vital arenas for advancing kosen-rufu and fostering capable individuals. He encouraged the leaders and wholeheartedly supported them from behind the scenes, steadfastly engaging in home visits and offering personal guidance and encouragement. As a result, a stream of new guests and friends were welcomed at the discussion meetings.
The success of a discussion meeting lies in the “formula” that fosters these noble gatherings that embody respect for all people—in other words, the leaders’ unwavering determination and harmonious unity, and the engagement of new participants.
I vividly recall how there used to be a graph in President Ikeda’s office displaying attendance figures for discussion meetings being held all around the country. He used to pay close attention to the data: Was participation increasing compared to the previous month? Were participants truly enjoying the meetings? Each month, I was deeply moved by his genuine care and concern. In the same way, let us strive to create discussion meetings that we can present with pride to our eternal mentor—meetings that brim with the spirit of youth and where each person is at the heart.
In February 1975, upon returning to Japan having completed the overseas guidance tour that culminated in the establishment of the SGI, President Ikeda held a series of meetings with foreign diplomats and top leaders and thinkers from Japan and abroad. He also visited members day after day, offering individual encouragement to those in the future, student, and youth divisions, among others. His actions demonstrated his conviction that “kosen-rufu is a great tapestry that extends ‘horizontally’ from one person to another throughout the world and ‘vertically’ from one generation to the next.”
In the Soka Gakkai’s February tradition, let us, as disciples of President Ikeda, learn from his example of initiative and unfurl a great tapestry of dialogue!
[1] February Campaign: In February 1952, President Ikeda, then an adviser to Tokyo’s Kamata Chapter, initiated a dynamic propagation campaign. Together with the Kamata members, he broke through the previous monthly record of some 100 new member households by introducing the Daishonin’s Buddhism to 201 new member households.
The complete editorial can be found in the March 2025 issue of New Century.
News
SGI Statements will continue work of Ikeda Sensei’s Peace Proposals
Between 1983 and 2022, Soka Gakkai International (SGI) President Daisaku Ikeda issued annual peace proposals addressing major world issues such as disarmament, the environment, human rights, the role of women and the United Nations. These peace proposals were issued on January 26 every year, marking the anniversary of the establishment of the SGI in 1975.
Following President Ikeda’s passing in 2023, the SGI has resolved to carry forward the efforts initiated by our mentor by periodically issuing statements on key issues as a means of raising awareness and building global consensus for action.
To this end, an SGI Global Perspectives Committee, including SGI leaders engaged in peace activities throughout the world—the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, Africa, North America and Latin America—has been created, and statements will be released from time to time outlining possible avenues to resolve the many problems facing the global community.
The first of these statements, titled “Preventing the Use of Nuclear Weapons as a Step toward a Peaceful World,” focuses on proposals for a pledge of No First Use of nuclear weapons and the establishment of a nuclear war prevention center, both of which were put forward by SGI President Ikeda in his peace proposals. It is issued in advance of the fiftieth anniversary of the SGI’s founding.
(“Preamble”, Preventing the Use of Nuclear Weapons as a Step toward a Peaceful World.)
The first SGI Statement will be available soon in SGI Canada publications.
For the complete SGI Statement in English and Chinese, please visit:
https://www.sokaglobal.org/contact-us/media-room/statements/preventing-use-of-nuclear-weapons-step-to-peaceful-world.html (English, Chinese and Spanish only)
Tax receipts available now!
Your official 2024 donation receipt for income tax purposes is now available. If you have chosen to receive your receipt by mail, it will be sent to you over the next few weeks.
If you have chosen to download your official income tax receipt, you can do so immediately by signing into your SGI Canada online portal account and choosing Donations and then Tax Receipts.
You can change the way in which you receive your income tax receipt at any time between March 16 and December 30 each year by emailing contact@sgicanada.org.
Delivery of SGI Canada publications
Canada Post reports that it is still working through the backlog of commercial mail accumulated during the 2024 mail strike. If you have not yet received your December or January publications, we are confident that you will receive them in the coming weeks.
We also remind you that New Century, ère nouvelle and From Today Onward are all available online right now to subscribers with an SGI Canada online account. We are currently working on also making Chinese New Century available online.
If you are an SGI Canada practitioner and have an SGI Canada online account, you can read your publications by simply going to sgicanada.org and clicking on the Online Portal button at the top right corner of the screen.
If you are an SGI Canada practitioner and you do not yet have an online account, this is the right time to sign up! For instructions, click HERE.
By creating your own personal SGI Canada account, you can subscribe to publications and make secure online donations. You can also use your online account to read the English and French-language publications to which you subscribe, and access your tax receipts and personal information.
Many SGI Canada members have already registered. We hope you will also take advantage of this convenient method of making online donations, subscribing to SGI Canada publications, and reading them online.
Daimoku charts and Altar cards
To support your chanting and determinations for victory in 2025, we invite you to download and print daimoku charts and altar cards from our website.
You can find the daimoku charts and altar cards at sgicanada.org. Simply go to Activities and click on Daimoku Chart or Altar Cards. You can download and print daimoku charts and prayer cards from this page.
Daimoku Chart: https://www.sgicanada.org/activities/daimoku-chart
Altar Cards: https://www.sgicanada.org/activities/altar-cards
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 February 14, 2025. See you then!