SGI Canada Newsletter, No. 145 - Dec 19, 2025

SGI Canada Newsletter

Issue no. 145

December 19, 2025

 

Welcome to the 145^th 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.

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Encouragement 

Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada’s editorial: “Let Songs of Joy Resound from the Depths of Our Hearts” 

In his editorial in the December issue of Daibyakurenge, the Soka Gakkai monthly study journal, Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada writes about Ikeda Sensei’s commitment to humanism:

Thirty-five years ago, in December 1990, the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood unilaterally revised its governing rules and dismissed President Ikeda from his position as chief representative of all lay organizations. Just one month prior, during a headquarters leaders meeting, he had shared guidance inspired by the life of the great composer Ludwig van Beethoven, urging members to transform suffering into a springboard for joy. He suggested that members sing Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” from the Ninth Symphony in the original German. This act was met with harsh criticism from the priesthood, who condemned it as praising non-Buddhist teachings—an accusation that exposed their inability to appreciate the role of culture in uniting and uplifting humanity.

The following year, the Soka Gakkai declared its spiritual independence from the priesthood. Having cast off the shackles of oppressive authority, we began our ascent as a global religious movement. This transformation demonstrates that throughout the world there is a deep longing for the essence of President Ikeda’s philosophy—a religion that exists for the happiness and dignity of all people. 

President Ikeda continually called on us to advance in unity with the Daishonin’s unwavering dedication to truth and justice. Even when I was in the youth division, he instilled in us, at the Kansai Training Center, the spirit to stand up against corrupt priests who were inhumane and ungrateful. Our mentor’s heart blazed with a steadfast commitment to humanism. 

The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings also affirms: “Great joy [is what] one experiences when one understands for the first time that one’s mind from the very beginning has been a Buddha” (OTT, 211–12). How truly noble are those who share and spread the Mystic Law, an ode to the triumph of humanity. 

Now, with the great teachings of Nichiren Buddhism as our foundation, let the songs of joy arising from the depths of our hearts resound far and wide, as we dedicate our glorious symphony of happiness and victory to our great mentor of worldwide kosen-rufu!  

You’ll find the complete editorial in the January issue of New Century.

  

News 

Daimoku charts

To support your chanting for victory in 2026, we invite you to download and print daimoku charts from our website.

You can find the daimoku charts at sgicanada.org. Simply go to Activities and click on Daimoku Chart. You can download and print the charts from this page.

Daimoku Chart: https://www.sgicanada.org/activities/daimoku-chart

  

Going paperless with your official income tax receipt!

You now have two options for obtaining the official income tax receipt for your donations to SGI Canada:

• SGI Canada can mail the receipt to you
• You can go paperless and download the receipt yourself from the SGI Canada website

Choosing to download the receipt yourself will allow SGI Canada to reduce its use of paper and devote more resources to activities for members. Once you choose to go paperless, you will no longer receive a receipt in the mail from SGI Canada.

In order to go paperless and download the receipt yourself:

• Sign in to your SGI Canada account at https://sgicinfo.org/portal/login. (If you do not have an SGI Canada account yet, please see the instructions below)
• On your personal information page, you will see a section titled Official Tax Receipt
• Click on the button in front of Your current option, and follow the instructions

You can change the way in which you receive your income tax receipt at any time between March 16 and December 30 each year.

Your tax receipt for 2025 will be available online by February 28, 2026.

Have you set up your online account yet?

SGI Canada members now have access to an online portal in which they can create their own personal SGI Canada accounts, subscribe to publications and make secure online donations.

Members can also use their online account to read the English and French-language publications to which they subscribe, and access their tax receipts and personal information.

How to set up your online account:

• Go to the SGI Canada website at sgicanada.org and click on the Online Portal button near the top right corner of your screen.
• Click on I have not created an online account and then Submit
• Fill out the personal information fields and click on Submit
• You will receive an email from accounting@sgicinfo.org . The email will confirm your username and password (which you can change once you log into the site the first time). For assistance with setting up your account, please contact support@sgicinfo.org.
• Once your username and password have been confirmed, you will be able to log into the online portal from the SGI Canada website at any time.

Many SGI Canada members have already registered. We hope you will also take advantage of this convenient method of making online donations, printing your tax receipts, subscribing to SGI Canada publications and reading them online. 

New Year’s Gongyo on January 1

Nichiren Daishonin says:

New Year’s Day marks the first day, the first month, the beginning of the year, and the start of spring. A person who celebrates this day will accumulate virtue and be loved by all, just as the moon becomes full gradually, moving from west to east, and as the sun shines more brightly, travelling from east to west. (WND-1, 1137)

SGI Canada practitioners will be holding New Year’s Gongyo meetings across the country on January 1. Please contact your local leaders to find out the details in your location.

 

Upcoming events 

Calendar for December and January 

December 30	Deadline for changing way to receive your income tax receipt
January 1	New Year’s Gongyo meetings